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.
Nice Wellfleet house, short stroll to town on a sand/gravel road. Some core of this house is mid-1800s, but much done since then. Magnificent tree. I usually know these things, but not sure what species. I did not wish to intrude.
A pal of mine (and MF reader) who knows everything and is interested in everything - I am lucky to have a few pals like that - sends a 1988 research piece from The US Air War College about camouflage and deception in warfare.
Is giving up on fitness a sign of giving up on a vigorous life? I don't know. Could be.
Last year we had a 100 push-up/day challenge which many readers found illuminating and even inspiring.
Readers know we love calisthenics as a way of bringing together your gains from other exercises into physical activities that require some strength, plenty of endurance, athleticism, and a good share of cardio fitness.
Jumping is one darn good calisthenic. Done right, jump rope is close to zero impact. Jacks are slightly more impact, but minimal. All toes. Harmless to joints.
This morning I watched a bit of a fitness class which I was glad I didn't take today. The warm-up was 5 minutes jump rope - free-style. After a 10-second rest, 20 push-ups. 10-second rest, then 3 minutes of jacks. Sheesh. Then one more time around. All ages and all genders in there including a 75 year-old lawyer I sort-of know.
That was the warm-up. I've taken that class (it's outdoors mostly) plenty of times, but I've never seen the boss push the crowd so hard in a warm-up. About 1/3 of the folks needed little breaks to complete these things.
So here's the fitness challenge:
In one month, can you get to 5 minutes of jump rope or 3 minutes of jacks? Continuous.
If you are in good condition, this is not difficult but for most of us civilians it is highly challenging. I noticed a guy the other day who did 20 minutes of jump rope, mixing up all the variations to avoid boredom, seemingly effortlessly. Wonderful. My jump rope routines are only 1 minute each. I do variations. I want to up my duration and call it calis or cardio, whatever.
How to approach that goal if it is beyond you (and me)? Do the thing 10X/day for as long as you can. Remember, calis require no rest days. Gradually reduce the number of times/day while increasing the duration of each event. Stick with singles on the rope unless you can do variations. Singles are the least stressful. Same with jumping jacks: if you can mix in star jumps, go for it.
Want to see some impressive jumping? This guy is fit.
I admire and envy people like Nordlinger with the ear and talent just to be able to discern the sound of one conductor from another. Their experience of ambitious music must so be different from mine, much as I am a music-lover. To me, it is all wonderful.
I am with Janssen who loves Schubert. That's one guy who wrote music I feel I can get my head around. Also Mendelssohn I guess.
Trump's name is all over New York City. Other cities too. Always knew what he wanted to do, always made it happen whether it was buildings or cute models. The NYC tabloids took to referring to him as "The Donald" for good reason. Larger than life, glitzy big shot, tough guy too, and a bully. But capable of being big-hearted, warm, and charming. Tony Soprano with big hair.
To build big buildings and developments in NYC you need to learn how to be part Jewish (the money guys and lawyers in real estate) and part Sicilian mobster (the unions). Then you have to learn to bully and manipulate the devious and corrupt politicians. It's complex, and few can do it. And Trump was a WASP, which could have been a serious handicap.
Like mob guys, Trump talks tough and takes what he wants, but he has some sense of honor (the mob kind, the ruthless somewhat sociopathic kind which is also common in politicians). Loyalty and respect are all. Precision with truth not such a big deal, which does fit in well with politics.
Trump, I believe, holds career politicians and their mobster cousins in contempt. Elected to rock the boat and shake things up. I wanted that. Career pols are timid, follow the herd, and worry about their pensions.
In certain respects, today’s demands for the imposition of universal standards of speech and belief are a reversion to a pre-Westphalian view of the world. Like universalists of the old school—whether Christian, Muslim or Marxist—the new liberal universalists tend to reject the constitutional, religious and cultural diversity of independent nations. As they see it, the way of life they propose—the downplaying of national distinctions, the unrestricted movement of peoples and goods, the elevation of individual judgment over tradition in all areas of life—will provide what everyone needs. Not surprisingly, the correlate of this rejection of diversity among nations is often a disdain for diversity of viewpoints at home, in one’s own country.
For general conditioning/fitness, we recommend that 1/3 of your exercise time be spent on pure cardio conditioning. That entails two 20-30 minute sessions of HIIT and a one-hour "long slow" session (eg jogging). What formats? Best to mix them up: Rowing, running, swimming, elliptical. Reason to mix them up is because repetition increases efficiency so reduces effectiveness.
That's enough pure cardio for anybody who is not in training for races. Remember, with our plan, you also have about 2 hrs of calisthenics/week which are good cardiac stressors too.
To summarize the Maggie's Conditioning Program:
1. 2 hrs of power lifting and accessory weight training (for power, muscle, and bone strength) 2. 2 hrs of cardio conditioning (heart mainly) 3. 2 hrs of calisthenics (for athleticism, agility, flexibility, balance, endurance, "toning", and cardio too)
Robert Mueller’s original mandate was also narrow. He was appointed to find evidence of “any links and/or coordination” between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign. Fifteen months and more than $16 million later, it is impossible to know when and how the probe will conclude. However, the conviction of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and the guilty plea of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen on grounds entirely unrelated to Russia mirror how Starr’s investigation also morphed into altogether new areas.
Via one of my daughters who is in love in New York City. Actually, both of my daughters are in love and in New York City. That's pretty cool. I'm afraid that one is headed for LA, though.
I've been in love in New York City too. Long ago. No money, no nothing. It was great. Great moment: sledding in a blizzard late night in Riverside Park on cardboard boxes. Many other fun things like that.
I am persuaded that no system of government — democratic, oligarchic, aristocratic, monarchical, tyrannical, oriental despotic or worse, liberal-progressive — can deliver anything resembling justice in this world, unless it is under the direction of angels.
He put a Baudelaire quote in there: “Everyone believes in God, but nobody loves Him. No one believes in the Devil, and yet his smell is everywhere.”
Matthew: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
The word refers to a human tendency, in their 50s and 60s, to begin to unload possessions and to streamline life. Furniture, clothing, tools, sports equipment, books, cookware and serving stuff, pictures and artwork, various collections, spare houses, time shares, and so on. Things in closets, things in the attic, things in the basement.
At some point, people realize they will not live long enough to use or wear out the stuff they have. Awareness of morbidity and mortality.
Most people fall somewhere in the middle of a spectrum between spartan minimalists to hoarders, collectors, and accumulators, but most people do end up with an excess of stuff, imagining that "I might need it someday" or "It might come back into fashion" or "my kids might want it." Nope. The psychology and psychiatry of it all is interesting, but we can leave that aside.
Inherited stuff is the biggest challenge for many. Things that connect us to our pasts, in general. Memory aids. Narcissistic and neurotic outlets. Keep what has true meaning while knowing that its meaning will be gone when you die. Death cleaning.
I was raised on this Wordsworth sonnet (among many others- I was thankfully raised on the classics of literature, music, and art by my cultivated parents):
The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;— Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
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 highly privileged lady
This post is a bit repetitive, but worth repeating as people begin to plan their post-Labor Day life routines.