Welcome to the Last Post in 2021

 I know a lot of people are thinking it, but when did 2020 become 2021...and how did 2021 pass by so quickly?

This will be my last post in 2021. I spent part of the year without a job, started traveling again, and have continued to worry about COVID (despite the vaccine).

This holiday season is a little different than last year. Though COVID is always at the back of my mind, being vaccinated has given me a little freedom. 

Last weekend I went to a local production of the Nutcracker with a friend. Most of the audience was made of the dancers' family and friends. I (being determined to see any production of the ballet live) really enjoyed myself. Some of the dancers were absolutely tiny and positively adorable. All of the dancers were fantastic. 

I am happy to encourage anyone who has a local theater group or community center to check out any productions they may be putting on. Not only are they fun, but they support your area's artists, dancers, actors, and talent. I'm actually kind of sad I missed a local production of the Dracula ballet (there are actually several versions of the Dracula ballet which can be found on YouTube). 

This weekend, I had a couple of friends over for my first holiday bunch! 

It was so much fun and I may have gone a little overboard while cooking (there are tons of leftovers). The Wassail I made was a particularly big hit, as was the pumpkin cake and mocktail I came up with on the spot (a scoop of cranberry relish, some pomegranates, and pomegranate bubbly water in Champaign glasses - the full thing will be in my food blog). Christmas music played in the background (okay it was the Nutcracker) and I had a roaring fire in the fireplace. Lights are strung up all over and my tiny tree is fully trimmed. 

Yesterday, I spent the whole day cooking and cleaning my apartment. I found the cleaning therapeutic and helped me feel like I was sweeping out the old year. I even took time to wrap up all the presents. It's hard to believe Christmas is in less than a week and New Years is in less than two. 

Over the next couple weeks, things will be quiet. The only major event I'll be attending is a driver through light display. I went last year with my dad and it was the only request he had this year to do during the season. Maybe I'll also take a day trip into DC to see the train display at the outdoor botanical gardens and the Congressional ("People's") tree.

2021 was a long year that somehow felt very short. It was eventful and at the same time very boring. My hope is for some peace and stability. Though I hope to travel again soon, I'd much rather know that people are safe and my cat can curl up on my head whenever she feels like it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. May you all have a nice rest, a little peace, and lots of fun memories. 

Good bye 2021.

Welcome 2022. 

If you enjoyed this post (or if really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Pit Falls of Data

 I recently finished a book about data - the collection, visualization, and future of its uses. Data is everywhere and used for a lot of things. I've worked with data in some form or another throughout my entire career (so far). 

This book is called "Living in Data" by Jer Thorp. In the book, Thorp details his many adventures around the world collecting data (including several trips to Africa and National Parks in America), working on new ways to visualize data (including a theater company in London who put on a performance using rice to explain populations around the world), and how who controls data also controls a lot of power. 

That last part isn't meant to scare you guys so much as emphasize the importance and dangers of data collection.

Thorp has had an amazing career collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data. Part of me wishes I could go on the same adventures to collect data (though I don't know how I would have handled seeing hippopotamuses in real life - they are scary). Thorp famously helped create the design for the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City. He designed a formula to make sure that the names of people who lost their lives were near their friends and/or family. 

However, much of this book focuses on the future of data and the people who are collecting it.

Most of us are already familiar with how social media sites have been tracking us for years, collecting so much data on use that they've managed to personalize our ads. Every few years there's a story that floats around the Internet about a man receiving coupons from a big box store for baby clothes and diapers. The man goes to the store in a huff - demanding to know why his family is getting this targeted ad campaign when they don't have little kids (they have teenagers). The store apologized for the mix up and says it won't happen again. Then, a few days later the man returns to the store to apologize for getting angry. Apparently his teenage daughter is expecting a baby. The store used the data they had collected on the family to anticipate the family's future buying needs and exposed the fact that a teenager was pregnant. 

Creeped out?

Though most targeted ad campaigns are quite that good, it's no secret that companies are collecting a lot of data on people...and making a lot of money while doing it. 

Whoever said data is the new crude oil wasn't kidding. 

And while there's lot of data being collected, there's some that purposefully not being collected. Knowledge is power and when that knowledge is squashed or withheld, it can lead to a suppression of power. Thorp goes in to a great deal of detail about how certain data sets have been prevented from being collected because the people in power don't want the knowledge to get out. Additionally, not having access to data that is being collected is another hurdle. Just because data exists doesn't mean that the average person can access it, analyze it, or publish it. Data sets can cost money (see previous statement about getting rich off data), be difficult to understand if the methodology isn't obvious, and possibly manipulated to the point where it becomes meaningless. 

However, even with access to data, there are dangers of releasing it. Many countries in Africa won't allow the release of migration data on elephants. Why? Because poachers might use it to track down and kill the elephants being tracked.

Data is dangerous when it's known and when it's unknown. 

So how do we balance this dichotomy?

Thorp doesn't offer any solutions...and to be honest, neither can I. I have always preferred having access to more data than less, but I also understand how data can be overwhelming (especially to non-math people) and nonsensical if it doesn't tell a good story.  

Data has become a tool for wealth can power. What can we do about it? Who gets to decide how it's accessed? How should it be analyzed?

I don't know and neither does Thorp. 

However, I do think pressure is mounting on governments to do something - such as regulating the collection (it's already in place for children - kind of) and mitigating targeted advertising. Our lives are so intertwined with the companies that collect our data that it's difficult to separate ourselves without leaving society at large. 

Like many of our modern problems, the solutions won't be easy and we'll be up against people who don't want to see change. 

But that's why we need to keep learning about what is going on and how the world is interconnected. 

I hope I didn't scare you with this post. My goal is to inform and give a book recommendation. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to December 2021

All I did was blink and suddenly it’s the end of 2021. 

As we are in the middle of the holiday season, I hope all of my readers (yes that includes you) are doing well. It’s the second year we face spending the season with the shadow of the pandemic hovering over us. 

Very random snowmen decorations along a wooded path near my home.

2021 has been a hard year…and it seems to keep getting harder. 

My greatest wish this holiday season is for a period of stability and peace in my life - something I haven’t really had since the end of 2018. Things have been rough. I thought 2020 would be the worst, but I took a (figurative) beating in 2021. I don’t even want to speculate about 2022.

My hope is that the season brings a little more kindness, especially to those in need. That we are all able to celebrate the good things and don’t dwell on the negative. May joy and love be spread.

Some of us get “blue” at this time of year. I tend to be one of those people. It could be because it’s dark outside and I get less vitamin D, it could be the forced upon cheer from every angle, or it could be perhaps that my shoes are too tight.

Don’t worry, I’m not planning on stealing Christmas or Hanukkah. 

Times have been hard and it’s not clear when they’ll get easier (or if they’ll ever get easier). What I can do for me is to be kinder to myself. The same can go for you. If you haven’t put up any decorations yet, that’s okay. I didn’t get my tree up until today (and some of my decorations have already fallen from where I hung them up yesterday).

If you can get out of your house or apartment, do so. I’m still going on daily walks and making plans for outings that will cheer me up. I’ve found a community performance of the Nutcracker to go to with a friend and a holiday lights show to drive through. These things are small, but they give me something to look forward to.

2021 has felt like an extension to 2020. So much has happened and the pandemic feels never ending. Money is tight, the job market weird (yes that’s the word I’m choosing), and politics (at least in the US) are driving me insane.

Maybe a little holiday season is what we all need.

Remember to check in with yourself. Sometimes small things are just as grand as big ones. Give yourself things to look forward to. And be kind.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Street Art of Detroit

If there’s one type of art that I can’t seem to get enough of, it’s street art.

I first gained an appreciation for street art in Reykjavik. Everywhere I looked I spotted different works of art - many of which had a social or political message.

Now when I go to a major (or even minor) city, I keep an eye out for the street art. New York naturally has fantastic street art and DC has started to get more in the residential parts of the city. I’ve even seen some nice murals in Anne Arbor.

However, my favorite place to see street art is around the Eastern Market neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit has a lot of amazing street art, but the art in Eastern Market holds a special place in my heart. Most of the art is done in large murals on the buildings. Some of the art is used to advertise local businesses, while others highlight the the produce that can be found within the three buildings housing the Eastern Market farmer’s market (try saying that three times fast).

Within the market itself are a few samples of street art as well. The last building has a large mural over the exit doors, opposite the community kitchen. Another area that has art featuring clocks (of all things) is on a small shack that holds a shoe repair shop.

A lot of the art in the area has little to do with the businesses in the area and instead demonstrates the unique culture that makes Detroit special. These street art murals often have fantastical or abstract elements, bold color statements, and eye catching designs. I have no idea how often the murals are freshened up or changed because they always look like they weren’t up the day before.

Detroit’s street art is everywhere. As soon as you take the exit off the highway, you’ll be able to spot three or four murals off the ramp. Some of these gorgeous works of art go by so fast, it’s hard to fully appreciate them (let alone snap a picture). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to record all of the murals I spotted (including some of my favorites), but I hope someone is documenting them.

Street art is a reflection of an community’s culture. Artists paint what they feel about the world around them. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the majority of murals in Detroit feature Black people and Black culture. Detroit has a majority Black population and the street art reflects that.

I get very sad (and sometimes a little angry) when people speak badly of Detroit. Yes, the city has its problems (what city doesn’t). However, Detroit has one of the most vibrant art cultures I’ve gotten to see (I prefer Detroit’s street art to New York’s). The city is slowly reinventing itself. Some of the current best things about Detroit are the art, food, music, and people. 

My mom lives in the Detroit metropolitan area and says that walking tours have started in different parts of the city to view the many different murals. I think this is a brilliant idea and one more cities should implement. 

I don’t know what the future of street art is. In (my) perfect world, street art would be celebrated and toured like the paintings and sculptures in museums. Outdoor walking tours would allow for stops at local restaurants and possibly incentivize local governments to make cities more pedestrian or bicycle friendly. Investment in public art might lead to investment in communities (though gentrification would need to be nipped in the bud), which would hopefully lead to a better living environment and happier people.

Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite street art, why don’t you guys share some of yours. Let me know where you’ve seen some of your favorite street art.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Welcome to a Quick Word About DC Culture

Washington DC (really it’s just DC, only tourists call it Washington) gives the general appearance of stuffy suits, Greco-Roman buildings, and pompous politicians. 

But that’s only one part of DC. Despite what the media might have you think, DC isn’t just alphabet soup government buildings, lobbyists, and free museums (that’s right I said free). We do have culture. Go-go was created in DC in the 1970s, there’s tons of amazing street art once you walk five blocks north of the mall, and our food trucks (the ones that serve the federal workers and business people not the ones on the mall) are fantastic.

November isn’t a huge time for tourists. In fact, it’s the start of our slow season that goes until about mid-March. Though there’s still a lot to do during the holidays, we’re no LA or New York. Most of the people out and about are locals to the city and surrounding DMV area (DMV = DC, Maryland, and Virginia).

This weekend there was a large Día de los Muertos event on 3rd Street off the Mall and a Christmas Market at the Czech Embassy. More Christmas and other Holiday related events will start to go up in the coming weeks. My favorite is always the train display at the National Botanical Gardens. The main building is closed right now, but the outdoor gardens are free for everyone to walk through and they have a cool display set up with different farms around the world.

Speaking of Christmas, we have Christmas markets in different parts of the city. The big one that I’ve seen is located near the Portrait Gallery near our (admittedly tiny) Chinatown. Other markets can be found in Van Ness, Dupont, and the National Zoo.

I would never have known about the DC food trucks if I hadn’t worked in DC for a summer. My office was located near L’Enfant Plaza (about 3 or 4 blocks south of the Mall) and every day around 10:30am the  food trucks would be lined up waiting for everyone to file out for lunch. I had an app and everything that let me track which food truck would be where.

Speaking of DC food, soul food (including several vegan restaurants primarily located in the Shaw neighborhood) is popular in the city and, if you like seafood, the DC Wharf is a great place to try Chesapeake blue crabs. However, if you want to see where the politicians eat when they don’t stick to their cafeterias, check out the restaurants to the South East. Bullfeathers in particular is a known spot to see Lobbyists outside of K street.

Historically, our LGBTQ+ community was centered in Dupont circle. The High Heel Drag Queen Race continues to be held the Tuesday before Halloween. Unfortunately, gentrification has change a lot of Dupont - as well as many other parts of the city (*cough* South East *cough*) and a lot of the legacy LGBTQ+ community is having to move elsewhere.

Yeah, that’s one sad thing about DC: gentrification and corporatization. 

I mentioned earlier out tiny Chinatown. It used to be a lot bigger than one and a half streets with the rest taken up by the Capitol One Center and chains with Chinese letters on the buildings. However, the restaurants there are really good and they do host a lunar new year celebration. The arch is also very pretty to see - especially at night. Plus there’s a lot more street art in the Chinatown area that’s fun to spot.

Speaking of night time fun, DC has tons of nightclubs. As I said earlier, Dupont has historically been a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community and that includes their nightclubs. There’s also a fair few in the downtown area (though you might have to fight for space between the George Washington (GW) students in Foggy Bottom).

There’s also Georgetown if you want fancy shopping, food, and even more pretentious college students. Georgetown is pretty and does have a great selection of places to eat (Georgetown Cupcakes anyone?). But it is a pain to find parking and there’s limited public transit options.

You can also check out Adams Morgan for their colorful art community. In the 1960s, Adams Morgan was the home of the (then) “radical left” and colorful Victorian homes. They have a cultural trail that you can walk through the neighborhood. It was where my child self most wanted to live.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Pentagon City, Crystal City, and Olde Town Alexandria. Though not technically part of DC, prior to the civil war they did fit nicely into the originally designed square for the city. The history of why they broke apart is not something I will be explaining now (but it had a lot to do with slavery), but it’s hard to leave them out of DC culture. Olde Town Alexandria also has a great food scene, but the coolest thing is the old Torpedo Factory that was turned into an artist enclave. The only downside is that the area tends to flood with even just a suggestion of heavy rain. Pentagon City has been built up a lot since I was a kid (plus Amazon is moving in *boo hiss*), but they’ve managed to keep their parks in great condition. Crystal City has somehow managed to keep its street art and food scene in tact. The best part of Crystal City is 23rd Street off Eads Street. That’s where all the restaurants and bars are.

Bethesda would be the Maryland equivalent. They also have great restaurants. Honestly, I sometimes am unsure where DC ends and Bethesda begins because there is so much overlap.

So next time you plan a trip to DC, try going in our off season. There’s still plenty to do and free monuments and museums to see. We’re not all politicians or political activists. DC has culture - it’s just off the beaten path.

I’m also sure that people from DC might read this post and tell me I forgot about including x, y, and/or z. They’re most likely right. This post is a “quick word” about DC culture and there’s a lot there that I didn’t cover. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to a Happy Halloween

 Today was quiet. Once again, not one trick or treaters at my apartment complex, but I could hear them the next street over. That’s okay because I still had a great Halloween.

I started with a pumpkin chocolate muffin with pumpkin butter and finishing my Halloween cross stitch project. I hung them up with care in one of my doorways.

I sent out texts to all of my friends and family I have in my phone’s address book wishing them a Happy Halloween. Most texted back and a few called. Pictures of younger family members were shared and my cousin managed to get her dog into a Harley Quinn outfit.

I had a lunch of pumpkin empanadas and watched The Haunting, then went for a walk to a small lake shopping center.

While enjoying a pretzel and hops tea at the local micro brewery, a man set up some music and his kids (dressed as Michael Jackson) danced to the joy of everyone at each of the restaurants. At about 2:30, a group of witches on paddle boards, kayaks, and a pontoon boat paraded into the docking area. A few of the witches had kids and dogs on their paddle boats. There was even a skeleton with a small graveyard on his board.

I then wandered a bit.

I spotted a fox sunning himself on a neighbor’s yard. I danced among some falling leaves on the wooded trail. I also pet several very fluffy dogs.

I returned home nearly two hours later to carve my first pumpkin in nearly a decade. I chose a sun and moon combo to represent the changing of the seasons. I had Over the Garden Wall on while I scooped the pumpkin’s guts out and drew the design on its face. 

My apartment filled with the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg as my soul cookies baked and I lit some pumpkin spice candles. I ate a silent dinner with the spirits on my balcony and wished a family dressed as black cats a “Happy Halloween”.

I rounded out the night with a pumpkin spice bath (with a bath bomb and haunted scented soap) to get ready for my spell casting. A good witch knows how to harness the wonderful energy of Halloween to work their magic. I built a fire and cast some bay leaves with wishes into the flames. The universe will hear me and guide me.

The cat especially loves the fire.

I plan on ending the night with some spiced hot apple cider and a tarot reading. Overall a simple, relaxing, and my kind of Halloween. 

I hope you all have a fun night, stay safe, and have a spooky time. This season passed by fast (though part of that might have been because I was deeply depressed for part of it). Know that how you celebrate during this time of year is up to you. Go to parties, commune with the dead, or watch some scary movies.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Pokémon Snap

 So...

I haven't been in a good place mentally for a few months. My mental health went from standard passable to I can barely function as a human being over the span of a month. 

Thankfully, I have loving and supporting people in my life to help me out. I also have a doctor who listened to my concerns and took them seriously. 

Needless to say, I'm getting better, but it's a slow process. 

This weekend, my friend came over and brought her Nintendo Switch. She brought an array of games that were meant to be soothing and relaxing. I picked Pokémon Snap.

Pokémon Snap is a nostalgic game. Though I didn't have a Nintendo 64 growing up, plenty of my friends did. We'd spend hours going head to head in Mario Cart and Smash Bros or trading off playing Mario 64, Golden Eye, and Pokémon Snap. I remember you could go to the local Blockbuster and print out your Pokémon Snap pictures (I was, sadly, never able to).

Pokémon Snap stands out as one of the best games on the Nintendo 64 (definitely in my top 5). It was only in my 20s that I ended up with a copy and a Nintendo 64 of my own. It's a relaxing game where you take pictures of Pokémon. There's some plot and secrets you need to unlock in order to "beat" the game, but for the most part, the objective is to throw "apples" (that's not what they're called, but it's what they look like), play the flute, throw smoke balls, and take pictures. You get points for how "awesome" your pictures are - it's some kind of internal algorithm that can drive you batty if you think too hard about it.

Some of my favorite moments in the original Pokémon Snap include creating a zombie army of charmanders, knocking down metapods to block your path in the river course to extend your time, bopping a bulbasaur on the head with a smoke ball only for it to turn into a ditto, and, of course, surfing pikachu. 

The only downside is that Professor Oak in the game is a total jerk if you don't get the best picture. He won't even finish rating the photo if there's one thing off with it. It's quite infuriating after spending hours trying to get pikachu to pose just right on the surfboard only for the little guy to not be dead center in the frame. Can't have that.

This brings me to the new Pokémon Snap.

It's amazing.

When we first logged on, new places had shown up on the map - so more updates and unlockable items are still coming. Some courses have both a day and night mode or multiple tracks you can take to see different pokémon. Each new unlocked level for a course shows the pokémon doing different things and hanging out in different places. In Level 1 of a course, Koffing might be hiding in one corner of the screen, but by Level 2 he's flying around blowing noxious gas all over the place. New pokémon show up all the time. We even managed to unlock a new season in one course without knowing that that was a possibility.

There's a lot of play back opportunity for this latest Pokémon Snap. Now instead of only taking one photo per pokémon, you need to find four photos based on a star system. You get more stars based on the position and actions of the pokémon you get pictures of. There are also optional requested photos Professor Mirror (the new Oak - don't know why they got rid of the tree names) and his assistants ask for. 

Todd is all grown up. He was the protagonist of the original game. Now, you can create your own avatar to navigate and take pictures. It still takes a little getting used to the controls, but once you do, it's fun to catch pokémon at their craziest!

The picture reviewing mechanic in this game is fantastic!

Gone is Professor Oak's grumpy grumblings about not getting the pokémon in just the right location. Instead we have the overwhelmingly positive Professor Mirror and his young assistants Rita and Phil. Rite, Phil, and Todd all pop up occasionally to tell you how awesome your photography skills are. Professor Mirror is equally positive and encouraging while judging your photos.

Playing this game is a huge kick to the dopamine. It's positive, relaxing, and soothing. I don't stress about not getting a perfect shot and am delightfully surprised by new unlockable places and items. I think my favorite was when I accidently discovered that you could get the season spring in the elsewhere forest level. It was so pretty!

This game is one of the best I've played in a long time. My only question is why Nintendo and the Pokémon creators took so long to make a second game (it's been over two decades!). If you have the Nintendo Switch, I can't recommend this game enough.

I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I have.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.