"Amy's Luck" and "The Improbability Principle" by David Hand

These are two books by the same British mathematician, the first can be skipped, I think, but the 2nd is very memorable. "Amy's Luck" tells of a child who kept having bad luck and starts to search for good luck.  The 2nd is one of my favorites and is a collection of things that happened that are not at all likely.  

One improbable story is about a man who was struck by lightning more than once but not hurt.  Lightning struck his grave after his death!  Another improbable event is about an American woman who drew the winning numbers in two state lotteries but unhappily got the numbers switched, winning nothing!

Pockets on men and women

It surprises me how much pockets matter.  I am confident that pockets can hold things that make for a bulge in my silhouette and I guess that many women have special shapes they want to show off.  My brother-in-law predicted more than 20 years ago that advertising would persuade men to carry a purse but it seems not to have happened, yet. My wife sometimes complains about there being no pockets on her clothes or such tiny ones that they are rather useless.  From traveling, I taught myself to keep my wallet in a front pants pocket, where it is sometimes difficult for even me to get it out.  I was happy to find that my smartphone fits nicely in my pocket.  Even without a purse, I can usually carry the items I need and want.

CNN Photos of the week 7/20/2025

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/world/gallery/photos-this-week-july-10-july-17

Not today

We had a busy trying week.  Today is a good chance to catch up, repair, rest and relax.

Breakfast cereal

A book that affected my life is "Blue Zones American Kitchen" by Dan Buettner.  He has written about places on earth where people have managed to live unusually long lives and he has concentrated on what such people eat.  I had read some other Buettner books but while reading that one, I realized I had perhaps been too influenced by my wife.  She habitually asks what she had yesterday at a meal and seeks something different for that meal today.  In other words, she guides her eating by the concept of variety.

I read long ago that the Japanese government used the guideline of 30 different foods a day.  I realize that there are micronutrients that our bodies need and variety can help with desire for good as well as getting those nutrients.  But, I have been satisfied with the breakfast flakes in Heritage Flakes and have purchased them in cartons of 6 many times.  That cereal, from Amazon, with milk and fresh blueberries and a banana after is great.

Senior eating

We have eaten together for decades and we know how much to cook and serve.  Well, at least, we did.  Things change, don't they?  We still want to watch our weight and fat levels.

One thing that has risen is the number of meetings, parties, gatherings at which food is served.  I don't know about data on food served vs. no food served.  I am confident that many people I know feel they are creating a better atmosphere by serving some sort of food.  But that means that more often one or both of us arrive at a usual mealtime having recently eaten cake, or chips or something.

I think the more important factor is our aging bodies.  We burn food more slowly so where we used to eat two pieces of chicken each, now we simply are too full with that much.  We want less, we are comfortable with less, we need less.

"The Women" by Kristin Hannah, "Squeeze Me" by Carl Hiaasen

I have found that many readers of this blog appreciate book suggestions.

My wife's book group read "The Women" by Kristin Hannah and I read it aloud while she did puzzles.  I thought the book was one of the most gripping I have ever read.  I have learned quite a bit about women and their psychology from my mother and sister, from schoolmates and from the tv show "Call the Midwife".  Within in the last few years, I read about a maturing young woman who expressed a fear that someone, anyone would dislike her.  I was astounded and I still am, at least somewhat. As a guy who stood, scantily clad, before hundreds of people who saw me as the opponent in high school and college wrestling matches, I certainly understood that many people in that crowd wanted me to be pinned, to lose.  I am not sure about hatred but I certainly expected it.  "The Women" is about a young woman from a wealthy family who joined the US armed forces and served in Vietman.  Tending to horribly wounded young men was bad enough but to come home and find boiling groups that hated her and her service was much harder.  

"Squeeze Me" by Carl Hiaasen is much lighter.  A rather nice old lady winds up squooze to death by one of those Florida pythons, an event that enables several different groups and agencies to "explain" what happened using different stories, lies and misunderstandings.