Systems and Sinew

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Morning routine. Book Club discussing Project Hail Mary. Information architecture work. Applied for NZeta. Technical troubleshooting and upgrades. Exercised. Yoga signup. Hot tub with audiobook. History of the Ancient World finale.

A day of technical refinement, travel planning, and physical preparation

Events and activities that occurred on Wednesday, January 08, 2026

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The Book Club conversation ranged widely through Andy Weir's narrative choices. Trailers revealed how challenging it will be to convey the astrophage threat and the majesty of interstellar travel on screen, with discrepancies between book descriptions and film imagery already apparent. We explored Rocky's sound-based communication and echolocation abilities—how he "sees" through hearing—and why Rocky and Ryland think at similar rates despite coming from such different worlds. The discussion touched on predation, sound speed, and Weir's narrative decision to limit the story to two characters. Someone raised the irony of needing to heat Earth's atmosphere when climate change looms so large. We noted how Weir uses Ryland's background as a high school science teacher to make complex concepts accessible—suggesting that middle or high school teachers might actually be best equipped to communicate with aliens. Even the question of appropriate politics in book club came up. Next meeting wraps up the book, with Melanie Mitchell's Complexity suggested as a potential next read.

The afternoon's technical work brought mixed results. Adding a Smart Array battery to ldmsvr01 didn't solve the underlying problem. An attempt to bring up ldmrp3 stalled when I discovered missing parts. But upgrades to ldmrp2, ldmsvr00, and Hubitat moved the home's digital infrastructure forward incrementally. The conversation with Steve about Raspberry Pi audio felt like play disguised as problem-solving—the kind of technical exchange that energizes rather than drains.

Physical preparation for New Zealand took several forms. Three 45-second planks, fifteen bird-dogs, five stretches, fifteen curls—Phase 1 of the training protocol. Signing up for yoga class formalized the commitment. That evening's hour of Yin practice demonstrated what regular practice might become. A walk to Tacovore for food, stopping at Winco for groceries on the way back—movement woven through the day's activities.

The hot tub offered transition space between day and evening. Project Hail Mary's audiobook narration provided company while muscles released their tension—a second encounter with Ryland and Rocky's story, this time through the ear rather than discussion. History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective concluded with its lecture on beginnings and endings, forty-eight lectures distilled to essential insights about human emergence and transformation across deep time. What a remarkable journey through archaeological evidence and interpretation. Hogan's Heroes provided lighter fare before Nyquil delivered deep, rock-solid sleep.

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