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.
One of my sisters sent me this pic from her driveway early this morning in western Mass. Very nice, because she and my excellent brother-in-law are without their boys this weekend and can spend the day snuggling by their fire drinking Baileys and probably reading yesterday's Sunday Pravda NYT.
Subaru people, if you know what I mean. I love them.
Photo is Christmas Eve at the olde Bird Dog homestead a few years ago. Cozy. Imagine the Judd's Christmas album too.
Luke 1:26-38
1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
1:27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
1:28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
1:29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
1:30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
1:31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.
1:32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
1:33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
1:34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
1:35 The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
1:36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.
1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God."
1:38 Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
Our friendly little neighborhood gym has been running a challenge test (a general fitness race) through the month of December.
Here's how it works: A 60-second sprint on the row erg, an exactly 3-minute rest, then a 60-second sprint on the ski erg. Then your trainer adds up your total meters and posts it on the board. Only trainers can record the test.
They post your name, age, and total meters on the white board. There is a column for men and one for the women. Talk about exposure - but it is highly motivational. If you repeat the test (which everybody does to try to improve their score), your highest score goes on the board.
The reason this is a good general fitness test is because it is cardio fitness combined with maximum power (power= strength x speed) demands from the entire body. I felt like puking for 10 minutes afterwards which I feel is evidence of genuine effort.
I managed to just break the 500 meter mark this week, but there are guys with over 600. The women are mostly in the 300s. A 74 year-old guy had a 545 so I feel I definitely have to beat that codger. I have a week to get there.
In fitness, you mostly compete with yourself but it's fun to see how you measure up once in a while. Reality hurts, but truth is good for the soul.
Most people reading this were trained to think hard work built character so a desire to work was a sign of good character. That’s a perfectly sensible belief in a world of scarcity. In a post-scarcity society, one where automation is increasing taking over human labor, maybe those sentiments about work are counter-productive. Maybe the way forward is self-actualizing leisure.
Handy tip from my chef friend for the holidays: The rule is Four Days in the Fridge.
You include the day you made it in the 4 days. After that, it's garbage. I have learned this over the years from unfortunate experience - especially with Thanksgiving leftovers.
You Won't Be Able to Pay Taxes on a Postcard, and That's Exactly How H&R Block Likes It - The Republican tax bill means most Americans will keep more of the money they earn. But the process will still be frustrating and terrible.
The sad answer is "Not really." Only moving the heavy weights can improve strength efficiently, but some calisthenics can at least maintain strength, prevent muscle decay, and maybe build a little strength too if not just muscle endurance.
That post mentioned some of those key lower body exercises.
Below the fold, good video tips on often-neglected Side Lunges and correct technique for Body-Weight Squats (We believe in "Ass To Grass").
As I said to Tucker Carlson the other night, the demographic transformation of the western world is "the biggest story of our time", and it will indeed determine all the others.
Maybe Donald Trump is just not your type of guy, and certainly not the guy you would want to be President; but keep in mind who was the alternative. Before these things fade into the memory hole, bring back to mind a few of the wildly incompetent policies of the previous administration...
The way I see it. Conservatives like me did not elect Donald Trump. The Liberals did by driving ordinary working class Americans round the bend with their left-wing insanity, their incredible arrogance, and their contempt for America and Americans. Trump is the ordinary American-in-the-street’s rejoinder. And they obviously deserve it.
As an anti-Trumper, he advises not listening to Trump at all but to just see what his admin is doing
The final night of Hanukkah and Christmas is bursting out all over. Lots of things to cover so let us commence. Leading off we have President Trump who delivered a national security speech for the ages. Calling his strategy "principled realism," it is exactly that. In short, for the world to be a better and freer place, America must be an economic and military powerhouse. He also urged tighter, saner immigration policy and renewed his pledge to build the border wall. With the Dow Jones poised to hurtle through the 25,000 point barrier, business and consumer confidence is at an all-time high; certainly at a level we have not felt in nearly 20 years. The President knows and understands that American decline is not inevitable. Despite the lost decade of the Obama years, where we had political and cultural elites who not only thought that the best we could do was manage the decline but who actively took a sledgehammer to our institutions to hasten the decline, this president's first year in office has been a rhetorical and actual declaration of "not one inch further."
With help from friends and readers. Let's face it: people will avoid hard things unless they work up some self-discipline.
Please feel free to add more loser excuses in the Comments
It's too early
It's too late
I have too much to do
I'm right in the middle of something
I'm having trouble getting going today
I just ate
I'm too hungry
I think I have a cold coming on
I feel too tired today
I have errands to do
I'll start in the New Year (Right! Meaning in 2019)
I need to lose some weight first (Right! Meaning never)
I have a morning appointment (right - probably "early" - like 8 o'clock, by which time most people have exercised, showered, dressed, checked their emails, and are at work or on the way to it)
I might just go for a nice walk instead
I'll get to it later (of course you will)
I had a hard day yesterday
My stomach doesn't feel right
I hate the gym (It's a playground for adults seeking health and vigor. What's to dislike about that?)
It's (snowing, raining, too windy)
It's too cold out
It's too hot out
I deserve some rest time (Really? Convince me that you deserve anything)
I feel a twinge in my (foot, leg, knee, hip, back, shoulder, etc)
I didn't sleep well last night
I'm too distracted/upset about (whatever)
I know I ought to...
I'm just a lazy low-energy SOB by nature, and that's not my fault.
Finding excuses for everything in life is just my nature - and my nature is not my fault.
I get a kick out of winter bird-feeding. It gives me an idea of what things are around, and it makes a winter garden lively and interesting.
One rule: If you start, you have to keep doing it through the winter. Like people, they will develop a dependency on your generosity, and can starve without it because they have not had to develop or find other resources.
The Palestinian statelet is in no way viable, and the Palestinian cause is less and less useful to the Islamic powers with each passing year. … and the Palestinian cause has in no small part devolved from instrument of civilizational conflict to instrument of ordinary grift, a phony jihad used to fortify the alliance between fanatics and financial interests that is the default model of government throughout much of the Muslim Middle East.
Walking, jogging, running, and elliptical don't do anything to build lower body strength. Those things are about cardio and endurance - which are also useful things to pursue with exercise.
Strength for full functionality is something different. It's not easy to build lower body (hips, glutes, legs) strength without heavy weight exercises like deadlifts and barbell squats, but there are some exercises that can help get in shape for skiing, mountain hiking, etc. - and are good cardio too. I generally do 3 sets of each of them once weekly in addition to my heavy weight regimen:
- Mountain Climbers - 50-100/set (left+right = 1). They toughen your core too, because it's a dynamic plank.
- Body weight squats. I combine them with 90 degree 10-second squat-sits every 10 squats. It burns.
- Squat and press, with lighter hand weights - a good full-body calisthenic. Or Step Up and Press.
- Lunges - forward, backwards, sideways. I do them with lightish hand weights, like 10 lbs.
- Kettlebell swings. Don't use your back - use your hips.
- Box jumps or jumping squats
- Stairmaster machine, at whatever speed you can handle. Your body adapts quickly to this demand. People say it's a fat-burner too but I doubt it unless you go for 45 minutes at a brisk pace. (the first 20 minutes of any cardio exercise burns zero fat)
One of my sisters sent me this pic from her driveway early this morning in western Mass. Very nice, because she and my excellent brother-in-law are without their boys this weekend and can spend the day snuggling by their fire drinking Baileys and probably reading yesterday's Sunday 
A Feast of the Seven Fishes Menu That Won't Take a Week to Cook - 
Yale Secular Humanists 
IAN MCKELLEN RECALLS ACTRESSES 
Portland’s Disgraceful Anarchy - 
Why ‘The Last Jedi’
The Western Elite