It’s not exactly Ovaltine
But welcome to the new routine
Whatja have to do to get a drink here?
I’d sometimes feel a little prickly when people would ask what I planned to do when I retired. For one thing, how do I know, really, until I actually have that extra 37.5 hours per week? For another thing, I figured some of the things I expected I’d be doing wouldn’t sound interesting to other people.
Some things I’ve done:
- Made a tiny apple pie (just as much work as a full-size pie, fyi)
- Tried out Jean’s ebike to see whether I like certain features for myself
- Finally switched out my Windows 10 PC for a Windows 11 one
- Researched a suitable cat food substitute for a flavor that’s been discontinued
Are you not entertained?
I have a habit of overthinking regardless, but I hadn’t quite realized that so many things could be re-thought. Like, what time should I set the alarm? Does doing groceries once a week still make sense? How long should my workouts be? Do I have French press coffee every day now? (Answers so far: I’ll try adjusting it every three weeks or so to roughly match sunrise; no, every six days works better; slightly longer than before, unless I’m too busy or tired that day; and no, on busier mornings I’ll go with filtered coffee.)
We aren’t planning a big trip yet; just some small trips.
But, I have done a few local things that are more interesting to describe.
Fun with physics
Waterloo is home to the Perimeter Institute (PI) for Theoretical Physics, which Jean likes to take pictures of. They periodically have free public lectures. I hadn’t been in years, but decided to sign up for one called “How the Universe Ends”, by Dr. Katie Mack, both because that sounded interesting, and because I follow Dr. Mack on Bluesky (where she’s astrokatie), and I think she’s cool.
The talks are now held at the nearby Centre for International Governance rather than at PI, which allows for more attendants. They also livestream them. Nevertheless, the event was still sold out.
It’s always mind-blowing (for me, anyway) to be reminded that our planet is just one of several big rocks rotating around one star among billions of stars in one galaxy among billions of galaxies that comprise an ever-expanding universe—and we’re not sure whether there’s only one of those.
The talk wasn’t about when and how the Earth will end (as that isn’t too much of a mystery), but the universe. There are several theories about that. Dr. Mack outlined four of them, all in a very entertaining fashion. (And for public health fans wondering, yes, she gave her talk while wearing an N95 mask.)
About a week after that, Jean and I went to the Princess Cinema to see a free movie sponsored by PI that Dr. Mack had mentioned in her talk: Particle Fever. This documentary was about the development of the Hadron Collider, which led to the discovery of the Bose Hickson particle. That might sound dry, but in fact, it was so fascinating! Even the woman introducing it (who was from PI, I assume?) commented that she was so surprised how good this movie was.
We knew that two people were going to be available to take questions afterward, but I hadn’t realized that the two people would be the film director and one of the physicists featured in the documentary. (I had thought it would just be generic physicists from PI.) Getting their insights into the making of this film was really cool as well. It took four years and, going in, they had no idea if the Collider would even work and, if it did, what it might uncover. The Hickson particle was discovered three years into filming, requiring a complete re-edit of the whole thing and another year of footage.
Feeding the world
Or, feeding a few beings in my little corner of the world, anyway.
I’m still doing cat shelter volunteering, at slightly increased frequency, though I haven’t picked a regular day per week, preferring to select based on what else is going on that week crossed with when they seem to need people most. Going there more often makes it easier to keep up with the kitty population and any changes in the care routine. I’m also getting to know a few of the other volunteers.
Continue for more cat pictures…
I’ve also been participating in the collaboration between Food Not Bombs WR and Mask Bloc WR. The last Saturday of the month is a masked cook, so all volunteers wears N95s while they work. Food Not Bombs is an organization that collects food that would otherwise be wasted, turns some of it into vegetarian meals, and serves it out for free to whoever wants to come and get it. In Kitchener, they get food from Grainharvest Bakery, Central Fresh Market, Cafe Pyrus, and Full Circle Foods.
It’s kind of nice preparing food as a group, and always interesting to see what and just how much is donated! It’s really a great idea for combatting both food waste and food insecurity.
Supporting local eateries
Admittedly this was pre-retirement, but we did get to the Odd Duck again, a few weeks before their surprise addition to the Michelin Guide. It was a fine meal again, and have to agree with Michelin that
The menu is a revolving door of ideas, and a single plate might contain a multitude of influences that zigzag around sweet and salty, creamy and crunchy. This is busy, creative cooking that doesn’t hold back on flavor. The team is notably welcoming, and their passion for wine has led to a fascinating list of unexpected pours that match the dishes perfectly.
Post-retirement, we also tried Willibald again, for the first time in years. This is a distillery in Ayr that also runs a restaurant. We were there on a nice September day, and it’s quite pleasant to sit on their patio on a quiet rural-ish road. We had confit duck wings, Ontario burratini, and mushroom pappardelle. And we tried a couple of their cocktails.
We concluded that the food was good, but not outstanding.
Dancing and stretching and getting Zen
I’ve signed up for a weekly modern line dance class. “Modern” means that it’s not just country music (thank God). It’s a large class, 31 people, the large majority of whom are women (dudes shouldn’t be so afraid to dance)—mostly retirees, but also a couple of university students.
I’ve done enough ballroom dancing and dance aerobics in the past that none of the steps in themselves are particularly difficult to master, as this is a beginner class. The challenge is mental, in that you have to memorize the step sequence as you turn to face each wall. (Not like you can just follow the group, when we’re all beginners.) I would get it for a while, then my mind would wander, and the step sequence would all go to heck.
Turns out you have to be Zen and in the moment to line dance.
Speaking of which, I also tried a yoga class, at my physiotherapist’s office. This is a small class of six people maximum, all women this time out (dudes shouldn’t be so afraid to stretch). Having it in the clinic makes it a little hard to get your Zen on at first, because it starts when the clinic is still open, and there is a lot of noise of people in nearby rooms talking and doing other physiotherapy things.
But it gets quieter as the class goes on, and the instructor was very good. This is a “sign up as you go” class, so I might well try it again.
All in all, so far, I have not been bored. Even if not everything I’m doing is particularly worth talking about!
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