Ostrich Edition

25 January 2026

The amount of information available far exceeds my capacity to process it. So I only get glimpses of headlines now and then. Am I missing anything? I suppose I will be surprised when the world ends, but I don’t want to waste time worrying about stuff I can’t do anything about. How are you feeling about the world?

Monday

The daughter, who is supposed to be a young adult by now, had a sudden compulsion for a rubber duck. And she wanted to make it a rare family outing. So we drove through the fog, which felt like entering the afterlife in a movie. The store called itself a “museum” because it had a few shelves of old rubber ducks. On the one hand, I am always intrigued by museums. On the other hand, this felt more like a tax scam. But as malls go, this one seemed pleasant enough. And if I get to the stage where I require a scooter to get around, I hope it can be a fancy decorated one.

Tuesday

I don’t usually re-read books, but when this audiobook showed up as Available in the Libby app, I decided to re-live it. I studied Brave New World by Aldous Huxley in high school. I remember getting a perfect mark on an essay I wrote about it, though I no longer remember what I wrote. I know Huxley did a follow up book that I have not read and they made a TV series that I have not seen. The world is so different now and perhaps closer to the one in the book. I’ve mentioned before how Neil Postman said that Brave New World more accurately captured the threat of modern society than 1984. I don’t know if I am much different from when I was in high school, but certainly I have had more experiences since then, which I think must have made my experience of the book deeper than before.

Wednesday

Vancouver had a few days of fog. You could see it like a blanket, if you were above it. It does make it extra spooky in the evening when walking the dog and the streetlights become diffused. So I suppose, I should have shown figures as hazy gray forms, but that would have been more work. The projects I’m supposed to be working on also seem to be in a weird purgatory at the moment.

Thursday

The name of the “Meseum” came to me while walking the dog for some reason. My first thought was that this would be the kind of place Donald Trump might make as a tribute to himself. But I didn’t want to dwell too much on thinking about what kinds of things he might want to include in such a museum. I suppose these comics as far as they capture my thoughts are a virtual “meseum” already. Shameless vanity. What would be in your “meseum”?

Friday

What If We Get It Right? is an interesting book by marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson capturing discussions with leaders in social, economic, and environmental transformation. They do not sugar coat the current situation, but are working toward making things better. Even in the best situations, political will can be difficult to harness and now in the States, it is even more “challenging.” So despite my opening remarks, I am sort of trying to find ways to make things better.

Saturday

Lately, our poor dog has been having some issues, especially overnight. We have been to the vet and changed her food. Hopefully, things will get under control. But that may just be an illusion and we have to deal with what happens. It seems like we generally have greater expectations for control these days or avoid situations that are outside of our control. It was never my idea to get a dog, but having one I think has been a good learning experience for me.

Sunday

The lastest installment of my graphic memoir in progress, Not Made in Japan. I had heard that Japanese has a term yonkoma for four-panel comics. They are usually arranged vertically and are for gags. I hadn’t realized they have a consistent structure, though it is pretty straightforward: introduce story, expand on idea, twist, conclusion. I wonder if being conscious of this approach will affect my comics moving forward.

That was my week. I hope you had a good one, with a better one to come.