Daily Entries for the week of
Sunday, February 13, 2022
through
Saturday, February 19, 2022
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It’s Saturday, February 19, 2022
Welcome to the 1,360th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Richard II of England
King Richard II of England, from the portrait in Westminster Abbey.[1]
Anonymous - https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/richard-ii-and-anne-of-bohemia
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Commentary
Thinking about the progress we are making in learning to live with covid I checked the positivity rate in Massachusetts.
2.9%.
Wonderful.
Plunging.
A good night’s sleep continues to elude me.
In the last four nights I’ve gotten 4.0, 6.5, 6.5, and 4.0 hours sleep.
I adjust my schedule to fit my strength but, on the days of fewer than 6 hours sleep I don’t even try to work out. Honestly, I find I must walk slower and hold on more. As though I’m an old man.
Not sure how I’m going to resolve this.
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Reading and Writing
I’m in the middle of eight days of entertaining and my manuscript work is taking serious hits.
Wednesday, zero time writing.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
Satire is tragedy plus time.
You give it enough time, the public, the reviewers will allow you to satirize it.
Which is rather ridiculous, when you think about it.”
~Lenny Bruce, The Essential Lenny Bruce: his original unexpurgated satirical routines
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Lots of conversations re: my entertainment over the next eight days.
Blog meister responds: Social events: Wonderful ways to connect or reconnect with people whom we like or love.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
Beans and greens. Made a huge vat of it and I feel I’m ready for anything food needs.
Why the beans and greens?
A big vat lasts a long time.
That means make at least one main course meal out of it.
The rest becomes your vegetable for days to com.
That means, all you have to worry about for dinner is a simple main course.
And the fiber and vitamins contained within are stupendous.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Hot pot
The work to a hot pot is in the preparation.
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Short Essay*
The Wonderful Parliament was a session of the English parliament held from October to November 1386 in Westminster Abbey. Originally called to address King Richard II's need for money, it quickly refocused on pressing for the reform of his administration. The King had become increasingly unpopular in recent years due in the main to excessive patronage towards his political favorites combined with the unsuccessful prosecution of war in France. Further, there was a popular fear that England was soon to be invaded, as a French fleet had been gathering in Flanders for much of the year.
Discontent with Richard climaxed when he requested an unprecedented sum to raise an army with which to invade France himself. Instead of granting the King's request as he expected, the houses of the Lords and the Commons effectively united against him and his unpopular chancellor, Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk. Seeing de la Pole as both a favorite who had unfairly benefited from the King's largesse, and the minister responsible for the King's failures, parliament demanded the earl's impeachment.
At first, the King refused to attend the parliament, instead attempting—unsuccessfully—to dissolve the sitting. Richard requested the Commons send a delegation to negotiate with him at Eltham Palace; they, fearing an ambush, sent two lords instead. One of them, the Duke of Gloucester (Richard's uncle), threatened Richard with deposition unless the King agreed to return to Westminster and do parliament's bidding.
He was forced to sack the unpopular de la Pole and was restricted to advisers vetted and appointed by parliament. The King was incensed at what he perceived to be an unnatural restriction on his God-given right to appoint his own ministers and advisers; he left Westminster almost immediately.
He spent much of the following year gathering support in the regions, ignoring his parliament-imposed council, and taking legal advice on how to annul the constraints on his rule. During this time de la Pole was returned to royal favor. Although the King managed to overturn most of the restrictions the Wonderful Parliament placed upon him, within a few years the crisis had resurged, even worse than in 1386. Armed conflict broke out between crown and nobility, eventually resulting in de la Pole's exile, and the execution of many of his supporters.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Friday, February 18, 2022
Welcome to the 1,359th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Dirk Willems
Dirk Willems (picture) saves his pursuer. This act of mercy led to his recapture, after which he was burned at the stake near Asperen (etching from Jan Luyken in the 1685 edition of Martyrs Mirror
Jan Luyken - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Maksim.
Dirk Willems' captor, who had been chasing Willems prior to falling through the ice
Dirk Willems (picture) saves his pursuer. This act of mercy led to his recapture, after which he was burned at the stake near Asperen (etching from Jan Luyken in the 1685 edition of Martyrs Mirror
Jan Luyken - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Maksim.
Dirk Willems' captor, who had been chasing Willems prior to falling through the ice
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Commentary
I’ve started a Sleep Diary. My sleep is going well. After years of melatonin dependence, I ran into a period where my 20mg nightly wasn’t working. I was faced with accepting an increased dosage or going cold turkey. I chose cold turkey and am adjusting well. Details to follow.
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Reading and Writing
I’m working on my line editor’s comments now, a week delayed.
I see another delay coming this week as I am doing some entertaining from Wed to Wednesday, inclusive.
Hope I can keep up with my work.
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Understanding aging
Newsfeeds are filled with ‘winning the covid’ battle.
I think we should be adapting to the presence of a covid threat as we have to the flu, to Diptheria.
In addition to regular vaccinations, carrying masks should be routine so we are able to mask in crowded places, without having the government or society demand that we do. Common sense.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
If Jesus had been killed twenty years ago,
Catholic school children would be wearing little electric chairs around their necks
instead of crosses.”
~ Lenny Bruce
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This from our friend Sallly C:
Dear Dom.
Dry skin? You might try taking a tablespoon of virgin, unrefined coconut oil every day, That has eliminated my problem in recent years with the ends of my fingers splitting and bleeding. I also rub it into my face and neck every day. It sinks in without leaving oiliness behind.
But be sure to get the virgin, unrefined form.
Sally
Blog meister responds:
for Italians, a little olive oil goes a long way for any purpose.
not recommended for automobiles.
d
To which Sally replied:
For non-Italians, too! 😊
Re: the coconut oil, I suspect you are already ingesting sufficient amounts of olive oil for it to do what it usually does (which are many things, I know). But it looks like it’s not addressing the dry skin problem adequately. Maybe you need more, or maybe coconut oil is worth a try.
In any case, I hope you find a solution soon. Itchy skin makes it hard to focus on things that are more worthy of one’s attention.
Sally
Blog meister responds: Thanks, Sally.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
While I had baby back ribs for dinner on Tuesday, the highlight of the meal for me was the roasted cauliflower that accompanied it.
I think I discussed it in the post just below this one.
That makes it two meals in a row in which cauliflower was queen.
I ate a small head of the veggie in each meal which means I ate less protein, a good thing for my diet which is necessarily fiber conscious.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Winter view of State House
Pretty.
Pretty bleak.
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Short Essay*
Anabaptism is a Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation.
Among the Anabaptist groups still present are mainly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonites. In the 21st century, there are large cultural differences between assimilated Anabaptists, who do not differ much from evangelicals, and traditional groups like the Amish, the Old Colony Mennonites, the Old Order Mennonites, Old Order River Brethren, the Hutterites and the Old German Baptist Brethren.
The early Anabaptists formulated their beliefs in a confession of faith called the Schleitheim Confession. In 1527, Michael Sattler presided over a meeting at Schleitheim (in Schaffhausen canton, on the Swiss-German border), where Anabaptist leaders drew up the Schleitheim Confession of Faith (doc. 29). Sattler was arrested and executed soon afterwards. Anabaptist groups varied widely in their specific beliefs, but the Schleitheim Confession represents foundational Anabaptist beliefs as well as any single document can.
Anabaptists believe that baptism is valid only when candidates freely confess their faith in Christ and request to be baptized. This believer's baptism is opposed to baptism of infants, who are not able to make a conscious decision to be baptized. Anabaptists are those who are in a traditional line with the early Anabaptists of the 16th century. Other Christian groups with different roots also practice believer's baptism, such as Baptists, but these groups are not Anabaptist. The Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites are direct descendants of the early Anabaptist movement. Schwarzenau Brethren, River Brethren, Bruderhof, and the Apostolic Christian Church are considered later developments among the Anabaptists.
The name Anabaptist means "one who baptizes again". Their persecutors named them this, referring to the practice of baptizing persons when they converted or declared their faith in Christ even if they had been baptized as infants, and many prefer to call themselves "Radical Reformers." Anabaptists require that baptismal candidates be able to make a confession of faith that is freely chosen and so rejected baptism of infants. The New Testament teaches to repent and then be baptized, and infants are not able to repent and turn away from sin to a life of following Jesus. The early members of this movement did not accept the name Anabaptist claiming that infant baptism was not part of scripture and was therefore null and void. They said that baptizing self-confessed believers was their first true baptism:
I have never taught Anabaptism. ... But the right baptism of Christ, which is preceded by teaching and oral confession of faith, I teach, and say that infant baptism is a robbery of the right baptism of Christ.
— Hubmaier, Balthasar (1526), Short apology.[8]: 204
Anabaptists were heavily persecuted by state churches, both Magisterial Protestants and Roman Catholics, beginning in the 16th century and continuing thereafter, largely because of their interpretation of scripture, which put them at odds with official state church interpretations and local government control. Anabaptism was never established by any state and therefore never enjoyed any associated privileges. Most Anabaptists adhere to a literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7, which teaches against hate, killing, violence, taking oaths, participating in use of force or any military actions, and against participation in civil government. Anabaptists view themselves as primarily citizens of the kingdom of God, not of earthly governments. As committed followers of Jesus, they seek to pattern their life after his.
Some former groups who practiced rebaptism, now extinct, believed otherwise and complied with these requirements of civil society.[b] They were thus technically Anabaptists, even though conservative Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites, and many historians consider them outside true Biblical Anabaptism. Conrad Grebel wrote in a letter to Thomas Müntzer in 1524:
True Christian believers are sheep among wolves, sheep for the slaughter ... Neither do they use worldly sword or war, since all killing has ceased with them.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Thursday, February 17, 2022
Welcome to the 1,358th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Evening Primrose
This is the cover art for the Original cast album Evening Primrose (musical). The cover art copyright is believed to belong to the record label or the graphic artist(s). Original television soundtrack recording
http://www.kritzerland.com/KL_Primrose.Cov72.png
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Commentary
I’ll be seeing my cousin tonight.
And my daughter is spending three nights with me this weekend.
And my son Dom and family are joining us for dinner Saturday evening (Iy’s our belated annual Christmas get together.)
And I have a dinner planned next Wednesday with my architect friend, Jack, who recently spend a good deal of time helping me choose, locate, and deliver the sauna.
All wonderful events.
Yet, I’m feeling anxiety, wondering if I’ll be able to get work done on my manuscript.
I must learn to calm.
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Reading and Writing
A terrific observation led me to spend an extra couple of days on the ending of the first half of the manuscript. The improvement so palpable I did not begrudge the work nor the delay of the end of the editing.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
There is only what is and that's it.
What should be is a dirty lie.
~Lenny Bruce, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Contact was high today as we discussed the ending of the book.
Blog meister responds: There can’t be many writers who have such knowledgeable and insightful people as those who have helped me throughout the development of the manuscript. I am grateful and humble.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
A liberal amount of olive oil seasoned with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Brush the slices of cauliflower both sides with the olive oil mix and
roast the slices @ 425 for about 25 minutes.
Get the cauliflower to a nice brown.
Eat it just like that as a side order at dinner,
or turn it into a perfectly healthy pizza by covering the cooked slices with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese and whatever else you like.
Bake it at 500* until the cheese is molten and eat away knowing you’re eating healthily and deliciously.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
French Skies
1996 photo by Howard Dinin
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Short Essay*
Here’s are lyrics from a Stephen Sondheim musical.
Without the music nearby, enjoy their poetry.
I remember sky
It was blue as ink
Or at least I think
I remember sky
I remember snow
Soft as feathers
Sharp as thumb tacks
Coming down like lint
And it made you squint
When the wind would blow
And ice like vinyl
On the streets
Cold as silver
White as sheets
Rain like strings
And changing things
Like leaves
I remember leaves
Green as spearmint
Crisp as paper
I remember trees
Bare as coat racks
Spread like broken umbrellas
And parks and bridges
Ponds and zoos
Ruddy faces
Muddy shoes
Light and noise and
Bees and boys
And days
I remember days
Or at least I try
But as years go by
They're sort of haze
And the bluest ink
Isn't really sky
And at times I think
I would gladly die
For a day of sky
—Stephen Sondheim, from “Evening Primrose”
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Welcome to the 1,357th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
HALO
Gateway Space Station
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/gateway_ppehalo_angles_003_0.png
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Commentary
Days are very busy: shopping, cooking eating, getting next meal ready.
Working on manuscript and blog.
Weight-lifting.
Emailing.
Screen time.
A good life.
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Reading and Writing
Working with some great input on the manuscript.
Fun.
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Understanding ageing
Sometimes when I wake up from sleep I need to take a very hot shower to relieve itching in my arms or legs.
That’s a second shower because I take my full shower before I go to bed.
The itching is due to dry skin. I do use lotion on my back (which is impossibly itchy without the daily application of lotion) and on my arms which are more itchy than the rest of my body. The lotion is effective.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
The religious kids were really religious, the kind who push religion on others in a way that always freaks me out.
They are like people who keep telling me, 'You have to see Hamilton!'
Honestly, no I don't and the more you keep telling me, the less likely I am to actually see it. Though I have subsequently seen, "Hamilton" and it's excellent.”
~Colin Jost, A Very Punchable Face
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This from our dear friend, Sally C:
Dear Dom,
Really nice “us”-“them” story today. Very evocative, showing such appreciation and recognition of the value of family tradition and heritage. I hope you keep writing these snippets – they’ll easily make another book.
Have you read Abettina Morano’s story about her father – “Fading Shadows” - how he immigrated to East Boston from Italy and his struggles to adapt to 1920s-1930s American life and support his family? At age 96, she’s beginning work on a sequel about her generation. She dismisses her book as not well written at all, but I found it valuable in that I learned so much about the Italian immigrant family experience, stuff that otherwise I never would have been aware of.
I wouldn’t say her writing is poor – it is simple, direct language, and there’s much to be said for that. (We so often tend to inflate our narratives with flowery words and think that’s better than the simple, direct stuff. Although I don’t care much for Hemingway’s style of writing, he did write this way, almost devoid of adjectives, and it’s a good lesson to exercise.
Sally
BRASS CASTLE ARTS
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Sally M. Chetwynd
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781-548-9519 c
brasscastlearts@gmail.com
https://www.brasscastlearts.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-m-chetwynd-6118741b/
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AUTHOR OF: Bead of Sand and The Sturgeon’s Dance
Sign up for my tri-weekly newsletter – “Natterings & Noodlings.” (A politics-free zone!) Come, join the fun!
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but
only what is helpful for building others up. – Ephesians 4:29
Blog meister responds: Sally is so dedicated to her art she inspires a whole coven of us.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
I’ve got a great Mashed Potato Substitute
Mash cauliflower instead of potatoes.
Cauliflower has far fewer calories and far higher fiber and vitamin content than white potatoes.
in cauliflower for the opposites in potato.
And instead of butter which has no fiber and loads of calories, I have discovered SO yogurt-alternative.
*So I puree the boiled cauliflower, season it with salt and pepper, and glob on a TB of SO with few calories, a rich texture, and pleasing taste. This becomes a competitive taste alternative to buttery mashed. And as far as a nutrient count, including fiber, no contest.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Great tree in Public Garden Feb 2022
I walk the Public Garden every day.
Every day I am treated to these images.
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Short Essay*
The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), also called the Minimal Habitation Module (MHM) and formerly known as the Utilization Module, is a scaled-down habitation module as part of the Lunar Gateway. It will be built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. A single Falcon Heavy will launch HALO along with the PPE module and Halo Lunar Communication System, no earlier than November 2024.
The HALO will form an initial scaled-down habitation module. Its primary purpose will be to fulfill the life-support requirements of visiting crew on Orion spacecraft and a space to allow preparations for lunar landing departure. It will feature a functional pressurized volume providing sufficient command, control and data handling capabilities, energy storage and power distribution, thermal control, communications and tracking capabilities, two axial and up to two radial docking ports, stowage volume, environmental control and life-support systems to augment the Orion spacecraft and support a crew of four for at least 30 days. The exterior of the HALO module will feature body-mounted radiators (BMRs), batteries and communications antennae will be added. One axial docking port will connect to the International logistics and habitat module (I-HAB) and one radial docking port is allocated for use by the Human Landing System. Batteries will be provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). These will provide power to the module prior to the deployment of the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) solar arrays and during occultation of the Sun by the Earth and Moon. The Canadian Space Agency will be providing interfaces and base point for use by Canadarm 3.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Welcome to the 1,356th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Nathan Chen
Chen at the 2018 Internationaux de France
Rama
Nathan Chen during the men's singles free skating at the Internationaux de France de Patinage 2018.
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Commentary
I started my Sleep Diary. My Sat-Sun sleep came in four night time segments and three daytime naps. They all total 6.75 hours of mostly sleep, about 1 hour of nap only.
I’m also experimenting with cauliflower. Will report.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
You are a white. The Imperial Wizard.
Now, if you don't think this is logic you can burn me on the fiery cross. This is the logic: You have the choice of spending fifteen years married to a woman, a black woman or a white woman.
Fifteen years kissing and hugging and sleeping real close on hot nights.
With a black, black woman or a white, white woman. The white woman is Kate Smith. And the black woman is Lena Horne.
So you're not concerned with black or white anymore, are you?
You are concerned with how cute or how pretty.
Then let's really get basic and persecute ugly people!”
~ Lenny Bruce
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
The email box was active with discussion on the ending of the Filling Hell, the first of two books telling the story.
It was exciting for me.
Blog meister responds: My thanks to my friends who took the time to read and respond.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
Yesterday, with my baby back ribs, I enjoyed a large portion of cauliflower with an anchovy and butter sauce. It was delicious.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Thinking Cup outdoor café, Feb 2022
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Short Essay*
Nathan Wei Chen (Born May 5, 1999) is an American figure skater. He is the 2022 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion (2018, 2019, 2021), the 2017 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2017, 2018, 2019), and six-time U.S. national champion (2017–22). At the junior level, Chen is the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, 2013–14 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and 2014 World Junior bronze medalist. Chen also helped the U.S. Olympic team win the bronze medal in the 2018 team event, and the silver medal in the 2022 team event.
Chen is nicknamed "the Quad King" due to his ability to perform quadruple jumps with ease. He is the first skater to have landed five types of quadruple jumps in competition—the toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip, and Lutz—as well as eight quadruple jumps across a single competition (2018 World Championships).
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Monday, February 14, 2022
Welcome to the 1,355th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Immigrants to the United States
Immigrants to the United States take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, September 2010.
Grand Canyon National Park - Naturalization Ceremony Grand Canyon 20100923mq_0555
The Oath of Allegiance. On Thursday, September 23, Grand Canyon National Park in coordination with The Department of Homeland Security, hosted a naturalization ceremony at the Mather Amphitheater on the South Rim. This is the first time in history that Grand Canyon National Park has hosted such an event.. Under blue skies and before a breathtaking view, 23 individuals from 12 different countries including, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zambia, became naturalized citizens. Many family members and close friends of the candidates came to show their support for this special event. Park employees and visitors also watched on as the candidates stated the Oath of Allegiance, and received their certificates of naturalization. . . Deputy Superintendent Palma Wilson welcomed the candidates and their families. The Presentation of Colors was done by the Air Force ROTC Honor Guard of Northern Arizona University. John M. Ramirez, Acting District Director for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) administered the Oath of Allegiance to America's newest citizens. A keynote address was given by USCIS Ombudsman January Contreras. Ms. Contreras stated, “Everyday, we welcome new and diverse stories and heritages into the great patchwork of our Nation. United by our devotion to the Constitution and to the civic engagement it inspires, Americans remain committed to the fundamental principles established over two hundred years ago.”. This event is part of USCIS’s annual celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. An estimated 9,258 candidates will become citizens at 63 special ceremonies held across the country and around the world from Sept. 13-24.. Constitution Day is celebrated on Sept. 17 in remembrance of the signing of the Constitution in 1787. Since 1952, Citizenship Day has been celebrated in conjunction with Constitution Day, although Congress first underscored the significance of United States citizenship in 1940, when Congress designated the third Sunday in May as “I Am an American Day.” NPS Photo by Michael Quinn
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Commentary
Delighted to see the covid positivity rate plummet.
Delighted to see more and more small businesses enforcing the vac card mandates.
Delighted that we are returning to a more sociable us.
Post Covid Fear: Maybe we won’t need masks everywhere, but accept that carrying masks is a very good idea to adopt on a permanent basis. Use one whenever the space you’re in gets crowded. You could easily catch cold and for old timers or other susceptible people, getting any kind of sick is never a good idea.
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Understanding ageing
One of the nice things about getting older is the growth of our love of others. I find myself constantly smiling when I see young couples talking nicely, smiling, laughing, holding hands,
I might have ignored them when I was younger, but now I appreciate what they represent.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
If you live in New York, even if you're Catholic, you're Jewish.
If you live in Butte, Montana, you are going to be goyish even if you are Jewish.”
~ Lennie Bruce
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This from my friend, Tommy D’
Hi Dom,
You might like this story that I read decades ago called "Who will Cover the Fig Tree?"
Blog meister responds: A great story. Every American’s story. See the story below in “Short Essays”.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
Italian holiday dinner parties were ridiculous in the amount of and variety of food we ate.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Grace in a dramatic pose
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Short Essay*
I am sure for most second generation Italian-American children who grew up in the '40s and '50s there was a definite distinction between “us” and “them.” We were Italians. Everybody else, the Irish, the Germans, the Poles - they were Americans. I was well into adulthood before I realized I was an American.
I had been born American and lived here all my life, but Americans were people who ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on mushy white bread.I had no animosity toward them, it's just I thought ours was the better way with our bread man, egg man, vegetable man and chicken man, to name a few of the peddlers who came to our neighborhoods. We knew them, they knew us. Americans went to the A&P.
It amazed me that some friends and classmates on Thanksgiving and Christmas ate only turkey with stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce. We had turkey, too, but first we had antipasto, soup, lasagna, meatballs and salad.
In case someone came in who didn't like turkey, we also had a roast beef. Soon after, we were eating fruit, nuts, pastries and homemade cookies sprinkled with little colored things. This is where you learned to eat a seven-course meal between noon and 4 p.m., how to handle hot chestnuts and put peaches in wine.
Italians live a romance with food. Sundays we would wake up to the smell of garlic and onions frying in olive oil. We always had macaroni and sauce. Sunday would not be Sunday without going to Mass. Of course, you couldn't eat before Mass because you had to fast before receiving Communion. We knew when we got home we'd find meatballs frying, and nothing tasted better than newly cooked meatballs with crisp bread dipped into a pot of hot sauce.
Another difference between “them” and “us” was we had gardens. Not just with flowers, but tomatoes, peppers, basil, lettuce and cucuzza [squash]. Everybody had a grapevine and fig tree. In the fall we drank homemade wine arguing over who made the best. Those gardens thrived because we had something our American friends didn't seem to have: We had grandparents.
It's not that they didn't have grandparents. It's just that they didn't live in the same house or street. We ate with our grandparents, and God forbid we didn't visit them five times a week. I can still remember my grandmother telling us how she came to America when she was young, on the "boat."
I'll never forget the holidays when the relatives would gather at my grandparents’ house, the women in the kitchen, the men in the living room, the kids everywhere. I must have a hundred cousins. My grandfather sat in the middle of it all smoking his DiNobili cigar, so proud of his family and how well they had done.
I remember how my grandparents hated to leave the house for any reason. They would sit on the back porch and watch the garden "grow." When they did leave for some special occasion, they had to return as quickly as possible - after all, "nobody was watching the house."
When my grandparents died, things began to change. Family gatherings were fewer, and something seemed to be missing. Although we did get together, usually at my mother's house, I always had the feeling Nonna and Papa were there. It's understandable things change. We all have families of our own and grandchildren of our own.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Sunday, February 13, 2022
Welcome to the 1,354th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Escada Sport
Escada Sport at Berlin Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013
Cornelia Schuhbauer / www.fashionvictress.com - Own work
Escada Sport Show at Fashion Week Berlin July 2013
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Commentary
Segmented sleep. That’s me. I read an excellent article on sleeping that is very encouraging to me and others like me who face bedtime with trepidation. Here’s the link:
https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/inbox/id/AQMkADAwATY3ZmYAZS04NzViLTRiYTEtMDACLTAwCgBGAAADJKU7u4lbHku5hXg8Ao0NEQcARt5iExbiIk6WoAm2BcVR0AAAAgEMAAAARt5iExbiIk6WoAm2BcVR0AAFD%2F2o2gAAAA%3D%3D
Basically, it encourages people who sleep only a couple or several hours to get up, even in the middle of the night, and work for a bit. Then try to go back to sleep. That’s me. Except that I usually don’t get back to sleep. I tough it through. Wondering if I will take the time to write a sleep diary.
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Reading and Writing
In last phase of editing thoughts of Tory.
Should finish on Sunday.
Then I’ll start on Howard’s thoughts (although he and I are in pretty continuous conversation).
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Understanding Ageing
No amount of exercise is getting me back. My legs are noticeably not what they used to be. The most dramatic symptom is my getting up from a chair. Like I’m typing in the café and in an hour I’ll take a bathroom break. When I stand, I must hold onto the table and pause to allow my leg muscles to get organized. My first steps will be slow and include holding on to something, a banister, chair, table. After a half-dozen steps I’ll be fine. In a year, it’s a good bet that those half-dozen will change to eight. Certainly my body has entered a new phase: muscles must be spoken to politely and not taken for granted.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
In the halls of justice, the only justice is in the halls.
~Lenny Bruce
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Community Photos**
Pork Chops.
Don’t you just love them?
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
I simmered half of a cauliflower. Will make a dressing of lemon, butter, anchovy, parsley, salt and freshly ground pepper. A delicious side dish, and easy.
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Short Essay*
A fashion capital is a city which has major influence on international fashion trends, and in which the design, production and retailing of fashion products, plus events such as fashion weeks, awards and trade fairs all generate significant economic output.
The cities considered the global "Big Four" fashion capitals of the 21st century are London, Milan, New York and Paris.
A fashion capital assumes leadership role in clothing and design. In addition, fashion capitals usually have a broad mix of business, artistic, entertainment, cultural and leisure activities and are internationally recognized for having a unique and strong identity. It has also been noted that the status of a fashion capital has become increasingly linked to a city's domestic and international profile. Fashion capitals are also likely be part of a wider design scene, with design schools, fashion magazines and a local market of affluent consumers.
Since the 16th century, Milan has been regarded as the Fashion Capital of the World. Nowadays, often the term fashion capital is used to describe the cities that hold fashion weeks, most prominently, Milan, London, Paris and New York, to showcase their industry. Also various other cities host notable fashion events and are influential in global fashion.
During the Golden Twenties, Berlin was considered the vanguard fashion capital.
Throughout the 20th century – but particularly after World War II – New York City rose in stature as a fashion capital, challenging the dominance of Paris with a different approach, especially in its development and popularization of sportswear as fashion during the 1940s and '50s.
During the 1950s Italy rose in prominence again.[19] Florence re-emerged as a leading city in fashion, although focus shifted to Milan from the 1970s on as leading design houses moved to the city.
"Swinging London," Carnaby Street, c1966
In the 1980s, Tokyo claimed its place as a fashion capital with a new generation of avant-garde designers, including Issey Miyake or Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons gaining worldwide attention, even if most of the city's newcomers gained prominence after showcasing their clothing in Paris. The fashion was radically different in both its use of textiles and in the way designers cut and draped.
Since then, new fashion hubs have emerged worldwide, and the old order has faced challenges from all corners of the globe, including Africa, Australasia and South America] Since 2007, Berlin has again been highlighted as an increasingly important centre for global fashion trends.
A 2011 issue of Fashion Theory: Journal of Dress, Body and Culture explored the move away from the traditional dominance of five key cities (London, Milan, New York, Paris, Tokyo), with co-editor Lise Skov, suggesting what she described as a "poly-centric" fashion industry developing in the 21st century.
In 2019, the Vienna-based fashion intelligence firm IFDAQ under the leadership of fashion sociologist Prof. Frédéric Godart measured in a scientific approach the importance, influence and impact of cities in the fashion industry with neural networks from a large data lake. The resulting IFDAQ Global Fashion and Luxury Cities Index revealed New York as the leading fashion capital, followed by Paris, Milan and London. A further elaboration of the data in cooperation with the Institution of Engineering and Technology visualized the impact of geopolitical events on the fashion capitals, including Brexit and the US-China trade war.
*The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Community Pictures with Captions are sent in by our followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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