I have had a bad back since I was in grad school, and one of its causes–although not the only cause–is that I have bad feet. That might be partially my own fault since I wore moccasins exclusively through college, and I think the lack of support in them weakened the arch in my right foot.

So I wear orthotics in my shoes constantly, and whenever my back flares up (as it has done the past month), I visit my friendly local foot doctor and he adjusts or repairs my orthotics. Hopefully that is what he will be able to do when I visit him tomorrow.

One of the things I wanted to do when I retired was make more new recipes. I have not been too faithful doing that, often relying on my regular staple of meals, such as macaroni, homemade pizza, lentil or pea soup, and stir-fries. One particular regret is that I have only made homemade noodles twice all year. Today I am making a batch of (tomato) gravy, which will yield 4 meals, so perhaps next week I will make the noodles as well.

I have not bought many CDs this past year, largely because I listen to a lot of my music online, either Sirius or Pandora. But I want to buy a few retrospectives of outstanding artists, and I have limited my current “wish list” to the following:

• Crossroader, by Mountain;
• Retrospectacle, by Supertramp;
• Nights From the Alhambra, by Loreena McKennit;
• Diamond Hard Apples of the Moon, by the Nice;
• Workshop of the Telescopes, by Blue Oyster Cult.

That’s 2 hard rock, 2 progressive rock, and 1 world music. Any suggestions on which I should actually buy?

Currently reading. Ted Chiang is such a talented writer, it is a shame that he remains a part-timer producing less than a story per year. His collection Story of Your Life And Others is a wonderful collection, highly recommended.