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.
Your credit score is sort of like a grade in practical life-management. The way life is, one never knows when a little or a lot of credit might come in handy.
A few other tips: Not a great idea to entirely pay off a mortgage. Regular mortgage payments are important, even if you maintain a small balance. Also, never entirely pay off a credit card. Keep a balance, however small, or some wierd algo might decide to cancel your card for no good reason (it happens even to prosperous people when an algo gets tired of you and a zero balance is its chance), and that's a ding. Regular, on-time payments are the best thing for your credit. It's because lenders are in the business of lending, and like borrowers. Never, ever, cancel a credit card. So, for your credit score, use all of your credit cards and never pay them off entirely. But, yes, you can get rid of student loans.
Another detail: Too many checks of your credit harms your credit score. However, you can check your own once in a while, for free online.
Your results may vary. We probably have readers with experience with all of this.
While I thought the Urban Hike of 2019 was one of our best, despite the rain, the Brooklyn trip of 2018 remains my favorite so far. To that end, this article about Battle of Brooklyn sites is worth a look-see. We stopped at a number of these sites, such as the Old Stone House, the Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn Heights, and the monument to the prison ship martyrs.
The article did miss one site, on the side of a bank, which commemorated the battle (perhaps the author is unaware of this plaque, but we stumbled upon it and I wish I had a picture or a location to share).
Looking forward to planning 2020's Urban Hike. Need some thought starters. Right now, Wave Hill to City Island is what I'm considering, but that's more walking and less sightseeing.
I never cease to be amazed by the programs that Carnegie Hall offers each season (which runs fall-spring).
If you love adult music, I advise visitors to NYC to check out the program. Or, if you request, they will mail it. The best part is that the tickets are not expensive. It's not like going to the opera.
If I lived closer to NYC, we'd get a 10-night subscription.
As I scrolled through movie listings recently, Mrs. Bulldog suddenly said "Oh, I read that book, it was good."
A Man Called Ove was the listing. It's Swedish, with subtitles. Outside of Bergman's work or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I'm not aware of many Swedish films. But it was a slow day and I gave it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised.
It's a poignant drama with just enough comedy to keep up interest. An everyday man's life, one which is heavily driven by routine and basic beliefs and expectations. A curmudgeon who finds himself put into uncomfortable situations, and how he responds to these circumstances. Naturally, since this is for public consumption, we determine he's not as basic or curmudgeonly as we'd expect. He's just seen a lot, done a lot, and determined that he's comfortable doing what he's doing. Whatever you want to do, fine. Don't make it his problem, but he doesn't care, really.
He takes his shots at the government (as you can imagine, there's enough Socialism in Sweden that it's a common theme), calling its functionaries "whiteshirts". His life, and as he finds out the lives of others, are not enhanced by the appearance of these "whiteshirts". He also does his part, and more, to keep life comfortable for others. Mainly by making it comfortable for himself, which has knock-on effects.
It's on Amazon Prime, if you have it. If not, I'd recommend it as a rental. It's not Bergman, but I think the Swedes have a unique view of life and it was the kind of movie that allowed me to relax, and think about life just enough to be both entertained and informed.
Bulgakov died before completing his final revisions, but he worked on the book for 20 years. A NYT reviewer says "Every time I read, it, it's a different book." Like Moby Dick in that way.
Always a treat to listen to very high IQ people talk. This is a Wow of a conversation. It's not about Creationism, but about Darwin's likely errors (he didn't have the info we have now). The discussion about the emergence of new proteins is especially interesting.
