Thursday afternoon
This has been and continues an interesting week. "Big Think" comes by email every so often, not every week as I recall, but usually some essays worth reading. In this morning's issue, "Cracking Life's Code" about figuring out what goes into creating life; it's not necessarily a mixture of air, oxygen, water - - life in other parts of the Universe could be very different from all that we imagine, and could be an entirely other mix of basics. There are walking trees in some modern fantasy fiction, observant and talking trees in Narnia, why not? Whatever you say, Lord. Oozing blobs with vision all around and bottom-side that decomposes and digests whatever it oozes across; the ring-tailed-goofus animal with wheels; creatures that float in the planet's atmosphere; creatures that live in oceans of petroleum-like liquid; creatures that need no sustenance but the atmosphere, sentient but amoral predatory creatures ...
In the same Big Think issue, a short essay that pretty much debunks any thought that a purely intellectual friendship can exist where there is even the slightest hint of physical attraction.
It's been a week of continuing birthday celebration, with supper invitations every evening this week, tonight I'm going to enjoy more oysters at Hunt's, or if the line is hours long maybe we could come down the block to Captain's Table. If at Hunt's the wait person will ask which oysters I want, because they offer a choice. For some reason the price is different, and I've noticed that the pricey dozen are served sitting on a tray of ice; the cheaper ones come out just sitting on a tray, no ice. Sometimes they taste different, sometimes I can't tell the difference. Sometimes the cheaper ones aren't cold, just "room" temp.
Some people are reluctant to chew a raw oyster so just swallow whole, me, I'm addicted to the taste, flavor. I can get a craving for cold, salty ones.
Some of the new, cultured oysters are quite nice, very flavorful; most of them are harvested early, so are small size. In an industry that's new around here, I expect it's a financial issue of waiting another year or two for farmed oysters to grow larger. Whereas farmed oysters from the Pacific Northwest are sometimes really big - - possible because they've been in production for years or decades.
+++++++
There are articles about Time, working, how we spend our Time of life. My use of Time has varied, my Navy years I was an enthusiastic workaholic. After Navy retirement I started a consulting business that had me traveling and away from home some eighty percent of my Time, I'd never do that again; and in Time I added to that, flying or driving down from Pennsylvania to teach two graduate courses at the University of West Florida; and when I started theological seminary, a full time full load curriculum; which in my forties I found challenging, exciting and fun. But if the live-life-over-again fairy ever came in my visions I'd make lots of changes in how I used my Time. At this age, I'm sorry I didn't spend it all with loved ones, because Time is all we have. Money and objects are no substitute for Time.
But then, I had lots of interests, and all the workaholism made the payments on my new Cadillacs, which were a passion in those years.
Children, I like children around, I could never have been a monk. I could have been a middle-school teacher, that was my favorite age of kids to teach. They were always enthusiastic and noisy in my classrooms, and I loved it. Life's highlight. Maybe I'd be a teacher at work, and have lots of children at home.
The problem with children is that they grow up and leave, and it's heartbreak city.
++++++++++++
The ship is Bunun Star, 590x98, arriving yesterday morning to unload "general cargo." What was her cargo? IDK, but probably could look it up and judge by where her last port was. She was so loaded that a tug met her in front of 7H to help her the rest of the way to West Terminal. Part of her transit in St Andrews Bay was in pouring rain, and I liked the shot of her under the storm cloud.
+++++++
Just checking in. There's just Time for a short afternoon nap.
RSF&PTL
T89&c