lately, again.

2020.
Back when I blogged semi-regularly-ish, I used to put together end-of-the-year recap posts-- 10 for 2010, 11 for 2011, etc. I thought about doing something similar for 2020, but it felt a little flat. For one, prior recap posts involved a lot of photos, and I'm far less inclined to post personal photos that I was a decade ago. For another, 2020 was a weird/tragic/monotonous/anxious year. And yet, I kind of want to? Just for the nostalgia of it? Perhaps. We will see.*

Running.
Out of habit? I'm currently logging** 3-4 miles 3-4 times per week, and this seems to be a nice balance for me. I'm sure I'll someday get the itch for bigger goals-- more half marathons, perhaps another full, perhaps a triathlon-- but for now, I'm content. I would like to do more in regard to strength training, however. 

Reading.
Some, but not enough. Is it ever enough? I just finished The Secret Life of Addie LaRue, and I'm frowning while typing this, because I didn't like it. I finished it, so I suppose it's a two-star read instead of a one-star one, but sheesh. Did I really waste good novel-reading time on that? I read 15, maybe 20, novels per year, and one of them was that? On the bright side, I have now (re)learned:
a) Just because friends like a novel on Good Reads does not mean I will.
and
b) I care a lot about writing style. While "also writes YA" should not be an automatic deal-breaker, it probably should be a red flag.

On the bright side, prior to this I read Anxious People, which was lovely, so my fiction-kick hasn't completely been thrown off the rails. 

Listening.
a) The new Obama (Barack, not Michelle) memoir. It's long-- 29 hours or so? We will see if I finish it. So far, I like Michelle's writing style better. Sorry, Barry.
b) evermore by Taylor Swift. I think I like folklore better overall, but "'tis the damn season" is hauntingly good. 
c) Can't believe I'm saying this, but am I podcasted out? Perhaps. I'm also not really commuting any more (see also: pandemic), so that may be the bigger factor here. 

Learning. 
Not enough. Will it ever be enough? I need to a make a more concentrated effort to both:
a) Study for the boards (>1 year away, but still)
and 
b) Learn more along the lines of programming/machine learning/bioinformatics.
I'm trying, but I'll be first to admit I could be more methodical here. Maybe this can be a place I document?*

Thinking.
Oh, you knew this was coming. Why else would I be writing? Although this is less about broad-strokes musings about my one wild and precious life*** and more about the ideas themselves. More specifically: Peto's Paradox. It's been like 5 years and I keep coming back to this. Would it be too dramatic to say this is my favorite idea in cancer biology, and perhaps in all of medicine? In all of science? This deserves more thought.*

*This implies future blog posts. This is usually the first warning sign the next blog post will appear in 2-3 years. You have been warned. 
**Metaphorically, of course. I don't actually log anything. The moment miles become something to chart is the moment I stop wanting to run them. Take that as you will.
***Two blog posts back and I'm already sneaking in Mary Oliver references. The more things change...