The DU Lounge

My electronic library is dominated by chemistry with heavy attention to the chemistry of used nuclear fuels and subsidiary environmental chemistry, as well as molecular biology and its analytical chemistry, the latter concerned with my job.

At night, while trying to wind down for sleep, I largely read history, generally American and European history, as well as biography.

I recently had occasion to rearrange my personal library in order to have a new furnace installed, and I realized that I have a huge number of history books I have not found time to read.

I generally don't read books cover to cover although I recently did so for a book on the arrest and trial and conviction, followed by imprisonment of the former President of Vichy France, Marshall Petain. Arrest and trial of a former head of State now strikes me as uplifting.

I read at least four or five hours a day.

Right now my current bedtime book is a massive book on the history of the British Empire and the violence on which it depended. It's pretty sobering.

If I retired I could spend every day of my remaining life reading and not have to visit a library again. The problem is that I do visit libraries, far too often.

I have so little time left on this planet and there is still so much I want to know. I regret my wild years and the time lost in them that might have been better invested in study.