Twenty-three in New York City!
Post for February 12, 2023
# 1593
Commentary this week:
My January health report card
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Commentary
I thought to share the important health issues with which I concern myself daily. Let’s start with the one grade well-below average: a D.
Sleep: Sleep continues to be the greatest obstacle to my health. I, too often, sleep poorly or, once or twice a month, get no sleep at all. January was no exception. On the 29th of this month, at 10.30 pm, I put my head down, as usual, but sleep didn’t come. It didn’t come and offered no explanation. No text message.
After fifteen fruitless minutes of lying like a lump, I couldn’t bear it anymore and got up. And stayed up watching Korean melodramas and writing entries for the blog. At 3.30 am I had breakfast and started my daily routine.
Except that I did cancel my plans to lift weights, my fatigue perhaps putting me in danger of injury from extreme exertion.
I did take my usual walk, much more slowly than normal for myself, and then returned home to move around the apartment in slow motion. You could call this ‘getting through the day’, and I do. Barely. Those days I function at about 50% of my normal productivity.
Digestion: My current diet, while not perfect, is a great improvement over my diet of a year ago that got me into short-lived but very uncomfortable issues with my digestive system.
My biggest improvement has come by way of a strict regime of eating meat or fish only once a day, at dinner. My ‘off’ meal is usually a bowl of Miso Soup and an apple, in any case, plant-based food only.
Home-made Miso Soup. Great on many levels like taste, health, calories.
Memory: Writing the emag, reading good books, and reading newsfeeds are my principal weapons against memory loss.
Weightlifting: January was a good month for me. I was at the club three times weekly. Pretty perfect. My energy level is high and I happily anticipate my visits. Although I don’t anticipate my strength growing, at age 80, that it has not waned for the last year is a positive.
Walking: One of the benefits of city living is that you can walk to most of the places you frequent. Which is why you moved here in the first place.
January was a good month for walking. As a matter of course, I walk from four to six miles a day and I did that this month. In addition, both my speed and endurance seem improved.
Illness: Happy to report no illnesses in January except for a persistent cold that I enjoy year-round. However, I did have a couple of days when spending several hours resting in my wonderfully comfortable armchair was necessary. Excessive fatigue was the only symptom on these two days. The next day, on both occasions, I fully recovered.
Diet: I have stayed on my diet for the entire month and my weight has inched closer to what I prefer. I have been tweaking my intake, most recently, when eating pasta, dropping my portion to 3.5 oz instead of 4.0.
Oral Health: I had a filling replaced and enjoyed my bi-annual teeth cleaning. No other problems.
Mind-bending Substance Use: I continue to drink coffee in the morning and afternoon, and whiskey or wine at dinner time. But only at dinnertime, and only in pretty strict compliance with guidelines I’ve developed through decades of self-awareness. As a friend, I caution all readers to be very careful in their own use of mind binders.
Michelangelo drunken Noah
Michelangelo - Web Gallery of Art: Image Info about artwork
Manage Stress: Being retired and living alone I am deprived of the common joys of gainful employment and daily social intercourse. But, on the other hand, I am spared the attendant stressful situations that reasonably result from both of those endeavors so my stress level is decent.
Social: After the holidays, my social activities slowed considerably. While there were no times I felt sad, there were occasions I wished I had company. On the plus side, I did make plans for a great social weekend in mid-March and swapping out my daily blog for a weekly magazine has brought three more people into my life, on at least a weekly and electronic basis.
How are you feeling? Do you keep a health report card?
pic: Progress report from Arlington College, circa 1897-1899
Progress report from Arlington College, circa 1897-1899
Clarence Denman Papers - UTA Libraries Digital Gallery
Arlington College progress report (report card) for Miss Fannie Watson, May 17 [unknown year].
It’s not only sunshine and flowers
A down moment and a book review
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Kat’s Gen Z Corner
The past two weeks, I have been feeling anxious about and overwhelmed with the city. Too much reality all at once, I think. I also realized that, during what is a transition period for my daily routine, I had failed to visit the park much this month. So, I dedicated this weekend to only spending time in Central, breathing in the air and the relative quiet and immersing myself in its healing powers. I feel much more relaxed.
Regaining my center
Next recommended book from my reading in 2022 is the Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller).
If you loved Percy Jackson as a kid.
A flawlessly told love story.
Circe is also fantastic.
Cover of The Song of Achilles.
Madeline Miller - https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-song-of-achilles-madeline-miller?variant=39285730344994
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are designed to think and act like humans. These machines use algorithms and mathematical models to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as recognizing speech, playing chess, or understanding natural language. With AI, computers can be trained to perform complex tasks without explicit instructions and can improve their performance over time by learning from their mistakes.
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AI Corner
Joining ChatGPT was smooth.
I typed in this question: What are the five top things to see in Florence?
Immediately came the response:
“Here are the top 5 things to see in Florence, Italy:
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore: This iconic cathedral is one of Florence's most famous landmarks and is known for its striking red-tiled dome.
The Uffizi Gallery: This world-renowned art museum houses a vast collection of Renaissance masterpieces, including works by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo.
The Ponte Vecchio: This iconic bridge is lined with jewelry shops and offers picturesque views of the Arno River and the surrounding city.
The Palazzo Pitti: This grand palace was once the home of the powerful Medici family and now houses several museums, including the Galleria Palatina and the Boboli Gardens.
The Basilica of Santa Croce: This beautiful basilica is the final resting place of many of Florence's most famous citizens, including Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli.”
Concise and on target. I was taken aback. A single answer, devoid of ads, and a bullseye. “Goodby Google.”
I decided to push the envelope.
I typed, “I just lost a good friend. I feel sad.”
Immediately came the typed response:
“ I'm so sorry to hear that. Losing someone you care about is never easy. It can be a challenging and difficult time. If you need someone to talk to or if there is anything I can help with, please let me know.”
I asked, “Can we have a conversation about him?”
It typed, “Of course! Talking about your friend and sharing memories can be a way to honor and remember them. If there is anything specific you would like to talk about, I am here to listen.”
That spooked me out and I jumped out of ChatGPT into my emails.
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Chris’ Angler’s Corner
Chris Capossela, angler, father, husband, brother, and son. When he’s not fishing, he is gainfully employed as CMO of Microsoft.
Exciting Day with some frustration
Chris Capossela, angler, father, husband, brother, and son. When he’s not fishing, he is gainfully employed as CMO of Microsoft.
The last three days fishing and camping on the Limay River have been fun and challenging. I caught two gorgeous 20- and 21-inch brown trout but lost two trophy browns, one by missing the stroke where you set the hook in the mouth of the fish (called “the set”) and one that I successfully set but lost on the way to the boat. It was very exciting but also exhausting to hunt the big browns all day. I was limping to the finish line at the end of the third day and now I’m very much looking forward to fishing a smaller river and a spring creek on a remote, quiet ranch for the next two days before starting the trip to Chile.
The three-person camping crew were friendly and very efficient. Each day after they made breakfast, and after the anglers and guides had started floating down the river looking for trout, the crew broke down the campsite, floated it all down the river to the spot we’d finish the day, and re-set up the camp before we reached them. The camp included sleeping tents and cots, a food tent for preparing and eating meals, a shower tent, and a toilet tent. The shower was particularly ingenuous. They set it up at the river side and pump river water into a device that uses propane to heat the water before it’s pumped to the shower head which is hanging down into the shower tent with a switch for you to start and stop the water. The shower tent has canvas “wings” that provide privacy for taking off wet clothes, toweling off after the shower, etc. Maybe this is old news in the world of camping, but for me it was a revelation and such a luxury to be able to shower off all the sunscreen and sweat from the day.
We saw lots of wildlife including llamas, ibis, parrots, armadillos, red stags, wild boar, guanaco, and even a tarantula hawk wasp. The guanaco looks like a cross between a llama and a white-tailed deer. I grabbed a bad picture of one of them with the volcano in the background. They are elegant and beautiful. The tarantula hawk wasp is straight out of a horror movie. They are very big and sound like a drone flying by. They stun a tarantula, lay and egg on or in the tarantula, which then eats it from the inside out. “Mother nature is a mother!”
Sunset on the Limay River.
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Tucker’s Screen Corner
Knock At The Cabin - Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
I decided to delay my next round of five favorite films from 2022 in favor of a review for M. Night’s newest which I saw over the weekend. A quick synopsis:
While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.
You can find my full review of the film here
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Reading
I’ve begun reading friend Alexandra’s first novel, Can’t Turn Back. Just 20 pages in but loving it. Congratulations, Alex.
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Science
The Biden Administration touts its achievement: "No one should be surprised that the historic Inflation Reduction Act will lead to an explosion in new EV plants that will showcase how American workers are the finest in the world."
The cost of the tax credits will greatly exceed what was projected. expectation.
But you know what? To blast America into the forefront of the technological capability and the manufacturing know-how of electric vehicles, there is no price too great.
Tesla Model 3
Vauxford - Own work
2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD Front Taken in Leamington Spa
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Recipe
Here’s a great recipe for Cauliflower Soup. Not vegan but loaded with vegetables.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP
BAKING PAN
2LB cauliflower cut into florets
2TB olive oil
1tsp salt
Toss
425* oven for about 15 minutes
Toss
Roast another 15 minutes or until cauliflower is nicely browned and carmelized.
DUTCH OVEN
1 yellow onion, 8oz
2TB butter
¼ tsp salt
Soften onion
Add 4 cups chicken stock
1TB rosemary
1 TB freshly ground pepper
1TB lemon juice
½ t nutmeg
Reserving a bit of the florets for garnish, add the cauliflower to the pot.
Simmer for 25 minutes
Working in batches if necessary, transfer the vegetables and stock to a food chopper and blend on high until creamy.
pic: cauliflower soup
Cauliflower Soup
picture from Taste of Home
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Chuckles and Thoughts
“What happens if a big asteroid hits Earth? Judging from realistic simulations involving a sledgehammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will be pretty bad.”
~ Dave Barry
caption: Animal, Rat, Lobund-Wistar
Janet Stephens (photographer) - http://visualsonline.cancer.gov/details.cfm?imageid=2568
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts, including links.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This from a sweet friend and writer, Alexandra S.
”I wanted to let you know I poured my heart and soul into writing my first novel, and it has been published exclusively on Amazon. It's about a family from Massachusetts that has to go into the witness protection program. They move to a very small town in northern Michigan and try to rebuild their lives and relationships with each other, but of course it's never that simple. It would mean the world to me if you checked it out. Again, thank you so much for the support - I couldn't have done it without you!”
Blog meister responds: going to read it now.
“I wrote and published my first novel!
And this from our friend and contributor, Tucker J:
Dom,
Chatbot is added to Bing!
Ask real questions. Get complete answers. Chat and create.
www.bing.com
The new Bing is your AI-powered copilot for the web - it's like having a research assistant, personal planner, and creative partner at your side whenever you search.
You can get on a waiting list and be one of the early recipients of the new Bing.
(1) The New Bing - Learn More
Blog meister responds: A technological advance as explosive as the first personal computers.
Satya announcing new AI-powered Bing homepage with expanded chat box.
What fun we’re going to have!
How smart we are going to get.
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Short Essay*
Generation Z (or more commonly Gen Z for short), colloquially known as zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years. Most members of Generation Z are children of Generation X.
As the first social generation to have grown up with access to the Internet and portable digital technology from a young age, members of Generation Z, even if not necessarily digitally literate, have been dubbed "digital natives". Moreover, the negative effects of screen time are most pronounced in adolescents compared to younger children. Compared to previous generations, members of Generation Z tend to live more slowly than their predecessors when they were their age; have lower rates of teenage pregnancies; and consume alcohol (but not necessarily other psychoactive drugs) less often. Generation Z teenagers are more concerned than older generations with academic performance and job prospects, and are better at delaying gratification than their counterparts from the 1960s despite concerns to the contrary. Sexting among adolescents has grown in prevalence; the consequences of this remain poorly understood. Additionally, Gen Z subcultures have been quieter though they have not necessarily disappeared.
Globally, there is evidence that the average age of pubertal onset among girls has decreased considerably compared to the 20th century with implications for their welfare and their future. Additionally, the prevalence of allergies among adolescents and young adults in Generation Z is greater than the general population; there is greater awareness and diagnosis of mental health conditions, and sleep deprivation is more frequently reported. In many countries, Gen Z youth are more likely to be diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders than older generations.
Around the world, members of Generation Z are spending more time on electronic devices and less time reading books than before, with implications for their attention spans, vocabulary, academic performance, and future economic contributions. In Asia, educators in the 2000s and 2010s typically sought out and nourished top students; in Western Europe and the United States, the emphasis was on poor performers. Furthermore, East Asian and Singaporean students consistently earned the top spots in international standardized tests in the 2010s.
As consumers, their actual purchasing behaviors contradict the ideals and values commonly associated with them in opinion polls.
*The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Community Pictures with Captions are sent in by our followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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