Althouse: The forest at 5:38 a.m.

May 19, 2023

The forest at 5:38 a.m.

20 comments:

Dave Begley said...: Wild screaming and chanting in the NE Rotunda today. Trans and abortion bills up for vote.

State senators crying and chanting on the mic.; 5/19/23, 2:35 PM
Dave Begley said...: At 2:40 pm CDT, screaming by the Left from the NE Unicam balcony. Balcony cleared.

Total meltdown.; 5/19/23, 2:42 PM
Dave Begley said...: Trans bill passes. Abortion bill at 12 weeks passes.; 5/19/23, 4:20 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Check what's too controversial to stay up on r/UnpopularOpinion :

"Gyms should have a no-filming policy."

Bruv...; 5/19/23, 4:59 PM
rhhardin said...: Don't miss Loury and McWhorter with guest Mark Goldblatt, a weekly stream censored and removed by YouTube for hate speech, that showed a remarkable lack of hate. Relocated to (free) substack
What Is Woke; 5/19/23, 5:09 PM
Nancy said...: That much light?; 5/19/23, 5:16 PM
wild chicken said...: It would be funny if (when) all these states' abortion bills wind up at SCOTUS if abortion was legalized again by some new rationale.; 5/19/23, 5:33 PM
rhhardin said...: Rats, the 2022 Operation Mincemeat stars Colin Firth. I don't like Colin Firth, who always strikes me as a bad version of somebody better.; 5/19/23, 5:52 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Down in GA, 5:38 is almost total darkness.; 5/19/23, 5:53 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: I'm now subscribing to Loury's (free) Substack. Thanks.; 5/19/23, 5:56 PM
farmgirl said...: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr8905E5TAk

Canada’s cottoning on.
Once you’ve lost Canada…; 5/19/23, 6:05 PM
dreams said...: Kangaroo Kids The Movie, filming in Hart County, KY.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092557233111; 5/19/23, 6:22 PM
Old and slow said...: A few days ago someone commented to the effect of "If you love running, you really just love the endorphins that are released to fight the pain of running" as though this was a trenchant criticism of anyone who "loved running" (he put it in quotes...).

Well I was thinking about this comment yesterday, while I was out running naturally enough. I have always thought the notion of a "runners high" was a load of bullshit. It is typical of bad sports science. But, of course, there is a great deal of satisfaction to be had from running, so I carried on thinking about it while I ran. (And pondering things at length is one of the great pleasures of running). I realized that every human emotion or subjective feeling is actually, at its simplest level, just biochemistry. Love, hate, anger, satisfaction: all of these feelings can be reduced to chemical reactions. Whether or not chemistry is the full explanation is another matter, but as much as the runner's high is chemical, so are these feelings. So if you know of a simple activity like running that results in a huge increase in personal satisfaction, and makes you fit and strong, and live longer, wouldn't you be a fool not to do it?

I would also add that another huge benefit of running, and really the part that appeals to me, is the learned ability to suffer prolonged moderate discomfort in the service of a greater goal. Human beings have evolved to struggle and suffer in order to survive and prosper. If a person makes ease and comfort a goal of their life, they will be less than they could have been, both physically and mentally.

I do love running, but it is always hard to some degree. By the way, I'm only slow compared to people who are actually fast. Compared to other old guys, I do OK.; 5/19/23, 6:49 PM
iowan2 said...: Lots of your photos are good. But there is something about this one that really talks to me. Must be the lighting and shadows. Something from one of the masters hanging in a museum, with people standing on line for hours to capture a glance.; 5/19/23, 7:39 PM
Breezy said...: Light rain for our walk on the beach today. It’s almost better when there’s a bit of weather to deal with. The pups are stoked when they can be off-leash because no one else dares to be out there, and the cloudy backdrop adds a good amount of drama. Almost like we’re doing something unimaginable. But, of course, we’re not.; 5/19/23, 8:00 PM
Money Manger said...: After a rigorous afternoon run and a quick shower, then comes the unparalleled pleasure of the first few gulps of a good cold pils from a frosted glass. That is why I run.; 5/20/23, 1:27 AM
LibertarianLeisure said...: Spring flowering, trees, bushes...finally here at least. Read today an article ' Why Birds and Their Sings are Good For Our Mental Health' in the Washington Post. I have been shutting off my my phone for a day at a time and so, because of doing that, was free to just read. I read 'The Lincoln Highway ' in two sittings. Ending, only halfway good. Great dialogue, albeit punctuation drive me crazy, I must say. No quotes, only dashes throughout the entire book. Not an impediment when the chapter has the person's name and content is theirs but in the introduction, I kept thinking, 'who is speaking now?'; 5/20/23, 2:16 AM
Narayanan said...: so much light already even under canopy???
is still pretty dark in TX now!; 5/20/23, 6:15 AM
tim maguire said...: Lem the misspeller said...Check what's too controversial to stay up on r/UnpopularOpinion :

"Gyms should have a no-filming policy."

Any explanation why? I disagree with it (the people I see filming at the gym are filming themselves; it’s not just about social media, it’s a useful tool to analyze your form). Still, why would it be deemed controversial to worry about showing up in someone else’s video?; 5/20/23, 6:26 AM
Owen said...: Do you get much poison ivy and cat-claw briars there? In CT it competes strongly with fern.; 5/20/23, 8:43 AM