January 9, 2021

At the Radiator Houseplant Café...

IMG_2101 

... you can talk all night. But do try to talk about something other than the Trump resistance and the plan to spoil Biden's honeymoon with a big old impeachment trial. Surely, there are other topics! Did you leave the house today? What's something you've been cooking that's easy to cook? When's the last time you wept? Look at this darling baby hearing an echo for the first time. When's the last time you did something for the first time? 

222 comments:

1 – 200 of 222   Newer›   Newest»
effinayright said...

From thedonald.win:

BREAKING: Lindsey Graham has been suspended from his Grindr account.

Joe Smith said...

Indica or sativa?

Leland said...

I tried a heat and serve chicken tiki marsala for linner. It was edible. Otherwise, we did chores around the house. Hard to be motivated to be productive when things are shutdown with more to come in the dark winter ahead. Fortunately, maintenance is all I need to do.

Browndog said...

Trump banned from Spotify- Figure that one out.

Alex Berenson

For the last year, Ireland has had among the hardest #Covid restrictions anywhere. On Dec. 22, it tightened them again - banning all travel between counties, restaurant dining, and on Jan. 1 all home visits (!)

Since then cases have risen 10-fold, a truly parabolic curve...

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
effinayright said...

Blogger Browndog said...


Alex Berenson

For the last year, Ireland has had among the hardest #Covid restrictions anywhere. On Dec. 22, it tightened them again - banning all travel between counties, restaurant dining, and on Jan. 1 all home visits (!)

Since then cases have risen 10-fold, a truly parabolic curve...


******************************

Cases yes, deaths, no.


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/ireland/

readering said...

Notion Biden honeymoon ever in the cards must seem implausible to body of AA commenters.

Sarah from VA said...

The most recent new thing I've done is signed up all six people in my household (including my 38-year-old self) for Tae Kwon Do lessons. We started with our 5 year old, but then my husband wanted to join too, and then the other kids would've been jealous of the five year old getting "extra" dad time, so we negotiated with the owner and got a family rate. And now we all troop off to TKD every Saturday. It's fun and challenging and entertaining and we like supporting our small local gym. (It's literally just the owner and his wife, and they have two young kids and business is slow due to COVID.) Good times.

Last year I also took up xcountry skiing for the first time, but this is the year where I've actually managed to get out and do a trail with a friend. It's my new favorite exercise and I highly recommend it.

Iman said...

The Irish Curse...

A horse is a horse of course, of course and no one can drink like a horse, of course...

Jan 8, 2021: Zoffany, 12, Irish racehorse and sire, liver failure (death announced at this date)

FullMoon said...

Hospitalizations record high here in S.F. Bay area. We been masked up, spread out and shut down forever.

Governor Newsome and his crew see no reason to try anything different and will claim victory eventually.

Recall petition popular but I still predict Newsome a contender for President in 24 or 28. He is an attractive guy which outweighs incompetence.

We Californicators still getting together to ascertain which red states to target and turn blue in the future.

narciso said...

rRemember that stargate episode about the yasen,

https://computingforever.com/2021/01/06/sterilisation/

Tommy Duncan said...

I felled a couple of trees located at the back of my lot a few days ago. One was an 80 foot tall aspen while the other was a 75 foot hickory. This was the first hickory I've split by hand and it was was a challenge. I did get a face cord of hard earned firewood and some peace of mind from it. Tomorrow I'll start to cut and split the Aspen.

When the aspen is behind me I plan to remove a sizable oak leaning toward my house. It will be a "three rope" tree in order to get it to fall away from the house without destroying other trees or my septic vent pipes. Basic geometry and physical science skills will be useful. This tree work is a welcome break from politics.

narciso said...

casedemic, is driving these dangerous lockdowns, as dave cullen, so is ferguson's imperial college modeling of this new strain, which has isolated the uk,

Joe Smith said...

"Recall petition popular but I still predict Newsome a contender for President in 24 or 28. He is an attractive guy which outweighs incompetence."

He has some skeletons in his closet. I'm guessing some of them were video taped.

Joe Smith said...

Went out to shop...stores out of every cleaning product still.

Making a new 'easy' souvlaki recipe from today's WSJ...lots of ingredients and chopping.

Wept? I weep for my country every day, but only inside...

The Bergall said...

Ann, name of the plant? Full sun?

Thanks

Sprezzatura said...

“Notion Biden honeymoon ever in the cards must seem implausible to body of AA commenters.”

She’s funny when she types stuff like that.

The other thing is that the best thing that could ever happen to Biden is to have a massive final FU to the terrorist encouraging, anti-American election fascism loving, lying, conman, POS POTUS who has and will continue to manipulate susceptible minds in our nation.

You don’t let DJT off the hook for his support re destroying the foundations of our nation. Giving a break to that sorta person is demonstrating weakness that they recognize and will exploit. Kick him out. Make Rs in Congress go on the record re their oath re the Constitution. Maybe enough Rs will let him skate. Still, you haven’t lost anything from the Biden POV. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, not injection of bleach.

Friedrich Engels' Barber said...

Do pepperoni and sausage belong on the same pizza?

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

BBQ'd some chicken thighs today. We've had a break in the pineapple express today, so this was the perfect opportunity to do it. My Ducane BBQ must be 17-yr old now. The paint's peeling from the interior and the bracket for the rotisserie is dying, but it still does a great job. When we move into our new house at the end of the year, it'll get the heave ho, and we'll get a new one, probably a Weber.

We're still waiting on permits, but I was able to eliminate the need for Class III Forest Practices permit, at $1,500. As soon as King County issues a SEPA Determination of non-significance, we can get a Construction Storm water permit and an Hydraulic Practices permit. Aren't permits for new residential construction wonderful?

Sprezzatura said...

“It will be a "three rope" tree”

If you’re hand splitting you probably don’t have a “power wedge.”

That’s what some of my guys call it when they use one of my excavators to nudge a tree while cutting it.

Of course, for even fairly good size trees they use the excavator to tip them over. No saw. Roots com out too.

I grew up a city slicker. But, I like learning stuff from country people. That plus the big space and amazing views is why I mostly live in rural houses.

BTW, I’ve used a 88 w/ a 60” bar.

Just sayin’

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Pozole. It's a Mexican pork stew that's amazingly satisfying, especially on a cold winter night. Put a pork shoulder covered with water in the crock pot and let it cook all day. When the meat falls off, remove the bone and add 3-4 tbsp of New Mexico chili powder, a teaspoon of salt and a large can of yellow hominy. That's it. Serve sprinkled with chopped onions and cilantro and fresh tortillas. We make a kind of burrito or taco with the meat. I apply Tapatio sauce, the wife doesn't. Good stuff.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David Begley said...

Creighton is ranked #7 and we destroyed St. John’s today and our best player sat out due to injury.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I would like to get a better look at the radiator. The house I grew up in was built in 1918 and had ornate radiators from that era. We had a gas boiler. I don't think the boiler would ever have been coal powered as there was no coal chute and there was a gas fireplace. We found a packet of love letters hidden behind the fireplace, seems the lady of the house was having an affair.

Inga said...

I made crepes for dinner, easy peasy. Made few savory, cheesy chicken and a few with marmalade filling, the way my mother used to make them for us kids on wash day, when she was too busy to cook a big dinner. A few days ago I made pasta carbonara, it’s not difficult to make if you don’t have the heat on when you add the beaten eggs to the hot pasta.

Cry? I don’t cry much anymore, cried for an entire year, this year it’s just mostly a lump in my throat and tears stinging my eyes, then I blink a few times and concentrate on happy memories.

Tommy Duncan said...

Blogger Sprezzatura said...

"If you’re hand splitting you probably don’t have a “power wedge.”

I've always seen yard work as good exercise, particularly wood work. Now that I have Parkinson's the heart thumping work of splitting wood has been recommended by my neurologist. It provides some partial, temporary relief from my symptoms.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

The way tree cutters in urban areas get rid of trees is to climb the tree, cutting off all the branches on the way up, then cutting about 2'-long trunk segments on the way down. The log segments fall near the base of the tree and a helper moves them out of the way. It's an amazing sight to see how they do it. Works as long as the tree is safe to climb.

n.n said...

Remember that stargate episode about the yasen,

Yeah, I do. Disease or treatment, that is the question. Now, they are suggesting that the virus may have been an accidental release of a premature vaccine or similar experiment from the Wuhan lab.

Wince said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Inga said...

Aren’t those plants on the radiator called elephant ears? I remember as a kid you would see them everywhere in peoples homes.

Merny11 said...

Shrimp creole

Sprezzatura said...

TD,

That’s great news! Is it commonly known that physical activity helps people? Or. did you suss that out somewhat on your own?

A while back I listened to a Rhonda Patrick podcast re Parkinson’s re activity, and I wondered if exercise was frequently suggested re lessening symptoms:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH87aGaqy6s

BTW, Full disclosure: I used the 88 w/ the 60” blade on an Alaskan saw mill. But, I was running the power side. Another guy was guiding the tip of the bar. So that counts!

Wince said...

Honeymoons are often soon replaced by fights over money.

From NBC:

Joe Biden to unveil trillions in US pandemic economic relief spending next week

Biden's initial plan was for a bill under $1 trillion but he said on Friday that "economic research confirms that with conditions like the crisis today, especially with such low interest rates, taking immediate action - even with deficit financing - is going to help the economy."

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said Americans need more economic relief from the coronavirus pandemic now and that he will deliver a plan costing "trillions" of dollars next week...

Biden, introducing several members of his economic team, spoke on Friday after data showed the U.S. economy lost jobs for the first time in eight months in December as a resurgent COVID-19 pandemic shuttered restaurants and other businesses.

He said the proposal includes relief for state and local governments grappling with the pandemic, as well as new support for people who lost their jobs or cannot afford rent.

Biden also called for raising the minimum wage to $15, a campaign promise, and for sending out $2,000 in direct cash payments. Democrats sought those cash payouts in the last relief bill, passed in December, but only were able to get Republicans to agree to $600.

"We need more direct relief flowing to families, small businesses, including finishing the job of getting people that $2,000 relief direct payment. $600 is simply not enough," he said.

Biden said he would unveil the plan on Thursday.


From Business Today.

"Every major economist thinks we should be investing in deficit spending in order to generate economic growth," Biden told reporters Friday, citing low interest rates and limited Federal Reserve powers to fix the Covid-19 crisis.

Hmmm, I wonder what Clinton economic guru Larry Summers feels about that?

More, from Bloomberg:

Trump’s $2,000 Stimulus Checks Are a Big Mistake

Family incomes are not down much from Covid-19, and there is a risk of overheating the economy.
By Lawrence H. Summers, December 27, 2020, 1:29 PM EST

There is no good economic argument for the $2,000 checks, a policy that was not even on the table until the president’s random pronouncement last week. The Democrats seizing this opportunity to pit the president and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell against each other is fair and good politics — but if it leads to actual implementation, it is bad economics. Trump should instead immediately sign the bipartisan relief package that took months to negotiate and avoid a cutoff of unemployment insurance that will plunge millions of the most vulnerable Americans into poverty.


I guess 9-out-of-10 "major economists" agree: $2,000 is a "big mistake" when Trump proposes it.

Back to NBC:

As this city reels from the chaos of a deadly riot at the Capitol spurred by President Donald Trump,

Well, they can give Trump credit for a "deadly riot", I guess?

Biden said he'll lay out an economic relief package this year that will cost "in the trillions of dollars.” He said it will include emergency relief for those harmed by the pandemic as well as investments in infrastructure, health care and "a whole range of things that are going to generate good-paying jobs."

"If we don't act now things will get much worse and harder to get out of the hole later. So we have to invest now," Biden said. "There's a dire, dire need to act now."

The president-elect suggested he believes the $900 billion pandemic relief package passed by Congress last month would not be enough. His remarks were well-received by progressives who have been skeptical of his moderate and deficit-conscious instincts.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the runner-up in the 2020 Democratic primary and likely incoming chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, praised Biden's comments in a Saturday interview.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I made butter nut squash soup and mixed in some left over pumpkin soup and some sour cream. Served with parmesan shavings, red pepper flakes, and good quality crackers. Earlier we had Italian hot chocolate thinned out with a little vanilla bourbon.

Lurker21 said...

I used to have one of those plants and used to know what it was called. Now all I can think of is Mother-in-law's tongue (it isn't), ficus (it definitely isn't) and elephant's ear plant.

Happy thought: In Taipei or Seoul what happened Wednesday in Washington was ... just another Wednesday. They get away with it because it isn't civilians attacking the capitol but parliamentarians attacking each other. And of course, in Pyongyang these things don't happen at all, but I wouldn't want to live and starve there.

Doug said...

Now THAT'S talented photography.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Trying to enjoy life before they start sending us to the work camps.

DavidUW said...

Well that $600 check could have been $2000 with money left over if they hadn’t sent 80% overseas and to pork.

h said...

One thing I did today was to watch an old movie (recorded from Turner Classic Movies), starring Roland Young (who played Topper in the topper movies). "Wedding Rehearsal" 1932. He plays London's most eligible bachelor, with a grandmother who is insisting (under threat of withdrawing his living allowance) that he get married to a "suitable girl". He goes down his grandmother's list and fixes up each "suitable girl" with a suitable suitor, so that he is off the hook. His grandmother reminds him that next season will produce a new crop of debutantes. Ultimately he settles for his grandmother's secretary (played by the beautiful Merle Oberon).

I don't think this movie could be "updated" to a modern setting. We accept (in 1932 Britain) the existence of a fairly strict social structure, one in which the upper class have balls and weekends, and large numbers of marriageable men and women who are actually seeking to get married, and the idea of a woman being more or less suitable based on her lineage and her "income".

Roland Young also played the odious Uriah Heep in the 1935 movie version of David Copperfield. Watching that movie sent me back to re-read the book, and his portrayal of Uriah Heep is amazingly good. WC Fields as Micawber gets a lot of notice for this movie, but so many of the parts seem extraordinarily well cast.

Robert Cook said...

"Do pepperoni and sausage belong on the same pizza?"

Of course! That is a common combination in NYC pizzerias.

Browndog said...

Blogger wholelottasplainin' said...

Blogger Browndog said...


Alex Berenson

For the last year, Ireland has had among the hardest #Covid restrictions anywhere. On Dec. 22, it tightened them again - banning all travel between counties, restaurant dining, and on Jan. 1 all home visits (!)

Since then cases have risen 10-fold, a truly parabolic curve...

******************************

Cases yes, deaths, no.


Great point.

Pointing out he said "cases", not deaths, or paralysis, or allergic reactions, or impromptu singing of show tunes.

Sprezzatura said...

“It's an amazing sight to see how they do it. Works as long as the tree is safe to climb.”

OK, so this is the thread where we unload our tree felling stories:

1) one of my very-rural places is out by Forks WA. There I (while driving logging roads) saw a helicopter pulling bundles of cedar bolts from the forest to the road. It was very impressive how quickly the bundles were attached and detached to the cable that hung from the chopper. The people on the ground doing the hooking and unhooking were amazing. And the pilot. It barely looked like the chopper stopped to hover over the pickup and drop off locations.

2) Speaking of tree climbers re felling trees, I have one guy who jumps/swings w/ rope from the tops of trees, one to another. Because that’s faster than climbing down and up. The guy is still alive. So it must be safe for him. I dunno.

3) And, it’s really cool to see the commercial logging equipment. They have a machine that can go over rough terrain such that it drives up to the trees, holds them, cuts them, and then places them on the ground. IOW, no more having a dude out there w/ a chain saw. There are also other cool pieces of logging equipment that I see, but that one is my favorite.

ellie said...

I'm caring for 2 citrus trees pretty well. My son gave me a meyer lemon for Christmas last year, and a calamondin orange for Christmas this year. They aren't dead yet. The lemon tree is bearing fruit, not lots but some. I call that a win!

h said...

Thanks to commenters for their food ideas and recipes.

Tommy Duncan said...

Blogger Mike of Snoqualmie said...

"The way tree cutters in urban areas get rid of trees is to climb the tree, cutting off all the branches on the way up, then cutting about 2'-long trunk segments on the way down."

I live in an area where logging is common. The ER doctors and the orthopedic surgeons have many stories about the dangers the climbers face. It's a tough way to make a living.

For my part, I use a tall extension ladder to get as high as I can to gain maximum leverage when I tie ropes on a tree. Then I use a come-along to apply force on the ropes before cutting. Even so, it's always thrilling. Trees rarely behave as expected when they are cut. Hopefully, I'm less stupid now at age 70.

Mark said...

Can I get an answer to my question? Or is it deemed to be not allowed? Am I going to get twittered for asking it?

Has the cop who shot and killed the unarmed Ashli Babbitt been publicly identified yet?

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

General Motors has changed it's simple "GM" logo to a lower case "gm" surrounded by square box with rounded corners. It's perfect for Government Motors. I'll never buy from Government Motors.

Ann Althouse said...

“ Ann, name of the plant? Full sun?”

Elepuears. No.

These are outdoor plants that Meade is keeping alive over the winter.

reader said...

We had friends over for dinner last night. I made a pot of clam chowder, a pot of tomato soup, and two loaves of whole wheat sourdough. Today I couldn’t shake the craving for grilled cheese and tomato soup. I grated a little bit of cheddar and a little bit of jack and mixed it with a small dollop mayonnaise, a little dijon, and a little bit of minced shallot. It made a fantastic sourdough grilled cheese.

The last time I wept was Christmas morning. My mom passed away December 1st and her absence that morning was obvious in ways both big and small.

Tommy Duncan said...

BTW, if you goggle "youtube tree cutting failures" you'll find lots of entertainment featuring some of America's best and brightest.

The Crack Emcee said...

I stopped my blog, because nobody was coming to read my explanations for the information you're missing - like how NewAge Democrats steal elections without a trace - and then reminding you Obama gave Oprah the Presidential Medial of Freedom in 2013 for excellence in her field. What was her field by then? Promoting the paranormal, psychic powers, new age spiritualism, conspiracy theories, quack celebrity diets, past life regression, angels, ghosts, alternative therapies like acupuncture and homeopathy, anti-vaccination, detoxification, vitamin megadosing, and virtually everything that will distract a human being from making useful progress and informed decisions in life.

It helps to have a person like that by your side if you want to muddy the waters and really confuse things. I mean, think about it:

Oprah also promoted Dr. Oz. Dr. Phil. Dr. Deepak Chopra. Shirley MacLaine. Marianne Williamson. James Arthur Ray (he killed three people). John of God (raped 600, convicted for 4) and more BEFORE she got to Obama, and the lightbulb never went on: Oprah is a charlatan who promotes frauds - just now in politics.

This NewAge Nazi cult, I've been warning you about, has got not just me but the nation.

You guys MUST come to your senses now, and realize a U.S. Prosecutor who is either so sleazy and dumb, or sleazy and corrupt, that she'd sleep with the guy who ran TV's talking-to-the-dead scam, ripping off millions of gullible Americans, is not qualified to be Vice President of anything. He cannot be allowed to just say "So what?" and that's the end of it.

And, Jesus Christ, if someone like Rush can't point out, as a Civil Rights issue, they've rewarded the author of the 1994 Crime Bill that Kamala Harris called racist because it wrongly imprisoned blacks for 26 years - to get rid of the "racist" who was RELEASING WRONGLY IMPRISONED BLACKS WITH THE HELP OF KIM KARDASHIAN - then what is he doing now?

I think we're going to Civil War. I hope we do. The destruction of the NewAge is worth it. I've watched this cult travel from my French wife in San Francisco, to everyone I know, out into the nation, and now it's consumed Washington, DC.

It's time to get serious about it. It's now for never.



gpm said...

>>I tried a heat and serve chicken tiki marsala for linner.

Whole Foods (the smallest one in the country is on the next block over from me, across the town line in the fascist state of Brookline) has a brand I've been eating for a while. Fairly tasty, but a bit bland (I suppose I could try to spice it up a bit). Same is true of the vindaloo, which is actually better, but they haven't had it recently. They used to have some good channa masala at the hot bar (R.I.P.). Haven't tried the heat and serve version.

A week or two ago they had a new brand of tiki masala over in the (exceedingly meager) meat section. Picked one up but haven't tried it yet.

--gpm

The Crack Emcee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Doug said...

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/voices-pga-of-america-needs-to-remove-the-2022-pga-championship-from-trump-national-golf-club-john-feinstein?utm_medium=email&utm_source=010721&utm_campaign=golfworld

Sports media elite, just like the rest of the MSM. How I detest them all.

Hortimaniac said...

You're nothing if not cynical and insidious, Professor Althouse.

Doug said...

Crack, is that really YOU?

mockturtle said...

Love that photo! Thanks for brightening my day.

I started my chard outdoors last month and they were just emerging when I found them dead yesterday morning from the cold. :-( I usually start them in early Nov. but didn't get my seeds until mid-Dec. My green onions survived though and my squash is yet to come up. I'll probably start some indoors and sow the chard again next month.

tim maguire said...

/Blogger Ann Althouse said...
“ Ann, name of the plant? Full sun?”

Elepuears. No.

These are outdoor plants that Meade is keeping alive over the winter.


Every winter is a struggle to keep the plants alive until spring. Most of them make it, but don't always look so great come March.

The Crack Emcee said...

Doug said...

"Crack, is that really YOU?"

'Course it is. Who else would I be?

I'M "DEPLORABLE"

mockturtle said...

Crack, I totally believe you. But this was all part of Bible prophecy, so many of us were expecting it. :-) The Antichrist will reveal himself soon. It's not too late to be saved, Crack. Prayers.

gpm said...

>>I'm caring for 2 citrus trees pretty well.

Was just looking at picking up one or two indoor dwarf citrus varieties. The vendor doesn't ship past the west coast in cold weather, so I'll have to wait until March or April. First choice probably a Bearss Lime. Will need to figure out how to rig up s grow light.

--gpm

Iman said...

Funny stuff, Ron Winkleheimer @6:36pm!

... I think...

The Crack Emcee said...

mockturtle said...

"Crack, I totally believe you. But this was all part of Bible prophecy, so many of us were expecting it. :-) The Antichrist will reveal himself soon. It's not too late to be saved, Crack. Prayers."

I don't go for any of that. I just know Tarantino is the only (other) artist who's got it right, with his historical trilogy - the great evils of our time have been:

Naziism - Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Slavery - Django Unchained (2012)

Cultism - Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (2019)

But we're NOT taking cultism seriously at all.

mockturtle said...

Mark @6:57, Not to my knowledge. Just 'under investigation for wrongful death'. OTOH, the man carrying Pelosi's lectern was both identified and arrested. Priorities, you know.

mockturtle said...

Crack: Do you believe the Freemasons are a cult?

Mark said...

Thank you. But it is clear that she is being treated like a non-person by the authorities and MSM.

mockturtle said...

Mark: Deplorable lives don't matter. :-(

mockturtle said...

Sorry, Althouse, just meant to answer a quick question. Will go back to cults and gardening now. ;-D

Flat Tire said...

I'm firing up a rusty little sheep camp stove with a tiny oven that I bought from a second hand store in Idaho a few summers ago. Will attempt biscuits. They won't be pretty but I intend to eat them.

ex-madtown girl said...

It wasn’t new, but tonight my husband and I went out to eat for the first time, just the two of us, since last March - it was great! We aren’t afraid of dining out and have been as a family many times. “Date night” was just one of the things that sort of slipped to the way side since the world went stupid.
It was wonderful and much needed. I didn’t quite realize how much we needed it until we were settled into our table, talking and laughing and enjoying some great food at a new establishment (new to us anyway). I urge those of you who are not cowering in your basement to get out there and give it a go, enjoy life while you can.
I hope Ann, Meade, and all you commenters have a lovely evening and wish you a Happy Sunday tomorrow.

Ann Althouse said...

“ Elepuears”

Sorry. I was just trying to write elephant ears.

Iman said...

I like that “Deplorables”, Crack. Music has a slight resemblance to Underworld’s “If Rah”, IMHO.

Iman said...

To my ear, at least... https://youtu.be/ZbphaKMepqY

Mr Wibble said...

Did you leave the house today? What's something you've been cooking that's easy to cook?

Went to the store. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to go to the cigar bar and smoke a stogie while reading a book, or stay in and play video games before reading a book.

When's the last time you wept?

Can't remember, it's been so long.

When's the last time you did something for the first time?

I've been using the past year to try a few new things. I made mead and now I've got a gallon of strawberry wine and a gallon of ginger wine sitting on a shelf and I'll bottle them in a few weeks. Gonna start another batch of strawberry wine and a batch of peach wine tomorrow. Also tried my hand at some sewing after watching a bunch of historical costumers on YouTube. I made a couple 18th century shirts, and now I want to try making an 18th c. jacket and waistcoat.

wild chicken said...

"Indica or sativa?"

I just don't dig that stuff anymore. And now rec use is legal here. To think I was busted three times for it.

The Crack Emcee said...

mockturtle said...

"Crack: Do you believe the Freemasons are a cult?"

They believe they can die, but then show up at later periods in history, so, yes.

The Crack Emcee said...

Iman said...

"I like that “Deplorables”, Crack. Music has a slight resemblance to Underworld’s “If Rah”, IMHO."

Thank you. It should be hitting Spotify any day now. I thought it would've done better, considering the election, but I've been wrong a lot about politics and my music since I've had to go online. Back in the college radio days, I would've been booking a tour already.

Humperdink said...

Played pickleball today, playing again tomorrow. Fourth time this week. It can be addicting.

Howard said...

Did a awesome hike with friends today in the sunny Cold, made lemon snicker doodles tonight for a friend's birthday, haven't wept since I don't know when.

Daughter came over for dinner last night and we watched The Talented Mr Ripley (1999), Joe Bob says check it out. I won trivial pursuit... The new game is geared towards genx and millennials so I'm happy.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

wild chicken said...

"Indica or sativa?"

I just don't dig that stuff anymore. And now rec use is legal here. To think I was busted three times for it.


Yeah, but all those times you got away with were sooooo sweet, weren't they? ;-)

I'm Not Sure said...

"Well that $600 check could have been $2000 with money left over if they hadn’t sent 80% overseas and to pork."

"If Pakistan can afford nuclear missiles, they can pay for their own gender studies."

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.oV0DLIapx9VRTJf_7iC-PAHaHa%26pid%3DApi&f=1

Humperdink said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Greg Hlatky said...

Ran down to Lowe's for bird seed and topsoil. Otherwise I stayed at home working on a classical music playlist. 800 different pieces by 800 different composers.

It's quite remarkable what turns up when you look. I came across a lovely violin concertino by Joseph Mayseder, a composer I had no idea existed until today.

The Crack Emcee said...

Did you leave the house today? What's something you've been cooking that's easy to cook?

Bought pot at the pot store. Pork chili verde, over rice, with three fried eggs on top.

When's the last time you wept?

When my nephew died at 40. Last night I laughed so hard I cried, because two friends and I were riffing on the absolutely creepy absurdity of cultists worshiping the gigantic mural of ET in San Francisco.

When's the last time you did something for the first time?

A friend finally taught me the basics of cooking, so every day. I even bought an Instant Pot.

chuck said...

when I found them dead yesterday morning from the cold.

I was watering house plants for a couple visiting family during the Christmas season. The temperature dropped to -25F, and when I went over all the plants were nice and green and frozen solid. The furnace blower had gone out and the furnace would start up, then shut down as it overheated. The repairman came to fix it on Christmas day and thankfully the plumbing was mostly intact. There was a small leak in the crawl space that was found and fixed later.

AZ Bob said...

Does anyone want to discuss Nancy Pelosi's announcement that she told some generals to keep Trump away from the nuclear weapons.

My first thought is that this type of grand standing makes the country and our allies vulnerable to Chinese aggression. Say it privately Nancy but telling the world is anti-American.

I would hate to think she is giving the okay to invade Taiwan. But let's face it, all those lefties are on the take from China.

mockturtle said...

I even bought an Instant Pot.

My daughter gave me one for my birthday this year. Wow! It is THE way to cook.

Humperdink said...

I have been pretty much avoiding NFL games this year. But I thought I would take a peek at Tom Brady and his Buccaneers versus the Washington "Team-To-Be-Named-Later". Within 30 seconds, the NBC crew showed the capitol and the announcers instantly injected politics into it.

Good night NFL (again).

wildswan said...

I got my paper whites, a bowl and some beautiful green pebbles. My daffodil has one flower already. And my Christmas rose is just starting its last buds. Peter Doig is a great artist.

mockturtle said...

Kudos to the Buffalo Bills. Hope their petition was successful in keeping their Governor away from the game.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Crack. How can you be so sensible and clear eyed about some things (I agree with you re cults and think leftism is obviously a cult) and also believe hooey like reparations?

Breezy said...

I’ve been re-learning how to paint and am focused on watercolors now. Practicing and producing unexpected results. Also trying to eat better this month - more fruits and veggies, so looking for unexpected results in the health dept too. I’m grateful to be retired now - that’s new and taking a bit to get used to, truth be told.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Ok, so we have a new aquarium! 29 gallons, contains 13 pencilfish, 7 threadfin rainbows, and the obligatory corydoras catfish (3)/nerite snail (2) janitorial squad.

William50 said...

When's the last time you did something for the first time?

3 weeks ago I dis-assembled our piano. It was really easy. The hardest part was breaking up the string harp. Used a 12 lb. sledge. Been putting it in the trash a little each week.

When's the last time you wept?

Probably a little over a month ago watching either a Shriner's Hospital commercial or the one for St. Jude.

Ken B said...

Instant pots are great for some things. They are especially great in summer for not heating the kitchen up.

Some tips I have learned.

Soak beans overnight.
Onions are mostly water. If you put them in the measuring cup before the water that compensates. (Unless you sauté all the moisture off). Use 80% of the cooking time of pasta. Spaghetti cooks very well in the sauce. You do need extra fluid. It works better than small pasta, which sinks!
Cheap meat can get very tender in the IP.
Anything bean related is great.

Ken B said...

When is the last time you did something for the first time?”

Today. I decided some companies need to be nationalized: Facebook, Google, Twitter. I am still thinking about Apple and Amazon.

We have gone past the point where anti trust or regulation can work. You fix problems with the tools you have. Nationalization is the only tool left. If they won’t come to the Bill of rights the Bill of rights must come to them. Expropriate.

narciso said...


A look to the future

https://www.amazon.com/Kremlin-Ball-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1681372096

Narr said...

Last night we wanted some Chinese food, sorry Asian food from our favorite--and nearby--Asian fusion place. They had been open for takeout and delivery all last year, and we supported them as much as anyone, but when I called them last night there was no answer. Not surprised, but very disappointed. Another one down . . .

So we ordered pickup from the Mexican place that's even closer, and where they have dine-in. I called in and picked up--they were at the max cap allowed currently, and busy.

Ate leftovers from there tonight, covered with some mild chili with beans we made before Christmas and had frozen.

I'm proud that I've kept my weight gain since Turkey Day to about three (3 !) pounds. That
last stone or so must come off in the next few months, or I should be quite nonplussed. Storebought Dresdner stollen and our homade cookies are disappearing . . .

Weeping? Actual sobbing: probably 2013; I can tear up from a random memory of loss, or at a really fine musical performance, but I've been pretty stoical and dry-eyed since early lessons.

The last time I first did something (that has become important to me since), was May of 2019, when I unbuckled here and settled in.

Narr
Now I'm hungry

FullMoon said...

Amazon has assassinated Parler.

The Crack Emcee said...

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

"Crack. How can you be so sensible and clear eyed about some things (I agree with you re cults and think leftism is obviously a cult) and also believe hooey like reparations?"

Oh, little things, like people telling me slavery was so long ago when the last Civil War widow just died. And then, the former slaves I learned slavery about, when I was a child in the 60s.

And then there's the way we can finally map family trees for blacks (most whites don't appreciate what it's like to go through life with no "old country" etc. while the rest of the world is vacationing back home and looking at your family coat of arms and shit - we go back to slavery and stop - that's reparational.) If we can map family trees, we can determine who gets reparations and who doesn't pretty easily.

I could go on. All the arguments against it are just more racist rubbish, designed to push the day of reckoning for this nation. further back. That's one of the reasons we're in the mess we're in:

White people's obstinance regarding racial justice has driven blacks crazy - and NewAge Nazi leftists are exploiting it - and it'll probably drive us to Civil War, with mostly blacks getting killed, because they're the most confused. Y'all, see sure of that.

I'm the ONLY person I know who wants to sort this shit out. The rest of you are just power-hungry assholes. looking out for yourselves, saying anything to look good to each other.

I thought being an adult was gonna be more intelligent than this.

Quayle said...

Costco has USDA Prime available. Friend’s father used to be a ISDA beef grader. Says sometimes he’s even seen Choice at Costco that he would have rated Prime.

Anyway, got some really well marbled NY Strips. Get them room temperature or even warmer in a hot water bath (in plastic bag). Only use course kosher salt and course ground black pepper - plenty in each side. Most will cook off. Weber kettle grill. Kingsford professional charcoal. Once coals are ready, add large-ish hickory chucks to edge of coals and get them charred and smoking. Then 6- 7 minutes each side depending on thickness. Let stand for 5 mins.

The key is get the grill as hot as possible and cook room temperature or warmer meat. Never cook cold beef.

mockturtle said...

Ken B observes, re Instant Pot: Anything bean related is great.

I've always made [really] great chili but made in the I.P. it's ridiculously tasty.

Gahrie said...

most whites don't appreciate what it's like to go through life with no "old country" etc. while the rest of the world is vacationing back home and looking at your family coat of arms and shit - we go back to slavery and stop - that's reparational.) If we can map family trees, we can determine who gets reparations and who doesn't pretty easily.

It may surprise Crack but I kind of agree with him. American Blacks do deserve reparations. They're just trying to get them from the wrong people. They should be going after the African tribes who enslaved them and sold them to Europeans in the first place.

narciso said...

Spoiler nearly everyone at the ball, lincluding karelin ended up dead.

Narr said...

Crack, do you think reparations are closer now that the D's have swept the field?

In your view, will reparations trigger the civil war?

Narr
It seems plausible to me

Readering said...

AA creating a safe space for White People to write weird shit.


DavidUW said...

Crack,
I've been to Africa doing the roots thing.
It ain't all that.
Sorry.

Most white people in the USA haven't been to Europe either.

rhhardin said...

Reparations would be paid by blacks to whites, making up for how much better they're doing than they would have done in Africa.

DarigoldVanilla said...

Made some chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies. Crispy on the edges, soft in the middle. My mom always said to put an extra egg in every recipe, I did and as always, it’s a solid tip. These cookies are exquisite. Thanks mom!

Humperdink said...

"The key is get the grill as hot as possible and cook room temperature or warmer meat. Never cook cold beef."

My son educated on this for cooking venison. Thaw the frozen meat in the fridge. Prior to cooking, put meat out at room temp for 2 hours on a paper towel to drain the blood. Had a venison roast last night that was cooked in the crock pot. Cut with a fork.

Late archery in PA ends next Saturday. Hope to have another in the freezer by then.

Guildofcannonballs said...

First in line as the number one failure, I apologize to all.

Surely I had heard this many decades ago, and failed to promulgate.

Ergo ya get what ya had here, at the blog O The Althouse.

From https://www.lyricsmania.com/time_lyrics_pozo-seco_singers.html

"--Some people run, some people crawl Some people don`t even move at all Some roads lead forward Some roads lead back Some roads are bathed in light Some wrapped in fearful black Time, oh, time Where did you go Time, oh, good, good time Where did you go Some people never get Some never give Some people never die And some never live Some folks treat me mean Some treat me kind Most folks just go their way Don`t pay me any mind Time, oh, time Where did you go Time, oh, good, good time Where did you go Sometimes I`m satisfied Sometimes I`m not Sometimes my face is cold Sometimes it`s hot Sunset I laugh, sunrise I cry At midnight I`m in between and wondering why Time, oh, time Where did you go Time, oh, good, good time Where did you go Time, oh, time Where did you go Time, oh, good, good time Where did you go--"

Songwriters: PREMRO SMITH / T. JONES
Publisher: Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, REGENT MUSIC CORPORATION

Flat Tire said...

Update on sheep camp stove and biscuit adventure: Don't know how they got the little oven, about 7" by12", hot enough. "Burners" are old lids from big cans of coffee I think. Enjoying the fire and the process but don't have enough small pieces of wood to keep this up for long. Wine is good though.

Mr Wibble said...

Just cancelled my Prime membership. Will start looking for other ways to buy stuff. To hell with Bezos et al.

effinayright said...

Howard said...

Daughter came over for dinner last night and we watched The Talented Mr Ripley (1999), Joe Bob says check it out. I won trivial pursuit... The new game is geared towards genx and millennials so I'm happy.
**************

Of course you are. It's now loaded with triviality and trash.

I'm Not Sure said...

"I could go on. All the arguments against it are just more racist rubbish..."

Well, gee- great reasons for reparations, and all the arguments against are racist rubbish?

I see.

Mark said...

Just watched some Microsoft propaganda saying that this year, every teacher is "teacher of the year."

Sorry, but most teachers this year deserve to be fired and permanently banned from teaching precisely because they refused to teach and have done immeasurable damage to children this year.

effinayright said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
I'm Not Sure said...

Just watched some Microsoft propaganda saying that this year, every teacher is "teacher of the year."

Perhaps Microsoft could present them all with participation trophy certificates. A PDF they can print out and stick on their refrigerator sounds about right.

effinayright said...

Crack:

Oh, little things, like people telling me slavery was so long ago when the last Civil War widow just died. And then, the former slaves I learned slavery about, when I was a child in the 60s.
***********

"She married Private James Bolin — who fought with the 14th Missouri Cavalry and F Company — when she was 17 and he was 93 in September 1936."

So the War had been over for 70+ years when they were married, 84 years ago.


walter said...

Ezra Levant
Maple leaf
@ezralevant
·
2h
MARTIAL LAW: The province of Quebec, Canada is now under police rule. Every night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. no-one is allowed onto the streets. Police cars are driving through neighborhoods, sirens blaring, scanning for dissidents to arrest. $6,000 fines - enough to destroy families.

NCMoss said...

Abandon principles for potted plants and a pampered life says Althouse; this is not the way.

stephen cooper said...

I never weep. Jesus wept in the Garden of Gethsemane and, although I have my problems, Jesus had bigger problems - it is ok if He weeps in the Garden of Gethsemane, it is not ok if I weep in the dystopia I decided to live in.

I had many choices - I could have chosen a much easier life, with less negative cost to others than the costs people who ARE NEEDED BY OTHER PEOPLE are tasked with (trust me, I am talking to you ---- maybe I am wrong about the sort of person who persists past the first phrase or two of my comments, but trust me, I am almost never wrong about anything ---- SAD it would be a lot more fun to be wrong alot!!! oh well, we all have to live with our specific faults and merits IF YOU HAVE READ THIS FAR OF COURSE YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO IS NEEDED BY OTHER PEOPLE ----- the question answers itself, OF COURSE YOU ARE NEEDED)

Easiest really good meal is canned hash browns with fresh sour cream with a dash of pepper on top. Second easiest is Salade Nicoise - if you follow the instructions you cannot go wrong. Third easiest is also French, sole meuniere. Fourth easiest is eggs benedict without the bacon, Fifth easiest (although only eat this with friends) is steak au poivre with french fries.

CStanley said...

Blogger Ron Winkleheimer said...
I made butter nut squash soup and mixed in some left over pumpkin soup and some sour cream. Served with parmesan shavings, red pepper flakes, and good quality crackers.
Thanksgiving

A local restaurant serves an amazing butternut squash soup topped with spicy roasted pepitas. If you can get pepitas, I highly recommend trying them as a topping for such soups!

narciso said...

This in keeping to the leaked white paper dave cullen had noted.

CStanley said...

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...
Ok, so we have a new aquarium! 29 gallons, contains 13 pencilfish, 7 threadfin rainbows, and the obligatory corydoras catfish (3)/nerite snail (2) janitorial squad.


Hope all your Nerites are males!

narciso said...

Re mitigation strategies (grear reset)

stephen cooper said...

Everyone who has ever trolled me in these comments is very special to God, I do not care at all when someone argues with me in this sense ---- I KNOW THAT GOD LOVES THEM -----sorry if I did not tell you all that again and again, I always knew it, but that being said, AND I SAY THIS WITH ALL THE SERIOUSNESS OF WHICH I AM CAPABLE

SALADE NICOISE, if you use fresh ingredients and follow the simple instructions, IS PERFECT THE FIRST TIME YOU MAKE IT

Gahrie said...

Sorry, but most teachers this year deserve to be fired and permanently banned from teaching precisely because they refused to teach and have done immeasurable damage to children this year.

Some of us aren't allowed to. My district is mandating online learning to the end of the year, and I have to sign up a week in advance if I want to go into my classroom.

stephen cooper said...

narciso do you have any cigars to recommend? I used to think I could figure these things out on my own but the last few cigars I bought were only 20 percent good

The Crack Emcee said...

wholelottasplainin' said...

"So the War had been over for 70+ years when they were married, 84 years ago. "

They could've been married when the damn war started and it STILL wouldn't be a lot of time.

I lived in Yurp - stayed in a house built in 1235 - THAT'S a long time ago. And they can still do the history on it.

You guys, and your RELENTLESS attempts to defend the indefensible are maddening.

THat's what I meant by you're driving blacks crazy: you're not trying to fix America's problem - you're STILL intellectual cowards and underhanded assholes trying to find an out.

Blacks have no other country - you all do - so we're the ONLY group with American values and nothing else. Even the Indians got more than we do. So you guys are just trying to avoid living by the only values you gave us: American. And you're teaching us they don't mean shit to you. It's just shit you say. Right and wrong mean no more to you than the Clintons.

You ought to be ashamed.

CStanley said...

Hubs cooked my birthday meal today, my mom’s pot roast recipe.

Very easy, was likely from a Good Housekeeping magazine in the 70s.

Salt and pepper and then brown the roast. Put in pot with a jar of Catalina dressing, some red wine, and chopped celery, onions, and carrots. Add enough beef broth to bring up the liquid level and cook until falling apart (I’ve always used crock for 8+ hours but now we zap it in the Instant Pot for an hour and then set it on the slow cook mode for a few hours.)

When done, take the cooking liquid and cook on the stove with a packet of gravy mix.

Delicious!

Inga said...

“Made some chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies. Crispy on the edges, soft in the middle. My mom always said to put an extra egg in every recipe, I did and as always, it’s a solid tip. These cookies are exquisite. Thanks mom!”

Sounds delicious, I’ve been craving oatmeal cookies. You’ve inspired me to make some tomorrow, but I’ll add some golden raisin as well as some chocolate chips.

narciso said...

Afraid i cant help you on that, im not a smoker. Cigars or cigarettes, largely because of my families experience witb smoke aggravated illness and i dont like the taste

The Crack Emcee said...

Gahrie said...

"They should be going after the African tribes who enslaved them and sold them to Europeans in the first place."

Another sleazy attempt to wiggle out.

No African tribesman said "All Men Are Created Equal" and then went on acting like they weren't, you sick fucks.

What part of "you drive us crazy" with this bullshit are you not grasping?

stephen cooper said...

Crack emcee, you seem a little excitable.

Calm down.

God loves you.

stephen cooper said...

Listen, I have had more black girlfriends, have been in love with more black women, than Obama and Michael Jackson and Clarence Thomas put together.

Tell me again how much better you are than people like me, but say it nicely.

I'm Not Sure said...

"You ought to be ashamed."

I'm not. Your Civil War widow got married before my family ever set foot in this country. I don't owe blacks anything.

CStanley said...

Tried a breakfast recipe recently that was great...Martha Stewart’s strawberry oatmeal. Cook oats in mail (her recipe might have been cream) and then add chopped fresh strawberries, a bit of brown sugar, and a dollop of sour cream.....I was skeptical about the last but it’s scrumptious.

CStanley said...


“Made some chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies. Crispy on the edges, soft in the middle. My mom always said to put an extra egg in every recipe, I did and as always, it’s a solid tip. These cookies are exquisite. Thanks mom”

Interesting. Lately I’ve read a few sources recommending the addition of powdered milk to cookie recipes. Haven’t tried it yet.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

rhhardin said...
See how long Parler survives with no banking facilities or payroll services.

24 hours later: Amazon host bans Parler.

DarigoldVanilla said...

Raisins would have been good. I hope your cookies are delicious.

You made me look up SALADE NICOISE. Looks fantastic. Pretty damn healthy too!

narciso said...


Oops

https://mobile.twitter.com/julie_kelly2/status/1347914732431409154

stephen cooper said...

thanks anyway narciso ..... I have lots of Spanish speaking friends and almost none of them smoke cigars .....

even if you do not smoke cigars I love hearing what you have to say about the things you know about !!!!

Inga said...

“Interesting. Lately I’ve read a few sources recommending the addition of powdered milk to cookie recipes. Haven’t tried it yet.”

I’ve been using powdered buttermilk in my bread dough, gives the bread a nice flavor.

The Crack Emcee said...

Narr said...

"Crack, do you think reparations are closer now that the D's have swept the field?"

Closer? Maybe, but I thought we could get 'em - and it would've meant more if we had - from President Trump.

"In your view, will reparations trigger the civil war?"

The Civil War was started the minute Rachel Maddow went on national television in 2016 to announce the nation was in "Hell" and no one punished her, in any way, shape, or form. It was started when journalists decided they had to become "activists" because Trump was so special - even though Bill Clinton's rape accusations have been sitting there for 30 years (Juanita Broderick's have been investigated twice and found credible by Lisa Myers of MSNBC and Ronin Farrow) The Civil War was started the minute Barack Obama showed up with Oprah. It was started when he decided he was a stand-up comedian to ridicule Trump at the WH Correspondent's Dinner in 2015. It was started when Jim Carrey got a job playing Joe Biden to ridicule the President and nobody mentioned he was also a leader of the Hollywood antivaccine movement that had Trump sounding like a nut sometimes.

What I'm saying is, it's ON.

"Narr
It seems plausible to me"

They may pin it on reparations, but it's just white folks being mean, and blacks being ignorant, because whites STAY so mean.

They say it's the human condition.

DarigoldVanilla said...

Tried a breakfast recipe recently that was great...Martha Stewart’s strawberry oatmeal. Cook oats in mail (her recipe might have been cream) and then add chopped fresh strawberries, a bit of brown sugar, and a dollop of sour cream.....I was skeptical about the last but it’s scrumptious.

Damn! I’m in. Some good cooking going on in here.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

CStanley said...

Hope all your Nerites are males!

Not really a problem, the don't generally reproduce in fresh water.

The Crack Emcee said...

DavidUW said...

"Crack,
I've been to Africa doing the roots thing.
It ain't all that.
Sorry."

Why you assume your experience is transferable to anyone else's is just pure narcissism. Plus, I didn't say I wanted to do "the roots thing" (I'm not a cliche) I talked about the loss of not having authentic roots like everybody else. Being forced to live rootlessly.

"Most white people in the USA haven't been to Europe either."

Fool, most blacks don't leave they neighborhood.

Michael K said...

24 hours later: Amazon host bans Parler.

I quit Amazon Prime which I was a member of since they began. I wonder how many did so today.

The Crack Emcee said...

I'm Not Sure said...

"Well, gee- great reasons for reparations, and all the arguments against are racist rubbish?"

I see.

Its took you fools 150 years to admit the Civil War was over slavery. All y'all see is how to try and make snarky comments.

CStanley said...


Hope all your Nerites are males!

Not really a problem, the don't generally reproduce in fresh water.


They don’t reproduce but the females are still prolific egg layers (learned from experience).

The Crack Emcee said...

stephen cooper said...

"Crack emcee, you seem a little excitable.

Calm down.

God loves you."

There is no God.

And let's see: in the short time I've been here, what I've dedicated my life to has been called "hooey" and - since I don't want to detail it all - I'm stuck watching mental midgets trying to clever.

And now you think somebody made you hall monitor to tell others how to behave.

If there is a God, he hates me here.

The Crack Emcee said...

I'm Not Sure said...

"Your Civil War widow got married before my family ever set foot in this country. I don't owe blacks anything."

Admitting you don't understand what it means to be a citizen of your own country is nothing to feel proud of, you moron.

The flag was here before you got here, too, but you still salute it. Your obligations to the nation aren't determined by how pigheaded you can be.

FullMoon said...

"Ain't that pity?
Lord, I declare it's a cryin shame.."


FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Patrick said...

I've been making succotash lately, after reading an 19th century journal about a German fur trapper. It has inspired me to want to open a casual succotash restaurant like chipotle.

stephen cooper said...

Damn Crack that was serious anger !!!
No, I just want you to be the best you can be ---- if you want some advice on how to make black women happy to have a good man love them, I can help out.

All the God stuff is between you and God, of course, but please, my young friend, don't think any of us are buying all this nonsense about how SAD you are that you were born black instead of being born into some other ethnicity ---- GOD LOVES BLACK PEOPLE AS MUCH AS GOD LOVES ANY OF HIS CHILDREN EVERY BLACK PERSON IS JUST AS LUCKY TO BE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN AS ANY OTHER PERSON

Tell me again how much better than you are than me, but remember, I know this.... God exists, and loves us all.

Anyway, thanks anyway, it is nice to talk to someone with convictions, pretended or not. The first 100 times I read a comment of yours I figured you were some instructor at a community college,pretending to be someone you are not ..... now I don't know, I AM A LITTLE CONCERNED that you did not ask me for advice after I bragged a little more than I usually do ..... maybe you really mean what you say? Anyway, feel free to ask for advice.

AND NO God does not hate you, I have my intellectual and spiritual faults, but I know who God doesn't hate, and for sure He don't hate you.

The Crack Emcee said...

I just want y'all to notice:

I came on the blog to commune with you tonight, talking good solid Tea Party-type stuff because the left is out of control, and - already - you assholes are backing me in a corner about race.

Like I said, you ought to be ashamed.

ALP said...

The boyfriend made Snert today (look it up!). Much easier recipe than it looks - mostly making sure it doesn't boil over. I reccomend!

narciso said...

These ravagers are about to raze this country to the ground, with their lockdowns gun confiscations persecutions of christians (and orthodox) wrap your heas around that.
They are also going to kill the golden goose in terms of grain production and put the evil oil powers back in charge.

stephen cooper said...

I give advice away free but then I delete the advice-giving comment.

It's complicate.

narciso said...

Ot what carp they made of terry pratchetts work.

I'm Not Sure said...

"Admitting you don't understand what it means to be a citizen of your own country is nothing to feel proud of, you moron.

The flag was here before you got here, too, but you still salute it. Your obligations to the nation aren't determined by how pigheaded you can be."


I'm sure you thought that was a logical argument. You must be so proud.

stephen cooper said...

the best fantasy adaptation was THE TWO TOWERS, closely followed by HARVEY, closely followed by HOGANS HEROES ----- bravery IN MIDDLE EARTH, bravery in an unnamed town that was not Akron OHIO and bravery ---- the heart wants to say, kennst du das land wo die zitronen blumen????

J. Farmer said...

@Joe Smith:

Indica or sativa?

Pro tip: go for strains that are marketed as "hybrids." A few reasons: (1) all available strains are hybrids; "indica" or "sativa" only identifies which strain it is most genetically similar to (2) the stimulating (sativa) vs relaxing (indica) dichotomy is mostly bogus (3) strains marketed as "hybrid" are designed to produce certain effects and are often a better guide than merely identifying if a strain is sativa(-like) or indica(-like).

stephen cooper said...

"There's a cottage camp just outside of Akron with a grove of maple trees. Green, clear, beautiful."



"Just Akron, beer, and you poor poor dear? Wouldn't that eventually get a little tiresome"?

J. Farmer said...

@Narr:

In your view, will reparations trigger the civil war?

Not asked to me, but in my view we've been in a cold civil war for over half a century. It's only ebbed and flowed in intensity.

narciso said...

I think peter jackson did a pretty good job with the first series, the second not ao much hogans heroes came after stalag 17? holden's chatacter was much like hogan.

DavidUW said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mrs. X said...

I came on the blog to commune with you tonight, talking good solid Tea Party-type stuff because the left is out of control, and - already - you assholes are backing me in a corner about race.

I’m sorry things took this turn. I enjoy your commentary.

DavidUW said...

Maybe you should get out more, Crack.

I got out of the shittiest ghetto in Milwaukee. Good ol' Gwen Moore of the 'Rona district. Got voucher, go to catholic school, get a real HS education.

Get athletic scholarship at UW, get out to California...

Get new tax residence in Miami.

Get new passport from St. Kitt's.

It's all good. Maybe it's just fine to live rootlessly and enjoy your own life you made for yourself.

J. Farmer said...

@The Crack Emcee:

I came on the blog to commune with you tonight, talking good solid Tea Party-type stuff because the left is out of control, and - already - you assholes are backing me in a corner about race.

Like I said, you ought to be ashamed.


You ought to be unsurprised. Don't you know the only problem with the black community is LBJ and that we talk about slavery too much? That's the GOP's "answer" to leftwing racial politics.

Gahrie said...

I came on the blog to commune with you tonight, talking good solid Tea Party-type stuff because the left is out of control, and - already - you assholes are backing me in a corner about race.

"It's just this war and that lying son of a bitch, Johnson!"

stephen cooper said...

I have a few friends who have met actors and actresses and Broadway types, from Garbo to Wodehouse and beyond, my one friend who met Holden was totally impressed.

My favorite scene is where the dog does not even care that the dog house is being lifted up DOGS ARE THE BEST

Gahrie said...

You ought to be unsurprised. Don't you know the only problem with the black community is LBJ and that we talk about slavery too much? That's the GOP's "answer" to leftwing racial politics.

I suppose the bigotry of low expectations and poverty plantations are better?

narciso said...

He really did seem down to earth from sunset boulevard down ti network even a stunker like the omen sequel

stephen cooper said...

Robert Clary is the actor who signals to the Alsatian dogs to be calm and quiet ....

my friend who met Mitchum was a blond young woman, but more in the secretary line than in the super hot young woman line ---- well it is what is is, some people thought she was hot and I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT ---- and she said that Mitchum, who she had never seen in a movie before she met him, came across as very kind, thoughtful and charismatic.

stephen cooper said...

Robert Clary
Ginger
Paul and Ringo
Jethro
Olivia de Havilland
Bobby Doerr
Sandy Koufax
Shatner and Takei and Chekhov
Gomez and Wednesday
Ed Asner and Betty White
Benny Carter
Paul Weiss


ou sont les neiges d'antan

narciso said...

Takei really, well times change.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Don't be mad, Crack. I like you and we're on the same side on so many things. Can we be friends?

stephen cooper said...

Takei is also one of the very very few living males who costarred with Wayne --- there is also Robert Duvall, who lives near me, and poor little Ronnie Howard, who has been coopted and does not know it

Takei - played a Viet special forces dude in Green Berets
Duvall - the villian in True Grit
poor Ronnie Howard --- Wayne's protege in The Shooter, filmed while Wayne was dying of cancer

narciso said...


What a difference four months make


https://mobile.twitter.com/ezralevant/status/1348065838515982339

stephen cooper said...

There are many living women who costarred with Wayne, women live longer than men

narciso said...

Yes i remember green berets, the others not so much.

stephen cooper said...
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stephen cooper said...
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FullMoon said...

Whitney Houston said Crack is whack. I misunderstood her to mean it was a bad thing.

It was the white man who brought crack to the 'hood. Many entrepreneurs became wealthy by bringing pain to their brethren. They didn't care.

Now, heroin kings were more respected. Jesse Jackson and other notables attended Felix Mitchell's funeral in Oakland because he was a class act.

mandrewa said...

Romanian TVee: Facebook is erasing privacy on WhatsApp

Facebook will now have access to every user's private data.

Achilles said...

Michael K said...

24 hours later: Amazon host bans Parler.

I quit Amazon Prime which I was a member of since they began. I wonder how many did so today.

Not enough for them to care.

mandrewa said...

Here's Boston Dynamic's version of Do you love me?

It has garnered 25 million views in just 11 days.

Rory said...

"one of the very very few living males who costarred with Wayne --"

Bruce Dern in The Cowboys
James Caan in El Dorado

bagoh20 said...

I no longer use Facebook, Twitter, NYT, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, Spotify, etc., and I'm trying to wean off of Google and Amazon. I doubt that using Blogger is in my best interests anymore. It used to be awesome. I remember the community we had the, the good times, the debates, the exploration and the meeting diverse people and ideas, including some that changed my mind. I've been thankful and humbled by that.

Now, this is the place I find people that I feel most alienated by and toward. People and mindsets that I just cannot understand or tolerate in my life. I don't see that as much in my real life. I don't have enough time left to waste on the the lies and the tolerance for them. I miss what we had, but it ain't coming back. The force that ruins all things it touches has ruined this too. All I have left is the pursuit and defense of truth and humanity. I never thought so many others cared so little for that, but for me I have no choice. I really admire some of you for who you are and what I have learned from you. Thank you.

effinayright said...
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narciso said...

The hardware isnt the problem, its the malware that has rendered people unable to think to discern to analyze.thats a much more epistemological quandary.

Gospace said...

Crack, I agree with you about the perniciousness of New Age thought. It damages everybody and every institution that falls for it. As do any cults, such as Scientology. Part of why New Age is successful is because people don't educate their children any more in their own old time religion. It's been said a few different ways by many, and it's true, that if you don't bring your children up to believe in God and a particular set of religious beliefs- they'll end up believing anything.

As for the Civil war- there were two reasons for fighting it. Lincoln's reason- to preserve the Union. The South's reason- to preserve slavery. If Lincoln had said the reason we were fighting was to free the slaves- the war would have been over in 6 months with the CSA firmly established as an independent nation. Reality 101- slavery existed in the border states. Reality 102- to ultimately preserve the Union, slavery had to be eradicated. But that became a goal as the war was winding down, not as it started. Slavery is antithetical to the Declaration of Independence and everyone on both sides knew it. But slavery isn't mentioned in the original Constitution and Bill of Rights. Slavery predated independence, and attempting to end it at the start would have ended the independence movement before it started. But I sincerely doubt that anyone who signed the Declaration of Independence was ignorant of the fact the slavery issue was going to have to be dealt with in the future.

The leaders of the CSA and many of the secession declarations were quite clear that the purpose of secession was to preserve slavery. Therefore any was that happened would be because of slavery, whether that was the stated reason for both sides or not. The "it was about state's rights" people are ignoring the fact it was only about one state right- slavery. Were there other factors? Economic, taxes, or something? Of course there were- there always are other issues. But the issue was then, and looking back at it today with all we know, the issue is was and is- slavery.

You do realize that recent African immigrants look down on American slave descended blacks, don't you? rom their point of view, American blacks are descended from losers, because that's how they ended up slaves. The males that didn't end up being sold as slaves would have ended up dead. The females? Other uses for them... Some, if not most, would have lived.

Gospace said...

Oh, on the ancestor and family origin thing- I call BS. From the same starting point of my maternal 6th great-grandparents born about 1700 in Virginia I can trace over 1700 descendants with their surname, and the white descendants include soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, in ranks from private to colonel, no flag ranks, preachers, lawyers, elected officials, drug addicts and alcoholics, prohibitionists and rumrunners (the latter my grandfather), inmates in both jails and asylums, businessmen, doctors and nurses, suicides, accidental deaths, overdoses, deaths from old age and murder. Among the black descendants- and yes I have quite a few black relatives, all the same- except sailors (and rum runners...). Haven't found any of those yet, merchant or Navy. Have a lot of both in the white relations, including me. But it's my mother's surname, not mine... One of the airmen among the black relatives is a Tuskeegee Airman.

And all those blacks- since they are also descended from that same couple share ancestry with me from our common ancestral home- the British isles. Two major sets of black relatives- those descended from one ancestral relative whose wife died and postwar continued living with his black housekeeper- and having children with her also. They couldn't get married- Virginia law prohibited that. But she inherited the house after he died and post death she was addressed as Mrs. P- his surname. I will note that in that particular area of Virginia this wasn't uncommon, though not usual. And no one bothered them- he was part of a large important family. The other large group from a single relative who according to one black lady had children with 30 different slave women. She didn't list them. I've traced 5. Apparently a few of his children postwar changed their surname... and I haven't been able to trace them. He had one child with his wife. He was disinherited- his share of the estate went to his son with one of his brothers guardian of the funds. Such behavior was actually frowned upon in Virginia.

Doesn't matter where you start out at in life, or who your ancestors were or where they came from. It matters what you do with your life.

I worked for the prison system for a few years, and was often forced to have an inmate assistant. One of them when I was in my 50s was a black, about my age. Half of his adult life had been in prison, a year or two at a time. Never any violent offenses. Took all the self esteem course as required for inmate. (I think an argument can be made that the self esteem movement is new agey....) He had lots of self esteem. Used to tell me what a great father he was. He had 10 children by 10 different women. (according to him.) Never married. All the boys were were in jail, or had been, and all the girls were single mothers on welfare. But he was a great father. I'm not convinced I was all that good a father, I have 5. The oldest a USMA graduate, the youngest in college ROTC and will be commissioned in May, 4 boys and a girl, and the 3 in between are all successful in life. Are you willing to say that 10 children by 10 mothers in the 1990s was the result of slavery that ended in 1865? I'd say he simply made piss poor life decisions, and was aided by 10 women doing the same thing.

BudBrown said...

Dont eat the elephant hear. That stuff use to be all over. We use to cut the stuff up and pretend we were living in the wild. I wasn't there the day my friend ate the stuff but his telling about garnering a stomach pumping was interesting.

Joan said...

Poor Crack, he pops in with some wisdom only to be met with typical commenter obstinance.

I suppose this is piling on,Crack, but what makes you think most non-black people 1) have deep roots anywhere other than where they are now and 2) ever really leave their neighborhood?

You surprise me by sticking so tightly to your claim it’s racists all the way down, when you know full well that it’s class ($$$) that’s the great divider.

Last time I cried was the thousandth time I ran into a brick wall trying to figure out how to deliver science curriculum to my 7th and 8th grade students who can’t work in groups and can’t share materials, some of whom are in person and some of whom are at home and joining the class via Zoom. THEY are supposed to do all the cool stuff, not just watch someone else do it. My frustration is a constant companion.

Cooking? Really slowed down after going back to school this week, but I made a whole Thanksgiving-style turkey dinner for my son who missed T-day with us but got to come home for Christmas. Since then I’ve been foraging through the freezer for leftovers and easy meals. Really impressed by the quality of Trader Joe’s frozen chicken breasts.

James K said...

Pointing out he said "cases", not deaths, or paralysis, or allergic reactions, or impromptu singing of show tunes.

Anyway, the death rate has edged up there, and deaths lag cases by a week or two, so Ireland seems a pretty strong data point against the efficacy of lockdowns.

exhelodrvr1 said...
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