Military parade, a surreal experience

On Saturday, 14 June 2025, there was a military parade purportedly held for the 250th anniversary of the US Army's establishment, though a military parade was also something that Trump had been wanting to do since his first term and it happened to fall on his birthday as well. 

Since it's not every year that this kind of thing happens, I figured I should avail myself of the opportunity to see this spectacle in person. Please note that my interest in attending the parade was in a meta way, and NOT because I actually support it being held. In fact, I don't think it should've happened, but it did, and I wanted to see the tanks and whatnot. I don't support the military industrial complex.  

It was a surreal experience yet also somewhat underwhelming and sad in a bizarre, dystopian way. Attending the parade felt like entering an alternate universe, and upon arriving back at the Metro station's garage, it felt like returning to the regular universe. 

It really just left me thinking "what the fuck did I just experience?" among other things, and it's probably going to take awhile to make sense of it. Many of the soldiers who had to march in the parade didn't look like their hearts were in it and seemed somewhat listless. A lot of the soldiers marching were not particularly synchronized either.   

The following portion of the post is written at a much later date (April 2026) because I forgot to finish and post this in the immediate aftermath of the military parade... 

Many months later, I attended a normal parade for Saint Patrick's Day. I was trying to remember other parades I had been to, and the military parade didn't even register in my mind as a parade because it was so entirely in another category mentally, I guess. In the normal parade, there were some contingents of military bands or that kind of thing, and they actually marched better than the soldiers in the military parade had done. Probably because the people in the SPD parade actually wanted to be there... 

The military parade featured various military equipment, like tanks and military vehicles that rattled down the street in a plodding, surreal and almost forlorn manner. The soldiers driving and riding in the vehicles would sometimes wave at the spectators lined up along the road. Unfortunately (well, sort of), there weren't any giant missiles displayed in the parade like they do in North Korea or China. 

At one point towards the end of the parade, there were some people demonstrating some small drones. There was also at least one flyover during the parade but from where I was, it wasn't possible to see the aircraft that well. 

Prior to the parade, there was an exhibition on the National Mall of various booths related to the Army and displays of military equipment. There were some helicopters that you were allowed to wait in line and then get in them and have your photo taken. Obviously I had to avail myself of that opportunity since there aren't many occasions to sit in a military helicopter if you aren't actually in the military. 

After the parade, there was a concert and fireworks on the grounds of the Washington Monument and some remarks from the president. I don't even remember what was said during the remarks, just that it was somewhat surreal to witness them. It wasn't that crowded during any of this. I'm not sure what kinds of motivations other people had for attending any of the day's events.  

Since this year (2026) is the 250th anniversary of the United States, I wonder what kind of insanity might be in store to mark that this summer.... 

Fast food review: McDonald's Big Arch burger

I haven't posted food reviews on this blog before that I can recall, but here is one of a food I just recently ate. The Big Arch burger is a new item on the McDonald's menu that is presumably a limited-time item, so I wanted to try it at least once while it was available.

Firstly, some backstory. I had seen this on the menu in the past few weeks but hadn't chosen to try it until today. Last week, my sister had inadvertently spread misinformation about the McDonald's CEO's opinion of the burger. She said that he had posted a video where he said the burger wasn't that good. This didn't seem logical to me, so I told her to find the actual video, in which it turns out that he actually said that the burger was good. 

Apparently a ton of people online roasted his video because he was kind of awkward in it, even though he did say the burger was good. They also apparently didn't like that he only depicted himself eating one bite of the burger in the video, instead of showing him eating the entire thing in like a timelapse. I don't know what they wanted. Something like the performance artwork video of Andy Warhol eating a hamburger??? Sometimes I think about what it might be like if I made mukbang videos, but I digress... 

Anyways, he actually did like the burger, and I thought his video was perfectly serviceable. I also liked the burger and was satisfied with how it tasted. It was larger than I expected and quite filling. There are two (quarter pound) meat patties on it which are substantial and meaty. It has white cheddar cheese, a special Big Arch sauce, and crispy fried onions. As well as the typical lettuce and pickles. It also has slivered onions. The bun has sesame and poppy seeds and seems like the bread might be a little denser than a Big Mac bun. 

Something in the burger tasted a little peppery, like black pepper. I'm not sure if that was from the sauce or the meat seasoning or what. The sauce is not as sweet as Big Mac sauce. The cheese is nice and gooey and there's a good amount of it. Mine was made well and seemed like there was a good amount and proportion of the various toppings. 

Overall, I would probably eat this burger again, although not every single time I go to McDonald's, as it is fairly indulgent and sometimes I might not be hungry enough to eat something that substantial. It is also more expensive than a Big Mac. 

Book review: Poets Square

Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats

This is another book I saw in a display of new books at the library. This was published in 2025 and the condition of the book itself seemed very new. It is a memoir about a woman who lives in Tuscon and cares for feral cats that live in her yard, as well as others throughout the Tuscon area. It was a very quick read and I finished it within three days due to how much time I had for each reading session, but it likely could be finished in one or two days if you have enough time. 

The writing style is adept and serviceable but not highly literary or anything. It worked for what this book is. The book primarily covers the time in the author's life after moving to Tuscon and beginning to care for the cats, though there are a few brief parts about things from her past. There are parts of the book that are somewhat sad. 

There aren't a ton of contextual/explanatory details about some of the settings and situations she finds herself in when trying to help feral cats throughout Tuscon. I wished there had been more context in some parts because I like knowing lots of details about things, but I guess it wasn't the focus of the book. 

I was curious to know more real-life information about the neighborhood the woman lives in that serves as the title of the book. It's a real neighborhood in eastern Tuscon, slightly north of the Air Force base. Streetview shows that it consists primarily of mid-century ranch-style single-family homes, though some have been renovated or rebuilt to look different. The neighborhood is indeed a square shape on the map and about four streets are named after poets, but otherwise there doesn't seem to be much linking to its name. I'm not familiar with Tuscon at all, so I can't say how this neighborhood fits into the context of the city. 

Towards the end of the book, the author and her husband are able to buy the home they had previously been renting because the landlord wanted to sell it. She received donations for the down payment from social media followers, since she had built up a major following by posting about the feral cats (@poetssquarecats) during her time living there. 

Out of curiosity, I looked up housing prices in that zip code. They seem to be in the (mid-upper) $200k to $300k range, with a few in the $400k or $500k range. The vast majority of the listings are for houses like the aforementioned ranch-style homes. 

Book review: some more graphic novels

In this post: Junji Ito, Cousin Joseph, The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks. 

I have been checking out a lot of books from the library's graphic novels section. They use the term "graphic novel" to describe anything in comic form, whether it's fiction or nonfiction. They have a pretty good selection of Junji Ito's manga, so I've been reading some more of that. Although his work is described as horror, I would describe it more like being surreal and unsettling. Strange and unsettling events happen in his stories. 

Most recently, I checked out the following by Junji Ito: The Liminal Zone, Sensor, Black Paradox and Venus in the Blind Spot. I haven't finished all of these yet. 

Aside from this, I also read a nonfiction comic titled The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks. This consists of a variety of stories based on interviews with various residents in Ukraine talking about their experiences in the Soviet Union, particularly the famine in the 1930s. There's also a section talking about a Russian journalist (Anna Politkovskaya) who was killed due to the content of her work criticizing Putin. 

On the whole it's all pretty grim, especially the part about the Holodomor famine. There are parts containing descriptions of cannibalism that occurred during the famine. Although I found the content very interesting, in some ways I thought it was a little hard to follow. There are sometimes Ukrainian or Russian words used that don't have any translation/explanation about their meaning. There are also places where a page/panel would benefit from additional context to remind/inform the reader when the events shown are taking place. 

The art style was fine, but not particularly notable to me. I would like to read more about the history of the Soviet Union as well as the post-Soviet era in Russia and other former Soviet countries. This comic was originally published in Italian, then translated and published in English in 2016, which was before the current war in Ukraine, although there had been some things happening prior to that. 

I also read a fiction comic titled Cousin Joseph, by Jules Feiffer. This is the same illustrator who did some illustrations for the children's novel The Phantom Tollbooth. His style is pretty similar in this comic to what I remember about the illustrations in that book. It consists of loose, pencil drawings with somewhat stylized-looking people. I liked his art style in this comic and it was interesting to see it in a different context than the illustrations from the children's novel.

As for the plot, it was in the noir genre and was interesting enough, but I'm not sure if I would have been interested if it were some other artist I didn't know of. 

This library branch seems to have a pretty decent selection of graphic novels, so I might end up reading more in the future. 

Activity review: Billy Goat Trail section A

Recently I attempted to hike this trail with a friend. We had been wanting to do it for some time, and eventually there was a day that seemed amenable regarding the weather and our schedules. I will talk a little about some of the gear I used/wore too.  

Section A is the most strenuous part of the trail. Section B is closed indefinitely. Section C is open and apparently less strenuous, but we didn't do that part. The weather forecast showed a high temperature of about 76 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sky was partly sunny. I'm glad there was some cloud cover; it would have been worse if it were fully sunny. 

We got started on the trail (entrance to Section A) at 13:10 and it took us about two hours to complete the first half of that section. There were some places we stopped to observe the view, and others where we stopped to rest for a little bit.  

After finishing the first half, there is a short exit trail you can take so you don't have to do the final section of the main trail. We used the exit trail because I felt that I wasn't prepared correctly to continue on the main trail. Signs before the start of the trail recommend not hiking during 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the hottest part of the day.

I wore Teva Hurricane sandals, which was a less than ideal choice. It wasn't a catastrophic mistake, but in the future I would want to wear closed-toe shoes with a good amount of traction in the soles. Probably some kind of trail running or approach shoes, something like that. 

I do not recommend wearing original Teva sandals because they don't have as much traction on the soles compared to the Hurricane version. The Teva Hurricane sandals have been suitable for other short hikes, but this trail was considerably more strenuous than others and involves portions of rock scrambling where it's better to have closed shoes so you can jam your foot in places and not worry about getting scratched up.  

The rocks also have edges/points that you sometimes have to step on, so it's better to have a shoe with a stiffer sole so you won't feel a rock edge jabbing into your foot as much. The Teva Hurricane shoes are the absolute bare minimum type of shoes you should wear, but ideally wear something else (trail running or approach shoes, or even full hiking boots). I saw some people wearing regular sneakers or even canvas shoes (similar to Vans) but I personally would not wear shoes like that for this hike. 

Information online from the NPS suggests bringing 2 liters of water per person for this hike. I would heed this suggestion, as it's better to be prepared instead of getting dehydrated and needing to be rescued because you can't make it any further. There are water fountains near the closest parking area (admission to the park is $20 for vehicles, and $10 for pedestrians or cyclists), but otherwise there are no other places you can get drinking water. Another source recommends bringing twice much water as you usually drink (this is kind of vague) and consistently drinking the water every few minutes.  

Personally, I drank about 2 liters (possibly a little more) by the time we reached the turn for the exit trail, where there is a sign suggesting you take the exit trail if you're running low on water and/or feel tired. If we had completed the full main trail, I think I would have finished at least 3 liters of water. Keep hydration in mind and bring enough water so you don't run out, especially if it's a warm or hot day. I brought 5 liters of water in a water bag (in addition to a full 1 liter bottle), which was inside my backpack. I shared some of the water with my friend, but he didn't drink that much in total.    

Other things I would do differently are to use bug spray and sunscreen. I thought the trail would be relatively shaded, and while there are parts in the shade, the rock scrambling sections are pretty exposed to the sun. I got a number of itchy bug bites. I would also want to start the trail earlier, possibly around 9 a.m. or something like that. Additionally, going on a day when it isn't as warm could be better. I would also want to bring a brush to brush off the dirt from certain areas so you can get a better grip. Bringing a small (i.e. lightweight) pair of binoculars could also be interesting so that you can get a better view of some of the scenery in/across the river. 

There were numerous sections of the rock scrambling areas that I found difficult because of the distance between good foothold or places to step. To some extent, better shoes could have helped with this because it would increase the amount of locations that I could comfortably put my feet, but some of it was just due to me being short (5'0") and my legs weren't long enough to comfortably reach the next foothold in a stepping motion. The alternative was to do more of a jump or hop, which felt too treacherous especially with the shoes I was wearing, or to do a more complicated pivoting and/or crawling maneuver. 

It was good to do the trail on a day that wasn't very busy so we didn't have to worry about a lot of people waiting behind us on the trail during the scramble areas, or for us to have to wait behind other people. 

In the future, I might just want to take the exit trail inwards to the midway area, then resume the main trail from that point. 

Although my preparation for the hike was less-than-ideal, it wasn't so inadequate that it was catastrophic. However, apparently many people have to get rescued from the trail, so I wanted to be mindful about bringing more than enough water, and using the exit trail when I realized I should have prepared differently. It would be embarrassing and a hassle to have to be rescued from the trail. 

I could also be in better shape, weight and endurance wise. I wouldn't recommend this trail if you are too unhealthy and/or inexperienced with hiking, especially more complicated terrain with a lot of elevation and scrambling. 

The backpack I used was an Osprey Sirrus 24 (liter), which was a decent size to carry the 5 liter water bag plus a few other things (small pouch, 1 liter Nalgene in the side pocket, a bucket hat, a small sketchbook, a pee funnel that I did not need to use, but just in case...), and it felt pretty comfortable to wear. 

Although there were some people we saw on the trail who didn't bring substantial backpacks, I wanted to make sure I had enough water, plus get a chance to use this backpack. It has a frame and the back panel of the bag is suspended about an inch from a mesh panel that touches your back, so you can get some airflow there. It has a hip belt and sternum strap, both of which help to stabilize it. The hip belt is comfortable and helps distribute the weight. I found this backpack on sale at REI for about $50, but full price is $180.  

The Sirrus is a women's-specific design and I found it a good size for me at 5'0" (in terms of the backpack relative to my body). It is a little bulky due to the frame and hip straps so I don't think I'd necessary want to use this in an everyday (non-hiking) context, even though that was what I was looking for when I went to REI. At REI, they have a cabinet in the backpacks section with weight bags so you can test how a given amount of weight will feel in a certain backpack!! It's kind of dangerous to go to REI since there's so much stuff there that I'm tempted to buy.... 

I wore a new Columbia shirt (thin quick-dry fabric) and old, lightweight Under Armour running shorts that have pockets. I'm glad I didn't wear thick or warm clothing because the weather was rather warm. I brought a bucket hat but didn't wear it. I did wear a bandana to keep the sun off my hair though. This is a necessity for me in the summer if I'm going to be outside in the sun for awhile.   

In addition to the Billy Goat Trail section A, there are a few other things you can look at in this area. There is a Great Falls overlook right off the canal towpath near the parking area. There's also a boardwalk trail that goes on Olmstead Island and is pretty scenic. In the future, it might be nice to do the boardwalk Olmstead Island trail by itself and stop at the overlook to draw, but we were too tired to draw since we had already done part of the Billy Goat trail before going to this area. 

Book review: Craftfulness

I saw this book in a display at the library last month because apparently March is crafts month or something to that effect. The full title is "Craftfulness: Mend Yourself by Making Things." I expected the book to be different than what it ended up being like. It was okay, and I managed to finish it, though it was a drag to read and many times I'd read just a few pages, then stop. It was disappointing. 

It seemed to be aimed at a reader who is unfamiliar with and/or doesn't really understand the value of partaking in craft projects and making things. I am not that person, so I found the book bland and off-base and didn't think it offered much insight. It was a rather surface-level exploration of the subject matter -- I wish it had gone more into some kind of sociological/cultural analysis of crafting, its role/view/impact in society, that sort of thing. There were many brief excerpts of statements from various crafters where they talked about the crafts they pursue and what it means to them, etc. Many of these statements were not actually that interesting. 

At the end of the book, there are instructions for six beginner projects in different crafts (weaving, knitting in moss stitch, bookbinding, drawing, writing, clay, darning). I have no interest in darning (a form of mending) and the other things I already know how to do and/or could easily figure out (at a beginner level) without the use of this book's instructions. There's also an appendix section recommending further reading or resources, which was possibly the most useful part of the book. 

Although this book was rather boring and underwhelming, I guess it counts towards my reading challenge because it's written for an adult audience. It was pretty short, but felt like a slog to read. At least it was good for something to read in very short intervals when the circumstances weren't right to really dig into something with more substance.   

Book review: vintage Nancy Drew

I went to a little free library yesterday and there were two vintage copies of some Nancy Drew books. These copies mentioned a copyright date of 1940-something and 1950-something (the books were not directly subsequent parts of the series) so I was wondering if they were original editions. After looking it up online, I found out that these editions were published in the 1960s, so they're still pretty old. 

These books were further along in the series than I remember reading as a kid, so I was curious about what I'd think of them now. The editions from the 1960s contain only one illustration at the beginning and one on the cover, compared to more recent editions (from the 1980s to present-day) that contained a few illustrations interspersed throughout the book. 

This does not count towards my reading challenge, as these books are not primarily written for an adult audience. I remember reading books from this series in 3rd grade, possibly a little before or after that too.

This book, The Clue in the Jewel Box (#20 in the series), was a very quick read; I probably finished it within an hour or so. The general tone of the book was as I remembered it, and the primary recurring characters (Nancy's best friends, father, housekeeper, and boyfriend) were familiar. 

In the past, when reading them as a kid, I didn't pay much heed to trying to analyze the setting or that kind of thing. Apparently, the town that Nancy lives in (River Heights) is fictional, but I was wondering where it was supposed to be based on. 

If I had to guess, it might've been based on a town in upstate New York. It's mentioned that the town is on a river, and there's another town across the river, as well as ferry service on the river. The town isn't portrayed as extremely small. In this particular book, a building built during the revolutionary period is mentioned, which also implies that the location is somewhere that was part of the original 13 colonies. 

The books are still interesting and entertaining enough, albeit rather brief to read now. There's also a nostalgia element. I can't say whether children nowadays would be interested in this series, since maybe they can't even read well enough to even read a book in the first place.