* Despots and really bad folks, sorry, I hope the world turns badly for you all.
It has been a few days since my last post and in that time, I tried to relax a bit and let things just settle. In that time I read a couple of books, poached some eggs, ran a bit, and took a few naps. Not as productive as I could have been and not as lazy either. In that time, here is a rundown of some things I have accomplished or have been exposed to.
- Read the books "Mao's Great Famine", "Born to Run" and "For the Love of Physics". All were great reads. "Mao's Great Famine" (MGF), was a really sad, sad, sad story. I cannot imagine the horror of the Great Leap Forward and then to follow it with the Cultural Revolution. The story was so disturbing and sad that I had to stop briefly to read "Born to Run" (BTR).
BTR is a great read, well written and inspiring. I am not a huge fan of running, I always thought it kind of boring and not very fun. The book showed me a different way to think about running, essentially have fun and don't treat it like work. I returned to MGF after finishing BTR and after finishing that I felt very sad for the darkest parts of the human species.
I have since started "For the Love of Physics" (FLP). I readily admit that I am not the most brilliant person on the planet. I do love science and trying to understand how the universe works. I am a frustrated engineer.* When I come across a good layman's book on science, I tear into it. Great read and you'll definitely get a keen insight into the everyday world around you. I now know why snorkels are only about 1ft in length.
* This is similar to most guitarists (myself included) being frustrated drummers.
- Organized and posted some of the many photos taken while away for Christmas at the Rondo Retreat. If you are ever in Western Kenya and need a place to relax, I highly recommend Rondo.
The photographs taken at Rondo have inspired me to acquire a new camera lens and head back out to nature. I am hoping to time all of this with a (thus far) unplanned trip to Masai Mara. - One thing I am trying to sort out is the best way to poach an egg at high altitude. I have never poached an egg before this past week and have been using various techniques found on the Internet to help me through this. That I am at 2100 meters (~7000 feet) above sea level and things take a bit longer to cook out here. I have not quite figured out the timing and the proper application of heat, but I do appreciate cooks who live anyplace higher than sea level.
- In the wake of reading BTR, I have started running again. Trying to keep a more positive outlook and remain happy. I started running back in September and made a good go of it until I suffered some nasty shin splints in October. Since then, I healed up (and ran in the course of playing a weekly soccer game) and I have swapped out my normal running shoes with some New Balance Minimus trail shoes that more simulate running barefoot.* I don't know if this will make a huge difference, but I am hopeful.
* Funny how the marketing folks can sell shoes that mimic running barefoot. If I could run barefoot, why would I spend any money on shoes?
Combining the new shoes and trying to find a sort of Zen-like state where running is fun again, I just want to see how far I can run. I don't expect much more than that and I am not going to make this a job.
I am confident that positive things are ahead. A great number of things can happen over the next year. I do look forward to Christmas 2012, just so I can look back on what exactly happened. I will do this for the past 2011 and do my best to share in the next few days.
Once again, Happy New Year!
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