Memos: Full-sized posts are for overachievers

• Michael Schumacher's won the last couple of Formula One races, in the United States and in France, with the season leader, Fernando Alonso, finshing second today. It looks like a definite Ferrari resurgence for the last part of the season, but because of how the points system works, Schumacher will need Alonso to finish out of the points a couple of times to have a good chance of winning the championship. This is ironic because the points system was changed from 10-6-4-3-2-1 to 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 to prevent Michael Schumacher from running away with the title too early.
  
  
• Was up ridiculously early today, partly because I didn't pay attention to what time it was, and just saw that it was light out so I got up and walked the dog and made a cup of tea and had a lovely, silent morning. I didn't realize that it was probably only 05:30 or so until I turned on Speed TV and instead of the F1 race, there were dinky little GP2 cars zipping around the Magny Cours track. Definitely beats stumbling out of bed and trying to wake up in the shower and having to get ready for work. Weekends rule.
  
  
• I'm about 2/3rs of the way through reading Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, where he tries to explain the path of human civilization and the factors that led to the current balance of wealth and power in the world. I'll write a full review when I've finished, but so far it's pretty well-written and I can't disagree with his points. He doesn't say much that I didn't already know from some source or another, about the birth of farming and language, and he hasn't dealt much with historical cycles, such as the rise and fall of empires, only treating history as a continuous progression by Indo-Europeans with China developing more or less in parallel. Perhaps this will come later. So far I'd say it's worth the read if you come across it.
  
  
• Even though I live on an island ringed with beaches, I've spent more time on the beach in Mexico than I have here. This should change. Who's got a car?
  
  
• I wonder how many Americans and other nutjobs and douchebags who are getting all lathered up about the happenings in the Middle East right now know just how many Christians are getting killed in Lebanon right now. Probably not many. CNN certainly hasn't mentioned it that I've heard. It'd muddle up the us vs. them narrative too much.
  
  
• Leo's Thai Palace is going to be moving to Kent St. across from Mojo's Pizza. They'll have more room, but won't be close to my house anymore. Go and try the Panang Pork. God damn it's good, and quite spicy if you ask for it that way. One order easily feeds 2 people.
  
  
• In other restaurant news, I've heard that the very best shawarma in town is not at one of the usual suspects, but actually out in the Charlottetown Mall food court, at a place normally known for big, greasy hamburgers. I shall have to investigate. I'd still trade every restaurant-made shawarma in town for one guy with a cart on the street selling them like in Ottawa, though. He could follow me around the way the hot dog salesman follows Homer to funerals and operating rooms.