Happy Holidays!
2024 was a good year in many ways: I made good money, I am in good shape, I had great trips, and nothing too bad happened other than the election. But that was pretty bad. So, 2025 could be an interesting year with lots of changes. Here are some updates, diversions, and revelations from the past 12 months.
Changes: I often think most of the people who know me feel like I never change and keep doing the same things. I don’t think that ever has been the case; I am always trying to be better. This year did have a lot of changes, though. FOOD: My traditional lunch has been yogurt, a banana, peanut butter from the jar, and a snack bar. It has evolved to vegan yogurt, a vegan protein bar, and now, as part of my quest to get rid of as much plastic from my life as possible, I stopped eating vegan yogurt. It is only in plastic, is highly processed, and not all that nutritious. Now I make a vegan shake with vegan protein powder from a cardboard can, with soy milk in a tetrapak. MUCH better nutrition, much less plastic. I keep it in a glass jar. I now also make my own peanut butter. It is delicious and much healthier. I mix the peanuts with dates to sweeten it, and will add things like raisins, cocoa powder, and honey. It tastes good, is easy to make, and the only plastic is the containers for the peanuts (still trying to find a way to buy in bulk in my own container). I stopped eating the vegan “meats” like sausages, beyond meat, etc. They are all ultra processed. My protein comes only from veggies, including tofu (yes, processed, but not that bad), beans and lentils. I also stopped buying hummus in plastic and make it myself. I am getting better, and I make it healthy with things like kale and artichokes mixed in with lots of spices and hot sauce. I also had a slight misjudgment and bought a food dehydrator to dry my own fruit. Fruit comes mostly in plastic, though, and it was more work than I am willing to do, so I just gave it away. I ordered a huge amount of organic, dried, unsweetened fruit from a place in Washington I thought provided them in paper bags, but the bags are coated in plastic, and I had to go to a farm north of Easton to pick them up as they were unloaded from a semi truck. Now the plan is store the fruit in glass jars. Housing: The biggest change this year was when my father went to a nursing home to live after a bad fall. (He is doing well and seems happier in the nursing home). We have my old house and place to stay in Danville on the market. I had to move all my stuff out or throw it away. I have boxes of stuff in my spare room, more art on my walls, and got two extra chests of drawers. It all works, and I enjoy having some of that stuff around. I also gave my couch to a coworker to open up more room for my rowing machine. I got a Bonsai tree for my birthday and have been nursing that along.
Travel:
I did four major trips and a few more minor ones. Every one of them was fun and included some awesome people. I celebrated my 60th birthday on the island of Dominica with six hand-picked guests, and we had a great time. I recommend it for hiking, canyoning and snorkeling, and I would hope you get to see more whales than we did. Thanks to Ollie and Heather Wagner, Greg and Kathy Wright, and Kelsey O’ and Matt Davolio. The second big trip was an epic hike with Ray Douglas on the West Highland Way in Scotland. It wasn’t always scenic, but it was hiking in all sorts of weather and surfaces, covering 96 miles of trail and 8 more miles to and from lodging in 6 days. I love the Scottish people, and I LOVED our last day in Edinbrough. In late August, I went to Venice and to the Dolomites for another multi day hike, this one hut to hut carrying a heavier pack (for the first time), with Meltem. Our group was fun, fortunately, as we all slept in the same rooms in bunkbeds. This was the mind-blowingly best alpine scenery I have seen. I loved it. The last trip was with my old buddy, Joe Morehouse, to southwest Utah, an amazing collection of landscapes with nice weather. Probably my favorite hiking trip ever.
While you are in this website of mine, feel free to go to the travel blog portion/travel writing, and peruse my posts on each of these trips, terence-orourkejr.squarespace.com
The minor trips to see major people included a DC reunion with Linh and Kelsey O for the Cherry Blossoms, Sue B and Bob G in southern Maryland, Candace and Bob in Maryland, Rayna for Steve Martin and Martin Short, and the biggest minor trip to the wedding of Mike and Bethany in southern Missouri. I also did a quick trip to New Hampshire to try to find some fall foliage and see what the fuss was about. I saw the Hoerrners in Brooklyn and for an opera (with my opera crush Ying Fang).
Music:
Live Music: It was a great year. It started with a bucket list show in NYC by Buffalo Tom, the best example of true alternative rock. Mark Hoerrner was kind enough to go along, and we were right in the front (but somehow have never appeared in any photos from the show). I also saw the Britpack again, this time with Joe and Sandy, at the Musikfest Café in Bethlehem. That venue also hosted Bob Mould for a solo electric show in September, and Mike and Bethany went along. They also joined me for a free “songwriters” show outside on one of the hottest days, at Steelstacks, which I really enjoyed as two of my faves were there. Mike went to see Grant Lee Phillips with me in Philly on a work night (at least for me) as well (superfriend!). John Maize invited me to a rescheduled show by Social Distortion in nearby Stroudsburg. I saw my favorite local band, Hot4robot, twice, including the same night as the songwriters show. Then there was Musikfest. I went 8/10 days and enjoyed it a lot, though only a few of the bands were memorable (Dirty Dollhouse, Conor and the Wild Hunt). Photos below, L-R: Buffalo Tom, Grant-Lee Phillips, Songwriters, Hot4Robot, Dirty Dollhouse at Musikfest.
Streaming: I generally dislike Apple Music, but they suggested my favorite album of the year, Bill Janovitz & Crown Victoria, one of the best rock albums I’ve heard in a while, bv the guitarist of Buffalo Tom and some of his friends (One, Two, Three; Revealed are great), and also a previously unknown solo album by Bill Janovitz, “Walt Whitman Mall.” Buffalo Tom also released “Jump Rope,” their first in a while. So, lots of Bill Janovitz to listen to! Feeder, a band I like a lot from Wales, also released the heavy and hook-laden “Black/Red.” Beabadoobee has a lovely and pleasant album called “This Is How Tomorrow Moves.” Listen to Beaches! She is very talented and cute. The Black Crowes have a rollicking new album, “Happiness Bastards” which gets the guitars right and doesn’t have too many annoying vocals. Listen to “Flesh Wound” and “Bleed it Dry.” I found an old live album, The Goo Goo Dolls “Live at the Academy” which they crush and really rock, from 1995. A big favorite is Philly’s Dirty Dollhouse, “The End.” Jonny Polonsky “Supernatural Radio” is an interesting mix of classic rock sounds and is catchy. I am a Mark Knopfler fan, but his “One Deep River” is a bit on the boring side. The Pixies have a nice new album, “The Night the Zombies Came.” My super-productive friend, Van Wagner, released a delightful folk album, “Harrisburg Blues.” I also found all of Alex Radus music on Apple. He is the singer from Hot4Robot, and an excellent singer/songwriter: “Tributaries (live)” and “Love Me Like You Hate Me”. The Devlins returned with “All the Days.” Soul Asylum has some good songs on “Slowly but Shirley.” Still feeling out Steve Wynn’s new “Make it Right.” Ride has my song of the year, “Portland Rocks” on their otherwise ok “Interplay.” I am still not so sure about Maggie Rogers, but sometimes I like it – “Don’t Forget Me.”
Health/Fitness: a good year!
Fitness – I made a few changes here as well that seem to be working, all related to the concept of sarcopenia (muscles atrophying as you get older). Along with doing heavier weights more regularly, I started what I call “Project Forearms,” stopping neglectful habits over a few years, and with the addition of a grip strengthener of my dad’s I took. After Thanksgiving, I changed my arm workout as well, and it is already making a difference to what have always been works of art (when I viewed the Michelangelo drawing exhibit at the Met years ago, one of my takeaways was “My arms are better than those”). Additionally, studies recently have correlated thigh strength with longevity and quality of life with aging, so, of course I am working more on that. I have been noting my balance has not been good for a long time, and I have worked on it with less discipline, but this year I invested in a GIBOARD and use it regularly (it is very hard), and I can feel the difference in my walking, running, and ankle flexibility. I got my weight to my goal and, though I don’t think I am too vain, I kept noting my physique, though coated by 60 year old skin, looked better than almost every athlete at the Olympics (I only watched the track and field) and at a regional track meet I attended. I still eat too much, but it is much healthier than even before.
Running: I still love to run, but I am trying to follow guidance as I get older and no longer run every day. I take some days off and other days cross train. I had two minor knee injuries sidetrack me, but otherwise I was able to do well. I measure my success most years on how many double-digit distances I run, and this year was really good. I also have done more trail running since there are some nice parks with good footing, so I have done several 2 hour trail runs. One concept I tried to embrace but so far have failed is “slow running,” purposefully running very slowly. Other than on the rockier parts of trails, I have not had the patience. I run slow enough in the dark, anyway. I went two for two in winning my age group in half-marathons in the Lehigh Valley, running 1:32:48 on a mostly trail (but fast path) one in early November. I hope to keep building on all of this, within reason, to see where my ceiling is and to make the most of my fitness while I can.
FUN!!: I love to dance and the Hoerrners were nice enough to join me at a silent disco at Lincoln Center in NYC during the summer. I also played some pickleball with Candace and Bob, and continued to crush axe-throwing, hitting the bullseye each try I had them video (only one shown). I also hosted Mike and Bethany’s trivia night for their wedding and did some dancing there as well (no photos of either available) I jumped in the ball pit at the Mercer Labs in Manhattan, and I got out to cross country ski a few times when it snowed. I kayaked in Keuka Lake, Chesapeake Bay, and the Potomac River. My cold water plunges were in Keuka Lake, Loch Lomond, some ponds in the Dolomites, and falling in the shallow, muddy water getting out of a kayak in Maryland. Finally, another year of weiner dog races in Oktoberfest…
Reading/Books: I did better than 2023, but still spent too much time on my phone. Non-fiction dominated. Humankind by Rutger Bregman was probably my favorite, as he goes against conventional wisdom to show we are generally trying to be good as humans, but our society causes us to fail. Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory by Claudio Saunt shows how poorly humans will behave when greed and racism are sanctioned at the highest levels of government. Super sad but important knowledge. There Will Be No Miracles Here by Casey Gerald is a memoir I did not like about a young man growing up in a terrible environment, getting into Yale and realizing the destructive role ambition plays in the lives of so many high achievers. I also did not like a similar book by James McBride, The Color of Water, and I doubt I will give Joan Didion another chance after The Book of Common Prayer. There is a lot to be learned from these three books, Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What to Do About It by Daniel Knowles, The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant. Halidor Laxness, who won the Nobel Prize in literature, wrote a stunning book about Icelandic life called “Independent People” I got through. The Dawn of Everything, by David Graeber and David Wengrow, which reveals lots of new science about early humans, with the main points (I got) being humans have had the same level of problem-solving intelligence for over 10000 years, and early societies were much more advanced than we think, especially in dealing with each other and equality. Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer has been on my Kindle for years, but I finally read it.
The Darkside: I found a D-Score, a test measuring “The Dark Factor of Personality.” I have tried to attach a screenshot of my score, a 1.06, which is at the zero percentile for D, meaning I am one of the least selfish people, with the smallest Dark Factor who have done the test. This makes perfect sense, though I do not feel I am that great. I only need to see how the people in my apartment building throw away their trash and (don’t) pick up their packages, how people drive, how people treat others, especially those in “service” jobs, to think the researchers are onto something. www.darkfactor.org
What the ???: ESPN’s website has an almost daily post about what the players arriving at various games were wearing. Who is clicking on that? Not me.
Fart-(gerund): In my too many hours on Instagram, I came across a post about Fart-walking, about a husband and wife who go for walks after eating to let go of their gas outside. I do that several days a week at the office during my lunch and occasionally after my evening meal. But this word combo can be used for almost anything, certainly as it applies to my life. Fart-sleeping should be caught on video, and fart-running is usually carried out in the early morning hours. Fart-hiking can be risky far from TP and replacement underwear, but it has to be done. Fart-driving is nearly universal, but there are several to avoid: Fart-dancing, Fart-elevatoring, and Fart-moviewatching come to mind. My own versatility beings to mind a Fart-decathlon. I would certainly make the podium.
Thoughts and Quotes:
Masculinity seems to be a hot topic, mostly in North America. My own thoughts about it are, “Who cares?” Our society is ridiculous in so many ways, and our take on masculinity is super ridiculous, with boys and young men being marinated in advice by half-baked pseudo-intellectuals and misunderstandings of hormones (better to listen to Tyler Durden). Be yourself, and don’t worry so much what other people think about you. Don’t let marketers manipulate you. Masculinity is a failed concept, and being male has little to do with football, pickup trucks, guns, looking ripped, and/or fighting. We need to focus more on peace, mutual understanding, wellness, empathy, and tolerance in men.
War: Recall I served for over 6 years in the USAF, and I have traveled and lived all over. I have been annoyed the past few years by the placement of weapons like cannons in remnants of forts in so many areas, glorifying the foolish violence of the past (Yes, maybe in some sense they are honoring those who were killed or injured, but). Why are there not monuments to the individuals who made peace and avoided war? Every time humanity decided to walk away from violent conflict and made peace should be celebrated, and the times we went to war should be treated with shame, whether there was “victory” or not. We keep elevating the noisy, egotistical and unskilled to positions of power, and they are all too willing to try to make themselves look tough and better by causing tremendous human suffering and waste of resources. We could instead use that human capital and resources to make all our lives better.
Frederick Douglas – “The thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes rebellion.”
“Such are the limitations of the common mind, and so thoroughly engrossing are the cares of common life, that only the few among men can discern through the glitter and dazzle of present prosperity the dark outlines of approaching disasters, even though they may have come up to our very gates, and are already in striking distance.”
Halidor Laxness, in Independent People : “The government is first and foremost for the people; and if the people don’t use their votes, and use them with judgment, it ends up with irresponsible folk being elected to the government…” “Sympathy has perhaps no alphabet, but it is to be hoped that one day it will be triumphant throughout the whole world.” “Arguing about whether humans are fundamentally good or evil makes about as much sense as arguing about whether humans are fundamentally fat or thin.”
From the Dawn of Everything: “Human society, in this view, is founded on the collective repression of our baser instincts, which becomes all the more necessary when humans are living in large numbers in the same place.” “And far from setting class differences in stone, a surprising number of the world’s earliest cities were organized on robustly egalitarian lines, with no need for authoritarian rulers, ambitious warrior politicians or even bossy administrators.”
Cusseta Micco: This leader of the Creeks in 1771 advised the British that no matter how much land any one person acquired, at death, he or she “could only rot on one spot of it.”
Hannah Arendt: This documenter and analyzer of the Nazi horrors felt most people, deep down, were decent. “Our need for friendship and love is more human than any inclination towards hate or violence. When we do choose the path of evil, we feel compelled to hide behind lies and cliches that give us a semblance of virtue.”
Rutger Bregman: People in power literally act like someone with brain damage. Not only are they more impulsive, self-centered, reckless, arrogant and rude than average, they are more likely to cheat on their spouses, are less attentive to other people and less interested in others’ perspectives. They are also more shameless, often failing to manifest the one facial phenomenon that makes human beings unique among primates. They don’t blush.”
“Managers tend to band together. They set up all kinds of courses and conferences where they tell each other they are doing things right.” About medicine(!), citing Jos de Blok: What you get with all these MBA programs is people convinced they’ve learned a convenient way to order the world. You have HR, finance, IT. Eventually you start believing that a lot of what your organization is accomplishing is down to you…But subtract management and the work continues as before – or even better.” “In 1971, 80 percent of British 7 and 8 year olds walked to school on their own. It is now 10 percent.” “A recent poll in 10 Countries revealed that prison inmates spend more time outdoors than most kids.”
Casey Gerald (and I have said this many times before reading it): “One of the surest signs that a young person is not fit to be president is if they tell you they want to be president.”
Viet Thanh Nguyen: “Nothing was more American than wielding a gun and committing oneself to die for freedom and independence, unless it was wielding that gun to take away someone else’s freedom.” “Sympathy alone would never persuade the rich to share willingly and the powerful to give up power voluntarily. Revolution made those impossible things happen.”
Ta-Nehisi Coates: The capability of banking education to minimize or annul the students’ creative power and to stimulate their credulity serves the interests of the oppressors, who care neither to have the world revealed or see it transformed.”
Daniel Knowles: “Mancur Olsen was an American political scientist who wrote about how exploitative governments arise. That is, in short, ‘a powerful organized minority will always trump the interests of the majority.’ And the powerful minority wants cars.” “By converting roads to bicycle lanes, however, as Paris has done, cities can instantly increase the capacity of their road infrastructure sixfold at essentially zero cost.” “There is simply no good reason that the sustainable option – living in a decent size apartment or rowhouse, in a neighborhood where you can walk, cycle and use public transportation to get around – ought to be so expensive, while living in an enormous, detached house and using vast quantities of natural resources is the cheap option.” “Our leaders have compounded to create a world where wasting resources is normal and sustainable living is rare.” Quoting Gustavo Petro, mayor of Bogata, “..a developed country is not a place where the poor have cars, it is a place where the rich use public transportation.”
Adam Grant: “Character is your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts.” “Prosperity rises as people become more capable of absorbing new ideas and filtering out old ones.” “Being reactive and ego -driven is a surefire way to short-circuit learning. It traps people in a protective bubble. They limit their access to new information and reject any input that threatens their image. Their thin skin leaves them with thick skulls.” “Research shows that groups promote the people who command the most airtime – regardless of their aptitude and expertise. We mistake confidence for competence, certainty for credibility, and quantity for quality. We get stuck following people who dominate the discussion instead of those who elevate it.” Ed – and the converse is true – we denigrate those with expertise and humility. “Highly narcissistic people were more likely to rise into leadership roles. They made self-serving decisions and instilled a zero-sum view of success, provoking cutthroat behavior and undermining cohesion and collaboration.”
My Situation: Job, the same, but looking. This year we had an earthquake, a nearby gas leak that required our urgent evacuation, a car crashing through the wall of the first floor causing us to relocate for 3 days, a man making a veiled threat at our front desk personnel about shooting, and someone (still unknown) pooped in our lobby. I am ready to move on as the oppression of “corporate medicine” grows, perhaps worsened by our merger with Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. The election victory of conmen may yet get me to return to New Zealand; I am in talks with them and considering other options. Relationships: Nothing much is happening. I don’t think my standards are too high. Is it unreasonable to want a woman who doesn’t make my life worse? I have a great life, BTW.
I know few get this far, but I love to hear from the people I know and care about, even the little things. I am a very passionate person and care a lot about everyone, much like my mother did. It makes me sad to rarely hear from so many, except maybe when you want some free medical advice (which I don’t mind too much). I love also getting ideas for less plastic and more biodegradable waste for near-vegans like me. I just got a titanium lined pan and a titanium cutting board, for example.
Same phone: 570-238-2084, same address, 305 Prospect Ave, Unit 411, Bethlehem, PA 18018, same website: Terence-orourkejr.squarespace.com This year, 4 travel blogs, and several other posts/essays, including about Russia and Christian athletes….
