Math Without Numbers
Book Notes Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 11:19 on 6 May 2021
This book was recommended by another micro.blog reader as a book that describes math without weighing the reader down with, well, numbers. I agree: it was a lovely read. Even some of the book reviews are lovely reads, for goodness' sake!
I mean, start at the beginning with shapes and manifolds. Who knows of manifolds? Ask me about manifolds and I'm going to start telling you about intake manifolds and possibly exhaust manifolds, not mathematical manifolds. And yet, here we are talking about manifolds and shapes and different dimensions, and the whole of me swoons.
And then infinity comes into the story, along with "what's bigger than infinity?" and hooboy. I want to sit Jonathan's boys down and read this book with them, explore the nature of math and show just how amazingly beautiful it is, and how amazingly big it is.
I, too, strongly recommend this delightful, fun read, especially to anyone who thinks (or was told) they suck at math. You likely don't suck, you more likely had an uninteresting, detached teacher who failed to demonstrate the joy of math.
Wintering
Book Notes Posted by kitt at 10:46 on 5 May 2021
This book came to me circuitously via reader responses to Austin Kleon's post I'm not languishing, I'm dormant.. The two posts were mentioned in S's RSS feed, and I rather enjoy S's article curation, so I read Austin's post, and checked May's book out from the library.
Wow, this is such a lovely book. The story isn't as it seems. It seems to be the tale of a woman with stomach cancer suddenly needing to slow down, because, well, stomach cancer. Isn't that at all, though the misdirection fits so amazingly well, and there are a lot of health issues involved in the telling. The book is about slowing down, but also about growth. I was a little uncomfortable with just how much anxiety May has in certain situations that I either don't have anxiety in or about, or have learned to jump in feet first, the depth be damned. I recognize that discomfort is entirely mine, and I loved noticing it as I read the book.
There are so many beautiful parts to this book that I was recommending it after reading not even half of it. Mm immediately started reading it, and shortly began sending me beautiful quotes from the book. I loved that synergy.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is or has been wintering (the title of a Sylvia Plath's poem about bees). Resting is okay. Promise.
Second Dose In
Blog Posted by kitt at 10:27 on 5 May 2021Science is great!
Much to my disappointment, the nurse administrating my dose refused to let me have the vaccine bottle when I asked if I could keep it. "It's a biohazard." Lady, you are injecting me with the stuff. It is empty and no more a biohazard than an empty insulin jar or aspirin bottle, but sure, say no. I was disappointed.
Had the shot in my right arm to balance out the left of the first dose. At Bob and Suzanne's suggestion, I kept my arm moving for the full 15 minute waiting period, then as much as I could stand for the next hour, in order to keep the soreness down. Let's see how this goes.
Tangentially related to the dose was my minor annoyance at the surgical mask I was asked to wear. Given my small head, the masks never fit well, giving me ample opportunity to inhale everyone else's germs. A number of other people were in the facility without a blue mask on, so the entrance requirement for the masks was inconsistent. Some people walked up with their surgical masks on, so the argument "we don't know how clean yours is, so require ours," is spurious at. best.
Fortunately, I'm not annoyed by two masks yet, much less one, so fine, I wore two.
It's Happening
Blog Yeah, kitt finished writing this at 08:57 on 5 May 2021Arrived slightly early, in line on time. Interesting to me, the first question asked was, "Pfizer or Moderna?" as the facility was administering both. I went in the green sticker camp, to match my green paper, and followed the line for Moderna.
Remember, no photos in the facility to protect the medical rights of everyone else at the same location. "Oops."