Blog - SB Hopper

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A collection of 88 posts

Requiem

Sorry for the dramatic title or subject line. I got in my car today and the classical music station was playing Mozart's Requiem. Texted some friends and told them if they hadn't listened to it in a while, they should. One friend wrote back, I think sarcastically, that he'd fire

This is going to be interesting

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This is going to be interesting

I didn't feel like cooking anything tonight, and I wasn't particularly hungry, but I knew I'd want something during the obnoxious booms. I took a gamble on a Simple Truth, plant-based, spicy veggie masala. I'm a bad gambler, and I think I'm about to lose. One bright spot - it's

Out damn spot...

It turns out I did sign up for Apple+. I blame (and thank) Chuck for the Severance recommendation. I am doing my best to spread the contagion. It's a great show. Tonight I started watching The Tragedy of MacBeth. I think MacBeth and Hamlet are neck and neck for the

Odds and Ends

The finale of Severance was intense. (No Spoilers here.) I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Our main characters had a window, of unknown length, to reflect and gain awareness about their circumstances. A window that could close at any moment. Some of their actions confused

Changes

I think we can call it Spring in Seattle. I saw people in shorts and t-shirts today. It was warm, and the shorts and t-shirts weren't unreasonable, but I've noticed that people in Seattle have an amazing ability to dress relative to the sun's presence. I haven't posted much recently.

She's so popular

My mom and I share an inside joke. I can't remember how it started, and there's no sense trying to explain it. It just won't make any sense. But here's how it plays out. I listen to a lot of 70s and 80s music, the prime years for a certain

Chow Hall Eats: Eggs and a tortilla

The other night I mentioned getting a burrito at Bimbo's (or is it Cha Cha?). Chuck replied, saying that he prefers tacos, so as to avoid the gluten. That reminded me that I would like to try cutting out gluten. Just want to give it a try. This is a

Me again

> It's nice in the sun, the shade's not fun. ~ Neighborhood mail carrier. It's been pretty chilly in Seattle. I overheard the mail carrier saying that to a neighbor. We all had a good laugh at the unintentional rhyme. I'm glad we haven't given into the awful temptation over the years

Well hello there

Well hello there

Excuse me for a moment while I dust off the cobwebs! This feels unnervingly strange. I know I've been gone for a while, but in the big scheme of things, it hasn't been that long. It feels like I'm having to re-learn the internet just to fire up this old

This interview is not over

This interview is not over

I wouldn't say I'm particularly interested in vampires. I like vampire stories, but in the same way that I like any good story. And Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire was a good story, about Vampires. I vaguely remember the film and reading the sequels. I was more interested in

A little catch up

A little catch up

I'm striking out on getting a COVID booster. A perfect storm of demand, staffing shortages, and glitchy websites. I've spent a lot of time walking to local pharmacies. It's not pleasant. The pharmacy workers across the board seem exhausted and stressed. I missed my only real chance in the past

The Irish were born for leaving...

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The Irish were born for leaving...

...otherwise the world would have no pubs. It's a line in the trailer for Belfast [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIrOIrt30kE], and I might have misquoted it. The movie looks fantastic, and I can't wait to see it. Black and white, incredible actors, and fantastic music. At least two

Seasons roll on by

I chatted with a neighbor today while a city worker took photos of his house for historical documentation. His house and the one next to it (maybe others, too) will be replaced by an 8-story apartment building. He and his wife bought the house in 1976. (Paraphrased) We've loved our

Never give your parents grief

Never give your parents grief

It's a pretty solid rain right now in Seattle. We're very close to the I'm always cold season. It doesn't matter how many layers one wears...always a little cold. I'm not complaing, at least not entirely. I can't abide excessive heat, and I believe all of us will be

An Unreliable Narrator

An Unreliable Narrator

I have been out with friends a few times the past week or two, and inevitably portions of the discussions involved COVID. I've started describing my experience with a breakthrough case as no big deal. After all, I thought my initial negative tests put me in the clear, and I'm

Here comes the rain again

It was a dark, windy, and rainy night. Sounds like we're going to get drenched here in the Pacific Northwest. Stay safe everyone! Let's hope it helps with western wildfires. I thought this was a pretty cool description from the National Weather Service [https://www.weather.gov]: > Given that this

Norwich on Caesar

John Julius Norwich never disappoints. Wikipedia describes his as a popular historian, which probably means academics wouldn't regard him highly. Who cares. I read his fantastic history of Byzantium, and I was hooked. Flipping through The Middle Sea, a History of the Mediterranean, and I read this description of Caesar.

Carthage Must Be Destroyed

Carthāgō dēlenda est. ~ Cato (via Wikipedia) The sirens beckon. I am lost in the ancient world. A re-discovery of sorts. I spent the last 6 years or so not wanting to think too much about the Middle East. I'd had enough, for a lot of reasons. Looking back I think

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Maybe a bad idea (I'm full of them)

Charles Mudede is a fantastic writer, economist, film-maker...how do people get so talented at so many things. He has an article in The Stranger about climate change [https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2021/09/02/60958535/floods-and-wildfires-show-that-climate-change-is-to-the-us-what-world-war-was-to-the-uk] that made a lot of sense to me, things I've been thinking

Some COVID observations

Clock watcher

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Don't forget the good

Muddling along in the meh zone. I'm not feeling awesome, but I'm not feeling terrible, either. If things continue like this for a few more days, I'll be grateful. It helps having friends and family who check in on you. Instant morale boost. A friend dropped off sushi, miso soup,

Next time...

I apologize for all the links of late. I'll get back to my stuff soon, but my mind has been on Afghanistan. Feel free to skip this one. I had a long talk with a friend about Afghanistan last night. We agreed that the situation was heartbreaking. We disagreed (slightly)

We'll keep doing it until we can't

I think about this scene in the Dark Knight when I think about U.S. foreign policy. Credit: Nizzinny. I think most YouTubers are cool with having their work shared like this. If not, let me know and I'll delete it.Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. I'm sure my friends' kids

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The White Lotus

I blazed through HBO's The White Lotus. It's a very dark comedy set in Hawaii. I enjoyed it, but it gets dark fast. I have some complaints, but I don't want to ruin anything. I thought the acting was great. If you've seen it, this may sound weird - it