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It is -3 C with a high forecast of +2 C. Sunrise 8:28 Sunset 16:37 Hours of daylight: 8:09.
See current Lethbridge forecast here. See current Lethbridge news here.
This page last updated on: Sunday, December 28, 2008 7:19 AM
The chinook winds are howling, and have been all night. At the moment the wind is 84 km/h with gusts of 111 km/h. It is supposed to ease up by noon. There is some drifting of snow on the driveway but generally speaking we have been lucky. The wind has cleaned the front sidewalk and much of the driveway.
At the moment I have zero books in my Planned Activities. I think this is the first time this year that I have had such a situation.
Yesterday I identified Fitness and Mathematics as potential activities, but failed to act on either of them.
Casting my eye over some of the (unread) books near me, I have selected "The Curve of Time" for my next read. It is a personal travel book of a widowed mom raising her five children on a boat while cruising the BC coastal waters. The book was originally written in 1961 and is now in its 12th printing. It is one of the books I purchased while we were in Kelowna this fall.
| Learning Category | Planned Activities for Today | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Literature | Begin reading "The Curve of Time" by M. Wylie Blanchet | 1 hr |
| Mathematics | Begin "Fearless Symmetry" by Ash & Gross | 1 hr |
A startling, peaceful, beginning to the morning. I had just nestled into my comfortable chair in the living room and had read the first few pages of "The Curve of Time" (what a wonderful title!) when in the background I heard the soft call of a loon. Magical, mystical, haunting. Exactly the right accompanyment to what I was about to read. A loon in the middle of winter. Yes. Santa had brought me a "Canadian cuckoo clock" - very similar to a German one, except instead of a cuckoo bird, it had a loon. Crazy - yes, neat - totally. One important new feature was a volume control. At the initially high volume it sounded like the house was haunted, but once we turned it down to an acceptable hint, it looks like it can stay. And hearing it this morning, it has already become a favorite memory.
My mind wanders, now that I am in front of the screen. Earlier this morning I read a bit of fluff on the CNN website about a "contest" between Bush and Rove to see who read the most books in the year. Rove won 110 to 95. That is a high total for anyone. Curious, I just reviewed my lists. They indicate that I have read 41 novels and 14 non-fiction books. I am a light-weight compared to those two. Then again, I have just read "Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data".
What are my goals for next year? Then again, who needs such goals? Bean counting. Continuing, I like the idea of a novel a week, as an average. But I would like to increase the non-fiction total to at least one every two weeks.
I continue to procrastinate. No fitness activities. I also read something a few days ago about Obama beginning each day with an hour fitness routine. Impressive given that much of the year was devoted to campaigning for the presidency. I should be able to find an hour a day, given that I am not running for president, or even prime minister.
The same procrastination applies to my studying mathematics. I cannot think of anyone else who is interested in doing this, so I have to create my own yardstick. Calculus or symmetry. Symmetry. I want a "real" book, not a popular one. "Fearless Symmetry: Exposing the Hidden Patterns of Numbers" by Avner Ash & Robert Gross (2006). I bought this book while visiting the William & Mary bookstore in Williamsburg, Virginia a couple of summers ago. I have started it a couple of times but have yet to get past chapter 9 (there are 23 chapters). Now I have a challenge. But first, I want to return to boating in the inland passageways of the BC coast.
Books on the Go Today |
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