Daily Entries for the post covering the week of
Sunday, July 5 through Saturday, July 11 2020
This entry is for
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Welcome to the 821st consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Kali’s Wedding Cake
Toilet Paper?
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2.0 Commentary
Kali, a lovely cake.
But surely there’s a story behind it.
Although perhaps maybe not one to tell while we’re eating.
So Thursday and Friday over dinner and coffee
talking about elevating Sacco and Vanzetti
in our society’s consciousness and
the advocacy of a timely memorial,
adding these Italian immigrants to the
drumbeats for social justice.
Do not complain about the heat and humidity.
Do not complain about the heat and humidity.
Do not complain about the heat and humidity.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
Things may come to those who wait, but
only the things left by those who hustle.
~Abraham Lincoln
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5.0 Mail
We love getting mail.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
This from Kali L:
My wedding cake.
Blog Meister responds: Lovely, as you are.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
We started our dinner for eight with a crudité of lettuce leaves, large pieces of heirloom tomatoes and avocados, two large green olives, and bits of parmigiana.
Then a small plate of spaghetti with a frutta di mare,
a stew with lamb and pork feet,
a wedge of blue cheese and cut fruit, and
a plate of Tate’s chocolate chip cookies.
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A wedding cake is the traditional cake served at wedding receptions following dinner.
In some parts of England, the wedding cake is served at a wedding breakfast;
the 'wedding breakfast' does not mean the meal will be held in the morning, but
at a time following the ceremony on the same day.
In modern Western culture, the cake is usually on display and served to guests at the reception. raditionally, wedding cakes were made to bring good luck to all guests and the couple.
Modernly however, they are more of a centerpiece to the wedding and are not always even served to the guests.
Some cakes are built with only a single edible tier for the bride and groom to share, but
this is rare since the cost difference between fake and real tiers is minimal.
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This entry is for
Friday, July 10, 2020
Welcome to the 820th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Zachary Taylor
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing - Restoration by Godot13
Engraved BEP portrait of U.S. President Zachary Taylor
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2.0 Commentary
Visited the Pru on Wednesday morning and said Hello to the staff.
Walked past the Microsoft Store, so neat and inviting.
So empty.
Suddenly felt the sadness of loss.
My daily visits,
saying Hello to my friends.
Son said,
“Those jobs are leaving, dad,
And they ain’t coming back.”
My haunting grounds for over two years,
over now.
Microsoft has discovered they are better off without the stores.
Not so, me.
The MBTA,
the test kitchen for
the corona virus to fester and gather itself and
zap us.
The control of the ridership
must begin at the station entrance.
Design them to include
Hand sanitizing,
compulsory face masks, and
temperature taking.
That can all happen here.
The MBTA.
The test kitchen.
Stop it!
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then
stand firm.
~Abraham Lincoln
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Wednesday night I ate swordfish.
The cooking method was fine but I tried a sauce
that didn’t work.
I chopped the ingredients instead of pureeing them.
Overall, dinner was fine.
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Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was the 12th president of the United States,
serving from March 4, 1849, until
his death in office the following year.
He was previously a career officer in the United States Army,
rose to the rank of major general and
became a national hero as a result of his victories in the Mexican–American War.
As a result, he won election to the White House despite his vague political beliefs.
On July 4, 1850, Taylor reportedly consumed copious amounts of raw fruit and iced milk while
attending holiday celebrations
during a fundraising event at the Washington Monument.
Over the course of several days,
he became severely ill with an unknown digestive ailment,
several of his cabinet members being similarly affected.
Despite treatment, Taylor died five days later.
His vice-president Millard Fillmore assumed the presidency and
completed his term in office.
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This entry is for
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Welcome to the 819th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Bedroom in Arles
Vincent van Gogh at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level
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2.0 Commentary
Tuesday was a nice summer day.
Create the blog in the early a.m.
Walked a mile and a half to the Thinking Cup where
I read my next class assignment: 30 pages of My Brilliant Friend.
So lovely sipping cappuccino at a sidewalk café on a summer day.
So lovely not needing to rush through it.
I had also taken the Michelin Guide to Italy with me and
good that I did since I finished the reading and still wanted to linger.
I constructively spent the getting acquainted with it.
On the way home I shopped at Whole Foods, buying the lamb for Thursday night’s dinner party.
At home I organized the rest of the day and then
went for a haircut.
After which my cousin Lauren picked me up and
we drove to the Woodman’s restaurant in Essex for a fried clam dinner.
The clams must have gotten done first since the French fries and the onion rings were hot but
the clams were not.
Oh, well.
Too bad because the batter was excellent and so the meal would have been if…
If.
Did I mention Italy?
Keeping an eye on travel there, sightseeing, and returning,
each facet of the trip with its own parameters.
Would love to revisit Tuscany.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
Sir,
my concern is not whether God is on our side;
my greatest concern is to be on God's side,
for God is always right.
~Abraham Lincoln
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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Bedroom in Arles is the title given to each of three similar oil-on-canvas paintings by
19th-century Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh.
The picture shows his bedroom at 2 Place Lamartine in Arles, France, known as
the Yellow House, where he lived in 1888.
The door to the right opened onto the upper floor and the staircase,
the door to the left was that of the guest room he held prepared for Paul Gauguin, and
the window in the front wall looked out onto public gardens.
The first version of the painting was damaged in a flood, so
he painted a second.
The paintings vary slightly in their colors and details, especially with regard to
the pictures hanging on the walls.
This picture is the third, a reduced-size version painted in 1889 for his mother and sister.
It was acquired for the French national collections in 1959, and
is on permanent display in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
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This entry is for
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Welcome to the 818th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Examples of all MBTA services except for MBTA Boat.
This has been designed primarily for the infobox at the top of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority page on Wikipedia, a topic of public interest.
Top row:
Left: Green Line Breda Type 8 LRV #3840 is stopped for a red light at Commonwealth Avenue and Carlton Street on the B.
Center: NABI 40LFW CNG #2176 departs the Ruggles Station on the 47 line.
Right: Orange Line Hawker Siddeley #12 Main Line train led by #01240 enters Ruggles Station.
Center row:
Left: The first Blue Line #5 East Boston train in revenue service at Government Center.
Center: Neoplan AN440LF trackless trolley #4111 exits the Harvard Tunnel on the 71.
Right: EMD GP40MC #1136 pulls Train 465 into Porter Station.
Bottom row
Left: St. Louis Car PCC car 3087 on the Ashmont-Mattapan Line.
Center: Neoplan AN460LF CNG #1003 operates through Roxbury on the Washington Street line.
Right: #3 Red Line train leaves Charles/MGH over the Longfellow Bridge.
Original photos taken by Adam E. Moreira.
Replacement images by various authors; see list under source - Own work by Adam Moreira (original collage); some replacement images from other Commons images:
This file was derived from: ✦ Ashmont Mattapan streetcar in woods.jpg: ✦ First revenue 0700-series train at Government Center station (1), February 2008.jpg: ✦ RedLineCharlesMGH.jpg:
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2.0 Commentary
The MBTA made the local news on Tuesday, to wit:
Out of six cities studied, our public transportation system ranks fifth.
Hard to imagine something worse.
Conditions on the T worsen.
More riders.
No control.
More danger.
Help!
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg?
Four.
Saying that a tail is a leg doesn't make it a leg.
~Abraham Lincoln
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Rack of lamb on sale Monday at Whole Foods.
Bought one.
Slow-roasted it for 30 minutes then
Broiled it for 4 minutes a side.
Tried a new way to make asparagus.
Edible but not reportable.
I’ll try again.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts.
Earlier modes of public transportation in Boston were independently owned and operated; many were first folded into a single agency with the formation of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in 1947.
The MTA was replaced in 1964 with the present-day MBTA, which was established as an individual department within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts before becoming a division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in 2009.
The MBTA and Philadelphia's Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) are the only US transit agencies that operate all five major types of terrestrial mass transit vehicles:
light rail vehicles (the Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed and Green Lines);
heavy rail trains (the Blue, Orange, and Red Lines);
regional rail trains (the Commuter Rail);
electric trolleybuses (the Silver Line and several routes in the northern suburbs of Boston); and
motor buses (MBTA Bus).
In 2016, the system averaged 1,277,200 passengers per weekday, of which
heavy rail averaged 552,500 and
the light-rail lines 226,500,
making it the fourth-busiest subway system and
the busiest light rail system in the United States.
The MBTA is the largest consumer of electricity in Massachusetts, and
the second-largest land owner (after the Department of Conservation and Recreation).
In 2007, its CNG bus fleet was the largest consumer of alternative fuels in the state.
The MBTA operates an independent law enforcement agency, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police.
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This entry is for
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Welcome to the 817th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
A map of the 1863 Battle of Big Black River Bridge.
This file is from the Mechanical Curator collection, a set of over 1 million images scanned from out-of-copyright books and released to Flickr Commons by the British Library.
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2.0 Commentary
We’ve entered phase 3.
This affects me personally because I lift weights.
I must say that I have my doubts about tue safety of the gym.
While I will be there next Monday when they open (I hope)
I will be on guard against contamination.
I also love the MFA but they offer no information on re-opening.
Meanwhile, I still don’t hear anything from the appropriate authorities regarding
dramatic changes that are needed to prevent the T from turning into
a test kitchen for the corona virus.
Crowd control protocols will require new approaches from entering a T station to
to exiting a train.
And I woke at 2.30am this morning.
Not to use the toilet but because
my body was saying it slept enough.
So I got up.
Made my coffee, ate half a scone and a soft-boiled egg.
Later I’ll drink a cappuccino and later still I’ll eat a chocolate cupcake from Georgetown Cupcakes.
Dinner at 5.00pm.
A steak maybe.
After breakfast I’m at my computer researching face shields and writing my blog.
Why do I get up so early?
Got to bed at 11.15pm.
I’ll take a nap later (15-20min).
Maybe a 2nd nap as well but it still isn’t enough.
I don’t function as well as when I sleep until 4.30am.
Nothing to be done but to make the best of it.
I’m resigned.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
Thinking is not to agree or disagree.
That's voting.
~Robert Frost
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Sunday night I had dinner alone.
Fried chicken legs.
Braised artichoke.
Mashed potato.
Gravy.
All delicious.
Watched some of The Ultimate Civil War Series
I drank half a bottle of Deutz champagne.
Food was great.
Company was great.
The screen was interesting.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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In March 1863, Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army was planning an attack against the strategically important city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
(Blog Meister’s note: In 1862 Grant gave the Union it’s first victories of the Civil War by taking two forts: Henry and Donelson. Then he won at Shiloh and, despite the horrific loss of men that earned him the nickname of ‘butcher’, Grant became a Lincoln favorite. Vicksburg controlled this part of the Mississippi and was critical to the Confederate supply lines in the Western theater.)
Grant determined that there were three possible routes of attack against Vicksburg: from the north, from the south, and from across the Mississippi River.
An attack across the river was determined to be likely to incur many casualties, and concentrating forces in the Memphis, Tennessee, area for an attack from the north could be misconstrued as a retreat, which would be politically disadvantageous.
Grant therefore decided to attack from the south.
On April 29, elements of the Union Navy attempted to shell Confederate fortifications at Grand Gulf, Mississippi, into submission in the Battle of Grand Gulf.
When this failed, Union infantry commanded by Major General John McClernand were landed further down the river, leveraging the Confederates out of their Grand Gulf fortifications by threatening the Confederate line of retreat.
On May 1, Confederate forces commanded by Brigadier General John S. Bowen, who had commanded at Grand Gulf, attempted to fight a blocking action at the Battle of Port Gibson.
Although the Confederates, who were severely outnumbered, held their own for most of the day, Union troops eventually pushed back the right flank of the Confederate line, leading Bowen to decide to retreat from the field.
On May 16 the two armies fought the Battle of Champion Hill.
Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton had concentrated most of his Confederate army to attempt to block Grant's army from reaching Vicksburg.
Union attacks drove in much of the Confederate line, although a counterattack by Bowen's division threatened to change the tide of the battle.
Eventually, Union reinforcements forced Bowen to retreat, and the Union had control of the field.
The Battle of Big Black River Bridge was fought on May 17, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War.
After a Union army commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant defeated Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton's Confederate army at the Battle of Champion Hill, Pemberton ordered Brigadier General John S. Bowen to hold a rear guard at the crossing of the Big Black River to buy time for the Confederate army to regroup.
Union troops commanded by Major General John McClernand pursued the Confederates, and encountered Bowen's rear guard.
A Union charge quickly broke the Confederate position, and during the retreat and river crossing, a rout ensued.
Many Confederate soldiers were captured, and 18 Confederate cannons were taken by the Union troops.
The retreating Confederates burned both the railroad bridge over the Big Black River, as well as a steamboat that had been serving as a bridge.
The surviving Confederate soldiers entered the fortifications at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and
the Siege of Vicksburg began the next day.
(Blog Meister’s note: Grant took Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, the day after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, a one-two punch from which the Confederate Army would never recover. Grant was promoted to major general in charge of most of the western theatre and a year later to lieutenant general in charge of all Union armies.)
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This entry is for
Monday, July 6, 2020
Welcome to the 816th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Washington taking command of the Continental Army,
C. Rogers - http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/2591623424_2bb55a6c62.jpg?v=0 ( https://www.flickr.com/photos/ooocha/2591623424/ )
George Washington taking command of the Continental Army, just before the siege
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2.0 Commentary
A quiet 4th but nice.
Met with cousin Lauren for late morning cappuccino and
with her, enjoyed a long walk home.
Her family arrived at apartment to prepare dinner:
White clam sauce and roast lamb.
We interrupted the flow of work to
go downstairs and watch the flyover.
Magnificent aircraft.
Power.
We returned for dinner and conversation.
After we cleaned up we walked into the North End and
took an outdoor table at Modern Pastry.
After tea for me and cappuccino for them
we walked home, they left, and
I did a little work for tomorrow:
started the blog and started my schedule.
I bit of the screen, Perry Mason the alcoholic detective.
Bed at 11.30pm.
Nice day.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
~Robert Frost
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Played cook’s ass to my cousin Alex while
he made a clam sauce following the recipe in
the Recipe Blog in the Index of pages in this blog.
And while he made mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli while
we waited for the roast lamb to finish up,
the lamb slow-roasted according to
all of our roasting recipes found within the same blog.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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George Washington, siding with those demanding independence from Great Britain, played an active role in the first Continental Congress, so distinguishing himself as to be given command of the newly-created army of the colonies.
Although he won important victories against the vastly superior and better-equipped English army, (he also lost a good many battles) George Washington’s most important contribution to the colonial war effort was the determined and persevering leadership he provided through the often horrific circumstances the army endured like the winter they spent at Valley Forge.
War over, George Washington, as a national and internationally-recognized leader of heroic proportions, eschewed real opportunities to take absolute control of the new nation(s).
Instead, like Cincinnatus, the outstanding Roman general of centuries earlier,
he followed his ideals of service to the nation and
retired from public life.
But as the efforts of the newly-independent states to deal with self-rule floundered, he was convinced to return from his retirement and use his unique stature to help answer the challenges of the formation of a Constitution of an entirely new form of government.
And the new Constitution adopted, to neglect his personal finances, and serve two terms as the first President of the United States of America.
He declined a third term, and retired from public life.
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This entry is for
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Welcome to the 815th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Constitution of the United States, page 1
Constitutional Convention
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
meeting to prevent the total disintegration of the national government.
Ratified on June 1, 1788 creating
the single nation called the United States of America
Effective date: March 4, 1789
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2.0 Commentary
So yes, I am afraid.
Those machines are looming.
What I hoped for since the pandemic beginning,
the re-opening of the gym,
is upon me and
perhaps I wasn’t careful in
what I wished for.
How out of shape is this 78-year-old body?
Will I ever get back in shape?
The pull bar in particular.
Can I pull this dead weight up,
chin over bar?
Even once?
Yes, afraid.
The germs.
Every machine being intimately handled by person (s) unknown.
Cleaned?
How?
After every use?
Is that even possible?
The contagion.
How are they ever going to control it?
The gym a risk,
although not quite as risky as riding the T.
A risk as in not-exercising a risk.
Of course I am going to try out the gym as soon as it opens,
Monday the 13th of July.
If I’m comfortable, I’ll have to fashion it into my schedule.
I would have votes “No!” to the pandemic,
if it were a referendum question.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire,
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great And would suffice.
~Robert Frost
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
A day trip to Ogunquit w cousin Lauren and friend Joanna.
Start at noon with a Madeira toast.
On way to highway, stop at North End Regina to share a small cheese to go,
two slices each.
Universally in our car declared to be the ‘best’, sharing title with
Umberto’s.
Then to Ogunquit,
dinner at Clay Hill Farm.
Shared mussels, haddock stuffed with crabmeat in lobster-cream sauce, rib roast au jus, and duck confit.
Ending w sharing a large hot fudge sundae.
All delicious, Joanna getting the “I ate most” award,
one shunned by both Lauren and myself.
And the protocols totally acceptable.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America.
The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government.
Its first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article One);
the executive, consisting of the president (Article Two); and
the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article Three).
Articles Four, Five and Six embody concepts of federalism,
describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments,
the states in relationship to the federal government, and
the shared process of constitutional amendment. Article Seven establishes the procedure subsequently used by the thirteen States to ratify it.
It is regarded as the oldest written and codified national constitution in force.
Since the Constitution came into force in 1789, it has been amended 27 times, including one amendment that repealed a previous one, in order
to meet the needs of a nation that has profoundly changed since the eighteenth century.
In general, the first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government.
The majority of the seventeen later amendments expand individual civil rights protections.
Others address issues related to federal authority or modify government processes and procedures. Amendments to the United States Constitution, unlike ones made to many constitutions worldwide, are appended to the document.
All four pages of the original U.S. Constitution are written on parchment.
According to the United States Senate:
"The Constitution's first three words—We the People—affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens.
For over two centuries the Constitution has remained in force because its framers wisely separated and balanced governmental powers to safeguard the interests of majority rule and minority rights, of liberty and equality, and of the federal and state governments."
The first permanent constitution of its kind, it is interpreted, supplemented, and implemented by a large body of federal constitutional law, and has influenced the constitutions of many other nations such as Australia.
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