Sunday Morning Thoughts – October 27, 2024

An extra hour?

Did you get an extra hour of sleep where you live? Changing the clocks has been a hot topic around Europe for a while. As far as I’m aware EU countries will be able to decide whether to change the clock or not soon-ish. I could look up when, but I’m not doing that on Sunday Mornings.

I just remembered that I wrote something about clocks, time and such last year. You can read it here.

Well, in the fall I don’t mind it as much. My body hates it, but copes better with an extra hour of sleep than being stolen one. I mean that’s just mean. I know that my American friends will change the clocks later. I think in two weeks or so. But there are also those who don’t change the clocks at all. I can’t say that I remember what it was like before we did it, I just remember that it was a big deal for my great-grandmother. She was 93 at the time and not a fan at all.

Anyway, keeps us on our toes. But nowadays with all our devices changing the clocks automatically and our phones with their world clocks – it’s much easier than it used to be. I have five clocks that I have to change manually, if I’m counting right. Will do that later.

I can’t say that the US presidential election is not on my mind. Even around here you can’t escape it. But the reason that this election is this close totally escapes me. I mean I forced myself to watch that 45 at McD’s stunt and the mind boggles. I mean other than billionaires who want tax breaks who is voting for him? Who looks at him thinking “this is a great leader and oh so smart?”.

I’m also wondering how we got here. I know I’ve talked about this before but – hello media, this is on you! Publishing lies as if they were facts for sales and clicks until nobody knows what’s real anymore – totally on you. Not fact checking what you print/post – totally on you. Deciding to give “both sides” the same coverage – even more on you.

How are there two sides if one is just spewing lies? Known lies. That’s just insanity. And that’s very much in the hands of news media to change. You worry that you might lose readers if you start publishing facts only?  That raises a whole bunch of other questions. There have always been lies in politics, but they used to be false promises or the art of spinning the facts in a beneficial way. Note that I said “spinning the facts”. That’s the key right there. Now we’re swimming in a sea of lies with just the odd buoy or lighthouse to represent actual facts. This is exhausting!

Okay, confession time – no, not the catholic kind, don’t worry. Let’s just think about confirmation bias for a minute. We all have that. And it’s here that we can check ourselves and maybe fact-check what we read. Oh, maybe I should mention what confirmation bias is first. Well, basically it means that we tend to believe and favor information that aligns with our beliefs. We tend not to believe information that contradicts them.

So, if I read that 45 said something insane, I will probably believe it without fact-checking. I might also just not read anything that contradicts me thinking he’s a total tool and in cognitive decline. Even if that contradicting story is true. The bias runs deep and I’ll happily admit to that in this case. I would not believe a story about 45 saying that he reacted empathetically to hearing the struggles of another person. I just wouldn’t.

While I think some of the fake social media posts (fake as in people pretending it was 45 who posted them) that have been floating around are brilliant, because they are so realistic – this is of course also confirmation bias. Now the problem with that is that the internet is flooded with joke fake stuff while we’re accusing others of posting lies. We can’t do that.

Also, the fake stuff might be nuts, but reality is so much worse. Let’s just stick with that.

I recently came across an app that shows you how the same story is reported on by different news outlets. It gives you headlines and political affiliation (if any) of the sources. It also tells you how reliable each source is. That way you can quickly see media bias or maybe rethink how your bubble has told the story and fact-check it – just in case.

Did I write down the name of that app? Of course not. Did I test it myself? Nope. So, all I can say, if that’s something you’re interested in, there are apps like that out there. And it’s one of those things where you can let AI do all the legwork. Yes, AI has a certain bias as well, but this sounds like something it could be good at and trusted with.

I’m supposed to be promoting my book now that it’s out all over the world in your favorite online bookshops. I’m having a hard time doing that somehow. I need to get over that. So, how about giving it to a friend as a Christmas or birthday present? I know some of you have and that’s much appreciated. I’ve also been told that it’s easy to read in terms of chapter length. Yes, that is intentional. One of my rules was that each chapter is roughly 500 words long which is about two pages.

Apparently, you have to read it at least twice – I’ve heard. And there should be a German version of it. That one I’m considering. A French translation has also been requested, but somebody else would have to do that one. But let’s not get over excited. It’s only just been out for 10 days here in Switzerland. I should probably be tracking sales too. Yes, I’m so good at promoting my work – NOT.

Okay moving on.

We need to talk weather as well. It’s been gray around here. Very gray. Typical fall weather. I live in one of the foggiest areas of Switzerland. It’s all that water. I mean, we have four of the largest rivers flowing through our canton. In the fall that means fog. Sometimes it’s enough to go up on a hill to get above the fog, but not today. It’s too high up. I’d have to go up a mountain and I don’t think that’s gonna happen.

Up in the Jura hills on a foggy morning (three years ago)

It should clear a bit later or I might just hop on my bike and ride up the valley. What’s a bit depressing about this kind of weather is that you need the lights on inside during the day. It also made me look at fall pictures on my phone – the beautiful colorful kind.

Fall in Buchs AG - a couple of years ago on this day.

Somehow, I ended up looking at all my Scandinavia pictures. So, I was virtually in Visby (having hot chocolate and a cinnamon bun), Copenhagen, Jutland, Oslo, Lillehammer, Tromsø (more hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll), Stockholm, Uppsala and I even made it out to a small island in the Stockholm archipelago. Busy morning.

I would love to go for a long walk today. So, I guess I’m just gonna do that. My hiking backpack is packed and ready to go – always. I can start walking from right here. So many options. I’m thinking downstream along the river Aare. It takes me 35 minutes to get there and then there are several small towns with train stations where I can hop on a train back home. Furthest I can realistically walk is Brugg. That’s a good 20 kilometers. Not sure that’s in the cards today though.

I can’t believe it’s only 8.58 as I type this. Okay, technically 9.58 but you know.

OY! I forgot something. Since I’m not going to be able to sign everybody’s book for a while, here’s what I thought I could do instead: send me a private message and I will send you a virtual dedication. I’m thinking I’ll make copies of the first page (where dedications usually go) and put individual ones on there and send them to you electronically. You can then print it out and put it inside your book. How does that sound?

Totally weird? Well, that works for me. Some of you are mentioned in the book, so if you’d like me to put the dedication on that page – happy to do that too.

I can’t tell you how great it feels to be surrounded by all my paintings. I’m just looking around me. So much creative energy. I have so many more thoughts but also the urge to get outside.

Some abstract art for you - my own of course.

*Jumps up to plug in her cell phone so it’s fully charged when she leaves*

Now I’m thinking about the kind of snacks I want to bring. Also, what book do I bring and will I need my laptop (need – no! want – possibly …)?

Officially too distracted to keep writing. So, there might be more later today or on my other newsletter or I might just be reading. We’ll see.

Happy Sunday everyone and if anybody feels like sending fall pictures or cat pictures or dog pictures or just anything that will make me smile, please do.