I often wonder how specific to be on that page. It’s country-level for now, but I might want to record for myself which cities, which ski resorts, and so on, somewhere for easy reference.
The best time to plant a tree, &c.
Reading
How to Take Smart Notes
Sönke Ahrens
travel
Updated my Where Have I Been page to add 🇸🇰 Slovakia!
That makes 20 countries, a worthy milestone.
(We technically did not spend the night. But we spent most of a day exploring Bratislava and its castle and Christmas markets and breweries, so I’m …
travel
Hot Bratislava brewery take: every beer (all two) at the relatively brand-new Kláštorný Pivovar is better than every beer at the founded-1752 Bratislavsý Meštiansky Pivovar.
The casual history in Europe amazes me.
This church, St. Anne’s in Vienna, was built in 1320, consecrated 1510 by the Jesuits, and the gorgeous baroque frescoes and altarpieces are 1750s. That means that the restoration is older than my country, and …
Achievement unlocked: write and publish a newsletter on the train between Prague and Vienna.
It would be more topical if my newsletter had anything to do with travel, but at least it was Christmas-themed, sort of.
travel
Still on our plane to Paris, I just booked the Tapster Academy at Pilsner Urquell. Definitely the most fun I had last time I was in Prague! The best part is they don’t let you drink any until you pour it correctly.
Pictured: the custom bottle of beer …
photos
travel
Stopped in lovely Cortez, Colorado, again last night and came across these cool UV-sensitive murals of Frida Kahlo, Albert Einstein, and Gandhi.
They were in a back alley connected to a parking lot; we were just lucky to spot them walking back from …
photos
Thanksgiving in Ruidoso always comes with a real fire with real wood, which makes me happy.
photos
travel
Dinner last night at Bottom Shelf Brewery in Bayfield. Ordered a flight assuming the usual four; turns out I could have gotten all eight at once. Had to order another to complete the set.
(Micro-review: tasty beer, a bit too thin. Green chile and …
photos
The shadow of the tree on the roof across the street formed a matching pattern in last night’s frost.
I’ve heard John Siracusa say “hojillion” several times on ATP. I’m amused because that word is not in my lexicon; I use “bazillion” or “bajillion” or just “zillion” somewhat interchangeably, …
photos
Living so close to mountains means we get cool effects when the sun is at low angles. Here’s tonight’s sunset just barely illuminating the ridgeline and casting deep purple shadows on the lower slopes.
versenotes
Published Fearsome Opponents, Faithful God: Israel’s Encounters with Giants.
Wherein the giants leave the stories and finally appear on-screen.
Finished another Exploding Kittens puzzle. This one presumably by Edvard Meownch.
SLC would like Christmas to come sooner. They have already decorated… the escalators?
versenotes
Just posted October’s behind the scenes for VerseNotes members.
Wherein I admit that, despite writing more than 19,000 words last month, I somehow still didn’t meet the insane goal I set myself—and, worse, published almost none of it.
This YouTubeTV/Disney beef is really ruining our football Saturday, and there’s no good alternative.
Adding ESPN to Disney+ costs $30/month, but you still have to keep YouTubeTV because not every game is on an ESPN network. And of course I …
Watched: Donnie Darko 🍿
Meera had never seen it, so I made it part of our spooky season movie marathon. I watched this movie a lot during college, and I had forgotten how much I love it. Also, I had totally forgotten that its timeline is centered on …
Curves to Curve By
If the exam scores are not resulting in the grades you want, then what do you do? Turn them into new scores!
My AP CS teacher used 10 × √(score), which always felt fine; it basically gave you a letter grade bump (and made it hard to …
The city has helpfully placed a giant fluorescent pink X on the sidewalk outside our house.
It means “this sidewalk tile has a crack and needs replacing,” but it looks like hobo code for some unknown information about this house (perhaps …
fiction
Fiction: A Door Stays Open (The Grudgery)
Somewhere between all the worlds, a door stays open. Outside, heroes save the day and ordinary folk grow old without ever hearing its name. Behind it, the Grudgery hums.
Nobody knows who you are in this bar. They’re too busy with their own …
I just had to replace the battery in my mouse (Logitech M720). It lasts so long that I had forgotten it wasn’t just magic, and I spent many confused minutes before realizing what had happened.
My brain has decided that today’s soundtrack is the theme song to School Rumble.
GURUGURU MAWARU
photos
versenotes
New Bible day! I heard about The Brick Bible and thought maybe it was an epic Lego set for constructing scenes from Scripture (I would spend enormous amounts of money on such a thing).
But it’s even better than that: it’s a complete Bible …
On Charlie Kirk and Saving Civil Society
Cal Newport writes the best thing to read on the Charlie Kirk assassination. Possibly the only thing to read. (It’s wonderfully short.)
Everything else makes me worry for, well, civil society in America.