February 10, 2025

Chapter 9 – Groundhog day and the time of swine

It is now towards the end of January 2025. We have had the first week since the inauguration (meaning: the beginning or introduction of something) in the USA.

January 2025

It is now towards the end of January 2025. We have had the first week since the inauguration (meaning: the beginning or introduction of something) in the USA. It is a time of swine. Federal elections in Germany are bearing down on us fast (date 23rd February) after the current government lost its majority before Christmas. I have been thinking about the last elections we had in 2021 and have been thinking about parallels and differences.

At the time we were moving house into a different region, the pandemic was still very much part of everyday life and things felt like they were moving on out of the pandemic freeze back into some sort of normality. Now we have worrying developments across the pond, Europe is being thrust back onto its own two (well more like fifty four) feet and cannot count on much support from the USA.

Anyway, I don’t really want to dwell on the subject as generally a bit depressing. On the personal front I am (yet again) in a small move or transfer from one job to another within the same company but at a different (and, for me, rather more convenient and enjoyable) location. So basically good news there. Kids are growing up fast and my oldest daughter is currently on a one month solo trip to Scandinavia to check it out and see if it might be her thing for the next few years. We shall see!

As usual, I am hatching a small plan to take a week out in early June, maybe go down a bit further into Italy, plans are at early stages so will come back to that.

Reading:

Reading-wise I have gone through the history of the Russian civil war and am now delving into the Spanish civil war because I didn’t know too much about it and it is really worth looking into if you are interested:

It has been really interesting to follow the history, forces and ideas behind the Spanish civil war and I couldn’t help drawing parallels to the modern day with the ongoing fight between authoritarianism and the patchwork of liberalism and the left, the influence taken and positioning of big business as well as the role of the church. Also fascinating to see how the middle classes position themselves and what options they have in times of extremism with little to represent the “centre”.

General, Ubuntu Touch and Guzzi stuff:

So plenty to think about at the moment. My Ubuntu Touch project is still on hold due to a lack of a device but am still keen to take it up again. The tooth fairy did provide some parts for the Guzzi (a Mistral slip-on can) so I have a small project there to get it on so that the aluminium bins still fit and also to maybe find a way of tweaking the ecu map to improve the midrange.

Picture of Mistral exhaust can on a Moto Guzzi Breva

So many things great and small. Here’s to hoping that the swine do not get to completely take over the farm.

The author

2wheels, adventure, ecology, dad and husband, green, news, tech-fan, trauma- and orthopod, engineer and human. https://mstdn.social/@MarkDW

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