I got up earlier than usual. The sky already had a hint of light. I glanced at the digital clock on the dresser, and it read 5:15. June 22 is, after all, the longest day. The room felt warm for early morning. The temperature display on the fan confirmed that. It was 77 degrees. I remembered the prediction of a heat wave. I should have adjusted the thermostat in preparation.
Since I was already up, I decided to start my day. I picked up my phone from the bedside table and instinctively entered my passcode. The first screen showed 5 unread emails, 4 WhatsApp messages, 5 Facebook notifications, and 2 text messages. Like everyone else, I learned not to get excited by any of it. Of all that, only 1 email was actually addressed to me. That’s better than 0. Like any other day, like any other retiree, I opened my financial website to check the status of my nest egg. It increased by 0.21% -- not a bad day. Like many people my age, I pricked my finger to check my blood glucose level and, somewhat satisfactorily, entered 132 in my health app.
I made myself my morning cup of coffee and, because the sugar level was lower than usual, rewarded myself with not 1 but 2 biscuits. While sipping my coffee, I tried to catch up on the NYTimes news highlights. 470 people were confirmed dead in the earthquake. Is that too few or too many? Our reaction to such numbers changes with time and with who is affected. The same goes for the report on new jobs created. When I read that 129,000 new jobs were created in the previous month, my reaction was entirely unemotional. It didn’t matter to me personally. Just as I cannot honestly say my reaction to global warming is deeply felt. Of course, I wholeheartedly side with those who are concerned, but I am too old to face the consequences, and I don’t have any kids I have to worry about. There are intellectual concerns and the ones we feel in our bones. I would only trust a legislator with children and grandchildren to take a meaningful position on global warming.
I brushed my teeth, changed into my walking clothes, and went out for my usual walk. The first mile took 18 minutes and 14 seconds. Not bad, but the second mile took considerably longer. I am getting a little more tired. I sat on my second-most-favorite bench because my usual one was already occupied. I counted how many people were in the water this morning. There were 6 or 7. One was too far out in the lake, and I could not say for sure whether it was 1 or 2. I wish I were swimming as well, but I could never muster the will or the courage to plunge into the lake's cold waters. On my way back, I picked up some essential groceries, only as much as I could carry in my nylon bag. The jug of 2% milk was the heaviest.
I was back home by 10:30. My phone's pedometer congratulated me on walking 7,340 steps. I was sure I would cross 10,000 steps by the end of the day. A good start. I rested a bit before taking a shower.
It is unusual for me to go downtown anymore. I used to do it every day. I was supposed to meet a couple of my colleagues for lunch today. They are also retired, like me, and we decided to pick a place we used to go often during our working lives. I took the train and was surprised to find the fare had increased to $3.75. I’m not sure when it changed, and I clearly didn’t pay attention.
The lunch was nothing exciting, but catching up was fulfilling. We talked about common friends, the state of the company, and, of course, the depressing but mandatory bit about health parameters. We rattled off some numbers like 140 over 85, 6.8, and 120. After lunch, we split the bill 3 ways. After tips, it came to $23 each. Is that more than what we used to pay?
On my way back, I stopped at the bookstore. I had nothing in particular in mind, so I just roamed the stacks. In the popular science section, I noticed they still sell Gamow’s 1, 2, 3 Infinity. I read it in my school days, but it still has readers today. Few books have such lasting power.
I came out of the store and noticed the time/temperature display on the bank building. It read 3:25 and 85. It certainly felt much hotter. I guess that, with age, our tolerance for extreme temperatures becomes more timid. As children growing up in a tropical land, we could play all day in the sun when the temperature crossed 100. We did not mind. But now anything above 80 feels too warm, especially on humid days.
I quickly crossed the street to reach the shaded side and walked to the station. The next train was not until 4:16, so I took a seat in the waiting room. There were very few people at that time of day. I passed the time playing sudoku on my phone. It was an all-stop train, so the 8-mile trip took almost 20 minutes. During my working years, I always took the express, which had just 3 stops. Now the longer ride was pleasant.
When I got home, I changed and decided to write about my day. It was not interesting. Why would anyone want to read about the dull day of a retired man? Even I might not find it interesting a few years from now.
I glanced at what I just wrote, and something caught my attention. I asked Google Translate to translate the above text into… Which language should I choose? I picked Traditional Chinese. I cannot read Chinese. Amid all the unreadable characters, only the numbers stood out. If I removed everything I could not read, what remained was –
5:15 22 77 5 4 5 2 1 0 0.21 132 1 2 470 129000 18 14 6 7 1 2 2 10:30 7340 10000 3.75 140 85 6.8 120 3 23 1 2 3 3:25 85 100 80 4: 16 8 20 3
We surround ourselves with numbers. We are numbers…
Since I was already up, I decided to start my day. I picked up my phone from the bedside table and instinctively entered my passcode. The first screen showed 5 unread emails, 4 WhatsApp messages, 5 Facebook notifications, and 2 text messages. Like everyone else, I learned not to get excited by any of it. Of all that, only 1 email was actually addressed to me. That’s better than 0. Like any other day, like any other retiree, I opened my financial website to check the status of my nest egg. It increased by 0.21% -- not a bad day. Like many people my age, I pricked my finger to check my blood glucose level and, somewhat satisfactorily, entered 132 in my health app.
I made myself my morning cup of coffee and, because the sugar level was lower than usual, rewarded myself with not 1 but 2 biscuits. While sipping my coffee, I tried to catch up on the NYTimes news highlights. 470 people were confirmed dead in the earthquake. Is that too few or too many? Our reaction to such numbers changes with time and with who is affected. The same goes for the report on new jobs created. When I read that 129,000 new jobs were created in the previous month, my reaction was entirely unemotional. It didn’t matter to me personally. Just as I cannot honestly say my reaction to global warming is deeply felt. Of course, I wholeheartedly side with those who are concerned, but I am too old to face the consequences, and I don’t have any kids I have to worry about. There are intellectual concerns and the ones we feel in our bones. I would only trust a legislator with children and grandchildren to take a meaningful position on global warming.
I brushed my teeth, changed into my walking clothes, and went out for my usual walk. The first mile took 18 minutes and 14 seconds. Not bad, but the second mile took considerably longer. I am getting a little more tired. I sat on my second-most-favorite bench because my usual one was already occupied. I counted how many people were in the water this morning. There were 6 or 7. One was too far out in the lake, and I could not say for sure whether it was 1 or 2. I wish I were swimming as well, but I could never muster the will or the courage to plunge into the lake's cold waters. On my way back, I picked up some essential groceries, only as much as I could carry in my nylon bag. The jug of 2% milk was the heaviest.
I was back home by 10:30. My phone's pedometer congratulated me on walking 7,340 steps. I was sure I would cross 10,000 steps by the end of the day. A good start. I rested a bit before taking a shower.
It is unusual for me to go downtown anymore. I used to do it every day. I was supposed to meet a couple of my colleagues for lunch today. They are also retired, like me, and we decided to pick a place we used to go often during our working lives. I took the train and was surprised to find the fare had increased to $3.75. I’m not sure when it changed, and I clearly didn’t pay attention.
The lunch was nothing exciting, but catching up was fulfilling. We talked about common friends, the state of the company, and, of course, the depressing but mandatory bit about health parameters. We rattled off some numbers like 140 over 85, 6.8, and 120. After lunch, we split the bill 3 ways. After tips, it came to $23 each. Is that more than what we used to pay?
On my way back, I stopped at the bookstore. I had nothing in particular in mind, so I just roamed the stacks. In the popular science section, I noticed they still sell Gamow’s 1, 2, 3 Infinity. I read it in my school days, but it still has readers today. Few books have such lasting power.
I came out of the store and noticed the time/temperature display on the bank building. It read 3:25 and 85. It certainly felt much hotter. I guess that, with age, our tolerance for extreme temperatures becomes more timid. As children growing up in a tropical land, we could play all day in the sun when the temperature crossed 100. We did not mind. But now anything above 80 feels too warm, especially on humid days.
I quickly crossed the street to reach the shaded side and walked to the station. The next train was not until 4:16, so I took a seat in the waiting room. There were very few people at that time of day. I passed the time playing sudoku on my phone. It was an all-stop train, so the 8-mile trip took almost 20 minutes. During my working years, I always took the express, which had just 3 stops. Now the longer ride was pleasant.
When I got home, I changed and decided to write about my day. It was not interesting. Why would anyone want to read about the dull day of a retired man? Even I might not find it interesting a few years from now.
I glanced at what I just wrote, and something caught my attention. I asked Google Translate to translate the above text into… Which language should I choose? I picked Traditional Chinese. I cannot read Chinese. Amid all the unreadable characters, only the numbers stood out. If I removed everything I could not read, what remained was –
5:15 22 77 5 4 5 2 1 0 0.21 132 1 2 470 129000 18 14 6 7 1 2 2 10:30 7340 10000 3.75 140 85 6.8 120 3 23 1 2 3 3:25 85 100 80 4: 16 8 20 3
We surround ourselves with numbers. We are numbers…
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