We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
6:56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
6:57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.
6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
6:59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
6:60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"
6:61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you?
6:62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
6:63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
6:64 But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.
6:65 And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."
6:66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.
6:67 So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"
6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.
6:69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
Our 3 weeks of roofers are 99% done. Nice job, very neat. All new shiny copper flashing. The carpenters have been at work for 3 weeks too, mostly doing exterior repairs of trim and siding. Some copper gutters too, but we don't need many gutters. All Azec replacement. When that's done I think Mrs. BD wants them to put a roof over the pergola. I am not sure I want that, but I will bargain to double the size of the bluestone patio. I want a place for a firepit. I hate being indoors.
What are unemployed Americans doing? The painters began work today, following the sides of the place where the carpenters have finished their work. 3 Brazilians. Lovely guys, very polite and accommodating. Perfectionists. One has been to Lisbon/Lisboa, but not to Porto.
Depending on weather, they predict 3 more weeks of work (prep takes the longest): scrape entire house, then power-wash, then re-scrape and sand, then prime, then paint. Doing the job the right way.
These guys have never heard of Fado. I suggested that they check it out. We liked this club in Lisbon. We had some Portuguese dessert there and I had a glass of wine:
We live in a schizoid time. In the world most of us inhabit, things are going extraordinarily well. We are in the midst of the longest bull market ever. Employment is at a record high, unemployment–especially among minorities, young people and women–at or near record lows. GDP is growing at a 4% clip, which liberal economists deemed impossible in the last administration. Wages are rising. We are at peace, but at the same time our government is finally taking steps to deal with long-festering problems in Iran, Russia, China and North Korea. What’s not to like?
If you listen to most journalists and pundits, none of that is important.
The Quillette piece we linked this morning about paranoid thinking on the left fringes was good enough to mention author Doris Lessing's 1992 essay, Language and the Lunatic Fringe.
I recommend it. Things have gotten much worse since 1992.
I have noticed the growing use of the word "problematic" lately. I find the use of that word to be problematic. What it means is that you might be in trouble with the Thought and Culture cops.
At present, Muslims make up about 17% of the population of Antwerp and Brussels, 22% of Birmingham, 25% of Marseille, 11% of Amsterdam, 13% of Rotterdam, and 13% of Frankfurt. Immigration patterns and demographic trends indicate that those numbers will increase steadily in the years to come, and eventually, I repeat, all of Western Europe will be under sharia law. Or, as John puts it so prettily, “many things will be different and some things will be better.”
Kling: I think that the case for spending “public money” (i.e., money extracted from taxpayers) on schools is quite weak. Until I see a well-controlled experiment, I will be skeptical of the benefit of schools.
The Keto diet is a hot topic these days, but it's really nothing new. It's mainly a weight-loss diet with very low-carb (just those in non-root veggies) and high fat.
The idea is to train your body (it does work) to burn fat for energy instead of carbs. When that happens, you excrete ketones mostly in urine. The high fat diet (greens with plenty of olive oil, juicy meat or fish with plenty of butter, etc) stave off hunger and combat carb addiction. That's the idea.
The monsters from the id that seized control the Democrat Party have transformed that party into a mob of undead extras from The Walking Dead (Season 285). From “the friend of the working man” this party has become an indecent and disgusting spectacle of crazed cultists and prevaricating perverts claiming they are “normal”.
When an article begins with those words, be as skeptical as you can. Journalists know little about medicine, science, or statistics, but they know click bait when they see it.
I hate to imagine what my life would be like if I only did what "I feel like doing." Worst case? Living in retirement or on welfare as a TV addict or internet or heroin addict - but then I would hate myself for laziness and passivity. I am already a book addict. It's sort of moot for me, because I have never known the meaning of "relax and take it easy." Probably never will. I was made for work.
What does "motivation" mean? I don't know. I do know what desire means, and what fear means. Desire for results, and fear of decay, affect me but so does the simple physical need to be active. My genius trainer always says "The hardest exercise of all is dragging your lazy ass to the gym every morning."
The answer to my title question is "No - never." That's because it is so hard and stressful compared with, say, yard and garden work, or going for a scenic hike. I just want to get it done with and then to begin my day in a good state of mind. Once I get in the gym, though, there is some perverse satisfaction in pushing myself and testing my will, and good satisfaction after completing a hard hour. Being driven by a slave-master helps a lot too. Endorphins are over-rated, but an atmosphere where everybody is busting their ass is inspirational.
As all of our readers know well, discipline, determination, and delayed gratification are darn important in making a decent life. It does feel good to me to be in better shape than I was in 20 years ago, but it's taken 3 years to get here with much further to go.
Trying to turn back that clock, baby - it's only semi-delusional.
Photo: Those people are doing Turkish Get-ups. It's a tricky calisthenic.
... this was never about Russia at all, although if they caught some Russia this or that, they’d scream to the high heavens. (Expect that in the Mueller report.)
No, this was about getting a gangster, Don Trumpeone, by getting people like Fredo Manafort and Clemenza Cohen on some tax thing or other, and having them turn on the Dogfather. And if there’s no tax thing, there’s always perjury, simply manufactured by Mueller’s preferring some statement from Party X over one from the mouth of Fredo or Clemenza (truth isn’t truth as you know — cue screaming).
The left made multiculturalism and the multinational order unviable as a power play. But the play went awry. Instead of the left’s plans moving forward, they’ve been set back. And instead of taking responsibility, the left is blaming everyone else for its own crimes against liberalism.
Trump didn’t break the old order. The left did.
Why should Kofi Annan’s death cause us to forget how bad at his job he was? Failure falls upwards.
A practice version of Idiot Wind from 1974. Final lyrics of this tough, pained song still evolving in this tape. He was not happy when Sarah dumped him and his kids to run off with some con-man. Doubt he ever really got over that.
"Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth..."
Foggy drizzly Atlantic morning beach hike, Newcomb Hollow to Cahoon's Hollow, and back. Big shorebird migration last week. Hundreds of Least Sandpipers and Bonaparte's Gulls. Lots of Grey Seals people-watching. Great Whites seal-watching, I guess, too.
Besides multi-generational family tradition and the regular presence of my very high-energy sibs and their interesting kids (I went for an early morning jog - 5:30 or so, and ran past the town tennis courts. "Hey, Bird Dog - I have a spare racquet in my car". My brother and sis were playing tennis already, so we did Canadian doubles for an hour), I'll offer some reasons we love it there, and a few pictures,below the fold:
The Unusual 
