A Movie Trifecta

My streak (of posting) ended last night.  I met a friend for dinner at Ninja City (it's good, and has the positive virtue of being open on Mondays) and then we went to the Capitol to see The Whale.  And, honestly...I liked the movie in spite of itself.  The movie is not a happy one -- depressed man overeats himself to death -- and, let's face it, I am not the type to feel sorry for that sort of thing.  Also... let's just say that we sort of knew the ending from the opening scene.  But the acting was quite good (Fraser was the lead but all were impressive) and the plot twists did manage to tie all the characters together.  Some of the people in the screening were visibly moved (men and women) and in tears... as I told my friend, subtract the sappy music... well, life is full of regrets, the point is to minimize them, correct?

Actually, I have been on a film fest lately; over the weekend I watched "Pork Chop Hill," the Gregory Peck Korean War film from 1959.  It had quite the all-star cast (Gavin Macleod and Woody Strode among them) and while in many ways the film was out of central casting, it did depict the nature of the war, no one wanting to be the last to die, yet duty called...  Today I watched "Tongues Untied," a documentary about the gay black male experience of the late 1980s.  Words cannot describe the awesome, especially given the highly artistic nature of the film, which made it...less than watchable.  Alas.  810.

The Duke was highly entertaining; too much so, if you ask me, though I think it proves my rule about people playing up to beat Duke.  The UNC game will be the real test if this team is any good or simply merits a 7 line in the tourney, though I half think they should get one anyway, just for the fact that they really haven't beaten anyone; just a bunch of wins against the teams they should beat, which is nice but hardly meritorious.

Solicitude

 Got in late last night -- for a bunch of reasons -- and in consequence I didn't do all that much.  Sort of; I handled the pile of paperwork I have been putting off, wrote all the food pantry checks I needed to write, scanned over all the surveys (no real complaints; most people seemed pleased with what they get), and dealt with most of the emails I have littering about.  Hell, even went through some bookmarks!  Quite the good day in that regard, and I also made a mental note to attend Mass on St. Blaise's Day, even if -- as I fear -- the days of the individual blessings are over.

Nice surprise this morning; my sister showed up Mass.  As she noted, she was up, and the church was so pretty, so why not?  Aside from the usual comments about the contents of my envelopes, the fact that by donating to the second collection she was perpetuating my work at the OC, and that I had double EM duty, it was nice... we then drifted to the Chimney for breakfast (again), which was good, and fortunately, a bit less...immediate to my digestive system.  Then it was gym (arms and plenty of cardio) and home, where I skipped lunch due to that Chimney breakfast rolling about in me.  My sister was correct. though; the church IS beautiful and while I understand why it is time for them to come down...I am still a little sad.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/opinion/aap-obesity-guidelines-bmi-wegovy-ozempic.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20230127&instance_id=83764&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=123628&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

You know what terrifies me?  Kids turning into adults and dying early due to a lifetime of health issues caused by bad diet choices.  Paying for everyone else's shitty health care decisions.  Mind you, this is the party of Science, of course, so why they are indulging in this... there have been a lot of these articles lately, have there not?  The WSJ had one about people needing to meet size requirements for amusement park rides, and I was of the opinion that this is yet another reason NOT to hit the roller coasters...

Adventures in Social Justice

Food pantry duty this morning -- surprisingly busy, actually; not overwhelming but steady.  We were under orders to get rid of some juice that had been laying around, as well as some bottled water and all the produce.  So, we did -- people could take two juices if they wanted, and we just piled shit outside til it went.  The clothing room was a mess when we arrived -- people somehow just piled bags up  in there (despite repeated requests not to, oi) and we had to haul them to the storage room just to get the racks out.  Of course, once the racks were out, it was vulture time, not that this was a total problem; indeed, we have plenty of garments, so it is not bad to get rid of them, though, of course, what our clients consider to be helpful is... not.  We had a fridge full of eggs, which we considered selling to fund a trip to Vegas.  Just kidding, but not really.

We also had surveys to pass out; as being part of the Hunger Network, we have to regularly survey clients as to what they like, want us to offer (assuming we can get it, of course), etc.  I had pre-filled some of the parts -- such as "pantry name" -- on the ones I made copies of, but not everyone did, so, of course, our clients put their own names down.  And, of course, for some of our clients, filling out a survey was beyond their comprehension... but we got five more than we needed, and I will scan them out tomorrow.  It was a banner day for social justice all around.

I bought stuff for the next recipe -- white chocolate brie dessert cups -- and tomorrow I will descend upon the oven and make them.  It seems much less complex than honey vinegar pie, which is an immense relief, though my ability to fuck things up.  I couldn't help but not that at the grocery stores (Aldi and Acme) that if people are buying less due to inflation, no one seems to have told shoppers; plenty of full carts and nary a coupon, and judging from the waistlines I saw, no one is skipping seconds, either.

Friday Night Follies

 I watched the Paul Pelosi video but not the one from Memphis....does this make me a racist?  Perhaps.  Maybe, as it is Friday night, I am just not in the mood for some tragedies.  This could be me, but as ALL of the officers in the Memphis are Black, as is the victim...will the protests be different?  Should they be?  In some cases the police are out of control, in others... not enough.  One would think, with all the body cams and such increasingly prevalent, police would be...more restrained.  But, as my college advisor used to say, the smaller the town, the bigger was the football star who became the deputy.  Now, that's not completely fair, but it is not unfair, either.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-the-gop-become-a-real-working-class-party-11674835143?mod=hp_featst_pos4

God, I hope so!  I mean, I think in some ways we are becoming the party of the working class; certainly culturally.  Such common sense things as "no drag shows for kids" and "body parts equal biology" really aren't working class values; they have been forced on us by the left.  Fine...adopt them and take the war to them (very blue collar).  On the other hand, a lot of GOPers won't like this, and I sort of get it.  We do need to reform entitlements and cut spending, as popular as it may be.  Cutting government would be good.  I wonder, in some ways, how DeSantis and those around him will try to outflank Trump on this issue, as it may well decide the primaries.

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/pavone-was-accused-of-misconduct-before-laicization/?ref=the-pillar-post-newsletter

This is...problematic, to say the least, especially for those who have been demanding his reinstatement.  It's one thing to be disobedient to the Bishop, it's quite another to pull this.  My first thought upon reading this was that maybe Pavone was told to go away quietly and the secrets would stay buried.  He didn't (either out of stupidity or a calculation) and now.  To be sure, he still has plenty of defenders, but as with so many other things, the number and severity of claims... are hard to combat.

Mirth All Around

I just watched the latest video from Project Veritas... it's pretty funny.  While I admit that the allegations are serious... to me, the best part was the guy running around, trying to steal the video screens... after insisting that all he was doing was trying to impress a date.  This could be me, but it speaks poorly of science if these are the people they have running around in the lab.

Speaking of clips... I was watching UConn-Tennessee, and the clip of Geno going ballistic on Holly Rowe is... well, something of a nothingburger?  I suspect this was just a Geno ploy (and considering how they pulled away, it worked) that every coach would try to do if they could get away with it.  Of course, the Internet is exploding, but...I doubt this is in the top 100 of exploding coaches.  Hell, I still remember -- and love -- Jim Boeheim being caught explaining that something was "f***in b*** s***" to a ref during an exceptionally fraught Duke-Syracuse game.  This hardly compares.  (It goes without saying that Boeheim was completely wrong.)

Odd today -- could be the cold -- but my blood sugar was high most of the day (normal food intake!) and now, of course, it is somewhat low, and has been for several hours.  Of course, I don't want to eat too much, for in addition to the fatassery, the dawn phenomenon has been an issue lately, so no point in sending the blood sugar even higher in the morning.  Yes, I could get the pump, but...I do not like the idea of two things inside me all the time.

Tuesday at the gym...odd.  I was putting some weights on the bench to list, and this person came up to me... (not, sadly, an attractive woman half my age, or even a guy, at this point)  Basically he told me that he always sees me at the gym and appreciates how I... grind.  I gave one of my usual deflections, but... I would think of the 100 people there who are in ten times better shape as I am... odd.  And amusing.

Suckitude

 Well, I officially have a cold -- I feel like meh, my body temperature is a solid hunk colder than usual, and there are the usual sniffles, sneezes, and coughs.  It is my own damn fault -- not nearly enough rest last week -- and I will be catching up the next few days.  I didn't leave the house today -- no gym! -- due to the weather and my general feeling of craptasticness.  My 3 PM District Presidents meeting was offered as a Zoom, and I gladly took it, due to the busyness of my job, other meetings, and my health.  Humorously, a few other people on the call also had calls, so I think we saved everyone from a vortex of germs.

I did spend some time looking for films on the NFR; quite a few are available on VHS in the state library system, but with my VCR on the fritz, it is much less good... I have been thinking about ordering a replacement, which I have not done for a bunch of reasons (cost, want to spend on debt reduction, God knows how I can install the thing) but I might just have to revisit it.  To be sure, I don't need to watch them now and all at once, but we all know how I am at lists and such.

This could be me -- and I feel a little nauseous even saying this -- but I liked what the Pope said today. Now, to be sure, God knows what he actually meant, but if we take him at his word... is he wrong?  No; I think we all can agree the state/cops have better things to do than to play sex police.  Hell, he even maintained that homosexuality is a sin (for now).  Of course, it is a sad commentary of affairs when we have to commend the Pope for, you know, being Catholic.  As I am fond of saying, we certainly didn't have this problem when the Pope was Polish....

Cutting One's Losses

So, I had my appeal for the property taxes today -- a big raise in them was called for and I decided to appeal.  Now, I don't have any great view of a big reduction -- doing them now in the middle of an inflated housing market is a nice touch by the county -- but even a small reduction would be nice.  The process was...quite smooth.  Zoom.  Very brief; I made my points, they made theirs, and that was that.  I must admit I was pleasantly surprised.

Last week I got my last check from Freedonia... so that chapter of my life is officially over.  I had been locked out of the email system about the same time... it's a bit sad, sort of; I did like the people there, and I did learn some things.  Of course, I also wanted to pull my hair out for four years, and my current job is completely NOT like that -- so much so that they tell not to work too much.  The money was nice -- I paid off a bunch of HELOC, though I still have a bunch to go, and, of course, if and when I start the renovations, it will be back.  But it did feel good to throw a 50-yard pass, in contrast to the usual option approach.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/they-re-not-gonna-quit-how-ohio-anti-abortion-activists-shaped-post-roe-america/ar-AA13q1BB?cvid=8e764e19268b4991a5d4a2305174de81

This was a good read -- informative in a lot of ways, how they make the legislative sausage, how they go after legislators (violating the 11th Commandment!).  I don't like that part, but I get their point -- it was NEVER time to do anything about abortion, until, of course, they went and did it.  So kudos to them.  Of course, the victory is not complete -- and it looks a little precarious now -- but things look a hell of a lot better now than, say, last year.

Disappointments

 Didn't realize it was so late... of course, this is what I get for watching a movie, watching Duke, and finishing a book in one night.   The film was "Thieves' Highway," a film noir from 1949.  While it was well-recommended, to me it was just...meh.  Very flat; not that we didn't know what would happen (it was a film from 1949, after all) but it was just hard to get excited about anything.  Even the moral arcs were...suppressed?  Alas.

Speaking of suppressed, so too are the Blue Devils' hope of being an NCAA tournament team; yes, the Hokies are tough, and yes, they were on the road, but the Hokies are not very good, and Duke is... prone to dumbness, especially down the stretch.  Oi.

I finally finished book six -- Skepticism and American Faith -- and while it was interesting, it was also...disjointed?  Basically it was a look at American skeptics and agnostics, and how they came to be; wrapped up in it was how they survived/presented their ideas in the generally and culturally Protestant Christian America of the time (not well).  He pretty much skipped the Civil War, which was odd, as it must have been an immense challenge to peoples' faiths, to put it mildly.  The next tomes on the pile are a bit thinner, and I hope they promise to be smoother reads.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/01/cuyahoga-county-food-pantries-snap-recipients-bracing-for-reduction-in-benefits.html

As I am fond of saying, if only there was some magic way for people to obtain money to buy the food they need.  Now, I know, of course, that it is not as simple as it sounds, but as I like to say... people would feel better about the system -- and the money would be better spent -- if the people who could (and should) legitimately earned their keep did so, and if the people who merited aid spent what they had wisely... as there are no mechanisms for either approach, people feel that the system is a sham/scam, and they are not entirely incorrect.

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-son-of-democrat-house-minority-whip-katherine-clark-arrested-for-assaulting-cop-during-boston-antifa-event?utm_campaign=64466

Is it me, or has the state that produced John Adams and John Quincy Adams gone... haywire?  Ted Kennedy?  Barney Frank?  Pocohontas?  This lady?  Hell, if we had any brains, you'd think the GOP Congress would appoint a special committee to investigate this.  I mean, it would be amusing as hell, and a litany of Dem scandals and crimes is always a good thing...

Aggravation Station

 So, today was Mass in honor of Mom and Dad, and my sister met me for the occasion...honoring Mom, she complained about my shirt, how I was the EM for the choir loft, how she needed dramamine to be in the pew with me, and how I wouldn't let her "examine" my envelope to make sure I had "correct change."  I of course was amused.  But it was nice...then we went out to breakfast at the Red Chimney, because, well, going out to eat was something my parents did.  It was quite good, but we may have dawdled too long, because then it started to snow -- really snow.  I did manage to proceed to the food pantry (missing paperwork, mental note!) and then drove home...first time all year I turned on the four-wheel drive.  It was...not good out there, honestly, and people were going a bit slow... of course, when I got to my exit on the highway, it was a clusterhump.  One car -- literally right where you would turn right -- had her blinkers on and was parked, so you had to go around her (as if there were lanes, or a car that would let you).  Then, two houses in front of her, an Amazon truck was parked and had his blinkers on.  When we finally cleared that mess, one of the cars was literally going up Wallings Road hill at 5 mph, which, as you can imagine, is way too slow... I was so happy to get home, even if I skipped the gym.  As I often say, you always seen cops pulling over people going too fast, but they are never around to clear these idiots out.

Anyways, for a bunch of reasons, it was a nice, quiet day at home -- did some laundry, responded to the emails I sent out yesterday (more work!), snarfed some dinner, and even went through the backlog of links and bookmarks.  Soon I will fire up the coffee and read -- maybe even finish -- the massive tome I have been working on, and maybe get to bed early.  Not bloody likely, of course, but...

Catching Up

 My streak of postings ended last night, as I ended up -- not reading the book I should be done with! -- heading over to a friend's where I met some interesting people, played some board games, and listened to some German-influenced trance/EDM he has been creating.  It was...interesting?  I mean, I liked it, and wouldn't mind doing it again, but 1) Like Avatar, that sort of thing is to be enjoyed when on something; and 2) I can't help but feel Euro-trashy when I listen to it.  Alas.

Slept in a bit today, caught up on some reading, then went to the gym for a decent workout -- arms (no cardio, alas), and then back home to do something...like watch Duke barely win against Miami.  To be sure, Miami is not the Little Sisters of the Poor, but... those missed FTs late almost killed me.  I know it's the modern game, but... at least Dickie V is able to... honor and laud Coach Scheyer in the same way he did for Coach K, so, in some ways, all is well with the world.

Funny... I finally did some SVDP work and emailed (as I do regularly, just not regularly enough) all of the co-managers in the District, when I realized that I have another parish that I need to get out and see.  So there are three (one I will see next month, the other two Conferences...well, I have to search), and then I will be done.  We have a new one coming on, and I would like to think with some prodding I could add another, but it was somewhat humbling to realize that I had completely forgotten a parish...

Pupusas

 https://www.outkick.com/ivan-provorov-jersey-sells-out/

This, as you can imagine, amused the hell out of me.  I mean, there is, of course, the issue that the people who are claiming to be tolerant and diverse are trying to get Provorov cancelled, and people are fighting back and not having that.  So now people are ordering his jersey.  I can only imagine what will happen if this keeps up and his jersey is the most popular in the  NHL.  Hell, we know what will happen -- no one will mention it!  It's like the PD and the drop in CBT attendance -- we just ignore it.  I almost want one of my own, just for shits and giggles, and to support tolerance, inclusion, and diversity.  Hell, even the Church of England (and the non-Confederate Methodists) refused to support gay marriage, and no one seriously considers these people to be actual, practicing Christians.

My sister and I went to our monthly dinner today and I chose Pupuseria Katarina, the El Salvadoran restaurant on Brookpark.  I had been there years ago, and wanted to go back, and we all know how I love different cuisine... it also, of course, offends the spirit of Mom and her "Who Eats That Shit?" mentality.  And, it was...good!  I ordered chicken and pork pupusas and a side of rice and beans.  They were good -- couldn't really tell the difference between the meats, but they were good.  The sauce was spicier than I thought -- I certainly needed extra water!  The rice and beans were tasty (basic but good) and I liked the accompanying slaw; it neutralizes but it had a good and tangy flavor on its own.  I would go back -- not right away, to be sure -- but it was decent, and the value was good.

I hit the gym this morning (back and shoulders) because I figured I wouldn't want to go later... but after dinner I was feeling full and my blood sugar was a bit high (too many carbs, in retrospect), so I went and just rode the exercise bike for about 20 minutes.  I don't think that the 170 calories or so that I burned during that time offset the 1,000 calories I inhaled during dinner, but... at least I got some more reading done.  I am more than 320 pages into book 6 (it's about 500) so that is good, as I do want to keep pace on the 50.  I think the old trick of ordering extra books from the library -- supply drives its own demand, if you will -- is something I am reverting to now, and it is a good thing, psychologically...

Call Me Mother Hubbard

 So, The Blues Brothers was on TCM tonight (as my sister noted, it is a classic), and I decided to watch, because, why not?  It's still fricking hilarious!  The mall scene is one of my favorites of all time, and Sr. Mary Stigmata is pretty much every nun I have ever known.  To be sure, I understand some of the cultural references -- the driving scenes like the French Connection, the overreaction by the police, the Illinois Nazis -- but it still holds up.

Mind you, I had a good day as it was... first gym double in a while (lift and legs), and as my blood sugar cooperated, I read and did plenty of cardio, about 70 pages worth, a not unimportant consideration.  Work was fine, clearing stuff off my project list and getting ready for my annual review (my first, technically). Finished up all the leftovers and put away the dishes... I need to clean the stove top off (not sure what happened, honestly) a bit but the fridge looks quite empty, compared to the last few days.  Even emptied the inbox during the musical numbers, impressing myself, if no one else.  The bookmarks are a different story, but tomorrow is another day.

So, one of the things that crossed through the inbox today was an announcement from CSU that they have formed Viking Ventures, a foundation to support NIL funding for the student athletes (I think at CSU it is probably actually true that they are student athletes --like at Duke, of course! -- here, so no air quotes).  Now, I don't know how much they will actually raise -- I don't see that many people getting excited about CSU tennis -- but it is cool that they are trying something, and it certainly sends a message to the athletes that they are... dare I say open for business?  One of my friends' wives suggested that she wouldn't mind having some of the eye candy around doing yardwork, and I in turn suggested that she look for work at Louisville or Iona...

Mattie Eats Leftovers and Does Dishes

 I finished off the chili today -- good -- and reduced the pie content around here by giving half of it to my sister, as I know my brother-in-law will enjoy it.  I should finish the rest by Thursday -- it is rich and sugary, and thus nibbles are best (it's not like I am a diabetic, or anything).  Anyways, for the third day in a row, I did dishes -- one thing about cooking, the clean up is impressive.  I mean, not that I had a lot (I did them every day), but this is normally something I do not do, and... well, the sink could use a break.  Funny, I am already thinking about what to make next...

I need to start doing two things -- one is to sleep more, the other is to get on some SVDP stuff -- reconnecting with Conference Presidents, trying to meet everyone, trying to get everyone to meet everyone else, figure out how to get more resources, and how to add Conferences.  These goals, as you can imagine, are sort of mutually exclusive, which is a problem....and neither are not going away.  

Take, for instance, the article in the PD today about how Cleveland (and East Cleveland) has some of the highest percentages of people without access to a car.  I can see this, in a limited manner, in the number of our clients who walk to the OC or carpool  It's a huge problem for some.  It's also a ministry opportunity... of course, we just can't give people cars, and figuring out a way to get people to purchase is the wettest (and most forlorn) of all dreams.  There is also a reluctance (understandable) to go into these areas, and, well, given that these people are Hope and Changers who vote for other Hope and Changers... they sort of deserve it.  But that is not the right attitude, either, and more importantly, we have to figure out how to get people the resources they need.  I confess there is no one good method; I think adding a few OCs would be the first step, but there is a dearth of parishes upon which to base them on the East Side (related to Hope and Changerism, of course), and at the end of the day we can't ignore that reality, either.  I guess I am thinking of a Bite and Hold approach, or something incremental based off our current operations...

Mattie Bakes

 So, today I decided to conquer one of the recipes on my foodie list (being off this long weekend, I figured it was an auspicious time to do something about these lists):  Honey Vinegar pie.  My sister, with the usual family tact, asked if I was making a recipe from the depression cookbook, and maybe I was; I found it on a foodie website about Ohio's best desserts.  Anyways, as I had the ingredients (save for the sea salt garnish, which I eschewed; I now have a box of kosher salt I will need to use!), I got to work.

The first wheel to come off was making the pie crust; I had made some in the past (using recipes from former coworkers, should have been the first clue), and a friend's wife gave me an easy one which would promise me instant success.  Well, it didn't work; I added some water, then too wet, then some flour and shortening, and got something that was... well, functional enough.  Lesson learned:  use the premade ones.

Next, the recipe called for cooking heavy cream and vanilla (bean and extract from it, of which I had one from the panne cotta I made) in a double boiler, which, of course, I don't have.  But, good news, I found a site that said just water in a skillet, then put an overturned aluminum pie pan in the skillet, and that would work.  I did have one of those, so...off we went.  I monitored it closely (too closely, as the pie crust was slightly overcooked) and it... came out well.

Then it was the rest of the ingredients -- the dry stuff, the eggs, the honey, the vinegar, the vanilla creme mix, and a vigorous whisking of them all together, then into the pie crust.  The recipe called for 45 minutes or so of baking, rotating twice... I spilled some of the mix on to the cookie sheet and the oven while putting it in the oven and rotating it, and at the second rotation I was like this will never bake.  To my surprise, at 45 minutes... it was golden brown and settled (as the recipe said).  The pie had to sit for three hours, which was fine -- had dinner, and when I finally cut a small piece... it was good.  Odd mix of flavors -- not one that dominates.  Would I make it again?  I suspect not, but...

One thing I was able to do while watching the pie cool was to watch the 1950 "Cyrano de Bergerac," recently added to the NFR, mainly due to the role of Jose Ferrer as Cyrano (Best Actor, Golden Globes, and a first for a Hispanic actor in the Best Actor role).  The film is... well, it shows its age, and I would not say it is terribly exciting, but the swordplay is cool, and if you don't know the Cyrano story, it does a good job of telling the basics.  809.

I see that the next Avatar will be fire...considering the jokes I have made about Cameron going through the elements, I feel...vindicated.  Of a sort.

Mattie Cooks

 So, lately I was having a taste for chili, the way my Mom used to make it.  I found the recipe (glad she wrote it down, at my behest) and it wasn't that complex... so after Mass and gym I went to Acme and did some shopping.  Honestly, it has been a long time since I bought ground beef (I rarely eat it), and I bought a bunch of other things (other recipes to try), so my grocery bill was, for me, stratospheric.  Usually I hit Aldi for a few things (fruit, fish) but I wanted to get everything at once.  Then I got home and went to work.

And...it turned out pretty good!  I used slightly different brands than she did (Giant Eagle has the better selection, I suspect), so the diced tomatoes were a bit larger.  I think I cut my onions a bit more than she did.  Mom often had chunks of ground beef, whereas I -- to get it to cook faster -- really mashed it up.  I think I added more chili powder and paprika.  So it's close, but it was still good.  I am thinking of adding green peppers (always a reason to add veggies to anything, I say) to it the next time I make it, or maybe some different meats, but... I was pleased.  Plus it has been a while since I had it, for the obvious reason...  I may crack that recipe tomorrow, depending on the day.

Of course, since I had a pot of chili to eat, I went to dinner with a friend tonight.  He suggested Siam Cafe -- I have been there, but it was on the list (I went years ago) so there I was, off to Midtown.  It was good.. actually, it was funny, when we arrived, I was the only Caucasian there; the rest were Asian, and I told him this was auspicious, as Asians would only eat at a good Asian restaurant.  He, of course, mocked me for my inability to use chopsticks.  I ordered a seafood dish, with fried rice on the bottom and an egg white-based sauce, and it was...pretty good (took half home, let's see how it holds up tomorrow).  It was good just to catch up and chat...

Finished Catcher today while making chili and started the next book, which is 500 pages of dense (in both senses) and small-sized text.  So book 6 will be a while...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/08/us/hamline-university-islam-prophet-muhammad.html

Interesting?  I don't know... in addition to the academic freedom issues (and we know how I feel about that), the fact that trigger warnings were sent out -- and apparently disregarded -- to me is a big red flag...

Peace and Quiet

 Dare I say today was...restful?  Slept in some (went to bed earlier last night as well), caught up on some stuff in the AM, lifted at the gym for lunch, came home, finally got the food pantry budget for 2023 done (several changes, let's hope the Board approves), and then settled down to watch "Charade," the Hepburn/Grant classic from 1963.  It was quite good!  To be sure, even the test pattern would be awesome with Cary Grant, but the movie itself was interested -- cool premise, decent plot twists, exciting finish.  I can see how it is a classic.  (808!)

Duke lost, again.  Sigh.  I don't even think this team will make the NIT.

I am more than halfway through Catcher:  How the Man Behind the Plate Became an American Folk Hero.  Interesting stuff, basically a look at the historical development of the catcher position from the early days of baseball -- catching harder and more difficult pitches, working with pitchers, adopting safety gear, that sort of thing.  There is a section about catchers with mental issues, and the author does imply that maybe all the abuse and head injuries they suffered led to them... could be me, but it was the first thing I thought of!

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/you-can-retrace-footsteps-jewish-refugees-took-hike-through-alps-180981298/

This was...fascinating.  Didn't know about it, and to think the people a year out of concentration camps made alpine treks, as is... remarkable.

Homebound

 Didn't leave the house today.  Maybe I could have, especially after the driveway was plowed (about 4pm) and it seemed the roads were good, or at least good enough.   On the other hand, I did some stuff, worked, had dinner, read a bit (found a reason NOT to do some OC budget work, tsk), and rested.  This is probably wise, as will be my decision to not set the alarm tomorrow.  It is fairly cold, though I guess that is just because it has been so unseasonably warm lately.

I watched an interesting documentary from 2012 tonight:  "Knuckleball," which basically charted the 2011 seasons of Tim Wakefield (his last) and R.A. Dickey, the last two (at that time) active knuckleballers, as well as tales from Charlie Hough, Jim Bouton, Phil Niekro, and other baseball figures.  I love this stuff (or used to), so I even watched most of the bonus tracks, and it was fascinating, watching these guys talk pitching and baseball lives and stuff.  More than three hours, all told; maybe more than I expected to, but it was certainly very entertaining and informative.

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/chaput-speaking-the-truth-is-polarizing/?ref=the-pillar-post-newsletter

Interesting read, certainly as much for what was not said -- and for how some things were phrased -- as what was said.  I always liked Chaput -- have read a couple of his books -- and the Church is weakened by his diminution in its ranks.  Me and my crazy ideas about Catholics being Catholic and such!

One nice thing about this weekend is that I have literally nothing to do.  Save for Mass and the gym (definitely not skipping!) things are completely open.  Much as I am toying with a restaurant visit or some culinary adventure (there are recipes on the restaurant list as well), I am tempted to just stay home, handle some paperwork backlogs (like the food pantry budget) and try to do some damage to the film and book lists.  The tree is doing well, and while some are going down, mine will remain for the present... might even put it on and sit under the glow...

Departures

 Got the truck back today...while it was there, they also identified the source of another small leak (noted the past two oil changes), but as it would cost about as much to fix that as it would the current repair...I suggested we leave it for another time, lest I have even more carnage with my finances.  Sigh.  Of course, I am not really going anywhere tomorrow, save for the gym (weather permitting, and it might not), having the Behemoth back is...well, the order in the universe has been so slightly restored.  Finished book 4 -- about the Battle of Bentonville -- and started the next.  Rah.  I guess I am ahead of schedule, but with a number of thick tomes coming up, we will soon trail once again.  Alas.

I was going to say that Biden's document scandal is something of a nothingburger -- given the vast seas of paperwork generated, I am sure there random classified things lying about.  Then, of course, batch two was by his Corvette, they knew about this before Election Day and it didn't come out until now, and... while I think it is not much, the optics are...rather poor, to put it charitably.  To be sure, he can always say he is/was the dumbest guy in Washington for decades, and...well, it would not be an untruthful defense.

https://www.clevescene.com/food-drink/the-nauti-mermaid-has-closed-after-nearly-20-years-in-business-41204235?fbclid=IwAR2vEyh7N7FFg_yrfPdAsxRGCx1LSgOccLA8lX1gVR3_UzE31eDvWxsIAjU

This is sad, as I always wanted to go there -- heard good things -- but of course this is why places close; we stay home.  I was mentally discussing pushing back a planned restaurant excursion, but maybe this will guilt me into going, despite the fact that I have a HELOC and want a new house (piece by piece).

https://www.wsj.com/articles/paul-johnson-british-historian-and-polemicist-against-the-left-dies-at-94-11673562198

Also sad; I have not read all of his books, but the ones I did were both enjoyable and informative.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/respect-the-institutions-but-why/

Quite good, and exactly right!

Beetlejuice

 So yesterday a friend of mine called to let me know that he had an extra ticket to see "Beetlejuice," the musical, and if I wanted to come...  on the one hand, it's a musical, on the other, it's not like I have anything else to do, so off we went.  One minor problem, of course, is that I am the only person in America who has not seen the movie, so... I don't want to say that I missed the cultural references, but it would have been better if I had.  Anyways, it was...fun.  Bit long, and I will never be a musical person, but it was entertaining -- certainly funny at times -- and it was good to just hang.

Less good:  took my car in for an oil change, and while that was fixed...I need a new ball joint, which will come in tomorrow, and put me out for several hundred dollars, and we all know how I feel about that.  I guess it is good that it is a new year, and the joy of being a car owner, but...sigh.  At least I will get it tomorrow (I hope) before the snow comes.  At least I have a weekend with not much planned, so I can have a nice quiet time of staying home and not spending money... in addition to the house not cleaning, I can read and catch up on some film.

Equally unpleasant, Duke had to come from behind -- from double digits -- at home against Pitt.  Watching the game at least took my mind off yet another bill, but then I got to thinking that this team will be slaughtered by UNC, and I decided it just might be better to find myself beneath the newly repaired Behemoth.

My Pyx Runneth Over

 Busy -- and long -- day yesterday, hence the bloglessness.  I slept in (sort of) and took a long-delayed trip to Akron to visit our food pantry there, the Fr. Hilkert Center, attached to Visitation of Mary parish (sadly, I was NOT able to see the church itself).  In some ways, the area and the crowd reminded me of Slavic Village, which was soon confirmed by talking to the volunteers there.  Anyways, like every other place I visit, I was impressed by the space they have -- they inherited an old parish building, so they converted it, with plenty of basement storage (sigh!) and space for...well, space.  A whole office for registering people (they are in-person), a nice space for shelves of canned freezers, spacious clothing room, plenty of volunteers; hell, even shelving built by Eagle Scouts as part of their projects.  They don't seem to serve as many people as we do, but it was a good look around.  Akron, at least the parts I traveled through, has a lot of hills; can't imagine getting through there in snow-snow.

I got in late yesterday, and am feeling it today, sort of; almost nodded off after lunch, but coffee and some walking around helped.  Today at Mass we had a full affair -- musical accompaniment, blessing of the chalk for the consecration of homes, and the official announcement of our parish's 150th anniversary (how I avoided duty on that committee is the Christmas miracle!).  I had to take ten (ten!) hosts up the choir loft; how I got them in the pyx without breaking any, or closing it, is also a Christmas miracle.  Anyways...you know, Mass was just...nice.  Church still decorated, decent homily, bit long, but the pomp and circumstance is good.  Then it was off to the gym and some extra cardio (three minutes for now; between the fatness and reading, I figure it's not the worst idea).  And home.

https://www.city-journal.org/the-quiet-right-movement?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Organic_Social

Interesting; I hope it lasts, for one, and it becomes...mainstream?

https://aeon.co/essays/the-first-americans-a-story-of-wonderful-uncertain-science

This is...cool?  I think we all know I love stuff like this, and quite frankly I think science would be better served by less fighting and more looking -- either way -- for sites and evidence of the first peoples, where they came from, and what they did when they finally arrived.  But that is just me...

Friday Night Lights

 Good day today -- work, gym (no cardio, sigh), and, best of all, I was able to watch J! in the living room, as the cable was finally fixed!  The official diagnosis was that the box blew -- could be anything -- so they replaced it and that was that.  I was told not to change channels to quickly, which amused me, given what I am capable of.  But, doctor's orders, if you will!

I would not say I got a lot of sleep last night, but seven hours each of the past two nights leads me to believe that maybe, just maybe, I should try to do it again tonight... cumulatively, it does add up, and Lord knows -- given my ability to sleep through alarms -- I just might need it.  To be sure, there is reading to be done, and I am also doing some of the pile of Games magazine issues, which proves, as always, that no man can serve two masters.  I am going to try and finish book two tonight.  It is The World in a Grain, which is a look at the modern uses of sand -- building material, base of glass, etc., -- and how we don't have enough of it (even on beaches).  Quite interesting, even if a little vignette-y, but a quick read, always nice.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/playing-risk-made-cold-war-kids-masters-of-an-unruly-globe-11673015444?mod=hp_listc_pos2

I thought this was funny and somewhat true... also humorous; I bet I played Risk -- and certainly other games (like Axis & Allies) by myself -- more than anything.  Most of this was due to the fact that I was raised an only child, but also...well, sometimes you want to "try" a particular strategy or tactic.  Sometimes just because, or sometimes "why didn't they think of that?"  Hell, it could even work in Risk, despite the dice.  I can see why people have game nights now...they were fun, and the stuff you did while you gamed was just as entertaining.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-01-05/ron-desantis-s-war-on-woke-culture-could-pave-his-way-to-presidency?leadSource=uverify%20wall

Long but good read; also, I can only imagine the vomitface that Bloomberg staffers had while cranking out this one.  Anyways, one thought that came to me while reading this was that one of the reasons why GOPers seem to like him because he does stuff... Trump, let's face it, had a lot of bluster.  DeSantis (to be sure, it's a red state, if you will, in terms of the apparatus of power) picks a target, goes after it, and....boom!  Policy!  Don't Say Gay; the Disney bill; an insurance fix... all of these things required political capital and some level of cojones but once they were pulled off... people loved him for it.  I watched his speech at his inauguration, and for all the victory speech bravura it had, it also reminded people that all of these things were despite everyone telling him the sky would fall.  And it did not.  Not everyone can pull it off, but it seems to be working there, so why not elsewhere?

Musings

 Early blogging today -- no reason, save for the fact that I want to try and get to bed somewhat early, I need the rest, I guess, and I am feeling it.  Productive, too -- work, lifted at the gym, came home, and then finished the laundry pile.  I should be conquering the dish pile, though I might take a good 20 minutes or so and just read before bed, which, let's face it, needs to be done if I want to get through 50 this year (there are some thick ones in the pile).  I know some movies I ordered are in at the library, and for some, you just cannot multitask.

Two fascinating stories from the world of sports...ok, one and a half.  First, the allegations -- ok, not really, he doesn't deny them -- that Team USA soccer coach kicked his gf (now wife) when they were 18.  This allegation is not pleasant, to be sure, but given that it was 30 years ago and they seem to have worked it out... well, that's something.  Also...the allegation came to light because the coach got in front of it, as the mother of one of the US players (called out by said coach for lack of conditioning, or something) was threatening to divulge it.  Who doesn't love a good bit of blackmail?  Now, to be sure, much of this is kvetching about the supposedly poor performance by Team USA in the World Cup, and some of this is revenge, but... I am vastly amused.

On to real sports... Texas fired men's hoops coach Chris Beard (he was on leave) after allegations (since recanted by his fiancee) that he assaulted her in a confrontation.  Now... to be sure, the allegations are quite severe, but if they are recanted...  Also, the police are still investigating, and charges are pending.  Dare I say this is a Trevor Bauer case?  I mean, what if NO charges are filed?  No assault?  He can see them to get his job back (or a hunk of the money)?  They'll settle of course, but... to me, and I have said this before, I am not sure I like the idea of firing something before they are found guilty; not very American, if you ask me.

Explosions and implosions

 Didn't post last night, as I was at a goodbye dinner/soiree for a friend -- going back to the Philippines after visiting family and friends for the holidays.  The consensus pick was Omizu in Parma, which was cool, as I have always wanted to try it.  We only ordered sushi, and while it was quite good...let's just say that this morning I was greeted with the equivalent of eating an entire box of Colon Blow, and for much of the day I have been...unsettled.  Equally unsettling was going to my MD for a checkup (I am fine) and he told me he was retiring...so after the next visit, I will need to find a new doctor.  Sigh.  Anyways, I will return to Omizu -- it is on the list of restaurants -- for their cooked food, which hopefully will be less destructive, if you will.

I am fascinated -- for lack of a better term -- by the drama over the House speaker vote.  I am not exactly sure what the anti-McCarthy forces want, or who they want instead.  Not that anyone thinks much of the guy, but he did raise the money to pull just enough of these guys into a win, and... well, that's all we need now.  I would prefer this ends quickly, but...I can see both sides settling into a long one.

https://donsurber.substack.com/p/lets-not-have-world-war-three?r=z8gdh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Speaking of both sides settling into a long one... I mean, I completely disagree with this, but I also found it to be quite interesting, and, quite honestly, probably closer to the truth of the matter.

A record loss for Duke.  Oi.  This after a win against a meh FSU team and a loss to Wake Forest (who are, let's face it, quite good).  Beating tOSU and Iowa seem to be the only quality wins on the resume right now, and while the ACC season should fix that... not if they don't win any games.  I realize there is a new coach, a new team, etc., but this team has too much talent to have things like this happen.  As always, a sense of winter of discontent.

https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/250-years-of-amazing-grace/

Quite good -- an interesting read and some interesting renditions of one of my favorite hymns.  Also, I have not watched the movie in quite a while, which I should rectify, even if there are not other things to do, like watch movies I have not seen and read some of the 49 other books (I finished #1) I want to this year.

https://fee.org/articles/mmt-is-dead-it-must-now-be-buried-for-good/

This, like most liberal inventions, does not -- and will not die -- even if you put the stake in the heart and the garlic in the mouth.  Alas.

Back to the Grind

 Hard to believe it is back to work tomorrow.  To be sure, I did some work over the week, but I can't recall the last time I had a whole week -- and then some -- to NOT work.  Quite nice.  I did get some reading done, some holiday stuff, quality family time, hung out with friends...all in all, very nice.

Met a couple friends today for coffee -- good to catch up before everyone goes home (Xmas plans were turned into NYE/NYD plans due to the weather).  This was nice, though, in retrospect, I drank a lot of coffee, which may explain why I am still up.  Of course, I always drink a lot of coffee, and seldom go to bed when I should.  Last night was an exception -- crashed on the couch before 11, woke up at 3:30, rolled into bed bed, worried if I would fall asleep, and woke up at 9...feeling fairly refreshed, if a little sheepish over my laziness.

I did watch another film off the National Film Registry yesterday:  "Betty Tells Her Story."  It was 19 minutes long, and let's just say that I was not the target audience.   I am not sure what the point was, which, to me, is a problem.  At least it was short, and... 807.

Rough news out of the NFL today; I had to go to Youtube to see the actual collision (which is also sort of a problem, ahem), and... well, I am not sure that I saw anything that said "that could really put them in the hospital," but football is a violent game.  Funny, because the highlights from the Tulane comeback were obviously the highlights of the day.  I read a couple of articles yesterday/today about the Big Ten's bad weekend, and while I get that... hell, they had two team in the playoff, and while both of them lost... let's just say the games were highly competitive and they had chances to win.  The PAC-12 would have killed for such an opportunity!

Happy New Year and such

 So, it is 2023... I guess this is good.  Another year, getting older, all of that.  It does happen, and I cannot change or control it, but it does not mean I like it.  Alas.  Was out at a fest last nite, arrived home late, and was a bit slow getting up for Mass this morning.  It would have been unfortunate to have missed it, being that I was the EM and was asked to take the gifts up.  But, a quick breakfast and a jump in the shower, and we were good to go with plenty of time.  I did nod off briefly this afternoon, after the gym, but procured some coffee and was back to normal.  Might watch a documentary or something from the NFR later on (the cable is still out, have to fix that), but I should probably get some sleep.  Friday night I didn't sleep well, and I suspect I am feeling it now.

A new year...for one, the book list resets to zero.  I can make resolutions, like read more, go through my house, do some things on the restaurant list (it also includes a bunch of random recipes that I should try to make, lest I seem a complete kitchen idiot), and drop a few pounds, but I think we all know that the chance of that happening... funny; there are some other projects -- stuff I used to do fairly regularly -- that I want to get back into as well, and if I do that...well, less time for the other stuff.   Alas.  Hell, I barely have time to get through the Games magazine pile!

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/dec/29/if-aliens-contact-humanity-who-decides-what-we-do-next

I agree; contacting other sentient beings in the universe is more than likely to end badly for us, but I guess it is good that people are thinking of these things...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/31/us/benedict-death-us-catholics.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20221231&instance_id=81598&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=121315&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

As I am fond of saying, it has been so long since we have had an actually Catholic pontiff...