Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art -- Take 2

I got through Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art quickly.  It was fascinating reading.  It's funny to think that this thing we're doing so many times a day we are doing so totally wrong.  But it appears that we are.

***SPOILER ALERT***  The gist of the instructions are to breath through your nose, five full inhales and exhales per minute (5.5 seconds in, 5.5 seconds out), and when you breath out, make sure to get a full exhale.  All that air that hides out in the bottom of your lungs and doesn't usually get exhaled?  Make sure to exhale it.

There are lots of other breathing secrets too, that are contrary to the above general instructions: sometimes you breath faster, sometimes take shallow breaths, sometimes mix it up.

There was interesting science in two areas in particular, I thought.  First, was the science behind the carbon dioxide-oxygen exchange that occurs in your blood while you are breathing.  It is actually the carbon dioxide that causes the hemoglobin in your blood to release the oxygen molecules that your blood cells are carrying around your body.  Carbon dioxide also causes your blood vessels to dilate, improving blood flow to high-CO2 areas.  So, somewhat surprisingly, the more CO2 you have in your blood, the more body can maximize delivery and and efficiently process oxygen molecules.  So that's neat.

The other thing I didn't know anything about was how important the act of chewing is to controlling your breathing (especially limiting obstructions to the airways), and underscoring that, how much chewing helps promote the growth and development of bones in your face.

I did find that James Nestor took a few liberties with the science, leaping from a scientific study or theory to his own agenda, without thoroughly connecting the two ideas together.  Regardless, 5,000 years' and dozens of cultures' breathing traditions probably aren't wrong, are they?

Happy Birthday, S!

What I'm Reading Now -- Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Having finished the long-overdue At Ease, I am on to a book that is not part of my 2021 Reading Challenge.  Why, a person my ask, am I interrupting my already challenging reading year to insert a book that doesn't meet any of my categories?  Because it's a postal book club book, of course!

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art could qualify in the April category of my Reading Challenge if I had not already read Stiff.  Alas, I have, so I suppose my postal book club book is just going to be considered good, old-fashioned, recreational reading.

Thanks to E for what is starting out as an intriguing read!

At Ease: Stories I Tell To Friends -- Take 2

I liked At Ease.  I expected it to be historically interesting and broad (especially given the number of pages), but I didn't expect it to be funny.

It's a collection of stories, not contiguous -- especially in the earlier parts of his life -- but told chronologically.  Eisenhower is an interesting fellow.  He is undoubtedly accomplished; if a person were to think of all the positions he held independent of one another, it's hard to believe they all fit into one lifetime.  But to read these stories, the accomplishments seem to flow quite logically from one to the next.  Of course he was selected to be Supreme Allied Commander, he had done so well at his prior tasks, beginning in World War I, especially with decommissioning, followed by work around the world including the Philippines.  Who better to be Supreme Allied Commander?  And then who better to be Chief of Staff?  Tasked with putting together the NATO alliances? And of course why not President of Columbia University, somewhere in the middle of all that too?

The book stops before he becomes President of the United States, and he's also careful to say a couple of times that there is a separate military history written about World War II, and for the military details the reader should refer to that.

Overall, this one was a winner.  And, having completed it, I have now also ticked the January book off my 2021 Reading Challenge.  A little late, eh?  I did say that I could read them out of order, but by any measure, I am behind schedule.  Even though this was the book I got stuck on, it was not this book's fault at all.  When I got to reading it, it went quickly.

Goals 2021 -- September Edition

It's Labor Day.  To all the laborers out there, enjoy your day!

I'm enjoying a break in work right now myself.  It was a bit of a crazy last six weeks, but starting mid-August I got good news about a break coming up.  It took a week or two to get out of the fog, but now I am out!  We'll see how long it lasts.  For the time being, I'm enjoying.

S and I took a most impromptu trip out to Arizona to visit some folks we have out there. It was a lovely trip, despite the temperature.  Arizona in summer is HOT! I had to get out first thing in the morning to go running, and even then I was drenched in sweat.  I thought there was supposed to be no humidity out there, but 25% is plenty when it's 100 degrees outside to be completely soaked after a few miles. We also had the pool at our disposal, so that was helpful through the afternoon and evening hours of sunshine.

How about a September goal? Even though I've missed several months, I haven't forgotten that my theme this year is Adding a Little Fun.  This month, now that the temps are down a bit, I am going to get back to the great outdoors.  Does this sound familiar to one of my goals from this spring?  Yes, it does.  But I love being outside, so (especially when the weather is nice) let's make a habit of it!

Goals 2021 -- June Recap

Has anyone noticed that it's not June anymore?  And yet, here I am, recapping my June goal.  How did this happen?

Usual answer.  Work.

Here's the good news about the June goal: I did it!  I planned a vacation!  It was a short one -- a long weekend -- but it was a bit complicated.  We went from home out to California for a friend's wedding.  That involved flying into Sacramento, renting a car, booking a hotel on night 1, driving to a farm in the central valley, partying, camping on night 2, and driving back to the airport.  From there we flew to Albuquerque, where we borrowed a car and camper.  We drove up to Taos to visit some folks, shopped, ate, found some good breweries, drove back to Albuquerque, returned the car and camper, stayed in another hotel, and made it to the airport early in the morning.  Then, home.

So, even though there were some rough spots, administratively it was a shockingly smooth trip!

Goals 2021 -- June Edition

Is it too late to make a June goal?  We're only a week into the month....

My lovely sisters came to visit me last weekend, and we has a spectacular time.  So that was very helpful to the overall goal of Adding a Little Fun, but I suppose something in the past doesn't really count, does it?  (Besides, technically that was in May.)

So, how about planning a vacation?  I love traveling, and back when I did my own travel planning, I got nearly as much enjoyment out of the planning and the anticipation as I did out of the travel itself.  S is such a good planner (and I've been so busy lately) that now he does most of our planning.  But this month, I will take up the planning mantle again and put together the details a vacation!

Quote of the Day

"I'm almost resigned to living on what I can earn." 

  -- Anthony Dawson as Charles Swann, Dial M for Murder

Goals 2021 -- April and May Recap

Have you wondered where I have been for the last month?  Me too.  Have you wondered why I didn't have a May goal?  Me too.  Things got crazy at work, and then all that craziness trickled down into my daily life and consequently I haven't blogged in over a month!  Lots has happened in the meantime (more on that later).

So for now, about my goals:

- Mountain biking - this one was a fail.  It was a mix of the spring rain and needing every free minute of the weekend to catch up on what I didn't get done during the week.
- Dining al fresco - success.  Another combo here, but this time a helpful one: vaccine effectiveness and the warmer weather.  I have been out for a few meals, and have had some cocktails out on my own front porch.  Quite lovely!
- Reading in the fresh air - working is reading, right?  Does that count?  I did a lot of work out on the front porch during the nice weather, until the pollen chased me back inside.  We seem to be past the worst of it, so as long as the temperatures aren't too high, I may try to get back out there again!
- Getting the remainder of my gardens planted - done.

The whole work overload issue made these months less fun than I hoped.  It's a shame when some of the nicest weather of the year passes you by because you're stuck in front of a computer.  But, I did manage to make the most of it even under those unfortunate conditions.

What I'm Reading Now -- At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends

Much to my own surprise, I'm on the the fifth book in my 2021 Reading Challenge!  The latest selection is At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends, which is the January selection, a book by someone famous for something other than writing.  (Remember, one of my personal rules is that I don't have to read them in order).

It's a hefty book.  I wasn't sure I would want to go back to a massive presidential tome after the approximately five years and three attempts that it took me to get through Truman.  Nevertheless, here I am.  Maybe my affinity for reading historical tomes, lost during all the dull reading of law school, is finally making a comeback!

So far I have read the "Warning to the Reader" and about a page and a half of the forward, and it looks promising.  I like his style.  Hopefully it keeps up throughout.