Lesser Feasts

Content warning: nekkid dudes in a weird painting. ***** I did a rough calculation: there were about 300 papers at this conference. Apart from the plenary talks, there were eleven sessions running concurrently at any given time. That's a lot of medieval philosophy -- more than I have an appetite for. But I missed more sessions than I would have liked, because my jet lag was absolutely brutal this time. ***** When I wasn't listening to papers or sleeping, I was out walking. I love long walks in cities. Paris was having a warm spell, and I made the (in retrospect obviously stupid) decision to walk all the way from my hotel to Sacré Cœur, a solid two miles away, on the hottest and sunniest day. Thanks to a timely rest and a liter of water, I was fine. My heart quailed when I reached the foot of the steps. Maybe I should take the funicular. No. Don't be ridiculous. You've climbed the Seven Hills of Edinburgh. You've walked in the Highlands. It's just steps. Turns ou...

Saturday, 3 October 2020 I'm barely even sore from yesterday. Weird. All the more reason to go ahead with my even more ambitious plans for today. After an even more severely edited Scottish breakfast -- I got the quantities right this time -- I get ready for my walk. It's cold and rainy, and the forecast is for rain all day, but fortunately I have waterproof everything. I even remembered to pack my contact lenses, which I pretty much never wear, to avoid the annoyance of rain on my glasses. So I am very much ready to go. Except I forgot the cardinal rule: "Be bold, start cold." I have put on everything, and as I venture out into the rain and the cold I think I need it all. But a couple of miles in, I am miserably sweaty, and consequently cold. I take off a layer and then think, no, I don't think it's a great idea to risk another nine miles when I've already botched my thermal regulation so badly; that feels like a good way to get sick. So I head back, some...

Friday, 2 October 2020 I edit down the full Scottish breakfast to what I think will be a manageable amount of food. It's still too much, but what I can eat of it is delicious, and I will certainly be well-fortified for my morning walk. I've decided to limber up with something easy, so I head over to the Gynack Mill Trail , which is basically flat. This will help me break in my walking boots and test the Viewranger app on my phone. The boots, which I have miraculously remembered how to lace properly, turn out to be a perfect fit. The app takes a bit of getting used to, but it's easier than trying to navigate with map and compass whenever the waymarking is inadequate and the path ambiguous. Which is often. So I don't exactly manage to follow the trail, but I do have a lovely hour's walk. The sun is out. It's warm for October in the Highlands. The sound of rushing water is the only thing I hear. I'm definitely ready for a serious walk after lunch. *************...