2022 Week 1: Thoughts and Photos

2022-01-10

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When many people hear the name "Russia", particularly in the United States, they tend to picture a backwards countryside full of drunk Cossacks with hammers and sickles on their hats. While I'm sure this stereotype was largely created by Western powers during the Cold War era, it bothers me that it continues to be so ubiquitous. Russia is unimaginably vast: via Kaliningrad, Russia shares a land border with Poland, and via Kunashir and Shikotan, Russia shares a maritime border with Japan. Only three quarters of the population is ethnically Russian, and there are almost 200 total ethnic groups in the country. That's not to mention the sheer variety of her neighbors, including Finland, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, North Korea, and even America via the Aleutians. If any country embodies the exact opposite of a monoculture, it's Russia.

The start of 2022 has seen some continuing discussion about possibly stamping out COVID-19 entirely. To be frank, I think the disease is now endemic and has been endemic for quite a while. I see little reason to believe it will ever be fully wiped out, not because of groups of people who refuse to take vaccines or wear masks, but because the virus itself is simply far too transmissible--even among people who stay up to date on shots and wear masks correctly. If that's the case, then I think our public discourse about the disease should shift. Right now the entire focus is on preventative measures (masks and vaccines), but I think more emphasis should be put on treatment options and long-term health regimens such as weight loss and increased exercise.

In an office wing partitioned into over 70 cubicles, I am joined by only one coworker. That coworker, who has been with the company for almost twenty years and has worked in several different roles, has decided to leave. A lot of office politics are involved in his decision, and since I've only heard his side of the story, I can't comment on it impartially. I do know that he's only been reporting to the manager involved for less than a year. The situation must be serious if a managerial relationship comprising less than ten percent of his time at the company is driving him to wash his hands of the company entirely.

My wife and I visited her half-sister this weekend. She lives about three hours away by car, but she is engaged to a British man and plans to move to England later this year. Her fiancé was also in town, whom we naturally rarely see, and we spent a wonderful afternoon playing board games together. We hope we'll be able to attend her wedding in the UK this autumn.

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Photo of the week:

Truck Tipping

(PNG, 800x450, 274 KB)

The most direct route to my office includes an interchange between two highways. Most of the interchange ramps are left exits, and they all involve very tight turns. Tractor trailers often take these ramps too fast and tip over--and whenever they do, I have to find an alternate route to work.

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[Last updated: 2022-01-10]