A few notes. On distractions and learnings

Berkeley, Sunday, May 17, 2026 3:12 am

Here a few things, I have done, learned, I need to do, and to learn as well. There is not much reflections in those things. It is rather a list of things. Probably, that is a bit of the tone of the blog now, plus mainly the novenas. But I will see on that aspect. I touch briefly on that.

I need to get those test done, to then check my right ear at some point. Not too easy to get to the doctor, neither get the tests done.

Read more about sleeping habits, schedule. Sort of room conditioning and ok monitoring of sleep. But particularly, habits and room conditions are key, although, I won’t be able to do much from what I have already done with the last one. I might create a theoretical, with some empirics, blog post(?) about sleep.

For some strange reason, I spent about 3 hours or 4 or so, yesterday, which created an all nighters. Is the first time in years that I do that sort spending on a video after arriving home, though I arrived late. One source of the reaching or getting into the wrong place, youtube, was for a good reason. But then comes the flooding of interesting productions, which I did not needed. I ended up watching an interview to one of the SNL personalities. I do not know his name. The interview was with Jimmy Fallon. I watched the main parts not the whole thing. But then that lead me to learn about some things that the Secretary of War or Defense has said, and few cold openings of SNL, and a few weekend updates. Then with a new person then. Then, I learned that Jhonatan Narvaez a Ecuadorian cyclist, won his second Giro d’Italia stage this year. This was almost a solo win. A great stage. I watched briefly, the longest stage in history won the day before probably, by the Danish Jonas Vingegaard. I was checking a bit the Giro d’Italia rankings website. I saw that Deportivo Cuenca won again to Libertad de Loja. Two matches in a row that the morlacos win, which is great. But why all that junk. I was listened to some music. I might have learned a bit more about the boricuas, Vico C, and in particularly Buscabulla, who I saw live recently. And so on. Then, Verstappen, who although is in the lyrics from Bad Bunny and Buscabulla, which is odd in a great song lyrics like Andrea. But I understand the context. Then, of course, those garbage machines like Youtube, or many things where one only receive information, which is not necessarily looking for, suggested a great car race, I read that probably in the news. Probably, I looked it up after checking in the news. That several folks, a record of attendance went to see Verstappen driving in the 24 hours race, which might be happening by now, and likely close to end, last time I checked he, and his two team mates were in the lead, with their car, after an excellent Verstappen performance, who was leading another excellent driver in the same team car, who of course has other two driver mates. Driving this circuit in Nurburgring, or ring race in or near the city of Nurburg. It is surprising how drivers go at full speed, with the current costs of gas (out of context comment), but it is surprising how drivers will go for hundreds, might be two hundred laps (because each lap is about 8 to 9 minutes) for 24 hours, with several dangers, rain, trucks taking out crashes cars. It seems a cool race indeed. So folks go in their campers or vans to camp within or next to Nurburgring to cheer up the drivers and/or have their own feast. I have done a mini version of that in probably two rally events in Ecuador. The crashed drivers, sometimes join the supporting folks to the feast or party, at the end the circle of support might their friends. In that ring, in Germany, it seems that parking, camping there has a cost, which was sold out by record numbers after learning that the current F1 driver, and four times world champion, was going to drive there. The hype has reached the virtual media as well. Who knows how many people have been watching that. I spent a few might be two to three hours in total. Although, might have been less, on related content. I did not look who were the official channels. But, though, my style, I entered to learn about this, through, some great pirate youtube channels, which were consistently taken down after some minutes of transmission. Well, I little about Verstappen. It seems to be a complicated person. But I know one person who is like him, or least was more like him in recent years. And that one of the reasons of this reflections. Regardless, I support or not Verstappen, which I didn’t in the circuit in around 2021, when he was equals in points with Lewis Hamilton, but where he got his first World Championship. There are interesting things to learn about him. He is a driver 100%. Meaning, I think that after driving the F1 car, he goes into virtual formula 1 simulator, and competes or calibrate things there. There is an eF1, which I am not that 100% familiar. But now, I believe he has his own racing team, which includes mechanics, and so on. Good investment. So, he goes to this GTA competition, in a long three week break from F1, to compete on a different kind of car and race. He is competing, to my understanding, against professional drivers who have building their careers on this kind of cars. He mastered right away. One part I was thinking is his dedication to the sport. He got married to a former team mate exwife. And now is the father of two, being the second his own daughter. Again the thing that is dedication full time to the racing sports. He off course hates too much attention in those adverstiment or off activities, which I like. He might do, but I have not seen information from him doing too much of extracurricular activities, which is the question here. Some folks take time off. He goes to the simulator. Well who knows his life, which to some extend is public, and each person can build a narrative from what they see. Some folks, get paid for reporting about him in newspaper etc. Beyond the deviation, the point again is the 100% dedication to the sport activity. He might have mechanical knowledge. That is the part I would be interested to learn about he has, and the end that is essential for a driver to feel the car and to coordinate to the mechanics, but I do not recall reading about his mechanical skills. Schumacher used to tune his own kart. Same I believe, or I have read, for Raikonnen, or at least for the dedication of Raikonnen to his son’s karting and racing careers.

The other two points, I about to finish reading the book from the Suco Ribas, Por Los Caminos del Sol y del Viento. The reflection, I ended writing up a few reflections, in this initially intended list, which likely has several misspellings and grammar errors. Great book! Although, one should have been or has some knowledge of the Club de Andinismo del Colegio San Gabriel de Quito, or knew the Suco Ribas to understand the book more. I love a few things from the book. Do not fight against nature. The glories, the sufferings, the hardships, and deaths, the endurance of conquering the peaks of mountains in the world. The sanctity of it as well. Or mystery. But the ancentral people in Ecuador, could be right as well, no subira a la cima porque el cerro se pone bravo cuando le pisan la cabeza. We live in Ecuador in the middle of volcanos, but also it is quite technical to reach the peak of some of the mountains. People have died even with equipment. Throw like a rock by an avalanches into the crevasses. It is impressive the knowledge needed to find a bridge, and safely cross, crevasses. But el suco, on his general and humble, and particular style, is not teaching lessons, directly, is sharing joy, emotions, tears, and so readers learn from good empirical stories. I should have said Padre Suco. Probably, more on this later, once or even a while I have finished the book.

Regarding today learnings, there are always, well who knows the always, but is great that there is a powerful comment that catches my attention, and might provide a bit more or learning and curiosities. A welcoming a nice leading was telling me that she is from Yucatan. The interesting thing, although I believe she is American. She does not necessarily identifies as Mexican first, but as Mayan first. I briefly recalled at least something I know from Yucatan that is the Cenotes (checked just its spelling with Google, nothing else). Although, I believe she said chillito etc when asked about Mayan words. In a very shallow way, I think that there were about 30 languages within the Maya language. Who knows if time would allow to learn more on that. It is not a priority now.

Oh, last topic which I have been asked at least twice, and I have not fully updated myself on this with the regard to the current issues. I would need to read more regarding the current situation on the Colorado River and its reservoirs.