Speaking of believing in the future, the United Nations Environment Programme has just released an updated "Global Environment Outlook," subtitled A Future We Choose. These reports are the fruit of a magnificent on-going act of scientific collaboration. Hundreds of scientists from a plethora of disciplines and countries have worked across the decades to produce a single point of view which they summarize as follows:
The report finds that investing in a stable climate, healthy nature
and land, and a pollution-free planet can deliver trillions of dollars
each year in additional global GDP, avoid millions of deaths, and lift
hundreds of millions of people out of hunger and poverty in the coming
decades.
Following current development pathways will bring catastrophic
climate change, devastation to nature and biodiversity, debilitating
land degradation and desertification, and lingering deadly pollution –
all at a huge cost to people, planet and economies.
So there you have it: prosperity or catastrophe. The evidence has never been clearer, the costs are increasing by the day, and the solutions are well understood and are known to be economically and technically entirely feasible. And yet, as best I can tell, this report, the seventh and best of its kind, has received even less notice than any of its predecessors, a direct result of the dismantling of the US government's sensory organs and of the general stifling of environmental discourse that is being driven by the maimed parts of that government still in operation. Of all its many, many crimes, this is the Administration's worst and the one for which we will all pay the most and the longest. I saw this coming a long way off but watching it happen is horrifying beyond what I ever imagined.
My wedding ring fell apart a few days ago. A portent? No, but certainly a reminder that my marriage, like the artifact that symbolizes it, could use some care and attention. Nor is it the only such: the day counter stopped working some time back and was put in the project pile where, now that I think of it, Talia's engagement ring has been languishing for years and years. Well here's one thing fixed, anyway:
The days go on
I don't propose to fix my wedding ring myself but will instead take it back to the goldsmith who made it
when next I visit Amsterdam. In the meanwhile it's still wearable and,
in its shaky state, serves as a constant and welcome reminder to show
more love to my sweet wife.
Happy day 7500, Talia. You are better and more true than gold.
Talia has a special skill: compliment her on an item in the house or a piece of clothing she is wearing and she will immediately tell you who gifted it or in what shop, online or off, it was purchased, and when. I, lacking memories not written out in this blog, am wowed every time she does this trick. I suspect this skill is inherited because Talia's mother, Nurit, can likewise detail the provenance of her possessions. Further, she builds on this to do something even more impressive: she produces objects--critical artifacts for ceremonies, gifts purchased decades ago, the right tool for the job--exactly when they are most appropriate or needed. This implies that she not only knows where things come from but also where they are and, in some cases, that she first acquired them with this eventual use in mind.
There is a lot to like about my mother-in-law but I particularly admire this ability to produce a carefully stored item at the moment it is most needed. It demands organizational skill, careful planning, and, most special, the ability to imagine yourself at a specific juncture in the far future which, I assert, is a rare act of imagination: yes, we all think about the future and some of us even make plans, but most of us don't really believe in a time that is not now but is then.
Nurit does and so do I, but unlike Nurit there's not a chance I will remember where I buried a time capsule without written instructions, so, note to self: if you are looking for books and toys for eventual grandchildren they are in the eaves of the barn, the pictures of the framing of our rebuilt house before the drywall went up are in the folder labeled--wait for it...--"Behind the drywall at 10 Court," and the ketubah is, hmmm, well somewhere in the archive I'm sure.
Each year in December our postbox fills with annual updates from you, our readers and friends who still remember how to use stamps, pens, and a calendar. Thank you all for the inspiration and reminders: it's time for our own wandering excuse for a Family Xmas Letter in which, as usual, we share some dog photos plus a few more or less cryptic personal updates all of which are technically not untrue. Here's a few such enriched with hyperlinks: Talia closed the construction permit for our rebuild, shut down the AIDS Ride, was appointed Town Treasurer in a party line vote, and started working at Guide Dogs for the Blind where her colleagues (presumably the four-legged ones) might have given her fleas. Felix shot an invasive wild boar and buried its head in our yard, then graduated high school and left for college where he appears to be double majoring in digital pinball and sleeplessness. Gideon spent the summer as a teacher's assistant, totally dominated Spotify's global "Wrapped" on some leaderboard of his own invention, and has only been cited by the police once this year for the not uncommon crime of ignoring a stop sign while biking. Alec invented the "Would You Rather" game ("would you rather have Felix at dinner with us or a side Caesar salad?" now be honest), has learned to floss before brushing, and has a new least favorite bird, the Great Horned Owl (seriously, shut up already, I'm trying to make memories!). And then there's Qubit, for whom nothing changes and who therefore has no news to report...but that's not going to prevent her from participating in this year's experimental probably one time only day-in-the-life format. Enjoy!
QUBIT
me and all love all light all joy monkey
dear dogery today i woke up in a really good mood it was dark and warm in bed and smelled delicious if youre into that kind of smell morning is my favorite time of day scary monkey doesnt seem so scary and random annoying monkey was gone when i got up and i got second sleeps in bed with claims to love me but never walks me monkey his bed is also warm and smells good if youre into that kind of smell dog i love smells but then all love all light all joy monkey left and my world turned into old dog turds the sort that dont even smell interesting and i spent infinite time with negative ideation of the worst sort ever because all separation is forever separation scary monkey took me for a walk but makes me sit down and do other random stuff and i yawn at him chill out monkey but it just makes him mad and reality is a bottomless pit of despair without all love all light all joy monkey what else can you do but sleep so i did and then the greatest miracle ever since yesterday happened all love all light all joy monkey was there somehow and together we were transcendent until after a few seconds i scratched her lightly and she was mad but all love all light all joy and then we were together on the couch and we slept it was the best day ever
TALIA
Talia soup eating Talia's soup
Dear Diary, I'm so happy to have this chance to collect my thou...wait, I have to make pie crusts.... OK, I made seven pie crusts, three for other people to use so they can fake baking. So, Dear Diary, I... have to drive Gideon to school because otherwise his cross country team will run away without him even though he's their most valuable team member, not fast but somehow the oil or something that I guess makes the rest of the team run faster? Anyway, it's hard to find them in the dark, so more later.... I'm back! Dear, dear Diary, actually you're not that dear, not like Qubit, whom I love. Do you know how adorable she is with her little face and also her little body? I wonder if she knows I spend all day with other dogs, sometimes even with puppies, yes, that's right, I work with puppies! They don't understand a word I say, and I'm not sure some of the people I talk to do either, especially the ones I live with, but Qubit understands me, I'm sure she does though somehow she just isn't getting the message about not licking moisturizer off my face which is disgusting for both of us. I'm glad we're getting this time together, Diary, but I have to go because I also am the Town Treasurer which means I have to co-sign checks on certain random days in person between 4:34 and 4:51 and forget it, I'm late, I'll do that tomorrow. Oh, that won't work, tomorrow is Thanksgiving or some similar holiday and I have to cook several turkeys and Town Hall is closed. Good, I'd rather cook turkeys than sign checks, I do enough of that as it is. OMG it's so cold in this house but wait now I'm broiling and my sweater itches, agh life is a torment except I'm asleep and dreaming of making pie crusts because somehow there is never any dessert in this house.
FELIX
Dear Diary, today I woke up in the bright sunshine of San Diego where I wake up every day, delighted to discover that I am at college where nobody can tell me to get out of bed. Actually, I'm going to get out of bed now because there are at least two other people living in this same room and they aren't asleep, they're already up and are noisily playing video games. OK, I kind of miss having my own room. No, wait, diary, I am psyched to be here where I can choose from seventeen different restaurants to eat at though that does mean getting dressed so I guess I'll just cook up something for myself...crap, did you know spices cost money? Oh well, I guess I'd better swerve bike to whatever class the academic planner I vibe coded enrolled me in, not that I actually need to take classes this year because I entered with so many AP credits I'm technically in a master's program. Better not forget my toga, I've got that frat event at noon where I get pied by randos in the interest of public service which makes it totally not hazing. I wonder if a video of me with banana cream filling all over my face will convince mom and dad to pay for my ΣΥΧ dues after all? Uh, no? That's fine, I'm sure I can earn the money gambling at the local casino I went to instead of spending time with the 'rents when they were here visiting for the last time ever. OK, diary, peace out or whatever kids are saying on campus these days probably some indecipherable acronym they send via Yik Yak.
GIDEON
Here's an inspo pic for the fans
Yo diary,
I'm a B student, I mean I do my homework Not turned in on time, hand in my own work I did, did my homework I did, I didn't hand in my own work
Quingentotorian, plug-in Kia EV (yeah) My windows not working right its overdue for service Frunk all up in the dash and the doors (uh-uh) It's rare that I'm wrong, I think I'm ready for college What's up? I reflect the tulle fog in the sky I'm the coldest winter day but it's only NorCal Chill, play it cool 'till I come and get a little froze on my bike ride to school Let the P's find the empty tortilla chip bag under the bed after I toss it (woah)
You do improper things, I audit your iPhone Weak firecrackers I buy in Chinatown burn faster than rubber on spinnin' tires I'm up early with the birds, I push up in my regimen Party with the dog, I bet I get to sleep with her tonight
I mean you see the way the scarf around my neck's lookin' So you already know the way them oil and vinegar checks lookin' Eh, I put the county on my back Got it not murder poppin' on these fellow schoolmates Put the county on the map, yeah
Next tour's a quarter mile run They hated on the team, but we still won Uh, I put the county on my back Got it not pill poppin' on these fellow schoolmates Put the county on the map, ah
Dear ChatGPT, a few words. Cheapest Pinside machines. Dutch American
treaty status. Figs toxicity for horses. Free microwave in La Jolla.
Oroblanco grapefruit tree advice. Murphy bed build guide. Find Nike
jacket code. Adjust Makita fence tension. Coast redwood in Amsterdam.
Flight missed advice. Speakon vs. RCA connectors. Japanese barbers in
Bay Area. Dishwasher door seal fix. Selbstbeweihräucherung Erklärung.
iPhone app for Discogs. FCA warning troubleshooting guide. Soap impaler
explanation. Microwave policy at UCSD. Motherboard inspection
observations. Thanks for the inference.
VACATIONS ADVENTURES
We've had a few, most notably the one we're on right now.
For this year's winter break we decided to keep things "simple," opting to
go to nearby Tahoe for a few days of fun in the snow. Writing, as I was,
from a Best Western in Truckee where we were forced to seek shelter
after a white-knuckle drive through the season's first serious storm, I'm questioning this approach, but being trapped in a hotel room did give us time for the Letter which, you may have noticed, is going out only a little late. Anyway, here's photos, snowy and not, of the year's ups and further ups:
And there's bonus material! Felix took a
with-a-little-help-from-my-mother-self-planned, "yeah, right, sure go to
Iceland, oh wow, you're actually there, by yourself, on a bike,
traversing a volcanic wonderland, go Felix! Oh wait you missed your
return flight did you know it's 2 AM in California well maybe this won't be such a budget experience after
all" solo vacation from which this highlight reel supplied by the
traveler himself:
Clearly Felix should be in charge of making the annual slideshow, hint hint, but that will have to wait for next year. Speaking of which, here's our annual prediction for the year to come: it's going to involve a lot of shoveling. Happy New Year everyone!
In the fall of 1986 my parents put me on a train in Springfield, Massachusetts, destination Santa Fe, New Mexico. Three days later I got off in Albuquerque, for in fact there was no train that went to Santa Fe. I don't know if this was understood when I boarded and have no memory of how I completed the 65 miles remaining before arriving, no doubt bedraggled, the very last of the incoming class matriculating to St. John's College, Santa Fe campus.
In the fall of 2025, that is to say earlier this week, I found myself again in Albuquerque with the same 65 miles to go. This time I traveled as a senior member of the research division of a major tech company, an improbable future for the boy who arrived in '86 to study the Great Books, though what the probable future is for a Johnnie I've never known. Happily, in the intervening (*gulp*) 39 years someone has built a train line between the two cities, and so I boarded for the hour-something ride north, completing my journey at last.
As a coda to this story, I saw this advertisement next to my boarding gate for the flight home:
