May 17th, 2025
“ Dobroho ranku”, or “Good Morning!” in Ukrainian, is an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. The UJT will remain focused on Ukraine until we can all rejoice at the end of hostilities. It has been 2,104 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.
This week, I learned some stuff:
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- I have learned that crappy sight, combine with a crappy memory adds up to crappy execution o I duly print out the recipe. But reading with the magnifier is tedious. So mostly I read some of it skim the rest and depend on my crappy memory to fill in the blanks when I’m cooking the dish. Let’s just say the results are less than perfect. So Tippy got a less than perfect orange dreamsickle cheesecake for Mother’s Day. It was tasty, but it’s not as pretty as the picture on the recipe.
- With Jess’s help, I was able to attend two protest this week. We had a little shade for the first one, but the second one is brutal in the bright sun. I still yet to make my own sign, but I get better ideas each day so maybe waiting is a good idea. I also sent emails and voicemails and even talk to a human at one of my congressman’s office and both my senators. We all need to let them know what we want them to do or they’ll probably do it wrong. I wanna take this out.
- We celebrated mother’s Day this week. After we had our traditional eggs, Benedict and before dinner, I spent some time thinking about my mom and our times together. Some of the happiest times of my life was when it was just my mother, my brother and I against the world. Pat and I would scavenge the cemetery near our house to build just the prettiest bouquets for our mom Mother’s Day warnings. We go home and cook breakfast and serve it to her in bed. We got three channels on our black-and-white TV that was in the living room, but mom make sure we had time to read as well. I actually got caught with a flashlight underneath my sheet reading after bedtime life for my mom down raising two kids, totally on her own and trying to make sense of her lonely life just took a toll after a while, but she was loved as we were.
- I’m working on my third straight week of regular aerobics on the elliptical but this week I started adding strength training. Not much weight, but going through the motions getting the machines down and getting my body ready for more weight. I’m taking it very slow so I don’t injure myself. Keep your fingers crossed.
- You can find out all about today’s history here.
This week’s Website Update:
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- I have two new recipes for you to try – Lemon Pepper Chicken and teriyaki pork roast. The chicken was about as good as you can get for breast meat. I’m a thigh guy. But the roasted pork loin was perhaps the best I’ve ever had. I hope you like it
- The Home Page quote this week is from Kahlil Gibran: “Mother: the most beautiful word on the lips of mankind.g”.
Bonsai Tree and Stained Glass, Update:
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- I appear to be perfecting the art of Procrastination
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
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- Out on the picket line, I had time to think about our situation some more. Once again, I am so impressed with such greatness by show by our flawed forefathers. They anticipated that the executive branch might be broken someday so they empowered the legislature and the courts to correct executive actions that are not in the citizens’ best interests. They could not have.anticipate all the money in our politics lilly. So the legislature and courts that we have are biased in Waze that could not have been for seen by the forefathers. The only safeguard they placed at the individual level are the oath of office that all members of the legislature and the courts, swear to. Let’s hope it’s enough.
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
After last week’s dedication to Jimmy Buffett, we’ll mix it up a bit. This week we will begin our journey through the letter, “J”. I realized that many of my favorite musicians have names that begin with J. I hope you enjoy this trip.
- John Cougar Mellencamp — Crumblin’ Down — I don’t think any of us saw what a huge impact this guy would have. He kind of took over the commercial airways for quite a while. This one is 1983 release from the album. “Uh-Huh”.
- John Denver — Rocky Mountain High. — Over the years I’ve mentioned my concept of “anthem” songs. These songs are the ones that took over our consciousness and held onto it. This song was one of my anthem songs. I always love to see by John Denver taught me to love the mountains. I didn’t know till just now that it was a co-written by another fellow I kinda like, James Taylor. This song is the title cut for the album. John released in 1972.
- John Denver — Season Suite: Late Winter, Early Spring (When Everybody Goes to Mexico) — I was surprised how much I loved the instrumental cuts on Rocky Mountain High.Going back over it now I understand why they impressed me so much James Taylor’s all over this album and James Taylor is a serious acoustic guitar player. The Season Suite songs we’re a collaboration between James John and a fellow by the name of& Dick Kniss.
- John Lennon — Imagine — I’m not sure if there’s anyone on the planet that would dispute the “anthem” nature of this song. One of the best episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati featured this song if you’ve never seen it google it I think you’ll enjoy it. John released this song, a collaboration between John Yoko and Phil Spector in 1971. I feel a little smarter every time I listen to it.
- John Lennon — Mind Games —We’ll never know how much more amazing music would’ve come had the Beatles stayed together. But we do know how much amazing music came from them being apart. This song was the title cut from his 1973 release.
- John Mayer — Why Georgia — This is this song they made me fall in love with John Mayer and his amazing talent. First time I heard it I was driving south on I-5 heading towards Seattle. This song came on the radio, and I got off of the next exit and but his 2001 release, “Room For Squares”. In every year, he just gets better and better.
- John Mayer— Heartbreak Warfare — By 2009, John’s almost instantaneous celebrity. We’re starting to grind him down. He’d been in and out of a lot of relationships and I think he learned he wasn’t near as cool as he thought he was. But it hurt a lot. They’re good news. A really great album came out out of his misery. By the time he left New York City and released his “Battle Studies” album. John was grown up. He was on the way to a happier place-living out west and playing gigs with The Dead.
- John Prine — Paradise — Think it was 1972. I was in the Navy alone and drinking cheap beer and a little bar on Colley Avenue in Norfolk Virginia called The Red Mule. I don’t think they have bars like the mule anymore. The beer is cheap and they’d have acoustic guys come in and play one night. One of those players played this cover by John Brian and it was all over for me. I had to find out more. This comes from his self titled album released in 1971.
- John Prine — Illegal Smile — I’m pretty sure that this is the most commercially successful cut off the first album. It seemed to resonate with me in a couple of billion other little hippies running around trying to find out who we were. Seems like John knew who we were. We lost John far too early and he’s missed.
That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; Always remember… The best is yet to come! As always, thank you for being my friend!