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.
You did not learn much about life and work in the movie made from Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm. Movies can indicate content, action, but cannnot explain it.
I am re-reading the book. Read it if you have not. It is not Moby Dick (no transcendent component and no poetry), but the comparison has to do with the amount of information (oceanography, meteorology, technology, sociological, and the fishing industry) that Junger packed into this story. Not to mention that he is a compelling writer. Snappy, compact prose.
The guy deserves however many millions he made from the book. Sad to say, Melville didn't make a penny from Moby Dick.
My problem is that, regardless of brand, adjustments, etc., the pain in my injured shoulder destroys any pleasure with a backpack, or even a lighter daypack.
I don't like to look like a dork, but even worse is being like the Aussie hikers (sorry for the stereotype): the women herd the kids and carry the backpack, and the men just carry a beer or three, and the cheese sandwiches.
Have you every poured some Maple Syrup on some fresh snow? That will pull out a tooth.
It seems that the invention of ice cream (or, maybe at first, sherbet) was somewhere in the Middle East. Then somebody added more luxurious ingredients (Bastani).
It is easy to forget that there is plenty of snow and ice in Lebanon and northern Iran. This stuff can be transported. In much more contemporary times, schooners from New England used to transport blocks of Cape Cod pond ice to India. There is still a business called Cape Pond Ice.
Took Mrs. Bulldog to see Billy Joel as part of his Madison Square Garden residency. He announced how many shows he'd done there, I think it was 182. Not bad. He called himself "the house band." I have a feeling he is.
I had an opportunity to see him when I was 15. 1977, just after The Stranger was released. Some family dynamics prevented me attending and after that, I guess I just never cared enough to go see him, or didn't have the money. Billy Joel, today, is a NYC/NY State cultural icon. He may well be the MSG "house band" and that showed during the concert. The crowd was engaged, active and enjoyed every minute. I found myself singing along to songs I didn't even realize I remembered, and most weren't even singles, just album tracks.
It was a great show and I'm glad I finally saw him, even if his voice isn't what it once was (he admitted to missing the higher notes).
I had a conversation recently with a new member of my team. She was explaining to me why her dog (I'd name the breed, but don't want to put anyone on the spot - suffice to say it's a little yippy dog) was very "anxious". My immediate thought was of two items. The first was the breed is of a nature that has a naturally anxious demeanor. I had several friends who owned these, and they are definitely "anxious" dogs. The second was that she was anxious and transferred her anxiety to the dog. It's probable both points are applicable.
However, as I discussed this conversation with Mrs. Bulldog, she stated "anxious times make anxious people" and we discussed how for the last 2 1/2 years we were basically bombarded with frightening scenarios of Covid and, more or less, given 'permission' to be anxious. As a result, she stated, many people who were naturally anxious got it ramped up a degree or ten, while others on the borderline of being anxious were probably pushed over the edge. "No doubt," was my response.
Our new housekeeping ladies only seem to speak Russian. They work hard and quickly, strong too as if they grew up on farms. Their English seems limited to "Good morning" and "OK".
I do not care where they are from as long as they are legal. Large portions of Ukraine are Russian-speaking, but I just wondered whether they would say "Ukraini" because there seems to be antipathy towards Russians these days, and sympathy towards Ukrainians.
Anyway, who cares? Clean and orderly household is all I care about.
Canoeing With the Cree. Almost 100 years ago, two 18-year-olds paddled 2,250 miles across America. This is their story.
“There is a cleanliness, a breadth and sweep and strength in the North, a purifying realization that one is living close to the fundamental elements of life. Yes, the North has a spell.”—Eric Sevareid
It was during the spring of 1930 when 19-year-old Walter “Walt” Port thought of the idea. He was scheduled to graduate from high school in a few months, so why not celebrate that accomplishment with an extended canoe trip, and do it with his closest high-school buddy, 17-year-old Eric Sevareid?
“We’ll leave right after graduation in June,” Walt explained to Eric. “From here in Minneapolis, we’ll paddle up the Minnesota River to Big Stone Lake on the South Dakota line, then into the Red River of the North, down that river into Canada and Lake Winnipeg, up the east shore of the lake to Norway House and, at that point, attempt a wilderness jump of 500 miles to Hudson Bay. So, what do you think?”
What the young men were considering was a 2,250-mile canoe trip that, as far as they knew, had never before been attempted—or if it had, such a trip had never been documented. And though they would be leaving near the beginning of summer, they would be fortunate to complete such a trip by the time winter arrived in the North.
Lots of hikers here, and plenty of interesting opinions about footwear and foot care.
It depends on whether you are climbing steeps, rock-scrambling as a big part of it, or strolling on a comfy trail. The terrain matters, but most hill-hiking has varied terrain. Still, lots of people prefer various sorts of light-weight, quick-drying sneakers even when taking on the AT to Maine.
I like my heavy-duty (and heavy) Meindls for rocks and rocky steeps, Adidas for mild varied terrain, and running sneakers for ordinary trail hiking. The weight matters - less is better.
Mountaineering boots are a different topic. I am not climbing Ben Nevis, although we did as kids. The easy route, and in summer - not winter.
I tend to think the view that one of the ways that Judaism is distinguished from Christianity is the primacy of justice in the former, compared to the primacy of mercy in the latter. To the Christian, everyone is a sinner, and so the differences between me and the death row prisoner are ontologically trivial. (A view like this I think motivates someone like the Atlantic's Liz Bruenig, whom I credit as one of the few honest death penalty opponents, even as I disagree with her.) Judaism, by contrast, is fundamentally a religion of law
Mrs. BD has planned a 9-day hiking trip in Scotland (and in the Eng. Lake District). Fine with me. Probably 10-12 miles/day over hill and dale, but no moutains.
However, I tend to have two hiking issues. One is that I have destroyed one shoulder from skiing and body-surfing accidents, so I can't handle a backpack for much over an hour. Pain whick removes all pleasure. Luckily, she doesn't mind carrying it. But I am also prone to foot blisters. It is not about the right hiking shoes. I have the best for different purposes. Yes, liner socks etc.
A few years ago, I found some amazing analgesic bandaid-like things in a farmacia in Spain. I should have bought 50 packs of them, because they saved our trip for me. My feet were a bloody mess, but painless. Can't find those same things on Amazon.
When I was little, we had a candy shop three blocks away. It had newspapers, magazines, cigars and cigarettes, coffee, a soda jerk behind the counter, and two well-used benches outside.
The Lively & Liveable Neighbourhoods that are Illegal in Most of North America:
I am fortunate to know many people with more life competencies that I have. I envy them. I am not talking about talent and talent stacks, but just competencies. Building a stone wall takes competency: Michelangelo had talent.
Here's a beginning ist of life competencies that I see in people, and admire.Trigger Warning: These might be white male competencies:
- Gracious and graceful social amiability - Ability to follow the math and statistics - Ability to handle one's finances reasonably - Ability to handle boats - Ability to handle firearms on the range and in the field - Knowing how to manage gardens of all sorts - How to cook decent meals - How to handle a cranky horse - How to camp in the wilderness - How to keep playing some sport into adulthood - How to handle a chain saw - How to do simple carpentry, and how to paint a house - How to start a fire with wet wood - How to write an essay - How to put out a kitchen fire - How to do CPR - How to use a GPS in the woods - and a compass to navigate - How to drive a stick shift vehicle - sports car or tractor - How to catch fish - How to ride a bike and motorbike - How to play some instrument, even if poorly
Add your own life competencies, or desired competencies, below.
Is anything more dorky, especially for a guy?
Have you every poured some Maple Syrup on some fresh snow? That will pull out a tooth.
