Chicago Pile-1

 I missed a Daily Double in Jeopardy on Friday about the first nuclear chain reaction, which occurred in 1942 at the University of Chicago and credited to Enrico Fermi (although it was a collaboration of various scientists at the time), and which kicked off the Manhattan Project which was needed to beat the Germans who had a head start in creating a nuclear bomb. "Chicago Pile-1 was the nuclear reactor that helped to change the course of history and not some "Man in the High Castle" dystopia where the Nazis and Japanese split the U.S., so pretty high stakes that everyone should know about. It could be a prequel to "Oppenheimer" if Christopher Nolan ever wants to capitalize off of 2023's co-Movie of the Year (unlikely Nolan does it) but like most science movies, it probably wouldn't go forward without some eye-catching actresses like Florence Pugh bring the sex appeal or star power like Matt Damon as Leslie Groves or Robert Downey Jr. as Levi Strauss. More embarrassing than missing the DD question was the fact I wasn't more familiar that Fermi conducted that experiment at the UofC, in my own backyard as a kid, and I distinctly remember going on a class field trip to Fermi Lab, although I don't remember anything and was probably lost in my own world of whatever kids think about. I guess I'm not the only one whom science was lost on. Unfortunately, America doesn't care about science. Science fiction? Oh please, bring on more Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Star Trek, Aliens, E.T., etc., etc., but when it comes to real science? It's the opposite of sex, it doesn't sell. 

I think part of the problem with science is that it is hard. Truly it is. Computer science is hard; engineering is hard; physics was the hardest class for me in high school and I cut out all science from my curriculum by college, even though my parents both rely on science for a living! It's much easier to explain to other people about Donald Trump or a TV show or what food tastes really good than explain equations, experiments, quasars, etc. But at least, through learning trivia (which is just barely brushing the tip about a subject), I understand the general overview of scientific developments; that's something everyone should priortize much more. Science news should be the front page of every newspaper, newsfeed, news blog, Tiktok video; if we devoted more energy and priority towards healthcare and the environment, we'd be prioritize much more resources and get a better outcome than having everything be about politics, or sports. Ah, sports, the bane of our existence but so tempting to talk about. Bread and circuses. Some movies talk a big game about prioritizing science, like "Black Panther" with using vibranium to create new scientific advances in Wakanda, but no follow through from the general populace, including me. MJ and I have been watching "Millionaire" too and geography and science questions getting a smattering of right responses in the "fastest finger" questions, but when it's about NFL QB's, EVERY SINGLE contestant got the question right. Millionaire also had a bunch of celebrity editions like "Comedians" with Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Jack Black, and "Classic TV" edition with Florence Henderson from the Brady Bunch and Sherman Hemsley from the Jeffersons, even "Supermodels" got an edition (Heidi Klum and a bunch of other very attractive ladies, perfect for television). Where are the Scientists edition or World Leaders edition? The sports stars, singers, movie stars, and most celebrities all get great reputations for just doing their jobs, but scientists like Fermi never get their due except in academic circles and world leaders are one of the most criticized groups of people, no wonder we can't get any good candidates anymore (see Hobson's choice entry). 

But guess what? Celebrities aren't celebrities forever; the 2000 classic TV version is filled with people who the young generation wouldn't even know today; Cindy Williams (Laverne and Shirley), Adam West (Batman), Valerie Bertinelli (One Day at a Time). They probably wouldn't get recognized in the street today. Science? The benefit of science is that if you do something great, they remember you forever: Galileo, Jonas Salk, Einstein, Goddard, Stephanie Kwolek (kevlar vest). Those inventions last til the end of history, and so might Fermi and Oppenheimer, for better or worse: nuclear chain reaction leading to the nuclear bomb. That effects the entire human race. Gotta know about them. 

White coat hypertension (白大衣高血压, 백의고혈압)

 Also called white coat syndrome, white coat hypertension is when a patient's blood pressure measurements are consistently higher in the doctor's office than at home. MJ experienced this yesterday during a visit to the doctor's office, where her readings were higher than the expected 120/80 (systolic/ diastolic numbers). It was a pretty stressful visit to decide our next step in fertility, so I get it....even the nurse told MJ not to be nurse, but totally understandable that patients would get nervous about upcoming procedure, or impending probe into one's body. I'm not sure how blood pressure works, but I'm pretty sure my blood pressure was high for an extended period of time when driving in traffic to get to work in L.A. (mostly pre-pandemic)... mine was probably blocked-traffic hypertension or bumper-to-bumper hypertension. Oddly, when I go to give blood, I'm pretty stressed too about it because I don't like the needle prick of the finger (step right after blood pressure is to check hemoglobin) and I don't like impending needle or multiple needles going into my arm, but my readings are fairly normal, maybe I'm just dull to it now. Luckily for me, lack of hypertension probably means I don't eat too much salt or have an unhealthy lifestyle, as those would be causes for hypertension. 

Salt.....is not talked about enough in the American health system. Sugar is a huge problem because there's just so much of it in soft drinks, beverages, orange juice, even some type of milk and coffees (a good reason NOT to add sugar to your coffee- MJ is very much a black coffee person but we do sometimes get cappucinos and lattes), but I feel like people are aware of sugar being a culprit in weight gain, unhealthy habits, they just choose to indulge in it (another reason NOT to choose to get a dessert when the waiter offers it at a fancy restaurant). I learned about another beverage the other day I didn't even know about called "Yoo-hoo," which is literally just described as a "chocolate drink," it's just chocolate and sugar and water I guess. At least they're honest. Salt feels more like a silent killer as everything in food has a lot of salt, and restaurants just dump as much salt as they can into food as long as it's tasty. MJ and I often say that certain desserts "cannot be bad" if they're like terramisu or some sort of cream, puff, have vanilla, chocolate, etc. Well a lot of foods get a cheat code if they just put plenty of salt in it, it appeals to people's tastes, and they just keep eating it. I haven't gotten McDonald's fries for a long time, but I now recall seeing their kitchens full of the deep fry machine as well as dumping a load of salt into the fries and just mixing it around, and now understanding why people said to avoid fast food. All fast food restaurants rely on these salty conctions. Talk about white-coat hypertension, this is white-castle hypertension, or yellow-arches hypertension! I wonder how much extra boost on the systolic rating you get just from consuming a meal. "Fancy" restaurants I suspect use the SALT cheat code too, but just not as prominently and blatantly, leaving a little nuance for picky eaters who you know, care about nutrition. At this point, though, I feel only safe eating a raw piece of carrot or kale, at least I know people didn't douse that with salt yet. There's definitely something to be said about having that "fresh" feeling in your mouth after eating as opposed to the sour aftertaste of sugar and astringent aftertaste of salt. 

Hello Jadoo (안녕자두야)

 As the premiere of season 2 of Squid Game inches ever closer (December 26, 2024), I'm reminded that in this day and age the best way to learn a language, Bobby's time-tested strategy, is to watch movies/videos/TV shows in that language with subtitles. Obviously you have to know the basics of the language first to pick up basic words and the structure of the sentences, but starting from an intermediate level the most sustained way to learn is to watch videos, because it keeps you having fun. Human beings learn more when they want to learn something, and they want to learn something if they're having fun doing it. That's why I advocate for any Korean learners to watch Squid Game with the original Korean audio capturing the raw emotions of Gi-Hyun's quest for revenge against the faceless cabal that created the Squid Game and the desperate pleas to unite the contestants, and I also advocate for an animated series on Youtube I've been watching called "Hello Jadoo." Jadoo is "plum" in Korean, but it's a pretty cute-sounding name in any language. Jadu is living the life of a 1990s-2000s young girl going to school with a salaryman dad and "determined" mom (kind of archetype of the scary strong-willed mom) and 2 younger siblings (a rare thing in Korea nowadays- one couple having 3 kids). In a time when there's an overabundance of options to focus your eyeballs on, at least with Korean shows you know you're learning and using your brain to try to make connections between English and Korean, even if you're not actively doing so. (Instead of letting the Golden Bachelorette or the 88th season of Love is Blind wash over you). I think I also like Jadoo because it depicts the kind of family I would want, an ambitious and fun-loving but also considerate daughter who seems to be enjoying her life, despite having to vanquish various conflicts like sibling rivalry, bad grades, classmates who pick on her, and money issues all before the episode is over. Luckily, each episode is only about 10 minutes, so she's able to solve everything in about half the time American sitcoms do (about 20 minutes running time). 

What you watch on TV does have an effect on you (just ask the people who watch political shows like Fox or MSNBC), but especially as a kid. I grew up as a kid watching family-friendly shows like The Cosby Show, Home Improvement, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, etc., come to think of it all shows that have a large nuclear family, something I didn't really have so maybe I was subconsciously yearning for one, or I wanted to be part of that family that looked like they all had each other's backs). I recently have talked to a lot of Americans older than me (either in their 60s or 50s) and they grew up with a completely different set of shows from a completely different time that shaped their worldview and prefernces, with shows like MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) that was set in the Korean war but was more of a reflection of the anti-Vietnam War sentiment back then, or Westerns like the Bonanza, Beverly Hillbillies, and even prime-time soap operas like "Dynasty" was a thing. I really like the title of some shows like "Have Gun, Will Travel" that tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the show. In many ways, looking back as a kid, I probably learned a lot of my vocabulary and expressions from watching American shows, I just didn't know it, my brain just absorbed it as I was watching. Which is why it's important to regulate what you watch, don't just let it vegetate, give it some good foods like language learning and......trivial shows, to learn something. My grandmother on my dad's side once came to America and spent several months with us, and she watched A LOT of American TV, and I'll always remember she told me it was to "get more learning." She was a Professor in China and lived through the Cultural Revolution, had 4 kids.... smart woman, shoulda tried to learn more about her. Instead I was a little too rebellious at that age, like Jadoo. 

Ramona and Beezus

 One of my favorite trivia categories is children's books or children's authors because a.) I'm good at it, and b.) I enjoy being reminded of my favorite books to read as a kid. I read a LOT as a kid, so there are plenty of good memories, something I can't really relate with MJ because she didn't grow up in America and didn't get exposed to that part of American culture at a young age like young age with classics like "Number the Stars," "The Giver," "The Phantom Tollbooth," "A Wrinkle in Time," "Where the Red Fern Grows," "Maniac Magee," "Bridge to Terabithia," not to mention the entire Harry Potter series that hit right in my sweet spot of wanting to become a wizard. Some of these books might not be "children's books" actually, more young adult, which is another category I'm a big fan of. I never got to "Dear God It's Me Margaret" because well.....I wasn't a girl and that book is great for girls finding themselves in their teen years. One of my favorite books series about girls though written by a woman was by Beverly Clearly, the Ramona and Beezus series, which spawned so many different sequels (Ramona and her father, Ramona and her mother, Ramona the Pest, Ramona Age 8, etc......) but Ramona was just so relatable of the typical American childhood in.... checks notes..... Kickitat Street in Portland Oregon. 10-year-old me had no idea where Portland was, but Klicktat street sounded just like Park Crest Drive in Darien, Illinois where I grew up, and Ramona's adventures were like my adventures, and she thought like a child, which I did too. Cleary had a great talent for writing from the perspective of a child. The movies didn't do great (did you know Beezus was played by Selena Gomez in the 2010 movie?) and Ramona was Joey King who is only now just 25 years old and went on to be in something called the Kissing Booth. 

What I miss about being a child is not having to lie so much; I was so free and without stress and pressure. It's not like I'm a compulsive liar, but all adults have to lie to some extent, like if we get stopped by someone trying to sell you something, you lie and say you don't want it, you have to lie to kids about their pets dying, you have to indirectly lie to keep secrets, you have to lie during a job interview that you want to stay at that job forever. And these are just the noes that everyone accepts; everyone has something that they're lying about. Ramona and people in her world would answer the phone when it rang, unquestionably, to see who was calling and want to transfer it to her parents or maybe it would be a phone call for her! How wonderful. Nowadays nobody answers the phone anymore without seeing who's calling, and if it's an unknown number you just don't answer, one step short of lying by representing you aren't there, and for good reason because that unknown number is probably going to try to lie to you, part of the territory as an adult. And also, being a kid meant you could ask to be friends with anybody, and adults are friendly with you, people want to be your friend, you have your whole life in front of you, so many adventures await. As an adult I feel like everyone just trudges along in their life and pass right by you pretending to not notice you. I went to an American Red Cross to donate blood and the nurses there just totally ignored me except for the most standard questions. I've gotten this from grocery store clerks, DMV check-in people, basically any place that doesn't rely on you to give tips or are beyond caring about their job and don't have incentive to be nice to you. This nurse stuck the needle in my arm and then immediately spent the rest of the time I was there talking to another nurse who worked there, complaining about the hours she had to work, being stuck there for too many assignments, etc. Never once did she ask how my day was, though I would have gladly talked and listened to her problems too. It's like I'm not even there, and I was just a fountain of blood to draw from and then just have me go on my way. I often wonder how Ramon Quimby fared as an adult (maybe a sequel called Ramona Quimby, age 38?) and how her life turned out, her inner thoughts about how she viewed the world now, would just be skeptical and cynical of everyone like I kind of am or would she still have that energy she had and treat everything with excitement and as an adventure. Or maybe she'd just be on her phone all the time. Who knows. Maybe I'm just trapped in that child world in Klicktat, Oregon, forever wishing the world was as it was as a kid, answering all phone calls eager to know who's calling me. 

As I write this I'm getting another spam call that I just let go to voicemail. The way of the world. 

Hobson's Choice (霍布森的选择, ホブソンの選択, 홉슨의 선택)

 I may have overstated my position in the last post. MJ pointed out to me that she was offended by my last post about who we elect as President not mattering that much, and that I'm only saying that because I'm a man and don't face the problems that women face. I won't say that I agree totally with this, but I do see it from her perspective: women's rights are highlighted more in this election than others, especially with abortion being a hot topic as well as IVF rights, a topic men like me have the prvilege not to talk about. Just like gun rights though (Harris has steered to the middle on gun control and says she owns a gun too and is not here to take away people's guns), Trump is actually pretty close on abortion issues as the Democratic candidate despite Republicans being traditionally against abortion and trying to overturn Roe v. Wade, which they did in 2022 with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, a decision that was caused mainly due to the Supreme Court being packed with Republicans who had held the majority and actively tried to overturn Roe v. Wade as a stated purpose, something that was attributed to Trump when he appointed justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh during his presidential term. So I can see what MJ is upset about, but also on that particular issue, Trump in the future is not saying he's going to implement a national abortion ban. 

While definitely not meaning to offend anybody including my own wife (and the entire country of woman), I think my rant against the election was generated mostly by the Hobson's choice that I feel we're forced to choose between, a saying that's similar to choosing between a rock and a hard place: neither choice is appetizing. Never in my adult life have I felt less encouraged to vote for a candidate, neither of whom I feel is qualified to be president, for various reasons. (The first time I really got into an election was in high school Kerry v. Bush, then 2 Obama terms where Obama gave hope for the country and spoke eloquently and intelligently about ideas that he was undeniably a good candidate for president, even if political opponents disliked his plans). I think it's partly due to me getting older and realizing the intractability of the world and U.S. politics of being trapped in a loop and consequently becoming more skeptical of anything that goes on in the hunt for power, and partly it's due to elections just being fundamentally different now with the internet, social media, and attitude of the country and the world.The democratic process has now become solely a popularity contest, not a job interview between the candidates and the voting public, which is problematic because there are just too many uneducated voters in the country influenced by various news outlets, lack of knowledge about what's true anymore. In 2004 I used to go down a list of fundamental issues and the candidates' position on those: abortion, foreign policy, economy, the death penalty, gun control, free speech issues, assisted suicide, climate, human rights (use of torture, etc.), education, health care, all of which have become minor issues or not discussed at all because they'e been dethroned by the personality of the person and whether the person is a "threat to democracy." I have a very close knit group of highly educated lawyer friends who often comment on news issues, and even they just end up debating all of the flaws of Trump, everything he gets away with, how crazy he is, etc..... it's too tempting to just focus on all of this flaws, and thus the real issues get obscured). Which, I realize, is a reason itself to vote against Trump is that no matter how you feel about it, he makes it about him and not the issues. 

If during a job interview I realize both candidates interviewing for the job have fundamental flaws, I can reject both and reach out to a larger pool of candidates, but not in an election. I feel like someone else has culled the possible list of candidates to just 2 and then forced me to interview those 2 people and forcing me to choose one no matter how badly I don't want to. So I'm just hoping to survive the next 2 days, watch Jeopardy, go to work without fearing rioters will cause trouble, wait it out in my bunker, stock my freezer with enough supplies (apparently this week many people are bringing back early pandemic times and preparing for the worst) and hope America's collective Hobson's choice isn't as bad as we fear it will be. 

Politics and Prose (政治, 政治, 정치 and 散文, 산문

 I dislike politics. I don't like office politics, friend circle politics, home owner association politics, baseball franchise politics, anythign that has to do with certain people having power over other people, but I ESPECIALLY dislike politics now. And right now, 2 days before the Presidential election, is the epitome of all of dislike, when everything anyone does gets politicized, when all of Facebook (besides the Dodgers winning the World Series and the Dwayne Wade statue memes) is just people discussing all the benefits and downsides to either candidate for President; I think it's talked about so much for the same reason there are office politics: people love to gossip, and the race for the highest office in the country as well as arguably the most powerful position in the world is just an excuse for people to gossip on the grandest stage. It's a way for politicans to give ordinary citizens "a chance to participate" even though your one single vote has a statistical value of zero influence on the election results, but gives you the illusion of doing something, perhaps for a good cause. (I know a few co-workers who instead of working this weekend, spent it in Pennsylvania knocking on doors for the Harris campaign, believing it to be "much more important" than their jobs.) Is it though? Setting aside the fact that knocking on doors to solicit votes seems unlikely to change too many minds this late in the election, are you really doing it for a good cause, or just perpetuating an election process that's too long and too costly as it is? Especially this year with the 2 candidates that are available, the talk is much less about policy than what the 2 candidates stand for and personal issues, so it's taking time up from actual fixing anything, more just talking about 2 individual people. Election propaganda will make it sound like my life is going to be drastically different depending on who wins, that it will be a utopia if one candidate wins and a living hell if the other side wins. I don't think it's going to affect me myself that much if either one wins, personally. Eventually it will affect the United States and which direction we go with climate change, immgration policy, use of A.I., etc., but me personally in the next 4 years? I'm not going to be moving out of the country or anything if one candidates wins or the other. 

Politics and Prose is a witty name for a bookstore in the D.C. area; I just love bookstores. They have a veritable cornucopia of books I want to read, everything, everywhere, all at once. It's like they have the exact blueprint to my mind's desires of what to absorb, especially on an off day at work, and I could just sit there through a zombie apocalypse or something even if the world goes to hell or (even worse for some people) the Internet for some reason just stopped running. The only downside to a bookstore is that people don't talk each other necessarily, it's a place for reading, not conversations, but that's almost better: often conversations at restaurants, the mall, public places just involve people trying to get you to buy something you don't need (extra dessert, extra hand lotion, squeegees) that you have to politely refuse. Bookstores don't want anything; no obligation to buy, no sales pitch about what book they want you to buy (there are definitely books that bookstores make the most money off of, usually the hot new trendy fiction bestsellers by renowned authors that they can mark up higher instead of the bargain book section that they know hasn't sold for a while and that they need to get rid of before the next batch comes in), and importantly no need to pay tip. It's honestly one of the last public places I can go to and feel comfortable (maybe museums) and not feel gross for contributing to the American capitalistic ways. 

Politics and Prose has the right idea, but here's my re-naming based on my preferences: 

"Less politics and More Prose!" Have more people read more books rather than get engaged in politics, have an overload of information and noise through the election, and then it suddenly stops and society doesn't care about it anymore. Prose is forever; elections are temporary. (My sister Emily pointed out a similar flyer on the street advocating for tattoos using similar logic: Tattoos are permanent! Politicans are temporary). And what they have in common for me: I don't care for any of them! 

Mac Miller

 Recently there has been a disturbing in the music industry: substance abuse. It's nothing new; Elvis is the most famous example of death by substance abuse (I thought people were joking as a kid when they said Elvis died on the toilet, but he actually did......because of a heart attack caused by drugs). Mac Miller was a young rapper who died in 2018 because of a long history of substance abuse........at age 26. Really sad, just a kid and already exposed to so many different substances that affect your body, when your brain hasn't even fully developed or just finished developing. Recently one of the former members of One Direction, Liam Payne, died after taking too much drugs and jumping off the balcony to his death. It feels like something to do with the music industry that propels singers to substance abuse, or it's substance abuse that makes their music so great....kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario. I'd like to see some studies done to see if the drugs do actually help creativity and artists come up with better songs (it anecdotally did help the Beatles create the White Album and especially songs like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds") or that's more of just an excuse to dabble in the nose candies/ succumb to temptation. It's sad.... a lot of the deaths that went unexplained in my youth can now be attriuted to drugs, especially those of younger people who didn't really have any chronic medical conditions or didn't have a tragic accident. A lot of the "drowning accidents" not just of celebrities but of people you hear about are often due to some drug-induced incident, like Whitney Houston dying in the bathtub due to drowning caused by a heart attach caused by cocaine use (I know, kind of a lot of steps to get to the drowning, but that's what happened to a relatively healthy 48-year-old. Mac Miller is just this generation's Jim Morrison, or Amy Winehouse. Take care of yourselves! Just like a famous Mac Miller song, "Stay," we want you to stay, and not just end up a Jeopardy clue about "this alliterative deceased rapper." 

I don't think my body could handle drugs. Heck, I could barely handle a few beers at the tailgate to the Chicago Bears- Washington Commanders game this past weekend. An epic ending to a pretty disappointing game: The Bears didn't score a point until late in the 3rd quarter, and Washington's offense wasn't much better. As a skeptical sports fan, it's become harder and harder for me to understand why the sports mania runs so deep, filling up stadiums across the country at a time when you can watch the games at home with better camera angles, don't have to be stuck at designated seats next to fans of the opposing team, for a team that is literally there to make money off of you. I understand the allegiance to a college team because your formative years made you remember all the great afternoons watching the game with college friends, but pro football teams are purely just of your own choosing. Why pay upwards of 200-300 dollars for a ticket to sit in traffic to get into a stadium, root for a team that doesn't care about you and only want your money, doesn't pay you dividends or anything (unless you own a share of the team, which no regular person does), just bragging rights, and you have to go out and spend $100+ on the latest jersey (I thought about shelling out on a Caleb Williams jersey to wear to the game but predictably cheaped out and got the $20 generic Bears shirt) and get the "privilege" of paying through the nose for beers and special "crab fries" that are extra salted and extra fatty to ruin your diet? I'm suddenly in the anti-sports camp I guess; I think a much better investment in Sunday afternoons, a precious time of not going to work and spending time with family, is personal investment, spending time with each other (just not at a football game). Like there were families who went there with their 3-year-olds or newborn babies! Is that necessary? Are you giving your kids memories of football games (unlikely) or just showing your allegiance to a fandom by even getting your kids indoctrinated to the religion of sports? Too harsh? 

Happy Halloween and Happy Election! The next week or so is going to be.... hectic.