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.
Some readers view me as a food snob for disliking Italian-American food. I find it monochromatic, uninteresting, and there is always so much of it that it is unappetizing to look at. OK, for growing kids I guess they need anything in volume.
Sunday Gravy (aka Red Sauce) with meat and meatballs was a traditional Sunday Italian-American feast. I think one of my grandmothers-in-law (who I never knew) made this on Sundays for after Mass. Here's how Rao's makes it:
A "classical" composer listens to Pink Floyd. It shows me what informed musicians are able to hear. (h/t American Digest, who has two other performances of Shine On. The song is from 1975.
Still waiting for a serious reason to even threaten military action in Ukraine. The Ukraine has been part of the Russian Empire for centuries. Just raising the notion of Ukraine joining (obsolete) NATO is foolish, and will never happen but Putin is right not to like the idea of US military on the Russian border. Who would?
Anyway polls (who knows?) say that at least half of Ukrainians would be happy to be part of Russia's orbit. Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Music: Live music is best, very high-end systems are a poor second, ordinary sound systems third, and anything else is so compressed that it is only suited for background sound.
Yes, I do have a vinyl collection but they are so inconvenient. I have a ton of CDs and one serious system. Another not perfect in the bedroom.
The guy below makes a remarkable system - which of course cannot be appreciated through your computer. For the price of his machines you could go to great live music daily for a couple of lifetimes.
The plot(s) are silly, but da Ponte's libretto is not, mostly. It is seriously human. Interestingly, da Ponte ended up teaching Italian at Columbia University (College, at the time). Anyway, I know Nozze almost by heart. Pure Mozart dramatic and song genius, and of course the Met could not have done it better.
Aria upon aria, and you have to remind yourself that it's entertainment, not "art". Best voices in the world.
Again, the place was packed at the matinee. I did a rough count, and I'd say half of the audience was under 40. Around 10% over 80. People need live performance. It's a different thing. A thrill, but not a cheap one. How did Mozart do all of those things in such a short life?
After, a terrible "Italian" supper - too expensive and the sort of thing Sinatra would like. As Mrs. BD says, "Never eat anything bigger than your head." The fancy, busy place seemed to have decided that volume compensated for deliciousness. "The pasta comes with the veal scallopini." No thanks.
Yeah, down in NYC they all want vaccine proof, but that's easy. Restaurant was packed but we had a reservation.
We are fortunate to have a pasta shop nearby. They make fresh daily, and make takeout meals too.
While I have never seen any meaningful difference between dried spaghetti, linguine, and things like that, fresh ravioli and gnocchi do matter. These Italian guys make excellent ravioli (many varieties, from pumpkin to mortadella, to cinghiale) and the fluffiest gnocchi.
Last week Mrs. BD decided to cook up a nice Italian supper for her Dad who had just been allowed to leave the old folk's home. I think it was also in gratitude to me for getting rid of at least a third of my stuff (excess boots, clothing, etc.) as we slowly move back into our refurbished living quarters. I noticed that lockdowns for old folks are terrible for them. They lose muscle and balance. For no reason, at this point.
Apperitivo: Olives and marinated artichoke hearts.
12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
12:13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
12:14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.
12:15 If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
12:16 And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
12:19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?
12:20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body.
12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
12:22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
12:23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect;
12:24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member,
12:25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.
12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.\12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.
12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
12:30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
Was talking to a client yesterday and our conversation revolved around their mobile phone number, which indicated a South Jersey area code. They are in California. Another client is moving to California and has an NYC area code. Yet another is in Florida and has a North Jersey area code. I'm in NJ and have an NYC area code.
I imagine we're reaching a moment when location will be less discernible via area codes. This is an issue which began developing as people have switched from letter writing (street address/town/zip) to email (ISP provider, which can be anywhere).
The nature of my work allows me to find out a lot of online information easily, if I choose to. I'm not particularly nosy, so I don't. I have, on occasion, when the spirit drives me (I remember one of my jobs, at lunch, listening to people talk about ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends they did searches on. Creeped me out a bit, then I went and looked up one that afternoon, so who am I to judge?). To be honest, it's not that hard for anyone who puts their mind to it (or has the money to buy the data).
In some ways, the "anonymization" of life was one of the original draws of the internet. The classic New Yorker cartoon "on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog" was accurate, if not precise, at the time. It's absolutely NOT true today. It is this fact that keeps me working. In a panel discussion, I once pointed out to a college student, who said my company had "sold her data" (we do not, ever, sell data), I pointed out to her that many corporations do sell the data of their site visitors, but good corporations recognize the problems inherent in that behavor, so there are roles in my industry which exist precisely to keep that data safe - or as safe as it can be.
Maintaining a level of anonymity is important for the best parts of the internet to work as they were intended. Anonymity is often important to make meaningful commentary and points (Silence Dogood would approve). The fact the blockchain exists today is, in part, to solve some of these issues (the internet was not meant to be driven by advertising, but the lack of a good payments and anonymity system led to its development as one).
The days of knowing a location based on an area code may be coming to an end. In a lot of ways, that may be a good thing. Hopefully, the days of online anonymity will soon be back, though with some major revisions. It's hard to go back from where we are today. (Personal note - the EU's GPRA and California's CCPA do NOT provide you the protection you think they do, or that politicians have promoted)
A lengthy documentary, but it is difficult to stop watching. Very well done. They created a civilization that makes Medieval Europe, 2000 years later, seem like a back woods barbarian place.
If we get big weather up here, do not be surprised if our server is out tomorrow. It's wind that causes the problems, not the snow.
Photo is from a friend X-country skiing in Tahoe