Rough waters ahead.

Pic of the week 

So this picture doesn't really do it justice because you really just get a bunch of trail and sky, but that's the deal with the panoramic setting.  Anyway, this is the view from a local hiking spot.  The real view is more of that kind of thin strip in the middle - which is the city and the ocean.  It's been a while since I've been hiking and I had some time yesterday, so I went.  It was great!  I want to start going more.  There are some great hikes around here and it always feels so refreshing to be outside.

Quote of the week

"J/K".  More of a paraphrase than a quote, but that's essentially the sentiment felt by the LGBT+ Mormon community at BYU and elsewhere as The Church™ clarified its position on the honor code update, once again causing a lot of pain and signaling that church is not the safest place for those in this community.  Want to clarify that I have a lot of respect for The Church™ as an organization and know plenty of people who find great value in being a part of it.  But I think a church run primarily by octogenarian white men - inspired though they may be - is gonna make some mistakes.  And I think, generally speaking, the way they approach and interact with the LGBT+ community leaves room for improvement.  Especially at an institution of higher learning that is supposed to prepare its members to enter a larger society prepared to interact in healthy and appropriate ways with that larger society.  Like it or not, doctrines aside, homophobia has no place in the larger society.

What's going on?

Ya know, with Coronavirus, and Climate Change, and the very real possibility of another 4 years with a misogynistic criminal (And that's really not even liberal hyperbole.  He's a demonstrated misogynist and criminal.in the White House all looming darkly on the horizon, it's been a bit of a heavy week for yours truly.  Oddly enough, this all seemed to coalesce when I was hiking - which is generally a time when I clear my head.  Probably listening to too many podcasts.  Also, saw a post on the ol' FB (which I really should spend less time on) that Utah passed abortion bans, but rejected free lunch for pre-schoolers, so how about that for standing on moral high ground.  Reminds me of when the good Members™ of Draper rejected a shelter for women and children because, "Not in my backyard!"  I think maybe we have forgotten in our individualistic society the importance of the community, and that the community doesn't just mean the other white people in your same tax bracket.

Sorry to get so political on y'all this week, there's just a lot going on and it's been on my mind.  Facebook really is heating up with political content - which I try to avoid because it raises my blood pressure - but the few very conservative people I actually follow keep posting things that are shocking to me - not because they are surprising, but because they seem to exist in a reality with which I am not familiar.  But I guess that's how it goes.

Other than the weight of partisanship, it's been a VERY chill week.  I had a followup with my doctor and it seems my cholesterol is a tad high.  And this was from blood work they did the day I started keto, so I wasn't even doing a high-fat thing at that moment.  My doc all but recommended I go vegan - which I thought was interesting for a health-care professional.  I do miss eating a more plant-based diet. I guess once keto's over I'll need to keep a better eye on what I'm eating - which I've known for some time, I just have a really hard time saying no to dessert.  More black bean brownies and less buttercream frosting.

What I'm reading

Just want to give a second plug to my book from a couple of weeks ago - Destiny Disrupted.  I finished it this week and it was such a fascinating look at the world.  I think it's always helpful to look at things from different perspectives and going through world history from a Muslim perspective was so interesting.  I think it'd be very helpful to a lot of people to see that perspective.  So.  If you're a reader, HIGHLY recommend a look. And if you're not a reader, HIGHLY recommend the audio book.

This week I also read:

Great (and quick!) little read about the author's journey of a year of no shopping.  Meaning no buying things she didn't actually need.  I think it's good to think about that every once in a while.  We all have too much stuff so it's probably good to ask "What do I really need?" Ya know?

What I'm watching

Finally got around to watching this and it was really cute!