A. > Recent Status Updates

The famous scene where Obama gets Grassley to admit nothing will get him to vote yes. Also, “Even at the time, doubts came naturally to me,” says Obama, summing up lis life philosophy. Also, great little scene of Michelle catching a clipon TV of anti-Obama protests. “It’s a trip, isn’t it? How scared they are of us.”

Smiley has figured out that Sennan didn’t commit suicide.

Shades of Madame Bovary, tbh.

Among other things, Obama is a skilled characterizer of various heads of state. He takes genuine pleasure in contrasting the staid and sanguine Angela Merkel from the splenetic Sarkozy.

The first crack in this smooth reading experience; Obama not entirely convincing about his refusal to crack down on Wall Street executives

“Translation: You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I care.” Audibly laughed. Also loved the thorough worldbuilding of the White House staff and its internal logic.

Before this, a truly dazzling passage about the quality of the light in the Oval Office.

Winning the presidency. The leadup to the inauguration. A great scene between Michelle and Obama, getting ready for bed: “You’re going to be president,” she murmurs.

Swaths of this book have now gone over my head. Aleph-C? Power sets? Godel? But it’s still galvanizing. Foster Wallace next (again!)

I really loved the slyness of this one passage: Obama talks about his first house, and it’s clutter. Then he talks about his money issues, and how they led him to try to refinance his mortgage; then, as he runs the numbers, how it made more sense to parlay the equity into a housing loan; and before you realize it he’s not only explained the seeds of the housing crisis but placed himself in the eye of the storm.

Cardinals & Ordinals. This book is starting to lose me...

The Iowa primary, the duel with Hillary. So much of this illustrates, in retrospect, the vast gulf in charisma between Hillary Clinton and Obama. I will probably remember this “FIRED UP! READY TO GO!” anecdote for the next twenty years. I can’t remember a thing from “What Happened”.

Finished chapter 3. Again, it amazes me how quickly Obama is moving, considering that this book is 768 pages (or, in my version, 30 hours) long, AND it’s only part 1 of 2. He’s already in the Senate! Favorite part so far has been his description of his 2004 DNC keynote speech.

The fued between Leibniz and Newton (and Berkeley). Fluxions in calculus.

Pretty good so far. Pleasantly surprised at how quickly Obama moves, although of course he’s covered his early life elsewhere. Also, he swears!

Think of this as prep for my (fourth) attempt to read DFW’s Everything and More!

Glanton executed. The infamous unarmed Judge scene. Things finally building steam? One can hope.

The endless journey continues. I do notice that the kid has a little more heart than the people around him. He's supposed to kill Shelby but instead drags him to a bush to fend for himself.

It’s a dazzling slog. I do perk up at every mention of the Judge though.

Finished "on the uncertainty of our judgment"

The vicious and overwhelming Comanche raid. A long and fruitless interlude of wandering. The kid in prison; reunited with Toadvine. The reappearance of the Judge, conscription into the Glanton gang. End of Chapter VI.

Judge weaves in and out of the story. Kid signed up into the army. Earl dead.

On Cicero, on Inequality, on sleep

A couple stumbles but a fascinating exploration of science’s hidden biases.

A couple stumbles but a fascinating exploration of science’s hidden biases.

Read these 72 pages in one sitting. Popper vs. Kuhn. Falsifiability vs Paradigms.

Finished! It’s weird to think how profound this book is, given the workmanlike non-profundity of the author. He’s an okay writer who is right about everything. Currently on Day 3 of the detox lol.

Don’t click Like, Newport tells us.

Back at it again and this time I think it's sticking. Going to start my digital declutter on November 1st, and I think I'll keep it going to the end of the year tbh.