Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Stuff

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That picture above is where The Missus Herself and Your Humble Scribe went for Thanksgiving dinner this year. Good food, good company, and in a very nice setting. Though the company was far smaller than past years (thanks PRC), it was still a good time. The benefit of the smaller company was not having to yell down the length of the table if you wanted to talk to someone at the other end.

Okay, we weren't literally yelling down the table but it was often necessary to get up and walk down to the other end to hear (or tell) a story being related down there. With a group of five it was far easier to converse. As the only reservation I could get was at 11:30 or noon (I chose noon) it was surprisingly uncrowded. The receptionist said that most folks like to start around 1:30, 1:00 at the earliest. As I can eat virtually any time of the day, I had no problem with the time. Hey, lunch, amirite? But I did get a couple of raised eyebrows from a couple of the clan.

The only way my better half can tell if I'm truly ill is that I won't eat. Which is seldom. Remember the old saying, "Feed a cold, starve a fever"? Well, I believe in feeding everything. But if the fever is high enough, then I won't eat. I'm talking 104°, which I've hit three times, then I get strange. Probably because my brain is boiling, I suppose. (The docs never did figure out what caused that, hasn't happened since I was on Okinawa.)

After my most recent stint in Sandy Eggo, I resolved to take a bunch of days off, twelve to be precise. Two of which were covered by the Thanksgiving holiday (yes, we get the Friday off) and only two required vacation time. Working a lot of extra hours on the ship does have its benefits. Returning to work on the 28th of November was somewhat surreal, I hadn't been in the office since the 4th of November.

Okay, I was going to bitch about the WuFlu and masks and stuff but decided against it. Hey, it's the holiday season, f**k the government. (I almost spelled that out, but I have qualms about doing that here on the blog. I use it enough in real life that it could get out of hand here. Yes, I see it occasionally in the comments, it makes me grit my teeth, but hey, 1st Amendment, etc.)

So yes, work, back to. For three weeks, four day weeks I might add, I have enough comp time to make that happen. Then three full weeks off for Christmas. I did that last year for the first time, rather enjoyed it I did, so I'm doing it again this year.

The plan is to visit Maryland for a week or so, if they don't throw us out sooner. Well actually me, if they don't throw me out sooner. The Missus Herself will cook and clean and generally make herself useful. I'm good for asking questions like, "Hey, are there any donuts left?"

Which leads me to this, is it "donut" or "doughnut"? I can go either way. What say you?

Moving right along ...

I'm still not ready to write any fiction, I blame end-of-the-year-laziness. Not run-of-the-mill -laziness, but the other which is linked to "it's almost Christmas" and "Holy Shit, this has been  a long freaking year."

Christmas means, among other things, time off away from work, time spent with family. I'll get to the other meanings sometime in the next fortnight, I'm in the midst of a theological impasse with the letter and the spirit of things. Not quite along these lines ...

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But close ...

It's getting close to that time of year when I get to recharge my batteries for the coming fiasco year. I'm seeing indications in these parts that juvat's saying of "We're winning!" is closer to reality than the spew I've heard in the Meejah.

Carry on, and let's go you-know-who.





26 comments:

  1. One summer a co-worker had enough enough leave accumulated that she took off every Friday during June, July and August (her family had a cabin close by in Badger-land). Coming back to work after an extended period of time off, ya....surreal alright. As to Theological Controversy..... Die Hard IS a Christmas movie, saw a video where the director said that was the case, enuff said for me.....:)

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  2. To me, doughnuts are made with yeast dough, donuts with quick bread dough. I'm not at all sure why I think that, and suspect it's a rationalization of spellings rather than an explanation of baking techniques.

    Sounds like great planning going on.

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  3. The venue for Thanksgiving dinner looks very apropos... were you already in VT or did you drive up that morning?
    Is all this time off part of your pre-retirement prep? Mental prep, that is...
    And I always though the difference in spelling for donuts was due to some business owners not wanting to pay more for signs than they had to - the cost savings for not using those three extra letters must be significant! :-)

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    1. We went up the day before. My brother actually drove up from the Boston area that day, but as he left around 0430, he saw no traffic problems.

      The time off is from working extra hours out in Sandy Eggo. I don't normally seek to get paid for overtime but rather prefer taking that time off in the future. I can always find money somewhere, finding time is an issue.

      Donuts vs doughnuts, I like the cost angle. It makes sense.

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  4. Hey Old AFSarge;

    It ain't Christmas until I see Hans Gruber fall off the Naketomi building, Jus saying. Or there are 2 types of people with "Die Hard" as a Christmas movie....Regular people and Communist.

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    1. I actually saw an Advent-type calendar where when you open each day, Hans falls a little further. It's actually shaped liked the Nakatomi building. Not sure if it's real or just a meme someone created, but it's pretty funny.

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  5. That looks quite like what the rest of the country pictures a New England Inn looking like to the rest of out of staters. And at least for me, any time is food time.

    Last year, due to scheduling accident, we ended up having a full two weeks off at Christmas. It was amazing. I have known people that essentially save all their vacation and then are out three weeks or a month at a time. In some ways I have come to appreciate that; the complete disconnection time is a good thing (Going where they cannot find you helps as well, of course).

    As to The Plague Travel - that was the least enjoyable part of our recent trip. We essentially spent 7 days in masks from the time we left the airport at home to the time we returned (for Costa Rica and the tour company, it was a requirement) except for eating or in the hotel room. It was enough to pretty much convince me I would not necessarily travel abroad again until this thing gets resolved.

    I believe both spellings are acceptable; I prefer "doughnuts" as it makes me feel more highbrow.

    Actually, your posting is incorrect: The issue of Die Hard as a Christmas movie was discussed at the First Council of Nicea, but not successfully cemented in place until the First Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (381), in which the heresy of Apollonaris (declaring Die Hard as a non-Christmas movie) was put down and the original findings of the Council of Nicea confirmed.

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  6. We like to watch "The Long Kiss Goodnight" during the Christmas season.

    I zoomed in on the photo of the inn and I'm pretty sure I see Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye just inside the door.

    My mind supplied the appropriate music.

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    1. A most fitting scene that would be!

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    2. Hmmmm... That would make one helluva Christmas movie, though I'm not normally into zombies or other undead...

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    3. The assumption here is, I think, that this would be Danny Kaye and Der Bingle when they were still alive. But YMMV.

      Forgot to mention, love that movie John mentioned.

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  7. Avoiding profanity on other peoples blogs is only good manners. In real life? A recently viewed meme sums it up. "I would have a swear jar, but I don't have that kind of income".

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  8. Yep. "Die Hard." Christmas movie. So is the sequel. The rest? Not so much. Though "Live Free or Die Hard" is an Independence Day movie.

    And to people who think DH isn't? Well, there's something wrong with them, must be Christian Scientists or Scientologists or something. Maybe even Pagans, though the Hell's Angels firmly have it written in their revised charter that DH is a Christmas movie.

    I mean, screw the politics, it's what could truly divide us all. One side saying it isn't, the other side saying "Now I have a Machine Gun, Ho Ho Ho" and proving it.

    As to any gubmint proclamations, I will just point out that the screeching levels of stupidity are getting rather high as the screechers find out that more and more and more are discovering liberty.

    Enjoy yourself this holiday season. And (burp) what donuts or doughnuts? (burp)

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    1. As to your last, really, it makes no difference. A donut (doughnut) by any other name ...

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  9. As to "We're winning", two of the key indicators I've used are the number of masks worn during Mass and Holy Water. We go to the 0730 Mass. Mostly Ranchers & Families, so a tad on my side of 60. One would think they'd be a primary target for mask wearing, older, one or more existing health issues etc. And during the early stages of this Bovine Excrement (and you know what I really meant to say, but Beans has tender ears), most folks did or they stopped attending (and tithing, as did we. Mrs J bumped up our normal donation to the Military Dioceses). Then our Communist Archbishop said masks were no longer required but encouraged. Magically delicious, people started attending and week by week less masks were worn. I kinda looked around to gauge the number and who were wearing masks. A couple of weeks ago, I didn't see a soul wearing one. That was also the weekend that our Communist Archbishop decreed that Holy Water could be reinstated at the doors to the Church. That's when I knew we had definitely started winning. Is the war over? I doubt it, but I'm seeing more and more folks defying the guidance in one way or another. So....
    Never give up, Never surrender!

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    1. In most Little Rhodian venues I've attended, masks are not required if one is vaccinated, according to the governor of Rhode Island. (And so ordered.) Yet the Feds continue down this insane path. A pox on their houses and the next election can't get here soon enough. LGBFJB.

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