After a couple of weeks of very hot (90-100+) days, the annual June Gloom has arrived. That means lots of early morning mist and fog that takes a long time to clear off, and moderate temperatures and overcast for much of the day.

Because it got so hot during the days, I switched from cycling after work to riding early in the morning, and have continued that for the past two weeks, going out most mornings. Leaving the house at 5:45am isn't always easy, but far fewer people walk the dam (and none with masses of kids and pets), plus not so many cars are out either.

I like June Gloom for the change even though this morning's mist covered my glasses annoyingly heavily even before reaching the first mile mark of my ride. It definitely feels good to arrive at my cubicle after a work-out, though, so morning rides will continue for the summer.

It also leaves more time in the evenings, so I have been working on Flattops. The biggest thing there is changing the free demo games from people playing a game against themselves to playing against me. I want to see whether this changes the number of subscribers, but don't expect an answer for a few weeks.

Got in two books over the past two weeks. Devil Boats: The PT War Against Japan contains quite a few anecdotes about this type of small craft, and serves as good background for including them in Flattops. Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett written by an officer aboard this destroyer in WW II, tells first-hand of daily life as well as of combat. Very good reading.

Von Ryan's Express is one war movie I'd not seen until Sunday. It turns out to be quite good, and even stars Frank Sinatra. The Count of Monte Cristo didn't receive much praise when it appeared in movie theatres, but it's also good. Not sure why it didn't do so well initially, and I don't know how it differs from the book, but it's an enjoyable flick nevertheless.