Daily Entries for the week of
Sunday, May 22, 2022
through
Saturday, May 28, 2022
__________________________________________________________
It’s Saturday, May 28, 2022
Welcome to the 1,455th consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
______________________________________
Lead Picture*
Chuck Berry
The face of Rock n Roll
Chuck Berry in 1957
Universal Attractions (management) - eBay item photo front photo back
Publicity photo of Chuck Berry.
______________________________________
Commentary
Who can stand the pain of looking at the amazing faces of the schoolchildren who were shot to death in Texas? Not I.
______________________________________
Reading, Writing, and Word of the Day
Word of the day: Doo wop
For definition, see below, immediately after the Short Essay
_____________________________________
Screen time
Am watching the Celtics. It’s five minutes away from the start of Game 5. The series is tied 2-2. This is a key game.
____________________________________
Social Life
On Wednesday, my social life took the form of two telephone calls.
One with my long time friend, Cindy, who reported that she and her husband both have covid. She’s not feeling well.
The second was with my son Dom who is working on his Master’s Degree in Mental Health Therapy. I’m very proud of him. He has gotten straight A’s from the start of the program.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the furthest thing from it.
Because cynics don't learn anything.
Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness: a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us.
Cynics always say 'no.'
But saying 'yes' begins things. Saying 'yes' is how things grow.
~Stephen Colbert
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
I had a burger at Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage on Wednesday. It was perfect. I’m liking that place.
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Virgin and child
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Virgin and child
__________________________________
Short Essay*
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from black American music such as gospel, jump blues, jazz, boogie woogie, rhythm and blues, as well as country music. While rock and roll's formative elements can be heard in blues records from the 1920s and in country records of the 1930s, the genre did not acquire its name until 1954.
According to journalist Greg Kot, "rock and roll" refers to a style of popular music originating in the United States in the 1950s. By the mid-1960s, rock and roll had developed into "the more encompassing international style known as rock music, though the latter also continued to be known in many circles as rock and roll." For the purpose of differentiation, this article deals with the first definition.
In the earliest rock and roll styles, either the piano or saxophone was typically the lead instrument. These instruments were generally replaced or supplemented by guitar in the middle to late 1950s.[8] The beat is essentially a dance rhythm[9] with an accentuated backbeat, almost always provided by a snare drum. Classic rock and roll is usually played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm) and a double bass (string bass). After the mid-1950s, electric bass guitars ("Fender bass") and drum kits became popular in classic rock.
Rock and roll had a polarizing influence on lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It is often depicted in movies, fan magazines, and on television. Rock and roll is believed by some to have had a positive influence on the civil rights movement, because both Black American and White American teenagers enjoyed the music.
__________________________________
Definition of word of the day
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated among African-American youth in the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Detroit, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. It features vocal group harmony that carries an engaging melodic line to a simple beat with little or no instrumentation. Lyrics are simple, usually about love, sung by a lead vocal over background vocals, and often featuring, in the bridge, a melodramatically heartfelt recitative addressed to the beloved. Harmonic singing of nonsense syllables (such as "doo-wop") is a common characteristic of these songs. Gaining popularity in the 1950s, doo-wop was "artistically and commercially viable" until the early 1960s, but continued to influence performers in other genres.
* 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, May 27, 2022
Welcome to the 1,454th consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
______________________________________
Lead Picture*
Twilight
Twilight is the time period between (astronomical) dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and (astronomical) dusk.
TWCarlson - Own work
A schematic depicting the daily periods of twilight and the difference between sunrise/sunset and dawn/dusk. The angles and the size of the sun are not to scale.
______________________________________
Commentary
Brian Kemp resoundingly defeated the former president’s handpicked challenger, David Perdue. This is a blow to Trump’s hold on the Republican Party. Kemp was supported by Mike Pence and Chris Christie among others, anti-Trumpers, so this was a test of the former President’s power.
That outcome is more important than whether Kemp wins the election or not. Trump is out to destroy the Republican Party by making it his personal fiefdom and this was a blow to his efforts. We have a real Republican.
The next question, also very important, is whether Trump will support Kemp now that he is the Republican nominee. Will the Georgian Trumpers work to destroy Kemp and give the victory to Stacey Adams? Or will they support Kemp?
The joy of mainstream Republicans is beyond muted, however, in the face of the horrific event that brought premature death to those most innocent and most in need of protection. As a society, we have failed them.
God bless them.
God bless America.
______________________________________
Reading, Writing, and Words of the Day
Word of the day: dusk
For their definitions, see below, after the Short Essay
______________________________________
Wellness
Tuesday night I had my first bad sleep night in a month.
So I got up at 2.15, ate a huge breakfast, (1/2 of a very large plain donut, two eggs, 1 breakfast sausage, and half a piece of whole wheat toast.
I made it through the day surprisingly easily, with the help of 3 fifteen-minute naps.
_____________________________________
Social Life
Daughter Kat called me twice on Tuesday. Early in the day to talk socially; and at night, to share her grief at the slaughter in Texas.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
Don't sweat the petty things and
don't pet the sweaty things.
~George Carlin
_____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Here is the promised second installment of Tucker and Scouts terrific piece on the Scott brothers.
Hi Dom,
We released Chapter 2 today:
Chapter 2: He’s Always With Me…Like a Bad Habit, in which Scout and I explain how the Scott bros. left a huge mark on us as young moviegoers and never really let up.
The End of History - Chapter 2 on Vimeo
· Tucker
Blog meister responds: So exciting. Thank you, Tucker.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
In my search for easy to prepare meals I searched out an Osso Bucco that I bought about a month ago on Amazon. That item no longer available. Too bad.
I bought an alternative. Am expecting it in a couple of days.
Will report.
crucified christ
I love this sculpture
love Western European Medieval Art
crucified christ and placard
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
crucified christ and placard
__________________________________
Short Essay*
Twilight is the illumination of the lower atmosphere when the Sun is not directly visible because it is below the horizon. Twilight is produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, illuminating the lower atmosphere so that Earth's surface is neither completely lit nor completely dark. The word twilight is also used to denote the periods of time when this illumination occurs.[2]
The lower the Sun is beneath the horizon, the dimmer the twilight (other factors such as atmospheric conditions being equal). When the Sun reaches 18° below the horizon, the twilight's brightness is nearly zero, and evening twilight becomes nighttime. When the Sun again reaches 18° below the horizon, nighttime becomes morning twilight. Owing to its distinctive quality, primarily the absence of shadows and the appearance of objects silhouetted against the lit sky, twilight has long been popular with photographers and painters, who often refer to it as the blue hour, after the French expression l'heure bleue.
By analogy with evening twilight, the word twilight is also sometimes used metaphorically, to imply that something is losing strength and approaching its end. For example, very old people may be said to be "in the twilight of their lives". The collateral adjective for twilight is crepuscular, which may be used to describe the behavior of animals that are most active during this period.
__________________________________
Definition of word of the day
Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.
At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enough light in the sky under clear conditions may occur to read outdoors without artificial illumination; however, at the end of civil twilight such lighting is required to read outside.
* 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, May 26, 2022
Welcome to the 1,453rd consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
Lead Picture*
Anthony Albanese
Official portrait of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Australian Government - This photo is the same work as (https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/styles/minister_photo/public/minister/anthony-albanese.jpg), which was published by the Australian Government under the CC-BY-4.0 licence on the web page https://www.pmc.gov.au/who-we-are/ministers (copyright info)
______________________________________
Commentary
Walmart is ramping up its deliveries by drones. By the end of this year customers will be able to order anything from Tylenol to diapers to hot dog buns — 100,000 different products in all, up to a total of 10 pounds — delivered by drone for $3.99.
Without investigating negative repercussions, I will admit that such transformational innovations excite me. Can’t wait to see how this will play out.
BTW: I’m also a self-driving car enthusiast.
_____________________________________
Reading, Writing, and Word of the Day
I bought the Kindle version of Michael Shaara’s Killer Angels.
Word of the day: timbre
For definition, see below, immediately after the Short Essay
_____________________________________
Screen time
I am watching Gettysburg, the movie. It’s based on Killer Angels, the Pulitzer prize-winning novel of the Civil War.
______________________________________
Wellness
I found a podiatrist who can take me. I took his earliest open date: August 17, 2022!
Oh, my.
_____________________________________
Understanding aging
I have lost my zest for cooking. I thought.
Until I realized that I am doing a lot of writing.
And enjoying it.
And resenting any time away from it.
So I find myself looking for ways to reduce my time in the kitchen but for good reasons.
____________________________________
Social Life
My lovely niece and husband David have invited me on a day trip to Rhode Island to visit their twin daughters. June 1. It’ll be a hoot.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
A child of five would understand this.
Send someone to fetch a child of five.
~Groucho Marx
_____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
I thought I’d share an unusually gracious letter from an agent, Farley Chase of Chase Literary. declining my submission.
Dear Dom –
Many thanks for writing. You have an interesting story to tell and there's a lot to like about your approach. But in the end I'm afraid I didn't come away quite fully convinced this was something I think I'd be able to represent successfully. I'm sorry not to be more enthusiastic but thanks nonetheless for giving me a chance to review it and best of luck in finding it the right home.
Best,
Farley
Blog meister responds: I thanked him for the time he took to respond so personally.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
I had a perfect dinner today: a dry-aged steak, an appetizer of rigatoni and Gravy, and a salad.
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Gauguin’s where do we come from picture
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Gauguin’s where do we come from placard
_________________________________
Short Essay*
Anthony Norman Albanese (born 2 March 1963), sometimes known as Albo, is an Australian politician who is the 31st and current prime minister of Australia. He has been the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019, and member of parliament (MP) for Grayndler since 1996. Albanese was the 15th deputy prime minister of Australia under the second Rudd government in 2013 and a cabinet minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments from 2007 to 2013.
Albanese was born in Sydney to an Italian father and an Irish Australian mother who raised him as a single parent. He attended St Mary's Cathedral College, before going on to the University of Sydney to study economics. He joined the ALP as a student, and before entering Parliament worked as a party official and research officer. Albanese was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1996 election, winning the seat of Grayndler in New South Wales. He was first appointed to the Shadow Cabinet in 2001 by Simon Crean and went on to serve in a number of roles, eventually becoming Manager of Opposition Business in 2006.
After Labor's victory in the 2007 election, Albanese was appointed Leader of the House, and was also made Minister for Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. In the subsequent leadership tensions between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard from 2010 to 2013, Albanese was publicly critical of the conduct of both, calling for party unity. After supporting Rudd in the final leadership ballot between the two in June 2013, Albanese was elected deputy leader of the Labor Party and sworn in as deputy prime minister the following day.
Following Labor's defeat in the 2013 election, Albanese stood against Bill Shorten in the ensuing leadership election, the first to include party members as well as MPs. Although Albanese won a large majority of the membership, Shorten won more heavily among Labor MPs and won the contest; Shorten subsequently appointed Albanese to his Shadow Cabinet. After Labor's surprise defeat in the 2019 election, Shorten resigned and Albanese became the only person nominated in the leadership election to replace him; he was subsequently elected unopposed as leader of the Labor Party, becoming Leader of the Opposition.
In the 2022 election, Albanese led his party to a decisive victory against Scott Morrison's Liberal-National Coalition, making history as the first Italian Australian to become prime minister. He was sworn in on 23 May 2022, alongside four of his senior frontbench colleagues.
Albanese holds progressive political views, and is supportive of addressing climate change in Australia.
__________________________________
Definition of word of the day
In simple terms, timbre is what makes a particular musical instrument or human voice have a different sound from another, even when they play or sing the same note. For instance, it is the difference in sound between a guitar and a piano playing the same note at the same volume. Both instruments can sound equally tuned in relation to each other as they play the same note, and while playing at the same amplitude level each instrument will still sound distinctively with its own unique tone color. Experienced musicians are able to distinguish between different instruments of the same type based on their varied timbres, even if those instruments are playing notes at the same fundamental pitch and loudness.
* 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, May 25, 2022
Welcome to the 1,452nd consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
_____________________________________
Lead Picture*
Night Sky
Stars in the night sky
Alexey Elfimov
Свет от деревни
______________________________________
Commentary
I’ve forgotten how wonderful the MFA is.
Walk in and instantly feel a wholesomeness that you get no place else.
Don’t be ambitious.
How much time do you have?
Tailor your itinerary to suit the time.
Don’t run through the rooms.
Decide what you want to see.
What fits into your time.
Go slow.
Read the placards.
Learn.
Enjoy.
Visit the Cafe.
______________________________________
Reading and Writing
At our class we decided to read Killer Angels for our next class.
Looking forward to it.
Loved the movie Gettysburg which is based on Killer Angels.
_____________________________________
Screen time
Am going to watch Gettysburg again.
______________________________________
Wellness
I started my weightlifting routine at its reduced weight load. It was still hard work. I will never return to my last regime.
_____________________________________
Understanding aging
On Sunday afternoon, after dinner, I experienced an eight-hour state of exhaustion. I live alone which has benefits. But not today when I was thirsty and had to force myself out of my Mistral chair to get my own bottle of cold water. It hurt.
____________________________________
Social Life
I have my granddaughter’s class on Monday and on Thursday am going to lunch and a movie with friend LouLou.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
It isn't necessary to have relatives in Kansas City in order to be unhappy.
~Groucho Marx
____________________________________
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 our friend Tucker J:
Subject: The Ridley Scotcktail book
I wanted to send it for your drinking pleasure
https://1drv.ms/w/s!ApDBIylsQXUtk6J6S_5v_nvNAaCTGg
~ Tucker
Blog meister responds: I scanned the piece. It looks like great fun!
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
On Sunday, I had the worst Chinese food I’ve eaten for decades. The ribs and the chicken wings so dried out and tough that only hunger and fatigue kept me at the dinner table. It was from the Chinese restaurant in Brigham’s Circle. And Brigham’s Circle’s the name of it.
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Duccio’s the crucifixion
I did not capture the two side panels but there’s enough here
Duccio’s the crucifixion, placard
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
duccio the crucifixion and same with placard
__________________________________
Short Essay*
The night sky is the nighttime appearance of celestial objects like stars, planets, and the Moon, which are visible in a clear sky between sunset and sunrise, when the Sun is below the horizon.
Natural light sources in a night sky include moonlight, starlight, and airglow, depending on location and timing. Aurorae light up the skies above the polar circles. Occasionally, a large coronal mass ejection from the Sun or simply high levels of solar wind may extend the phenomenon toward the Equator.[1]
The night sky and studies of it have a historical place in both ancient and modern cultures. In the past, for instance, farmers have used the status of the night sky as a calendar to determine when to plant crops. Many cultures have drawn constellations between stars in the sky, using them in association with legends and mythology about their deities.
The anciently developed belief of astrology is generally based on the belief that relationships between heavenly bodies influence or convey information about events on Earth. The scientific study of celestial objects visible at night takes place in the science of observational astronomy.
The visibility of celestial objects in the night sky is affected by light pollution. The presence of the Moon in the night sky has historically hindered astronomical observation by increasing the amount of ambient brightness. With the advent of artificial light sources, however, light pollution has been a growing problem for viewing the night sky. Optical filters and modifications to light fixtures can help to alleviate this problem, but for optimal views, both professional and amateur astronomers seek locations far from urban skyglow.
* 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, May 24, 2022
Welcome to the 1,451st consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
______________________________________
Lead Picture*
Gustave Courbet
Nadar - This file comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID btv1b53050548w
______________________________________
Commentary
I hope you didn’t miss Tucker’s first episode on the films of the Scotts, Ridley and Tony.
If you did, here it is again:
Episode 1: Men on Fire: https://vimeo.com/682436014
You know what an extraordinary reviewer Tucker is. Go for it.
______________________________________
Reading and Writing
I am enjoying 10,000 doors of January.
Alix Harrow is a terrific writer.
_____________________________________
Screen time
Am watching Night Sky. JK Simmons and Sissy Spacek are giving excellent performances.
It’s slow.
Interesting but slow.
____________________________________
Social Life
Kat texted me: I’ll be visiting in August.
That’ll be fun.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
Who are you going to believe,
me or your own eyes?
~Groucho Marx
____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Got several responses to my inquiry on visiting the dying.
I wasn’t prepared.
I will get my thoughts together; not today.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
I made this for Sunday but ate it on Monday.
I had Chinese Food on Sunday instead.
Lentil Soup
Render 2oz of porchetta or duck fat AND 1oz of olive oil
RINSE AND PICKOVER THE LENTILS
In a food chopper:
1oz each of
onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots and smoked turkey if available
½ oz of garlic and a ½ of serrano chili
Soften the aromatics in the fat
LIQUIDS INTO THE SOUP POT
14oz can of tomatoes, chopped
3 cups of chicken stock
1 cup water
1cup wine
Simmer 1 cup lentils in the liquids for 15 minutes
Then add the 8oz of chopped greens
1/3 bunch fresh parsley
Add the softened aromatics
Add 4 scallions cut into circles
Cook for ½ hour after the pot is simmering.
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
dead Christ with angels
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
dead Christ with angels placard
_________________________________
Short Essay*
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet (10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the Romanticism of the previous generation of visual artists. His independence set an example that was important to later artists, such as the Impressionists and the Cubists. Courbet occupies an important place in 19th-century French painting as an innovator and as an artist willing to make bold social statements through his work.
Courbet's paintings of the late 1840s and early 1850s brought him his first recognition. They challenged convention by depicting unidealized peasants and workers, often on a grand scale traditionally reserved for paintings of religious or historical subjects. Courbet's subsequent paintings were mostly of a less overtly political character: landscapes, seascapes, hunting scenes, nudes, and still lifes. Courbet, a socialist, was active in the political developments of France. He was imprisoned for six months in 1871 for his involvement with the Paris Commune and lived in exile in Switzerland from 1873 until his death.
* 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, May 23, 2022
Welcome to the 1,450th consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
______________________________________
Lead Picture*
Painter Jean-François Millet
by Nadar
______________________________________
Commentary
My friend Yan has missed my last two visits. She’s been steady for the last year. I’m wondering if security has finally decided to prevent her hanging around, sleeping on their benches. That would be very sad.
Millet has always been one of my favorite painters. Why? In an era of heroes and wealth, Millet chose his subjects from the working class. His paintings are done with a muted, earthy palette and illustrate simple workday chores. But he has a way of making them monumental and heroic.
_____________________________________
Screen time
I went to see Downton Abbey, the new movie.
What I can’t understand: Why does a very successful writer of very well done movies continue driving when there is nothing in the tank. Please, Julian, you’ve embarrassed yourself. Choose story better.
______________________________________
Wellness
I’m to visit a podiatrist for an examination before the surgery on my toes. Getting there is going to be an issue.
____________________________________
Understanding aging
I lifted today using the reduced weights. It felt right to me.
____________________________________
Social Life
I spent some time with my friend Tucker on Friday but this week is completely open.
I fell a little behind on my work and I can use the time well.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
~Groucho Marx
____________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Dear Dom,
Should you visit a dying person? If it is feasible and allowed (and if the person is up for it), by all means, do so! Everyone who is dying is still alive, and visits from friends and loved ones uplifts their hearts like you wouldn’t believe, to say nothing of a much-needed distraction from the end-of-life process their bodies are going through. A smile and gentle laughter go a long way
I used to visit one of my college trustees, rendered mute by a stroke, when he was in an assisted living facility. I’d take a book and read aloud to him. He enjoyed that greatly. So did I.
Sally
Blog meister responds: Nice story, Sally. I will return to this issue when I’ve had a little time to rephrase what I mean to say.
_____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
I made three bowls of delicious and healthy clam chowder. Healthy because I replaced the cream with oat milk (which is creamy) and replaced the potatoes with bits of cauliflower. I ate a large bowl of it without a worry about calories or cholesterol.
And I bought a small piece of Thai and Ginger marinated salmon from W Foods.
A healthy and satisfying meal.
But I’ve got to buy takeout on Sunday: I have no time to cook a meal.
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Millet’s Harvesters Resting
One of my favorite artists.
Always has been.
____________________________________
Pictures with Captions from our community**
Millet’s Harvesters Resting, the picture and the placard
__________________________________
Short Essay*
Jean-François Millet (October 4, 1814 – January 20, 1875) was a French artist and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France. Millet is noted for his paintings of peasant farmers and can be categorized as part of the Realism art movement. Toward the end of his career he became increasingly interested in painting pure landscapes. He is known best for his oil paintings but is also noted for his pastels, conte crayon drawings, and etchings.
Millet was an important source of inspiration for Vincent van Gogh, particularly during his early period. Millet and his work are mentioned many times in Vincent's letters to his brother Theo. Millet's late landscapes served as influential points of reference to Claude Monet's paintings of the coast of Normandy; his structural and symbolic content influenced Georges Seurat as well.
Millet is the main protagonist of Mark Twain's play Is He Dead? (1898), in which he is depicted as a struggling young artist who fakes his death to score fame and fortune. Most of the details about Millet in the play are fictional.
Millet's painting L'homme à la houe inspired the famous poem "The Man With the Hoe" (1898) by Edwin Markham. His poems also served as the inspiration for American poet David Middleton's collection The Habitual Peacefulness of Gruchy: Poems After Pictures by Jean-François Millet (2005).
The Angelus was reproduced frequently in the 19th and 20th centuries. Salvador Dalí was fascinated by this work, and wrote an analysis of it, The Tragic Myth of The Angelus of Millet. Rather than seeing it as a work of spiritual peace, Dalí believed it held messages of repressed sexual aggression. Dalí was also of the opinion that the two figures were praying over their buried child, rather than to the Angelus. Dalí was so insistent on this fact that eventually an X-ray was done of the canvas, confirming his suspicions: the painting contains a painted-over geometric shape strikingly similar to a coffin. However, it is unclear whether Millet changed his mind on the meaning of the painting, or even if the shape actually is a coffin.
* 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, May 22, 2022
Welcome to the 1,449th consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
______________________________________
Lead Picture*
William Shakespeare
This was long thought to be the only portrait of William Shakespeare that had any claim to have been painted from life, until another possible life portrait, the Cobbe portrait, was revealed in 2009. The portrait is known as the 'Chandos portrait' after a previous owner, James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. It was the first portrait to be acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in 1856. The artist may be by a painter called John Taylor who was an important member of the Painter-Stainers' Company.
John Taylor - Official gallery link
Permission details
This image is in the public domain; PD-ART; This image is in the public domain due to its age; PD-OLD-100
.
______________________________________
Commentary
Are vehicles from other parts of the universe visiting or casing the Earth? I am an X-Filer so my mind is open. It’s fun. Talking about it gets us away from the dull.
Sorry. When I heard that Brad Hoylman, Kat’s boss, was planning to run for Congress, I reported it here. But, no. On closer examination of the newly-constituted district, Hoylman’s staff concluded it was a no-win event. Brad is not a candidate. Kat has a job after December 31.
Donald Trump’s endorsements of candidates is proved a mixed bag for Republicans. Yet Trump did prove that, despite slowly sinking popularity, he is still the single most influential force in the party. The question for the November elections is whether the schism between Trump-endorsed Republicans and centrist Republicans is wide enough so that the Republicans who lost in the primary will abstain from supporting the party’s nominee in the general election. In close elections the answer to that question will help the Republican Party reassess their loyalites.
______________________________________
Reading, Writing, and Submissions
I am getting consistent, positive feedback from agents to whom I have submitted.
No one has asked to see more pages but most of them have sent their rejections with a personal note, one even recommending another agent to whom I should submit. I did.
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
I worked my way up from nothing
to a state of extreme poverty.
~Groucho Marx
_____________________________________
Wellness
My corns. Taking Sally’s advice I bought some Corn Cushions and they are miraculous.
Saw my PCP and he’s suggesting a podiatrist and an operation to remove the growths. They are large. They are setting up an appointment.
______________________________________
Understanding Ageing
After 15 years of maintaining the same weightlifting regimen, I must succumb.
I don’t have the strength to lift that same weight. Starting this morning past, I will reduce my weight load across the board by 10%.
Not only do I not have the strength to maintain my program, I don’t have the stamina.
It’s disappointing.
It's aging.
____________________________________
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 good friend Sally C:
Hi, Dom,
Regarding the lumps on your toes getting irritated by your shoes, check out a product at the drug store called “mole skin.” It’s a thin, fuzzy, flannel-like sheet of padding with an adhesive backing. It’s used to buffer a friction spot so you don’t get blisters. (It’s applied to you, not the shoe.) (Also, apply it to intact skin, not to already-formed blisters.)
Sally
Blog meister responds: Thank you, my dear. Using your suggestion I came across ‘Corn cushions.’ Same idea. Bought them and they are fine. And I’ve started a formalized medical examination. I’ll be going under the knife.
____________________________________
Dinner/Food/Recipes
On Friday I shared a roast duck with Tucker.
The duck was chewy but still delicious.
____________________________________
Community Photos**
Harbor Towers Turnaround
_________________________________
Short Essay*
William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616)[a] was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist.[ He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays,[c] 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. His works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy in his lifetime. However, in 1623, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, John Heminges and Henry Condell, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that included all but two of his plays.
*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
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!