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.
Mrs. BD is a big fan of live music. She loves opera and chamber music. Yes, she also loves the NYC Ballet. Yes, she loves New York. So do I.
As with church, I find feeling confined in a seat difficult. ADHD? Who knows. I am restless. Most of us know Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, but it is interesting to watch the 10-12 musicians. Instead of getting a wall of sound from a recording, it's easier to watch each musician making a sound.
I understand why chamber music was meant to be performed in a room where you can move your chair, maybe talk with somebody, have a cocktail - and not in Alice Tully Hall. You can barely hear the harpsichord in an auditorium.
Regarding brains, how does the bass fiddle guy remember every note to play for 6 Bach concerti? Or everybody else on the music team? It is complicated music.
Nice cozy place, not too interesting food. Pub food, really. Nice to see places with ribeyes, but I tend to go for the mussels. I can make ribeyes at home.
Around the HQ, we stick with the un-Yankee, Southern Italian/Sicilian Christmas Eve fast, which means seafood. In past years, I have had the real 7 Fishes with fried baccala, steamed mussels, scungilli, etc etc. A wonderful fish feast which it would be a stretch to term "fasting." The Catholics are very clever with their concept of fasting.
The best-known Sicilian Primi is Pasta Con Sardi - pasta with anchovies (ie small sardines) - what I term Pasta With Minnows aka Pasta with Bait.
What is an "anchovy"? Never, ever use those tinned brown over-salted anchovies that they put on cheap pizzas. Disgusting stuff, cat food for a cat you hate. If you can't get fresh anchovies (they are white) at your local fish market, use the canned white anchovies in olive oil. Tasty. Good Italian markets have good fresh or oiled white anchovy filets.
Here's the recipe. Yes, to be authentic it needs the breadcrumbs. And here's another Vigilia favorite: Fried Baccala Balls. I've also had these with mashed potato in the cod mix to hold it all together. Nothing is more delicious.
Traditionally, you have to have Struffoli for dessert even though I find it inedible.
Truth is, in recent years we just make poached salmon with yogurt-dill sauce, to be ready to serve at room temp. after getting home from church.
This humble little critter is usually seen on the trunks of older trees, picking through the bark. You would never see them through foliage in summertime, but in winter they are all over the US.
I am not equating those things, just noting the overlaps of hedonistic celebrations in history. I took the photo above at a lively Christmas party we attended last Saturday. Sheesh. Like college these days, good male to female ratio.
You can blame the Romans for blending the celebration of Christ's birth with the hedonism and rule-less Saturnalia. Then you can blame the pre-Christian northern Europeans for mixing up their paganism too.
The original lyrics for Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. A bit grim.Thanks, reader. Link to article here.
“Have yourself a merry little Christmas It may be your last Next year we may all be living in the past
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Pop that champagne cork Next year we may all be living in New York
No good times like the olden days Happy golden days of yore Faithful friends who were dear to us Will be near to us no more
But at least we all will be together If the Lord allows From now on, we’ll have to muddle through somehow So have yourself a merry little Christmas now”
Maybe. My higher education was darn rigorous. So was my STEM graduate education. I'm not overly smart, but very well-educated. We had 2 years of required courses, so there's that. Not many places now where you need a Music Theory course as a requirement. That was tough for me.
The SEAL youtube yesterday tells a lot about physical endurance. Sure, for the obstacle course (which SEALS in training run through many times) plenty of strength is needed too, especially grip. That guy doing the obstacle course was plenty strong but he flunked. Of course, the physical training for SEALS includes much more than that obstacle course but it's one component.
One of the things I've learned, even at my age, is that 60-75 minutes of workout daily does build endurance if only as a side effect. Strength is great, but for daily life endurance is what we want to maintain first.
What's the trademark Maggie's Farm 6-day/week fitness routine? Readers know: 2 hrs mostly pushing weight, 2 hrs cardio (real cardio), 2+ hrs calisthenics. Plus appropriate nutrition and one day of rest, "rest" meaning just walking etc.
A trainer (not mine) based at my friendly little gym is on vacation this week. Instead of sending emails to keep his clients on track, he left each of their prescribed routines on a blackboard: Mon, Weds, Fri.
While I often watch what other trainers put their clients through, it was interesting to see the lists because they were so individualized based on conditioning, goals, etc. Plus it was public, so that's a good incentive for those clients.
Ideally, we can all train ourselves but that doesn't happen with most people.
At Gay’s Harvard, if your speech supports the conservative position, the thinnest allegation against you can destroy your career. If you support the woke narrative, even the most explosive allegations against you can be buried.
The best-known Sicilian Primi is Pasta Con Sardi - pasta with anchovies (ie small sardines) - what I term Pasta With Minnows aka Pasta with Bait.
Humans may be fueling global warming
The Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards
This humble little critter is usually seen on the trunks of older trees, picking through the bark. You would never see them through foliage in summertime, but in winter they are all over the US.
