Daily Entries for the week of
Sunday, January 16, 2022
through
Saturday, January 22, 2022
__________________________________________________________
It’s Saturday, January 22, 2022
Welcome to the 1,333rd consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
_____________________________________
Lead Picture*
Activision
Activision headquarters in Santa Monica, California
w:User:Coolcaesar - Own work
_____________________________________
Commentary
The sauna was delivered and the work to get it upstairs was prodigious, at least for two guys whom together, were age 162 years.
But the assembly of the sauna, a couple of days later, was done single-handedly by a much-younger man with an uncanny repertoire of construction and architectural talents. He did it in two hours with the most tangential assistance from yours truly.
It looks custom-designed for the space.
The question now becomes: how will it impact my daily life?
The first evening alone with the sauna, feeling a bit cool, I used it for ten minutes.
Perfect.
So we’ll see.
______________________________________
Reading and Writing
I am now into the biggest section of edits for the Filling Hell, the first book of the Conflicted series. These edits are from my cracker-jack professional young editor. They are right on target. The work will take me about a week.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
If you genuinely want something,
don't wait for it —
teach yourself to be impatient.
~Gurbaksh Chahal
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
Lamb shanks for dinner on Thursday.
So good.
The thing about cooking is to allow enough time.
Making a braise or a stew requires time.
I love to make these after dinner when the night looms long in front of me.
Over my lowest flame, I heat my three fats: olive oil, bacon, and duck fat.
Then I go about my work for 5 minutes.
Then I add the lamb shanks and set the timer for 10 or 12 minutes.
And go about my work.
When the lamb is really brown, then I turn them, set the timer, etc.
Same for the vegetables.
Slow. No hurry. Feels so nice.
I seem to get a lot of non-kitchen work done while I cook, and by the time I’m ready for bed the stew or braise is perfectly cooked and in the refrigerator.
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Jack and the packaged sauna
Between Jack and I we are 162 years old
Unpacking this baby was a project.
_________________________________
Short Essay*
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. It was founded in July 2008 through the merger of Activision, Inc. (the publicly traded parent company of Activision Publishing) and Vivendi Games. It is traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol ATVI, and since 2015 has been a member of the S&P 500 Index. Activision Blizzard currently includes five business units: Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, King, Major League Gaming, and Activision Blizzard Studios.
The company owns and operates additional subsidiary studios, as part of Activision Publishing, including Treyarch, Infinity Ward, High Moon Studios, and Toys for Bob.[6] Among major intellectual properties produced by Activision Blizzard are Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk's, Spyro, Skylanders, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, and Candy Crush Saga. Under Blizzard Entertainment, it invested in esports initiatives around several of its games, most notably Overwatch and Call of Duty. Activision Blizzard's titles have broken a number of release records. As of March 2018, it was the largest game company in the Americas and Europe in terms of revenue and market capitalization.
The company has also been involved in multiple notable controversies, including allegations of infringed patents and unpaid royalties. In late July 2021, it was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on allegations of sexual harassment and employee discrimination. The suit triggered an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, multiple workplace walkouts, the resignation or dismissal of several employees, the loss of multiple company event sponsors, and hundreds of workplace harassment allegations.
Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion on January 18, 2022. Activision Blizzard would become a division of Microsoft Gaming, making Microsoft the third largest gaming company (behind Tencent and Sony).
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________________________________________________
It’s Friday, January 21, 2022
Welcome to the 1,332nd consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
_____________________________________
Lead Picture*
Las Tarascas
AlejandroLinaresGarcia - Own work
View of the Las Tarascas Fountain in Morelia, Mexico
______________________________________
Commentary
One of my good friends, from our college days, reminds me that it takes a village to not only raise children but to produce something creative.
He’s referring to my manuscript which has a group of four very talented individuals participating in sequences ranging from dreams to sci-fi, from macro to micro-editing, options, etc. I feel lucky and empowered.
______________________________________
Reading and Writing
I am learning the technology of converting a PDF file sent as an attachment to a Work doc.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today.
As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work."
~Thomas J. Watson
_____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This from one of my oldest friends, and I mean from when Lorenzo ruled Florence, Dr. Mike A:
Dom,
This will get you four free COVID tests.
This is the right one - :)
https://special.usps.com/testkits
Mike
Blog meister responds: I clicked the link and can say that you cannot get easier than that. Thank you, Mike.
____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
Wednesday dinner was a delightful visit to Douzo for a bowl of Nabeyaki Udon and some sashimi with a bit of brown rice. It hit the spot.
Dinner out to celebrate the successful installation of the Sauna.
___________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Sauna installed
_________________________________
Short Essay*
The Fuente de las Tarascas (Las Tarascas Fountain) is a fountain, sculpture and landmark installed in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. The original work was created by Antonio Silva Díaz and Benigno Lara and was installed in 1931 in the intersection of Francisco I. Madero Avenue [es] and Acueducto Avenue, in the historic center of the city. The fountain had three colorful concrete statues that depicted three bare-chested, kneeling women holding a basket of fruits. The sculpture was replaced in 1965 by another work.
In 1984, a similar work, but sculpted in bronze by José Luis Padilla Retana, was installed where the original sculpture used to be placed. It features the same subject, but it is now believed to represent three Purépecha (externally known as "Tarascan") princesses named Atzimba, Eréndira and Tzetzangari. Like the original work, they are bare-chested and hold a basket of regional fruits.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________________________________________________
It’s Thursday, January 20, 2022
Welcome to the 1,331st consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
_____________________________________
Lead Picture*
Klaus Barbie
For the most part, this man got away with committing acts of genocide.
ADRML, 4544 W 23
Section de recherche de la Gendarmerie nationale de Lyon - Archives du département du Rhône et de la métropole de Lyon
______________________________________
Commentary
While I was buying crabs a couple of days ago, Hook’s had Cape Cod bay scallops for sale. They were always expensive. But today’s price made my lose my breath: $53.00 a pound. Fifty-three dollars.
God bless salmon: a fish miracle, delicious and half the price of most other fish.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
You know you are on the road to success
if you would do your job and not be paid for it.
~Oprah Winfrey
____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Today’s emails were mostly on this issue: since I have divided my manuscript into two books, should the pagination of the second book (and the chapters) begin where the first book leaves off? Or start again from page 1?
Blog meister responds: The consensus: start with page one. And chapter one.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
Tuesday night I had a pizza.
I bought the vegan offering @ W Foods.
To that, I added a bit of tomato sauce, parmigiana cheese, fresh basil, sliced onions and red bell, jalapeno, a meatball, and mozzarella cheese.
Not vegan any more but quite delicious.
___________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
day before boston marathon 2021 copley sq finish line
________________________________
Short Essay*
Nikolaus "Klaus" Barbie (25 October 1913 – 25 September 1991) was a German member of the NSDAP, known as the "Butcher of Lyon" for having personally tortured prisoners of the Gestapo—primarily Jews and members of the French Resistance—while stationed in Lyon under the collaborationist Vichy regime. After the war, United States intelligence services, which employed him for his anti-Marxist efforts, aided his escape to Bolivia, where he advised the regime on how to repress opposition through torture.
The West German Intelligence Service later recruited him. Barbie is suspected of having had a role in the Bolivian coup d'état orchestrated by Luis García Meza in 1980. After the fall of the dictatorship, Barbie no longer had the protection of the government in La Paz. In 1983, he was extradited to France, where he was convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison. Although he had been sentenced to death in absentia in both 1947 and 1954, capital punishment was abolished in France on 9 October 1981. Barbie died of cancer in prison on 25 September 1991 at age 77.
Thanks to the protection of US intelligence agencies, Barbie paid a pittance for his crimes against humanity.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________________________________________________
It’s Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Welcome to the 1,330th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
_____________________________________
Lead Picture*
South Island oystercatcher
JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) - Own work
South Island Oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi), Point Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand
______________________________________
Commentary
Ageing is drop by drop. The latest is my continuing downsizing of certain foods.
These two, integral to my entire past life.
Coffee. My morning coffee used to be three cups.
Ten years ago I was forced to cut it to two cups.
Five years ago I started to split my coffee beans from regular only to half regular and half decaf beans and I cut my intake from 16oz to 12oz.
Recently, I found that I wasn’t finishing the 12oz.
As of three days ago, I cut my intake by 25% or 9oz. But, as an enhancement to the flavor,
I reduced only the decaf beans, making my morning coffee 75% regular beans, and 25% decaf.
The rationale is that there is nothing physical prompting my reduction so I had no reason to cut the intake of caffeine. I do greatly prefer the taste of regular coffee to decaf.
_____________________________________
Reading and Writing
I am successfully returning to my manuscript after being knocked off my earlier rhythm.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.
~Winston Churchill
_____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Got a text from a dear friend joining the chorus of those counseling cautions re: my use of ibuprofen. Also suggesting relaxation may be the reason I slept so soundly.
Blog meister responds: I am totally convinced that I need to call my med team as soon as they open on Tuesday morning.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
Dinner on Sunday was duck legs and kale soup.
I made a vat of kale soup and have been using it as my vegetable intake for the last week.
With its large dietary fiber content and reasonable calories, it’s a perfect diet component.
Of course, it is also delicious and an obviously easy-to-prepare course.
___________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Produce in small NH town Fall 2021
_________________________________
Short Essay*
The South Island oystercatcher or South Island pied oystercatcher is one of the two common oystercatchers found in New Zealand. Its name is often contracted to the acronym "SIPO" (rhyming with "typo"). The indigenous Māori name is tōrea. The scientific name commemorates the German ethnographer, naturalist and colonial explorer Friedrich Hermann Otto Finsch (8 August 1839 – 31 January 1917, Braunschweig)
The South Island oystercatcher is easily identifiable as a pied oystercatcher – a large wader with striking black and white plumage, long red-orange bill, and red legs. It is distinguished from the pied morph of the variable oystercatcher by a white lower back, more white on the wing, and a demarcation line of black and white further forward on the breast, and from the pied oystercatcher of Australia by a longer bill and shorter legs, as well as the forward demarcation line of white on the back being pointed rather than square. It is 46 cm in length; its wingspan is 80–86 cm; it weighs 550 g.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________________________________________________
It’s Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Welcome to the 1,329th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
______________________________________
Lead Picture*
Dom Perignon
Statue of Dom Pérignon at Moët et Chandon
Victor Grigas - Own work
Moët & Chandon caves
______________________________________
Commentary
Did I fall into something good?
Last night, after success the night before, I took 10mg of melatonin and 600 mg ibuprofen.
Same result.
The most spectacular two sleeps in my long life.
I hope this holds up.
Must call my medical team.
_____________________________________
Reading and Writing
I regained control of my schedule (After losing it to apartment work) and
this morning wrote a piece to the manuscript that had been on my mind. It felt good,
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
Don't be afraid to give up the good
to go for the great.
~John D. Rockefeller
_____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
My friend from outside of Boston advises me to eat or drink something with the ibup rofen to protect my stomach. Esp regarding a high dosage and an extended period.
She has a point.
Blog meister responds: I will call my medical team tomorrow and get an opinion.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
Saturday night I started a marinade for two duck legs: rice vinegar, juniper berries, ginger, etc.
Sunday morning I slow roasted the legs @ 200* for half an hour.
Then I wiped the duck of the marinade and, skin side down, slowly fried the legs in their own fat.
Took 30 min to get skin wonderfully brown and crisp.
___________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Musician at Public Garden
Statue of Dom Pérignon at Moët et Chandon
Victor Grigas - Own work
Moët & Chandon caves
_________________________________
Short Essay*
Dom Pérignon is a brand of vintage Champagne. It is named after Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who was an important quality pioneer for Champagne wine but who, contrary to popular myths, did not discover the Champagne method for making sparkling wines.
Dom Pérignon (1638–1715) was a monk and cellar master at the Benedictine abbey in Hautvillers. He pioneered a number of winemaking techniques around 1670—being the first to blend grapes in such a way as to improve the quality of wines, balance one element with another in order to make a better whole, and deal with a number of their imperfections; perfecting the art of producing clear white wines from black grapes by clever manipulation of the presses; enhancing the tendency of Champagne wines to retain their natural sugar in order to naturally induce secondary fermentation in the spring; being a master at deciding when to bottle these wines in order to capture the bubble. He also introduced corks (instead of wood), which were fastened to bottles with hemp string soaked in oil in order to keep the wines fresh and sparkling, and used thicker glass in order to strengthen the bottles (which were prone to explode at that time).[2] The development of sparkling wines as the main style of production in Champagne occurred progressively in the 19th century, more than a century after Dom Pérignon's death.
The first vintage of Dom Pérignon was 1921 and was only released for sale in 1936, sailing to New York in the liner Normandie.[3] The brand, not exploited, was given by Champagne Mercier to Moët in 1927 for a wedding between the two families.
In 1935, 300 bottles of a 1926-vintage precursor to Dom Pérignon were sold to Simon Bros. & Co., the company that imported Moët in the United Kingdom, who gave two bottles to each of their 150 best customers to commemorate their centenary. While these bottles were almost identical to the subsequent Dom Pérignon releases, they did not display the Dom Pérignon name, rather "Champagne specially shipped for Simon Brothers & Co's Centenary 1835-1935." The wine got immediate attention in the marketplace and 100 boxes of the 1921 vintage were shipped to the United States shortly thereafter, this time displaying the Dom Pérignon name.[4] James Buchanan Duke, the billionaire who had founded the American Tobacco Company, ordered 100 bottles for himself. The 17 bottles sold at an auction in Christie's in New York City in June 2004 were part of that order (Doris Duke, the billionaire’s daughter, had kept them in her cellar). According to current Dom Pérignon cellar master Richard Geoffroy (2012), who has been Chef de Cave for Dom Pérignon since 1990, the 1921 vintage had a "distinctive bouquet comprising sandalwood, vanilla and praline".
Until the 1943 vintage, Dom Pérignon was produced from regular vintage Moët & Chandon Champagne that was transferred to the special 18th century-style bottles after extended cellaring. It was, thus, effectively an "oenothèque" release of Moët & Chandon Vintage Champagne in a different bottle. From the 1947 vintage, Dom Pérignon has been produced separately from the start.
In 1971, the Shah of Iran ordered several bottles of the first vintage of Dom Pérignon Rosé (the 1959) for the 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire. A bottle of that champagne, from that order, was sold at auction for €24,758 in 2008.
In 1981, Dom Pérignon was chosen for the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles. The magnums of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 served on that July 29 carried a special insignia created just for the ceremony.
Dom Pérignon is always a vintage champagne, meaning that it is not made in weak years, and all grapes used to make the wine were harvested in the same year.
From 1921 to 2009, Dom Pérignon champagne has been produced in 43 vintages. More than two vintage years in a row is a rare phenomenon, which until 2006 had only occurred three times: 1969–1971, 1998–2000,and 2002–2006 (the first time five vintages were produced in a row). The 2008 vintage was the first released out of sequence, after the 2009 vintage.
The 44 white Dom Pérignon vintages up to 2010 are: 1921, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Since 1959 a rosé version of Dom Pérignon is also produced. 26 Dom Pérignon Rosé vintages have been produced until 2006: 1959, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986 (the only rosé vintage where the white version was not produced), 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Dom Pérignon is always an assemblage of Pinot noir and Chardonnay grapes, although the final composition changes every vintage: at times a blend in perfectly equal proportions (e.g. 1990 Rosé), at times up to 60% Chardonnay (1982) or 60% Pinot noir (1969), and only once going over 60% (with 65% Chardonnay in 1970).[12] According to Richard Geoffroy's Manifesto and blog: "Dom Pérignon expresses its first plénitude after seven years in the cellar", with a second plénitude 12 to 15 years after the vintage (first Œnothèque release, now referred to as P2) and a third plénitude after 30 to 40 years (second Œnothèque release, now referred to as P3). Around 2016, the producer stopped using the Œnothèque designation and started labeling new plénitude releases as P2 or P3, providing more clarity to the disgorgement date than the Œnothèque designation. The grapes entering the blend come from the best, most sunlit sites. Serena Sutcliffe comments: "With age, Dom Pérignon takes on a totally seductive fresh-toast-and-coffee bouquet, one of the most intriguing scents in Champagne."
The number of bottles produced in each vintage is not precisely defined, although it is at least 5 million bottles.
As of July 2020, the current release of Dom Pérignon is from the 2010 vintage and the current release of Dom Pérignon Rosé is from the 2006 vintage.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________________________________________________
It’s Monday, January 17, 2022
Welcome to the 1,328th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
_____________________________________
Lead Picture*
Time Bandits
This is a poster for Time Bandits. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the film, Avco Embassy Pictures, the publisher of the film or the graphic artist. Further details: Time Bandits theatrical poster from 1981.
http://www.impawards.com/1981/time_bandits.html
____________________________________
Commentary
Lately stepping on the scale has been a positive experience for me. I ascribe this to two recent developments. One is my rhythmic eating in the 16 hours off, 8 hours on eating pattern, now a way of life for me. The other is the realization that I was eating too much protein and not enough plant-based foods. I earlier posted of the troubles I was having with my regularity.
Those issues led me to adjust my diet towards high-fiber beans and greens. Once I learned to control quantities, my weight began to come down. Sweet.
_____________________________________
Reading and Writing
I lost a couple of days wrestling my sauna up to my apartment.
I did make good progress talking to three contributors about the manuscript.
____________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
Try not to become a man of success.
Rather become a man of value.
~Albert Einstein
_____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
I posted that I was reading Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler.
Jim P sent this reaftion:
I read it…! All of her books and stories are interesting and often involve inter-species sex and rape – sort of like my Hys. I like her short stories better than her novels. Maybe she was my unconscious inspiration. But I honestly think your world building is better than hers.
Blog meister responds: Thank you, Jim.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
Saturday I made a delicious turkey club sandwich for dinner.
I had a bowl of kale and bean soup to start.
That was a terrific lunch.
_________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Sidewalk art NYC December 2021
________________________________
Short Essay*
Time Bandits is a 1981 British fantasy adventure film co-written, produced, and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Peter Vaughan, and David Warner.
Gilliam has referred to Time Bandits as the first in his "Trilogy of Imagination", followed by Brazil (1985) and ending with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). All are about the "craziness of our awkwardly ordered society and the desire to escape it through whatever means possible". All three films focus on these struggles and attempts to escape them through imagination: Time Bandits through the eyes of a child, Brazil through the eyes of a man in his thirties, and Munchausen through the eyes of an elderly man.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________________________________________________
It’s Sunday, January 16, 2022
Welcome to the 1,327th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
______________________________________
Lead Picture*
Imaginarium of doctor parnassus ver3
Description: Movie poster for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ciB125urd8M/UYlK8kjjQoI/AAAAAAAAzB0/_SCeT-8zwJM/s1600/imaginarium_of_doctor_parnassus_ver3.jpg
______________________________________
Commentary
So after that ridiculous amount of work of receiving, uncrating, and delivering my disassembled sauna from tailgate into my apartment, I fully expected to wake this morning in agony.
That in mind, last night I took a prescription-strength Advil which I had from the time I seriously cut my knee. Didn’t need the help then but kept the pills for a rainy day.
Last night I took one as a pre-emptive step to this morning’s agony.
Agony never arrived.
Not a twinge. Remember that I abused every part of my body. As a regular 80-year-old wakeup I hurt somewhere. Today, not an ache.
What do you make of that?
The Advil?
I don’t know what else.
Not only that, but I slept extremely well.
I’ve got to think about this.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at them.
~David Brinkley
_____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Jim P has been busy. Here are some recent excerpts from is letters.
“I love this line: “I think the refrigerator is a serious enemy of flavor.”
If we do a book of ‘quotable quotes of Dom C’ then this one will be at the top. We should start collecting them 😊”
And again:
Dom,
Pan’s Labyrinth is a great movie.
Very powerful and provoking.
I have used it in my dream courses. We view and analyze it using a dream a student had after watching it and also drawing on Jung’s notion of archetypes.
Jim
And again,
Hi Dom,
First, I’m glad you are feeling better…(Having children) I can say that something is/was going around. So far, me and Alisa have ben spared.
Second, I’m glad you found that editor. Can’t wait till the book is ready.
Third, I had two questions:
1. You said someone recommended a SF book for you on world building. You did not mention the title of the book. What was it?
2. When exactly is your birthday?
Best wishes,
Jim
Blog meister responds: Jim, thank you for sharing so freely with us. March 9, 1942; the Parable of the Sower.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
Friday I made Braised Lamb Shanks with carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes, red wine, basil, chicken stock, garlic, et al.
It was significantly delicious.
____________________________________
Community Photos**
window display nyc dec 2021 #8
________________________________
Short Essay*
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a 2009 fantasy film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown. The film follows a travelling theatre troupe whose leader, having made a bet with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations and present them with a choice between self-fulfilling enlightenment or gratifying ignorance.
The film stars Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Verne Troyer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, though Ledger's death one-third of the way through filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledger's role was recast with Depp, Law, and Farrell portraying transformations of Ledger's character as he travels through a dream world; the film marks Ledger's final film performance, and was dedicated to him and co-producer William Vince.
The film made its world premiere during the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, out of competition. The film, which cost $30 million to make, grossed more than $60 million in its worldwide theatrical release.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was nominated for two Academy Awards in the categories Best Art Direction (art directed by Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, and set decorated by Caroline Smith; lost to Avatar) and Best Costume Design (costumes designed by Monique Prudhomme; lost to The Young Victoria).
*The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Community Pictures with Captions are sent in by our followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!