I finished The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell last night. It is a searingly bitter dark comedy. Based on the Indian Mutiny, it follows a pathetic group of English people who are defending themselves against attack after attack in a few buildings. Guardian writer Sam Jordisan describes sitting in a cafe and being approached by a stranger who tells him that it’s the best book he ever read. It is a good one that’s for sure.

By the end of the book, the English group has cannibalized several heads of busts for use as make shift cannon balls so that they are literally firing Shakespeare, Keats, and Voltaire at the sepoys.

A few pages later one of the main characters proclaims that “culture is a sham… a cosmetic painted on life by rich people to conceal its ugliness.”

Tomorrow I go to see the dermatologist in Grand Rapids. My spirits are a bit low about all of this rash stuff. I am not expecting much resolution tomorrow, only that Eileen and I will move on to the Ann Arbor dermatology group after seeing this guy tomorrow.

I overdid it this morning by getting up and doing more standing than usual. By the time Eileen got up my legs were already swollen and painful. I knew I was doing it to myself so I skipped all “old man running in place” exercises this morning and even took a shower. All to no avail. My rash is threatening my ability to concentrate and function, but I am persisting as best as I can.

I even went to the Farmers Market yesterday and purchased too many mushrooms. I cooked two of the three bags I bought yesterday.

In the afternoon tomorrow I am scheduled for my final follow up with my eye surgeon after my recent surgery. Eileen is still helping me put in daily eye drops. This regimen is done in a few days.

Tomorrow promises to be a full day.

It’s sixty degrees outside right now. Wow.

14 Phenomenal Photos Reveal There Were Indeed Black Chinese People

Why Museums Are Primed to Address Racism, Inequality in the U.S. | At the Smithsonian | Smithsonian Magazine

“[Smithsonian undersecretary for museums and culture] Kevin Gover points out that there are more museums in the United States than there are McDonalds and Starbucks put together. A recent report by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, supported by Reinvestment Fund, found “the presence and usage of public libraries and museums to be positively associated with multiple dimensions of social well-being—in particular community health, school effectiveness, institutional connection, and cultural opportunity.””

Opinion | Do Gun Rights Depend on Abortion Rights? That’s Now Up to the Supreme Court. – The New York Times

by Linda Greenhouse. She is excellent.

Opinion | Elon Musk Is Building a Sci-Fi World, and the Rest of Us Are Trapped in It – The New York Times

by Jill Lepore. Bookmarked to read.