One Life / Earth Day

As someone who works in the environmental space, I thought that taking the week of Earth Day and choosing a documentary that features the commonality, and really, when it comes down to it, the magical similarities across different species was an appropriate selection for last night. This preview has no spoken words. It pretty much doesn't need any.

Information Bias

The instinctual shortcut that we take when we have "too much information" is to engage with it selectively, picking out the parts we like and ignoring the remainder, making allies with those who have made the same choices and enemies of the rest.

- Nate Silver, The Signal and the Noise

Scholar

I'm not the only fan of a good book in our house by the way...

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Rounding out my recent journey through Carlos Ruiz Zafón's novels, I finished off The Angel's Game a little while ago. Of the three, I think that I might put this as the second best, with The Shadow of the Wind as the top choice. All around though, if you are looking for an engaging author who brings a sets a good gothic/mystery tone, I would recommend any of his three novels.

Amazon.com description:

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martín, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner.

Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Close to despair, David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has ever existed--a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, and perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realizes that there is a connection between his haunting book and the shadows that surround his home.

Shout out from the madness...

The last three days have been crazy: work in VA, flight home for a soccer game, score game winning goal almost at the buzzer, making flights by 10 minutes or less at multiple airports, squatting in a friend's house to take meetings as I run between airports and more. Through it all, my wife is a rock star helping me juggle impossibilities and make it look like a game of backyard catch. Easy, full of smiles, a little bit o'lemonade and just hanging in there riding the waves. This post is a simple shout out to her for helping me through the madness. Jozy is of course, excited to have you around Blades of Blue and just checking in every once in a while. 

The Snow Clásico, The Sno-Fro Game, the...

Call it what you will, this will be one of the greatest soccer games I have ever been to. Pictures do it no justice. Words fall short. The tension of the moment, the need to win, backs against the wall, weather reaching historic and unheard of thresholds...it all came together in 90 minutes with 22 men on a field, one referee who decided it was ok to play, at least 18 men with shovels to keep the lines cleared and a blizzard. It was awesome. Pictures follow after this video that shows how crazy this game was from a field level view. Wow.

Walk to the stadium.

 

Pregame - this was before it got bad.

These smiles are not fake. I had at least 6 layers on and enjoyed every minute of it.

Cutest fans in the stadium?

Snow coming off the roof.

The leftovers.

 The gang.

 Mid game!

ESPN crew. Yeah, they look uncomfortable.

Fun in the snow!