Friday

The Retiree's Cigar Group was wonderful!  The talk was foolish and fun.  And, I did, very much enjoy my selection.  I chose to have a "Brickhouse "Mighty-Mighty" Maduro" again yesterday.  It is pleasant and creamy and flavorful.  I am very glad I found this set of friends and am glad I am going to be able to attend at the normal time every week until the middle of January now.  

I did my many loops running again inside this morning.  I am not foreseeing good outdoor air quality until perhaps Wednesday of next week at least according to current forecasts.  I am afraid I will forget what running outside is like.  

Today at the U is to be filled with the arduous task of creating submissions for my many research projects to the damnable Animal Use Committee at the U.  Many of you recall how I have described how annoying the committee is compared to how it should run.  Of the many applications I need to get in, six of them are "renewal" applications.... the Committee only approves a research project for one year and requires a "renewal" application each year.  But, the "renewal" application is only minimally less arduous than a new application.  I also have three new applications to get finished.  I doubt I can get all of them done today, but I have to work as hard as I can, because deadlines are not too far away.  

I also have to write an application to our Human Use Committee at the U because of an education/pedagogy project I want to enact and potentially acquire data from that I can present at a research meeting in the future.  I have not submitted a Human Use Committee application since just before the pandemic.  But, the Human Use Committee folks are much more logical, reasonable, and not so prone to "j*ck*ss*dn*ess" as are the Animal Use Committee folks, so once written, it should go through reasonably smoothly.  

I am hoping to end the work day today by going swimming with my wife.  Fingers crossed!  I hope to feel like the fellow above by 4:30 today.

PipeTobacco

Loopy

I have to admit, I am getting rather damn tired of having to run indoors because of the smoke from the Canadian Wildfires.  During the impromptu vacation, it was even worse in Upper Michigan, but I had no option BUT to run outside.  But, I ran considerably slower, and far fewer miles (which put me behind).

Doing zillions of loops on the indoor track is not exciting... especially in SUMMER when I can USUALLY run outside.  But, the theory is that the indoor track's air is "filtered" via the HVAC system and has a better air quality.  But, I should not complain.... at least I have an option.... and running zillions of loops is still far, far better than running on a treadmill!  I listened to a Novena Mass given by my favorite Capuchin while I also prayed the rosary during my run this morning, so the time was well spent. Fr. David is such a true delight.  He helps me to see and better understand my faith and how I should be, and how I need to work to be more of a servant to others in my life, each and every day.  

I regrettably have been so busy of late that completing the photographs of my biological father and academic fathers that I want to put up in my office.... and the cleaning and choosing of the pipe to have within that display.... have been slow to complete.  But, I am still so very excited by the idea Pat gave me about my being able to ultimately smoke the one pipe I will use in the display.  It is a brilliant idea, for it seems to be a way I may indulge in a pipe with minimal worry..... it is an isolated, special event, and I should be able to enjoy it fully but it has a very low risk to have me "fall off the wagon" I believe.  As I was falling asleep last night, I was imagining how wonderful it will be!

As it is Thursday, I do hope/plan to go to the Retiree's Cigar Group this early afternoon.  I am looking forward to the fun, relaxing discussion.  

PipeTobacco 

Where I Was

I was away for a bit as you may have noticed.  Where had I been, pray-tell?  Well, it is a rather long story.... but I assure you I will try to give an ABBREVIATED version below:

My wife became very interested in having an impromptu vacation.  Unfortunately, "impromptu" is challenging for a variety of reasons, mostly non-human.  

First was our dog.  She is elderly now, and even IF a boarder was available, I would worry greatly about her being there.  But, being "impromptu" eliminated even the possibility of a boarding facility, for in my region they fill MONTHS in advance.  So, that would not work even if I was comfortable with it. 

Second were my rodents and my nematodes.  Though they do not require A LOT of care, they do need a LITTLE BIT of care quite regularly, and unfortunately at this time of the Summer, student researchers tend to be quite scant, and in this instance were NOT available at all.  And, unfortunately, the student WORKER who is tasked with taking care of broad rodent duties across the Department is unfortunately a poor and unreliable worker this Summer.  He is not someone who I have a supervisory role over as he does broad rodent work across the whole of the Department.  The person who does supervise this person is herself in a state of mind where she too is not the most reliable at the moment.  This supervisor happens to also be one of the folks I mentioned before that has been a challenge for me, and is the one who was a former friend.  For my nematodes, I can stretch out care needs with very careful planning to 5-7 days, so that limitation shaped our plans as well.  

So.... with the above issues, here is what transpired:

1.  My wife took the initiative to find a budget friendly "AirBnB" for us.  We have NEVER done an "AirBnB" sort of accommodation before so it was a completely new experience for us.   

2.  Ultimately, we decided to take a long road trip to travel to Northern Michigan.  And, we brought our dog.... and two of our kids decided to also accompany us.

3.  Our dog has never traveled well with us except very occasionally when kept in a "crate" to limit her movement while traveling.  But with the four human travelers and the dog, we ended up using my wife's rather small car as it was one we could all fit into because there were enough human seats.  Normally, when we "crate" the dog during travel she sits in the crate in the hatchback area.  But, with the full group we had, the hatchback had to be used for luggage, etc.  The crate itself actually takes up the ENTIRETY of the hatchback area when it is used so it was not an option to be there.  

4.  As I am deemed the "dog whisperer" (aka, she is very attentive to me, and minds and listens to me much more so than others in the family), the ultimate decision was that I would sit in the back seat with the dog (mostly sitting on my lap or between my feet) and one of our kids in the other back seat, and my wife and the other one of the kids traveling with us would be in the front seats.  Basically, my role was to keep our dog calm and happy if possible during the hours and hours of driving.

5.  Happily, I was able to keep our dog calm and happy and she actually did quite well.  When we arrived at the AirBnB, we were surprised at how cute and quaint it actually was.  It was in the middle of nowhere, but it served us well.  It was an old, small, two bedroom "farm house" style home.  It was, from appearances, built sometime in the early 1920s and was what would be quaintly described as "shabby chic" (more emphasis on "shabby" perhaps than "chic" but it was fun, comfortable, and nice).  We were all able to relax, and our dog was able to relax well there as well, and we were all comfortable.  With the four of us, we played many, many games of euchre in the evenings.  

Highlights of what we did:

A.  Spent a large part of a day in Mackinaw City, and saw the Mackinaw City fort as well (Lower Peninsula).

B.  Spent a large part of a day on Mackinaw Island, (here is a view of the island's shape), and saw the fort on the island as well and bought some really great fudge (chocolate peanut butter, chocolate cherry, butter pecan, and blueberry).  As an island, this is (of course) BETWEEN the Lower and Upper Peninsula.  

C. Spent a day at Tahquamenon Falls State Park (Upper Peninsula).

D.  Went to the Horton's Bay General Store (near Charlevoix) which is still a store, but also very much an "Ernest Hemingway" historical site (and gift shop too) to see some of his stomping grounds in the Summers as a kid and young adult (Lower Peninsula).

E.  Spent a day looking around in St. Ignace (Upper Peninsula) and we ate Pasties which are a very traditional, Upper Peninsula food.  Traditionally they are beef, but I tend to not like scrambled beef much.   I ate a bite of one of the chicken ones we had, and also ate a vegetable one.    

So, that was what we did.  When we returned home last Wednesday evening, we were tired but had a great time.  However, I had to spend Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the U working on rodent, nematode, (and also fruit fly) things that all needed attention by the time of our return.  So, that is why I was unable to post until Tuesday.  Well, also... on MONDAY, I was having to attend a day-long U "planning" meeting all day for a discussion about "learning communities".  

Sincerely,

PipeTobacco 

Comments on Comments (August 5th Edition)

Below, as is my hoped for plan to continue.... on Mondays (yes, today is Tuesday, but that is a small oversite...  I will discuss tomorrow, on Wednesday... I will talk about where I have been).  So today, I try to reply to select comments from the prior period.  I tend to like this approach more than trying to reply directly to a comment as they sometimes are not noticed by folks because most folks do not go back to a previous post.  The way I reply below has the person and their comment or comments in bold and my reply in normal font. 

AC

"Do you think that our self-concept gets frozen in time in early adulthood. That, to some extent at least, seems to be how I see myself in my dreams or reveries. Although I don’t suppose that I really see myself in my dreams, I can say that is what I feel about myself."

I think that is likely so.  For me, I have a tendency to "see" myself like I was in my late 20s much of the time.  Not that I do not often look very different aged in many of my dreams, but I mean when I am thinking on the fly about "me" I typically default to a concept of me when I was in graduate school.

"Your willpower is very strong to have enabled you to do what you did and to keep on running your daily mini marathons ever since then."

I am not sure, truthfully, how much "willpower" I have.... but I DO know I can be awfully damn stubborn with myself if I am compelled (often by emotion or worry, but sometimes other things).

"Even now, with my mini weight loss, I know how close to the edge I am and how easily I could tip over the edge and be lost forever as it were.

Sometimes I do feel "on edge" myself.  This was especially true the first 4-5 years after I lost my 130 pounds.  With a lot of folks who regularly "yo-yo" with their weight, I was quite fearful that was just going to be fate.  I feel fortunate that I have been able to stay at my normal BMI for damn close to 20 years now.  And.... congratulations on your own weight journey!  It is meaningful for health!

"I don't know any of this, but you can, apparently, install iCloud for windows on a PC computer. I haven't done this. I did try once but ran into problems. I don't know if that would ultimately help you.

I HAVE heard about that, and have thought about it, but then.... I would have to figure out a way to obtain a copy of GarageBand.... as I am not sure I could transfer or co-use my GarageBand (on my iPad) to my PC.  

"From DMP, above, it might be better to use PC Apps.

Yes, I am looking into the options DMP mentioned as well.  Unfortunately, it will take me a while to sort through things as I am not confident when trying new "gizmo-ey" programs.  I get a bit aggravated easily when a program does not follow MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT in its logic, and I have try to figure out its TRAIN OF LOGIC.  :)

"My one advice: don't cheap out on the computer. Make very sure that it will handle the load, now and into the future.

One of my kids is encouraging me to get something bigger (power-wise) than what I thought I would need.  So, your idea does seem to be a consensus.  

"Is there a good music store nearby where you can get your questions answered? Is there a music dept at your Uni?

I have talked to the "modest" music store nearby and also to music folks at the U in the relatively recent past about these ideas.  Almost universally the folks basically said..... "Bah.... just get a Mac!"  But I am unfortunately too damn stingy to do that.  The Music Department and the Physics Department are the only two U Departments that went against guidelines and adopted Macs.  

"I need to get back to stretching now that I am supposedly recovered. During the season, I work it around hockey games on tv, so I tend not to think of it now.

Stretching is BORING as hell, I admit it.... and sometimes I feel rushed and not wanting to do it.  But, I am 100% sure it has helped me to be able to run for as long as I have now, because without it, I believe I would have stopped running due to the discomforts that would unexpectedly occur.  But, with each discomfort that has arose (perhaps 4 over the years?) I was able to figure out I did not have an "injury" but that instead I was experiencing discomfort because my muscles were shortening because I did not recognize to stretch them.  

"He's (Trump) killing you bit by bit.

It is shocking, and it is even more shocking how little fight anyone of power in our government displays against the crazy things he is doing.  It is very disheartening.  

DMP

"Garage Band is certainly capable of doing a lot of audio editing function, but might still be a bit much to learn for a beginner at recording. Another similar free audio recording/editing program is Reaper.

Hmm.  I am going to look into that more (only have just glanced at it a bit after you mentioned it).  You feel it would be a bit easier for a novice like me to learn to use?  

"You might try a simpler program like Audacity for recording audio tracks, which can then be combined into one audio file."

I actually have Audacity on my PC.  I obtained it a while ago (4-5 weeks ago) as it was recommended that I could separate an audio track of my community band with it so that I could have each song as its own file (sort of making it like a CD).  Unfortunately, I have yet to try to figure out how it works yet.  Do you think Audacity has the capability to make the combined file like I am thinking?  If so, that may be my best bet as I already have it.  I will see if there is an Audacity for Dummies book I can look through.   

"For video editing, I found VSDC filled my needs well, allowing me to edit and place separately recorded videos, as well as line them up in time.... both are free programs, tho the "pro" version of VSDC ( which is still relatively inexpensive) is well worth it IMO for added features.

I will keep that video program in mind..... after I figure out what I am actually going to comit to for audio.... I can then think through better how to handle audio  Thank you very much for the guidance and suggestions!!!!!  

GaP

"Yep. The Orange One is exactly what I expected him to be. And far, far worse. Glad that you have that isle of calm to retreat to, Professor..

It disturbs me how significantly he is breaking political norms in ways that seem so egalitarian and elitist.  And, even more surprising in how the legal system cannot stop him even when they try.  IMO regardless of whether a person leans more Democratic OR Republican.... everyone should be worried and afraid of all he is destroying.  

 

Margaret

"Do you think that's why you run so much? The fear of slipping back to nearly 300 pound you? Having surgery seems so drastic but for some it may be the only option to live a longer life, as long as their diet after that is well-managed and healthy. (that's the problem, eh?)

Actually, it is interesting that I only began to run around 10 years AFTER I lost my 130 pounds.  When I lost weight, I did so by basically only trying to eliminate as much fat in my diet as I could and increasing dramatically the amount of fruits and vegetables I would eat.  I tried to limit myself to a maximum of 30 grams of fat a day.  Even before I started to purposefully try to lose weight, I had been walking ~5 miles a day.   In terms of the fat reduction, the most challenging foods (even to this day) for me to have around the house are pizza and also mixed nuts.  Those are two foods I still have a bit of difficulty in not overeating, so I try to not have them around much.  But other than that, it was a relatively easy process for me to steer away from unneeded fats.  

Running came about for a different reason.... as a "hefty" kid, I always felt in awe of athletes (especially runners).   When I began to run, I did so to see if "I could" possibly do this seemingly impossible thing I always had in the back of my mind.  I surprised the hell out of myself that I actually could start to do so, and kept it up from there to where I am at now.  

"I've seen Garage Band on my phone but had no clue what it did, so I'm no help there. In my experience, Apple and Windows don't play nicely with each other, even after all these years. I too had Windows at work and stuck with it at home although I do have an iPhone. Typical of me, nothing is compatible! :)

It is indeed frustrating about the incompatibility.  It also does not help that I do not seem to have much patience in trying to fuss around with computer programs to figure out how to get them to work either.  

I've always been bad about stretching. I didn't run at your levels but it might have avoided some knee and shin issues. Hope the cigar group went well!

I knew physiologically how valuable stretching was, but it IS NOT fun, so I understand your avoiding it.  I really only committed to it myself so I could (hopefully) keep running.  The cigar group was wonderful and relaxing.  :)

"I knew Trump would be awful, but I didn't even imagine this level of destruction and cruelty. It's unbelievable AND terrifying!

It has already gone well beyond anything I could have imagined.  I am at a loss for words most days and I am dismayed at the relatively insignificant push back that occurs from any of our political leaders about any of it.

Pam J

"Both my husband and I are watching in shock and horror as this man destroys so much that did make this a great nation. I spent my entire 41-yr career working at the National Institutes of Health, which has taken a huge hit under Trump2.0. This latest EPA blow is an especially hard one to swallow. I’m also outraged at his attempts to rewrite history in museums and national parks. Too many words criticizing US slavery, he says. From the NYT:

‘Mr. Trump directed the secretary of the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, to determine whether, since 2020, “public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history.” ‘

I fully expect him to reinstall statues of confederate ‘heroes.’

He’s a vile, contemptible excuse for a human being.

I agree with you fully.  Yes, I am also crushed about the decimation of the NIH as well!  The times we are in, truly seem akin to the times ahead of many forms of war and revolt.  I am very, very sad.  

Pat

"A wild idea concerning your photo/pipe memorial... As the pipe you choose for the memorial will never again be a potential "regular use" pipe, but instead will be set aside forever as a permanent symbol of the bond you share with your three "fathers", might it be most appropriate for you to smoke ONE bowl of tobacco in that pipe before you set it aside as part of the memorial? That strikes me as just about as "controlled" a circumstance as one could imagine, not likely to provoke other instances where you might repeat that special memorial act. And yet, in the highly unlikely event that the one bowl of pipe tobacco might cause you to reconsider your abstention overall, that would then be an objectively GOOD development, as it would connect your return to your bond with your three treasured role models. But most likely the one-time use of that pipe would remain as a memorable and important singular event adding heft to the emotions associated with your wonderful new photo/pipe memorial. Plausible, Professor?

I think that is a wholly wonderful and EXCELLENT idea!  I feel it is manageable too!  I believe I will actually DO that!!!!!!  Thank you for the idea.... it had not occurred to me!  Now, I have to narrow down and figure out which pipe I will use.  I have to admit, unfortunately, I had gotten a bit side-tracked in my office decorating efforts due to other U requirments, so I have not actually made a final decision yet on the pipe to use, and in fact I have not fully cleaned/polished the three contenders yet due to other needed work.  But, the idea of me being able to have a controllable date with one of my pipes.... has me excited and eager to get back to that task!  Again, I thank you for that idea!

"Professor, I can't resist suggesting that your process opens the door to a slight revision of my previous suggestion. Perhaps you should smoke one bowl of tobacco in each of the three finalist pipes to help you decide which one you will finally choose? : - )

Haha!  You stated the above a bit later.... and it is damn tempting.  But.... maybe I can?  .... it does sound very appealing.  I am not committing to the three yet.... but I would LIKE to.  But..... I am still awfully excited as I do truly think I can manage and fully commit to having the ONE pipe at least!!!  And that makes me very happy.

"Seriously, even if you don't end up smoking the one finalist pipe, I think your display sounds like a wonderful memorial as well as an ongoing encouragement to the son of those three fathers. I hope the completion of your display is uplifting, enjoyable, and successful!

Yes, I really am excited to get the display up and finished.  I do think it will be very nice as a memory and also as a sort of "art piece" in my office.  

Pepperlady

"I know I would have to major cleaning in my garage to have a band.

Haha!  That made me smile.  Thank you!!!!!