March 21st, 2019
“Dia dhaoibh ar maidin )” “Good Morning !!!” to you all in Irish Gaelic, a language spoken mainly in a wee little island off the coast of Britain.
Thank you for your feedback on Pi Day. I had completely missed it (along with most of my math classes in high school)
We made it through the Ides of March and St Paddy’s Day (probably a coincidence that they are at the same time .. or is it ??). St. Paddy’s has always been a warm silly holiday for me. I wear green, do my best gaelic slanted greetings and cook up corned beef and cabbage. So congratulations on not having Brutus smite you down cruelly and becoming at least an honorary Irishman Or IrishWoman by surviving the dreaded DASPD maladies (Day After St Paddy’s Day)!!!!
An 8 yr old homeless Nigerian boy won the NY State Chess Championship this week. Only in America could that have happened! Oh Yeah..We should be in a big hurry to protect our country from such invaders.
New Zealand, which is on my bucket list, suffered a catastrophic WWAG (wacko with a gun) event that took the lives of over 50 people at two different Mosques in Christchurch. Unlike the US which I believe holds the world’s record on WWAG events, New Zealand’s political leadership is actually taking action to address the gaps in their gun laws that allowed this maniac to obtain the firepower needed to kill and injure their citizens. Also in Utrecht, NL, which we visited on every Amsterdam adventure we had while living in Germany, had their own WWAG event this week. Gun violence is rare in the NL. They allow gun purchases for law enforcement, hunting and target shooting unless you are a felon, addicted to drugs or mentally ill.
I have one more shitty piece of news to share. I am not sure this has gotten the air time it deserves with all the WWAC events. A young male Curvier Beaked Whale washed up in the Philippines. NGO Researchers found 88 pounds of plastic in the young whale’s stomach!!! We have an OBLIGATION to fix the mess we have caused in our planet’s oceans. Humans, your children, grandchildren and their children, cannot survive if our oceans loose their capacity to support life. The global warming and the pollution (not just plastics) that humans cause is creating a perfect storm for oceanic habitat loss. This is not a time for posturing or profiteering. We need leadership to address the real threats to the future of human life on this planet.
This week I learned some stuff:
• Today is WORLD POETRY DAY! Yeeeeaaaaahhhh!!! World Poetry Day serves as a reminder that reading and writing poetry has enriched and inspired the way we live our lives since humans emerged from the primordial goo. All of us read, listen to or write poetry in some form, or at least I hope we do. Life is made richer by the love of a song’s lyrics or the imagery provided by poets new or old. Everyday some one some where is writing the next poem that will move, inspire and enrich their readers even past their life times. Write a poem for someone you love. They won’t expect it and it’s just such a “Gol Darn” loving thing to do.
Website Update:
• Last Week for the new Vocabulary Quiz!!
• Week #2 for UJT Music Trivia Quiz.
• I have added some new tastiness to the site. Early in the week, I added a recipe that is as good for you as it is tasty and colorful – Superfood Red Borsch. I also worked up a couple new Asian dishes. I added a very tasty but less wet version of the Korean noodle dish that has become popular worldwide over the past decade or so. This one is called, “Bacon, Egg and Kimchi Ramen”. I also added a new first time (for me) recipe for a Japanese noodle dish. The Takiudon recipe added this week is completely vegetarian. I think you will like all of these new and very different dishes if you try them.
Writing, Ceramics and Painting Update:
• I learned about colored clays in my cermics class. I am building a little box with the sample clay that they handed out in class. Should be interesting. I also finished a couple of paintings I have been working on and started the “Kiss” painting. I really hope this one comes out. If it does, it might be a nice birthday present for Tippy in May.
• Grandpa Stories is still not re-published.
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
• I went to my “Old Fatboy” Doc this last week and found out that my #$%^& scale was low by 22lbs!!! I was running around feeling all proud and froggy about my weight loss when I actually just whittled a little off the huge ass pile of old guy that I have become. I was really depressed about this. But I sucked it up and bought a new scale which has some really cool features above and beyond being accurate. It measures everything you never wanted to know about your fat old guy body – BMI; Muscle Rate, Body Water, Bone Mass; BMR, and a whole host of others. Oh and right here is a heartbreaker … .Metabolic Age – Based on all the other measurements, this is how old your body is actually like based upon the wear and tear you have done to it .. Mine was 76! Reminds me of the song by Jackson Browne called “Cocaine” from his “Running on Empty” where the doctor at the hospital says, “It says here that you are 27 but thats impossible! You look like you could be 45”. Anyway, I digress. Another feature is that this scale reminds you to weigh yourself every day at the same time. At first, I wanted to turn that off but then I remembered… “Things Measured Tend to Improve”.
Music Update:
This batch is about as eclectic as I get. I hope you enjoy. 🙂
Go to this week’s UJT Radio program.
• Jackson Browne — Cocaine — From the Vinyl!!!! Running all round my brain! I have never been addicted to cocaine but much like almost all of his other songs, Jackson has caught
• J. J. Cale — Magnolia — Just a great song from a great songwriter! It comes from his 1972 release called, “Naturally”. I love his simple sweet guitar phrasing.
• Joe Bonamassa — Blues Deluxe — In 2009, Joe released sed “Live from the Royal Albert Hall” where he got to demonstrate his virtuosity and showmanship. To be honest, until this record came out I had no idea who he was. My friend George turned me on to his music. This is a cover of one of my favorite Jeff Beck songs from his1968 release, “Truth”. Joe’s version is a long song filled with greatness!
• John Lennon – Imagine – The first chords of this wonderful song always bring tears to my eyes. I am never quite sure if it is because its such a beautiful song, or that I miss John’s role in my life. This is a remastered title cut from his 1971 solo release that was donated by Yoko for the Songs for Japan album released in 2011.
• The Everly Brothers — Three-Armed, Poker-Playin’ River Rat — This is from their album “Stories We Could Tell ” released in 1972. Short little ditty reminding us not to take this life too seriously. Always, known for their sweet harmonies, this is the most rocking song they ever played as far as I know.
• John Mayer – Love is a Verb – A thoughtful song from his “Born and Raised” released in 2012. Its all about saying “I Love You” is never going to be enough. You have to show it in your thoughtfulness and consideration. Loving is an action not a given.
• Wild Child — Follow Me — This is a great tune from their “Expectations” release from last year. I really like this record! It reminds me of someone I can no longer recall very well, expect I smile when I try.
That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; And always remember … The best is yet to come!
As always, thank you for being my friend!