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.
The child of a distinguished Boston family, Richard Henry Dana Jr. (born 1815) dropped out of Harvard to try his hand at sea-faring. He sailed out of Boston on a merchantman, headed around the Horn to California (which was part of Mexico at the time).
The result was his classic Two Years Before the Mast. It is written in a journalistic style. He went on to a career as a lawyer and in politics.
As a friend of Herman Melville, who read his book, Dana suggested that Melville do a similar sort of book, but about whaling. Melville did.
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.
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)
I've not been contributing since about September, and I apologize for the long gap. I apologize only because it's rude to disappear without letting people know where you're going and I do my best to avoid being rude. In a nutshell, I've been overwhelmed at work, which is a good thing. After not working for many months, I managed to land a (much lower level) position which is working out very well for me and my long-term prospects have improved dramatically in the last few weeks. Of course, improved opportunity means additional responsibilities. Which means more time at a desk, at least in my current role. At my age (pushing 60), that's something many others cannot say. They're either at or near the pinnacle of your career, or winding it down. As I have done 4 other times in my life, I'm winding up again and feeling great.
One thing I do is try to go for a walk each day for at least an hour. Fresh air and exercise enables me to be nimble of body and mind. I'll listen to history podcasts while I walk, or just think. Recently, after a particularly difficult conversation with a friend who has gone full-on Woke, I chewed the mental cud and began to wonder where all this Wokism is headed.
It suddenly struck me what the essential problem of Wokism and Cancel Culture represent. In the name of creating and expanding opportunity, these people are limiting it severely. I wondered what history would look like if Woke and Cancel mindsets had been in place for a longer time than just the last decade or so. Not that we need another discussion on Wokism, but I felt this was a good mental exercise.
It's a longer read, probably not of much interest to most but it is about politics. Rittenberg at Substack: On Utopian Thinking.
I have written about "Psycho-utopianism" (my term, I think). The Garden of Eden had just two people, one god - and a snake. Quote:
... we have seen that utopian thinking is characterized by the following features: failure of reality testing; implicit belief in the omnipotence of thoughts; tolerance of mutually contradictory thoughts. This collection of features will inevitably begin to seem familiar to teachers, psychologists, parents, anyone having to do with small children. For these are precisely the characteristics of infantile thought processes at a particular stage of development: the stage in which the infant mind conceives of itself as comprising the entire universe, and as absolutely perfect: the stage of infantile, omnipotent narcissism. Here, at last we have come upon Utopia! For it is to this lost, dimly remembered but never to be recaptured infantile bliss that the utopians long to return. In fact. such an infantile state is the only Utopia we humans ever have known or ever shall know.
A happy flock of Robins descended on ye olde HQ and stripped all our our holly shrubs and trees of their berries. (Photo above is Robins eating old apples.)
Our church was half-full on Christmas Eve. I believe many people were there online (we stream our services). Covid fears.
A friend gave an ageing relative a voice recorder for an oral history. It's not exactly a present except that it is an opportunity for the relative to hand down a gift of the past. Inspired us to do that with my father in law - he's an Irish shanachie and can tell all of the old stories. My life stories would be dull...
Yes, the old guy has COVID but it has not been bad other than the quarantine his residence requires. I assume omicron because he is triple-vaxed. Picked it up in some pub or restaurant. Can't keep a good man down.
Our wild and crazy NY Eve event was supper at a Thai place. I had 2 glasses of cheap Chardonnay with some max-hot Pad Thai with shrimp.
Taking advantage of the slow week, we got our boat fully-registered and legal at the DMV. They were nice. We were already registered as a US Vessel by the Coast Guard, but needed that too. Paperwork.
Ever tried building Legos 8 1/2 level? Not easy.
Our Christmas gifts were mostly tickets - Met Opera, Carnegie Hall, NYC Ballet. Oh - boutique hotel rooms too. Nice. I was afraid that my wife would give me a new iphone, but luckily she didn't. Have I mentioned that I love visiting NYC?
I saw in the Orvis Christmas catalog fly rods costing $1500. Fly-fishing is a beautiful hobby but I do not need that.
Bulldog and I need to plan a Maggie's urban hike for 2022. This planning will be tough because we have already covered so much interesting territory, in rain and shine, over the years. We'll also plan a family+friends mountain hike - everybody wants to do Breakneck Ridge again (except Mrs. BD who has never loved rock scrambling)
A Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season to all of our readers and to all of our contributors, with thanks for being part of our humble Yankee enterprise
(No innocent trees were murdered for this card to compensate for murdering our Christmas tree)
I've been to a bunch of parties and some fancy parties this season, and heard some great music too, but the best was a neighborhood caroling get-together Friday night - adults and kids. Good food and drinks with around an hour of singing practice around the piano (divvying up the voices of the wise men, the soloist for O Holy Night, etc), then out tramping around and driving around in the dark to our target audiences. Shut-ins, an old friend and WW 2 Navy vet with Alzheimer's, guys on the job, friendly families. Mrs. BD feels that this neighborhood event is the most Christmassy thing we ever do.
I can guarantee that none of the kids who participate will ever forget it. Maybe they will pass it on when they grow up. Hope so. Fine traditions of family, friends, community, and faith do matter because they become embedded in our souls like little candlelights, lighting our dark corners through our entire lives.
O holy Child of Bethlehem Descend to us, we pray. Cast out our sin and enter in Be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell, O come to us, abide with us Our Lord Emmanuel.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
I enjoy a nice party despite my natural shyness. The festivities began this week in my neck of the woods. I was at a fairly good one Friday night, and two last night. Some nights one has to party-hop, which I think is rude to do but also rude not to show up when invited. Not my fault that I am so popular... Yes, they had the traditional soft-boiled quail eggs on toasts with caviar on top. Dynamite.
I got this snapshot last night at a hot party before I was overwhelmed by lonely, hot, nubile females. Saturnalia, Bacchanalia, Holiday Season - whatever you call it. A good female/satyr ratio as you can see.
Christmastime is as secular or religious as one chooses. Seems quite secular to many. For me, both.
I've not been contributing since about September, and I apologize for the long gap. I apologize only because it's rude to disappear without letting people know where you're going and I do my best to avoid being rude. In a nutshell, I've been overwhelmed at work, which is a good thing. After not working for many months, I managed to land a (much lower level) position which is working out very well for me and my long-term prospects have improved dramatically in the last few weeks. Of course, improved opportunity means additional responsibilities. Which means more time at a desk, at least in my current role. At my age (pushing 60), that's something many others cannot say. They're either at or near the pinnacle of your career, or winding it down. As I have done 4 other times in my life, I'm winding up again and feeling great.
A Field and Stream Classic short story: