This is a response to some “educated” baby-boomer friends who have rejected the various COVID vaccines. Note: Names may have been changed. For a response to some concerns of some anti-vaxxer friends a month or so ago, see my post and tweet here: https://www.johnfial.com/2021/06/11/response-to-vaccine-concerns-for-any-anti-vaxx-friends/ .See the tweet at the very bottom, which is the essence … Read more
Before our record breaking heatwave this weekend… You must know that berry season is progressing nicely! Here’s an email I sent out last July 8th: Hi all! In addition to salmon berries (somewhat bland in their taste) and blackberries (with their lovely thorns) and clovers (which few people eat), these berries are now ripening, called … Read more
What I did below (indented) was first to free write this once, and then loosely edit it ~2x. There are whole pages more I could say, dozens of links I could provide, and extra super-conspiratorial objections like those of some baby-boomers I could also respond to… stuff like A) the vaccines are made from aborted … Read more
These are my typed lyrics for Metsa’s track Mambo Mambo, on the 2019 album Contact. The song is sung in Quechua. Listen here, or see their notes here. I aim to update formatting soon. 0:00-0:30 mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo mambo nyu ka na mwi … Read more
On Thursday, 2 April 2020, Alicia Keys was “on” The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She performed a rendition of rapper Flo Rida’s song “My House,” with lyrics adapted to the early pandemic’s stay-at-home situation. I’d never really heard Flo Rida’s original song, but I wanted to memorize Keys’ lyrics more than YouTube’s automatic transcription … Read more
[Note: Since formatting on facebook is minimal, this post — for my fellow gym members — is reposted here. ] Hi all! In light of the situation, I wanted to share a few fitness thoughts. This post is ~1,400 words, or 6-min @ 250words/min, in five sections. Here’s the outline: 1) Sun salutations 2) CrossFit … Read more
“My, how time flies!” Note: This post was written and edited as part of an exercise in couple’s counseling with my wife. In the session, I stated that I *loathe* when someone says, “My, how time flies…” because I so vehemently disagree. The counselor pushed me several times to move past my own logical, analytical … Read more
Note: In 2012, I made a not-very-passionate-and-mostly-out-of-curiosity application for the Mars One project, a privately funded organization with the goal of one-way trips to colonize Mars. See Wikipedia for more about the project, which dissolved in 2019, and had even “been referred to as a scam in the media.” Upon reviewing this ‘cover letter’, there … Read more
Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story, Jim Holt (2012) “I’d say we’re at least five Einsteins away from answering that question,” “All of the thinkers I had already spoken . . . saw the world under some limited aspect. . . . Each of these ways of seeing the world purported to … Read more
This quick post of pictures is 99% for the search engines. Portland, Oregon’s Salt and Straw ice cream is tasty, with a few classics, varied flavors, and monthly revolving items, like vegan mixes in January or chocolate-based lineup in February. Unfortunately, the company does not post ingredients nor nutrition facts online, and an image search … Read more