David > Recent Status Updates

Mind-bending stuff, arguing that we must throw out our intuitions about time and decide that "the world is made of events, not things." But that first section of chapters does a good job of disabusing a person of preconceived notions of how time works.

Ch 1 is mostly teasing about what's to come (though contemplating the sample questions seriously would likely be worthwhile). Ch 2 gives a fairly brief but useful overview of social security benefits.

Bigwig survived his encounter with the snare and they all left the warren at the farm to head for Watership Down.

Chris and I are reading this aloud to each other. Enjoying it so far!

A lot of explanation of the relationship with Nietzsche in this chapter, the movement between mutual admiration in a father-son-type association and mutual disdain. Ironies seem to abound, between the writings and how the authors actually behaved.

One quote from this section:

"Underlying certain segments of the environmentalist movement is a sort of existential misanthropy, the idea—even hope—that humans will get what they deserve.... These sentiments pop up both in unenlightened online comment sections and in the understandably resigned fatalism of working scientists, many of whom will tell you after a few beers, “We’re fucked.""

Deciding I should dig into this book I got for xmas last year. :-}

The "prelude" about Wagner's death and the conflicting reactions should set the stage for what else is to come. On to chapter I, "Rheingold."

Pieces of the puzzle start to make more of a picture as the group is reassembled, including Sally who drove from Nebraska. But the celebratory dinner being interrupted by the homeowners put a crimp in things.

Tje meeting with the professor at the empire state building was marvelous, and then the trip to have him meet Ulysses. Much philosophy and observation included in that segment.

Whew! Near miss with "pastor" john coming across Billy alone while Emmett was off looking for some food. Luckily Ulysses happened upon the scene.

As part of this we get a little more of the backstory of Emmett's mother's abrupt abandonment of her family. Emmett and Billy have managed to get on a freight train now to try to make their way to NYC while Duchess and Woolly proceed with Emmett's car and his money.

So, they started out to take Duchess and Woolly to the bus stop in Omaha, but after an unexpected digression at the orphanage where Duchess/Daniel once lived, things have gotten complicated! Emmett and Billy are trying to get on a train to catch up with D&W in NYC, where they seem to be heading with the Studebaker, after getting a lift from Sally, who is clearly peeved. But they have no money-it's in the car.

Duchess and Woolly have been welcomed to the tale, Duchess telling about their perspectives for the previous section.

It seems the main cast of characters is together now at the farm that will soon be the bank's. And we've probably heard the plan that's going to drive the book, we just haven't yet figured out how it's going to happen.

The end-triassic extinction bears some uncomfortable resemblances to our present day, such as the bleaching of the coral reefs, acidification of the oceans, and the speed of increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. As pointed out, these effects that are taking us a scant few decades to cause might need millions of years to be unwound.

A crazy aspect of the End-Devonian extinction is that it happened over a period of millions of years. MILLIONS. Also that the remains of those creatures who died en masse at that time make up some of our present day fossil fuels.

Millionaires choose their spouses carefully, too, with more emphasis on honesty, integrity, and other such traits than on looks or economic ability, or economic prospects. The advice about seeking a spouse by going to a church for its singles group (rather than, say, frequenting bars) may be practical, but it sure seems dirty.

This makes it seem like the Ordovician extinction nearly was the last and only extinction on earth, so complete was the killing, but some species managed to survive. After about 5 million years, things finally turned around.