Patriots ~vs~ Eagles Superbowl...Car Porn...Movie and Book Review...and The Shutdown

Still recovering from last night's back to back playoff games. And of course, late night post-game rumination with friends.

There may not BE enough coffee to kick off this day!

The Jag-Pats game was amazing. For a while there it looked as though the Jaguars might actually pull it off. Then...well...Brady did what Brady does...and Belichick just lost his mind with happiness right there on the sidelines!

And a pan to Bortle's face actually caught tears running down. Kind of sad...actually.

Gronkowski caught a bad hit late in the game (hurt to watch) and was taken off with a concussion.

But the Patriots made the Superbowl...again.

The Vikings-Eagles game was less entertaining and more of a blow-out. 38-7 
As the Eagles trounced them at home! Philly went WILD.

Loved the (under) dog masks.


...and this time Doug Pederson was caught crying...tears of JOY!


Probably my favorite commentary came today in an early morning tweet from Stephen King:

"Do you like the Patriots, Georgie?" asked the smiling clown peering out of the sewer. "Are they your favorite? Mine, too!"

To which a fellow Twitter user had replied (bordering on brilliance):

"...because they deflate. They ALL deflate down here, Georgie."

It is going to be one hell of a game!

It is time for the 2018 Car Porn...and they have not disappointed!

This year's BMW.

2018 Corvette

The Dodge Charger Hellcat

The Mustang GT

 and Lamborghini...sexy sexy!

The Movie 

With Matt Damon.

A good message...nice cinematography especially in the Norway shots...mildly funny in spots...but overall- MEH. 

You might want to wait for the CD or televised release. If you pay cinema prices...you are going to grumble.

A lot.

The Book

An older release by National Geographic.

As expected, the photography is spectacular, but not as riveting as some of the stories behind the shots. And the personal stories of what National Geographic's photographers are willing to do...experience...endure...and in some cases-survive to get the perfect shot.  Not filled with technical advice or F-stops...but emotion.

If you enjoy photography...whether you are an amateur or professional...you will LOVE this book!

Seriously, a must read, for photographers.

And now:

DUDE....WHERE'S MY GOVERNMENT????

Seeing a scene out of National Lampoon's: Vacation

 "Sorry Folks...the US Government is Closed."

And Congress (all of them) are standing toe to toe...nobody willing to give an inch. Both sides blaming the other. Cheeto Jesus blaming only the Democrats...which is odd...since the GOP controls all three branches of the government, currently. But NONE of them have to worry about where their next meal is coming from...so essentially...they could care less.

Face it.

They've broken the Government. 

And the only people who are being hurt by this are average joe federal employees like janitors, park employees, lunch ladies and the like.

My solution...not that they ever call or ask-

Stop treating the Federal Budget like some "kick the can" issue. Our taxes are what funds the budget. When Congress shuts down federal services over petty  squabbles...we deserve a fucking rebate.

Or maybe just a New Congress who will represent us.

If a shut-down occurs Congress (both sides) immediately STOP getting their salary and have to refund a per diem amount (monthly salary divided by 30 days)  for each day the government remains closed. 

Bet THAT would make a difference.

And as a corollary that any BILL presented to Congress...including the budget...be a clean bill. No add ons. No pork. One bill...one subject. Three pages maximum. No more 2000 page bills that face it...none of them actually read all the way through or know what they contain.

Like a good resume...if you can't say it (sell the idea) in 3 concise pages...maybe it doesn't need to happen.

Just my 2 cents.

More Anon...

 

  

Virtual Sydney: Chinatown

Finally Sydney...

Having realized, only this week, that a computer breaking down is the equivalent to a plane crash, sinking cruise ship, or high speed train derailment...in Virtual Travel.

Who knew?

But here we are.

Although the Opera House is the most recognizable Sydney structure...kind of like Paris' Eiffel Tower...there is so much to see in this capital of New South Wales.

Quick City Tour

https://youtu.be/Y98sFP8Z0fc

The first people to inhabit Sydney were indigenous tribes. They populated the area for 40,000-55,000 years based on carbon dating and stone tools found.

On January 26th, 1788 The British would land The First Fleet loaded with convicts to, what they would soon name Sydney Cove, with the intention of establishing a penal colony. Prisoners were not confined in Sydney...the punishment was the transportation.

Now January 26th is considered Founder's Day in Sydney and celebrated.

Like many of America's Indigenous People...and their view of Columbus Day...the ancestors of the tribes that were nearly eradicated during the settlement are less celebratory and lobbying still for another day to be set aside to celebrate Australia. 

Convicts were transported to the Sydney colony until 1840.

The average January temperature in Sydney is 79 degrees and January is the middle of Australia's Summer. The high in January has reached 114 degrees.

Today we will begin with Sydney's Chinatown

 Tour

https://youtu.be/3ndcwIbnSus

12,054 miles from The United States-  yet Chinatown is eerily the same as those I have actually visited in Chicago, Boston and San Francisco.

Tight, reservedly friendly, quiet and dignified shop keepers and marketplaces overflowing with fish and fresh produce, the latest gadgets and knickknacks. Strands and strands of beautiful pearls.

Of all shapes, sizes, hues. So many that you will find it difficult to believe there are this many pearls.

And inexpensive. 

A beautiful 8-9 mm Akoya Set: Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings in .925 sterling silver only around 10.00 US.

A steal.

The fishmarket with both dried and fresh fish and assorted seafood (and crocodile) an assault on the olfactory senses.

Streetside Quigong exercise...old men playing Mah-Jongg on benches...the pentatonic notes of a zheng being played outside a shop.   As if you have suddenly stepped into a different world. Because you have.

And the food!

Everywhere the air filled with co-mingled smells of stir-frying, grilling, baking, steamed jasmine rice.

So wonderful it has actually spawned a side-tourist industry known as the Food Court Crawl.  A guide will take you from place to place (for a fee) and you can sample the best of what each restaurant has to offer...their specialty.

PSA:  
Avoid the Lotus Bean
Pastry...looks like DELICIOUS food...but as I learned in Chinatown Chicago...NOT actually food at all.  Bleah!

Trust Me.

 Also avoid the Sesame Seed Balls (Banh-Cam) originally from Vietnam

Nasty.

But don't take my word for it...gag on one yourself.


The Quintessential Chinese Soy Chicken Recipe
(found in every Chinatown...and delicious)

In medium bowl combine garlic, ginger, white pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and honey.

Coat pieces of  boneless chicken with cornstarch until evenly covered. 

Cook the chicken completely in wok over high heat

Add sauce and stir until thickened.

Remove from heat.

Serve over Jasmine rice and garnish with chopped green onions.

Enjoy!

Finally,  a quick walk through Chinatown Sydney at Night

https://youtu.be/W7oMn8fcMsE

An online purchase I made. Set in sterling silver.

 More soon...

 

 

And THEN the Computer Died (...rest in pieces...)

And life became a lot like this...quickly.

A year or so ago my friend, Laura, and I deliberately took a day and experimented with absolutely no electronics for the day.

It was the LONGEST day of my life...until this week.

On Sundays I usually catch up with friends and the boys on the phone...so I used my last day on the phone saying

"I'll go out and get minutes next week"

Yeah...

So Monday came, and after the ice and snow storm the transit wasn't running...

Monday night came and the computer (...which had been on the way out for quite a while...certain things no longer worked on it but I limped it along on life support...) died.  Completely.

"It's dead, Jim...Pass the Ketchup."

Dead.

And I found myself wondering by Tuesday how long I could lay in the house DEAD without being discovered...lol!

The transit didn't run on Monday...then Tuesday...then Wednesday...

Tommy, my friend, neighbor and fellow gear-head across the hall made a trek out and brought me back some dry cat food...as Shelby was out.

Both John and Angie waited to have virtual morning coffee...I was a no show...and could not call them to let them know.

On Tuesday Loretta and I had planned (REAL) Coffee and Brunch at her place...once again I was MIA.

Finally Rita stopped by Wednesday evening with overripe bananas (...and I made us the best banana nut bread...) and I borrowed her cell to call a mutual friend , Barb...asking her to email Chris.  Saved by overripe bananas.

By then both James and Nicole were really worried and ready to drive over to see if I was okay...having not been on FB for a couple of days. 

Chris let everyone know what had happened that night, and not to pay the ransom..I'd escaped.  

LOL!

He removed my hard drive and by the next morning had transferred all my data to a used (but in GREAT shape) Toshiba laptop that he had, and didn't need anymore.  He is going to cannibalize the old machine for any salvageable parts.

And I was sooooooooooooooooooooo grateful!

The rest of my week (in a nutshell)

Recovering all my account information proved much harder.

Most of the accounts had been set up in 2011 or prior.  Everything was on auto-log. No need to remember passwords...well...until yesterday.

OMFG!

To complicate matters all accounts were attached to 2 different emails. Neither of which I had access to (passwords)

BREATHE

It quickly became a mobius strip of Account Recovery.

Seriously.

"We will send your reset information to X account"

That won't work...I can't access it.

"We will sent your information and password to Y account"

No good...can't get into that one either.

...sigh...

The NSA doesn't protect their information as closely as a few of these sites, I might add.

Finally I realized sorting most of the mess relied on getting into at least one of the old email accounts...focused on that aspect...finally got in...used it to access the other...and most of it fell into place after that.

Just an FYI...eBay and Pintrest are two of the worst to try and recover accounts...whereas the BANK was the easiest...WTF???

But most of it is sorted now...and the rest won't be missed.

And I NEED a drink!

 Needless to say NOW all my passwords are written down...lol!

Survived the ice storm, snow and extreme cold...enjoyed a visit by Nicole (and Aiden) yesterday...and some good chocolate and Ghiradelli Salted Caramel Brownie Mix that she surprised me with...and I will be baking Sunday!

So amazed...she has dropped from a size 24 to a size 12 now. Looks and feels great! Down 70 pounds since October.

She is such an inspiration!

Looking forward to the warm up in the coming week...and soon The Superbowl

It is down to

The Patriots

The Eagles

The Vikings

The Jaguars

(...okay...basically The Patriots and whichever team is left to play them..lol)

Wouldn't mind watching a Pats-Vikings game.  On their home-turf...the Vikings might even pull it off!

We will see.

 And a sure sign of a Trump Presidency

People (primarily teens) are taking

(...seriously...are you stoned or just stupid????)

and you had to appreciate the quick wit of my  DS friend, Robert, in Texas who quipped

"Now with Downy Dipping Sauce"

Yeah...I have the BEST friends...lol!

Teens eating (or biting into) a Tides Pod and videoing themselves.

Since the chemicals/detergents these can make you very ill and can even be fatal...it is possible the situation may sort itself quickly.

PSA:  People...STOP EATING LAUNDRY DETERGENT!!!!

(...just shaking my head...)

Settling in here and hoping to start Virtual Sydney sometime tomorrow-

More anon...

Virtual Australia...but first...

There....now that I've gotten THAT out of my system (and you have to feel sorry for them, if someone actually LIVES there, you know.)

Yes. Dory and Marlin should have just consulted Google...they'd have been there in a jiffy.

First off...Australia is a long long long long air-flight from The States. And EXPENSIVE. And LONG.  Did I mention long?.

From here (IND) roughly 3.5 hours flight to a 4 hour layover in La La Land then approximately 15 hours from LAX to SYD...with 14 of those being in complete darkness over water.

All from Economy running $1695.41 today to
Premium which will set you back $2,260.00 for 1 person.

By the time you figure in taxes and fees...well, you have already saved a cool 3K before ever leaving the (virtual) tarmac.

When you figure in the hassle of the TSA...virtual travel is priceless.

Although they will entertain you  (the airlines...not TSA...well "maybe" TSA) and feed you throughout your flights.

                                                   Premier Breakfast

                                                   Economy Breakfast

           Premier Dinner with Red or White Wine to Compliment your Entree
 

  Economy Dinner (...hearing Tyler Durden discuss single serving friends,here)

 But mostly you will want to sleep because, when you finally arrive in Sydney, dawn will be breaking and it will be 6 AM. And you will have a day's worth of serious jet lag.

But not on our trip today...get your munchies...forget the TSA pat-down and taking your shoes off and on...and we are on our way!

From LAX to SYD

https://youtu.be/xIaAGkjC3uk

See isn't that easier...no turbulents...no chance of crashing into an ocean...no testy flight crew....no crying babies...no passenger next to you falling asleep and drooling on your shoulder

and you see...

here we are!

AUSTRALIA

Sydney from the Air

https://youtu.be/z8nAkD5IXmI

On approach if you look out your (virtual) window you may see this

The Sydney Opera House and Bridge.



We'll catch up today and get settled in...and soon we will start our Virtual Tour of Sydney! 

More Anon...

Sydney Harbour at Night

2018 Virtual Adventure: Australia- Itinerary

2018's Virtual Adventure will be exploring Australia, and all that entails.

I want to get an overview of the history, including the Aboriginal tribes that lived here thousands of years before the British Fleets arrived, and understand more about The Stolen Generation. (x)

I want to observe Australia Day (Jan. 26th) and explore some of  the other Australian Observed Holidays. (x)

I want to Explore the 6 areas shown above, and Tasmania.(xxxxxx)

I want to discover Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Sydney (...although probably not P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way...lol) Canberra, Melbourne andHobart. (x)

I want to see the mountains, waterfalls, rain-forests, deserts, and beaches. (xxxxx)

I want to find a couple of areas to paint this year...and promised a friend, who requested it, a painting of Ayers Rock at Sunset.

I want to try some Australian recipes...as well as tasting Kangaroo (x)...Emu...Leatherwood Honey (x)...and
Vegemite. (x)All,of which, I have never tried before.

I want to explore Ayers Rock. (x)

I want to experience the culture and the music. Both Aboriginal and Now. (x)

I want a bit of Fire Opal  (x),and a piece of Dragonsblood Jasper both stones indigenous to the area. (...hello eBay?)

I want to checkout the flora and diverse fauna of Australia.
(x)


I want to learn to make Lamingtons. (x)

I want to explore the National Parks! (x)

I want to do the virtual swim with the crocodiles, dolphins, sea turtles and the whale sharks at Nigaloo Reef. (x)

I want to check out The Great Ocean Highway (x) and The Great Barrier Reef. (x)

I want to buy and try Australian grown coffee (x)...their wine (x)...their tea...their honey (x)...and their chocolate. (x)

I want to build a Cairn.

I want to virtually ride the Ghan between Darwin and Adelaide.

I want to discover some of the Outback Towns. (x)

I want to rewatch several of the Australian Based films I have seen through the years and read a few books. (x_

I want to see The Fence. (x)

I want to see the hanging birdcages in Sydney. (x)

I want to see The Penguins on Phillips Island.(x)

I want to see the 'roos on Kangaroo Beach.(x)

I want to learn some of the Aussie Slang, (x)

I want to do the Scenic Skyway Tram across the Blue Mountains.(...hey youtube)

See Australia's Hanging Rock and Devil's Marbles.

I want to see The Wave Rock in Western Australia. (x)_

I want to see The Big Pineapple in Queensland. (x)

I want to do the Rain-forest Boardwalk at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. (x)

I want to see the Figure 8 pools in Sydney. (x)

I want a shell from Shell Beach.

I want to see the view from the peak of "Bloody Mary" at sunset.

I want to see a Quokka and a Bilby...mostly because I never knew they existed! (x)
 

I absolutely have to see Lake Hillier!  OMG....PINK! And must know WHY??? (x)

I want to see The 12 Apostles and Sea Horse Rock. (x)

Do a virtual snorkel through the shipwrecks and Great Barrier Reef. (x)

Do the Bridge and Opera house in Sydney. (x)

See the Sydney Aquarium and The Royal Botanical Gardens. (x x)

See Sydney Chinatown...and maybe find something with pearls.  (x)


See The Sydney Zoo  (x)


And probably a lot more I will  discover along the way.

Do you see why I have dedicated the entire year to this journey?

The Adventure starts Monday!  Join  me...



 More anon...

...and it's WINTER again!

Christmas Stuff stowed...Thank You notes written and mailed...house cleaned and warm. Pantries stocked.Made the most of the two unseasonably high days (mid to high 50's) and now it is WINTER again.

Went to sleep last night to the sound of frozen rain falling and woke to it this morning.  Everything coated with a solid sheet of ice. Later, the snow came and covered all the ice.

I'm hibernating until at least Monday.

Lots to do,though. Baking, Editing The Plan, Staring the new Snoopy Winter painting, and choose a Virtual Destination for 2018.

I think Australia. 
So much to see and do (and try).

Although I checked out several maps and things to do...this one made me laugh out loud.

Will  work up an Itinerary by Saturday and start the Virtual Adventure soon after.

PSA:  Girl Scout Cookie are BACK!!!

Called my Grand-daughter connection to "Hook Me Up"

Yeah,I know...almost a Year Clean-Time, too.

Little Pushers. 

They should be here by the end of the month..envisioning a little Thin Mints, Trefoil, Tag-a-long and S'More coma! The S'more may be my favourite new GSC. If you haven't try it ...do...

You'll thank me.

Heard someone in the Twitterverse refer to Trump as Circus Peanut...and thought

"My God...That's Brilliant"

So here goes the

UPDATE:


You know just when I think He (or his band of sycophants) can't possibly go any lower- somehow they manage to pull it off.

While we were angry about him tying DACA to the funds to build that damned wall (that Mexico isn't going to pay for...and we ALL knew that when he was claiming it...except a small percentage of his die-hard supporters)...he came off with a new outburst that was so vile.So against everything this country was founded on...we were all trembling and shaking our heads.

The whole "shithole" rant...witnessed by several members of Congress. Dick Durbin- D and Lindsay Graham- R both speaking out after he tried to DENY he even said it.

"Oh yes...yes you did."

and once again I feel compelled to say

THIS IS NOT NORMAL...DO NOT ATTEMPT TO NORMALIZE IT.

I have NEVER been one to  vote a straight party ticket...but this year during mid-terms we have to.

Seriously.

Obviously the current GOP have no intentions of reining this National Embarrassment in...and his handful of supporters applaud his bigotry and ham-handed approach to the Presidency ('Merika)  so it is up to us to save this foundering ship.

We can do this.

Flip the House and Senate in 2018.

Join The Resistance.

 Mysmer...the grey mist coloured ghost of a feral is back. I shortened it to Myst and she seems to know I am referring to her. She comes when I call now.

Slipped her out a bowl of warmed cat food and she was sooooooooooooooooo
happy!


Pretty sure she will disappear again as the weather breaks...and I am little more than a kitty hostel for her, but for now at least she is warm and fed.

More tomorrow...

James is 31...Painting Snoopy for Winter...Genius

Live...from Frozen Cataract Falls it's the Hurst Tribe!

James turned 31 today...which seems rather odd- since most days I feel around 45...so how can THAT be right?

~laughing~

Loved the whole BLAST RADIUS on his cake, though.

*the CDC will be along shortly to explain what to do about the fall-out.

Embarking on a fun project with Jill (Lennon's bio-mom) in a few days...since we both paint now.   She started with the Wine and Art series and we were talking about doing one (each) together. After sending several ideas back and forth we decided on this one.

A Van Gogh-ish Winter Snoopy.

Since we aren't actually going to be at the Art and Wine (here or in Massachusetts) we have paint and canvas and brushes...and will have to pick up our own bottles and wineglasses...lol!

Looking forward to starting and sharing results when finished.

Now a word about Genius.

You know it has been my observation in life that as soon as someone touts they
have wealth...intelligence...humility...stability...or class....well

THEY DON'T.

So excuse me for passing coffee through my nose when I read Circus Peanut's tweet about his being (like) a "stable genius" (you know).

Donnie...Donnie...Donnie.

The entire Twitterverse was hysterical...and they are laughing AT you...not WITH you...okay?

Then, I happened on this morning's analysis of what it would take to invoke the 25th Amendment- with the writer proclaiming it would take something Apocalyptic to Happen...

and I'm saying

So WHAT are we waiting for, then???????????????????????????? 
Him to CHOKE on a Big Mac?

My Happy Thought?

Only 303 more days until Midterms.


Just watching (and helping whenever possible) The Blue Wave build.

Taking Our Country Back in 2018

The Christmas stuff is stowed and it looks BARE without it. Beginning the (before) Spring Cleaning tomorrow.Soon to force some of my refrigerated Spring Bulbs.

Tonight...relaxing and finishing off the end of the Meatloaf, Sides and Cherry Pie

"Diner Chow"

and home smells a lot like a diner!

More Anon...