Category: Random

February in Books

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

The challenge to blog daily got me motivated to read more and shorter books. I read 15 last month, which I’ve not done since the day(s) I read The Chronicles of Amber. I didn’t blog about most of them, though. Didn’t feel right.

The best books for the month were Five and Six by Janet Evanovich and the two Thraxas. Number Seven is already lined up in my phone, and the next two Thraxas arrived as a paperback from a second-hand shop.

The worst by a wide margin was David Baldacci’s Memory Man. I awarded it 3* but it doesn’t sit well in my memory. The way I remember it, it’s already a hard 1*.

Happy Baba Marta!

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

We celebrate the 1st of March in Bulgaria and give away wristbands called Martenitsa. Then we wear the received Martenitsa until the storks arrive or the trees blossom. Once that happens, we can put the Martenitsa on a branch or under a stone.

We won’t let ourselves be set back by some already blossoming branches. We’ll wait for the storks this year.

Another reason to be kind

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

In each instance, we readily forgive our own minds but look harshly upon the minds of other people.

I found this nice 2012 article on r/psychology about how our experience and intuition fool us into making wrong predictions. The emphasis in the article is on underestimating others and overestimating ourselves. It says that there’s no amount of knowledge about the thinking errors and biases that will make our thinking quality better but it can make us slow down and invest more effort when we recognize that we would like good results.

Not sure if the article is worth a $6 subscription but is definitely worth the read, and so is the main source for it – the book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

Ayran

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

What is your favorite drink?

Traditionally made with yogurt, water and a bit of salt. Shake before using.

Not all yogurts can be used for ayran. Those with thickening agents or added sugar don’t work well.