We’ve had nearly two inches of rain in the last 24 hours, according to one site I just checked. I know that it’s been raining all day. My brother down in Wilmington has had much more. He’s safe. We’re dry. I’m hoping to see turtles tomorrow.
Made it to Chicago this morning. A lovely day in the not-so-windy City. I walked a mile to meet a cousin for lunch, then back to hotel. I desperately want to visit Optimo to buy this porkpie hat, but Erin says no way, too expensive and I don’t have the rest of the outfit to pull it off.
Twenty years ago, Americans were about to be introduced to Vanuatu, the South Pacific archipelago where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Here’s how I marked the occasion of Survivor’s new season.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 →
As I watched the presidential debate last night, the barred owls in the woods were hootin' at each other.
Here’s an audio clip. From 00:48 to 00:60 you can hear at least three of them at the same time.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 →
Another beautiful fall day. Crows eating the corn that Sid put out for the deer. A hawk watching the crows. The hens frustrated I won’t let them out beacause of the hawk. Raccoon and opossum scat in the driveway again. This male box turtle near the house.
Oh, my. Both candidates start their closing statements with “So, …” I am not in favor of a policy to start answers with so.
To me, AI will always be a YouTube search for “italian singer english gibberish.”
A perfect lede to this science article: Surprising New Research Links Infant Mortality to Crashing Bat Populations
The connections are commonsense but the conclusion is shocking.
Also, a cool story about a scientist, procrastination, data, and the importance of bats.
Finished reading: Moonbound by Robin Sloan 📚
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 →
Happy to learn that Durham’s Fullsteam Brewery will be setting up its ‘forever home’ in the American Tobacco campus.
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 →
I am grateful to live in a placee where fragrant white ginger lily can grow. A connection to Hawaii and Vanuatu where this scent was with me daily.
When I redesigned my blog (10 years ago?), I defined a p selector for non-indented first paragraph. For each new post I had to remember to add a code to get the result. But this week I learned how to use ‘p + p’ in my stylesheet. So basic. Duh.
Early visit to the Carrboro Farmers Market to get a variety of chiles for my annual late-summer hot sauce canning. Now drinking coffee and watching soccer before heading out for yard work and a search for box turtles (big rains yesterday).
The U.S. opened an embassy in Vanuatu this year (when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer there the nearest embassy was in Fiji). And now this cool story about the FBI returning delicate artifacts.
Wondering if a North Carolina meetup of Micro.blog users is possible. Would be fun to share a meal with @dwalbert @amerpie@social.lol @kimberlyhirsh and others. I’d even host here in Chapel Hill.
A trill close and loud
pileated woodpecker
high in the white oak
Will soon attempt an update to my bio/resume page, currently at antonzuiker.com. Searching for creative, graphical ways to show my career journey. I’ve long wanted to use the steppers component of Mustard UI, but with some icons and photos. Other ways?
Platt laughed at the question, because the instrument was brand new. It had come from the Pre-War Guitars Co., a Hillsborough-based luthier that makes new guitars that look and sound decades old. Another North Carolina musician, Joe Newberry, calls them “The new old guitars of the future.”
Wish I knew how to play the guitar.
Early morning run to the airport to drop Anna, who is off for a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Sacramento, California. Proud of her, excited to watch our oldest child make her way in the world with a commitment to service and community.
David Remnick | Notes from the Underground
A very informative profile of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza. This paragraph toward the end was both masterful and astoundingly sad.
What was next? “We got our orders, and we are ready to fight and diminish Hamas and exterminate them wherever they are,” Hiram said. “Exterminate,” in reference to a small territory crowded with civilians who had nowhere to go, was as jolting as “Einsatzgruppen.”
I highly recommend reading the full piece, especially to understand the Einsatzgruppen reference.