Hope is Alive

Happy Saturday morning. And luckily, it’s of no concern that my morning glory will be disrupted by the ‘coffee sniffer’ (see below: a job of yore, especially under the rule of Frederick II of Prussia). Therefore, in between keying The Ramblings, I’ll ease back and enjoy my coffee in peace and quiet.

By the way, I thought you’d like to know that yesterday’s morning temperature here in the ‘Nati was 10-degrees colder than at our little place in Canada.

It’s been a quiet week here in the ‘hood. After a chase, I re-connected with my Optometrist – he moved over to the Cincinnati Eye Institute (CEI) which did all my past eye surgeries. Our reunion was only just a wee bit short of man-hugs. Anyway, it appears that everything about my eyes is hunky-dory and just some low-level pharmacy cheaters required. Yay!

DOGE – President elect Trump has approved the initiation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to be co-chaired by Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy. Their charge? Reduce governmental waste and reduce it dramatically! Along with waste they plan to introduce a major shrinkage of the annual increase of a myriad (tens of thousands of pages) of new rules, orders, laws and restrictions.

Were you aware that at the time of Queen Victoria’s 50th jubilee, when Britain ruled the seas, had an empire where the ‘sun never set’, they ran the whole enterprise on a mere 10% of Britain’s GDP? Currently, our government’s last record was at 34.4 percent of GDP in 2023. Even at that unreal number we’ve grown the national debt exponentially. How much? The national debt grew $2,410,000,000,000 over the last 365 days; that’s an increase of about $6.6 billion a day.

How would you describe this out-of-control debt fiasco? I’d use words such as “obscene”, “frightening”, “criminal”, “crazy”, “unlawful”, sick, or “alarming”.

The 1920s were known at the time as the “Coolidge prosperity”. Now, we look back affectionally at the ‘Coolidge Prosperity’ renamed as the “Roaring Twenties”. Maybe because our 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, cut taxes in half, and then for his second term, did it again. Also, he managed to balance our nation’s budget every year of his Presidency. That feat has never been achieved since.

Can it still be done today when we’re so out of control? Apparently we’re going to give it a try!

Blueprint – During the latter part of the last century we were blessed with the amazing insights, humor, and knowledge of one of our most revered economists and statisticians, a staunch Libertarian, Dr. Milton Friedman (1912 – 2006). Winner of the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the complexity of stabilization policy. Whew, I have no idea what he researched.

Anyway, thirteen years ago he had a discussion with Peter Robinson at the Hoover Institute thinktank. At the close of the interview he, in 4 SHORT minutes, laid out and assessed the viability of 14 government cabinets. He laid out exactly what Elon & Vivek are about to embark on – the Blueprint exists!

Want to watch the whole interview click this link:

Friedman made the selection portion for the DOGE-boys a snap! Now, does it make sense? The reason I am giving a chunk of this morning’s Ramblings to the potential of DOGE?

Vendée Globe – As I aged I had completely forgotten just how difficult and strenuous a sport sailing is. Here is a short of Brit entry, Conrad Colman, doing his thing, gybing in calm waters:

Quote – “Where the heart is not singing there is no melody, there is only the dreadful medley of human self-praise.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Screenshot

Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Yesterday I went and saw the movie; Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin. Bonhoeffer (4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a Lutheran Minister. At his death at age 39 he had written 37 books including his writings during two years of imprisonment. He was put to death at the very end of the German Nazi regime.

He’s celebrated by some churches as a saint and by others as a 20th Century Martyr. The movie runs a fine line between ‘movie’ and ‘documentary’. It’s a powerful film and made me question how I would function under similar circumstances. If you can’t check out the film, then read his “The Cost of Discipleship” it’s a masterpiece.

I realize that this week’s writing has little lightheartedness, but instead it is a more thoughtful and serious Rambling, hence this close:

Does your State or country alert everyone whenever a DUI driver checkpoint is being set up? The location and times? Here is where a nearby checkpoint was located last night. For some levity, fool the police, place an empty Bourbon bottle across the passenger seat.

Wishing everyone a spectacular THANKSGIVING!

Life is AMAZING!

Slán agus beannacht (Irish for: Goodbye and blessings to you all)

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Time does move on doesn’t it? As it does, we see new jobs put into play and it’s the old ones that fade into the fog of history. Here is a list of those jobs, all but one that is (hint: it’s still being plied – to a degree – in my neighborhood):

1) hurrier
2) Uinyo
3) coffee sniffer
4) sluggard waker
5) night soil men
6) shorthand secretary
7) aircraft listener
8) human computer
9) groom of the stool
10) lamp lighter

Clickety—Clack

Happy Saturday morning. Every time I believe that I am traveling at ‘jet’ speed I get knocked back into reality. It’s been less than two weeks since I was in Chattanooga, TN and then with Jason closing the cabin in Canada. Whew!

[working the water line – delivering the new canoe – testing the standby generator – ready for my “walk on the water’]

At about the same time I learned that our newly elected President has nearly completed filling out all the slots in his Cabinet, making a cabin closing seem small potatoes. My hat off to you sir! Since you don’t drink, please share a mug of coffee with me would you.

Friday a week ago Jason and I arrived at our cabin – Northern Comfort. It was 10:45pm and we wanted to quickly unload and climb into our sleeping bags. Minutes later Jason hurried in, “Dad, quick, outside, look”. For once I had the good sense to grab my camera. Great view of the Northern Lights don’t you think?

Two men and their meal – Marcia thinks that when we’re away from home life revolves only with a slab of bread slathered with Peanut Butter. Wrong!

Truth be told, Jason is an incredible expert preparing Tofu. The photo below shows me enjoying an amazing Tofu Ramen w/Onion dish topped with a hefty ladle of Kimchi. A brilliant meal! Yes, it was a wee-bit chilly in case you think it odd me eating while wearing a Toque.

Quote – “Every Time you quit, somebody else gets your prize.” ~ Andrew Tate.

Clickety-Clack – For the election it became clear that winning Pennsylvania would be critical. Team Trump went all out. Team Harris was lukewarm. Add that the current administration’s fully armed Marshall’s Service raided an organic Amish Farm causing an uproar within that community. That and Elon Musk’s PAC funding door-to-door workers proved a winning combination. 80,000 new Amish voters climbed on board (or is it buggies?).

Vendée Globe 2024 – It few short years ago I became mesmerized with a 10-week around the world sailing race – the Vendee Globe. As their site states. it’s “is a single-handed, non-stop, non-assisted round-the-world sailing race that takes place every four years. It is contested on IMOCA monohulls, which are 18 metres long (60 feet). The skippers set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne in Vendée and sail around 45,000 kilometres around the globe, rounding the three legendary capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and finally Cape Horn) before returning to Les Sables d’Olonne, France.”

Years ago a friend and I sailed a day Sailer (Highlander, primarily) and did regional races and once did nationals – all on inland lakes. It’s a great sport. Now, watching these magnificent boats transports me into a world I can only dream about – and dream I do.

The 40 boat race started on November 10th and here is a bit of an intro of the first 5 days of racing. Enjoy!

Filling the acronyms – Our elected President (Trump) has wasted little time filling all the key slots of our acronym riddled government departments. I think that in today’s world he won’t have the standard 100 day introduction period, and he knows it.

He’s ready to create change. His two ’axe’ bearers, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, have already begun to create notice.

However, there is one person who, if successful, will create truly substantive change, now, and well into that of future generations. The position of Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be a Democrat with a beloved family name, Robert Kennedy, Jr.

I’ll close out by letting RFK, JR tell us with the immense power of his own words:

Life is AMAZING!

Slán agus beannacht (Irish for: Goodbye and blessings to you all)

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Every nation has them, slang insults; and British English has a very rich such vocabulary. All of these are British slang insults (all without swearing). Which is the one word that is not one of these expressions

1) nutter
2) numpty
3) daft
4) pofertje
5) plonker
6) bonkers
7) manky
8) scally
9) wazzock
10) chav
11) prat

Finally some sleep – Huh?

 Happy Saturday Friday morning (again). Please take note. Seriously, do take note. I will make every effort to try not to gloat unbearably. Should you have any insights into our collective immediate past I shall try not to gloat too insufferably. I’ll be happy to entertain your thoughts (those on any viewpoint say the last three days or so) – or of the prior four years for that matter.

Quote – “I want to hang a map of the world in my house. Then I’m gonna put pins into all the locations I’ve traveled to, but first I’m gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map, so it won’t fall down.” ~ Mitch Hedberg.

Traveling – has been part of the ‘drill’ since late summer, first it was Kirstin in Austin. Then Dinah rowing in Chattanooga. And today it’s Jason and I traveling to Canada to screw snow covers over the cabin windows. Giving this last bit of labor some thought has me thinking that maybe I’m the one getting screwed.

The way home from Chattanooga was filled with “Sturm und Drang”. It all ended up with Marcia stretched out on the back seat with a pillow. The event became a bit like a version of “Everybody Loves Raymond”. The difference being, as a paraphrased Paul Rudd says, “Everybody Loves Raymond” lasts 22-minutes: our tense version lasted six hours.”

But first some coffee to prep for nine plus hours of driving.

Brilliant – Read anything and you’ll be inundated by a wealth of opinions on the why of ‘winning’ and ‘losing’ at this week’s election – so let me add to this mix.

A few weeks ago, I posted in The Ramblings how the Douglas/Lincoln debates were run: open discussion lasting three hours. I think that we’re quickly coming full circle. The most watched event this election cycle was a couple of long discussions (3-hour) podcast by Joe Rogan. CBS Austin has the podcast being viewed 40-million times. And three hours of conversation cannot be made while relying merely on talking points; the unedited podcast can’t help but show the human side of people.

Unlike Trump and Vance, Harris refused Rogan’s offer to sit down (except possibly for a much shorter version with others in the studio which Rogan nixed). The inability for people to really get to know/understand Harris through such a medium cost her dearly.

Election thoughts – Addressing the events of Tuesday evening, Marcia advising tells me to stay away from politics in this week’s Ramblings. She’s right of course. Even in my own family it’d be difficult to stay with civil discourse were we to discuss.

So here is my solution. It won’t matter how you filled out your ballot. It won’t matter if you chose not to participate in the elections at all; for EVERYONE here is one of the great anthems of the 1980s. This captures, regardless whether it was Love or Despair, all the election – Foreigner; “I Want to Know What Love Is”.

Turn up the volume & however you judge the outcome of the election you’ll find meaning and comfort with this wonderful masterpiece recorded by Foreigner. ENJOY!

And if you can’t do politics at all – when even listening to Foreigner does you harm, then maybe you are someone who just needs a total break from all the ads and blather, etc. If so, read no further. Just sit back and focus on a calming and fun Sudoku puzzle:

Life is AMAZING!

Slán agus beannacht (Irish for: Goodbye and blessings to you all)

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Every organization needs a cadre of surrogates to oversee the organization’s various functions. The White House being no exception. Now, again, it’s President-elect Trump’s turn to pick. From this list of past stalwarts and new faces which two would never be invited to his 2025 cabinet.

1) Ken Paxton

2)  Vivek Ramaswamy

3)    Tulsi Gabbard

4)    Peter Navarro

           5)    John Bolton

          6)    Steve Mnuchin

          7)    Robert Lighthizer

          8)    Elon Musk

        9)     Linda McMahon

       10)     William Barr

       11)     Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Hoochie-Boo

Happy Saturday Friday morning. I know, I know, you’re probably saying something such as “it’s Dirk, yes Dirk of that ilk” messing with us and publishing The Ramblings on Friday.

Chattanooga, TN – Head of the Hooch regatta; “The Head of the Hooch regatta is one of the world’s largest rowing regattas, with more than 2,000 boats and 5,000 rowers competing over two days.”

As my French cousin, Guillaume, would say; “sorry, so sorry”, before beginning any explanation. Truth is, Saturday morning Marcia and I will be in Chattanooga, TN. We’re attending the ‘Head of the Hooch’ regatta. This will be granddaughter Dinah’s last major regatta while still a highschooler. Her next venture in the rowing world will be as a member of the Syracuse University rowing team.

Add to that the fact that Marcia has a love affair with the town of Chattanooga. And I must confess that I too think that it is a neat place.

So now a coffee will be a quick White Castle stop as we head out (along with their egg-on-Rye sandwich) at the highway entrance. This time it’s I-75 for half the trip and then, or so is my plan, to take 2-lane through a series of small towns in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee (can’t get into our hotel till 3pm).

Guy Fawkes Day – Is November 5. Wait a gosh darn minute, isn’t that also Election Day? Not being a conspiracist, but was this date set on purpose? You remember the bit of history dealing with Guy Fawkes?

Guy Fawkes is remembered for the Gunpowder Plot in Britain. That day (also known as Bonfire Night) remembers an event from in the late 1500s when Fawkes and his gang placed a large amount of gunpowder underneath Parliament. Without being totally obvious, the idea was to blow up Parliament. The plot was discovered, Parliament was saved, Fawkes was not saved.

What is it with all this talk of insurrection, mayhem, ‘storm the government ‘Bailey’’ during each first week of November –dating back to 1500s?

Happy Halloween – Last evening it was not the realm of Counts in Transylvania, nor foot-dragging ‘undead’ which shook the little darlings. No, it was the dreams a President biting/eating the little dears which caused sleepless nights.

But on to even more of an incident which occurred over 80 years ago, and which brought people into a ‘tizzy’ (1930s terminology). Listen to a 2 ½ minute opening of the 1938 Mercury Theater show. This I created as a time saver. Want to listen to the whole show that shook the world, click on the YouTube below.

First played 86 years ago as part of the CBS radio series; The Mercury Theatre on the Air presented the War of the Worlds directed and narrated by Orson Welles. This was the Halloween broadcast, first aired October 30, 1938. Overnight it became a moment of panic for millions.

Halloween goodies? I have been strongly advised to not even think of executing on any thought I might have of gifting each costumed little urchin stopping by a copy of Maurice Sendak’s “In the Night Kitchen”.

Having said that, I think that were I to do it, this ‘treasure’ could go down in the annals of North Avondale neighborhood for future generations to discuss. Oh well.

Quote – “I was proud to have served my nation as a sailor on a destroyer. Now I am proud to have served my nation in a Federal Prison for four months.” ~ Steve Bannon at a 10/29.2024 Press conference held at his prison release.

He was sentenced for 4 months for a misdemeanor (magically to coincide during the run-up of the 2024 election): this under a law where he should have been released in mere days assuming any lock up at all. His crime? He refused to attend the prejudicial J6 Committee meeting to divulge what he and then, President Trump, discussed – he was an advisor and strategist to the President and argued that any discussions were private.

Brilliant – Is what I thought of the following solution. I spent some time with Kirstin and the kids in Austin. In part to do some common bits of repair work. Back home I was determined to build on the success of the stuff done in Austin.

Earlier this past summer traveling Holland and Germany with Kirstin I lived out of my favorite suitcase. Since the traveling of my working days, I had settled on a TravelPro Crew5 roller bag as being the best fit. Year after year it served me without fail. However, probably miles of cobblestone and brick streets, railroad and airport halls and stairs, add schlepping through hotel lobbies in quaint old Dutch and German towns, and it finally happened. The wheels on the thing blew apart. And so, my roller bag and I limped back home.

This past week I was determined to attempt a viable fix. First it was a stop at a nearby Goodwill Thrift Store. Success! I snagged a pair of pink and black roller blades for $6.00 (+ evened it up to $7.00 by adding some coins to a charity fund).

That evening, I removed the TravelPro Crew5’s wheels. Removed the two center wheels from one of the roller blades. Put the ‘new’ wheels on the bag, and in less than 30-minutes, voila, good as new!

One minor bit I hadn’t realized. The fancy pink and black roller blades were for kids. Once I had the wheels installed and Marcia looked at me parading around the room pulling the thing, it was the bright sparking wheel lights which created quite an unanticipated ‘mood’ lighting show. She howled with laughter. I can’t wait for my next trip to show it all off.

Wait a minute, this evening I’ll have a whole hotel lobby and hallway to put on a show! Such luck.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Archaeologists have discovered a Maya city beneath the jungle canopy in Campeche, Mexico, according to a study released this week. The ancient site contains more than 6,600 structures, including pyramids and ball courts. It is believed to be one of the largest Maya sites in Latin America (possibly 50,000 people). The discovery team opted to give the site what name?

1) Whynot
2) Placentia
3) Valeriana
4) Fries
5) Canadian
6) Uncertain
7) Popejoy

Code ‘Moo’ on a Double-Bell Euphonium?

Happy Saturday morning. Let me begin by asking you to do yourself a favor. Stop reading! Pour yourself a coffee, put your feet up, and sit back to listen to a sound from 90 years ago – which I recorded live two evenings ago. Enjoy!

“You’re the Cream in My Coffee”

My flight home went smoothly and without interruption. Thanks Adrianne for picking me up at the airport.

Returning from Austin it was off to Spring Grove Cemetery’s Norman Chapel for their October Holiday Concert – The New Liberty Dance Orchestra.

Two glorious hours of period music from between the years 1900 and 1935 – ragtime, hot jazz, and swing music.

Double Bell Euphonium – Between the years of 1880 and 1940 the double-bell euphonium was a ‘hot’ band instrument. After 1940 its use diminished and although made till 1960 the actual use of the smaller bell was done away with. At one point, euphonium soloist Arthur W. Lehman was quoted during a Marine Band concert talking about the second, small, bell, “We use it to hold our white gloves when we are not wearing them”.

Thursday evening, we were treated to the actual sound of much of the music as it was played during the ‘20s and ‘30s including that produced by a 1940 vintage double bell euphonium. And it sounded great!

Austin FC – Last week I mentioned that I’d secured tickets to see Austin’s Major League soccer team. It was a major hit. They loved the whole event – including an Armadillo closeup. Behind the whole game after scoring first, we tied near the end of regulation time. Then won shortly into the added stoppage time: 3 – 2. Here are a few pics. Let me know how, just by the walkers, you can tell the game was in Texas.

Circuit of the Americas – Minutes after my flight climbed out from Austin on my homeward journey I peeked out of the plane’s window. Luck had me look up from my book and right into the Circuit of the Americas – where a day before the U.S Grand Prix Formula One race had been held. Directly below me is where a few hours earlier F1 superstars such as Dutchman Verstappen, Norris and Leclerc raced. Where teams from Ferrari and McLaren powered around that track.

Of course, my camera was stuck in my pocket and held down by the seatbelt. I did get it organized and here is the result – stunning don’t you think?

Code ‘Moo’ – Chick-fil-A is getting into the entertainment business. Mid-month this November it’ll release a family friendly entertainment app. It’s also begun to explore the video world. Before you laugh too much, remember how Netflix started or even Walt Disney for that matter. With all the junk, DEI, and Woke foisted on our kids, I think it a great idea. It appears that each will have a ‘punch-line’ with positive purpose and outcome. Remember, I will stop talking to watch a Shaun the Sheep segment which also uses claymation; and for me that’s something – the ‘talking’ thing that is!

Moody Theater – Austin is a city on the move. Based on the number of construction cranes, the growth is impressive.

Kirstin had booked a tour of the Moody Theater where Austin City Limit’s PBS program is taped. This is what brought us to the city center. We were able to explore every nook and cranny in the place. Lyle Lovett was performing that evening and so we were able to see the complete taping set up including how the special camera effects work. It was a fine and fun time! Thanks Kirstin.

Swan Songs – Musical Last Wishes – is where Kirstin works and where I visited her ‘digs’. Their work is amazing. What I had no idea of was the amount of work each ‘event’ requires to make it happen – timing, approvals, finding the proper artist, and the overall coordination. It’s an amazing organization.

Best quote: from Feeding Curiosity this Fast Fact; “You can hear cauliflower growing.”

The List – of odd-jobs Kirstin had waiting were all addressed and completed. My best was the bathroom sink repair (you’d be hard pressed to find the fix).

The one item that was ‘parked’ (pun) was helping Derek get situated with parralel parking for his driver’s exam.

We placed two cones in an empty parking lot. I proceeded showing him how it was done (Kirstin and Kellen were part of the cheering gallery standing on the side). Anyway, what I assumed was cheering was them yelling. Seems that me demonstrating this fine art had me drive over the rear cone. By then Derek had seen enough and we went to dinner. Don’t think I should try and teach him “how to” park between these cones either. I did see self-driving cars operating in downtown Austin – I think that in a short while this parallel parking thing won’t be an issue.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

A huge television comedy hit late last century was The Golden Girls. Four mature ladies were the cast stars. So here is the question, which of the four was a U.S. Marine in her younger years?

1) Bernice Frankel (Bea Arthur) – playing: Dorothy Zbornak
2) Betty White – playing: Rose Nylund
3) Rue McClanahan –playing: Blanche Devereaux
4) Estelle Getty – playing: Sophia Petrillo”

Dinner with AL?

Happy Saturday morning, and I was wrong, Nespresso coffee is now my after-lunch go-to. Morning coffee is made by using a hardly used French Press — and with McCoffee beans it’s a most excellent way to start the day.

Hello from deep in the heart of Texas.

Wednesday – October 16 – we remembered the 7th anniversary of Vince’s passing. A visit to the cemetery gave pause remembering and reflection on the fragility of life. In place of some flowers, we followed the Jewish tradition by placing a pebble on Vince’s marker. We brought a pebble selected from Kirstin’s back yard and the home Vince insisted they purchase.

New since I visited last, Kirstin found a way to properly display the many medals Vince had earned as part of his Iron Man finishes. They now add color to the main hallway.

Zoom – the twice weekly exercise session I have with my brothers via Zoom did not stop while here. I brought my laptop, Kirstin supplied a remote camera, Yoga mat and weights. Voila, yesterday morning we were in the exercise business. And yes, I did manage a bit of a sweat.

Since the temperature eased up, I did manage to do about 4 miles through the neighborhood. About 2/3 of the way I became aware of a group of Turkey Vultures settling down. Thinking they were sizing me up, it quickly downed on me that I needed to increase my pace. Yes, I made it back in good shape.

ACL at 50 – Thursday evening we watched a live stream of the Austin City Limits (ACL) 50th anniversary. The 1st ACL featured a young Willie Nelson and for the 50th it was a slightly older Willie Nelson. With a glass of Bulleit Bourbon alongside, Kirstin and I had a lovely time watching the show.

I should point out that neither Derek nor Kellen were much into a ‘young’ or ‘old’ Willy and had vacated to their rooms within a minute or two after the program’s opening salvo.

Visiting with Kirstin has other benefits – music. She enjoys a solid variety as do I so these get togethers are lots of fun. We did have a bit of a discussion regarding seeing Lyle Lovett and his Big Band tomorrow (we’re not).

Closed & almost forgotten – The last full-scale Kmart in the continental US is set to close Sunday in Bridgehampton, New York, marking the end of an era for the once-iconic retailer. Remember the “Blue Light Special” — instant discount announcements. Kmart struggled to compete with Walmart, Target, and others including Amazon and Ebay.

Not that the loss of Kmart holds anything special for me, other than that my sailing buddy of years ago had a brother-in-law who held a managerial position with that company. As I’ve witnessed that company (along with Sears) die their slow death, primarily through an ongoing series of missteps, I keep wondering where and how he landed.

Best quote: from the Al Smith Dinner: “the good-natured Celebrity Roast shtick at some Papist Friars’ Club?”. This year President Trump was making his speech while back-slapping Senator Chuck Schumer next to him. Even better was this comment by Mark Steyn regarding Trumps speech: “it was an impressive performance given that Letitia James, New York Attorney-General, was sitting in the row behind. Even Jean Valjean didn’t play Open Mic Night with Javert sitting on the dais.”

The List – of the ‘small’ list of ‘to-dos’ has been whittled down. My favorite was Kirstin’s bathroom ceramic sink which had a small hole in it (known in her household as the ‘nail-polish bottle affair’). The fix now requires a magnifying glass to spot. Add gate straightening, a saggy door adjustment, and a few more minor items and all is now well.

Blink 2024 – is the one event that I hated to miss. Thirty city blocks of immersive light show and art. It started with an opening parade on Thursday, then Friday through Sunday.

Here’s a short news intro of what I’ll be missing:

And here is how it looked on night one:

Last week I mentioned that I dealt with an issue capturing my eTickets for tonight’s MLS soccer game – Austin FC and the Colorado Rapids. Monday morning all was resolved. My tickets are safely posted on my eWallet. Now I best sit down with the lads and explain the fine details of the ‘beautiful’ game.

Marcia advised me not to put them to sleep.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

We all instinctively understand just how difficult and infuriating it is to cancel something, anything. Gym membership, AARP, Syrius/XM Radio, magazine subscription, even diving out from underneath bundles of those never ending unwanted advertisements. Well, the government has come to the rescue. Which agency has sparked the ‘single click to cancel’ rule?

Or as President Reagan so famously said, “I’m from the government and here to help”?

1) “IRS”
2) “HRSP”
3) “FAA”
4) “FTC”
5) “JMD”
6) “OJP”
7) “SAUSA”

Halloween in AI?

Happy Saturday morning, a couple of more days and I’ll have to switch over to a morning Nespresso coffee – in Austin no less. Visiting with Kirstin and the lads. Yes, she has a full schedule of fix-em-do’s (a couple possibly offering a bit more of a challenge – a very small hole in a ceramic sink being one such item). Back to the Nespresso, Kirstin does no coffee, Vince bought this machine and now it sits patiently waiting for my visits. I’ll recommend both the machine and the quality of the coffee. Plus, I’m in love with its ‘whirring’ sound while in production mode.

I should also point out that I’ll try to log a post on The Ramblings next Saturday, but uncertain of my connectivity. We’ll see. First, try to finish up my travel packing – always doable but more difficult than I presumed.

Stoppage – without getting too graphic, earlier this week our toilet stopped up (no photos). A little trick I happened on did wonders. I poured a couple of buckets of very hot, soapy, water into the bowl and quickly only had some suds remaining. Resulting in a clear, and CLEAN passage. You’re welcome, and all this for no charge.

Halloween prep – Here the neighborhoods are already complete with a myriad of seasonal yard decorations; from cute to downright spooky.

I find that the audio more than the visual makes Halloween be Halloween. Then, there was a time – pre television – where radio would fit that bill. In fact, there was a time when families would gather after dinner to listen to a variety of horror episodes. Kids and parents, dimly lit room, often a fireplace already lit, when over a scratchy loudspeaker would come the sounds of a door squeak, a footstep on an empty street, or stillness with a manic laugh in the distance. Enough to make the hair on your neck stand on
end.

This following is a 1951 broadcast of the NBC Mystery Theater. It’s a radio presentation of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Feel free to grab someone’s hand as you surround yourself with Poe’s Halloween gift – pure Horror!

From the Quotation room – Per ABC news (January 2024) after 3 years, more than 460 people are still being held as political prisoners. In the meantime, not one (as in 0) is in prison because of what was revealed at the Epstein trial – equal justice at its finest. A couple of weeks ago I re-introduced Dana Carvey’s SNL character; the Church Lady. Here is how the Church Lady would have reflected on that bit of trivia: “Well, isn’t that special? How con-VEEN-ient!”

The Best and the Worst – We are truly a “tale of two cities”.  One of this towns most beloved (as in can do no wrong) characters was Pete Rose – as in he of Baseball fame.

There is also a sizeable group who are wholeheartedly in sync with him being banned for life from getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Earlier this month Pete Rose, “Charlie Hustle” with 4256 hits, died. Since then, more Rose ‘merch’ and number 14 Jerseys than any other Reds item sold this season.

I came across this delightful old-time editorial page cartoon by Jim Borgman (also draws the Zits cartoon) from the Cincinnati Enquirer and it pretty well sums it all up.

Screenshot

A.I. – Brother Pieter will be minimally active for a few weeks, i.e. no exercise including riding his beloved ‘recumbent’ bike. As is typical in our ‘circle’ of family and friends we must keep on plugging along. Pieter does have his radio show so I suspect that will keep on going. But it’s the next item that had me sit up and take note, it’s is his getting started with A.I. (Artificial Intelligence).

For a time, Pieter has written poetry and performed at “Poetry SLAMS”. He resurfaced one of these poems and began playing with “AI Music Generator”.

Here are the opening lines to his poem: Talk To Me Baby

Talk to me baby
I’m tired of my voice
Talk to me baby
My thoughts have no choice

Eventually he settled on a style produced and ‘sung’ by the the Artificial Intelligence Generator. Have a listen to the voice, the musical style, and the sound and tempo: As the original output text states; “A soulful male voice melody exploring themes of love, desire, and introspection through heartfelt lyrics”.

Created by AI Music Generator

Here you go. Personally, I was blown away with the result:

Now I’ll spend some more time trying to capture my tickets into my mobile wallet. I managed to get 4 seats for next Saturday’s Major Soccer League game in Austin (FC Austin against the Colorado Rapids). I’m taking my gang in Austin to their very first big-league soccer match. Should be loads of fun.

Anyway, I have the seats. These purchased through StubHub. Somewhere during the purchase/download process I ended up (without noticing) being on the Seat Geek app. So now I can see all the purchase detail. But neither site will display the necessary QR codes. Add to that, the venue will only accept entry using a mobile ticket, NO screen capture and NO paper tickets accepted. As you can see, the clock is ticking! Not sweating yet, but I’ll get there.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Ohio is now well into the Presidential voting fray (voting here started October 8). America’s Voting Season is underway (whatever happened to Voting Day?). As an aside, Marcia and I voted at our Board of Elections on the 9th. Here is the Bonus Question: Which one item numbered below  cost Al Gore the Presidential election in 2000?

1) “Reproductive Rights”
2) “A ’Green’ hard line”
3) “The gun vote”
4) “Swift Boat controversy”
5) “A photo op that Tanked”
6) “A misprinted news photo”
7) “Watery ‘Monkey’ business”

Just Wait

Happy Saturday morning, and since I just opened a new bag of beans, this morning’s coffee is wonderfully fresh and tasty.

Last Saturday after posting I made my lunch using some great leftover Blue Oven Bakery salted-wheat -Sourdough bread – “Pain Perdu”. Now, a week later I can still taste it in my mind, almost better than when it was fresh.

Now that it’s formally autumn/fall I thought it wise to explore the correct term for the season. Hence, I went to my quick fount of wisdom – the Readers Digest (large text format). Turns out it’s all correct. Way back it was ‘Harvest Time’ in Britain. By 1300-something a new term, ‘autumn’, came into use. Eventually in the Americas it became the ‘fall-of-the-leaves’ season which quickly was shortened to ‘fall’. Whew, don’t you just feel much wiser now?

This paragraph I Posted a Year Ago (Oct. 6, 2023)

Fat Bear Week – As a precursor to next month’s elections, your vote is important for this event. Katmai National Park, Alaska’s Fat Bear Week is a celebration where anyone can vote. Vote? Yup, vote for the fattest brown Bear – the one who’ll emerge from its winter slumber as the ‘king of the hill” (or woods). Have fun! fatbearweek.org!”

Now a piece of shocking news from Katmai National Park in Alaska. It appears that two of this year’s competing ‘fat’ bears got into a bit of a kerfuffle. Well, it was more than a “kerfuffle”, it was a beat-down (i.e. biting and thrashing), and as CBS News reported; “a clash between a male bear, referred to as 469 and “Patches,” and an older female bear, referred to as 402, by the Brooks River in Katma. The fight led to one of the bears (#402) dying.”

Bottom line, all this had the 2024 Fat Bear Week brackets being delayed. So, via The Washington Post, the Fat Bear Week bracket has voting for Fat Bear Week 2024 running through Oct. 8. Click here to vote.

Zzzzzzz Tedious ‘Fire’ cliché in a burning room – is what this past week’s ‘debate?’ devolved into. You just know that desperation set in when a panicky contestant for the VP slot calls himself a “knucklehead”.

First, none of these ‘debates’ have anything in common with a debate other than the name. Rather than a formal discussion we’re ‘treated’ to a series of statements and stump refined bits. These then monitored and where desired cut short due to some unspecified need to move on. Boring!

From history  (National Park Services) comes the real thing; “Lincoln (Republican) and Douglas (Democrat) agreed to debate in seven of the nine Illinois Congressional Districts; the seven where Douglas had not already spoken. In each debate either Douglas or Lincoln would open with an hour address. The other would then speak for an hour and a half. The first then had 30 minutes of rebuttal. In the seven debates, Douglas, as the incumbent, was allowed to go first four times.”

In this week’s ‘debate’ there was a clear winner (hint; it wasn’t the self-declared ‘knucklehead”). What was interesting were some people whose career had been in interrogation and their insights.

Quotation – “I’m not upset at Trudeau. It’s the Canadian people who have trusted government, for some unknown reason, for far too long. Started with the carrot of universal (substandard for all) healthcare, and got worse from there ”, David McP on X (@uudavidx); answering an asked question; name a famous Canadian who openly came out against Trudeau.

In our own country, this week we saw how a dysfunctional government functions when a major disaster crops up. In fact, this week Secretary Mayorkas publicly stated that FEMA was out of money even as citizens with helicopters were shooed away under threat of arrest. What?

Considering all of this, take a close look at the picture inserted below as we see how our dependency on government has crept in over the years:

What, me worry? – So here we are, and not at all like the famous Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman character we can’t help but be impacted; bombarded, literally in the Middle East, but all over. Storms where we watch how a non-functional government behaves under pressure. Soaring prices on about everything. And we all could go on an on. Now we’re being told about billions trillion living things miles under the earth’s crust.

I guess we have two choices. One is to lose sleep over it all. The other is to look at it all with wonder, fascination, and awe. I choose the latter.

Now the long wait has begun. Last evening I renewed my passport online. Easy enough and it’ll ONLY take 4 to 6 weeks to process. Paid via credit card.

Instead of a plain, Thank You, I am now in some wait queue. Here is what I mean, I received a subsequent email; “we will send you a confirmation email when your payment has been successfully processed.” Wait a minute, all this processing is automated. Amazon advises me instantly whether things are good or whether there is a problem.

Update, there is no ‘subsequent’ email as of this writing. As I said, the wait has begun. Should I advise that at my age queue line waits do become a slight bit of a concern?

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

This week’s B.P. is for the ladies (and some men). Often, the Romance Novel genre of softcover books displayed a suggestive cover and for years the male model for these covers was an Italian model who went by the name of ‘Fabio’. Which one of these corporations (by advertising tag lines i.e. “Just Do It” is Nike) did he represent?

1) “Just Do It”
2) “It’s finger-lickin’ good”
3) “Think Different”
4) “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!”
5) “The Best a Man Can Get”
6) “Betcha can’t eat just one”
7) “I’m Lovin’ It”
8) “Think Outside the Bun”
9) “What’s in your wallet?”
10) “The Quicker Picker Upper”
11) “All for Freedom. Freedom for All”

A Snapshot

Happy Saturday morning, and since I just opened a new bag of beans, this morning’s coffee is wonderfully fresh and tasty.

Helene-the-Hag Hurricane rode her broom straight north from Florida and since yesterday has pummeled us with rain and wind. But not near as nastily as was predicted. It’s now reset as Helene-the-Hag Tropical Storm.

This week Marcia and I remembered that our anniversary was sneaking on up. Typically, I probably would have remembered the event in a week or two – she was much more on top of her game. A  fun challenge; her picture has our Anniversary year in code.

It was Marcia’s choice as to where to have dinner out. I could have called ahead for reservation by guessing where she’d want to go – and be correct – Gordo’s Pub & Grill, in nearby Norwood. As always, we were NOT disappointed!

Oktoberfest – Last week I bored you with some of the details of our Oktoberfest Zincinnati. I went and thoroughly enjoyed myself, people, music, food, sights – it was all great. And yes, I skipped the Chicken Dance as well as the Running of the Weiners (dog race).

In the food department I had a couple of items Marcia refuses to allow into our abode. Out of the 100+ or so various vendor stands and trucks I pre-selected two. I had an amazing Limburger Cheese on Rye (with some thin-sliced raw onion). Too good to describe.

Earlier in the summer, while in Germany, I got introduced to Curry Wurst. Would you believe it? Right here in River City at our Oktoberfest! Yup, at Mick Noll’s Covington Haus they had a Curry Wurst – as good as it was in the old country. Perfection! So good in fact, that I skipped their famous Goetta Balls for the Curry Wurst.

I ended up eating my wurst at the Weihenstephan Beer Garden – claims to be the world’s oldest Bavarian brewer – 1060. (MLX for any Romans who first helped open up the brewery). Prost!

Quotation – “’Security’ is the new shut up”, Laura Rosen Cohen; Uppity Jew. Mom, special needs parent. Writer.

Rally key tossed – Our Secret Service is beginning to look worse and worse. Even more so when it comes to protecting our former President. Remember reading that people were yelling about a guy on the roof at the Butler, PA rally and even though walkie-talkies stayed neatly wrapped up on a desk, the Secret Service managed to hold fast to the old axiom; “when seconds count the police are minutes away.”

But it’s a new day. Trump’s team arranged to hold an outdoor rally in the swing state of Wisconsin. Now here’s a new twist. The Trump team was informed late in the planning that the rally could not be held there because (hold on, are you ready for this) the Secret Service would not have enough manpower to secure the event. A bunch of unelected bureaucrats now control whether or not a candidate can hold a rally a month out of an election.

As the Saturday Night Live Church Lady (Dana Carvey) would say, in ‘her’ nasally catchphrase; “Well, isn’t that special? How con-VEEN-ient!”.

I suspect that with all the shenanigans we’re witnessing, we’re well underway towards a one-party state.

We can’t have disinformation now can we? Redux – How about if it isn’t disinformation when we hear about the problems in Springfield, Ohio? All the garbage spewed on national ‘news’ is not disinformation? How about 4-pages of mumbo-jumbo written by our, Republican, Governor Mike DeWine? A letter rubbing soft salve (lauding) on the 20,000 Haitians and yet where there is not a single mention on the subsequent difficulties experienced by the citizens of Springfield as their lives have been put into turmoil; that isn’t also ‘disinformation’? (And yes, I’ve already made my feelings known to our Governor.)

Here is a short video of this week’s Springfield Council meeting and shows what the citizens of that town experience, see, and deal with — unfiltered or skewed by media moguls.

Best Poll ever – Here in town, Busken Bakery’s cookie poll has been accurate about every Presidential election except one since 1984. Each Presidential election they bake cookies and this year “Donald Trump’s presidential win is baked in” (New York Post). It’s the least scientific, most accurate poll in the nation.

Trump cookies 54 percent of the time (2,953 cookies) compared to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 39 percent (2,134 cookies). The Independent candidate got 7% (397 cookies). The Poll remains open till November 5. “We like to joke and say [customers] can stuff the ballot box,” bakery president and CEO Dan Busken told The Post.

A quick factoid – Busken’s was Tevita’s first employer when he arrived in the ‘Nati.

A Snapshot – A site such as The Ramblings relies a fair bit on the visual, image and video (plus some sound tossed in for luck). Hence the end to this week’s effort on a ‘light’ and picturesque note. Enjoy!

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Here is this week’s ‘learn a little Dutch’ event. The typical Dutch home will place a ‘verjaardagskalendar’ most often where? All are possibilities, but only one answer would be correct more than 90% of the time. PS. We have one, but we’re in that odd, other 10%, group.

1) “Keuken”
2) “slaapkamer””
3) “gang”
4) “zolder”
5) “WC”
6) “badkamer”
7) “voordeur”
8) “bibliotheek”

A Full Page

Happy Saturday morning, hey, now here with you and a great morning coffee. It was just yesterday that I read that the guy who shot up cars on I-75 near London Kentucky was found. How do you ask? It was because people spotted Turkey Vultures circling over a specific wooded area off the road. And yes, when they checked, they did find a body.

I mention this because last Saturday I participated in the Raptor 5K in Milford (did fine thank you), but to mention that this year’s theme bird was (guess anyone?) the TURKEY VULTURE!

Since I seem to be dealing with birds, this weekend it’s Octoberfest Zincinnati. It’s the second oldest Octoberfest next to the one in (“Home of the Monks”) München, Germany our ‘sister-city’. However, our annual Chicken Dance will beat out all others (size-wise).

Wanna learn how to do it? The video below has the University of Cincinnati dance team show you how. (Seniors, watch the gals on the wall for a ‘more leisurely paced’ rendition).

News Dies – and in almost every case it does so very quickly. Think of some major event and reflect on just how long it’s been since you either saw or read coverage of it? Today’s most favorite person to disappear quickly from a front page (unless it’s of benefit to push an agenda) is former President Trump. Just how much time did it take before the assassination attempt on his life disappeared – totally.

A guy by the name of Jon Kahn also took note, so he wrote a song; “Fighter”. Apparently, he wrote well. Forbes mentioned that it’s playing at the TOP of the iTunes chart. Enjoy!

With my own eyes – I’ve come to grips with the fact that things have changed over the last four years. Four decades ago we got slammed between the eyes with a similar situation. The year was 1980. Another election year. The contestants were the Republican challenger and the Democrat incumbent. Contesting Jimmy Carter’s record as his final ‘home run’, Ronald Reagan asked: “Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago?”

Well, I keep hearing that we’re in that same boat. Problem being, except for gasoline, I really hadn’t noticed it all that much. Thursday that all changed!

Marcia and I, every couple of evenings, will enjoy as an evening snack and treat ourselves with a couple of Mini Cream Puffs from Aldi’s. We bought some and I brought all the stuff in and helped Marcia put it away. That’s when I noticed just how much the ‘identically alike’ the ‘new’ container had shrunk. Reading the fine print, the almost similar (same old price) container had dropped from 22oz to 17.64oz. It lends credence to this being another “Thank You Joe” moment.

Whole Milk and real Cheese – hallelujah! Beginning my teen years I’ve been made to feel guilty drinking whole milk (chocolate was even worse) and by avoiding the yellow bricked-shaped stuff melted on burgers and the like by pretending it was ‘cheese’. See all that REAL stuff was wrong since it was loaded with the ‘bad’ fat.

But it’s good to always question and so and set out on my own path. I’ve enjoyed REAL whipped cream. Raved over aged , whole and or raw milk, cheese which has always topped my list of the very best. Later on, I refused the killer mRNA or AstraZeneca Covid jab, and tried to avoid the craziness of walking around with a face diaper breathing my own stuff, and so it goes.

Now finally (according to) an article in the Sept. 6 Barron’s with the headline: Doctors and Health Experts Are Changing Their Minds About Whole Milk and Cheese. And the line that warmed my heart; “Consuming full-fat milk products could help stave off diseases seniors are more prone to, including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.”

We can’t have disinformation now can we? –

How about if it isn’t disinformation, what if it’s just good old SARCASM? Just don’t tell the California Governor since he’s been busily signing new a law; that’ll put a ‘quick’ halt to that sort of stuff.

Sarcastic Quotation – “I’m not saying I hate you, what I am saying is that you are literally the Monday reader of my Saturday blog.” – Unknown

This morning the front of our condo building will have a more open appearance. Yesterday one of the two large front trees which had died was removed. A Latin work crew, amazingly efficient and superb cleanup. Thanks B&G Tree Service.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Thomas Jefferson was probably one our most learned and ‘bookish’ Presidents. But he valued physical health probably more. What was his favorite physical pastime?

1) “had a pool installed”
2) “played; “bull-in-the-ring””
3) “Boxed”
4) “rode a mechanical horse”
5) “rode horseback”
6) “held a vigorous 2-mile walk every morning at 5am”
7) “popularized golf”