Wednesday Another Quiet Day

The smoke and the heat drove me to stay inside and read. And while I was not experiencing any distress from the bad air, I had headaches, I coughed often, and I was sluggish all day. Church stuff on Wednesday night was wisely canceled (there is no AC at the church). I left the house only a few times, read a lot, and seemed unfocused the whole day. The air quality was unhealthy at 150ish for most of the time.

I did not make any more travel arrangements on Wednesday but started to realize I was less than a week from my next trip. I have not looked at the agenda for Hope 2026 but have my NYC plans set. I will likely take public transit to my hotel on Tuesday if the air quality is reasonable. I do need to start planning my conference lectures. I might take a hands-on class again; we will see.

I rose, and there was coffee from yesterday, and I reheated it. I was soon downing three cups. Again, I felt sluggish. I wrote most of the morning, looked at some travel plans, and finally got a blog out just as it was time for lunch. I had to stay home today, first because of the air quality, and I was waiting for four bottles of Michigan wine to be delivered. I reheated the chicken breast with red sauce from a jar with morels from Mighigan I had brought home some time ago. It was too much food, and I should have reheated only half of it. I made couscous to go wtih it. My usual version with sliced almonds, Indian-style spice, and raisins. I used just a touch of butter (I tried the spray, but it was not enough) to cook the spices and raisins and then toast the couscous. I then added boiling water from the kettle to the very hot mix, off the burner, in a 2-to-1 ratio. I laid the couscous in a bowl, poured on the sauce, sliced the chicken, and poured more sauce on after adding the chicken. It was lovely. I think better than pasta.

With too much lunch in me, I watched more YouTube and Eric Kline’s video on ancient history. He has a few updates since his books, and it is interesting to see his view move over time. Eric is clear that as more information becomes available, our view of ancient history changes and sharpens, and that some texts are published just this year. And while others might find this less interesting, it was good to update my understanding of the ancient crisis that led the area into the Iron Age (and the time of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel).

My wine showed up, and then I showered and all that. Skipping shaving as I was not going out (much). The creams have the flakes and itch are mostly controlled, but I am at my two weeks of use. I will order more on my return.

I read more of the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game material I have on hand to find something to do on the 18th. I am leaning towards a South American 1920s adventure as I think it can fit in a three-hour period. I was on the Kickstarter for the book and bought all the handouts premade. I just need to create some new pre-made characters appropriate for an archaeological dig that has gone wrong. I also read a second adventure in the same book; it is a fascinating mix of betrayal and god-vs-god, and the handouts and even some props are excellent, but it would be two sessions. I have one I wrote, but the next is incomplete (I seem to have lost the original text and only have an early version), and I might get that out, update it, and give it a spin. That would take us to fanciful Istanbul of the 1920s. More to come.

Deborah and I watched more of Matlock as I am finally getting the chaos under control in my life. It was about AI and grief, and I thought it was an interesting way to describe Large Language Models (LLMs) being translated into an animated person. Do away with the command prompt and just ask a simulated person. With voice sampling to complete the experience. Of course, on this TV show, this was done with actors trying to look like AI trying to look like a person, an ironic role if there ever was one.

I had to digest that, and my mind was spinning. Much of what they were doing in the show matched what I wanted to do years ago with books and music. To find the special magic left in the music and writings of, say, Mozart’s manuscripts and Nelson’s letters. I have copies of both and have looked through and read them. Wondering what is there. This fictional story was heading into the area I was thinking about. I also think that AI may have shortcut-circuited the Traveling Salesman problem, solving the mathematically hard problem but making the answer irrelevant, which might be the solution. I had a lot of staring into space after that as my mind spun the problem.

I might have to focus next on LLMs. I do not like the proprietary and corporate nature. They are opaque. But maybe there is something I can do there. More to follow.

I stepped out and enjoyed the heat and smoke; there was plenty of both. I traveled to the 185th Veggie stand and parked nearby. It was a short walk with a mask on. I am carrying them now in the Air VW the Gray. I get various veggies to complete a salad. Not iceberg lettuce; romaine works. I also grab a few other items, like some potatoes and an onion. It is only $27.

I returned home and made a salad. I roasted the romaine to avoid parasites. I managed only to wilt it instead of grilling. Parasites can be avoided by heating lettuce products to 158ºF, according to Alton Brown (here). I peeled a cucumber, recently acquired at 185th Veggie, and added that and a tomato (same source) to my salad. The Olive Pit has lovely almond-filled olives (more for drinks, I imagine, than salads), which were a great add. The Olive Garden salad dressing and some sprinkled cheese made it come alive. Some sliced bread croutons (purchased) added the missing crunch of the wilted romaine.

I said good night to Deborah after that and then later finished another Ted Lasso episode; approaching the end, I hope, of season 2. I was not feeling ready to start on anything and switched to the previous season of Slow Horses; I love spy shows, as the new season is released mid-September.

With me strangely tired, my inhaler helped, and I nodded off into strange dreams with friends and again touring dream lands. I retired to my bed, woke over and over to return, I suspect, all the water I drank as the smoke drove me to more and more water. I dreamed all night, all forgotten, and they mixed with waking moments. I often dreamed of looking for a toilet, woke, found one, and then returned to other travels until I needed a men’s room again. Hmmm.

Thanks for reading.