Read to the end for a post about midnight TV ideas

The past week has been one of getting back on track. A week off for a summer vacation is great, but attempting to regain a schedule can be tough. Bedtimes become a thing once more along with the reality that you have to cook your meals each night instead of going out to eat daily.

The habit I've been trying to kickstart once again is my reading habit. I'm still reading Monte Cristo but it's been such a slog that I've started a second book to help regain some momentum. Last week I mentioned two books I scored at a wonderful bookstore in Lake Placid.

They're on my TBR but I've been giving Blackout by Connie Willis a whirl. It seems to be an interesting time travel story where historians go back to observe events. I'm only about 35 pages into it, but I'm still undecided on whether I like it or not. I figure if I get to page 100 and still feel blah about it, I'll move onto another book.

As far as Monte Cristo is concerned, I want to want to read it. It's so interesting but so long and has a lot of chapters that are incredibly mundane. I'd feel like a cheat if I switched to an abridged or updated version of it but this isn't a game of life and death or something. It's how I choose to use my free time. And I should take my own advice.

Reading, like any form of entertainment, is where we choose to use our valuable time doing something we enjoy. TV shows are no different. Speaking of, Season 2 of Strange New Worlds is phenomenal. I'm only five episodes in but this remains the absolute best Trek out there. I don't know how the writers did it, but they built on an exquisite first season and made the second even better. Almost every Trek suffers from a poor Season 1. Lower Decks was an exception and SNW is as well. Perhaps it's because the second season of Discovery was almost a backdoor pilot for a new series? Who knows.

What I do know is the time I'm spending on leisure is a bit unstructured and that's okay. I'm enjoying it and that's what counts.

I hope you have a great week.

-Aaron

PS: If you're enjoying my work here on TimeMachiner please forward this email to a friend who'd like it too. It helps me grow. Thank you. 😊

TODAY'S RANDOM FACTOID

If a Lone Star Tick bites you, you may become allergic to red meat. Source