Thursday, June 30, 2016

June retroblogging

Okay, so I have prescheduled this post and committed to automatically posting it at the end of the month. Woohoo!


This post's themeword is meed, "reward, recompense, wage." I receive no meed for blogging, hence my intermittent consistency.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Extremely first-world, privileged problem

Nothing comes out perfectly round in practice; observe, my residence in Paris will not be a number of months divisible by 12. Thus, my gym membership has run out, and I will be here for only ~2 more months. Renewing for a full year is unreasonably expensive when amortized over 2 months; paying per-entry is unreasonably expensive at 25€/day multiplied by my 5-6 day/week gym habit.

What to do?

It's summer, so of course I could just switch to outside/no-equipment exercising, but I find this dissatisfying and it also means zero swimming during the peak heat-relieving swimming months.

On the other hand, I live in a big city and there are many gyms. Most offer a one-time-only free pass (as an incentive to lure people to subscribe), so perhaps I can string together enough free gym visits, interspersed with 25€/day visits and swimming at public pools and running outside, to meet my needs without using up my budget for food and rent.

Problems of privilege --- irritating, but I'm glad that this is the kind of worry my brain has leisure to contemplate.


This post's theme word is sook, "a timid or cowardly person, a crybaby." Ignore that overprivileged sook, visibly-bulging triceps are SO last season.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

A problem of translation

Can you spot it?
Yes, I realize this is an instance of "translated to preserve the sense", but I am amused to think that the literal translation of "Paris" is "New York". Just tickled pink.


This post's theme word is syncope, "the shortening of a word by omission of sounds or letters from its middle. (For example, did not to didn't or Worcester to Wooster)" or "fainting caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain." I saw such an extreme translational syncope that I succumbed to a medical syncope.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Overheard

"I thought that dessert was pretentious, and it couldn't decide what it was."
"I thought that comment was pretentious."

This eavesdropper gives the exchange 5 stars. Would overhear again!


This post's theme word is bombilate, "to make a humming or buzzing noise."

Friday, June 10, 2016

National Museum of the American Indian

The exterior of the National Museum of the American Indian is a very appealing textured series of waves, spun to be vertical walls.

 There were many displays inside the museum that were aesthetically appealing, historically interesting, and truly shame-inducing (at least for me, inheritor of the benefits of many atrocities). While I was there, there was a choral group performing music in the atrium, which reaches up all floors of the building around the central open area; it was ethereal and gorgeous.

Some of the animal representations were in a stark line-style that I really like:
 It reminds me of the art style of Patapon.

The cafeteria at this museum was good! I recommend it for those assembling a National Mall itinerary.


This post's theme word is metanoia (n), "a profound transformation in one's outlook." The museum exhibits are carefully constructed to persuade visitors to a certain metanoia.