You had me at trees →

Published August 4, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 4  ·  

Trees often have my attention. I find myself thinking about the spot where a tree is standing. Whether its seed fell there, or someone planted it, that spot is it. The tree is simply going to stand there as the sun whips across the sky thousands of times. I imagine the tree turning its leaves quickly (in tree time) to catch what light it can during each flash overhead.

Intrigued by this unheard of species, Wang set out to see it for himself and to collect specimens, which he shared with colleagues. One of them was Hsen Hsu Hu. A diligent paleobotanist, he had read of Miki’s fossil discovery five years earlier. As soon as he saw the peculiar needle pattern, Hu recognized the “water fir” as a Metasequoia.

~ Maria Popova from, The Remarkable Story of the Dawn Redwood: How a Living Fossil Brought Humanity Together in the Middle of a World War – The Marginalian

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There’s a lot of interesting leaps in the story Popova shares. Across a war, across two cultures, but the vast time this tree has crossed is insane. We have fossils of this tree… and we still have the live tree. My mind boggles.

But mostly, Popova had my attention at trees.

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Ignorance →

Published August 4, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 4  ·  ,

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge’.

~ Isaac Asimov

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35 — Trail run →

Published August 3, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 3

This entry is part 12 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Glorious cool weather at the moment. Fitbit thinks our pace was a whole minute faster; not sure about that, but it did feel faster. Tomorrow: circuits of jump rope and rail balance.

Silence →

Published August 3, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 3  ·  ,

I like my human experience served up with a little silence and restraint. Silence makes experience go further and, when it does die, gives it that dignity common to a thing one had touched and not ravished.

~ Djuna Barnes

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36 — QM and walk →

Published August 2, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 2

This entry is part 11 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Ha. Nearly forgot to post this. Little bit of quadrupedal work and a relaxed walk. Tomorrow will be a trail run.

Make the time →

Published August 2, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 2  ·  , , ,

Nine years ago (journaling for the win!) I went from zero to rock-climbing in just a few weeks in preparation for a spontaneous, multi-week trip to Colorado. I was staring at my calendar leading up to the trip, and trying to imagine how I’d empty the weeks; how would I stop doing all these things that I do every day to make room for being away.

So I started chopping. This was the turning point where I started getting clear about what I was allowing into my life. First I figured out how to work ahead, or push off work—that’s the usual thing to do in preparation for going away. But then I unsubscribed from countless emails to avoid them piling up, then I unsubscribed from notifications from various services, then I entirely dropped services, and then I started getting intentional about what I was gathering to engage with.

How can I get more cultured / interested in things? I constantly feel I am missing out on conversations as I just don’t have any drive towards joining in. Everything looks meh.

~ Gavin Leech from, get hype

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All of my efforts to “make time” over the last nine years have made me realize that I clearly do not have the problem Leech is discussing. I have the other problem. I seem to already be naturally doing all the things he suggests. And I’ve no idea how to stop doing any of that stuff.

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Change →

Published August 2, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 2  ·  , ,

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

~ Buckminster Fuller

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37 — Running →

Published August 1, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 1

This entry is part 9 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Running happened, slightly longer route; me still slow. Tomorrow we’re going to do some quadrupedal work at the ‘ol tennis courts, followed by a walk.

Honesty →

Published August 1, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 1  ·  , ,

Honesty always gets my attention. Not particularly someone who is honest to me, but someone who is honest with themselves.

~ Heath Ledger

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38 — Body-weight circuits →

Published July 31, 2023  ·  All posts on Jul 31

This entry is part 8 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Concrete, plus handy piece of pipe? Pushups, squats and hanging leg-raises circuits for 15 minutes. Tomorrow? Something different: more running. /s