Normal tuning day not far from wtg - beautiful sunshine! When I was young, crazy-cold days were a reason for my dad to say "bundle up boys, we're going skiing! The lift lines should be really short!" I learned a healthy respect for the weather, but also know how to survive and thrive outside if desired. Walking to wine tasting and dinner in a bit...

I make a vegetarian soup about once a week or every other week. For regular soup I use the food processor to chop carrots, onions and celery to make the soup base, then add broth and main ingredients. Another fave is miso soup, which is incredibly easy…I usually add scallions, mushrooms, tofu, maybe Japanese radish. But I also liked soup before I got “old.”

@jon-nyc said in Keep it up Democrats in Congress ...: I think most every democrat agrees there’s no higher priority than to defang Trump. That’s going to happen in the midterms if at all. The optimal strategy is therefore one that make taking the house and senate most likely. Everything else is preening. I'm in board.

@jon-nyc Congratulations!!! Excellent news!! The whole process is stressful in the best of times, but this isn't the best of times! I remember how stressed it all was when we were applying for Mr SK's visa and green card. Anyway, I'm sure you were both very relieved!

Be sure to get your mail-in ballot in as early as possible. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/usps-same-day-postmark-changes-mail-delays/

Thank you for all the info! I'm not sure about a summer intensive - I don't think his university has anything like that and I'm not sure when he'll have to start his job after he graduates (assuming he gets a job offer, which is certainly not a guarantee these days). This summer he's likely to still be on co-op, working 40 hours a week (his coop hasn't been formally extended yet, but that's the plan), so I think that's out. I think his best bet at least for now would be something he could do after work, from home, like Duolingo I guess.....although I definitely see that taking a long time and probably not building the best foundation the way learning from a tutor or class would.

Twilight is divided into three types based on the sun's depression angle below the horizon, measuring the transition between day and night. Civil ((0–6 degrees) below) allows for outdoor activities without artificial light. Nautical ((6–12 degrees) below) enables marine navigation by horizon and stars. Astronomical ((12–18 degrees) below) provides enough darkness for observing faint stars.

Public opinion on ICE: [image: 1769181183305-img_8136.jpeg] Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/us/politics/poll-ice-immigration.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlA.H1W-.menbHL_P0R_d Over 80% of Republicans think ICE's enforcement are "just right" or want ICE to go even harder.

For those who suffered through the shingles vaccine, some good news. Last April I wrote a Ground Truths entitled “The Shingles Vaccine and Reduction of Dementia.” At the time many were unaware of this unanticipated relationship based on 2 large natural experiments. Two new studies this week have advanced our understanding about the potential biological impact of the Shingles vaccine, independent of its effects for preventing Shingles or direct action vs. herpes zoster virus and reinforced its protection from dementia, ~80% of which is attributable to Alzheimer’s disease. In this post I won’t get into the details of what I previously wrote (please link back for more perspective), but instead devote the text to the new findings. https://erictopol.substack.com/p/spotlight-on-the-shingles-vaccineagain?publication_id=587835&post_id=185215801&isFreemail=true&r=1v8sh2&triedRedirect=true Topol's earlier post: https://erictopol.substack.com/p/the-shingles-vaccine-and-reduction

Canada/Carney disinvited. Guess Carney's remarks in Davos didn't sit well with the orange man. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/international/2026/01/23/trump-withdraws-canadas-invitation-to-board-of-peace/

Chas, If you are interested in board games but don’t have someone to play with, there are a lot of solo games out there! Some are made specifically for one player. Others are multiplayer games that have solo modes. It’s quite popular! But there is also a huge online boardgaming space as well! There are many popular board games that have iPad apps available. Some of them allow you to play against an AI player in game. Others allow you to play with other people. I do play a few apps against the AI on my iPad (Splendour, Railroad Ink, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Ganz Schön Clever, Evolution). There is also a site called Tabletop Arena which is board games that you play against other human players. Many of my board game friends have accounts and play a tonne online! I don’t enjoy the online experience for board games, but I am in the minority. Some of the games on BGA can be played with a free account, but there is (of course) a paid version which allows you to play all the games available - and there are a LOT! If you want more info about specific physical games that play well solo, I can help you out. If you want more information about Tabletop Arena and how to find people to play against who are happy to help a new player, let me know and I can ask some of my board gaming friends what they suggest!

Yeah I sort of forgot about that since it was such a normal part of my existence by then. But yeah in July I’ll be 10 years out of transplant.

Mark Rutte, the Trump Whisperer. https://apnews.com/article/rutte-nato-trump-greenland-aaeec48ee94881ffd838a66d85e92c2e