December 28th, 2024
“ Dobroho ranku”, or “Good Morning!” in Ukrainian, is an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. I have decided that the UJT will remain focused on Ukraine until we can all rejoice at the end of hostilities. It has been 1,054 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.
This week I learned some stuff:
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- I hope your holidays are the best ever! We all got together to pen presents and share a wonderful meal. We dressed the dog and cats in their Christmas seaters. They enjoy that – NOT!!!
- I used a different method for cooking our Rib Roast this year. I seasoned it and allowed it to dry out overnight in the fridge. Come to room temp before placing it in the 500-degree oven for 30 minutes/lbs, Then I shut off the oven and kept it closed for two more hours. The roast was perfectly cooked!! It tasted great! I also tried a new nondairy horseradish sauce that turned out very tasty (see website update).
- I enjoyed watching some new Christmas movies this year. My daughter, my wife, and I watched, “Daddy’s Home 2. We fond it hilarious! We also watched both The Christmas Story movies (1946 and all grown-up versions). We laughed a lot. There was also a lot of nostalgia about past Christmases. Oh! And I don’t care what Bruce Willis says, “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie!
- You can find out all about today in history here.
This week’s Website Update: I
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- I have added a new recipe for Non-dairy Horseradish sauce this week.
- This week, the Home Page is from Bob Ross: “We don’t make mistakes, we have happy accidents”
Bonsai Tree and Stained Glass, Update:
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- The adventure continues but I took a few days off for Christmas.
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
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- Hamburgers! I love them and always have. Growing up I was a Whopper guy(have it your way, Extra Mayo and Pickles Please!). My grandma made the best burgers at home! She had a special burger pan. She could only cook 1 burger at a time but they were always just perfect. Last year if you would have asked me, I would have said the best burger I ever had was at the Bar in St. Barts that inspired Jimmy Buffet to write, “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. But this year, I learned how to make “Smash Burgers” and fell in love. They are easy to cook, hard to mess up, and taste like “heaven with an onion slice..” Everyone who has tried them has loved them. You can tell if people like the burger, it gets quiet as they all tuck in and fall in love. My quest for my next best burger continues but it is going to be hard to top the ones have enjoyed already!
Music Update:
This week, I am returning to the Top 50 List for the last time . I have enjoyed our stroll through the list but it is time to move on.
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
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- Steely Dan — Monkey in Your Soul — From the Vinyl!!!! “Pretzel Logic”, one of Steely Dan’s most memorable albums, was released about the same time I was exiting the Navy for the first time in 1974. Destined not to be a hit or even a single, this song caught my ear for its pure musicianship. Trivia points? What is this band named after ? Answer: British slang for dildo.
- The Allman Brothers Band —Melissa — Legend has it that Greg wrote this before the band hit it big and they were all crashing in this apt in Atlanta, I think. Anyway, Greg had worked up this song and just about finished but was struggling with the title and words for the chorus. He called it a night and went down to the Mom and Pop store on the corner to get some cigarettes, the lady who checked him out was named “Melissa.” Like magic, it all just slipped into place and a wonderful song was finished. This one comes from their “Eat a Peach” album released in 1972.
- James Taylor — Mudslide Slim and the Blue Horizon — I love just about everything I have heard James play but this one has a special place in my heart. I think it was the very first cassette I bought at the Navy Exchange about a month after reporting aboard the Vogie. It was 1971 and Jams and I were both going through a tough time.
- Bruce Springsteen — For You — I don’t believe albums like “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” have deep cuts but this one was completely unsung when Bruce hit it big. I think it is one of the best love songs ever. Released in 1973, this record changed everything.
- Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band — Still the Same — Bon and the Boys got me addicted to their sound very early on. They kind of reminded me of a reincarnation of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, but different. This one is a cut from their q978 release, “What Can I Say”.
- Spirit — Nature’s Way — This song was way ahead of its time. The same way Joni Mitchel was with “Big Yellow Taxi”. This is from their self-named debut album released in 1968.
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!