MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 29th, JANUARY 2021

“Most people don’t care if you’re telling them the truth or if you’re telling them a lie, as long as they’re entertained by it.” Tom Waits

This is a composite image of the Orion Nebula. It was made using data from both the Hubble and Spitzer Space telescopes. It is showing swirls of hydrogen and sulfur gases around a collection of infant stars. The Nebula is located in our Milky Way Galaxy. Just south of Orion’s Belt in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and can be visible to the naked eye in the night sky. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech STScI. To learn more about this image please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/chaos-at-the-heart-of-the-orion-nebula

“I used to look at my dog and think “If you were a little smarter you could tell me what you were thinking,” and he’d look at me like he was saying “If you were a little smarter, I wouldn’t have to.” Fred Jungelaus

This is an image of the nebula NGC 3603. It is a massive young star cluster located in the Milky Way Galaxy. The distance from our solar system is about 20,000 light years. What you are seeing are thousands and thousands of young stars with different masses but similar ages in the cluster. This image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Nebula was discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1834. Image Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration. To learn more about this image please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_929.html and https://esahubble.org/news/heic0715/

“There’s never been a true war that wasn’t fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right. The really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous.” Neil Gaiman

This is an image of a globular star cluster called Messier 107. These points of light are ancient stars that have radiated light for billions of years. Messier is one of more than 150 globular star clusters found around the disc of the Milky Way galaxy. They are some of the oldest objects in the our galaxy. The cluster can be found in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer) and is located about 20,000 light years from our solar system. French astronomer Pierre Mechain first noted the object in 1782, and British astronomer Willian Herschel independently confirmed it a year later. The above image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Image Credit: ESA/NASA. To learn more about Messier 107 please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/starry-starry-night

“The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.” Neil deGrasse Tyson

This is the famous image taken by the astronaut Bill Anders, on the Apollo 8 mission. The Apollo 8 was the fist crewed spacecraft to leave low Earth orbit and the first to orbit the moon. The other two astronauts were James Lovell and Frank Borman. The picture shows the Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface. The crew on this mission were the first in human history to witness and photograph an Earthrise. The mission lasted 6 days from December 21st to December 27th, 1968. Image credit: NASA. To learn more about this image and Apollo 8 please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/apollo-8-earthrise and https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo8.html

“The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things in life like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people in life recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation. For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.” Neil deGrasse Tyson

This is the galaxy know as NGC 1792 and is called a Stellar Forge. It is 36.4 million light-years away from us. The image was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It is located in the constellation of Columba (The Dove) and is considered both a spiral galaxy and a starburst galaxy. Spiral galaxies are named by their spiral structures that extend from the center into the galactic disc. Starburst galaxies are galaxies that are undergoing an exceptionally high rate of star formation. NGC 1792 exhibits both of these properties. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee. To learn more about his image and about the NGC galaxy please visit: http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/hubble-star-forming-spiral-galaxy-ngc-1792-09123.html#:~:text=NGC%201792%20is%20located%2036.4%20million%20light-years%20away,Scottish%20astronomer%20James%20Dunlop%20on%20October%204%2C%201826.

“Recognize that the very molecules that make up your body, the atoms that construct the molecules, are traceable to the crucibles that were once the centers of high mass stars that exploded their chemically rich guts into the galaxy, enriching pristine gas clouds with the chemistry of life. So that we are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically. That’s kinda cool! That makes me smile and I actually feel quite large at the end of that. It’s not that we are better than the universe, we are part of the universe. We are in the universe and the universe is in us.” Neil deGrasse Tyson

HEY!! I AM LOOKING AT YOU!! THAT’S WHO!! LOLOLOLOLOL

If you are reading this then you have continued to survive Covid – 19, so far, and so have I!! That is a very, very, very good thing for both of us. Seriously if you are reading this and have not gotten Covid or have gotten it and survived then count yourself lucky.

When I started writing this blog entry on January 4th, the death count was approximately 362,000 for the good old USA. Of course New York with its “head start” from back in March and April was still leading at 38,500 deaths, followed by Texas (28,750 deaths), then California (26,990 deaths) and Florida at 22,090 deaths. By the end of the month, California and Texas were making inroads on the spot held by New York and unless something changes I am sure they will take the lead sometime in February.

The single day death counts hit a new record high for the United States on January 7th, 8th, 13th,14th, and 26th with over 4000 people each day?! Think about that for a moment, over 4000 extra deaths each of those days. Unreal.

Just before publication on Thursday, January 28th, the number of deaths were getting close to that 450,000 mark. I had to stop and think about that number. In less than a month (24 days) we had lost around 88,000 individuals. And the experts are telling us this might not be the worst yet. If you compare it to baseball, the thought is we are still in the third inning of a 9-inning game. Not a pleasant thought. I believe this is due to new strains that are popping up that are much more infective than the current one.

If your interested in looking at the numbers yourself, check out these links: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ and https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

The vaccines continues to roll out and not a moment too soon. We are now a full year into the Pandemic. And I believe the longer it drags on people are going to become even more reckless than what they have been. This is part of what is known as Pandemic Fatigue and it can effect anybody and everybody. My fear is that individuals will get tired of the continued lock downs and take unnecessary risks with the virus by not wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing. Not only will this put said individual at risk but it also risks the lives of others. Now that the vaccines are here it becomes even more important to maintain vigilance. Especially with the different strains of Covid that have surfaced. There is even talk of a strain in the U.K. that may have a higher fatality rate besides being more infective.

The vaccines are the light at the end of the tunnel and in order to create a “herd immunity” we need 60% of the population to have immunity either by vaccines or by actually having the disease (not a recommended choice). The estimates right now put the US population at 20% having immunity, but that leaves about 250 million without protection. So it would be premature to let our guard down now.

I got the “second shot” of the Pfizer vaccine on Thursday, January 7th and let me tell you they were not kidding about the “side effects.” Arm soreness – check, body fatigue – check, muscle aches and bone pain – check, headache and fever – check. The symptoms did not show up for 12 hours but they did show up. Lol. And the stronger side effects stayed around for another 12 hours. After that, it was mainly occasional bouts of fatigue through out the next couple of days. I really did not start to feel back to normal so to speak until Sunday afternoon. About three days later. So, when you are schedule to get the second shot, make sure you have at least one to two full days off.

I was complaining about the above “immunization side effects” to a nonmedical friend and they asked if I would get the vaccine again. My response was “In a heart beat.” One of the interesting things, from a medical standpoint, is that if you get Covid, survive and then recover, you may not be done with it. You may become what is known as a “Covid Long-hauler.” (estimated 2 million individuals at last count) More and more physician offices, clinics, Urgent cares, and ERs, are starting to see these people with lingering side effects from the virus they had months and months ago. And there is some thought that it may take more than a year to fully recover. I have had Covid patients that thought things were good after the initial infection, but then complained of “side effects” that continued to show up months later. Things like coughing, debilitating fatigue, body aches, joint pain, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, headaches, brain fog, etc… Take it from me, you don’t want this virus.

A couple of good articles to read up on this are from the Mayo Clinic and an interview with Dr. Aluko Hope, co-director of the Covid-19 Recover Clinic at Montefiore health Systems in new York. You can check them out at these links: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-long-term-effects/art-20490351 and https://www.npr.org/2020/10/18/922756239/what-we-know-about-covid-19-long-haulers

Well, enough about Covid. I will try to not bring it up again. On a different note, the month of December was again like November, much better for exercising outdoors. While the temperatures did drop as they usually do this time of year, the air quality remained much better than what it was in late August, September and most of October. This was mainly due to the fact that the fires for 2020 were out in Colorado and we had favorable Front Range winds that kept most of the “brown cloud” out east.

This picture of Marvin was taken December 1st, 2020 at about 3:45pm in one of my favorite “close to home” open spaces in Fort Collins called Riverbend Ponds. This is a great area for running and walking, or just watching wildlife. When the “ponds” are not frozen over there is fishing too.

It was a good month for walking and running. While we did get a little bit of snow, there were no major storms. This fact, and the tireless efforts by the City of Fort Collins, the paved bike trails dried out quickly. My biggest fear running at night is finding that hidden patch of black ice and doing damage to the lower body. While I do prefer to run on dirt trails, I stuck close to home for December. Especially after seeing the volume of Covid patients increase after the Thanksgiving break. We have gotten to the point here in Colorado that everyone you meet has to be assumed to have Covid until proven otherwise. Dang did I just mention Covid again, sorry about that.

Both of the above images were taken on December 11th, 2020 at about 6pm. It was at night and the low hanging clouds created a very “eerie” lighting quality. Several people have committed that they loved the black and white photos. But the crazy thing is, these are color with very minimal processing. Pretty amazing lighting.

I am planning to get back on the “dirt paths” aka mountain trails, by the third week of January. By this time it will be 5 weeks since I got the first vaccine and my risk of getting C#####d will be greatly reduced. I am also looking forward to a little cross country skiing with Marvin. See I did not say it, I just put in the C and d. Lol

This picture was taken on December 15th, 2020 at about 5:30pm in the afternoon. This is of course, a picture of Saturn and Jupiter as they get closer together for the “great conjunction” that occurred on December 21st, 2020. What made this pretty cool was that the last time this occurred (at night) was about 800 years ago. Pretty cool indeed. If you are interested in more information on this, check out this link from NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn

Besides having some unique lighting at night, the month of December also had many days with excellent lighting for “sunrise and sunset” photography. There were multiple mornings and evenings with beautiful colors. Since I am more of a night person, I tend to capture more of the sunsets than sunrises.

This picture was taken on December 20th, 2020 at about 4:50pm. This was looking West to Southwest from the Poudre River Trail in Fort Collins.

This image was taken on December 26th, 2020 at about 6:50 in the Morning. It is one of my favorite sunrise pictures for the month of December. It is taken looking east across Windsor Lake in Windsor, Colorado. I was driving home from working a night shift and just happened to catch it at the right time. The lighting effect with all the reds only lasted for a few moments and then was gone.

This picture was taken December 31st, 2020 at about 4:43pm in the afternoon. It was the last sunset for 2020 and it did not disappoint.

This image was taken January 2nd, 2021 at about 4pm in the afternoon. Another beautiful cold afternoon for a walk with Janet and Marvin.

For the month I got in about 220 plus miles of walking and running. Or about 50 miles per week. This is much more than I usually do at this time of year. I am hoping it is building a base for the coming season. I am looking forward to doing a few Ultras in 2021. (pandemic permitting) Right now I have my eyes set on the Quad Rock 50 in May, the Silver Rush 50 in July and then (if I get off the waiting list) the Run Rabbit Run 100 in September. The only one, of the above three that I have completed in its entirety is the Silver Rush 50. I have done the Quad Rock 25 multiple times but never the 50. I attempted the RRR 100 a few years ago but DNF at the 50 mile mark and I attempted the Leadville 100 but again DNF at the 50 mile mark. I have completed the RRR 50, three times now. When I think about it, I have hit the 50 mile mark over 6 or 7 times. Either as a planned run or a DNF. Oh well, I sometimes wonder if I should just focus on the 50 milers? Maybe I could eventually become the really “old guy” that does nothing but 50s?! Hmmm maybe. But I would like to do a 100 miler at least once and then settle for the 50s. Lol.

A couple book reviews and a few pieces of artwork before wrapping things up. Four books that I finished in the last month I would like to give recommendations on.

The first one I would like to talk about is called Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live written by Nicholas A. Christakis MD PhD. If you want to learn the history of the coronavirus pandemic and how it started in China, swept the world, especially the United States, to the present, this is a good book to start with. Dr. Christakis not only gives you the history of the current pandemic but he covers a few of the pandemics of the past and how they have affected society. Let me just say, even though we think of ourselves as very modern, some of us have behaved very similar to the people of the past who faced their own pandemics. As much as things change, human nature stays the same? Lol. Oh well, another good reason for reading the book is for the factual material that is presented in it. All the disinformation and misinformation circulating out on the web does not help the “average joe or joey” understand what is real and just made up. The book gives a full picture of the pandemic and what it means from a source that is qualified to talk about it. Now be warned there is a little bit of politics in the book, but only a little. And in my opinion Dr. Christakis puts the blame right where it needs to be.

The book was published just before the two current vaccines were released on EUAs (Emergency Use Authorizations). So he does talk a little bit about vaccines but not as much because they had not been released yet. Also if you were expecting a book to give you a “crystal ball” look at the future then you will be disappointed. He says as much in so many words though out the book. This virus has already “changed” the world. HOW we deal with that change will dictate our future. I listened to the book as an audio book but in hind sight it might have worked better in traditional format. There are parts that I would have liked to reread a few times and referenced but an audio book does not allow this easily. Either way this is a great book.

Nicholas A. Christakis directs the Human Nature Lab at Yale University, where he is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, in the Departments of Sociology, Medicine, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Statistics and Data Science, and Biomedical Engineering.

The next book I would like to talk about is called Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, written by James Clear. At first I was a little hesitant to get this book. I have read several books on how to create good habits and break bad ones, so I was thinking that this would be more of the same. Well let me tell you I was wrong and this is a book that is well worth reading. Probably several times. Before you object like I did initially, let me say there is some of the same material that authors time immortal have written about, but the difference is how it is presented. If I had to boil this down, he presents a frame work that incorporate the Japanese idea of “Kaizen” in a very readable and personnel way. Small tiny steps over time that eventually lead to success. I don’t think that he ever uses the work “Kaizen” but this is what the book so beautifully reminds me of. On a personally note I had already incorporated some of these ideas in my life. The book gave me affirmation and encouragement in my own path. I listened to the book as an audio book but I think again this would work much better in traditional format. It is one of those that I will probably listen to again, and or buy the print version so I can listen and read at the same time. It’s that good.

James Clear is an author and speaker focused on habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Time, and on CBS This Morning. His website can be checked out at this link: https://jamesclear.com/

The next book I would like to talk about is one for the Science Fiction fans. It is the first book in what I did not realize was a 16 book series?! Wow!! The book is called Starshine: Aurora Rising and is written by G.S. Jennsen. I downloaded the book as a, you guessed it, as an audio book when I was between series. I have read so many authors of SiFi who are male, that it is always a little refreshing to read something by a female author. There is all the usual Space Science Fiction stuff like aliens, sentient AI’s, the military, space battles, etc… but there is a lot more to it than that. Without giving it away, let me say the author does a great job of weaving it altogether with a little romance thrown in at the same time. Some hard core SiFi fans might be thrown off by this but when you come right down to it. What is life about?? It is a question we should remind ourselves of frequently.

The timeline for the book takes place in 2322 or about 300 years from now. So you have to take that into account. Will women hold a much larger role in society, will they take the rolls that have traditionally been held by men, in technology, in the military, in politics, even as a crime boss? In my opinion, of course they will. The book worked well for me as an audio book but I think it would work in traditional format too. Especially (I am guessing) as more characters are added in future books. Might be a little easier to keep track of who is who and what they are important for.

G. S. Jennsen lives in Colorado with her husband and two dogs. She has become an internationally bestselling author since her first novel, Starshine, was published in 2014.

The next book I would like to talk about is an old one written by the late great Robert A. Heinlein called REVOLT IN 2100. This is an old SiFi book that I read in tradition format. The first copyright in the front cover is posted as 1939 by Street & Smith Publications. You need to keep that date in mind when you read the book. After seeing what has happen to the good old USA in the last four years politically with the rise of Evangelicals in government you quickly realize Heinlein was a true visionary. I got lucky to find the book in a small “outdoor mini library” in a neighborhood close to me. I had read some of Heinlein books in the past, “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”, “Stranger in a Strange Land,” “Starship Troopers”, etc… So when I saw this one, I thought it might be an interesting read. Grabbed it. And Wow! Who would have thought that religious zealots could take over our country. And if you had read this book five years ago you would think, surely this would never happen in America… Now fast forward to 2020… I won’t give anymore of it away. Great read with a cautionary tale. I am also going to try it as an audio book. I have looked at some of the reviews on Amazon and several reviewers really liked the audio version. You can find all versions on Amazon but be warned some are very expensive due to Heinlein’s fame and how old the book is. Next time you see a Mini Library, check it out or a local used book store might have a copy.

Robert A. Heinlein was an American SiFi author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the “dean of science fiction writers”, he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction. Want to know more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein

Well last but not least a few pieces of Art work before I go. All are pen and ink, mounted on painted wood, coated and sealed with Mod Podge. These are 7 1/4 inches by 10 1/4 inches. When hanging they are about 15 inches tall.

A STUDY IN THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM

I call this one a study in the “Space – Time Continuum.” Do we, by our moment to moment actions, create ripples in space-time that alter current and future realities in the 3rd dimension? Or, are all things predetermined? What do you believe? This one is 7 and 1/4 inches by 10 and 1/4 inches. When hanging it is about 15 inches tall.

A STUDY IN THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM 2

I call this one a study in the “Space – Time Continuum 2.” Do we, by our moment to moment actions, create ripples in space-time that alter current and future realities in the 3rd dimension. Or, are all things predetermined? What do you believe? This one is 7 and 1/4 inches by 10 and 1/4 inches. When hanging it is about 15 inches tall.

YELLOW JACKETS ON MY MIND!

I call this one “Yellow Jackets on My Mind!” This past summer (unbeknown to us) we had a Yellow Jacket Queen decide to build an underground nest right next to our front porch and front door. Unfortunately she kept it a secret for about a month into the season. So by the time we discovered it there were thousand of workers or what seemed like thousands of workers all ready to defend any and all threats. Lol. It took all summer and a lot of trial and error to get rid of them without resorting to harsh chemicals. This one is 7 and 1/4 inches by 10 and 1/4 inches. When hanging it is about 15 inches tall.

CANIS LUPUS ICTUS CORDIS 2

This one I call “Canis Lupus Ictus Cordis 2.” Or Heartbeat of the Wolf 2. This one is 7 and 1/4 inches by 10 and 1/4 inches. When hanging it is about 15 inches tall.

These are all for sale and can be found on my Etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/strugglingprotoplasm/edit?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

Well that is going to be about it for me on this Blog post. Even though I have said this before, I am going to say it again. I hope you have given more thought to minimalism and how it could make a positive change in your life and in the world. If you think you might want to be part of that change, to make the world a much better place. I firmly believe that minimalism is one path to that ultimate goal. There is nothing to buy, just a change in mindset. To learn more please visit the web site: https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/

So take care my friends and remember to wash your hands, wear your mask when in crowds or indoors and practice physical distancing. And when a vaccine become available, please consider getting it. Adios!!

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous…, leading to the most amazing views.” Edward Abbey

2 thoughts on “MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 29th, JANUARY 2021”

  1. Enjoyed your blog Ed. Loved the pictures of space and the stars. I really liked the one with the moon
    looking at earth.
    The Today Show had a episode with the two guys that have a documentary on Netflix. It is all about
    minimalism. Was very interesting. Brian said it was such a good feeling getting rid of all their stuff before moving to North Carolina. They stored their keepsakes.
    I get my second shot February 13. Can’t wait.

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