Hiking
October was the signal to me that we are finally leaving the humid, hot summer behind and entering my favorite seasons of the year (fall and winter). Suddenly, mountain climbing is bareable for me, and so I tried my best to go out at least a few times, so I got to hike Mount Taihaku, and Mount Koazumadake.
I hope to get a few more hikes in before snow takes over. One thing I realized is that I am not even close to my goal, both physically and gear-wise, of being able to do some of these spectacular hikes in the Japanese Alps, which are so breath taking everytime I look at them. Physically is one thing, but planning is also another. Being able to map & plan everything out, while taking consideration of weather, weight carry, getting there, timing, is all quite a skill that I have yet to master. I hope though, that I can experience these peaks in the following years, and soon.
Games
In the beginning of the month, I took some time to play video games, particularly “EA FC 25” and “Battlefield 2024”. I like to think that these games are really only fun for me because there’s a big nostalgia aspect of it, which brings me to my point that, video games are no longer for me. While I appreciate playing them with my wife from time to time, my competitive nature severely undermindes the experience, as I really liked to play online, and as you can probably tell, I am definitely a noob in these. No matter though, because not enjoying video games is not a big issue at all.
Other stuff
Here are a few songs I’ve been listening to this month:
I’ve “known” about Brahms for some time, but I’ve only discovered his Hungarian Dances, which are all spectacular. I like to imagine how amazing listening to this must have been in the 1800’s. Contrast that to present day, where we are so overstimulated, especially with music.
And here are a few YouTube videos I found really interesting:
While watching the World Series, I regretted not having watched more baseball this summer. I was never a huge baseball fan myself, but the traditional nature of it, the love for the sport in Japan and the US, is something I like, and it’s a very nice casual sport to watch. The above video highlights the relationship of baseball with Japan, which was very interesting. Highly recommend!
This last video was particularly interesting, what an incredible ride. Highly recommend.