What I Learned, Looking Forward, Looking Back: October 2026

Welcome to November! I know it's already a few days in, but let's do a quick recap of October! In October, I had a good mix of outdoors and in, time with friends, familiar places and new. In all of them, I walked or ran, and I find this such a good way to really get the feel of a place! One thing that surprised me is that despite hiking a lot at the beginning of the month, I still felt a bit bloaty and sluggish at the end of the month. So, I did two things. First, I weighed myself for the first time in a looooong time. Not because I care too much about the number, but because I am going to try to start logging my food so that I am focusing on eating more healthily. The last six months of bike ride + road trip + hiking trip does NOT equal healthy eating habits. 

Secondly, I went for a DEXA scan, one of many (this is my fourth in the last 8 years) to see how my body fat percentage and bone density compared to my last three scans. Good news: the density has gotten a little worse, but not significantly, and I am still above average (meaning better than, not worse than). Not as good of news, my body fat percentage has gone up. However, the abdominal area fat (VAT), which can be dangerous, is low, and I have excellent fat distribution, as in, I store my fat in my hips and thighs rather than my abdomen. 

You all remember that I have high(ish) cholesterol though? I giggled a bit when the doctor told me I should exercise more (I had just finished riding 1,000 km / 621 miles around Taiwan) and eat less fatty foods (which I don't really do anyway). However, to be fully honest, I do have a hamburger and fries from time to time (ahem, or during TBE, on the daily). So I am not going to cut all joy out of my life, but I am going to work on being more aware. So I guess this is a long way of saying that CWBC will not just be in October for me. Also, since I am no longer riding a bike, I will not be eating cookies for lunch. 

As always, I'd love to hear what you're up to! Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 

Where was I? California, UK

October; brought to you by the color yellow

What country related books or documentaries did I watch? 

Read: Trespasses by Louise Kennedy (Northern Ireland during The Troubles) - I wanted to learn more about The Troubles, but mostly I found the writing moody and the character kind of unlikable, plus there is an adultery aspect. I did however enjoy the human aspect of it, where the main character takes a boy and his family under her wing, despite it being sometimes looked against. 

Watched: A Tour of Accents in England and 20 British Accents in One Video. I can tell a UK accent, and most likely note if it Scottish or Irish, but I am not good at telling a Scouse (person from Liverpool) from a Mancunian (person from Manchester), despite them having very specific and well known accents. I am working on my game though. 

Did I complete any other items on this year's looking forward list? 

✅ New food <-- Donatello let me try a piece of his Epic Salmon Jerky. It was pretty good. 

✅ New beer <--  Mountain Rambler Helldiver IPA (Bishop, CA)

✅ New States  <-- none

✅ New National Parks  <-- none

✅ New thing <-- Peace Wall, Belfast

✅ Hiked/ran in: California, Belfast, Liverpool

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1. What is the name of last month's chapter? 

January: Devouring the Sweet Potato

February: Back in the Groove

March: Serenity Before the Storm

April: Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

May: The Ring of Fire and Ice

June: On The Road Again

July: A River Rides Through It

August: That's What Friends Are For

September: Four Legged Friends

October: Something Old, Something New, Something Yellow...

I had a great time in my old stomping ground, but also enjoyed the new sights! No matter what though, there was a lot of yellow! 

2. What did I learn last month? 

I learned that parts of the 2022 version of the movie Batman were filmed in Liverpool, England. Actually, although Gotham city is supposedly inspired by New York, much of it is actually filmed in the UK. Who knew? Also, I did not even realize there was a 2022 Batman movie, or that Edward (Robert Pattinson) was in it. I clearly am not much of a movie watcher! Or perhaps it is because I am team Jacob. 

3. What was the weather like? 

It was great for the most part! In the Sierras it was in the 70s (weird) and I went swimming! In the rest of California it was in the 70s or even 80s some days, and I went swimming! In the UK, I arrived alongside storms Austen & Boelo, which delivered ~ 80 mph winds in some areas, lots of rain, and caused many power outages and closures. I did not go swimming, unless you count the puddles or the sea foam that covered me when I went to the coast. 

Welcome to the UK

4. What event last month was my favorite?

I have decided to change this question, as I kind of hate it. NEW QUESTION: What are some of the highlights of your last month? I really enjoyed my time in the Sierras. I used to go do a hike there at least once a month, sometimes more, and often in the offseason, like in May, when there was still snow, but there were basically no people. I miss that, and it was nice to do it again. There's nothing like some fresh air, exercise and open space to really clear your mind. I also really liked seeing the Bighorns, and learning more about The Troubles and The Beatles. 

Pinchot Pass 12,090 feet

5. What was the best thing read, listened to or watched last month? 

Book: I enjoyed Mad Mabel. It was fun and quirky and kind of reminded me of the Thursday Murder Club, in a good way! 

Movie/Show: On my flight, I actually got my year's worth of movies watched! I saw Project Hail Mary, I Swear, and Pressure. All of them were good, although I Swear made me cry a little, but is well worth a watch! It is a true story of a boy in Scotland named John Davidson who has Tourette syndrome. At this time nobody knew what it was and everyone thought he was acting out on purpose. He gets into a lot of trouble over it, but in the end, he goes on to help others with Tourette syndrome and educate teachers, police and other community members. 

Podcast: I listened to the entire season of Adrift, which I believe was suggested by Engie! It was entertaining! I also sometimes listen to the News in Easy Spanish, and this story about the owls in New York was interesting. (I only learned the word for owl by reading Harry Potter in español in 2020! I also learned the word for "wand" and "whisper!") The episodes are only a few minutes long so you don't get burned out! 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

In my last post, I promised to tell you about the naked guy! Buckle in! Broski and I decided to take a hike, well actually he wanted to play with a camera that he borrowed and I wanted to get exercise and go for a swim. So we compromised by deciding to go to a swimming pool I had been wanting to check out for awhile, where he could take photos and I could swim. We did a really nice hike on a beautiful river with lovely rocks and views, we took lots of photos and played with aperture and f-stop and stuff, then we walked to the swimming hole. 

On the way to the hole, we found a sign that basically said that public nudity was illegal, but around here, people turn the other cheek (ha! Pun not intended!) so that you may see some nudity at the river. We figured, well, it's October, on a weekday, at 10 am...the chances are pretty slim! You know where this story is going, don't you?  We arrived at the swimming hole, were the only ones there, and I coerced persuaded Broski to swim with me. We were just about to jump in and Donald Duck comes walking down the path to us. I'm telling you, shirt no pants, top no bottoms, wienerschnitzel flapping; he says howdy and starts talking to us.  

Funny thing, first of all, my brother and I were in our undies because my brother did not bring a swimsuit because it's OCTOBER and I never wear one. But really we were overdressed compared to Donald. He turned out to be a nice guy, an engineer, and we did our cold plunge and let him have the beach to himself. But the funny thing is... since my brother was practicing using his borrowed camera, we had set up a video to test out the timelapse as we jumped in the water, so we got Donald on camera! That one is not going to be on the blog, folks. 

The swimming hole

7. What am I looking forward to this month?

Spending time with my Scotland friends and their kids (who were the ones that I first watched Traitors with!), exploring some places I have been before in more detail, and many more new things that I don't even know about yet. 

Your turn! To copy/paste, highlight the text below and click CTRL-C, then put the cursor in the comment box and click CTRL-V.

OCTOBER:

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that?

2. What did you learn last month?

3. What was the weather like where you are?

4. What are some of the highlights of your last month?

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

NOVEMBER: 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! Have you ever been to a nude beach? Have you ever swam in the nude?