Grab Bag vol. 1
***Published November 2023 on my website, transitioning to newsletter archives***
My latest podcast deep dive has been a series called The Big Dig, which is about a massive infrastructure project called, you guessed it, the Big Dig, in Boston. This might be a sign that I’m ready to return to work on public realm projects, or maybe it’s just a well produced podcast. I recommend it, wherever you get your podcasts. It’s got political intrigue, suspense, and a true villain of cost overruns and change orders - though maybe working in the architectural/construction industry has impacted the relatability here. In fact, another big player in this is the Bechtel Corporation; the architectural engineering computer lab at my university is called the Bechtel Lab, so I have some pretty specific trauma related to that name (2 am in Bechtel was never a good night!)
It’s time for the annual Comedy Wildlife Photo Contest! I think my favorite is the shrugging dragonfly, but there are many excellent contenders.
It’s the year 2023, and April is discovering the lost art of Blogs. One that I check periodically is written by Clare Gallagher, an elite ultrarunner who has eschewed most forms of social media. She recently wrote about her experience with injury and the ongoing recovery, and I like what she had to say about the things she misses most in recovery:
“It’s the intimate moments with a best friend on a weekday run. It’s the physical joy of one foot flying past another, again and again and again. Covering dirt and distance with my body. Smelling the seasons. Feeling sweat build on my forehead and buttcrack. Seeing the morning alpenglow on the Flatirons before the sun crests the Eastern horizon. Becoming a part of the environment that I so often forget that I always am a part of.”
On the topic of running, I had a goal of running 50 miles in one day this year, and I made it happen this October. Or, more accurately, my running buddies made it happen by sharing miles with me, meeting me to provide water refills and snacks, and playing “The Final Countdown” at mile 49 on a dark bike path at 8pm (I’m looking at you, Christina). It was hard and I’m sure I’ll write about it in more detail one of these days, but my body did better than I thought it would and I’m trying to make a point to be outwardly thankful of that.
I’m currently visiting friends in Albuquerque, so above is a picture of their cat with many toes.
Cheers,
April
Photography and more at www.fixedinflux.com