Life these days, outside of work, is about guiding the family forward, spending as much time as possible in nature, fighting the decline and fall through exercising, reading the classics, and playing with my stratocaster.

running

After one of the longest streaks of exercise in absentia of my life (about two months), I returned this month. It feels different this time, especially when it comes to running. Those two months were not a simple suspension as had been the case in younger times, but rather a demotion.

I went out for a 3-mile run this morning. Cold air, quiet, perfect conditions. I was just going for a slow run, 40% slower than what it used to be. And even at this octogenarian pace, I had to stop three or four times to catch my breath.

WTF!?

expeditions

I have a young family, my kids are 4 and 2.5 years old. Their ages and, more importantly, the distance between their ages creates an explosive combination.

On weekends, if we don’t leave by 8am, the market value of our house goes down by 1% or 2% due to vandalism.

We went to the Aquarium of The Pacific on Saturday, with our traditional stop at a Peruvian restaurant on the way back home. Ceviche, lomo saltado, and pisco sour. All is well.

Sunday was a birthday party for toddlers. These parties are now peppered here and there throughout the year and they can be quite boring.

I recorded myself practicing guitar and then watched the video

One of the most disgusting things I’ve seen. The distance between what I imagined and what I saw was just too much to bear. The good thing is that it can only get better through getting used to seeing myself or through actual technical improvement.

I saw excessive tension in the fingers and a bit of a flying pinky syndrome, which killed the flow.

the aeneid

I’m a slow reader. I’ve only read four books in the last year and a half.

1. The Rambler (3 volumes, 208 essays), by Samuel Johnson, published between 1750 and 1752
2. Antifragile, by Nassim Taleb
3. Dark Entries, by Robert Aickman
4. History of the Peloponnesian War, by Thucydides (Landmark edition)
5. The Aeneid, by Virgil <— currently reading

Many times I wish I could be less distracted and find a way to read at a faster pace, but what for? Just stay highly selective when choosing what to read, and things will be OK.