Essentially SF

I stumbled on an Amazon list of 100 Essential Science Fiction Classics today. I was interested to see how many of them I had read, so I made a quick pass and came up with the following statistics. My numbers are fairly accurate but might not be exact, as I was relying on memory and I read some of the books a very long time ago.

• I've read over two thirds of the books on the list (72 out of 100).
  
• Just three authors wrote almost half of the 28 that I haven't read: Stanislaw Lem, Philip K Dick, Kurt Vonnegut. (Mainly books written in the 60s.)
  
• Author with the most books on the list: Robert A. Heinlein with 8.
  

So now I have a few classics to acquaint myself with at the library, and some authors that I seem to have neglected completely.

Misty Water-Colored Memories

This article on the vagaries of memory really hit home after I spent most of the weekend in turn remembering and forgetting a couple of simple tasks that I had planned to do. It turns out that evolution might have played a big role in the way our memory does and doesn't work.

Alas, evolution didn't have the foresight to realize that different kinds of tasks require different kinds of memory, and it used the same basic sort of memory for everything, not just for remembering what lions and tigers look like (in which general tendencies suffice) but also for cases – like tracking our goals – where a bit more precision would have been helpful. As a result, trying to remember what to do next can be a little like trying to remember what you had for breakfast yesterday: There are too many breakfasts and too many yesterdays for our biological memories to keep track of.

There is hope, however - turning abstract goals into more concrete if-then scenarios can help make your memory work harder for you.

Taxing Amazon

I've spent a lot of money on Amazon over the years. I joined their Amazon Prime program, and the UPS guy has delivered a lot of boxes.

I like shopping on Amazon for many reasons:

1. Convenience - shop from home, easy to search, and shipped to my door
   
2. Selection - they have everything
   
3. Great customer service
4. Decent prices
   
5. No Sales Tax

Well, that last reason may be going away. Amazon has a distribution center in Irving, which would mean that they have a 'physical presence' in the state. The Texas Comptroller's office is investigating to determine if Amazon owes the state millions in uncollected taxes as well as requiring sales tax to be charged going forward.

If so, I'm sure a lot less of my money will be going to Amazon. It will go instead to other online stores, local stores, or just stay in my bank account. Some of it will still go to Amazon when the other benefits outweigh the cost of both shipping and sales tax. But I'll probably end up canceling my Prime membership if my purchases go down - it won't make sense anymore.

I'm not against supporting local businesses - especially if they're truly local. Somewhere I don't have to spend several dollars in gas to get there and the frustration of time spent in traffic. But in the sprawling Dallas area, the products that I can really buy locally are limited. I also love the convenience of shopping online - shopping in a store is not a hobby for me, not a pleasant way to pass time for the most part, with infrequent exceptions it's usually just a chore.

There's a big push for all online/mail order businesses to pay sales tax. And why wouldn't the states be pushing for more money to fall into their laps? Well I want more of my money to work for me - it's already taxed plenty.

Happy Birthday, Jenny

I remember visiting the Dallas zoo every year as a child. I was always excited to visit the gorillas because there was one there that shared my name - Jenny.

I haven't seen Jenny in quite some time, but she's still there!

Jenny gorilla celebrated her 55th birthday on May 8th, making her the oldest captive gorilla in the world.

NeoCube

I need one of these!

Berlin to Prague

Another early travel day as the alarm went off at 4:45. We got dressed and dragged our bags down to the taxi, and we were at the train station by 5:15. The train from Berlin to Prague takes about 5 hours. The seats weren't comfortable enough to nap in (not for me at least), but the time passed surprisingly quickly thanks to the book I was reading. I took a few breaks for snacks that we had brought with us, and finished the book just as the scenery started commanding attention.

We went through a beautiful river valley dotted with villages and a ruined castle or two. When we passed from Germany to the Czech Republic, two passport officers came through and stamped everyone's passports. I tried to take pictures, but the train windows were pretty dirty.



When we arrived in Prague, we took the Metro from the station to the city center with no problem. But once we got there we headed the wrong way down the street - our signature move for the trip. We got ourselves straightened out eventually and headed to the outskirts of the center to find our hotel. It was about a 12 minute walk once we were headed the right way - not too bad.

Dropped the bags and headed back to a restaurant that we had passed on the way. I had smoked ham with potato dumplings and sweet cabbage, all washed down with a Czech beer. It was very good and I was very hungry! We headed back to the hotel and were able to check in. A shower and a nap was at the top of our list. We had decent rooms on the non-smoking floor, which I think used to be the attic. Sloped ceilings and odd bathrooms. The shower was actually right outside the bathroom - a little bitty phone booth sized thing. So I took a bath instead.

We woke up much refreshed and headed for the 'Dancing House', also called the Fred & Ginger building. It was designed by Frank Gerhy. It was very neat looking and it was interesting to see how it blended in with the older architecture. We walked up the river to the central square as the sun set. Prague is a beautiful city!



Janell wanted to go to the Museum of Communism so we tracked it down (it was a little hard to find). It was more interesting than I thought it would be - lots of memorabilia and cheesy posters, but also a nice time line of the rise and fall of communism in Prague.



The restaurant was a little too close to the main tourist area I think - dinner was just okay, but at least it wasn't too expensive. I had goulash soup and spinach ravioli. Back through the streets to our hotel and sound asleep shortly after.

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

Go forth and recycle. Use a re-usable bag. Walk somewhere. Pick up a piece of trash.

Laika

Combining my two latest posting topics, Russia and dogs, is Laika, the first dog in orbit.

Courtesy of BoingBoing, I found news that the Russians have put up a statue commemorating Laika. Sadly, her story did not have a happy ending since the capsule overheated a few hours into her trip. In fact, it was never intended for the poor dog to live through the trip. Her plight brought global attention to mistreatment in animal testing.

A moment of silence for Laika, please.

St. Petersburg to Berlin

This was a travel day - we had a flight from St. Petersburg to Berlin. I packed my bag and even got all of my purchases in there without having to use the expanding zipper. We checked out, left our bags in storage, and walked to St. Isaac's Cathedral.

It was a foggy, still morning.


St. Isaac's made me think of St. Peter's in Rome. It's a western European type cathedral in grand style. There are giant pillars of malachite and lapis inside. The communists turned it into a museum of atheism. Now it has pictures of its history, and only part of it is still used as a church.


We climbed to the colonnade just below the dome. The first set of stairs spiraled up, and were numbered in a countdown every 20 steps. The numbers started at 200. Janell and I stopped for a breather at 100. But when we got to 'stair zero' it wasn't true! There were still stairs left - leading from the bell tower to the colonnade. We just had to laugh - it was a good workout. The view was impressive, although it would have been better without the fog.


We were running short on time, so we took in the view and tromped back down the steps. I couldn't believe the lady behind me who walked down in stiletto heels. I assume she walked up in those same shoes - I would have been crippled.

Walking back to the hotel, Janell spotted a flier for a Tae Kwon Do school - it's everywhere!

We took a taxi to the airport after some brief confusion about which one, since they have two that are named the same that are in completely different locations: Pulkovo 1 and Pulkovo 2. Luckily we got it straightened it out pretty quickly.

The airport had a lot of security to go through - had to go through a scanner just to get into the building, then another check (the usual take off your shoes, etc) to get to the check in counter, then a manual search after we went through passport control. This was a pretty small airport that mainly handles domestic travel. There weren't any gates really, just buses that took you out to where the plane was parked.

The flight was a little over 2 hours, and I read for most of it. It was raining when we landed in Berlin. We had a long taxi ride from the airport to our hotel in the suburbs. (We knew it was a brief stay, and went for economy with the hotel.)

We got a great restaurant suggestion at the desk. It was a fabulous adventure since there were no English menus. The waiter was very helpful, and while we didn't know exactly what we were ordering we had a general idea. I had lamb wrapped in chicken with a side of rice in a tomato sauce. Very yummy.

Back to the hotel after dinner and straight to bed - we had to get up the next morning before 5 to get to the train station!

St. Petersburg - Day 2

It was overcast all day long. We went to the docks by the Hermitage and bought hydrofoil tickets to go to Peterhof, Peter the Great's palace & grounds across the Gulf of Finland. The trip took about 45 minutes - we docked and paid for entrance to the grounds. We walked up along a fountain lined canal towards the palace. The grounds are just beautiful; the trees were a gorgeous mix of autumn colors and the leaves were falling like a gentle rain.



There are over a hundred fountains spread out over the grounds - it's definitely a water-driven site between the location on the coast and the fountains. The palaces and buildings feel like they take second place next to the outdoors. We took a tour of the main palace (not worth the entrance fee). It was crowded and they tried to move you through the small section of rooms quickly. I was feeling a little beleaguered by the pay-as-you-go mentality (even the restrooms...) but tried not to let it ruin my enjoyment of the beautiful scenery.

The fountains work as they did originally - all gravity-powered with no pumps. The upper grounds are very formally laid out, while the lower grounds have a more of a park-like feel.


There are a couple of fountains that are designed to get you wet and one of them got me. It looked like a tree and roses spraying water - I walked closer to get a picture without realizing that there were little sprays of water in a big circle around the outside that went in a sequence around the whole little area. Glad I had my jacket on!



We wandered around for a few hours enjoying the fall colors and fountains. After the boat ride back, we stopped at a little pub for a late lunch and then headed for a shopping area. We needed souvenirs! With the help of my friends, I found a little amber turtle and I stocked up on various gifts. Poor Shawn was worn out with the shopping, but he perked up when he found a vending machine with little cans of gin & tonic as well as beer and sodas. I was ready for a beer myself after the long day, and my feet were ready to be propped up on the sofa.

We fell on the remainder of our snacks, wine, and vodka when we returned to our suite. I don't think we so much went to bed as collectively decided to pass out.

Which Way Do We Go?

The girls joined me in the MS 5K Walk this past weekend. People! Dogs! More People!

They were very excited and pulled on the leashes (which they rarely do) for the first half mile. Then they settled into the walk and we had a ball. They're such rockstars - they got lots of comments ("Look Mom, tiger dogs!") and I talked to a lot of people because of them.

They liked the walking part just fine, but Jezebel didn't like the standing around among strangers before and after much - tail tucked and nervous. But she was a trooper and even relaxed enough to lay down for a bit after the walk.

Night Launch

The night launch of the Endeavour is captured with haunting beauty in this awesome Astronomy Picture of the Day!

March Snow

Snow! In March! A day after we were running around in shorts! Texas weather... This picture is from the next morning, and everything was already melting.



It was coming down pretty hard Monday night - the pups were a little freaked out by it. Dave had to carry Jezebel outside so they'd do their business before bedtime. On our walk the next morning, I swear Delilah levitated the first time she broke through the crust of snow. She stayed to the middle of the sidewalk for a while before deciding that it wasn't so bad after all. Jezebel was unfazed, surprisingly so since she tends to be the spooky one.

A Walk in the Park

We took Delilah and Jezebel to a fenced in area so they could run around a bit. At Grey-Play day last week there were seven Greyhounds running around (really running!). Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me then. This week the weather was blustery, and we were the only ones there. So we ran around with them until it started sprinkling and I got a few pictures, but no action shots. Here's a good one:



I think they're feeling more comfortable every day. Jezzie is the shy one - she can turn into a little statue when she's nervous, and won't be budged. But she's doing it less frequently during our walks already. Delilah is a bundle of zoomie energy for short times (followed by naps). I can't seem to go to a store with pet items without bringing a toy home for them. They're beautiful, wonderful girls.

Documentaries

I like watching well-made documentaries. The best ones are fascinating slices of life, science, or art. Kevin Kelly, who has great features on his website like Cool Tools and Street Use, has written a guide to 200 must-see documentaries and has it available for free here. It's a wonderful set of reviews to have when you're adding to your Netflix queue.

It will take me a long time to work through even half of these, and the concise descriptions will help me pick which half I'll enjoy the most. Movies entertain, which is fun; but really good documentaries entertain and inform, which is wonderful!

Delilah & Jezebel

We recently added two beautiful Greyhounds to our family! Meet Delilah and Jezebel:



We got them from Greyhounds Unlimited. They had been in a foster home together, so they get along very well already. They're settling in nicely; learning the rules of the house. They're walk junkies and love their squeaky toys. Our family just doubled in size, and it's been a blast so far!

Made In ...

China has been in the news a lot lately with toy recalls and the like. I don't have a lot of toys, but I got curious about my clothes. So I did a very unscientific survey of my closet (some things don't have tags anymore, and I didn't dig everything out of storage or the dirty clothes out of my hamper).

China is the main source of my clothing, coming in at about 26% of the total. Surprisingly followed by the USA with about 11%. Coming in third is Brunei Darussalam, a country I had to look up online (it's on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia).

Here's a list of the 29 'Made In' countries I found in my closet:

• China
• USA
• Brunei Darussalam (apparently preferred by Eddie Bauer)
• India
• Philippines
• Hong Kong (presumably before reunification)
• Indonesia
• El Salvadore
• Canada
• Honduras
• Macau
• Mexico
• Thailand
• Peru
• Sri Lanka
• Turkey
• Bangladesh
• Cambodia
• Guatemala
• Pakistan
• Vietnam
• Australia
• Jamaica
• Korea
• Malaysia
• Mauritius
• Mongolia
• Nicaragua
• Uzbekistan

Quite a global list - very interesting stuff.

St. Petersburg - Day 1

This was my first ever overnight train trip, and I was able to sleep! I did have to switch my head & feet around, because at first it felt like I was sleeping downhill and I woke up with a stuffy head and headache.

We arrived in St. Petersburg fairly early in the morning - during rush hour in fact; the Metro was packed. We continued to be directionally challenged once we reached our stop, and headed the wrong way down the right street. We stopped at a cafe for coffee and a bathroom break, then hailed a taxi.

We dropped our luggage at the Alexander House and got a little tour of the building. It's a very small hotel with lots of charm - an old building that you can tell they've put a lot of time into. Garden courtyard, little sitting areas with shelves full of books. We had a suite of two rooms with a small mini-kitchen area and a living room.



St. Petersburg was cooler than Moscow - we dug out light jackets and headed off in the direction of the Hermitage. St. Petersburg, like Berlin, was built on a swamp. It's a city of canals. Very pretty and with the cooler weather they didn't smell bad. Our hotel is definitely not in the middle of town, and we had a long walk. But we saw some beautiful churches (they're more Western European looking here than in Moscow, although most still have gold domes of some kind) and pretty parks. The leaves were changing color with a vengeance. We saw a lot more graffiti here than we did in Moscow for some reason.



We were already a little tired by the time we got to the Winter Palace. It's massive! Each room or staircase was more impressive than the next until it turned into gilded overload. I think I took as many pictures of the inlaid wood floors and the beautifully painted ceilings as I did the actual art that was displayed in the rooms. And the art was very impressive; I especially liked the Impressionist collection.



Even with sitting down to a snack, we were exhausted long before we saw everything. We started walking back, and tried to find a taxi with no luck. Eventually we were able to catch a bus that took us about halfway back. Janell and I collapsed on the couch to tend to our blisters while Shawn and Tamara went to a small grocery store around the corner to get wine, vodka, snacks, and bottled water. (Can't drink the tap water in St. Petersburg - heavy metals.) We revived ourselves with the snacks and had some wine. It was nice to just hang out for a while - we were in no shape to do anything else.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant later. The food was very good - I tried cold borscht. It was shockingly pink and quite tasty - everyone tried a bite or two and agreed that it was a lot better than they expected for beets. I had pan-fried chicken with a rice pilaf for my main course - again quite tasty. (It was "fried chicken" on the menu - I wasn't quite sure what to expect!)

After the long day, collapsing into bed and falling asleep was easy.