The dude and I played Magic with my brother and his son yesterday. It was quite a good game.

I helped the bambina bake cookies for a friend who broke a hand playing soccer.

Tonight’s kitchen victory: pasta alla Norcina, on a tip from Jason Kottke, which was elicited by a question from Adam.

Finished rereading The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Another thing I’ve noticed on this reread is that my mental images of the locations are very different. Tolkien’s descriptions seem very clear, and I don’t know why or how I could ever have imagined things as I did in the past, and I don’t think my current images are influenced by the movies in any meaningful way. Curious!

The dude and the bambina are off to school, both in the same high school for a year.

Yesterday I took the water taxi, walked around Alki, up to the West Seattle Junction, and back to the dock: 3 hours, 16.5k steps, 8 miles. A bit more walking around downtown and on the way home added another 8.5k steps and 4 miles.

Greg and kids and the dude and I played Magic, while Jocelyn hung out with Meghan and the bambina, and then Mom came over.

Tonight’s kitchen victory: pad kee mao, so good.

Played Magic last night with Greg.

The dude gets pretty mad when I use slang that he feels is too new or young for me to use, so naturally I do it every chance I get, ideally with an intentional slight misuse. Most recently, “check out this sweet whip”.

Speaking of sagas, this is very much a book that wants to be read aloud.

Finished rereading The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, part one of The Lord of the Rings as I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, for something like the twentieth time.

One thing that strikes me from this reading is how economical it is — seriously! — with the important exception of the poetry, which felt self-indulgent. Pay attention to how much happens in any given chapter, and how short that chapter is compared to how it would have been written by a modern author. Inner lives of the characters, and even much of the outer lives, are pared down, leaving us with the scope of an epic.

Finished reading Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, a followup to Harlem Shuffle, and equally delightful.

Ice cream at Mom’s with Greg and Jocelyn and family.

Walked up the Burke-Gilman from the U District and then home: four hours, 11¾ miles, about 24k steps.