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Air Quality, Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, Leadville Run 100, Pandemics, PurpleAir, Science, Science Fiction, Space, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 27TH, AUGUST 2021

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All the atoms we are made of are forged from hydrogen in stars that died and exploded before our solar system formed. So if you are romantic, you can say we are literally stardust. If you are less romantic, you can say we’re the nuclear waste from fuel that makes stars shine.” Martin J. Rees

This is a composite picture of the Orion Nebula and it was created by using images from the Hubble Space Telescope and images from ground based systems. This picture was created in 2006 and at the time it was the sharpest view of the Nebula ever taken. When looked at in detail the image shows more than 3000 stars, some of which had never been seen in visible light. Even though the Nebula is about 15,000 light years away, give or take a few, it is visible to the naked eye. It is the middle “star” in the sword of Orion, which are the three stars located south of of Orion’s Belt. Image Credit: NASA,ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team. To learn more about this image or the nebula please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/a-peek-inside-the-orion-nebula and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula

“I’d like to widen people’s awareness of the tremendous timespan lying ahead–for our planet, and for life itself. Most educated people are aware that we’re the outcome of nearly 4 billion years of Darwinian selection, but many tend to think that humans are somehow the culmination. Our sun, however, is less than halfway through its lifespan. It will not be humans who watch the sun’s demise, 6 billion years from now. Any creatures that then exist will be as different from us as we are from bacteria or amoebae.” Martin J. Rees

This is an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of the galaxy known as IC 5063. It is 156 million light years away. Astronomers believe that at its core is a supermassive black hole and the interplay of light and shadow you see in the image is created when light strikes a dust ring surrounding the black hole. The light is created by gas that is being sucked in by the black hole. As the gas gets closer, it is heated up and this action creates an accretion disc that radiates brilliant light. This phenomenon is similar to what we see on earth with sunlight streaming through broken clouds at sunset or sunrise. The light beams are scattered by the atmosphere creating bright rays and dark shadows. In the above image the scale is much, much larger – 36,000 light years across. Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI and W.P. Maksym (CfA) To learn more about this image please visit this link: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/bright-rays-and-dark-shadows-in-a-nearby-galaxy

“Our universe, extending immensely far beyond our present horizon, may itself be just one member of a possibly infinite ensemble. This “multiverse” concept, though speculative, is a natural extension of current cosmological theories, which gain credence because they account for things that we do observe. The physical laws and geometry could be different in other universes, and this offers a new perspective on the seemingly special values that the six numbers take in ours.” Martin J. Rees

This is an composite image of our Sun. How cool is that? On April 29th, 2015, three different instruments were used to look at the Sun: the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Japan’s Hinode spacecraft, and Solar Dynamics Observatory. NuSTAR images are in blue, Hinode are in green and Solar Dynamics are in yellow. The NuSTAR data shows the most energetic spots. It was launched in June of 2012 and is still functioning. It’s mission in a nut shell was to study the universe in high energy X-rays to better understand the dynamics of black holes, exploding stars and active galaxies. It was the first hard-focusing X-ray telescope to orbit Earth. The Japan Hinode spacecraft was launched in 2006 and it mission was to explore the magnetic fields of the Sun. The mission was only for three years but has been extended to sometime in 2022. Another interesting part of the Hinode mission in my opinion is that it was a collaborative effort between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Japan’s National Astronomical Observatory, NASA, and the space agencies of Norway, the United Kingdom and the European Space Agency. Wow! The Solar Dynamics Observatory was launched by NASA in 2010 and was designed to understand the Sun’s influence on the Earth. SDO has been investigating how the Sun’s magnetic field is generated and structured. And how this effects earth. It’s mission was only to last 5 years but it is still in use at the moment. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC/JAXA. To learn more about this check out this link: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/staring-at-the-sun

“Incidentally, if any signs of life were found elsewhere in our solar system – and if we could be sure that it was based on a different kind of DNA, implying that it had a separate origin from terrestrial life – then we could immediately conclude that life was widespread in the universe. Something that had happened twice around a single star must have happened on millions of planets elsewhere in the Galaxy.” Martin J. Rees

This is an image of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede! Now let that sink in a minute. It is a somewhat close up view of the moon of a different planet in our solar system. How cool is that? It was obtained by NASA’s Juno Spacecraft using an instrument called the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper or (JIRAM). The Juno Spacecraft was launched in 2011 and did not reach Jupiter until 2016. It was designed to study the planet. The above image was produced by the Juno science team by combining the data from three flybys, the latest approach was on July 20th this year. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM. If you want to learn more about this image or the Juno Spacecraft please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/juno-celebrates-10-years-with-a-new-view-of-jovian-moon-ganymede and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft)

“We’re not aware of the “big picture,” any more than a plankton whose universe was a liter of water would be aware of the world’s topography and biosphere.” Martin J. Rees

This is an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of a section of the Perseus cluster. The cluster itself is one of the most massive objects in the known universe and contains thousands of galaxies. The above picture shows just two of the galaxies. The one on the left is a lenticular galaxy, named 2MASX J03193743+4137580 and the one on the right is a spiral galaxy named more simply UGC 265. Both lie approximately 350 million light years from earth. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Harris; Acknowledgment: L. Shatz. To learn more about the above image please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/hubble-glimpses-a-galactic-duo and https://phys.org/news/2021-07-image-hubble-glimpses-galactic-duo.html

“Humanity’s long-term impact on Earth depends both on population and on lifestyle. The World Wildlife Foundation, a conservation group, has published estimates of the land area, or “footprint,” needed to support each person: It concludes that an area equivalent to “almost three planets” would be required to support the world’s population with the lifestyle and consumption pattern that it predicts for 2050. This particular calculation is controversial and perhaps somewhat tendentious: For instance, the “footprint” includes the area of forest needed to soak up the carbon dioxide arising from each person’s energy use, making no allowance for a shift to renewable energy sources, nor for the tenable viewpoint that modest rises in carbon dioxide levels are tolerable. Nonetheless, the world plainly could not perpetually support its entire population in the present style of middle-class Europeans and North Americans.” Martin J. Rees

You will never be as cool as Apollo 15 Commander David Scott as he drove the lunar rover on the surface of the Moon. It has now been 50 years since the Apollo 15 mission. It was the ninth crewed mission in the Apollo program and the fourth to land on the Moon. It was the first J mission, with a longer stay on the Moon and greater focus on science than earlier landings. The astronauts were David Scott, James Irwin and Alfred Worden. This was the first mission in which the Lunar Rover was used. Image Credit: NASA. If you would like to learn more about this picture or the Apollo 15 mission please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/taking-a-ride-on-the-moon-in-the-lunar-roving-vehicle and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_15

“It may not be absurd hyperbole — indeed, it may not even be an over statement –to assert that the most crucial location in space and time (apart from the big bang itself) could be here and now. I think that odds are no better than fifty-fifty that our present civilization on Earth will survive to the end of the present century. Our choices and actions could ensure the perpetual future of life (not just on Earth, but perhaps far beyond it, too). Or in contrast, through malign intent, or through misadventure, twenty-first century technology could jeopardize life’s potential, foreclosing its human and posthuman future. What happens here on Earth, in this century, could conceivably make the difference between a near eternity filled with ever more complex and subtle forms of life and one filled with nothing but base matter.” Martin J. Rees

Martin J. Rees is a British cosmologist and astrophysicist. He is a recipient of numerous awards and author / co-author of many book and publications. To learn more about this distinguished astrophysicist please visit this site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Rees To see the books please check out this link: Amazon.com: Martin J. Rees: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

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!! And that my friends is a very, very good thing for all of us. I am still crossing my fingers and hoping that I can keep saying this for the next year.

When I started to write this blog on August 8th, the death count, unfortunately, had increase by 10,000 deaths (total of 632 thousand). This is 1000 more individuals from the previous 30 days. It looks like most of these people were the unvaccinated and they had the Delta variant. The day before I started writing, the city authorities in Austin, Texas issued an alert via text, phone calls, email, social media and other channels to warn people in the area that hospitals were open but due to the surge in Covid cases, resources were very limited. There ICU bed capacity for the entire city was down into the single digits. Unreal when you think about a city of almost 1 million people. It is the 11th, largest city in the United States.

Part of this unfortunate surge in cases in the Lone Star State is due to the governor issuing an executive order back in May, preventing counties, cities, public health authorities and local governments officials from requiring people to wear masks. He signed a more far reaching order at the end of July barring both mask and vaccination mandates, and prohibiting public agencies and any private entities that take public funds, including grants and loans, from requiring proof of vaccination. Of course Texas has not been the only state to record increasing infections and deaths. Florida is not far behind. To read more about this check out the New York times link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/07/us/austin-covid-dire-abbott.html

It has now been 32 weeks since I got the Pfizer Vaccine for Covid and…. so far there have been no side effects for me! And I really don’t expect there to be any. If you have not gotten vaccinated by now because you refused it…. Then you are the problem. Get vaccinated. No ands, if or buts, get vaccinated. Or don’t and you may win a Darwin Award Honorable Mention! While not a full fledged “Darwin Award”, dying of Covid because you refused to get vaccinated will at least get you an Honorable Mention. Of course this is just my opinion but should be put in the Website. If you do not know what the Darwin Awards are please check out this link: https://darwinawards.com/

You don’t have to remove yourself from the gene pool in “spectacular fashion” to get an “Honorable Mention”. Not getting vaccinated and dying of Covid will do just fine.

By the middle of the month Texas had finally surpassed New York for the most deaths from Covid and it had put them in second place, right behind California. The “state of interest” in the Covid debacle will be Florida. They are currently in fourth place right behind New York now and would need 14,000 more deaths to catch up but I am guessing that by the first of the year this might be possible. Unreal and not in a good way.

Toward the end of the month we were up to 150,000 plus new cases each day, with the top states of course being Texas, Florida, and California, unfortunately deaths were starting to follow as expected. In June, deaths were down to 200 per day or so, sometimes lower, but by the end of August we were up 1000++ per day (total of 652 thousand). The crazy part of this is that some states were very reluctant to report their case numbers. So the totals might have been even higher.

By the time I published this blog on Friday 27th, approximately 20 days since starting it, we had added 20,000 deaths due to Covid! Let that sink in a moment… 20 thousand deaths due to Covid in 20 days. The fourth wave is truly upon us…

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Well enough about Covid for the moment, lets move on to something that is a little better for the month of July – but not by much! Lol. I swear, if it was not the Covid BS then it was fires on the West Coast from California to British Columbia and the resultant smoke issues for the rest of the nation, including Colorado. July here on the Front Range warmed up fast. The 90 degree plus days were back and in full force for the month of July, which was not unexpected. Unfortunately the air quality really took a nosedive at the same time. Mainly due to the big fires out West and to a lesser degree the increase in Ozone from the higher temperatures. With the combination of the two, it really became challenging at times to get out doors.

This picture was taken July 5th, 2021 at about 12:15pm and the temperatures were already in the 90 plus range. Too hot for the dog and almost too hot for me! Lol. This image is showing the Poudre river with it still flowing pretty good. While the Front Range was hot and dry, the mountains were getting some rain, so the river flows were still up. You cannot really see it in this picture but the river was pretty black and not it usual clear color. The dark color was created from the burn scars in the mountains west of town.

This image was taken July 8th, 2021 at about 1:15pm in the afternoon. This was in the open space west of town called Horsetooth Mountain. The mountain was still pretty green at this time but the temps were in the lower 90s. I really had to pick and choose my days carefully and consistently check the air quality website called Purple Air. (https://www.purpleair.com) Luckily I would get a few hours mid-morning in which the AQI was in the 50 to 60 range (not the best but not the worst) before Ozone levels became unhealthy. It was this combination of high AQI for PM 2.5 and afternoon ozone that really created some dirty air.

This picture was taken July 12th, 2021 at about 1pm in the afternoon. Again another hot day. The picture does not really do it justice. The temperature was about 90 degrees give or take a few points. The parking lot temperature was close to 100 at the trailhead. Again, this is in the open space west of town call Horsetooth Mountain Park. I did a lot of running in this area due to proximity to town. Training for an Ultra can eat up a lot of time in the process and anything you can do to decrease driving time to a training area helps in the long run. In this picture you can just see the smoke layer out east. It is that light dirty brown haze in the distance. The winds had just pushed it away from town for a bit and the air quality had improved dramatically.

This picture was taken July 16th, 2021 at about 1pm in the afternoon. Another hot one on this day. In the 90s again. This is looking west at the namesake of the open space – Horsetooth rock itself. Some people think the rock looks like the back molars of a horse.
Another reason I did a lot of training in this area and instead of the higher mountains was the risk of flash flooding across the burn scars. While the Front Range remained dry the mountains were getting the usual afternoon thunderstorms and it does not take much rain to create a flash flood in burned areas. So while the rain was a good thing to keep fire danger down in the mountains, the downside was the increased risk of flash flooding.

This picture was taken July 20th, 2021 at 10am in the morning. It is on the banks of the Poudre River. For most of the month of July we walked Marvin in the AM a short distance to beat the heat and then again late in the afternoon when the temps had dropped to 90 or below. On some afternoons we were back to wearing an N95 for smoke, if the AQI got into 150 range.
If your someone that gets outdoors a lot in the mountains, there is a great app out there called Open Summit. I use it for snow forecast in winter and in summer, for weather in mountains. Also they have a great “Smoke Forecast” map that was a big help in planning trail runs. If your interested check them out at this link: https://opensummit.com/
This picture was taken July 26th, 2021 at 12:30pm and I am in Horsetooth Mountain Park doing another trail run. The tree in this picture is a Ponderosa Pine. The open space has a lot of these trees. They are a large species of pine native to the mountainous regions of the western North America. If left alone this pine species can live 300 to 600 years and get very big – up to 200 feet in height and 8 feet in diameter Most of the ones in Horsetooth are secondary or even tertiary growth. Thinking about this I wonder what it would have been like to see these trees as the first settlers to the area did. They had to be massive. If you are interested in more information about these trees please see this website: https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_1/pinus/ponderosa.htm

As you probably have realized by now from the above pictures, I spent a lot of time, I mean a lot of time running on the trails in Horsetooth Mountain Park in order to get ready for the Leadville 100 but it was all for naught. Remember back in late May and early June there were the warnings about the Delta variant on the rise. Well that as we all know now has come to pass. While looking at these increasing numbers back in June, a realization started to form in my mind, that would result in two decisions. The first one occurred by July 1st. I left my health care job after being a registered nurse for over 39 years. The majority of that time was spent in Emergency Medicine. To say that 2020 was a terrible year while working in the ER is an understatement. Seeing the writing on the wall, so to speak, I quit. I decided to not go through that again. It was not the number of patients with Covid that created the issue for me, but the “hospital’s response” to Covid in general. I won’t go into it here but let me say it was beyond ugly last year and I was not going to experience that again.

This picture was taken August 4th, 2021 at about 11:30am. It is in Horsetooth Mountain Park looking up Tower’s Road. Another trail run to build up the climbing endurance needed for the Leadville 100. It has been disheartening to see the rise of the Delta variant and knowing that a lot of runners will take the virus home with them after competing in this years race. If we were really interested in the welfare of the public and not just an economic one, there would have been a lot of cancelations or mandated vaccines for ultra events and other outdoor activities. Unfortunately this has not been the case. I get it, we all want it to be over. But that is not reality.

The second one was I deferred my entry to the Leadville 100 until next year. Knowing what I know of how the virus spreads and what it can do to the human body, it did not make much sense to go and compete in an event at the height of an ongoing Pandemic. I know we all wanted to think it was done by the middle of May but unfortunately that has not been the case. By the time you are reading this blog post, booster shots will have been approved, mask mandates will have come back, and dinning or practically doing anything indoors will not be safe again. AND due to the significantly increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, outdoor events with large crowds will have a higher risk than what they did this time last year.

A couple of book reviews and a piece of art work before wrapping things up. The first book I would like to talk about is called “Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life” by Nick Lane. Let me start off by saying this book contains a lot of information. I mean a lot of information. It is one of those that you need to read a section and let it digest, maybe reread it, and then move on. There has been a lot of research in molecular biology over the last 20 years and a great deal has been on mitochondria. I could say that is what this book is about in a nutshell but that would be doing it an injustice. The book is about how mitochondria came to be and in the “process of discovery” the book covers so much more. Why do mitochondria have their own genes? What role did they play in the evolution of complex life? What do mitochondria have to do with sexual reproduction? What role do they play in aging and death? Nick does a great job in answering these questions and many more. The book is very thought provoking. I got the book as an audio book but I am thinking of getting the paperback version to read and listen at the same time to get a better understanding.

The book was released in 2005 and then a second edition in 2019. I am guessing this was due to new research that has come to light.

Nick Lane is a Biochemist and writer. He is a professor in evolutionary biochemistry at the University College London. To learn more about Nick visit this site: https://nick-lane.net/

You can find this book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Sex-Suicide-Nick-Lane-audiobook/dp

The next book I would like to talk about is called the “The Three-Body Problem.” It is a science fiction book by the Chinese writer Liu Cixin. It is set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution in which alien contact is achieved in secret. But not in the usual way. A complex story with some interesting twist. Some readers will have a little difficulty with the book if you are not familiar with some of the history of China’s Cultural Revolution. I got lucky and had finished a “Great Courses Course” on China a few months before reading the book. I find it interesting to see how other cultures deal with the ideas and writing of Science Fiction and just the drama of everyday life. It is like comparing European TV to American TV. There is a huge difference in the approach of telling a story. If you keep this in mind I think most people would enjoy the book. I got it as an audiobook.

Liu Cixin is a prominent Chinses science fiction writer. He is a nine-time winner of China’s Galaxy Award and has also received a Hugo Award. If you would like to learn more about his writer please visit this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Cixin

You can find the book on Amazon: Amazon.com: The Three-Body Problem (Audible Audio Edition): Cixin Liu, Luke Daniels, Macmillan Audio: Audible Books & Originals
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Well last but not least one piece of art work before I go. It is a second drawing in pen and ink of what things would be like if we could see with the naked eye at the quantum scale. I have been listening to science lectures on particle and quantum physics and I have wondered what would all those Photons, Bosons, Gluons, Leptons, and Quarks look like if you could actually see them up close. Would you see all the connections that hold them together? The quantum glue so to speak. I tried to capture what this might look like if you could see it all on that level with the naked eye.

This drawing is done in pen and ink and is protected with a traditional picture frame and glass. It measures approximately 12 inches wide by 15 inches tall.

I call the piece below “Quantum Goulash 2.”

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

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Well another blog post done! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. I have to be honest and say I feel that there is a little bit of “catharsis” for me in writing one. And there is a sense of accomplishment in the process too. It feels good. I get to explain my thoughts on certain subjects, show case some of my art work, and in general to practice a little bit of writing. Writing in my opinion is the most important part of the process. This is where I get to start the exercises of thinking things through, consolidating my thoughts, and maybe getting a better understanding of the world around me and my reaction to it.

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” Seth Godin

Before I go I need to give the usual shout out to minimalism. Have you ever taken a vacation thinking that you needed this to unwind from your usual lifestyle and when you get back to reality, it does not take long and you are already dreaming about your next vacation?! What gives?? Reread the above quote by Seth Godin. When I first saw it years ago, it kind of stopped me in my tracks. The very idea of it, that we could design a lifestyle that is our “vacation” so to speak? Well you can and minimalism is one way to do this. It is just a change in mindset. Nothing to buy, nothing to purchase, just a change in how you look at your life and the world. Curious?? A good place to start is here: https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/

So take care my friends and if you have not gotten vaccinated then get it done. No excuses. If you are reading this blog then I want to definitely keep you around. Not that I would not care about you if you didn’t, but you know what I mean. The Delta Variant is not a laughing matter, not that any part of Covid is a laughing matter, but this variant is a whole new ballgame. Don’t think otherwise. And for those of us that have been vaccinated, we are going to need a booster, so plan on it. We all need to come to the realization that the plans we made in May and June or before for later this year, will need to be amended or changed or canceled due to the rise of this variant. Or this “Groundhog Day Covid Marry-Go-Round” will continue…

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

Air Quality, Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, Leadville Run 100, Minimalism, Pandemics, PurpleAir, Science, Space, Trail Running, Wildfire

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 30TH, JULY 2021

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“Everyone forgets Icarus also flew.” Jack Gilbert

In December 2016 the United Nations General Assembly created a resolution declaring June 30th as International Asteroid Day. This was done to bring attention to the potential hazards of a large asteroid impact on earth. The day is an “observance” of the Tunguska impact over Siberia that occurred on June 30th, 1908. The above image is an artist’s illustration of our solar system’s asteroid belt. Of course it is not to scale but it gives you a good idea of how many asteroids are in our solar system. Vesta is the largest at 329 miles in diameter. Ceres is next at 292 miles in diameter. Some are as small as 33 feet in diameter. When I look at the above illustration I don’t think of the danger to mother earth but the opportunity and potential for asteroid mining. If we look critically at the limited amount of resources left on earth, asteroid mining starts to look as a viable option. Imagine the technological advances that would be needed to create a robust mining venture. This would be one way to significantly advance humankind’s expansion into space. Image credit: NASA/McREL. If your interested in more check out these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/picturing-our-solar-systems-asteroid-belt and https://www.un.org/en/observances/asteroid-day and https://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/solutions/asteroids.html

“Creative Entitlement” simply means believing that you are allowed to be here, and that merely by being here, you are allowed to have a voice and a vision of your own. Elizabeth Gilbert

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory is a space telescope that was launched from the Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999. It was during the STS-93 mission. The telescope is sensitive to sources of x-rays that are 100 times fainter than any previous x-ray telescope. It has now been in service for over 20 years and is still working. The telescope is named after the late Nobel laureate /astrophysicist (American) Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar. The above image was produced from dozens of observations of a 130 light year region of space in the center of the Milky Way. The above colors represent different levels of x-ray energy: red is low, green is medium and blue is high. Using this telescope astronomers have been able to identify thousands of point like sources due to neutron stars, black holes, white dwarfs, foreground stars, and background galaxies. Image credit: NASA/CXC/UCLA/MIT/M.Muno et al. If you want to learn more about the above image or the telescope please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/chandra-turns-up-the-heat-in-the-milky-way-center and https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/background/facts/cxoquick.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_X-ray_Observatory

“To yell at your creativity, saying, “You must earn money for me!” Is sort of like yelling at a cat; it has no idea what you’re talking about, and all you’re doing is scaring it away, because you’re making really loud noises and your face looks weird when you do that.” Elizabeth Gilbert

This is an image of the star cluster NGC 330. It was discovered on August 1st, 1826 by James Dunlop. Of course in 1826 the image that Dunlop observed did not look anything like the above. The image above was created by using observations form Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. The crisscross light patterns on the individual stars were created when starlight interacted with four thin vanes supporting Hubble’s secondary mirror. The star cluster is about 180,000 light years from earth inside the Small Magellanic Cloud – in the constellation Tucana (the Toucan). Because the Open cluster is south of the celestial equator, it is more easily visible from the southern hemisphere. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Kalirai, A. Milone. If you want to learn more about the above image please see these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/hubble-sees-a-cluster-of-red-white-and-blue and http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/hubble-open-cluster-ngc-330-09801.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_cluster

“We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.” Oscar Wilde

The above image is an artist rendition of a newly discovered exoplanet that is 90 light years from earth. It was discovered using data from TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) by an international team of astronomers led by Dr. Jennifer Burt (an exoplanet researcher at NASA’s JPL) and Professor Diana Dragomir ( an exoplanet researcher at the University of New Mexico). It is about 3.5 times as big around as Earth and warm at 134 degrees Fahrenheit. It orbits a red dwarf star and is about 8 times closer to it’s star than earth is to the sun. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. If you would like to learn more about the above exoplanet please see these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/in-orbit-around-a-red-dwarf-star and http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/sub-neptune-exoplanet-toi-1231b-09749.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 an image of the final launch of the space shuttle program (STS-135) July 8th, 2011. The space shuttle Atlantis was carrying supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The crew comprised Christopher Ferguson – Commander, Douglas Hurley – Pilot, Sandra Magnus – Mission Specialist 1, and Rex Walheim – Mission Specialist 2. I sometimes wonder if this had not been the final launch, if President Bush had not started the process of canceling the shuttle program in 2004, if Congress would have continued to increase NASA’s budget each year, if NASA would have used a different business model other than “cost plus contracting” and if and if and if. I guess the only good thing to come of this “short sightedness” in my opinion, is that Space X and Boeing were given a customer (ferrying ISS crews) if they wanted to get into space flight industry. Of course the only company to actually fill this mission so far is Space X. I wonder what would have happened if NASA could have pursued both paths? Helping to nurture private commercial space flight and working on the Constellation program and the X-33. Where would we be today? Image credit: NASA. If you want to learn more please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/history/images/this-week-in-nasa-history-final-launch-of-shuttle-program-july-8-2011.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-135 and https://www.planetary.org/articles/why-nasa-pays-spacex-and-boeing and https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/history/experimental_aircraft/X-33.html

“If people don’t like what you’re creating, just smile at them sweetly and tell them to “go make their own f&%king art.” Elizabeth Gilbert

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 my friends is a very, very good thing for all of us. And I am crossing my fingers that I can continue to say this each and every month for the next year.

When I started to write this blog on July 8th, the death count in the USA stood at 622 thousand. That is a difference of 9,000 deaths in the last 30 days. And while this number is still high, it is a significant drop in Covid mortality from the previous 30 days when the number was 20,000. We are making progress. The question will be can we continue this downward trend with the rise of the Delta variant. It now accounts for more than half of all new infections in the US and in some states such as Iowa, Kanas, Missouri, and Nebraska it makes up about 80% of new cases.

It looks like Pfizer is asking the FDA to authorize a booster shot to extend protection and they are supposedly working on updating their vaccine so it will address the Delta Variant. The booster shot is already being tested. So all they need now is FDA approval.

It as now been 28 weeks since I got the Pfizer Vaccine for Covid and… so far there have been no side effects for me!! Yea!! And that is a very good thing. Not that I expected any in the first place. But this being a new technology you never know. I got the vaccine with this knowledge after seeing what the disease could do to people. It is not pretty. And if you do survive it you may not be back to your “normal” baseline for a very, very long time – if ever.

In the USA we are now up to 56.5 % of the population that has gotten at least one shot and 48.9% that have gotten both doses. In the last 30 days we have added over 10 million vaccinated people. But while 10 million is a large number, our vaccination rates are dropping. If we have to go back into a lock down with all the economic and social repercussions it will be due to the unvaccinated.

If you want to check out the numbers yourself check out this link from NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/28/960901166/how-is-the-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-going-in-your-state and https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/covid-19-vaccine-doses.html?auth=link-dismiss-google1tap

Back in June our infection rate was falling and it appeared that it would continue in a downward direction. Unfortunately this has not been the case. The much more infectious Delta Variant has become the predominate strain in this country and correspondingly we have seen a significant reversal in infections. On July 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th we saw new infections of over 30,000 each day. Fridays high on July 16th was 40 thousand plus and we topped 67,000 plus by Friday 23rd. That was a jump of over 60 percent from the previous few weeks. The top three states for new infections were Florida, California, and Texas. The death count was still down but that would be expected as there is a few weeks delay between new infections and death. My guess is that the numbers are actually much higher than this due to the fact that some states are only reporting weekly now. This in my opinion is not done out of a concern for public health but an economic one. If your state is having a surge in cases and the public knows – it is bad for business. Two examples of this are Florida and Nebraska. A good article on this is from Medical Express. You can check out the link here: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-07-states-scale-virus-cases-surge.html

By July 20th, CDC director Rochelle Walensky was warning that the pandemic is now a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” Almost all of the people getting hospitalized and suffering the worst morbidity and mortality are those that did not get vaccinated.

At the end of the month, on Thursday, July 30th the US reported 92,000 new infections with Covid. Unreal. The total death count was 628 thousand or a difference of approximately 6000 deaths in 21 days but I am guessing that in the next 9 to 10 days we are going to add a few more thousand. The fourth wave of the infections is upon us….

Well enough about Covid. Time to move on to some pictures from the great outdoors for the month of June. I was hoping that the air quality and weather that we experienced in May would be the same for June, but I would have to say that it was a little complicated.

This picture was taken June 7th, 2021 at about 1:30pm in the afternoon. Here I am looking up through a stand of aspen and spruce. Janet and I were hiking in a section of the Rawah Wilderness that was not burned by the Cameron Peak fire last year. This was a view from the West Branch trail. We only went up about 3 miles before turning around due to multi deadfalls that had not been cleared from the trail. I am planning to do some running on this trail later in July and I am hoping that some of this has been cleaned up by then. But it might not happen this year due to all the fire damage being attended to on other trails in the same general area and the risk of afternoon storms causing flash flooding. Oh well it is what it is and I am just glad that it did not all burn.

The first part of June was pretty good. Cool temps, wind and more importantly moisture in the form of rain for the Front Range. This made for some excellent weather and air quality conditions at the start and toward the end of June.

This picture was also taken on June 7th, 2021 at about 2pm in the afternoon. I thought I should get one of Janet and Marvin together on the West Branch trail. It was good to get back in the Rawah’s. I had been using the south end of the Wilderness area all of last summer until the Cameron Peak fire started. The trail was pretty dry this day and I was wondering if this was going to be the norm for the summer? A good link to check out the Rawah Wilderness is at AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/colorado/rawah-wilderness

Unfortunately the dry conditions returned to the mountains by the middle of the month and so did the fires. The air quality took a nose dive due to the added smoke. And the temperatures shot up into the 90s along the Front Range which led to an increase in Ozone levels. The smoke, the temperatures, the ozone all led to really bad outdoor air quality for most of Colorado’s front range during the middle part of June. Little did I know that these conditions were a forerunner of what was to take place in July. But I will save that debacle for the next blog post. Lol.

This picture was taken June 9th, 2021 at about 8:45pm in the evening. The temps were already starting to get warmer for the month and for Marvin it was best to let the sun set and the temperatures drop below 90 degrees before getting out. This picture is looking South West from an open space in Fort Collins called Prospect Ponds. In the background you can see some feathery clouds that give a nice look to the sunset but are actually from a forest fire in the mountains.

Just when I thought the month of June was going to be a total wash, the last week got a lot better. The high country got some much needed moisture and the temps cooled a bit on the Front Range and this led to a subsequent increase in air quality. So the last part of June was pretty good for being in the outdoors. Like I said, it was a little complicated. Lol.

This picture was taken June 10th, 2021 at about 3:30pm in the afternoon. Marvin and I got out for a trail run in the Colorado State Forest. Most of the wood smoke had moved south and further west as you can tell from the blue sky. This is a beautiful area that is located at Cameron Pass in the Never Summer Mountains. The peak is a rock formation called Nokhu Crags that is derived from the Native American Arapaho language meaning Eagles Nest. Marvin and I were trying to get up to an area called American Lakes but ran into deep snow and had to turn around. The road we are on is called Michigan Ditch Road. Here are a couple of links to check out more on this area: https://www.summitpost.org/nokhu-crags/151713 and https://publiclands.colostate.edu/digital_projects/dp/poudre-river/moving-storing/ditches-dams-diversions/michigan-ditch/
This picture was taken June 14th, 2021 at about 9pm in the evening. It is looking West at a beautiful sunset. It was another hot day and Marvin and I were running late in the evening due to lower temps and better air quality. The day had been in the 90s and the air quality index was close to 100, but later the temps had fallen into the lower 80s and the AQI was closer to 60. Also the ozone levels had come down a bit too. The beautiful yellow color of the sunset is actually due to particulates in the atmosphere. In this case, I believe most of the particulates were wood smoke from fires in Colorado and Arizona. The big fires out in Oregon, California, Washington and Idaho did not start until the first week of July. If you interested in seeing what your air quality is for “particulates”, check out the Purple Air Website: https://www2.purpleair.com/ It is free to use and it is in real time. If you live in area that does not have a monitor, think about buying one. Knowledge is power and being informed is the first step in claiming that power to protect your health.

Training for the Leadville 100 run is coming along better than I had expected. Or that is the way I feel about it right now. As it gets closer I get a little nervous and wonder if I am doing enough or too much. I swear I was much more fit just 5 years ago? I am not sure what that is about except maybe I am 59 now and 5 years older?! Lol. My mother used to say when she was in her 80s that “Old age is not for sissies.” And I am thinking that I am starting to understand what she meant by that. Oh well it is what it is and you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and be grateful for each day you wake up. Dang how morbid is that?! Lol.

This picture was taken June 15th, 2021 at about 10pm in the evening. Janet and I again had waited late to walk dog boy due to the heat and poor air quality for the day. But you do what you have to do. Marvin did not seem to care much.

Did I say earlier that the air quality got better toward the end of the month? Why yes I did and it really did get better. The mountains got a little rain and so did the Front Range, temperatures dropped a bit and life was good again so to speak.

This picture was taken June 25th, 2021 at 4pm in the afternoon. Marvin and I were doing some intown running along the Poudre River Bike trail. The temps were in the low 70s and look at those rain clouds. Nice!
This picture was taken June 29th, 2021 at about 3:30pm in the afternoon. Here I am at the top of Tower Road in Horsetooth Mountain Park looking North by Northwest. Look at that beautiful blue sky.
This picture was taken June 30th, 2021 at 2:45pm in the afternoon. This is looking North long Horsetooth Reservoir. Even though those clouds could mean danger due to lightning on an exposed ridge – they looked really good to me after the heat and poor air quality in the middle of the month. Another beautiful Colorado afternoon!

So the month ended on a good note! Yea! But what is the old saying that nothing last? Well that was the case and the first week of July did not disappoint! But I will save that tale for the next blog post.

A couple of book reviews and a piece of art work before wrapping things up. The first book I would like to talk about is a science fiction one called “Recursion” by Blake Crouch. You might be familiar with Mr. Crouch from another of his science fiction novels called “Dark Matter.” If you have read Dark Matter and liked it then you are going to be happy reading this one. I found the book entertaining due to the fact I did not have any idea what was going on “until further than usual” in the book. In my mind I was going thought all the possible scenarios of what the problem might be and then was surprised when I found out. There are several character arcs that are going on in the story at the same time, but with a twist. Some die out and never morph but others move wonderfully forward. It is a story about time and memory but not in a traditional sense. Mr. Blake creates a story, like in Dark Matter, out of what would be considered the frontiers of theoretical physics in my opinion. Bottom line – excellent read! I listed to the book as an audio book but I think it would work just as well in any format.

To learn more about the author please visit his web site: http://www.blakecrouch.com/

You can find this book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Recursion-Novel-Blake-Crouch/dp

The next book I would like to talk about is called “Big Magic written by Elizabeth Gilbert. Yes it is that author from “Eat Pray Love” and no I have not read that book. Yet. If you have read Julia Cameron’s book called “The Artist’s Way” and liked it then you are going to like this one. I loved this book by Elizabeth. I have been what I call a “struggling artist” since I was old enough to talk. My mother was a dominating woman and ran the household. She was the driving force in the family and if she said you were going to do or not do something then you did it or not. There were no exceptions. She had it in her mind that anything to do with “art” was a total waste of time. Or that is how I perceived her reaction anytime I wanted to do something creative that did not fit in with her idea of creativity. The only slight deviation she might allow was if you sang or played some kind of musical instrument. Both of which I hated.

So when I listened to this light hearted take on living the creative life (It is not a step by step guide) I was immediately drawn in. It felt like I was being given a drink of water after dying of thirst, stranded in the desert.

Some would say this is an excellent book for those who are looking for inspiration to live the “creative life.” But, I think it really goes much further because being creative is in our genes no matter who or what we do in life. If you go back far enough, some one in your family tree made things by hand – we all have the ability to be more creative.

I listened to this book as an audio book (I am on the forth listen) but I think it would work well in any format.

To learn more about the author please visit her website: https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/bio/

You can find this book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Magic-Elizabeth-Gilbert-audiobook/dp

Well last but not least one piece of art work before I go.

I have always been interested in the science of the very, very small. What do things look like at the nano and quantum scale? Recently I was listening to a few lectures on particle physics and the different particles that make up electrons, protons, and neutrons: The Quarks, Leptons, Gluons, Photons, Bosons, and the Higgs particles to name a few. Then add in the quantum field theory or the “quantum glue” that holds it all together. I tried to capture what this might look like if you could see it on that level with the naked eye.

This drawing is done in pen and ink and is protected with a traditional picture frame and glass. It measures approximately 12 inches wide by 15 inches tall.

I call the piece below “Quantum Goulash.”

This piece is 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. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Before I close I would again like to give a shout out to minimalism. The world that we live in is a very big place and it can seem overwhelming at times. Especially when trying to think about making a positive difference in the world. But minimalism is something that we can all do to fight back against our over rampant consumeristic culture. When I first heard about the idea of minimalism I thought of a monk living in a monastery, bare walls, owning nothing, eating the same gruel each and everyday, etc… But in reality this is not the case, though I guess if you wanted to do this you could. Lol. Minimalism is different for each individual. You choose how much “minimalism” you want in your life and how much you don’t want. It is about understanding what matters most in life and removing the things that do not support the “what matters most part.” Of course this usually translates to getting rid of all unnecessary material goods as a first step. But Minimalism is so much more than just this. And a good place to start is here: https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/

Becoming minimalist is just a change in mindset. Nothing to buy, nothing to purchase, just a change in how you look at your life and the world.

So take care my friends and remember to wash your hands, stay informed on current Covid 19 developments, especially on the Delta variant, and wear your mask (N95 – if you have one) when appropriate. And get vaccinated – no excuses. As the Nike slogan says – “Just do it!” Adios!!

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

Air Quality, Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Environment, Exercise, Fort Collins, Fort Collins, Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, Minimalism, Pandemics, Politics, PurpleAir, Science, Science Fiction, Space, Wildfire

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 25TH, JUNE 2021

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“Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world. Science is the highest personification of the nation because that nation will remain the first which carries the furthest the works of thought and intelligence.” Louis Pasteur

This is an image of Arp 299 and was created by using X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (pink), higher-energy X-ray data from NuSTAR (purple), and optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope (white and faint brown). It is an image of two colliding galaxies approximately 134 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa major. The two systems have been locked in gravitational combat for millions of years blending and merging stars from each galaxy into a cosmic goulash. Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Crete/K. Anastasopoulou et al, NASA/NuSTAR/GSFC/A. Ptak et al; Optical: NASA/STScI. If you want to learn more about the above image check out these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/galactic-goulash and https://phys.org/news/2017-06-arp-galactic-goulash.html and https://youtu.be/YfF83mXMC7U

“We have to remember that what we observe is not nature in itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning.” Werner Heisenberg

This is an image of galaxy NGC 5037 in the constellation of Virgo. It is about 150 million light-years away from Earth. The image was created using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. The first documentation of its existence was by William Herschel in 1785. A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral with a central bar-shaped structure. The central structure is composed of stars. It is thought that about half of all spiral galaxies have bars. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, where we live, is classified as a barred spiral galaxy. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Rosario; Acknowledgment: L. Shatz. To learn more about this image or the galaxy NGC 5037 please see these links: Hubble Captures a Captivating Spiral | NASA and https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/hubble-galaxy-ngc-5037/

“I am utterly convinced that science and peace will triumph over ignorance and war, that nations will eventually unite not to destroy but to edify, and that the future will belong to those who have done the most for the sake of suffering humanity.” Louis Pasteur

This image was created using a large mosaic of data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the MeerKAT radio telescope in south Africa. The orange, green, blue and purple colors are from Chandra Observatory and the radio data from MeerKAT are shown in lilac and gray. This image made news because it is thought to be showing X-ray and radio emissions intertwined. The idea is that they are held together by thin strips of magnetic fields. This concept has been put forth in a study by Q. Daniel Wang of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “Such strips may have formed when magnetic fields aligned in different directions, collided, and became twisted around each other in a process called magnetic reconnection. This is similar to the phenomenon that drives energetic particles away from the Sun and is responsible for the space weather that sometimes affects Earth.” Image credit: Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/Q.D. Wang; Radio: NRF/SARAO/MeerKAT. To learn more about this image please visit there links: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/magnetized-threads-weave-spectacular-galactic-tapestry.html and https://phys.org/news/2021-05-magnetized-threads-spectacular-galactic-tapestry.html

“All one can really leave one’s children is what’s inside their heads. Education, in other words, and not earthly possessions, is the ultimate legacy, the only thing that cannot be taken away.” Dr. Wernher von Braun

This is an image of Uranus – the 7th planet from our sun. It is four times the diameter of Earth and rotates on its side and has two sets of rings. This side rotation makes it different from all other planets in our solar system. The above image is made from combining a Chandra X-ray image from 2002 (pink) superimposed on an optical image from the Keck-I Telescope made in 2004. The planet made news recently because astronomers have detected X-rays for the first time coming from Uranus, using NASA’s Chandra Observatory. Most of the X-rays are thought to becoming from the Sun due to scattering but there is a possibility the rings of Uranus could be creating the rays themselves. Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/University College London/W. Dunn et al; Optical: W.M. Keck Observatory. If you want to learn more about this please visit these links: Detecting X-Rays From Uranus | NASA and https://phys.org/news/2021-03-x-rays-uranus.html

“Fortune favors the prepared mind.” Louis Pasteur

Apollo 16 was the tenth crewed mission of the Apollo space program. It was the 5th landing on the moon by astronauts. This mission started on April 16th, 1972 and ended on April 27th. The mission was crewed by Commander John Young, the Lunar module pilot was Charles Duke and Command module pilot was Ken Mattingly. In the above image, John Young salutes the flag while jumping on the moon. The Lunar landing Module Orion and the Lunar Roving Vehicle are in the background. Image Credit: NASA/Charlie Duke. To learn more about the above image and the Apollo 16 mission please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/flag-day-2021-saluting-the-us-flag and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_16 and https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo16.html

“Our sun is one of a 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy is one of billions of galaxies populating the universe. It would be the height of presumption to think that we are the only living thing in that enormous immensity.” Dr. Wernher von Braun

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 my friends is a very, very good thing for all of us. And I am crossing my fingers that I can continue to say this each and every month for the next year.

When I started to write this blog on June 8th, the death count in the USA stood at 613 thousand. That is a difference of 20 thousands deaths from May 6th. While this is a large number it is an improvement from the previous 30 days by 6000 individuals! The big question becomes can we keep this downward trend?

By the middle of the month the downward trend was continuing with 200 to 500 deaths per day and new cases averaging about 10,000 per week. Again, even though these are large number we were still in that downward trend.

By the end of the month the total added death count was about 5000 or 618,000 total and while this number is large it is a significant improvement from the previous 30 days by more than half. And our infection rate has continue to fall so that was good news. If you want to see the numbers yourself check out these links: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ and https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

The only fly in the ointment was the Delta variant of the virus – first identified in India. By the end of June it was responsible for one in every five new infections in the United States. Part of this rapid rise is that it is much more transmissible than previous versions of the virus. The good news is that the two main vaccinations do seem to offer protection. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions about it, like how severe it might be compared to prevision versions. There is some evidence that you are twice as likely to be hospitalized with this version than the last. Due to the unevenness in vaccinations around the country and age groups we may see a rise with infections in the South and an increase in young people. I guess time will tell, but the best thing to do now is to get as many people fully vaccinated as possible.

It has now been 24 weeks since I got the Pfizer Vaccine for Covid and… so far there have been no side effects for me!! Yea!! While there has been a rise in heart inflammation reported in adolescents and young adults with the two main vaccines it does not appear that this is a long term condition and generally most individuals recover without further concern.

As of June 15th, in the US, there were 174 million individuals or 53% of the population that had gotten at least one shot of the two main vaccines. And there were about 145 million or 44% that have full vaccination!! This is a very good thing, not only in terms of health but also in terms of economic recovery.

If you want to look at the numbers yourself check out these links: https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/ and https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/28/960901166/how-is-the-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-going-in-your-state and for a look at world vaccinations check out this link from CNN: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/health/global-covid-vaccinations/

Well enough about Covid. Time to move on to something different. May was another good month for running along the Front Range in Colorado. While there were some unsettled weather days and even a little snow along the Front Range, it was a good month for air quality and exercising outdoors.

This picture was taken May 11th, 2021 at 6:50am in the morning. Winter was not quit through with us. I believe on the Front Range this was the last snow fall for the season. Being at 5000 feet in elevation you just never know when the last snow might fall but it is usually somewhere around Mother’s day. Lol. I have gotten to where I do not plant out any new flowers or vegetables until the middle of May. The Quad Rock trail race was 3 days before this photo was taken! At that time the trails were dry and running was supreme. What a difference a few days can make!

I write a lot about the air quality here in Colorado because there are times it is really, really bad. It was not until 1963 that the “Clean Air Act” was passed in the United States and in 1970 congress gave the EPA the legal authority to regulate pollution from cars and other forms of transportation. This dramatically improved air quality a lot, but I have come to realize it does not go far enough.

This picture was taken May 13th, 2021 at 7:30pm in the evening. It is looking West along one of my favorite in town sections of the Poudre River. Here you can see that the river is filling in with spring runoff. The City and County had filled most of the reservoirs by this time and the river was allowed to run free. Most of the water is spoken for, but the consumers are “downstream users”, so the the river is running full through the city. As I write this, I am wondering where the next “water” source will come from for Colorado? We are a headwater state (meaning all of our rivers begin in the Rocky Mountains and flow out of the state) and most of Colorado is very dry – think high plains desert. The eastern half of the state makes up 40% of this type of topography. And on the West side it is not much better. Precipitation averages 8 to 14 inches per year. As growth continues, at some point, there will not be any more “water” to obtain. The questions become: When do you say enough is enough? Do you damn every river in the state just so you can have growth and when every river is damned, then what? Hard questions for the State, City and County governments here in Colorado. If you want to learn more about Colorado’s climate please visit this link: https://climate.colostate.edu/climate_long.html

To understand this, it is important to see one of the reasons the Clean Air Act came into being. After World War 2 with the returning soldiers several things occurred. Economic growth skyrocketed and there was a soon to be baby boom. With the impending increase in population the suburbs become the “hip” place to live. The only problem was that the mass transit infrastructure did not exist like it did in the cities. This forced an increase in the reliance on private motor vehicles with a corresponding significant increase in air pollution. Hence the need for the Clean Air Act. Of course this was not the only reason for the CAA but it was a substantial one.

This picture was taken May 16th, 2021 at 6:15pm in the evening. Here Janet and Marvin are on the banks of the Poudre River and it is still flowing full. This picture reminds me of how “big” Marvin actually is! Lol. His breed is called a King Shephard. For Marvin, it is a mixture of German Shephard, Alaska Malamute and Great Pyrenees. He’s got a little more Pyrenees due to the fact that his father was full Pyrenees. Hence the floppy ears. I find it interesting that he did not get the thicker Pyrenees coat.

The part of the CAA that regulates vehicle pollution is considered a success story by many measures. Lead has been eliminated and sulfur levels are 90% lower than they were prior to regulation. If you compare cars from the 1960s to now, you are looking at a decrease of about 98% in tailpipe pollutants. So why is air quality terrible at times here on the Front Range of Colorado? I will try to explain.

This picture was taken May 20th, 2021 at 12:15pm in the afternoon. It is looking out East towards Weld County. It was a great day for running in Horsetooth Mountain Park. There was just enough wind from the West to increase the air quality around Fort Collins. If you look very closely at this photo you can just see the thin layer of brown. That my friends is the infamous “brown cloud.” And it is created when temperature inversions trap the cooler air near the ground, preventing pollutants from rising into the atmosphere. The topography slopes downward as you move away from the foothills, so the colder air had moved out toward Weld County, taking the bulk of the pollution with it. Of course, Weld County has over 33 thousand oil and gas wells, which does not help with the brown cloud. The interesting part is the entire state only has about 53 thousand wells. Therefore, 62% of the wells are in Weld County alone. I wonder how many people realize this?

When you are looking at pollution here along the Front Range, I am not talking about Greenhouse gas pollution per se. But more about the sources of hazardous chemicals that help to create ozone and wildland fire sources that contribute to particulates. Colorado unfortunately has become one of the worst violators of the federal air quality health standards due to VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and nitrogen oxides. Colorado emits around 200,000 tons of these each year. There are several sources but one of the biggest is oil and gas development and processing, something around 45%. The next greatest portion comes from people driving vehicles that burn fossil fuels. But you would think with tailpipe emission getting better, the air quality should improve? At least from the automotive end? Right? Well unfortunately this has not been the case. Colorado has seen another population boom in the last 20 years and it has double the number of citizens. We are now in the range of about 6 million as of 2020. This and the increase in oil and gas development has erased many of the air quality improvements seen since the 1980s.

This picture was taken May 20th, 2021 at about 12:45pm in the afternoon. The same day as the above picture but looking West and not East. Here you see Mount Meeker and Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. This is the view, looking West, from the top of Tower’s Road in Horsetooth Mountain Park. Some of the darker areas in the lower half of the image are from last years historic fires. I love this view from the top!

Another significant cause of Front Range Air Pollution in recent years is the overall increase in Forest Fires. This increase has resulted in a significant up swing in particulates. The stuff that you see from a fire or driving down a dusty road, are called PM-10. These include smoke, soot, dust and dirt. These particles irritate the eyes, nose and throat. This stuff can be annoying but usually it does not have a long term health consequence. But and there is always a but, the smaller particles, called PM 2.5 or particles smaller than 2.5 microns can and do cause problems. They are composed of everything from sulfates, nitrates and heavy metals to combustion byproducts including hydrocarbons. These fine particles are often bound to toxins in the air. Because of their small size they can easily get into your lungs and then into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream they can travel to any part of the body. They have even been found in the unborn fetuses of pregnant mothers. These particles have been causally linked to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, pneumonia, exacerbation of COPD, Asthma, Lung Cancer, preterm birth, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other forms of cancer. They stay in the air for a long time and can travel long distances with the wind. This is why you can still be exposed when a forest fire is hundreds and hundreds of miles away.

This picture was taken May 28th, 2021 at 1:30pm in the afternoon. It is looking south from the top sections of Tower Road and is an image of the iconic Horsetooth Rock. You can just make out a few individuals standing on top of the rock. It was another beautiful day for running along the Front Range.

Now you might ask why is this such a problem for Colorado? Doesn’t all these same issues affect other parts of the country as well? The answer, yes they do, but… Let me explain. Due to the Front Range’s topography, we get a consistent “temperature inversion type of condition” in which the cooler air is trapped closer to the ground with very little wind movement for long periods of time. This really allows for the combination of VOCs/nitrogen oxides with resultant ozone and particulates from forest fires to accumulate in one place with resultant terrible air quality. It gets so bad at times that I wish for it to be a super windy day just to clean the old, dirty stagnant air out.

This picture was taken June 6th, 2021 at about 8:30pm in the evening. The days in June were getting progressively hotter and we found ourselves walking later with the dog so that he would not get overheated.

I have written about this issue before but thought it was good idea to revisit it. Fort Collins just moved up in rank this month, on the list of cities with the worst air pollution. By Ozone, Fort Collins is number 17 in the nation out of 226 metropolitan areas and 50th for short term particulates out of 216 metropolitan areas. While not exactly at the top, close enough in my opinion and not something that should be allowed to go any higher. To see some of the numbers check out this link at the American Lung Association: https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/most-polluted-cities

“Environmental pollution is not only humanity’s treason to humanity but also a treason to all other living creatures on earth!” Mehmet Murat ildan

Will it be an easy problem to solve? No way. But some things we can do. Get rid of your gas mower – move to electric. And encourage the landscaping companies to do the same. When you start thinking about buying that new car, think hybrid or full electric. When the next election cycle starts, ask the candidates how they are going to fix this. Will they be plugging the regulatory holes to target major polluters inside and outside Colorado? Will they be encouraging the trucking companies to go electric? Will they be pushing for the upgrades needed in the electric grid? Information is powerful and I encourage you to visit the websites of Purple Air and Air Quality Colorado if you live here. Check them every time before you plan an outdoor activity and if they are not optimal send a screen shot to your elected representative. Ask what they are doing about it.

You can find those links here: https://www.purpleair.com/map?opt=1/mAQI/a10/cC0#11/40.5524/-105.0534 and https://www.colorado.gov/airquality/air_quality.aspx

A couple of book reviews and a piece of art work before wrapping things up. The first book I would like to talk about is “The Physics of Climate Change” by Lawrence M. Krauss. The first thing before reading this book you need to understand is that Krauss is a world renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist. In the book he admits that this is not his area of expertise, but after looking at all the data and the arguments about climate change, he felt it was important to write a book that would help to explain the “science” in a way that makes sense to the rest of us. Now with that said, if you are someone that needs all the equations and math in minutiae for the science of CC to make sense, then you will be disappointed. This is not that book.

I found the book an enlightening look at the complexity of the research that has gone into the science. And it helped me to understand how the lay person and even other scientist could get confused when looking at all the data. A truly daunting task for climate researchers. The take away: Is global warming real – absolutely and are humans responsible for a large contribution to this phenomena – most assuredly. I believe this book would work well in any format. I got it as an audio book and found it thoroughly enjoyable while out for long runs.

Lawrence Maxwell Krauss is an American / Canadian theoretical physicist and cosmologist who previously taught at Arizona State University, Yale and Case Western Reserve University. To learn more about him please visit this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Krauss

You can find the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/The-Physics-of-Climate-Change/dp

The next book I would like to talk about is called “Neuromancer” by William Gibson. It is a book that is consider a Science Fiction staple and that you cannot truly call yourself a SiFi fan unless you have read it. So I felt the need to read it at 59 years old. Lol. This book deals with AI, computer programs, cyber space, and transhuman technology among other things. The crazy part is the book was written in 1984 – about 37 years ago! And the concepts put worth are more relevant today than there were back then. It is consider one of the best known examples of Cyberpunk and after reading it, I believe it still holds true.

Now in all honesty I did have a little trouble following the plot at times and had to go back and re-listen to several sections. And I am not sure if that was accidental or if Gibson had intended this to be the case. Neuromancer was his first novel, so I will cut him a little slack in this regard. I used Wikipedia as a guide to help me keep on track with the characters and the plot – this helped immensely. I listened to the book as an audio book while on long runs but it would work in any format.

Willian Ford Gibson is an American / Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. If you want to learn more about his author check out this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gibson

You can find this book on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Neuromancer-William-Gibson-audiobook/dp

Well last but no least a piece of art work before I go. This one is a piece of sculpture that is a sunface. It is constructed of scrap wood that is nailed, screwed and glued together – painted with acrylic and latex paint. After any summer project I hate to see anything go to waste and the year this face was made I had plenty of plywood and 2×4 pieces left over for a sunface. My inspiration was from the cartoon Sponge Bob Square Pants. In one of the episodes I watched with the kids, Squidward is seen relaxing and trying to get a tan before he is harassed by the usual characters.

This is a good size sunface: 42 inches by 42 inches and 10 inches deep. The sculpture is all wood and is about 14 to 15 pounds. This sculpture is meant to be indoors only.

I call this sculpture “SQUIDWARD SUNFACE”

The inspiration behind the sculpture. Lol

This piece is 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. My intent was that it would be informative, especially for those that live here in Colorado. We reside in a great place for being outdoors and I hope that it stays that way. Unfortunately “hope” like thoughts and prayers will only go so far without action. There are some big environmental challenges we need to fix in order to keep the air quality from getting any worse.

So what can we do? One of things, without a lot of effort initially is to become “Minimalist.” Our consumeristic culture is unsustainable at it’s current levels and you could even say that the air quality issues we are encountering around the country are the indirect result of this consumption mindset. I will repeat what my biology professor told me years ago about the destructions of our environment: “Growth for growth’s sake is the definition of cancer.” It does not matter if it is in the human body or the destruction of natural resources or a form of unfettered economic growth for profit and profit alone. It all leads to the same conclusion if it is not checked – death of the system.

Becoming minimalist is just a change in mindset. Nothing to by, nothing to purchase, just a change in how you look at your life and the world. If this appeals to you and even if it doesn’t at the moment but you are curious, a good place to start is here: https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/

So take care my friends and remember to wash your hands, stay informed of current Covid 19 developments – especially of the Delta variant, and wear you mask (N95 now) when appropriate. And when a vaccine becomes available, please get it. No excuses – just do it. Adios!!

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

Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, Pandemics, Quad Rock 50, Science, Science Fiction, Space, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 28TH, MAY 2021

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“Its very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.” George Sheehan

When the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, it featured the now-iconic two-sun, “circumbinary” planet Tatooine. At that time astronomers didn’t really know if such solar systems existed. Indeed, the first extra-solar planet wasn’t detected until the early 1990s. And, the first actual circumbinary planet was detected in 2005 – it was a Jupiter-size planet orbiting a system composed of a sun-like star and a brown dwarf.  Fast forward a few years and researchers working with data from TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) discovered another circumbinary planet in 2020. The planet is called TOI 1338b and is about 7 times bigger than the earth and is about 1300 light-years away. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. If you want to learn more about his planet and other possible habitable binary star systems please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/discovering-circumbinary-star-systems and Researchers identify five double star systems potentially suitable for life (phys.org)

“There are those of us who are always about to live. We are waiting until things change, until there is more time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion, until we settle down / until, until, until. It always seems as if there is some major event that must occur in our lives before we begin living.” George Sheehan

This image is a picture of what is know as the “Necklace Nebula.” It is about 15,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Sagitta (The Arrow.) It is created by the interaction of two stars that were orbiting close together. One of the stars expanded and engulfed the smaller companion. This created what astronomers call a “common envelope.” It increased the larger star’s rotation rate until parts of it spun outward into space and formed the “Necklace.” The above image, using newer processing techniques, is an updated one from the original Hubble image. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Noll. If you want to learn more about the above Nebula please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/hubble-views-a-dazzling-cosmic-necklace and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necklace_Nebula

“For every runner who tours the world running marathons, there are thousands who run to hear the leaves and listen to the rain, and look to the day when it is suddenly as easy as a bird in flight.” George Sheehan

This image, taken by the Hubble telescope, shows a galaxy cluster called Abell 3827 and was made during a study tasked in trying to figure out what “dark matter” might be. I find it amazing that 100 years ago, astronomers believed that the Milky Way was the only galaxy in the Universe. It was finally put to rest when Edwin Hubble confirmed that the Andromeda Nebula was in fact too far distant to be part of the Milky Way. This was in 1924 and it forever changed how we view the Universe. Until then the Milky Way was thought to be the entire universe. The implications, like the more recent discovery of exoplanets, has forever changed how we view ourselves in the cosmos. NASA honored his achievements by naming the Hubble Space Telescope after him. Image Credit: European Space Agency (ESA). If you want to learn more about his image or Edwin Hubble please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/hubble-gazes-at-a-cluster-full-of-cosmic-clues and Our Giant Universe: Hubble Spots Massive Galaxy Cluster With a Wealth of Exciting Possibilities (scitechdaily.com) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Hubble

“The distance runner who accepts the past in the person he is, and sees the future as a promise rather than a threat, is completely and utterly in the present. He is absorbed in his encounter with the everyday world. He is mysteriously reconciling the separations of body and mind, of pain and pleasure, of the conscious and the unconscious. He is repairing the rent, and healing the wound in the divided self. He has found a way to make the ordinary extraordinary; the commonplace, unique; the everyday, eternal.” George Sheehan

This is an image of the galaxy cluster MACS J0416 (The Massive Cluster Survey). This is one of the 6 galaxy clusters by the Hubble Frontier Fields program. It has produced some the deepest images of gravitational lensing ever made. Astronomers believe the light they see is within 500 million years of the Big Bang. The thought is that most of these stars likely formed from hydrogen, helium and lithium, as those were the only elements that existed before the development of heavier elements like oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and iron. The blue light you see is called intracluster and was used by scientists to study the distribution of dark matter within the cluster. Intracluster light is a byproduct of the interactions between galaxies. In the course of these interactions, individual stars are stripped from their galaxies and float freely within the cluster. Once free from their galaxies, they end up where the majority of the mass of the cluster, mostly dark matter, resides. Image Credit: NASA, ESA and M. Montes (University of New South Wales). If you want to learn more about this image please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/looking-at-stars-in-the-early-universe and https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/galaxy-cluster-macs-j0416-early-universe/

“Sport is where an entire life can be compressed into a few hours, where the emotions of a lifetime can be felt on an acre or two of ground, where a person can suffer and die and rise again on six miles of trails through a New York City park. Sport is a theater where sinner can turn saint and a common man become an uncommon hero, where the past and the future can fuse with the present. Sport is singularly able to give us peak experiences where we feel completely one with the world and transcend all conflicts as we finally become our own potential.” George Sheehan

This is a picture (captured by Hubble Space Telescope) of what is called an emission nebula. It is formed by clouds of ionized gas that emit light at optical wavelengths. The nebula above is known as NGC 2313 and is located about 3,750 light-years away in the constellation of Monoceros. The clouds of gas are illuminated due to the stars located inside them. The stars give off radiation, which ionizes the gas and makes it glow. The bright star V565, which can be seen in the center of the image, is illuminating the nebula and giving it its distinctive appearance. Image credit: ESA/Hubble, R. Sahai. If you want to learn more about this nebula please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/hubble-spots-a-cosmic-cloud-s-silver-lining and http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/hubble-emission-nebula-ngc-2313-09636.html

“Some think guts is sprinting at the end of a race. But guts is what got you there to begin with. Guts start back in the hills with 6 miles to go and you’re thinking of how you can get out of this race without anyone noticing. Guts begin when you still have forty minutes of torture left and you’re already hurting more than you ever remember.” George Sheehan

This is an image that was posted on Twitter, August 9th, 2015 by astronaut Scott Kelly. It was during his year in space. It showcases all the places humans live – the Earth, the ISS and the Milky Way. Image Credit: NASA/Scott Kelly. To learn more about his image and other images taken by Scott while on the ISS please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/the-places-we-call-home and https://twistedsifter.com/2016/03/nasa-shares-best-pics-from-scott-kelly-year-in-space/ and https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/sets/72157658205964848

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” George Sheehan

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 my friends is a very good thing for both of us. And I will keep crossing my fingers that I can continue to say this in the coming months.

When I started to write this blog on May 6th, the death count stood at approximately 593,000 deaths. That was an increase of 26, 000 deaths in 34 days. While this is a lot, it does reflect a downward trend and that is a good thing. Hopefully, we will continue this downward shift.

By the middle of the month, we unfortunately broke the 600,000 death barrier. But, while this is a huge number, we were still in the downward trend of new infections and subsequent deaths.

Two days before the publication of this blog on May 26th, we were sitting at approximately 606, 000 deaths total. So in 20 days we added 13,000 Covid deaths. While this is a large number it is no where near the 80 to 90 thousand deaths in a 24 day streak back in January of this year.

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

On a much more somber and unsettling note, a study out of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that the number of people in the US alone, who have died of Covid is more than 900,000, a number much higher than official figures, almost 50% more. And, the worldwide death count is more than double, 7 million as opposed to 3.24 million officially reported. The UW team came to these staggering numbers by calculating excess mortality. While there are other researchers that do not agree with the University of Washington’s conclusions, they do agree that there has been an excess of deaths far exceeding the official Covid death toll. What they disagreed on was that it could all be blamed entirely on the virus.

To read the article for yourself please visit this link: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/05/06/994287048/new-study-estimates-more-than-900-000-people-have-died-of-covid-19-in-u-s

Well it has now been approximately 20 weeks since I got the second shot of the Pfizer Vaccine for Covid and… so far there have been no side effects for me. Yea!!

As I started to write this months blog I was looking at some of the misleading and false claims about problems after getting the vaccine. Things like, increased deaths due to the vaccine, shedding the virus after getting the vaccine, getting Covid from the vaccine, the vaccine will alter my DNA, it is a government conspiracy, etc… I especially loved the one about “shedding the virus” in that if your female and unvaccinated but are around someone who is, you can have your menstrual cycle impacted because the vaccinated person will “shed” the virus. Maybe some of this fear comes from very early vaccine development with “live” virus vaccines like the polio vaccine (1950s). The thought, when this occurred, was that it actually helped people because it might create a “contact immunity” which played a role in helping to eradicating polio. Unfortunately, a few individuals at that time, actually came down with a case of polio. This was very rare but it generated a lot of fear. Rest assured NONE of the Covid vaccines authorized in the U.S. are live-virus vaccines.

A great website to start with, to help dispel these myths is the good old CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html and another one from the Mayo Clinic: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-vaccine-myths-debunked/ and a good one from Psychology Today on why people believe these myths: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-speed-life/202104/unbreakable-myths-covid-19-vaccines and a good one on live virus vaccine types can be found here: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-a-live-virus-vaccine-200925

Another big thing that occurred in May with Covid was a relaxing of the mask rules by the CDC. And of course it has been controversial. One of the large nursing unions has come out against it but there are other experts that have felt it is OK. I feel the quote by Colleen Kelley, MD, an associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine said it best:

“We don’t have as much data yet with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but it also does look to significantly reduce transmission. So, I would say you can confidently go back to most activities. We still want to be mindful in crowded spaces, in spaces with poor ventilation indoors. We still want to be mindful of the very small possibility of transmissibility. But, in general, if you’re vaccinated, if your friends and family are vaccinated, life should look pretty much normal outside of crowded settings.”

If you want to listen or read an interview about this check out the link: https://www.medpagetoday.com/podcasts/trackthevax/92526?

Ok that is enough about Covid. Time to write about something else. April was another good month for running in general. The temperatures continued to warm and the air quality was much better.

This picture was taken April 5th, 2021 at about 3:45pm in the afternoon. It is at the top of Towers Road in Horsetooth Mountain Park. What a beautiful day for a trail run.

Of course like March, April had it’s share of weather “hiccups” that created some issues. Historically here on Colorado’s front range, March and April are when we get the most snow and / or rain in general. And April lived up to it’s reputation. While there were some beautiful days for being outdoors, there were a number of days that it either snowed, rained or did both. Lol.

This picture was taken April 7th, 2021 at about 4:45pm in the afternoon. It is looking South along Horsetooth Reservoir. The lake sits just West of Fort Collins. Another beautiful day along the Front Range of Colorado.

Either brilliant sunshine or overcast with rain and snow. At least that is how it seemed. I noticed when I was deciding what pictures to post for this blog, there were just a few sunset photos. For me that was a little strange, until I really thought about it. And I think, part of it had to do with the on again and off again weather.

This picture was taken April 15th, 2021 at about 4:45pm in the afternoon. Another day of snow for the month of April.

While it was great to get the moisture, it did create some issues with running in the foothills in the form of Mud. Some of you may have heard of “Mud Season”, but it usually is in reference to the high country. Think Ski Resorts. It is a period in spring when dirt becomes muddy from the melting of snow and ice. Another words, any path with dirt becomes a temporary muddy mess. This year along the Front Range, we had an April Mud Season.

This picture was taken April 18th, 2021 at about 6:30pm in the afternoon. It is from one of the bridges along the Poudre River Trail . Here, Marvin and I were enjoying another beautiful spring day along the bike path because the dirt trails were closed due to mud.

This picture was taken April 19th, 2021 at about 7:15pm in the evening. This picture was literally the very next day from the one above and a total change in the weather. I think by this time, the off and on again pattern we were experiencing even had Marvin unhappy. Here he reminds me of the frozen Jack Nicholson from the Shining. Lol.

Another reason that there were fewer sunset pictures for the month of April, especially towards the end, was the length of daylight – it was getting much longer as we moved toward the start of Summer. By the end of the month sunsets here in Fort Collins were much closer to the 8pm mark. And by this time, we were eating dinner and not out running or walking.

Yea a sunset picture! This picture was taken April 24th, 2021 at 7:15pm in the evening. It is looking West along the Poudre River. In this photo you can see that the river is down quit a lot. The city was still diverting water to fill up the reservoirs. It was not until about the second week of May that the river was allowed to run free.

This picture was taken April 25th, 2021 at about 4pm in the afternoon. Another beautiful day for a trail run. There was a string of snow and rain free days at the end of April but it did not last. The first week of May was a different story.

This picture was taken April 29th, 2021 at about 6:30pm in the evening. It was my youngest daughters birthday. So we did something a little different and took a selfie of all of us, minus the two older daughters.

Well the 10th running of the Quad Rock did not quit go as planned for me. I ended up doing the 25 mile version again but that was OK. The weather and trail conditions turned out to be perfect. The organizers of the race, https://gnarrunners.com/ in my opinion, did an excellent job in the management of the event.

My only excuse was the snow and mud season conditions in March/April leading up to the race. I did get in a lot of running, just not the kind that I was hoping to do. With the Quad Rock, I needed to get in as much elevation training (running up and down the mountains) as I could. But due to work conflicts and / or weather this did not happen.

This picture was taken in Lory State Park, May 8th, at about 5:20am – just before the start of the 10th running of the Quad Rock.

But… don’t misunderstand me. Even though I had planned to run the 50 miler, I was not disappointed that I was a little too slow at the 25 mile mark and timed out – again. Not having run an ultra in that type of terrain in about 2 years due to Covid, I was not quite prepared for the elevation changes. I know, I know, I am making excuses for myself but it really did kick my ass – so to speak. Lol. So I have now done the 25 miler about 6 times? I think. And each time I learn or relearn something new. Oh well, it is what it is and I plan to enter the 50 miler again for next year.

This picture was taken during a quick stop while running the Quad Rock, May 8th, 2021, at about 7am in the morning. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Here I am looking East across Horsetooth Reservoir and Fort Collins.

Besides having great weather and race management, another fantastic aspect of this event was the volunteers. They create the “gestalt” that makes a race like this special. So I would like to give a Big Thank You to all the volunteers who made the Quad Rock possible. They are the bedrock of what makes races like this memorable and in a good way. Your efforts in this year’s race were greatly appreciated.

So, even though I did not do the 50 miler, it felt great to just be out and running again with a group of other like minded people. If you ever want to try your “running legs” so to speak at a trail event. Check out Gnar Runners. It would be a great place to start. You can find them at this link: https://gnarrunners.com/

A couple of book reviews and some art work before wrapping things up. The first book I would like to talk about is The Fall and Rise of China by Professor Richard Baum. It is from the Great Courses and can be watched in video format or as audio only. I got it with my Audible membership from Amazon. It worked great in this format and I would suggest it to cut down the cost. The course is divided up into 48-thirty minute lectures. Each lecture is part of a time line so that you get a good picture of how China developed over it’s history. Professor Baum gives us a good over view of what has drove dramatic events in the story of China. I got this course to help me understand what might be happening in China now and in the future. If you have never had any exposure to the history or culture of China this would be a great place to start.

Professor Baum was an American China watcher, professor emeritus of political science at UCLA, and former director emeritus of the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies. He passed away in 2012. If you want to learn more about Professor Baum please visit this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Baum

This course can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/The-Fall-and-Rise-of-China-audiobook/dp

The next book I would like to talk about is part of a Science Fiction series called the The Murderbot Diaries written by Martha Wells. I reviewed this series back in February of this year but at that time I was only on book two. I have now finished book 5 of 6 and my original review still stands. This is a fantastic series. There are many books that have been written in SiFi on A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) and the search for “meaning” by said A.I. This ongoing story is done in a similar vein. In an nutshell: “A robot searching for the meaning of life and in the process casting light on what makes us human.” I got this book as an audio book but it would work well in any format. Now be warned, the fist couple of these books are short novellas, not full novels. But this book is the first full length novel in the series and is well worth the read. Looking at the prices on Amazon, downloading them on to your Kindle would be the cheapest way to go.

Martha Wells is an American writer of Science Fiction and Fantasy. If you want to learn more about this accomplished author please visit this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Wells

Book 5 and can be found on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Network-Effect/dp

Well last but not least one piece of art work before I go. I have a love with the TV series the Simpsons and one of my favorite characters is Mo Szyslak. The proprietor and bartender of Moe’s Tavern. I love the disagreeable personality of Moe. His rough character is what you see or remember the most but the writers of the show have given him a sentimental and caring side to his personality. A perfect combination for your bar tender. I have set Moe’s portrait on a background of LGBT colors because I feel he would welcome everyone in his bar. If you want to learn more about Moe’s personality check out this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_Szyslak

This painting is large. The diameter is 38 inches. When hanging it is about 46″ from top to bottom (includes hanging hardware). This painting is done on Oriented Strand Board with Acrylic paint by Liquitex and sealed with Liquitex professional gloss varnish.

Moe would be a great addition to any basement or garage bar! Lol.

This piece is 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. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Before I close, I want to put another shout out to becoming minimalist. It really can make a positive change in the world. Imagine being able to make a difference with just a change in mindset. Our consumeristic culture is unsustainable at it’s current levels. And you could even say that part of the severe morbidity and mortality of the pandemic in the USA is due to this consumeristic culture we have created. I remember a biology professor I had way back in college that would give a quote about the destruction of our natural ecosystems due to economic profiteering: “Growth for growth’s sake is the definition of cancer.” It does not mater if it is in the human body or the destruction of natural resources or a form of unfettered economic growth for profit and profit alone. It all leads to the same conclusion if it is not checked -death of the system.

Becoming minimalist is just a change in mindset. Nothing to by, nothing to purchase, just a change in how you look at your life and the world. If this appeals to you and even if it doesn’t at the moment but you are curious, a good place to start is here: https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/

So take care my friends and remember to wash your hands, wear your mask when in “crowded” indoor situations and practice physical distancing when appropriate. And when a vaccine becomes available, please consider getting it. Adios!!

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

Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Minimalism, Pandemics, Quad Rock 50, Science, Space, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 30TH, APRIL 2021

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“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” Pema Chodron

This is an image of a blast wave heating dust as it moves through interstellar space. The blast wave was caused by a supernova in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia. The light from this supernova first reached earth around 1667. The image above was taken by the NASA space telescope named WISE or Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Some of the coloring in the image is false but represents different wavelengths of infrared light. Infrared light is invisible to the human eye and hence the coloring. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA. If you want to learn more about this image please visit this link: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/vision-of-a-stellar-ending If you want to learn more about WISE please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide-field_Infrared_Survey_Explorer

“We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” Pema Chodron

This is an image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and it is part of the Veil Nebula. It is a section of a supernova remnant and is present in the constellation Cygnus (The Swan). The source of the supernova was a star 20 times more massive than the Sun which exploded 10 to 20 thousand years ago. There are some estimates that the light from the explosion would have been brighter than Venus in the sky and would be visible in the daytime. The Veil Nebula lies about 2,100 light years from Earth. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Z. Levay. If you want to learn more about this image please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/hubble-revisits-the-veil-nebula and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil_Nebula

“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man’s-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again. ” Pema Chodron

This is an image taken by the NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It is of sand dunes inside a 3 mile wide (5-kilometer) crater on Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona. If you want to learn more about this image or the Orbiter, please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/frosty-sand-dunes-of-mars and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter

“The difference between theism and nontheism is not whether one does or does not believe in God. . . Theism is a deep-seated conviction that there’s some hand to hold: if we just do the right things, someone will appreciate us and take care of us. . . Nontheism is relaxing with the ambiguity and uncertainty of the present moment without reaching for anything to protect ourselves.” Pema Chodron

This is an illustration of the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. It is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is about 120 miles or 200 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1852. It is thought that it is mostly composed of metals that could eventually be mined and brought back to earth or used to create future structures in space. NASA’s “Psyche” spacecraft is set to launch next year curtesy of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket. The orbiter is set to arrive at the asteroid in 2026. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU. If you want to learn more about Psyche please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/exploring-the-metal-rich-asteroid-psyche and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_Psyche and https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/new-nasa-mission-to-help-us-learn-how-to-mine-asteroids

“We think that if we just meditated enough or jogged enough or ate perfect food, everything would be perfect. But from the point of view of someone who is awake, that’s death. Seeking security or perfection, rejoicing in feeling confirmed and whole, self contained and comfortable, is some kind of death. It doesn’t have any fresh air. There’s no room for something to come in and interrupt all that. We are killing the moment by controlling our experience.” Pema Chodron

This image was taken on march 5th, 2021 and is NASA’s astronaut Kate Rubins. Here she is working on installing modification kits for a new and more powerful solar array. Kate is a microbiologist by training and has done research on viral diseases affecting Central and West Africa. In July 2009 she was selected as one of 14 members of NASA’s Astronaut Group 20. She is the 60th woman to fly in space. Kate just came home from the ISS on April 17th, 2021 after spending 6 months in space. She traveled more than 78 million miles on the ISS and circled the globe nearly 3,000 times. Image credit: NASA. To learn more about Kate please visit these sites: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/kate-rubins-works-to-upgrade-the-space-station and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Rubins

“There is a common misunderstanding among all the human beings who have ever been born on earth that the best way to live is to try to avoid pain and just try to get comfortable. You see this even in insects and animals and birds. All of us are the same. A much more interesting, kind and joyful approach to life is to begin to develop our curiosity, not caring whether the object of our curiosity is bitter or sweet. To lead a life that goes beyond pettiness and prejudice and always wanting to make sure that everything turns out on our own terms, to lead a more passionate, full, and delightful life than that, we must realize that we can endure a lot of pain and pleasure for the sake of finding out who we are and what this world is, how we tick and how our world ticks, how the whole thing just is. If we are committed to comfort at any cost, as soon as we come up against the least edge of pain, we’re going to run; we’ll never know what’s beyond that particular barrier or wall or fearful thing.” Pema Chodron

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 my friends is an excellent thing for both of us. And I am crossing my fingers that I can continue to say this in the coming months.

When I started to write this blog on April 2nd, the death count stood at approximately 567,000. That is up 7,000 deaths since March 26th, this is when I published the last blog. Only 7 days between the two dates?? Wow!! And again, not in a good way.

At the start of April the number of new positive cases had started to rise with New York, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Texas all in the top 10 and nationally this increase continued for the entire month. Even with vaccination. The daily positivity rate was about 60 to 80 thousand new cases each day.

By the middle of the month the death count was about 581,000. An increase of 14,000. While this is a lot, the good news is that the number of deaths per week had plateaued. By the end of the month it had actually dropped to around 5,000 deaths per week. A decrease of 2,000 deaths per week. While that is still way too many deaths, at least we are heading in the right direction. The interesting part from a scientific point of view will be to see if the death rate increases again in the next 30 days after the current rise in positive cases during the month of April. The month of May could turn out to be a very different story.

By the time of publication the total death count for the nation was about 590,000 – an increase of about 23,000 deaths for the month of April. While this number is much, much better than what was occurring in January of this year (2000 to 4,000 extra deaths per day). That is still to large a number. 23,000 extra deaths due to Covid. Way too many.

If you are interested in the numbers yourself take a look at these links: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ and https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Well it has been approximately 16 weeks since I got the second shot of the Pfizer Vaccine for Covid and… so far there have been no side effects for me. But the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, like the AstraZeneca vaccine, has had some reported serious bleeding / clotting issues and will need to be investigated further to work out who should get this vaccine and who should not. So far I believe that out of 6.8 million doses given of the J&J vaccine only 15 cases have been reported. So it is a very rare side effect. If you interested in Johnson& Johnsons statement on this, check out the link: https://www.jnj.com/johnson-johnson-statement-on-covid-19-vaccine-updated

By April 2nd the United States had approximately 58 million people with full vaccination. At the end of the month that number was around 90 million plus and climbing. A very good thing. To see the numbers yourself check out this link from NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/map-covid-19-vaccination-tracker-across-u-s-n1252085

Interesting to note and a very good reason to keep wearing a mask and social distancing while in public was the number of “breakthrough” cases after full vaccination. Several states, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and New Orleans, started to report these cases by the first of March and that trend continued to grow in other states through the rest of the month and into April. But this was not unexpected. Take for example the Pfizer vaccine, which per the manufacture is 95% effect, this means that theoretically if 100 people get vaccinated, there may be five who do not have the same level of response to provide protection. Clinical trials of all vaccines in use included breakthrough cases. What does all this mean? Even though the numbers are small, the bottom line is you still need to take precautions. Thinking about this information would I still get the vaccine? Absolutely! It has been shown that most of the people that were part of the “breakthrough” groups have had a much milder form of the disease. Some did not even know that they were sick. A good general rule of thumb after being vaccinated is to remember that most transmissions occur “breathing the concentrated air of others.” With this knowledge, one of the things to avoid would still be indoor restaurants without good ventilation and physical distancing. Eating outside would be OK, but not inside. We are not there yet. Movie theaters are another example of a place to avoid. Bottom line, if you are going to be sitting or standing in one place for longer than 15 minutes, breathing the air of others, either avoid it or everyone needs a mask on. The only exception, following CDC guidelines, would be if you and the other people around you all have been fully vaccinated.

A great link to check out on Covid is at the CDC: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home

Well that is probably enough about Covid. I am really getting tired of talking and writing about it but I feel it is worth while to help put some facts out with no political intentions or spin. I am not an expert in infectious disease, but I do have an extensive medical background in Emergency Medicine. All the information that I put out is from reliable and trusted sources – most of it verbatim or close to as possible from the source.

Now on to something better, while February was a challenging month for running and exercising in the great outdoors here on the Front Range of Colorado, March was a whole lot better. The temperatures warmed up, the wind picked up and the bad air quality moved out! Yea!

This picture was taken on March 2nd, 2021 about 3:30pm in the afternoon. It was a warm spring like day which made for a very nice walk with Marvin and Janet. The water in the background is the Poudre River. I know, your probably thinking that is not a river, that is a puddle of water. Lol. But let me assure you it is the river. There is spring run off occurring in the mountains west of town but the water is being diverted to storage for the coming summer. By May there should be a significant increase in volume through town. The front range of Colorado is called a “High Plains Desert” and gets very little moisture over the entire year. In Fort Collins we get about 13 to 14 inches of moisture each year and this includes snow melt! So any water than can be stored during spring run off, will be. Otherwise… It would not be a good scenario. Especially with the explosive growth along the Front Range in the last 20 years.

This picture was taken March 7th, 2021 about 7:45pm in the evening. Here I was finishing up a trail run and thought the city lights made a beautiful back drop to the night sky. I am lucky to live in Fort Collins. The city and county governments of the past were very proactive in securing land in and around the city and county when it became available. I don’t think that most citizen’s at the time really thought much about it or how important it would become in making Fort Collins an incredible place to live.

This image was taken on March 9th, 2021 at about 3pm in the afternoon. While it looks cloudy and cold it was still in the 50s and another wonderful day for running. Here I am looking South from an Open Space in Fort Collins called River Bend Ponds. It makes a nice turn around point in an 8 mile loop from my house in Fort Collins and can be accessed by bike path, only having to cross one major street that has a pedestrian stop light. I really cannot complain at all. The one thing the Pandemic has taught me is that all cities need this kind of access with open space. I am wondering how many infections and deaths during this pandemic would have been prevented if city design was more geared to open space instead of the usual profit motivated pursuits??

Of course March would not be complete without one hiccup in the weather. Some people think that Colorado gets it biggest snow storms during the winter months but that is not the case. While there have been some big storms in the fall and winter, the trend over the long term, is that most of our moisture and snow comes during the spring months of March and April. Of course that is changing a bit due to global warming. We will still get most of our “moisture” in March and April but it might not all be in the form of snow due to the increase in temperature.

This year March did not vary from it’s usual path of spring storms. On March the 13th into the 14th we got a huge snow storm that dumped anywhere from 12 inches to over 3 feet of snow in and around Fort Collins. The closer you got to the foothills, the higher the totals were for snow.

This picture was taken March 14th, 2021 at about 8:45 in the morning. It is looking out our front door. The big pile of snow came from the roof.

This picture was also taken March 14th, 2021 at about 8:45 am and it is a view of our backyard. I think it really gives you a good feeling for how much snow fell over night. It was a heavy wet snow that broke a lot of tree limbs in the city. Because the snow storm occurred in the middle of March the trees had not “leafed” out yet otherwise there would have been much more tree damage.

This picture was also taken on March 14th, 2021 about 5:30pm in the afternoon. This was the top of our picnic table in the back yard. The snow depth was about 16 inches. Earlier in the morning the snow depth was closer to 18 inches. By the afternoon there had been a lot of “settling” in the snow pack.

While we needed the moisture, the snow storm put a damper on trail running in the foothills for the rest of the month. That is unless you want to run in snowshoes or posthole quit a bit. It did melt down pretty quickly but it created some very muddy conditions and in order to prevent trail damage a lot of popular routes were closed until they dried out. Luckily the City of Fort Collins has a great bike path system and once the paths had been plowed you could get in a good run or ride without too much difficulty. Again I really cannot complain about living here too much. The access is what makes all the difference.

Post storm weather brought multi days of cooler temperatures and the occasional rain / snow shower but we had some wind and the “high pollution days” of February did not reoccur. The other benefit were some spectacular sunsets.

This picture was taken March 15th, 2021 at about 7pm in the evening. It is looking West from the Poudre River Trail.

This picture was taken March 18th, 2021 at about 7pm in the evening. It is looking West by North West along the Poudre River. In this picture you can actually see more water in the river from the melting snow in the city.

This picture was taken March 27th, 2021 at about 7:30pm in the evening. It is looking North West from the Poudre River Trail. Besides showing a beautiful sunset it gives you a glimpse of a portion of the FOCO White Water Park. There is not much water in it at this point but I am guessing by May or the middle of May, with most of the water storage accomplished, the river will again be allowed to run free and the park will be a playground for lots of kayakers, tubers, etc…

This picture was taken April 4th, 2021 at about 7pm in the evening. Here I am looking across a portion of the Poudre River next to an old irrigation bride. The sunset lighting and the bridge structure made for some interesting effects.

So in summary, the last part of March was a little bitter sweet in that the snow storm made running in the foothills nearly impossible, but it provided a much need shot of moisture and gave us some beautiful sunsets.

This picture was taken March 22nd, 2021 at about 5:30pm in the afternoon. I really liked this shot of Janet and Marvin. Because we are around him all the time you forget how big he is until he is next to one of us. Lol. Here we are on the bank of the Poudre River, looking up toward the bike path.

Training for the up coming “ultra running season” here in Colorado is progressing along nicely. The first race I am attempting is one that I have done before but not the 50 mile version. It is called the Quad Rock and it is right here behind Fort Collins on trails that I have run before. It is an early race for me and I usually end up doing the 25 mile option but this year I would like to see if I can get in the 50. This will be the first race for me since the start of the pandemic. I feel much more comfortable now that I have been fully vaccinated. While there is still a risk of contagion, I feel it has been greatly diminished due to vaccination. The biggest concern I have now is will the trails be clear of significant snow by race day. The race is scheduled May 8th (three weeks out) and as I am writing this it has still been snowing off and on here on the Front Range. Oh well, welcome to spring time in Colorado!! Lol.

The race is put on by GNAR Runners and in the past they have done an excellent job of race management. They host several different events during the season. If you interested check out their website here: https://gnarrunners.com/

A couple of book reviews and some art work before wrapping things up. The first book I would like to talk about is called “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb. I have to be truthful in that I would not have picked this book to listen to or read on my own. It was Amazon that suggested it for me and as I read through the reviews and what the book was about I became more intrigued. And I have to say I am really glad that I did. On Amazon this book has almost 12,000 reviews and more than 75% of them are 5 stars or better. Lori is a therapist and a writer in real life. She starts the book at a point when her own life looks like it is going to implode. And finds herself in the predicament of needing her own “therapist”. She invites us into her world as a practitioner and as a patient using humor and real life drama to examine the truths and untruths in her life and the lives of her patients. I have to admit that I have never been to a therapist but there was a time that I probably really needed to do just that thing. My saving grace was journaling and so far that has kept me off of the therapist couch. In listening to Lori’s book I found bits and pieces of the stories she tells resonating with my own life. It has caused me to go back and reexamine some of the issues I have previously written about and to see if there might be deeper meanings. This is an excellent book and a joy to read. I listened to it as an audio book but I believe it would work in any format.

If your interested in who Lori Gottlieb is check out these links on Wikipedia and Lori’s website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Gottlieb and https://lorigottlieb.com/

You can find the book on amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Maybe-You-Should-Talk-Someone/dp

The next book I would like to review is a fictional geopolitical drama that is called 2034 – A Novel of the Next World War, written by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis. I first heard about the book when the authors were interviewed by Mary Louise from NPR. You can listen yourself at this link: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/978832042/years-of-military-service-helped-inform-2034-a-novel-of-the-next-world-war

The authors, who both have military backgrounds, have written an entraining story of speculative fiction of what could happen when those that are in charge make miscalculations–thinking that they know how another country’s government will respond to a threat or a potential act of war.

Years ago, a friend of mine, who’s father worked in developing the first atomic bomb, told me that his dad thought the world was entering another dangerous period of “nuclear armament” in that the people that have actually seen the destruction caused by an atomic blast first hand were all dying off of old age. His fear was that unless you have actually seen the destruction caused by a nuke, in real life, you don’t really “know” the severity of one and therefore you might be more likely to order it’s use. The last above ground nuclear test was about 60 years ago and most of those “old military and science guys” have died off.

Another major part of the book is based on “who” has the best cyber tech and if your not evenly matched, your at a significant disadvantage. To the point that you might as well take you planes and ships and go home so to speak. The authors argue that the next war will be won or lost based on who has the best offensive cyber tech and the best defensive cyber security.

In summary, I liked this book, but if your someone that wants more of the “Tom Clancy” type of ending or a book full of the “techno thriller details”, you are going to be disappointed. In the above interview with NPR, the authors state they want this book to be a cautionary tale, a wake up call to America and anybody else in the world that reads it. And in that regard I believe they have succeeded. This book would work in any format. I listened to it as an audio book. As a bonus, at the end of the audio book, there is a question and answer section with Admiral Stavridis and his reasons for cowriting the book.

You can find the book at Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/2034-Novel-Next-World-War/dp

The last one I would like to give a recommendation to is called Exercised and is written by Daniel E. Lieberman. Like the above book I first learned about this one from an NPR interview with the author and Terry Gross. You can find the link here: Scientist Author Busts Myths About Exercise, Sitting And Sleep : Shots – Health News : NPR

I found this book thoroughly entertaining, especially since I am an ultra runner. I probably fall into the category of being addicted to exercise. Lol. All kidding aside this is a great book to help you ponder the questions of our “current culture” of exercise and physical fitness. Some of the questions Daniel looks at are as follows:

  • If we are born to walk and run, why do most of us take it easy whenever possible?
  • Does running ruin your knees?
  • Should we do weights, cardio, or high-intensity training?
  • Is sitting really the new smoking?
  • Can you lose weight by walking?
  • And how do we make sense of the conflicting, anxiety-inducing information about rest, physical activity, and exercise with which we are bombarded?

Note: the above questions are right out of the Amazon description, but there are many more he takes a look at that are not listed.

Daniel Lieberman is a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and is well qualified to answer these questions and to give more food for thought on the subject matter. I listened to the book as an audio book but it would work well in any format.

You can find the book at Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Exercised-Something-Evolved-Healthy-Rewarding/dp

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 two are 9 1/4 inches by 12 1/4 inches. When hanging they are about 16 1/2 inches tall.

I have always liked the Simpsons and when I saw the episode called Goo Gai Pan, where Homer poses as a Buddha to gain entry into an orphanage in China, I knew that I had to incorporate it into art. Lol. I am an atheist but if I had to pick a religion it would be Buddhism. I do practice meditation everyday because I have found it helps me to deal with the conflicts of everyday life and work.

Meditating Homer with Skittles

I would like to believe that if “Homer” was doing any kind of meditation he would not be concentrating on his breath but on candy like Skittles. Lol

In my practice with meditation, I have found that I can create a space that allows me some breathing room before facing the stresses in the world and work. I started this piece not really knowing how it was going to turn out. I just started drawing after a stressful shift at the day job. Initially I was not even going to include “Meditating Homer” since I just finished the above one but as the drawing evolved I knew I had too. Lol. The yellow jackets if you have not guessed represent all the craziness out in the world. Here Homer has created a bubble before he has to deal with it. I used the same colors both inside and outside the bubble to show that all of life, all of its issues, all the troubles, all the conflicts and all the joys are connected.

Homer’s Meditation Bubble

If you interested in the clip where Homer plays the part of the Buddha then check out his link on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S03IteC82Vo The episode in question is from Season 16 and is episode 12.

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. It is something that we can all do on an individual level, based on our own comfort zones, to help make this world a better place to live. Our consumeristic culture is unsustainable at it’s current level. You could even say that the death and destruction caused by the current pandemic is just a foreshadow of things to come because of our rampant “consumerism” in the world view of things. What is the old saying “Growth for growth’s sake is the definition of Cancer.” If your not happy with the current social and economic order then this is a way to protest.

Becoming minimalist is just a change in mindset. Nothing to buy, nothing to purchase, just a change in how you look at your life and the world. If this appeals to you and even if it doesn’t at the moment but you are curious, a good place to start is here: 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 becomes available, please consider getting it. Adios!!

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

Air Quality, Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Exercise, Fort Collins, Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, Pandemics, PurpleAir, Science, Space, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 26TH, MARCH 2021

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“Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life’s quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result – – eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly – – in you.” Bill Bryson

This image was taken on February 28th, 2011. It is of astronaut Alvin Drew. Here he is doing maintenance work on the ISS (International Space Station). In this 6 hour and 34 minute space walk, Alvin and fellow astronaut Steve Bowen installed a power cable and removed a failed ammonia pump module among other things. They flew to the station on the Space Shuttle Discovery. It was the 39th and final flight for Discovery. Image credit: NASA. To learn more about this image and the mission please visit these sites: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/alvin-drew-down-to-earth and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-133

“There is something infantile in the presumption that somebody else has a responsibility to give your life meaning and point… The truly adult view, by contrast, is that our life is as meaningful, as full and as wonderful as we choose to make it.” Richard Dawkins

This is an image on Mars of part of the Jezero Crater. The image is thought to be an ancient river delta that was produced by water flowing into a lake that once filled the crater. It is a possible path for the Perseverance rover in its search for fossilized life on Mars. To get a reference for size, the large crater in the center of the image is about 1/2 mile across. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS. To learn more about this image please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/traversing-mars-jezero-crater and https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/science/landing-site/

“When religion talks about our aspirations and sense of morality, I do not believe that science can contradict it. However, when religion contradicts science on matters of fact, religion must yield.” Frank Wilczek

This is an image that is a composite of X-ray (blue and green) and optical (red) light of the galaxy NGC1068 or Messier 77. It was discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1780. The X-ray light is coming from an active supermassive black hole, also known as a quasar, in the center of the galaxy. The galaxy is 47 million light-years away in the constellation of Cetus. Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/MIT/UCSB/P.Ogle et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI/A.Capetti et al. To learn more about this image please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/reflections-from-a-black-hole and https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/nustars-view-of-galaxy-ngc-1068

“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” Richard P. Feynman

This image taken in 1974 shows Mary W. Jackson (second from right, bottom row) with her colleagues in the High Speed Aircraft Division at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. In 1958 she became NASA’s first African American female engineer. Her character was played by Janelle Monae in the movie Hidden Figures. Image credit: NASA. To learn more about this image and about Mary please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/mary-w-jackson-nasas-first-female-african-american-engineer and https://www.nasa.gov/content/mary-w-jackson-biography

“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

This is an image of Kelly J. Latimer. She was a research pilot in the Flight Crew Branch of NASA’s Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center in 2007. She was the center’s first female research test pilot. She accumulated more than 5,000 hours of military and civilian flight experience in 30 different aircraft. Image Credit: NASA/Tony Landis To learn more about his image and Kelly please visit these sites: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/kelly-latimer-drydens-first-female-research-test-pilot and https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/about/biographies/pilots/kelly-latimer.html

“The universe is a pretty big place. It’s bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it’s just us… seems like an awful waste of space. Right?” Ellie Arroway (Contact 1997)

This is a 2003 image of Joan Higginbotham. She was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and began her career at NASA in 1987 as an electrical engineer at the Kennedy Space Center. Joan logged over 308 hours in space having completed her first mission with the crew of STS-116. A Space Shuttle mission to the ISS (International Space Station). This was on the Space Shuttle Discovery. She was also assigned to the STS-126 mission but took a job in the private sector prior to departure. To learn more about his image and Joan please visit these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/electrical-engineer-and-nasa-astronaut-joan-higginbotham and https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/higginbotham_joan.pdf

“For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can’t readily accept the God formula, the big answers don’t remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command nor faith a dictum. I am my own god. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” Charles Bukowski

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

If you are reading this then you have continued to survived Covid 19, so far, and so have I!! That my friends is an excellent thing for both of us. And I am hoping that I can continue to say this in the coming months.

Now with that said, what is it with Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, Montana and North Dakota dropping their mask mandates? Of course they are joining 11 other states that did not have mask mandates to begin with – Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee. I am wondering how much disability and death this will create in the coming months? Even the CDC director Rochelle Walensky was advising against this reckless behavior.

This map was accurate as of March 4th, 2021.

Looking at the numbers on Monday 8th, March 2021, the death count for the country had already climbed 18,000 deaths since the publication of the last blog post on February 26th – a total of only 9 days. Wow! And not in a good way. Therefore the count at the start of this blog was approximately 538,000. Who would you guess were the leading states?? Of course, it was California (54,000), New York (48,000) and good old Texas (45,000). It is interesting to note that Texas has now pulled to within 3000 of New York.

By the middle of the month, we were still adding 50 to 60 thousand new cases each day in the country. This was significantly down from November, December 2020 and January 2021, but still higher than where we were in April, May, and September of last year. And this does not take into account what will be going on in Texas or Florida by the middle of April 2021 due to the “Spring Break” shenanigans. And for that matter the rest of the country. I have a bad feeling about this and it would not surprise me that we have another spike in cases before the start of summer. Especially with the new Covid variants. Oh well time will tell.

By the time of publishing this blog post, the numbers were 560,000 + deaths for the country. That is an increase of 22,000 deaths in the last 18 days. As large as that number sounds, it is significantly down from previous months, a very good thing. But we will have to see what April and May brings. Interesting to note that we are adding 60,000 + new cases each day at the end of March.

If you are interested in the numbers yourself take a look at these links: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ and https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Well it has been 11 weeks since I got the second shot of the Pfizer Vaccine for Covid and…. so far there are no side effects for me. I have seen some post on social media putting out false information on possible adverse reactions, but when you investigate them deeper you realize there is no validity to them. That is for the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines.

The only possible significant “side effect news” in the middle of March was the adverse reaction of “blood clotting” with the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is more of a traditional vaccine, in that it uses a modified adenovirus in conjunction with genetic material from the actual Covid virus.

Several European countries have halted the use of the vaccine until the possibility is investigated further. Of the 17million that got the shot only 40 have developed blood clots. So, if it is related to the vaccine, then it is very rare. This vaccine was not approved in the United States as of March 16th, 2021. It is interesting to note that more than 70 countries worldwide have been using it until recently. Hopefully it will turn out that the “blood clotting issue” was just a coincidence, or worse case scenario a “bad batch” of vaccines. If your interested to learn more about this vaccine check out the link: https://www.verywellhealth.com/astrazeneca-oxford-covid-19-vaccine-5093148

(Note: At the time of publishing, the above decision to halt the use of AstraZeneca vaccine had already been reversed.)

There is a web site called VAERS – Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. It is co managed by the CDC and FDA. It covers all vaccines, not just Covid. It is a system for collecting reports of adverse events (possible reactions) associated with getting a vaccine. You can check it out at this link: https://vaers.hhs.gov/ If it is not listed in this data base as a possible side effect, then it is probably false.

Well that is probably enough about Covid, so on to something different. February was… well lets just say it was challenging for doing outdoor activities like running. Much, much more so than January. The two main reasons for this were the temperatures and the air quality. By the middle of February, there was a two week period that the high temps were in the single digits to low teens everyday and at night they dropped below zero. But this was not the main issue with being outdoors. You can always add more layers?! Right?? Lol. The main reason was due to degraded air quality. Let me explain.

This picture was taken on Tuesday 2nd, February 2021 at about 6pm in the evening. Here I am looking across “Lake Sherwood” in my neighborhood. And yes it really is named “Lake Sherwood.” Lol. The first week of February did see a warm up in temperatures at first but then the bottom dropped out in the second week. The warm temperatures at the start of February made for some excellent running.

One of the reasons that we get this cold weather that lingers day after day is how it sets up on the Front Range of Colorado. Once a deep pocket of cold air moves into the area with dominating high pressure, the pocket of cold has a tendency, due to topography of the mountains, to sit with very little wind movement at the base. This can allow for some very cold stagnate air to develop. Now some might look at the lack of wind as a good thing. Nothing like wind chill to make things a lot colder. Right? But it can be a real issue when it come to air quality.

This picture was taken Thursday 4th, February 2021 at about 4pm in the afternoon. This is looking south from one of my favorite “close by” trail running areas. It is a 2000+ acre open space behind Fort Collins called Horsetooth Mountain Park. It was a very nice day with temps in the 50s.

Most of Colorado’s population lives on the Front Range and we create a lot of pollution – mainly from automobile exhaust and burning wood in the winter. Now imagine all this pollution going into the air, day after day after day, with very little air movement.

This picture was taken Saturday 13th, February 2021 at about 5pm in the afternoon. The temps were defiantly on the low side. I believe it was about 10F degrees in this picture to single digits. Marvin and I were running in an open space called River Bend Ponds. From this point on, at least for the next week or so, things got much colder and the air quality took a noise dive.

Also as the ground temperatures drop the warmer air up top forms a cap so to speak and this keeps the pollution close to the ground, hence the development of the “Front Range Brown Cloud.” So besides having very cold temperatures to deal with, you also have pollutions issues that can be even worse. It does not take long for the air quality to really drop along the Front Range.

This picture was taken on Monday 15th, February 2021 at about 6pm in the evening. Janet and I were just finishing up a walk in the neighborhood before the air quality really started to drop. The temperature was close to zero when this picture was taken.

And that is what we experienced on multiple days here in February, poor air quality and cold temperatures. I used the purple air map to gauge the best time for outdoor activity. It was defiantly not early in the morning or late at night but usually between 2pm and 6pm. A four hour window where quality was not good but a little better than it would be at other times. Usually in the 50 to 60 ppm (parts per million) range. If you are interested in using the PurpleAir map you can find it at this link: PurpleAir | Real Time Air Quality Monitoring .

This was a perfect example of “morning air quality” during the coldest days in February. At night the numbers would go up into the 200+ range – unhealthy for most individuals. Unfortunately this is a trade off for living along the Front Range of Colorado. I am hoping in the future, using the above information, we will be able to legislate better air quality standards.

If you do not have any monitors in your area consider purchasing one. Having this information is powerful. It will protect your health and when someone wants to put in a “dirty industry” that will degrade quality, you will have the information to take to City Hall so to speak.

Yea!! I got in and Oh No! I got in!! Lol. Now the real work begins….

Well on a different and much better note, I got picked in the Lottery for the Leadville Trail 100 Run! Yea I got in and OH NO I got in… Lol. I have attempted the 100 mile distance twice before. Once at Leadville and once at the Run Rabbit Run in Steamboat Springs. And both times I DNFed (Did Not Finish) at the 50 mile mark. I learned a lot at those first two attempts. Number one, I need better conditioning. Especially for the 100 mile distance and two, I need better conditioning. Lol. So here is to hoping that “the third time is the charm.” I am also hoping that the pandemic settles down even more as people get vaccinated. At least by next August. Oh well, again time will tell….

This picture was taken Tuesday 23rd of February, 2021 at about 6pm in the evening. Here I was looking across the frozen surface of a lake in the River Bend Ponds area. Single digits again but there was a little wind this day and the air quality had improved dramatically so I was out running with Marvin.

I did get a lot of cross training in for the month of February. Mainly doing a bike trainer and a rowing machine. And I threw in a little bit of Yoga each week and some weights. Even though I did not do as much running as I wanted to in February, I felt pretty good coming out of the month. And I think a lot of this was due to the crossing training, yoga and weights.

This picture was taken Sunday 28th, February 2021 at about 3pm in the afternoon. Janet took a selfie with Marvin and I just wanted to include it. By the last day of February the temps had warmed up significantly and the air quality improved dramatically.

If you want to learn more about Colorado’s climate and our temperature inversions check out these links from Colorado State University: http://climate.colostate.edu/climate_long.html and http://ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/pdfs/Nolan_TempInversions–Colorado(Jan9_2007)%20v2.pdf

A book review and some art work before wrapping things up. The book I would like to talk about is called Buddhism Without Beliefs written by Stephen Batchelor. When I was doing research a few years back on what Buddhism was all about, I came across information on what was included in early Buddhism. And more importantly, what was not. It seems over the centuries there has been a lot of stuff added. Especially to the religious and mystical side. I have always found this a little strange and disheartening. So when I came across Batchelor’s book I had to read it. And the book does not disappoint. Now I have to warn you that this is not a book for the new to Buddhism student, but one to read after you have digested a few of the more “Buddhism for Beginner” type books. The author takes a look at Buddhism as a way of life but not in a religious tone. It is a refreshing look at Buddhism with a secular point of view. I listened to the book as an audio book but I think I will also get it in paperback to reread. It is one of those books that you need to read a few times to truly understand the concepts better.

Stephen Batchelor is a British author and teacher. He has written several books on Buddhism from a secular point of view. For more information check out this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Batchelor_(author)

You can find this book on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Without-Beliefs-audiobook/dp

Well last but not least a few pieces of art work before I go. These are all pen and ink mounted on 1/2 in Archival mounting panels by “Art Boards”. All are sealed with varnish. Each panel measures 5.75 inches by 5.75 inches and are ready to hang. The back of each panel has a predrilled mounting hole/slot.

These started off as whimsical doodles one night while at the “day job” but quickly morphed into a fun exercise in catching emotion with simple stylized faces. I selected the three that I liked best and mounted them.

I think they work better together mainly because of their small size but could be fun to hang and look at individually.

Study in emotions using simple facial expressions panel A. Panel measures 5.75 inches by 5.75 inches and comes ready to hang.

Study in emotions using simple facial expressions panel B. Panel measures 5.75 inches by 5.75 inches and comes ready to hang.

Study in emotions using simple facial expressions panel C. Panel measures 5.75 inches by 5.75 inches and comes ready to hang.

Study in emotions using simple facial expressions. Each panel measures 5.75 inches by 5.75 inches and comes ready to hang.

These are all for sale and can be found on my Etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/strugglingprotoplasm/edit?ref=seller-platform-mcnav All postage in the continental United States is included in the price.

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

Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, Pandemics, Religion, Science, Space, Trail Running

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 26th, FEBRUARY 2021

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“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.” Stephen Hawking

This picture (s) was taken by Ed Mitchell on the Apollo 14 mission, while on the moon. The mission lasted from January 31st to February 9th, 1971. That’s 50 years ago now! He snapped a series of photos looking out a window of the lunar lander. They were assembled into a detailed mosaic by Eric Jones who was the founder of the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal. It is a record of the lunar surface operations from 1969 to 1972. It is a resource for anyone wanting to know what happened during the missions and why. If you want to know more, check out these links: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html and https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/

“There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, and science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.” Stephen Hawking

This is an image of a part of the Carina Nebula. It is a massive, complex area of bright and dark nebulosity in the constellation of Carina. This is just a view of one part. The Nebula is approximately 8,500 light years from our solar system. A popular name for this section is the Gabriela Mistral Nebula for the Chilean poet – Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. Supposedly the upper blue section in the right upper corner looks like her in profile. Lol. Check out this link to see if you agree: https://astrodrudis.com/ngc-3324-the-gabriela-mistral-nebula/ If you want to learn more about this image check out the link: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html Image Credit and Copyright Ariel Cappelletti, https://www.flickr.com/photos/110969348@N03/

“The role played by time at the beginning of the universe is, I believe, the final key to removing the need for a Grand Designer, and revealing how the universe created itself. … Time itself must come to a stop. You can’t get to a time before the big bang, because there was no time before the big bang. We have finally found something that does not have a cause because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this means there is no possibility of a creator because there is no time for a creator to have existed. Since time itself began at the moment of the Big Bang, it was an event that could not have been caused or created by anyone or anything. … So when people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the Big Bang, so there is no time for God to make the universe in. It’s like asking for directions to the edge of the Earth. The Earth is a sphere. It does not have an edge, so looking for it is a futile exercise.” Stephen Hawking

This image is called the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy. It is a small galaxy about 200,000 light-years away that orbits our own Milky Way spiral galaxy. Even at that great distance it is the closest intergalactic neighbor to our own Milky Way. This image is showing what is known as the tip of the wing. The galaxy is classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy and has a diameter of about 7,000 light years. It contains several hundred million stars. And add to this, each of those stars probably has at least one planet in orbit, probably much more. If that is not awing inspiring my friends, I don’t know what is…. To learn more about this image check out this link: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/taken-under-the-wing-of-the-small-magellanic-cloud Image Credit: NASA/CXC/JPL-Caltech/STScI.

“I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization that there probably is no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that, I am extremely grateful.” Stephen Hawking

This is an image of the Coalsack nebula (Caldwell 99). It is the most prominent dark nebula in the Southern skies – meaning South of the Equator. The nebula’s darkness is the result of dust particles blocking the visible light of stars in the background. The starlight that can be seen through the dust clouds appears reddish because dust absorbs and scatters blue light more easily than red. The nebula is easily visible to southern observers, appearing as a dark patch near the Southern Cross asterism and silhouetted against the star fields of our Milky Way. It lies just between the bright star Acrux and what is known as the Jewel Box Cluster. In fiction (writing and film) this nebula has been referenced multiple times – Star Trek series, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Chronicles of Riddick, the novel “The Blue Lagoon” by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, etc.. If you want to learn more about the Coalsack nebula use these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/the-coalsack-nebula and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalsack_Nebula

“Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements – the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life – weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them to get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode. So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.” Lawrence M. Krauss

This is an image of the NASA astronaut Jessica Meir. She took a selfie while on a space walk at the International Space Station, January 26th, 2020. How cool is that!? She is a Swedish-American NASA astronaut, marine biologist, and physiologist. If you want to know more about Jessica please visit this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Meir#:~:text=Jessica%20Ulrika%20Meir%20%28IPA%3A%20%2F%20m%20%C9%AA%C9%99r%20%2F%3B,physiology%20at%20the%20University%20of%20British%20Columbia%20.

“A universe without purpose should neither depress us nor suggest that our lives are purposeless. Through an awe-inspiring cosmic history we find ourselves on this remote planet in a remote corner of the universe, endowed with intelligence and self-awareness. We should not despair, but should humbly rejoice in making the most of these gifts, and celebrate our brief moment in the sun.” Lawrence M. Krauss

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 February 3rd, the death count was approximately 462,000 deaths. Let me say that number again, 462 thousands deaths in a years time. One hundred thousand extra deaths in the month of January. Unreal. That is more Americans than in WWII. That war claimed approximately 418,000 lives. The Covid pandemic is now the third deadliest event in the history of the republic. The 1918 flu pandemic killed 675,000 in this country and it is estimated the Civil War in 1861 to 1865 killed between 618,000 to 750,000.

In the first week of February, the states with the most deaths were again, New York (44,000), California (42,000) and Texas (38,000). But… By the end of February, California had taken the lead in deaths over New York at 50,000 plus and Texas broke the 43,000 mark. Add to this, the fact we had topped 520,000 deaths in this country. That is 58,000 extra deaths in less than 25 days. That is better than the death count in January, but still… Wow and not in a good way.

If you are interested in the numbers yourself take a look at these links: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ and https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Well it’s been 7 weeks since I got the second shot of the Pfizer Vaccine for Covid and…. so far there are no side effects for me. And that is a good thing. There has been some troubling news reported by the New York Times that 30 to 40 people who got either the Moderna or Pfizer Vaccine developed a condition called ITP or Immune Thrombocytopenia. In a nut shell it is when the bodies own immune system attacks platelets in the blood. And for those of you that are not medically related, platelets are essential to clotting, so having too little can be a big deal to say the least.

The question now becomes were those cases of ITP just coincidence or will they show a direct link to the vaccine. Many different things can cause ITP, such as viruses, medications, alcohol, toxic chemicals, cancer, etc.. but and it is a significant but, there is precedence for other “vaccines” causing it. Think MMR vaccine, Haemophilus influenza, DTap, Polio, Hepatitis B, etc… So this is a real concern.

Now with all that said, so far there are only 30 or so cases of ITP in the population of the 50 million that have already been vaccinated with at least one shot and add to this – ITP was not mentioned in any of the trial data from either company, before the EUA (Emergency Use Authorization). Meaning if this is a side effect – it is very, very rare. If your interested, there are a couple of short articles explaining this in more detail from the International Journal of Infectious Diseases and one from Health.com. They can be found at these links: https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)30629-9/fulltext and https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/rare-blood-disorder-covid-vaccine-thrombocytopenia

Now you might ask, if I knew this ahead of time, would I still get the vaccine? And the answer would be YES, for the same reasons that I have mentioned in the previous blog post: https://www.strugglingprotoplasm.com/?m=202101

It will be interesting to see, from a medical stand point, what other possible “side effects” surface over time. I am sure there will be a few, but hopefully not too many or that serious. There is a web site called VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). It is co-managed by the CDC and FDA. It covers all vaccines, not just Covid. It is a system for collecting reports of adverse events (possible reactions) associated with getting a vaccine. You can check it out at this link: https://vaers.hhs.gov/

Well, enough about Covid, on to something better. It has been another good month for running and exercising in the outdoors here in Fort Collins. Cold but not overly cold. And for the most part, the air quality has remained acceptable. There have been a few “brown cloud days” but not too many for the month. Of course I am talking about January, last month, not February. That is already a different story and I will save it for the next blog post. Lol.

This picture was taken January 3rd, 2021 at about 4:45pm in the afternoon. It is looking South West from the Powerline trail in Fort Collins, Colorado.

When selecting pictures I took over the month of January, I realized it was also a great month for sunsets. Just the right amount of clouds and particulates at the close of each day. Even though I understand the “physics” behind the sunset lighting, I always find it amazing that the really vivid colors only last for a few moments and then are gone. I do not find knowing the science detracts in anyway. If anything, I feel it enhances the experience.

This picture was taken on January 5th, 2021 at about 4:50pm in the afternoon. This is looking West by Southwest from Edora park in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Towards the end of the month, I was finally able to get back out on the dirt paths. The last time I did a trail run was back in late August 2020. Almost 5 months ago. Of course, most of this was due to fire conditions / air quality, crowed trail conditions and Covid. So it felt really good to get back out on the dirt so to speak…

This picture was taken January 14th, 2021, at about 6:45pm in the evening. This is not our tree but one in the neighborhood and I thought the lighting from it was pretty cool. I loved the difference in expressions between Janet and Marvin. If you haven’t guessed, I take a lot of pictures of Marvin and I think he gets a little tired of it. Lol.

Living here in Fort Collins has its advantages for running. For one thing, you have a variety of paths to choose from. Everything from concrete bike paths, to dirt trails and many different combinations of the two. One of the great trail runs close by that you can use to gauge what your fitness level is can be found in Horsetooth Mountain Park. The name of this trail is Towers Road. It is actually a dirt road maintained by the county to check on communication, radio, and TV towers located at the top of the park. To avoid confusion, I use the term road and trail interchangeable when referring to this particular “path.”

This picture was taken January 20th, 2021, at about 5:30pm in the afternoon. It is looking West by Northwest along the Poudre River Trail. Another beautiful Colorado sunset.

So after not being on a trail run for months, I decided I “needed” to see where my fitness level might be. And Towers Road seemed like the perfect one to do for just that reason. The only extra challenge I found this time, was when you have not done any real “change in elevation” running in a while, there is a sharp reacclimating curve that is painful. And that is what I relearned on the first day I got back out on the trails. Ouch! What started out as a lactic threshold run quickly became a HIT workout. Lol.

This picture was taken January 22nd, 2021 at about 3pm in the afternoon. Here I am in Horsetooth Mountain Park on the trail called Towers Road, looking south toward Denver and points beyond. At this point on the trail I have climbed about 1000 feet in elevation.

Tower’s is a relative short run with the length being about 6 to 7 miles round trip depending on the turn around point. What it lacks in length, it makes up with elevation change. It starts at the Soderberg Trailhead in Horsetooth Mountain Open Space and once you get on the road proper the climbing never really relents until you reach the summit at approximately 7,000 feet. The road gains about 1,700 feet in elevation with an average gradient of 9%. Some sections are much steeper at 20%. There are a few flat sections but not much. After doing it, “You will know what shape you are in.” Lol.

This picture was taken January 22nd, 2021 at about 3:15pm in the afternoon. Marvin and I are at our turnaround point on Towers Road, our first trail run in a while.

Well if you were wondering what shape I was in? Lets just say, better than I thought, but not as good as I would like to be. Finished it in 1hr and 38 minutes. With most of the time spent on the uphill sections. I am a back of the pack ultra runner so this was good for me. A tortoise, not a hare.

In hind sight, I probably should not have chosen Towers as my first trail run to start the new year but because I have done it multiple times in the past I did not think much about it. It was a good workout but it took me at least 5 days before I felt like I had fully recovered. You live and learn, only to repeat the same mistakes. Lol. At least for me.

This picture was taken January 27th, 2021 at about 5pm in the afternoon. The last sunset picture I took for the month.

I did get in a couple of other trail runs by the end of the month, even did Towers again, but this time I felt much better, during and afterwards. If you are interested in doing Towers for yourself to see “what shape you are in” check out these links: https://www.larimer.org/naturalresources/parks/horsetooth-mountain and https://fortcollinsrunningclub.org/favorite-training-routes/

A few book reviews and some artwork before wrapping things up. The first book I would like to talk about is called Comfortable with Uncertainty written by Pema Chodron. This is another excellent book by Pema. In the book she offers short, stand alone sections or if you read the print version, you get one to two page passages. They are just long enough to give you thought provoking inspiration when you have a small amount of free time during a hectic day. The book is designed to be digested, so to speak, in small bites. And if you keep that in mind then it will become an excellent introduction to Buddhist thought and the teachings on mindfulness, meditation and lovingkindness. You do not need prior knowledge of Buddhism, and this is not a book about Eastern Religion. It is a look at Buddhist practices and how they can be used in everyday life to work with the “challenges” we all face.

I got the book as an audio book but if you are someone that wants to read or listen for hours at a time you may find it a little difficult. The book worked best for me by listening to a section or two and then stopping and letting what I just heard digest until the next day or so. This is not a book you can just zip through if you want to get the most out of it. It needs to be savored. I defiantly plan to listen again and go even slower than I did before.

Pema Chodron is an American Buddhist nun residing at the Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia. She is the author of many other books using Buddhist practices in dealing with the “challenges” present in everyday life. To learn more about her check out this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pema_Ch%C3%B6dr%C3%B6n

The book can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Comfortable-with-Uncertainty-audiobook/dp

The next two books I would like to talk about are part of a Science Fiction series called The Murderbot Diaries written by Martha Wells. I have only read the fist two and they are great. (6 primary books so far) There are many books that have been written in SiFi on A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) and the search for “meaning” by said A.I. The fist two books are done in a similar vein but the story is very well written and engaging. In an nutshell: “A robot searching for the meaning of life and in the process casting light on what makes us human.” I got this book as an audio book but it would work well in any format. Now be warned, the fist couple of these books are short novellas, not full novels. Looking at the prices on Amazon, downloading them on to your Kindle would be the cheapest way to go. The books can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK8SNWY?ref_=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_tpbk&binding=paperback

Martha Wells is an American writer of Science Fiction and Fantasy. If you want to learn more about this accomplished author please visit this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Wells

Book 1
Book 2

The next book I would like to talk about is called Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality by Frank Wilczek. A thought and mind-bending look on the realities of our existence based on modern science. The author does a great job of trying to explain the “complexities of the universe” in a way that we can all understand. This is not a book written for someone with an advanced degree in physics, but for the layperson. Will reading or listening to this book give you a firm grasp on the complexities of quantum field theory? No way and it is not meant too. It is an explanation for the average joe or joey without getting dragged into the extremely complex minutiae of these “keys to reality.” The book is well worth the read, especially for those of us that do not have advance degrees in math and physics.

I got this book as an audio book but it might be better in traditional format so that you can read a section and then go back and read it again.

Frank Wilczek is an American theoretical physicist, mathematician and Nobel laureate. To learn more about him please visit this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Wilczek

You can find the book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Ten-Keys-to-Reality/dp

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 inches by 9 1/2 inches. When hanging they are about 17 inches tall. My inspiration for these comes from research done with high-precision measurements of quantum jumps. This occurs when a quantum particle changes its state as when an atom loses or gains an electron. The use of ultrashort laser pulses have allowed scientist to measure this change in attoseconds. One attosecond is a billionth of a billionth of a second. That my friends is a very, very short period of time. What would a quantum state of an atom of helium look like? Or just part of the atom and the electron? How about just the electron at the smallest of scales? What if you could visualize this with your own eyes directly?!

This research can open the door to better understand the basic laws of nature but also brings new possibilities of manipulating matter on a quantum scale.

QUANTUM STATE STUDY 1

QUANTUM STATE STUDY 2

QUANTUM STATE STUDY 3

QUANTUM STATE STUDY 4

QUANTUM STATE STUDY 5

These are all for sale and can be found on my Etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/strugglingprotoplasm/edit?ref=seller-platform-mcnav The prices on these are cheaper than my other art work. I had some trouble with the mounting of the drawings to the painted wood backing. All postage for the continental United States is included in the price.

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

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Air Quality, Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Minimalism, Pandemics, Science Fiction, Space

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 29th, JANUARY 2021

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“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.

This book can be found at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Apollos-Arrow-Profound-Enduring-Coronavirus/dp

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 book can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-James-Clear-audiobook/dp

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.

You can find the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Starshine-G-S-Jennsen-audiobook/dp

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

You can find the book at Amazon: Amazon.com: Revolt in 2100 (Audible Audio Edition): Robert A. Heinlein, Eric Michael Summerer, Audible Studios: Audible Audiobooks

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

Air Quality, Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, Minimalism, Pandemics, Space, Wildfire

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! MUSINGS FOR SATURDAY 26th, DECEMBER 2020

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“We hunger to understand, so we invent myths about how we imagine the world is constructed – and they’re, of course, based upon what we know, which is ourselves and other animals. So we make up stories about how the world was hatched from a cosmic egg or created after the mating of cosmic deities or by some fiat of a powerful being.” Carl Sagan

This image was done by the Hubble Space Telescope and it is of the galaxy UGC 12588. Some call it the Cosmic Cinnamon Bun. It does not feature a bar of stars across it center and no prominent classic spiral arm pattern (it does have a very faint one though). It is in the constellation of Andromeda in the Northern hemisphere. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Tully; Acknowledgment: Gagandeep Anand. If you would like learn more about this image please visit: Hubble Captures Cosmic Cinnamon Bun | NASA and Cosmic Cinnamon Bun | ESA/Hubble (spacetelescope.org)

“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” Carl Sagan

This image is known as a Herbig-Haro 24 object. It is located in the Orion B molecular cloud complex. A stellar nursery. HH objects are bright patches of “haze” or nebulosity associated with newborn stars. The double light saber look is created when narrow jets of partially ionized gas, created by a star, is ejected and collides with nearby clouds of gas and dust. Or another way to say it, as the star forms in the gas cloud some of the surrounding material collapses under gravity to form a rotating, flattened disk around the star. Superheated material spills away from the star and is shot outward in opposite directions along the star’s rotational axis. This image was constructed using data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Image credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)/Hubble-Europe (ESA) Collaboration, D. Padgett (GSFC), T. Megeath (University of Toledo), and B. Reipurth (University of Hawaii). To learn more about his picture please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/awakening-newborn-stars and https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151218.html

“The dangers of not thinking clearly are much greater now than ever before. It’s not that there’s something new in our way of thinking – it’s that credulous and confused thinking can be much more lethal in ways it was never before.” Carl Sagan

This image is an artist’s concept of a tidal disruption event that happens when a star passes way to close to a supermassive black hole. Attracted by strong gravity, matter from the star falls towards the central black hole and a small fraction of it gets accelerated close to the speed of light. These jets are believed to be the sources of the fastest traveling particles in the Universe or better known as cosmic rays. Image credit: Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF. If you want to learn more about this image and relativistic jets please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/its-black-hole-friday and https://www.nustar.caltech.edu/page/relativistic_jets

“We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good.” Carl Sagan

In this image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, you see an example of gravitational lensing. The image is distorted by the effect. When space is warped by massive objects, the light is bent as it travels. This effect was first predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity. One of the cool things about the effect of lensing distortion is magnification. It allow us to see objects that are too far away to be seen even with the best current day telescopes. The above galaxy is LRG-3-817, also known as SDSS J090122.37+181432.3. It is located 10.8 billion light-years away from earth. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, S. Allam et al. If you would like to learn more about this image please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2020/hubble-spies-galaxy-through-cosmic-lens and http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/extremely-distant-star-forming-galaxy-09028.html

“Our posturing’s, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.” Carl Sagan

This is a remastered version of the famous “Pale Blue Dot” image of earth taken from 4 billion miles away. Over thirty years ago this image was take by the Voyager space craft. “Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us.” Carl Sagan’s words are as relevant now as there were 30 years ago. Image credit: Nasa/JPL-Caltech. If you want to learn more about this image please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/pale-blue-dot-revisited

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. Carl Sagan

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.

All I can say about the Covid numbers is WOW… And in a very bad way. The numbers have really gone up in the last 30 days since Thanksgiving. Of course this was expected and predicted. By the end of the fist week of December we were over 280,000 deaths already. On December 23rd we set a record for the most number of deaths in a single day since the pandemic began – 3400. As I am writing this I am wondering where we will be by the end of the month?! If you want to check the numbers yourself click on this link: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Of course California, Texas and Florida were leading the way with the most cases and the most deaths. The only exception is New York. Their death count is now at 36,000. Most of their deaths came in the first six months of the pandemic. Unreal.

By the 24th of December, the number of deaths nationwide was over 338,000. That my friends is over 60,000 new deaths in less than 30 days?! Again, WOW and not in a good way. And this is not even the end of the month?! Oh well – we are all in the “churn” now.

On a much better note – a few of the vaccines that are in clinical trials are getting or have gotten Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Some may be asking what is an EUA and what does that mean? In an emergency, like a pandemic, the FDA can make a judgement that a drug is worth releasing without all the usual data that establishes it’s effectiveness and safety. Especially if there is evidence that strongly suggest that patients have significantly benefited in early trials. Also they take into account the risk vs payoff. The first time the FDA issued one was in 2005 for an Anthrax vaccine, but only for military personnel. The first one for civilian personnel was in 2009 during the H1N1 flu outbreak. I believe it was for the use of Tamiflu with infants. The FDA has also issued EUAs for Ebola, enterovirus, H7N9 influenza and MERS (Middle east respiratory syndrome). Of course EUAs do come with risk or unwanted side effects. And that is why most vaccines are studied long term because some of these issues are not seen until a year(s) down the road. As an example, Pandemrix which was given an EUA for the H1N1 flu was eventually linked to an increase in the incidence of narcolepsy – a disorder characterized by sudden uncontrollable sleep spells. It was eventually found that there was an increase risk to persons who carried a genetic variation predisposing them to the disorder. Despite the link, public health officials maintained that the benefits of H1N1 vaccination outweighed the risks of possible side effects. And based on the death and economic toil that Covid has already taken on the world, I have no doubt that an EUA will be issued for a number of vaccines designed to prevent or at least moderate infections. The question becomes what unforeseen side effects will we find? Unfortunately only time will tell.

Did I get it? Yes I did. First dose done of the Pfizer vaccine for Covid!

Because of where I work (my day job) and the fact that I am going to be 59 next year. I did get the vaccine for Covid. I got the one that is made by Pfizer. The fist shot was not too bad, just a little arm soreness and mild malaise. I will let you know how the next dose goes in January’s Blog post.

If you want to learn more about EUAs please visit the John Hopkins website at: https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/articles/what-is-emergency-use-authorization.html and https://theconversation.com/what-are-emergency-use-authorizations-and-do-they-guarantee-that-a-vaccine-or-drug-is-safe-151178

The month of November was much better for exercising in the outdoors. And the main reason for this was “air quality.” For the month, the weather pattern changed just enough to bring snow and cold to the state which really put a damper on the wildfires here in Colorado. This was a fantastic shift from what we experienced back in September and the first part of October. ( High winds and very warm temperatures) The other thing that occurred was a switch in wind patters. In Colorado as the air cools and the wind speed drops, there can be a significant build up of “brown cloud” due to temperature inversions on the Front Range. These inversions trap all the dirty air close to the ground and you can get significant levels of pollution. The name “brown cloud” comes from the color of the air when seen from a distance. If you have ever driven down from the mountains on I70 in the winter you will have seen the “brown cloud” hanging above Denver and most of the Front Range. Since the end of October, we have had enough wind to mix up the air in the lower atmosphere and push most of the smog out east. This has made for some very clean air days.

This picture was taken November 9th, 2020 at about 4pm. Nice to see the snow and cold. Here Marvin is watching a large group of geese out on the water.

The other thing that made the month special was the number of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The week of November 15th through the 21st had some really fantastic ones. Take a look at the pictures below.

This picture was taken November 17th, 2020 at about 6:30am. I believe this is looking East across Windsor Lake. I was on my way home from work in the early AM and was lucky enough to catch the sun’s first morning light. This effect only lasted about 5 minutes and then it was gone.

This picture was taken November 19th, 2020 at about 5pm. The picture was taken from the lake in our neighborhood. It is looking West. There were several days in which this same lighting effect took place every late afternoon. Pretty amazing.

This picture was taken November 20st, 2020 at about 5pm. The light from the sunset and the back drop of the dark spruce trees made for a dramatic lighting scene. Again it only lasted for a few minutes and then was gone. I have found that the best camera to use is the one that you always have with you. (My iPhone) I think that is actually a quote somewhere but I am not sure who said it first. Lol.

I did a lot of walking and running for the month but stayed close to home. This was mainly due to issues with the pandemic. The foothills behind Fort Collins were fairly crowded. Especially on the weekends. Luckily I live close to bike trails that allow access to some of the intown city open spaces. This has really made things a lot easier to get out and get exercise. I am still hoping to get back up in the mountains but this may not occur until next year due to continuing pandemic concerns and ongoing forest fire mitigation issues. Even though the fires are out, lots of trails will have to be inspected and rebuilt before they can be reopened. And this will take time.

This picture was taken November 21st, 2020 at about 3pm. What a difference a month makes. No mask needed on this day. Beautiful blue sky and great air quality.

A couple of book reviews and a few pieces of artwork before wrapping things up. There are several books I have finished in the last couple of months and I would like to give a few recommendations on them.

The first one I want to talk about is called “Lifespan” and is written by David A. Sinclair, PhD. I first reviewed the book back in April of this year. But I want to put it out there again as I think it is a really good read. The book was enjoyable enough that this was my second read and in traditional format while listening to the audio book. Or to put it another way, I listened and read at the same time.

I have worked in health care for almost 40 years now and have seen all the usual diseases associated with getting old e.g.: heart disease, cancer, dementia, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, arthritis, neuro-degenerative, glaucoma, etc.… and how we approach each disease in a singular fashion. With each disease having it own specialist. David puts forth that all of these diseases with some exceptions can be linked to aging. And if we treat the cause of aging, then we also will be treating the diseases that are related to getting old at the same time. This would be a fantastic way to improve people’s lives and significantly decrease health care cost. For that reason alone, in my opinion, we need to be pouring money into reversing or at least slowing down the aging process.

His theory on why we age is also something that was a surprise to me. But once it was explained, made perfect sense. Like an Ah Ha moment. The book does require a small amount of prior knowledge of cell biology, genetics and physics to truly be appreciated. But it is really just a small amount and no math! Lol. If your willing to look up a unfamiliar term or concept, the book is well worth the read. It is not just about living longer but also about living healthier. The book is better if you read it in traditional format. Well worth the time spent in my opinion.

You can find the book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lifespan-audiobook/dp

The next one I want to talk about is “Light Of The Stars” by Adam Frank. Frank is a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester. Let me start off by saying this is a great book. And if you were going to read only five or fewer books this year or the next, this would be one to put in the “must have” list. It is that good. I had never heard of Mr. Frank or that is what I thought, until I realized he is the co-founder of the 13.7 blog on NPR. Oh well, I just did not put it together. Lol. What caught my eye about him and led me to the book was a quote of his:

“In other words, pretty much every star you see in the night sky hosts at least one planet. The next time you find yourself outside at night, take a moment to stop and consider the implications of this result as you gaze at all those pinpricks of light. Everyone of them hosts at least one world, and most stars will have more than one planet. Solar systems are the rule and not the exception. They’re everywhere.” Adam Frank

If you have followed the discover of exoplanets over the last ten years then you will understand how humbling and wonderous this quote actually is. Take a minute and read it again. Better yet, read it and then go outside and look at the stars. Humbling to say the least.

The book is based on one fact. That we are one of ten billion trillion planets in the Universe and what that means for us as a species and the earth. He tells a very thought provoking story of how the science of discovering exoplanets has changed how humanity should look at itself now and in the future.

You can find the book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Stars-Alien-Worlds-Earth/dp

The next book I want to talk about is “Girl Decoded” by Rana el Kaliouby and Carol Colman. Rana is an Egyptian-American computer scientist and entrepreneur in the field of expression recognition research and technology development. Or another way to put it, getting computers to understand human emotions by facial recognition. The book was not what I expected at first. It is about her research (the reason I bought it) but it is so much more than that. It is a memoir about her life growing up in the Middle East as a Muslim woman. She writes about the difficult balancing act of trying to create emotional intelligence for technology while also dealing with issues she faced in her personal life and the strict Muslim culture. Especially in a field that is still dominated by men. It was an interesting look into what it means to be female and be Muslim and live in the Middle East. Both the good and the bad. This book is good in either format of audio or traditional. If you are just getting the book for information on AI and emotional intelligence then you may be disappointed, but if you want a fuller picture by having the life story of one of the top scientist in the world, that is doing this research, then this is the book. In ln my opinion it is well worth the read.

You can find the book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Decoded-Scientists-Intelligence-Technology/dp

The next book I would like to talk about is called The Atheist’s Guide to Reality by Alex Rosenberg. Some may find this book a little difficult to read and accept if you are a firm believer in god. The ironic part is the book is really not about atheism. Mr. Rosenberg is the R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. I first came across him in a documentary on Curiosity Stream called “Why Are We Here.” And this led me to his book. Let me say that I did not find the book difficult to read or in my case listen to. I actually listened to it twice. Lol. Again, it is not really about atheism per se. It is more of a look at the nature of reality and how science is the only means of answering the big questions. A way of looking at the world in a rational way without the influence of god. It is the cold, hard truth based on science and objective philosophy. Some of the book could have gone a little deeper in topics but over all it covered most of the concepts that center around “what is reality.” It is a refreshing look at the nature of reality without all the sentimentally of religious dogma. This book would work well in either format of audio or traditional.

You can find the book on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Atheists-Guide-Reality-Enjoying-Illusions/dp

The next book I would like to talk about is called Axiom’s End written by Lindsay Ellis. Most people might know her as an American Film critic and You Tuber. The book she wrote is a Science Fiction book (my favorite genre) and this one does not disappoint. It is set in the early to mid 2000s when George W. was president. It is an alternative history type book and is thoroughly enjoyable to read. I actually listened to it as an audio book. The main protagonist is female and has an interesting perspective and reaction to alien contact. One of my favorite parts of the book is the idea that “beings” from another world might not really care too much about what happens to humanity. We are a very egocentric species and the notion that aliens from another planet might actually exist would not be in most people’s lexicon if it were not for film and books. Not to mention if we did encounter an alien race, they might be so different that we would have trouble communicating with them even after years of trying. The genre might be narrow in focus but the book is broad in scope due to the themes it explores about our potential place in the Universe. I will not go into much more detail about the book other than to say it is a great read and if you have never read SiFi this is a great one to start with.

You can find the book on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Axioms-End-A-Novel/dp

The last book I would like to talk about is called “Still Running: The Art of Meditation in Motion” by Vanessa Zuisei Goddard. It is a look at running being more than just exercise. The idea that running can become a form of meditation. I found it an interesting look at how to become a little more mindful in our daily lives by using running as a Zen exercise. Being an Ultra runner in the 50 mile distance range I can tell you there were times after running past mile 35, I really had to be in the moment to finish the race. Vanessa does a good job of pointing out how to connect a “body practice” with a “mindfulness practice.” The interesting part is that you can apply this to any exercise. It does not have to be running because I know that all of you just “love” to run. Lol. I read this book in traditional format. I do not believe it is offered as an audio book. This is a book that needs to be read and reread over time. A good book for the runner’s library. You can find this book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Still-Running-Art-Meditation-Motion/dp

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. Sizes vary. The wood is from an old deck project, the cut off ends of the deck joist.

ALEX THE FEARFUL A.I.

This one I call “Alex the Fearful A.I.” Alex became a little worried after he reviewed data predictions on humanity’s future. This one measures 7 inches by 11 inches. When hanging it is 7 inches by 21 inches.

QUANTUM WORLD

This one I call studies in the “Quantum World.” It reminds me of what could be possible if we could see things with our own eyes at the smallest of scale. Who knows for sure what this world would look like?! This one measures 7.25 inches by 11.25 inches. When hanging it is 7.25 inches by 21 inches.

CANIS LUPUS ICTUS CORDIS

This one I call “Canis Lupus Ictus Cordis.” Or Heartbeat of the Wolf. This one measures 9.25 inches by 11 inches. When hanging it is 9.25 inches by approximately 21 inches.

OH MELANIA YOU MUST BE AN A.I.

This one I call “Oh Melania You Must be an A.I.” or how do you put up with it all… Lol. This one measures 9 inches by 12.5 inches. When hanging it is 9 inches by approximately 20 inches.

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

Finally! Lol, 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. Adios!!

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

Air Quality, Art, Cameron Peak Fire, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, East Troublesome Fire, Exercise, Fort Collins, Pandemics, PurpleAir, Space, Wildfire

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 27th, NOVEMBER 2020

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“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” John F. Kennedy

Expedition 1 – this is the official portrait of the first humans to live on the International Space Station. Pictured from left is cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev (flight engineer), astronaut Willian M. Shepherd (mission commander), and cosmonaut Yuri P. Gidzenko ( Soyuz commander). They boarded a Soyuz spacecraft on October 31st, 2000 and arrived on the ISS November 2. It has now been 20 years! What began as a competition between countries turned into fruitful cooperation. The United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, Italy, the European Space Agency and over 100 other countries have contributed to the research and science done aboard the ISS in the last 20 years with more than 3,000 research projects either completed or still in progress. Image credit: NASA. To learn more about the ISS and this picture please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/celebrating-20-years-on-station-expedition-1 and https://phys.org/news/2020-11-international-space-station-template-future.html

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?” Robert Browning

This is a picture of the asteroid Bennu ejecting particles from its surface. The photo was created by combining two images taken on board the OSIRIS-REx space craft. The pictures were taken on January 19, 2019. Back in October this was the asteroid that was the subject of a sample collection by said space craft. It is considered a very ancient asteroid, over a million and a half years old and is orbiting 200 million miles from earth. By contrast the sun is 93 million miles from earth. The OSIRIS-REx space craft will not be back to earth with the sample until September 2023. No telling what secrets will be unlocked when the sample analysis is completed. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin. To learn more about this picture and the asteroid Bennu please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/touching-down-on-asteroid-bennu and https://phys.org/news/2020-10-craters-asteroid-bennu-orbiting-earth.html and https://phys.org/news/2020-10-nasa-delicate-stowing-osiris-rex-asteroid.html

The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn’t have a space program. And if we become extinct because we don’t have a space program, it’ll serve us right!” Larry Niven

This is an image of the galaxy cluster called HSC J023336-053022 (XL SSC 105) and it lies four billion light years from Earth. It was independently discovered by both ESA’s space-based XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory and JAOJ’S Subaru optical-infrared telescope in Hawaii. It is thought that the burst of color shows that it is acting as a cosmic furnace. Heating material to hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius. This is over 25 times hotter than the core of our sun. To learn more about this image please visit: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2020/11/Cosmic_furnace_seen_by_XMM-Newton#.X68LKUK_kGA.link

“Why a journey into space? Because science is now learning that the infinite reaches of our universe probably teem with as much life and adventure as Earth’s own oceans and continents. Our galaxy alone is so incredibly vast that the most conservative mathematical odds still add up to millions of planets almost identical to our own – capable of life, even intelligence and strange new civilizations. Alien beings that will range from fiercely primitive to the incredibly exotic intelligence which will far surpass Mankind.” Gene Roddenberry (Sept. 1966)

This is a photo of the galaxy UGCA 193 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy is located in the constellation of Sextans (The Sextant). Some think that it looks like a waterfall because of the blue haze in the lower portion of the image – giving a sense that the stars are falling from above. The blue color of the stars indicate that they are hot, with some being more than 6 times that of our sun. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Tully; Acknowledgment: Gagandeep Anand. If you want to learn more about this picture please visit these sights: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2020/hubble-catches-a-cosmic-cascade/ and https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw2044a/

“In other words, pretty much every star you see in the night sky hosts at least one planet. The next time you find yourself outside at night, take a moment to stop and consider the implications of this result as you gaze at all those pinpricks of light. Everyone of them hosts at least one world, and most stars will have more than one planet. Solar systems are the rule and not the exception. They’re everywhere.” Adam Frank

How cool is that!? NASA’s SpaceX Crew 1 headed to the ISS on Sunday, November 15th, 2020. It is the first crew rotation flight on the Crew Dragon capsule. From left are mission specialist Shannon Walker, pilot Victor Glover, and Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins, all NASA astronauts, and mission specialist Soichi Noguchi, a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut. Image credit: SpaceX. To learn more about this picture and historic flight please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-tv-coverage-set-for-first-crew-rotation-flight-on-us-commercial-spacecraft

“Since, in the long run, every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring — not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive… If our long-term survival is at stake, we have a basic responsibility to our species to venture to other worlds.” Carl Sagan

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. Therefore life continues to be good and I cannot complain too much at the moment. Looking at the stats during the first week of November things were not looking good for Covid numbers. The good old USA was adding over 100,000 cases per day. That was way up from 30 days ago when we were at 30 to 40 thousand per day. Wow and not in a good way?! Of course Texas, California and Florida were leading the way again as usual. The numbers nationally on November 7th stood at 10 million total cases with 243 thousand total deaths.

WELCOME TO THE THRID WAVE…

But… by November 20th, we added 200,000 new cases with almost 2000 deaths for a single day! Let me say that again… 200,000 with 2000 deaths for a single day… The national death count total for this date was at 260 thousand since the pandemic began. That comes out to 17 thousand deaths in just 13 days. Unreal. And we were not even to the end of the month yet?!

WELCOME TO THE THIRD WAVE….

Oh well what are you going to do? So much down playing of the virus was done by the ODT and the WH staff… is it any wonder that the numbers are where they are? All of this was predicted back in March by the scientists and public health officials who specialize in epidemiology. The mathematical models were already in place. Once they had the viral parameters and characteristics of Covid it was an easy plot out. Did the politicians at the highest levels listen? Imagine where we would be or not be, if the ODT and his administration had courageously acted as soon as they knew the severity of the virus. And encouraged people to physical distance and wear masks. AND not continue to down play it during the early months?? It’s not rocket science. Maybe they thought they could pray it away? Or maybe it was economics and lives be damned? I don’t know?

“A total disregard for human suffering in the pursuit of profit.”

And trying to explain this to some friends on FB was like trying to talk to a sink full of jelly beans. No one seemed to be listening or they thought it was all some kind of conspiracy. Of course a few did reach out later, after friends or family members became sick with Covid. The sad part is a lot of this could have all been prevented. Or at least delayed long enough to get an experimental vaccine out to the public at large.

WELCOME TO THE THIRD WAVE…

By the time of publishing (November 27th), the number of cases had started to plateau, but at the new numbers of 160,000 to 180,000 cases per day! Way, way up from the the start of October when we were adding just 30 to 40 thousand cases per day. The death count now is over 270,000 individuals. Greater than 30,000 deaths for the month of November! Of course New York was still in the lead, but Texas has been steadily decreasing that difference.

If you are interested in the numbers this is a good website to visit: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

The plateau was expected by Thanksgiving and now the big questions. What will the numbers be 2 weeks after turkey day? Somewhere around December 12th. After all those well meaning, “I just have to visit family/friends” people get home. After all the “micro” super-spreader events that will have happened. Where well we be?? Will the health care system be over run? We are very close now. Will people be sent home to either die or get better because the Inn is full? Oh well like I said before, if you are reading this then you have survived so far. And so have I. Hopefully we will both be here at the end of December. Welcome to the third and soon to be fourth wave…

Well on a different note, exercising in the outdoors here on Colorado’s front range during the month of October was a little difficult at best. Especially if you did not want to breath in a ton of particulate matter. Janet and I were pretty good about not doing this, even to the point of limiting the time our dog spent in the outdoors. We both had a few “slightly used” medical grade and construction grade N95 masks to use when exercising and these proved to be invaluable. Particulates from wood smoke, in the less than 2.5 micron range, can penetrate a regular mask. These were left over from various construction projects over the last two years and the first wave of Covid. Who knew that I would end up using them for outdoor exercising. Lol. Crazy year.

An eerily beautiful sunset picture taken from my neighborhood in Fort Collins looing West on October 15th, 2020 at 6pm. The waning smoke plume was from the Cameron Peak fire and in hind sight it would be harbinger of things to come. The East Troublesome fire had just started on October 14 and would go on to burn more than 190, 000 acres with the majority of it taking place over the course of a week.

Again I cannot tell you how grateful I am to the makers of the air quality monitoring equipment called PurpleAir. While it is not super expensive to purchase their equipment for your own personal use, it is still an expense, especially with the increase in prices of just about everything else during the pandemic. The nice part is the company allows you to use their website to see what the quality of the air is in your neighborhood without purchasing a monitor. That is if your neighbors have a monitor. I am lucky where I live in Fort Collins, in that there are numerous air quality monitors that show me what is going on in real time.

This was a screen shot from my phone on October 17th, 2020. It is from the purple air website showing what the particulates were before Marvin and I went out for a walk / run. This was at 1am in the morning. I am a night owl so to speak. Lol. These readings were better than what it had been earlier in the day. For most of October we wore an N-95 masks to lessen the exposure to the wood smoke. And we decreased the time the dog spent outside. Of course I am very thankful that I did not lose my home or any property due to the wildfires. Things can always be worse.

If you have read a few of my most recent blog post then you know that I have talked about this company before. I feel that what they provide is very important in that it gives power to the general public. You are not dependent on a public agency to tell you what quality of air you are breathing. There is power in this fact. When developers, politicians, oil and gas drillers want to build, frack, etc… then you can use the data that you have, to show what the quality is now and if it changes during or after a development. If the quality goes down, you now have the raw data to make a case, to hold those accountable that created the issue. There is tremendous power in this. I am hoping that the company figures out a way to monitor other pollutants in our air besides particulates. Things like methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, etc… Then when that “out of town” developer wants to build the 2000 home mega subdivision and tries to tell you the air quality will not change… You and your neighbors will have the power to say otherwise.

This became our “modus operandi” for going on a walk with the dog due to smoke particulates. It was not until October 26th that the air quality got much better thanks to significant snow in much of Colorado. This picture was taken on October 17th, 2020 at 6:45pm.

Just so that you are aware. I do not get any financial incentive from the PurpleAir company. I do plan to buy a monitor sometime in the next 6 months but other than that there is no other connection. I just like the idea of putting this kind of power and knowledge in the hands of the public. If you interested to know more about the company and their products visit: https://www2.purpleair.com/

This picture was taken on October 22nd, 2020 at 1:45pm in the afternoon. This is looking East from my house in Fort Collins. The picture does not really do justice to the apocalyptical feel to the afternoon light that day. The East Troublesome fire was now at 125,000 acres by that afternoon. The day before it was around 20,000 acres. It “rained” ash along the Front Range for most of the day. Unreal…

Finally, October 25th came and the “reality” in Colorado changed and in a good way. A huge snow storm dropped a boat load of snow in the mountains and on most of the Front Range of Colorado. While not putting the various fires totally out around the state. It did damp them down quit a bit.

And then “just like that” – the fires were significantly diminished. This is a picture from October 26th, 2020, at 2:30am in the morning. I told you I was a night owl. Marin and I had just finished doing some “in-town” cross country skiing! 14 inches had fallen by the next AM. Unreal what a few days can make in Colorado. The fires were not put out but they were significantly diminished giving Fire Fighters a “hands up” on getting them contained.

At the time of publishing most of these fires, the Cameron Peak Fire, the East Troublesome Fire, the Middle Fork Fire, the Calwood Fire, the Williams Fork fire, the Grizzly Creek fire, the Pine Gulch Fire, were all 70 to over 90 percent contained.

If your interested to get more information on these fires and others across the Western US check out this web site: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6964/

This picture was taken on October 27th, 2020 at 4:30pm in the afternoon. Marvin and I were out enjoying the sunshine and snow with a trail run . This is from the Poudre River Trail in Fort Collins.

The snow that fell in Fort Collins on the day and night of the 25th / 26th was truly significant. Over 14 inches fell in some places around the city. So much that Marvin and I were able to do a little in town cross country skiing that night, before the city plowed the bike path. If I could change one or two things about where I live and the type of weather it gets, I would turn the average daily temperatures for December, January and February down a few degrees. So that the highs would be consistently right at freezing and below for those months. Then you would be able to convert the city golf courses to temporary cross country ski areas. In my opinion that would be primo! Lol. Of course I am sure there would be a few “golfers” that would bemoan those three months being “out of service” so to speak.

Wow! What a difference from the picture on October 15th – look at the one at the start of this section with the smoke plume. This is the same view at about the same time in the afternoon. Looking West, October 27th, 2020 at 5:45pm. This shot is twelve days later.

The rest of October and most of November were much better in air quality and weather. Of course, the national forest from Rocky Mountain National Park to the Wyoming border have remained closed due to continued fire mitigation and assessment. There are a few trails that are open, but add in the lock downs with Covid and you have to pick and choose when to go due to a significant increase in public visitation. Oh well, again what are you going to do? Hopefully this will all be a bad memory by this time next year.

Before ending this blog post I thought I would include a few pictures of art work that I did over the summer and fall this year. They are all pen and ink, mounted on half inch painted white board, coated and sealed with Mod Podge. They measure 9.25 inches wide and 12.25 inches tall.

HIGH ANXIETY

PORK N CHIEF

STUDY WITH MO

SKITTLES

These are 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. On the next one I should have a few more book reviews. I hope you enjoyed the art work. So take care my friends and remember to wash your hands, wear your mask when in crowds or indoors and practice physical distancing. Adios!!

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