I’m supposed to call Eileen in about twenty minutes. I’m going to try to get a quick blog in now because we have a full day planned. First to Grand Rapids to the dermatologist, then this afternoon to the eye guy to check on my recent surgical placement of new lenses in my eyes.

I started White Tears by Hari Kunzru. I have been saving it for a good time. Yesterday was definitely that time. My legs and arms bothered me all day. They are a bit better today. I have been having more alcohol and less fake gin lately. I suspect alcoholic content aggravates my condition since it seems the day after drinks is not a pleasant one, rash-wise. This was the case yesterday.

But today is better. As I suspected I would, I am loving White Tears. It is about two people I would describe as recordists. One of these men is poor but skilled, Seth, the other is rich and also skilled but not to the extent of Seth. His name is Carter.

Seth loves to walk around and record ambient sounds. The crux of the story is a recording he made in Washington Square of a chess player. This man is African American and beats the local yokel who plays chess for 10 dollars a game. As he wins he sings a snippet of what sounds like an old blues tune.

The next time Seth listens the moment on the recording is different. Though he is walking around the sound is centralized in the stereo recording and doesn’t reflect his movement. Later he and Carter listen to it and this time there is more than a snippet. There is an entire old blues song sung unaccompanied.

They are early recording freaks and like their recordings rough and analog. So I’m enjoying it despite having personally chosen not to pursue recording as an interest.

The only other thing on my mind is The History of Tomorrow episdoe of the On The Media podcast and The Evening Rocket Dimension X episode of The Last Archive Podcast.

On On The Media they talk about science fiction’s influence on cyber moguls like Elon Musk. I haven’t listened all the way through but they do mention writers I don’t know as examples of what would be better influences on people like Musk. This morning I noticed that Jill Lepore had two new The Last Archive podcasts out.

Then I remembered Lepore had made a brief appearance on the new On The Media. The new The Last Archive episodes are a series that she did for the BBC on the topic of science fiction and Elon Musk. Cool.

After seeing the dermatologist

I have now been back and forth to the GR skin guy. I was incorrect to assume that I had no diagnosis. I have atopic ezcema which typically can flare up and can cause swelling. It’s a relief that they know why I am in such discomfort. The assistant gave me a cortisone shot and the doctor prescribed a combined cortisone/moisturizer ointment. I am already feeling some relief from the shot. I go back in two weeks.

Eileen is relieved. She is going to see Dr. Fuentes tomorrow to get a referral to see someone about her ears. Her hearing has been not working so well. She thinks she probably has wax build up and was trying to get Fuentes to refer her to someone.

postscript

I published this blog then began reading some links. Lo and behold, it turns out that I already had linked in to an article by Jill Lepore which seems to cover some of the ground in her podcast. Here again is the link.

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

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.