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.
"Walking Shoes" andTrail Walking Shoes are neither running shoes nor hiking shoes, generally speaking. Like many European cities, New York City is a walking town. New Yorkers walk a lot. In fact, in many circumstances in Manhattan you can get to your destination as fast, or faster, than you can with a cab or an Uber.
For urban walking and urban hiking, you want walking shoes. They are more like heavy-duty sneakers.
I suppose you want to use the lightest weight shoe for your purpose. No bouldering boots for exploring Vienna: Trail Walking Shoe vs. Hiking Shoe. We like Merrells and Keens for either long-distance urban or trail walking.
When reading through the news stories of the Huffington Post, CNN, and some other leftist outlets, I feel as though I am peeking into a perverted mind. Whatever Trump says or does is presented with a hateful smear, facts are either twisted or ignored, and not even a feeble attempt of being objective is being made. No, they are not insane. They attack the president intentionally.
Mark your calendars. We apologize for putting it on a Sunday, but we were running out of possible dates.
As usual, our outing will be regardless of weather. As my sister says, there is no such thing as bad weather, just wrong clothing.
This hike will begin at the Lincoln Center fountain and proceed uptown to The Cloisters, about 9 miles all told. Lots of Broadway, which was the old highway north from New Amsterdam (and, first, an Indian path). As always, there will a lunch stop somewhere with beers, and stops at various spots of historical or cultural interest.
All friends and readers are invited to be a part of our caravan. We always have a jolly time of it. Lots of laughs, excellent companionship, and sore legs at the end. Easy subway or Uber back downtown.
The condition and characteristic of an uninstructed person is this: he never expects from himself profit, or advantage, nor harm, but from externals.
The condition of a philosopher is this: he expects all advantage and all harm from himself. The signs of one who is making progress are these: he censures no man, he praises no man, he says nothing about himself as if he were somebody or knew something. When he is impeded or hindered, he blames himself. If a man praises him he ridicules the praiser to himself and if a man censures him, he makes no defence. He removes desires from himself, and transfers aversion to those things which are contrary to nature. He employs a moderate attitude towards everything; whether he is considered fooling or ignorant he cares not.
In a word, he watches himself as if he were an enemy and lying in an ambush.
The number of pushups a guy or gal can do is a fair proxy for general fitness. 50 pushups in 60 seconds is a fitness benchmark. (I can not do that yet.)
Pushups are a calisthenic exercise but they do build some strength in the core, chest, arms, and shoulders. I do them on my calisthenics days but you can do them every day.
Why use the handles? Because you can dip lower, and because they are kind to your wrists. I don't approve of declined pushups because of the wrist and shoulder stress.
"More than 15 journalists, several U.S. government officials and multiple lawmakers were shown or given the Steele dossier during the 2016 presidential campaign or shortly after. Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele disseminated the dossier far and wide in an apparent attempt to insert the document’s salacious allegations into the media. Newly unsealed court filings show how widespread this effort was."
It goes without saying that right-wing madmen like Donald Trump and Andrew Scheer are to blame for Christchurch, but did you know that, when you peel back the conspiracy and discover who's really pulling the Trump-Scheer strings, you find Islamophobic white supremacist Chelsea Clinton?
Take a ride on NYC's #7 Express train from Queens to Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan. This train passes by Citi Field, the US Tennis Center, Long Island City, etc.
Trade and technical schools are being praised and promoted by the Department of Education, corporate America, and industry associations. How well is the system working?
- My weekly Sunday before-church "cardio" workout: 10 min elliptical raising resistance every 60 seconds. 10 minutes Stairmaster, raising speed every 60 seconds, final minute slow. 45 minutes treadmill, rotating 2 min slow walk, 2 min high incline fast walk (10-12% incline), 2 min slow walk, 2 min 4 mph jog, 2 min slow walk, 2 min 7 mph run. Rinse and repeat.
- Watch that renewable energy talk we posted yesterday. I mostly agree with the guy, but I am not worried about "climate". Not one bit. I am a conservationist, not a climate wacko. Their priorities are screwed up.
- With snow cover mostly gone (for the moment, at least) a good chance for outdoor clean-up. Also, try to repair fence the damn fallen tree crushed in an ice storm a couple of weeks ago. A good day for real work, which is what we try to stay in shape for. I'll keep an eye out for our local breeding Bald Eagles overhead. Love seeing them hunting my rabbits and, I hope, the neighbors' cats.
And there is this: Boomer Ballads: Visions Of Johanna (perfection, beauty. Thanks for that masterpiece, Bob, because it enriched my life)
Finally, to make today complete, Van Morrison with The Chieftains. Cry if you must. Sheesh, I am not even Irish but there is so much soulful beauty in this world - The world is so cold, don't care nothing for your soul...:
3:17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.
3:18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears.
3:19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.
3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
3:21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
This Greenie guy came to realize the environmental damage of "renewables." Good for him. (h/t SDA). I am all in for nuke power too, but not because of climate. Just because it seems so obvious.
I am having fun learning about some of the technical aspects of aviation. (One thing I have been learning is that aviation is for solid, non-neurotic, practical, calm people with good mental clarity. There are surely personality types which are not suited for aviation.)
I was confused about the definitions of Classes A to E airspaces. Here are the definitions.
Piece Found At Ethiopian Airlines Crash Site Shows Jet Was Set To Dive. A screw-like device found in the wreckage of the Boeing 737 Max that crashed last Sunday in Ethiopia indicates the plane was configured to dive.
If Beto had an R after his name instead of a D, you’d hear he was boarding-school-attending judge’s son who dodged serious charges for the DUI & burglary, used eminent domain to gentrify poor Latino neighborhoods & married into a billionaire’s family.
Your shoes always matter.
Cool story from 1912: 
Mark your calendars. We apologize for putting it on a Sunday, but we were running out of possible dates.
Photo: Lots of snow in California this year 
The number of pushups a guy or gal can do is a fair proxy for general fitness. 50 pushups in 60 seconds is a fitness benchmark. (I can not do that yet.)
Knights Templar – 
- My weekly Sunday before-church "cardio" workout: 10 min elliptical raising resistance every 60 seconds. 10 minutes Stairmaster, raising speed every 60 seconds, final minute slow. 45 minutes treadmill, rotating 2 min slow walk, 2 min high incline fast walk (10-12% incline), 2 min slow walk, 2 min 4 mph jog, 2 min slow walk, 2 min 7 mph run. Rinse and repeat.