New Year Open Thread
Happy hangover. What was the plate number of that truck that ran us over last Night? Oh, now I remember. 2018-BYE. Must have been that old bottle of Brut. Whew... hope the drummers in the parades have cushions on their sticks today. Not harsh. Have y'all any New Year's Evolutions to share? Replacing regrets with an action plan, or perhaps just easing-in slowly?
“To Make Much of Time (Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May)” by Tim Klein via Colossal
Welcome to a brand new calendar. Watching the pages march by like a Rose Bowl parade. Here we have the freebies given away at the bank and pharmacy. Norman Rockwell's and generic landscapes. Usually the months have some sort of seasonal theme. The pictures aren't avant-garde, but as the weeks fly by and the pages turn rapidly, no one image sticks very long in memory. Sometimes it is difficult to keep up. Half-way thru the month it occurs a new page needs turning, sometimes two.
Any predictions? A lot of things we'd like to see happen during the upcoming year, for sure. But wishes are like fishes without an ocean of change to swim thru.
Move On Patrick O'Hearn
Time Pink Floyd
This is an Open Thread so come on into the kitchen and lets get cooking!
Comments
All my question marks are marching in ...
and I hope some of them get saintly answers.
Happy New Years, QMS.
https://www.euronews.com/live
As government shutdown continues, human waste...
When I was living in Yosemite if the U.S. government shut down only residents and employees were allowed to enter the park. This link to a story in the LA times illustrates why One of the rangers explained to me that when the park is "closed" residents are allowed to live there but not use the park for recreation. In other words don't hike on those empty trails. (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)
Good morning and happy new year, QMS and everyone!
Hoping everyone has a peaceful and fulfilling 2019.
In numerology, I am in my 9-year of completion. These past eight years have been a wild ride, so I hope to end it on an upbeat note and just look toward 2020 as a new beginning!
Have a beautiful day, folks!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Thanks RA
You have a good one too!
question everything
What's cookin'?
We shelled peas this weekend and cooked a big pot... along with a pot collards and baked sweet potatoes. Still have to bake the cornbread. Having a couple of friends over for the homegrown meal today.
Perhaps this time next year our vision will have cleared (you know 2020). In the meantime it is onward through the fog.
Best wishes to all!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Doing up a pot of beans
Turkey stock and cheese biscuits. Enjoy those collards for us. Good luck in the coming days, weeks and months!
question everything
Great song, thanks!
[video:https://youtu.be/jRMzVMe18cA]
Good ole boogie
That's what I'm talkin' bout!
Was fortunate to meet Mr. Hooker once, a long time ago.
Thanks Janis b
question everything
That's a great aim Lookout, for the new year ...
2020 vision, however one can achieve it! Thanks for the vision.
So kicked back and watched one of my favorite movies...
Last night because of fucking fireworks. Just got REALLY high, and enjoyed it and random cartoons until I was tired enough to sleep with earplugs.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INSr9WhobqI]
So, why do I love it so much? Well Harryhausen's effects of course, but the story actually makes some REALLY good points about dogma and power. Specifically how everybody loves Gulliver, until he points out things that will actually make change for the better.
I think that America is far beyond that point. Now it's just a matter of making sure you open your egg on the correct end, keep your experimental records quiet, and whatever you do, don't let the PTB tell you how to think.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Sounds fun!
Chuckling our way into the new. Good luck!
question everything
Happy New Year
Happy New Year and send-off dinner today. Hope you all have a great start to a great year.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Happy New Year dkmich!
As German's say ... Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!
Happy New Year!
I returned from Columbia at midnight. On the 45 minute drive from the airport to home, the fog was so dense, you could not see beyond 10 feet ahead. Well, 10 ft. was enough for my brother to hit the brakes, avoid ramming into a 4 car pile up on the freeway. Both the police and wreckers were shining spotlights to find the wrecked vehicles. Headlights were almost useless.
I am starting my year with a pot of Columbian coffee. My goodness, it is delicious!
The politics of the 26 passengers was Democratic talking points. Almost all my prior tour groups have been right wingers. Nevertheless, I am happy to get away from corporate Dems, back to my clear thinking blog pals, so I hope this new year sparks widespread "woke" and action.
Cheers!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Lucky your brother
has quick reflexes. Enjoy that fine Columbian java. Awakens the senses.
question everything
I don't know how he did it.
He even swerved to the shoulder with reflexive driving skill. Once on the shoulder, we couldn't see if it was ok to get on a parallel side road, or if we would be heading into a ditch.
I treated him to a big Arby's roast beef sandwich while we pondered that last 20 miles through the national forest with deer and hogs in the road.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
A potential feast in the forest
venison and poke chops on the grille.
question everything
Horrors on the Highway
Your story definitely merits on the YIKES meter, but I'm going to see your fog and ante up with a version of my own.
New Year's Eve 1999 driving from Orlando to Sarasota after spending the day at Disneyworld. Not sure if it is Florida in general, or New Year's Eve specially, but there was a point during that 2 hour drive where I seriously doubted I'd reach Sarasota alive. Drivers passed out on the road with their lights out required not only excellent reflexes but incredibly good luck that no one else was in the lane we had to immediately swerve into. It was like being caught in the middle of a ghoulish kind of obstacle course I was praying we would survive from. My stomach in knots and my knees already shaking, that paled in comparison to the terror we experienced when a driver driving on the wrong side of the highway headed our way.
I can never listen to Prince's "Let's Party like it's 1999" again without remembering that traumatic road trip.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
The first reaction from my brother
(after the expletive deleteds) was that if anybody in any of those wrecked cars had been drinking, they were headed to jail.
Every passenger car/truck drove with their emergency blinkers on except the professional in the 18-wheeler that we almost hit. He was just stopped in the lane, giving no thought to cars driving up on his rear.
There was a tremendous police presence on the roads.
I almost booked an extra night to arrive Jan. 1.
What is wrong with people? Hope Floridians have become more self-disciplined about the whole New Year drunken party. Your trip does top mine on the harrowing barometer!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Utah lowered the limit for DUI to .05
,
that went into effect at midnight. Cops were everywhere and they arrested 8 people whose BA was well above .08. Haven't heard yet if there were any accidents from it last night, but we have had some very hideous accidents recently. People get on the freeway driving the wrong direction. I'd think seeing headlights coming at you would be a clue that something is wrong.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
While I am completely unconvinced .05
ABC (alcohol blood content)is indicative of impairment, it may keep smart asses off the road.
Drink at home or in your hotel. Have a designated driver. It isn't that hard.
I can't count how many Driving While Intoxicated cases I have defended in the last 32 years. And I can't count how many wrecked their car or motorcycle prior to arrest. But I can count manslaughter/DWI.
None.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I'm hoping that this will indeed get people to think
the consequences of getting a DUI after just a few drinks. But it's not people who are slightly sloshed that cause the wrecks. Above 1.5 will see the victims being really injured or killed while the one who is drunk walks away with slight injuries. Just this week a girl was hit and she broke both legs, one arm, her collar bone and a few other broken bones while the guy that hit her car had nothing. This was created after a congress critter saw a report on buzzed driving even though people weren't legally drunk.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
ABC is a science.
Men metabolize booze quicker than women, big people differently from little people, constant drinkers from that one time party drinker, and, of course, age figures into the science as well.
The current legal measure is completely arbitrary.
The person drinking 3 drinks and speeding will spend a night in jail, then $10,000 more or less, and lose their job/license/certificate for speeding with requisite ABC. It is not so much the first law you obviously broke, speeding, as it is that second one, drinking.
There is a European country, perhaps Norway, maybe France, I can't recall,that strips your driving privileges if you have any measureable alcohol in your system upon traffic citation.
I think that takes out the questions about metabolism, about age, etc, and makes it completely across the board. Very democratic.
As an intern with the premier DWI attorney in the US in the early '80's, I would rather spend my time elsewhere.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
You'd think, wouldn't you?
.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Holiday "Cheer"
And they deserve it. One of the main reasons I don't go out on New Years Eve anymore is because of the drinking. Yes, I know that people do drink during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but that doesn't seem to be the raison d'état of those respective holiday, whereas NYE seems to frequently descend into who can get the drunkest. And let's face it, not nearly enough people plan for that with designated drivers or Uber rides home.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Colunbian coffee...
yuuummmmy!
Glad you got home safe, I give your brother a big "atta-boy"!
Happy New Year otc!
I notice I have a huge bruise
on the top of my right hand that must have slammed into the dash or window. Brother drove like Mario Andretti!
Never again will I come from the airport at night on Jan. 31st. I will just stay an extra day, even thought about doing that on this trip, but I felt uncomfortable being alone and staying behind in Columbia in particular.
Columbia is dangerous, can't spin it otherwise. Go with a tour company, stay with your group.
The coffee is ranked 3rd best in the world, behind Jamaica Blue Mountain and Brazilian coffee. The coffee I had in Brazil was not as good (to me) as what I brought home from Columbia. Great way to begin 2019! Bruise, coffee, all good!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good that you travelled home with medicine
and made it in one piece, lucky you and your brother are. I hope your new year is full of enjoyable and safe adventures!
@janis b You too!
You too!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Yikes, On the Cusp!
Glad he did such a good job, and got you both home safely! You'd think people in our area would be better at driving in fog than they are, but most people go too fast, use high beams, follow too closely, and don't even bother to look at the freaking road. I remember a 4 or 5 car pile up around here some years ago. The first car went straight at a curve, and everyone in the line, followed his tail lights right off the road into the ditch. (Same goes for driving in the rain -- in a place it rains a hell of a lot.)
Add in deer and hogs. Ugh!
Rain forecast at 80% tomorrow, and I get to drive someone all the way into the Houston Medical Center. Joy.
Welcome home!
Heh .. your comment could have been made about Utah drivers
It's been very cold here and the roads are very slick with black ice and people still drive too fast. Of course people can just be driving very carefully and still slide out, but the damage to your car is usually less than if you're going 40-50. It's always a joy to be driving and suddenly seeing headlights going in every direction.
Or take yesterday morning. It's nice and calm out and then out of nowhere the wind gusts over 70 mph. Glad I wasn't out then because it was a total white out because the snow is so powdery.
But then this is something we can look forward to as the great salt lake dries up. The other problem with it drying up is that its dust is going on the mountain snow and melting faster it which decreases the runoff which will make the lake dry up faster .... our government is letting too many big industries build here and our water supply is limited. Now the boneheads are building an inland port which is going to bring more traffic to the area which we can't afford to do during winter because of our inversions. This can be bad enough to block the cold air in the valley for up to a month and the sun becomes a distant memory.
Then there's that NSA fusion center that takes ungawdly amounts of water a day. Who's idea was that?
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Driving on ice
Every so often, we'll get moisture and freezing temperatures at the same time down here. When that happens, I do not drive. The drivers down here are worse than the ice itself, when it's iced over. When it freezes down here, the electricity almost always goes off, so no traffic signals; and they do NOT treat those intersections as 4 way stops, just fly on through. I just wait it out at home.
Sorry about the lake. And big business. And our government. It's truly sad.
I will send you some coffee!
I have a spare package!
Hope the visit to the Medical Center is to visit someone and not you going for you, chica!
There is fog, and there is, for the first time in my life, FOG. It was like driving through smoke. Every creek, every river...you couldn't see bridge guard rails.
I agree the average Texas driver is pretty bad, but the vehicle we came within a few feet of missing was an 18-wheeler, stopped in the freeway, no emergency lights engaged. I wanted to jump out and cuss him out, but cars coming up on the scene would not have seen me, so I cussed him heartily from my passenger seat!
Happy New Year, deja!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Medical Center trip tomorrow
It's for a coworker who had a lense replaced about a year ago, and they'll be dilating him, so someone has to drive him. Flood watch tomorrow >3" in Houston. Not so bad out West where we'll start from. Seriously not looking forward to it.
Interesting you mentioned the FOG being like smoke. I swear I just heard Melanie Lawson (pretty sure it was her on ABC 13 news) say it was a mixture of no wind, cool temps, high air moisture content, and "smoke from celebrations". Did it smell like gunpowder smoke? There was a pile up in Galveston too, according to same news source.
I have no idea.
I was in Columbia.
This was Coldspring/Bush airport down HWY US 59.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
War in the fog
OTC, I was also in your fog, but in my own back yard. Decided to venture outdoors at the stroke of twelve to check out the loco Texans blowing their paychecks on explosives. Amazing to see hundreds and hundreds of aerial bombs exploding in the haze/smoke/fog. Here in Spring, it sounded more like a war than a war sounds. A steady din, accentuated by every-ten-seconds blasts of (seemingly) dynamite. Blue and green glows in the distance, quickly fading, like hundreds and hundreds of electrical transformers exploding. Blasts overhead, blasts behind me, blasts in front of me. Blasts that I couldn't even see.
I once read a description of some American Civil War battle, maybe Gettysburg, where the sound of the small arms fire was so intense that it sounded as though it were one huge bed-sheet being constantly ripped. That was what I heard in your and my fog.
Glad I wasn't driving in it.
Good morning QMS and c99ers. Thanks for the OT, QMS.
It's rollover day here, where 2018 specific stuff is replaced by 2019 stuff, like the insert for my old paper based pocket calendar, the e-journal for recording weather, bird sightings, plant behavior and other phenomena, etc.
Going to make red beans and rice for dinner and install a new kitchen faucet. Maybe continue experimenting with a self-invented quick sourdough flatbread I've been trying to develop. (Starter, all purpose flour and olive oil only, proportions, rest/rise time, baking temp and duration are all still up in the air, but the last one was pretty good.) A lot of other expeimentation in the offing too, but a lot on hold til probably mid-year because things get in the way.
Happy new year everybody.
Book of Changes: Hexagram 3
-- https://divination.com/iching/lookup/3-2/
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Thanks for sharing the I Ching
Same same here. Updating calendars, new planner, close out records 2018, start new business files 2019, etc. It's an amazing 55 degrees here today. Almost unheard of this time of year. Your quick sourdough sounds interesting. I love experimenting with breads.
Good luck to you!
question everything
Thanks for the reminder
New Years Day I usually pre-date my checks with 2019 lest I cross out for half the year.
I try to make my usual contributions ( ACLU, OPB, Sierra club, etc.) so when they send me renewal notices in June I know to disregard them.
Happy and prosperous New Year to all my C99% friends.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Good Day Mate
I vow not to mock the newbies @ the gym.
The market down turn has motivated me to wrestle Sue's pension lump sum away from the state. I filled out the paper work first quarter of 2017, so what the funk is the delay?
Likewise, I vow to actually get in line @ the Social Security office and try to pry survivor benefits from my earned benefits.
Less likely, but on the list 1) learn some German, for next summer's motorcycle trip in the Austrian/Italian/Swiss Alps, 2) get back to playing guitar every day. Something like the following would make me really happy.
Last but not least, continue being a DFH, resist getting my hair cut and funk with troglodytes.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Gotta admire your resolve
Dealing with the SSA is scary business. Wish you beau coupe luck with that! The bike trip sounds great! Hope to see you get there, strumming and singing in German.
question everything
No hangover. No Calendar.
I worked yesterday and we had one of our BUSIEST days. Our store is in Pasadena close to the parade route so we get a mixture of our regular customers and the usual influx of out-of-towers. As expected, people got cranky when the store got crowded making their questions that much more enjoyable for us. For those of us working at the store maintaining our best to be our signature cheery helpfulness, the absence of gladiator shields to fend off the rudeness took a certain toll on us. Back in the break room someone mentioned how gratifying it would be if we were allowed to punch at least one of these rude customers in the face. Another idea was to simply be allowed to say "Due to the volume of questions, I'm unable to help you at this time". The winner for the most amusing question came from an exasperated woman who stood in front of our bagged Brussels sprouts asking why we don't carry bagged Brussel sprouts. "All you have are the stalks and they look terrible," she complained pointedly. "I'm sorry,'" I said in my most apologetic voice and then watched her walk away.
Of course it wasn't that way with everyone. There were babies heads to be rubbed and children to tease. There were my regular customers who always make me smile with funny stories and shared laughter. There was a New Years Eve feast in the back for employees that included fish tacos with all the fixings from fresh tuna one of our managers caught the day before. A table full of desserts from Black Forest cupcakes to a spread of do-it-yourself ice cream Sundaes. All of which took definitely took the edge off the craziness.
I came home last night with no new calendar of any kind. Instead I had a date with my pajamas and Robert Redford on Netflix at 8pm. Sipping a cup of homemade hot chocolate with a dash of Chambourd was celebratory enough for me. This morning I'm going on a little road trip with friends to attend a New Year's Day ceremony for fellow Buddhists where I plan to chant away all my regrets of last year and plant the seeds for the things I'd like to achieve this year.
Here's to the year of expansion
Happy New Year to all fellow c99'ers!!
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
|| Nam myoho renge kyo. || n/t
NMRK back to you too!
After participating in an hour of daimoku this morning, I'm feeling a much needed surge of determination to make some real gains this year.
Optimism always commensurate with the consistency of my practice. Naturally
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Happy New Year zoe!
I trust that spending the new day of the year in the way you have will bring you the expansion you seek.
Thanks Janis!
I sure hope so. I've got a lot of things I'd like to accomplish this year. Btw, your bird essay inspired me to start a short story about my Mother. I look forward to sharing it with you when I'm finished with it!
Hope you are having a wonderful holiday and spending it with people who make you smile
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Reminded you of your mother,
Can hardly wait to hear it!
oh no, NCT should definitely sing American Songs
@NCT @QMS
and play the guitar to the 'peasants'. It will get him friends everywhere.
But he should drive very carefully. Us German tribes drive like 'gesengte Säue' and yell at you and honk til you get out of their way. I am not driving 'Autobahn' in Germany anymore. Those hundreds and hundreds of huge trucks chase the small cars by kissing their behinds and honking angrily if you drive what Americans think is the right speed.
I could teach you some German ...
/s
Starting with 'gesengte Säue' which means ... ahem ... so ... a 'gesengte Sau' is a 'scorched sow'. Now you know what to expect, NCT.
It makes some sense to park the motorcycle and hike up on the mountain tops and enjoy the tranquility.
I hope you will enjoy your trip.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Great story
Sounds like you earned your chants. Enjoy!
question everything
Thanks QMS
My spiritual outing sure did feel good for the soul. Now I'm getting ready to feed the other part of me with something light and delicious using two of my new favorite Trader Joe's products:
Avocado Tzatziki Dip
Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
After two months of eating too much sugar, starch & alcohol, my body really appreciates any creative way I can get more vegetables into it. So here's what I do: I keep a few servings of already sautéed spiralized zucchini in the refrigerator. Then when I'm ready to eat, I mix in Trader Joe's Avocdo Tzatziki, lay two poached eggs on top, and sprinkle a little of the seasoning over it. You can substitute the protein source for whatever you have on hand. I've used slices of tri-tip roast and turkey burgers before and it worked great. Either way it's satisfying but doesn't leave you feeling too full.
Bon Appetit
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Is that polite smoked sausage
or the more riske' burning pigs?
question everything
to say that someone drives like a 'gesengte Sau' is
very impolite and vulgar slang, but that's like most Germans talk anyway...
It comes from the slaughtering process of brewing the skin of a pig to get rid of the bristles. If the pig was not slaughtered properly before and is still alive it will take off and run away as fast as it can from the anticipated process. ... so driving fast like an improperly slaughtered pig before the skin is brewed... makes sense?
not that easy to teach German.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Ahh, sooo
That is now clear. Danke
question everything
Perception management problem
Seems the US military 'slipped up' by tweeting something horrific for their New Year message. Go figure...
Caitlin Johnstone
question everything
Happy New Year QMS and loved ones
I think we’re often either pushing time or trying to catch up, the best moments being when we’re there, where we want to be, even if we didn't plan them. Because life is ever evolving, sometimes within our control and sometimes without, it’s always complex and full of challenges. I appreciate your dedication always to encouraging affirmative choices. Basically, it is sometimes only choice we have control of, and can be truly life-affirming and satisfying.
I can hear the children’s laughter drifting on to my deck from the beach nearby. It makes me smile. So for the moment …
[video:https://youtu.be/4k2PJFPu57Y]
A lovely thought
Perception has the power to allow you to feel the abundance of your life, or the diminishment of it. Entirely your choice. But this I do know: When I am appreciating the abundance of my life, my energy naturally creates more abundance. Funny how life works out that way?
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
zoe, I really enjoyed your translation
of my thought, especially this ... "Perception has the power to allow you to feel the abundance of your life ... "