Monday, July 11, 2011 Lethbridge

5:30 am

The temperature is +10 C, with a high predicted of +25 C.

From the Environment Canada website: Today Sunny early this morning then a mix of sun and cloud with 60 percent chance of showers this afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon. Wind becoming east 20 km/h this afternoon. High 25. UV index 7 or high. Tonight Partly cloudy. 60 percent chance of showers early this evening with risk of a thunderstorm. Low 12. Normals Max: 25°C Min: 11°C.

10:00 am Technology

It takes almost 4 hours to update the North America NT 2012 map on my Garmin nuvi. I did not have to stay in front of the screen during this time and in fact I could also do some additional work while the update was carrying on in the background. None the less, one needs to stay in the vicinity in case of an unexpected message. The update was successful without any problems. Good.

10:30 am Literature

While the Garmin map update was taking place I created a chart that captures my interest in Russian literature.

There is more work to be done as I expand the other country nodes.

I also have selected Chekov's "Ward No. 6 amd Other Stories" which is a collection of short stories. I find that reading short stories requires a different approach than reading a novel, much like the difference between sitting down to a Christmas turkey dinner and sitting down in a Japanese restaurant to some fine sushi.

I have read the first short story, "The Cook's Wedding". I very fine first piece of sushi. Now to sit back and savor the story. Times have changed, and definitely for the better. I am impressed with the impact of just a few pages to developing a much greater understanding of Russian culture in the 19th century.

I like to take a break between short stories so that I can properly reflect on my reaction to each story before moving to the next one.

As a result of creating the overall chart (above) I have just placed an order for 4 more novels, 2 by Solzhenitsyn and 2 by Dostoevsky. I always like to have a few books on hand to meet my changing interests.

[Addendum: 8:00 PM]

I read 3 more Chekov short stories at various times during the day: "The Witch", "A Dead Body", and "Easter Eve". I enjoyed them all.