Lost Libraries

After getting to bed last evening with my cellphone alarm set for 5 a.m., a bit later I re-thought the setting and changed it to 5:30 a.m. And then before I had yet gotten to sleep, I was certain that I heard my wife arrive into the house.

My alarm was to rouse me, and I rose to go downstairs and fix up a strong mug of instant coffee. The plan was to try and motivate myself to go shopping at Deepu's No Frills store about half a mile distant. It would be my first solo shopping expedition since crippling my right leg March 1st.

Well, time passed and I began losing heart, even though there was some rain ─ a condition best suited to reduce any population of people being out of their homes. I just wish that the store opened at 7 a.m. instead of 8 a.m.

I wanted to try some token pull-ups and chin-ups out in the backyard tool shed, but I felt so listless and stiff. I did go out there, but it took me a long time to loosen up enough to even manage that first pull-up. My arms felt dreadfully over-exercised, but the only possible accounting for that could be the four isometric exercises I usually perform two sets of on those late afternoon occasions when I am challenging my bad knee to function with unassisted flat-footed squats that take effort to work up to, for they are not immediately possible.

All I could manage in the shed were a single pull-up in each of two sets; the same for chin-ups; and ditto for two sets of pull-ups between the two thick bars I have to work with ─ and I held the dead hang on the last of those for a 45-count.

At least the session helped to revive me, for I was indeed flagging badly and had nearly convinced myself that not only was I incapable of doing the trip, but maybe I would never manage solo shopping excursions again as the invalid I now find myself.

I had become distinctly defeatist.

Anyway, I did go, leaving here maybe 7:48 a.m., and without my walking stick. As earlier, there was a passing rain shower that I considered to be welcome.

My expenditure came to $65, but it resulted in decent loads in a pair of tote bags ─ my walking stick would have been useless without a spare right hand to wield it.

Occasionally the lower quadriceps area that is the source site of my crippling would practically spasm and threaten my balance, but I cautiously managed the trip back home. And I felt good with myself for having accomplished it.

I never did resort to any bed rest after the trip, for I wanted to have possession of the T.V. at 9 a.m. if my younger brother had not yet emerged from his bedroom to watch it.

And I was to have that distinction. My brother never showed himself until something like nigh 10:45 a.m. By then I had first watched a rather cute six-minute (6:17) video published yesterday to Rumble's Bonobo3D channel: 11-Year-Old Takes Birth Quiz.

At a Birth Care Alliance outreach event, in downtown Vancouver, 11-year-old Lily answers questions about birth from her father, Brad. Lily's mom is birthworker, Tania Campagnolo. Recorded on Mother's Day, May 10, 2025.

Birth Care Alliance:
birthcarealliance.my.canva.site
birthcarealliance@protonmail.com

Then I tuned in a 1⅔-hour (1:42:30) video published May 11 to Rumble's Vaccine Choice Canada channel: Debunking Common Dental Misconceptions & Connection to Your Health - Dr. Jennifer Hibberd.

Join us as we discuss the real facts about oral health with Dr. Jennifer Hibberd, a Doctor of Dental Surgery. She is a founder of the Canadian Covid Care Alliance (CCCA) and cofounder of the World Council for Health (WCH). She is the vice-president of the Canada Health Alliance and the World Freedom Alliance. She is the Canadian Ambassador for People's Health Alliance and on the scientific committees for the Medicos Pela Vida (MPV-Doctors for Life) and the South African Vaccine Injured Medico-legal Study group (SAVIMS).
She is a Senior Fellow of the IMA (renamed from the FLCCC). Don't miss the important presentation from this expert in the field of Dentistry.

It was informative, but quite early into it I noticed an indicator that it was not a new video ─ it had first been published back on February 20. Fortunately, that did not make any difference where the information being presented was concerned. But this can be very annoying ─ recycling old videos and failing to mention it in the video description.

My brother joined me when there were at most 20 minutes remaining to the video, but after a couple of minutes he had the audacity to gripe that he wanted something else because he was not interested in it.

Well, I said nothing and just let it play, but I was rather angry ─ I did not sit through 80 or more minutes of the video just to have him get up late and almost demand I tune in something else.

When his gripe met with no result, he betook himself to the dining table to read.

At the video's conclusion, I then tuned in the documentary that we had watched nearly half of yesterday, but had suspended so my brother could have his bed rest before he left on foot to catch a bus so he could go drinking.

At 56 minutes (56:53), it had been published July 21, 2019, to BitChute's Adaneth channel: Out of the Ashes | Recovering the Lost Library of Herculaneum.

A 2003 History Documentary produced, written and directed by Julie Walker, narrated by Scott Shurian.

In 1752, an ancient library was discovered at Herculaneum, buried beneath the ashes of Mount Vesuvius. Astonishingly, nearly 2000 carbonized papyrus rolls were preserved, though some were so badly burned they looked like pieces of charcoal. While some texts from the philosophical library have been published, many of the papyri have yet to be unrolled or read.

This documentary follows the attempts over 250 years to unroll and decipher these precious manuscripts. It also describes modern efforts to use sophisticated multi-spectral imaging technology to read the blackened fragments. Today, 21st century scholars continue to debate the future of the original Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, where the scrolls were all found. The site was never fully excavated and recent discoveries have led many scholars to believe that other scrolls - and perhaps another entire library - may still be buried there.

This was excellent! Had I come into wealth as a very young man, by now I would have accumulated a huge library of my own ─ I loved books so very much!

We finished up with a 28-minute (28:03) video uploaded September 20, 2013, to YouTube's The Best Film Archives channel: Payoff in the Pacific | PART 1 | World War 2 Documentary | 1941-1943.

This 1960 US Army documentary presents the US military operations in the Pacific during World War 2, from Pearl Harbor and loss of the Philippines to the B-29 bases constructed on Saipan (1941-1943).

After that one, it was time for my brother's return to his bedroom for further bed rest ─ more social drinking to bus off to in the early afternoon, you see.

My wife had emerged from her bedroom while my brother and I were watching T.V.; I'm fuzzy on it now, but I think that she may have headed off for one reason or another.

After my brother returned to his bedroom, I fixed up a very filling meal of fare my wife had brought home from the Thai restaurant where she works part-time; and then around 1:30 p.m. I sought a nap.

Meantime, my brother apparently left for the day, and my wife had returned and had done some cooking.

Evidently she had to work the latter part of today; or at least she left here shortly after 3 p.m., which is when she normally leaves on such days.

That early bit of rain was opportune, for there was no more as the day wore on. I am so damned fed up with a huge South Asian family who uses our cul-de-sac as their playground, encouraging squalling and screaming from their various young kids ─ I sometimes wish that it would pour rain every day to keep the damned nuisances indoors. I have a radio blasting here in my bedroom to try and drown out the detestable noise ─ either I blast the radio, or I will have to close my bedroom window, and I hate to deprive myself of fresh air because of the irresponsible mob of toddlers all the way up to grandparents who seem to need to live out there in the cul-de-sac.

I hate this so much.

This has been a bath day, so I took care of that into the latter afternoon. But had that draining chore not been on my agenda, it is remotely possible that this evening I might have gone out on a second local shopping expedition ─ maybe to a pharmacy. But that ain't gonna happen now ─ baths drain me.

Incidentally, I had an increase in body weight ─ stripped naked, I weighed around 177 pounds.

It is 8:07 p.m. right now, so I am going to take a break from blogging.

🟩🟩🟩

With 9 p.m. approaching and my brother not home yet, I found a source for Black Lightning ─ episode nine ("The Book of Ruin: Chapter Four: Lyding") of season four. I held myself to one can of Cariboo Malt (7.9% alcohol).

That episode's conclusion certainly had a bleak prospect confronting individual members of the Pierce family. I especially felt the indignity that Lynn Pierce was being subjected to in her enforced jailing body cavity search. I can barely imagine what I would do if met with anything similar by corrupt police.

My video source was this GOOJARA.to link, and it played flawlessly.

Had it not been so late when I commenced the episode, I would have risked another show and had wine with it.

I peeked downstairs after the episode was done, and my brother was below watching old reruns with Bev that I imagine she had tuned in. One more evening like this where he displays no early interest in watching our shows, and Tuesday morning I shall be delivering notice to him that as of that latter afternoon, I am not waiting any longer and will be starting to watch episodes of the many (over 20) T.V. series that he and I have followed in common, and I will no longer be waiting until the early evening on the chance that he will have chosen to watch our shows instead of shows Bev approves of.

Anyway, as I have been finishing up this post, my wife arrived home. She is presently in the bathroom, possibly showering. Whatever the case, I am concluding this post now at 10:03 p.m., and intend bed very smartly.