Nova Daily - 12 April 2026: Stroll contemplations (Recap Week 15)

Hi!

Ever since my alarm went off this morning, I've opened 20 different applications on my phone. I was surprised by this, because I expected it to be much less. Like, what did I use? Social apps, sure, that's...well... Does chess.com count as a social app? Chess apps, audio things...How can that be 20 apps? Okay, I opened my notepad to write the majority of the stuff below while waiting for my transport. But that's still one.

I don't think that I'm the only person who opens many more apps on their phone than they stop to think. What you want to do with this information is entirely up to you. For me, it was interesting to observe.

Stroll contemplations

As I said in yesterday's blog, my weekend has been crammed. Today I had something to do in a nearby city. 

After that event, in walking through the streets, back to my transport, I was having a lot of fun. I encountered several people, all minding their own business. Some people were poking fun at one another, others were walking towards me, or away from me. Multiple people looked my way. I'm quite sure that they don't know me. But to the very low extent that I care about it, what do they think of me?

When I'm walking on the street and don't want to be disturbed, I passively make sure that people leave me alone. This means wearing sunglasses, wearing earphones, and walking with a steady pace that I know comes across as determined. Anything to make it uninviting for people to bother me. My posture is overall pretty okay, even though almost my entire upper body currently hurts from exercising too much. Is it normal to have your upper back cause you grief for two weeks on end?

Anyway, when I walk across the street, I'm feeling quite well. I'm rather confident, which is something that I know my dad would've appreciated if he'd seen me today, even though he'd probably be shocked to learn what I'm listening to as I was walking on the streets today. Though I'm quite sure that I'd be able to turn that shock around.

As I'm writing these words, I'm listening once more to Simon Boas's A Beginner's Guide on Dying. No-one would presume when they see me walking down the street that I'd be so interested in learning about the Great Mystery. I've received DMs from people who were worried that I might be depressed, and whether this is something that's too heavy to contemplate. Very often people tend to think of their own thoughts and beliefs as universal and much more rational than it may actually be, and for this reason alone it could be interesting to entertain the thought experiment "What if I'm completely wrong about this" from time to time. Especially when such a thing like projection takes place.

I don't see it that way: many of the people who have come to face the reality that their life has a deadline (like Fyodor Dostoevsky facing execution, or 50 Cent after having conceded nine bullets into his body) have felt a switch click on in their brains, and they became permanently more productive and more fearless in the aftermath. That productivity, that mindset, that drive, and that appreciation for the extraordinary thing that's called life is something that I want to harness. If possible without putting my own life on the line.

People are quick to judge, classify, and disregard other people. Most of the time not realising that they're not that much different. I've come to the conclusion that it's useful to keep in mind that they are doing their best too. The 12-year-old boy and girl who both play chess at my club and decided this weekend that they are now boyfriend and girlfriend. The crabbed taxi driver who works yet another shift to be able to pay the bills. The blogger who borrows analysis from a different source but forgot to mention where it came from. The people who want clicks and advertise their blogs in places that they shouldn't. All of them are doing their best in this life. Sindarov. Esipenko. Vaishali. You. Me. We have no clue what kind of disruptive event may or may not happen tomorrow. But we all are doing our best to make something of this life.

The Week in Chess

As may be clear from the above discussion, my week has been pretty much about reflection. I've not played too many games, and managed to crash two ratings while I was at it. I'm okay with this on two grounds. First, it keeps me down to earth (pun intended). And second, resistance and setbacks contain the essence of what is holding me back. It's a "THIS WAY" sign that I'll take seriously, and I'll make sure that I'll sow and harvest what I can from it (again, pun intended).

My current scores:

Rapid rating: 2405 (=)
Blitz rating: 2600 (=)
Bullet rating: 2605 (-30)
Survival: 63 (=)
Puzzle Battle: 2209 (=)
Puzzles: 2618 (-56)
Repertoire: 4497 moves (=)