a thousand hairy savages sitting down to lunch …
or something to that effect, as I either paraphrase or quote the inimitable Spike Milligan, in honour of my American friends’ turkey festival. A very Happy Thanksgiving to you late celebrating folk.
We have become increasingly aware of American Thanksgiving as it has for one become bigger than Christmas in the States almost, or perhaps has become a part of it, a forerunner, a season opener. But as my athletic therapist pointed out yesterday as the insane blackness of the ill-named Black Friday was plastered all over town, your dollar has our border retailers salivating, so perhaps we are more aware this year than usual.
The fluctuation in the exchange rate has currently put a dead stop to a great Canadian tradition of cross border shopping, where the strong US dollar was offset by cheap prices and low taxes. But as the cold weather approaches and our snow birds all look south, it is with dismay. A dismay I am sharing, as while the boat must stay home, there is just a chance that we will imitate our old lives and manage a Bahamas trip to stay with the elderly in-laws who have a sweet setup with friends in Treasure Cay, where they have a little bungalow community where the average age is about 862. But one does one’s own cooking, etc., so it is really just the flight that is an added expense. And we are worried about them. They soldier on remarkably, but age is age and pop-in-law is 86.
But back to the present, I hope you enjoy your holiday, see family if that is a good idea, don’t see family if that is a better idea, and if football is part and parcel of your sweet potato pie day, you might enjoy listening to this episode of Radiolab. Their endless NPRness eventually wears one down, as episode after episode seemed to delve into transgenderness and then sort of horrible stories about death, and shooting Rhinos because they do have an agenda and kind of hate a lot of things, or at least I began to find it more depressing than inspiring, but many of the episodes cover very interesting ground, and this one, about the invention of American football was an astonishing tale, and I heartily recommend it while you are peeling those sweet potatoes or just curling up on the couch fending off wolves:
Today, we tackle football. It’s the most popular sport in the US, shining a sometimes harsh light on so much of what we have been, what we are, and what we hope to be. Savage, creative, brutal and balletic, whether you love it or loathe it … it’s a touchstone of the American identity.
Along with conflicted parents and players and coaches who aren’t sure if the game will survive, we take a deep dive into the surprising history of how the game came to be. At the end of the 19th century, football is a nascent and nasty sport. The sons of the most powerful men in the country are literally knocking themselves out to win these gladiatorial battles. But then the Carlisle Indian School, formed in 1879 to assimilate the children and grandchildren of the Native American men who fought the final Plains Wars, fields the most American team of all. The kids at Carlisle took the field to face off against a new world that was destroying theirs, and along the way, they changed the fundamentals of football forever.
It makes one appreciate the use of indian names for sports teams a little more … perhaps a compliment not an insult?
We used to go camping for Thanksgiving, and gathered around the table I actually enforced a giving thanks, each person in turn. I think our middle child was thankful for potatoes one year, and really when you think about it, me too! So just to be preachy for a moment, do remember to be thankful for something or someone or both … even for yourself. We are lucky to be alive and it doesn’t get better than that, as far as I can tell.
So I hope your brine is salty, and your beer is malty and that you are able to eat, drink and be merry. But maybe don’t go shopping tomorrow. It is getting a little unseemly. Unless you want to drive up here … but our Black Friday started Wednesday, so it is all a little confusing.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving and I hope a couch features prominently in your day.
you will never make sense of the universe until you connect to your “heart”. some call it the heart brain. medical science is finally accepting this.
the holy trinity. the father, son, holy ghost. mind, body, spirit. most people easily get the first two. but you need to balance all three. i never could fully understand the universe before. now i am going to be able to understand dimensions/string theory… the cutting edge CERN stuff, etc. our body and minds are in 4 dimensions. one cannot “get their head around” this stuff. you can intuitively understand the “big picture” though, and that is because the soul exists in all dimensions. no wonder that even Hawkings now believes in “God”. did that come before or after his breakthroughs on the “theory of everything”? i do not think anybody can really teach one to understand quantum mechanics at the level the top physicists are at now. so i will not be able to explain it either. one has to do the work themselves. but it is freaking amazing when you do finally get it. only took me 30+ years. 🙂 AND YOU WILL BELIEVE!
got off work early. still am exhausted. pecking keys even uses too much fuel. so maybe i will play some tunes.
it’s the
play it fucking loud. 🙂 🙂 🙂
cruising and bluesing the tube. good morning.
sorry for the potty mouth lately. been pretty emotional. trying to readjust but having trouble keeping up.
oh, and i am done waiting.
you never did say if you liked my painting Xty. do you get it?
Good morning. I believe in existence, and if that is what people want to call god, then so be it. I believe that the atoms that make up my biological body are immortal, and that is good enough for me.
I am not sure if I get the painting as you intended it, but it actually reminds me off what I sometimes manage to see when I practice my blindfolded meditation trying to quiet the noise in my brain. But it could be the Big Bang or a magical new sunrise. All good things …
And on a trivial note the lovely tiles, and the funny corner, once completely inaccessible with a strange knee wall cupboard that protected us from knowing about the ants that were slowly devouring our house. It was a real can of worms renovation, going from my daughter and I wanting to just repaint, hubby saying we should pull down the wall board first, and then it just ended up down to the studs, eradicating the ants with hideous fumes over weeks. We got the floor and shower done and the drywall up ages and ages ago, but finally all painted and trimmed. We are a one bathroom family, so it has really been a silly thing to live with undone for so long, but also a tough room to take over for a chore. All’s well that ends well.
weird … the first time I put up the picture from imgur it showed a strange pair of shoes …
And then the second time it didn’t show a picture at all, just a blue link asking if you would like to see the post on imgur, and then I reloaded the page and all was back to the new normal.
well, i tried! that’s OK. it took me my whole life to get here. no regrets either.
maybe try to work out your right brain by doing some more writing. few are smart enough to really figure out the universe by doing the math!
yup i’m feeling philosophical, or maybe it is just that i am emotionally exhausted and/or hungover. 🙂 🙂 🙂
cool tile. you have created art! beautiful really.
some stuff that i find most intriguing…
http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-culture/tribe-totems.htm
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitou
cool.
http://www.gazettextra.com/20151220/quint_studer_taking_corporate_fix_it_model_to_downtown_janesville
is peyote legal yet up by you Xty? maybe you could send me a christmas gift. 🙂
http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/se/wsgr/wsgr08.htm
I think you can do iawaska in New York State, if you like your psychedelics to come with a full on body purge. Not that I recommend it, and personally will never subject my poor body to the retching. Peyote, on the other hand, I have tried and thought it was clean and magical. But I was but a teen.
As to Gitchi Manitou, how can that entry say he was from Mackinaw Island and not from Manitoulin! Must you Americans claim everything! But do not be lecturing me about god or lack of spirituality … I am not in need of a god and am happy enough with turtles all the way down if I do need to haul one out. And it is not from want of understanding of physics or math. I believe in self-generated purpose not imposed purpose. I am however a big fan of Manitou and stories of people becoming birds. I do remember being on a field trip with Grade 7s and being told a story of some girl who drank water with pine needles in it and gave birth to a raven. It seemed a good opportunity for a little humorous sex ed.
So glad to see you in such good humour!
The Janesville article was paywalled … but nice to know that someone is noticing …
Offspring #1 due at airport at 6:50. Knows nothing about the bathroom.
Hubby had some help at the beginning from a friend who is an absolute tile artist, and the shape around the window mimics the trim in the rest of the house. Offspring #1 and I get credit for the colour scheme and overall design. And initial destruction of hideous original bathroom. Pleased!
https://youtu.be/Invz4eFFZzY
i am running out of Packer hats to wear to work. now that is a real life issue of some avoirdupois. 🙂 🙂 🙂
check out this site Xty. i think you will like it. and we may have a “meeting of the minds”.
🙂 🙂 🙂
https://bluefeatherspirit.wordpress.com/
OK. one more then bed. hope to hear some more from you 44. something’s different eh?
http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/warriors-rainbow-prophecy-001577
THANK YOU NAVONA! I LOVE YOU! IT’S ALL TRUE EXCEPT THAT THIS TIME I’M STICKING AROUND! and I’m not sorry for SHOUTING! and i’ll just bring your cookies to work. and, well, you know. 🙂 🙂 🙂
let it go Xty. allow yourself to live.
by the way, the judges reviewed your answer and a magical new sunrise is correct.
and good night!
I like magical new sunrise very much. Every day.
And why can’t people spell Krysti right? Honestly!
Daughter home safe and sound and now thinks her parents might be barely functional because we actually finished the bathroom. Whew, and goal accomplished.
Good Morning, and not having the right hat to wear is a better class of problem!
anyone else having trouble sleeping lately? i might as well brew some coffee and make eggs.
if anyone knows Jesse or Dan Norcini tell them to watch this space. some very cool stuff is going to happen.
TFmetals is more or less a satanic cult. come on, we all were so stupid! evil likes to hide in plain site. “Turd” Ferguson, Mr. “Fix”, Green Lantern. jfc. well, hopefully all that was lost was a shitload of money. that’s the case for me anyway. i don’t need it now. you are the one who is going to lose everything Turd. your fucking soul.
JY896 – you stoopid wingnut mo fo! yes, i am holier than thou! way the fuck holier!
all said with love of course. enunciate those “f”s!
i’m making breakfast, ttyl.
🙂 🙂 🙂
unreal. good morning Xty. sorry, my spell check is acting weird. 🙂
Can’t sleep but like you, up and cheerful. No point in lying in bed alert. Have you been swamping? How can they still be at it? The metals price, the ostensible reason d’être of the place, has barely budged in three years, the Russians never came and no nukes have been set off by Obama in downtown small-town USA.
But when you hate others and blame others for all your woes it is good to get together and rant about how unfair everything is. And don’t forget to pay the leader on your way out.
I once got a great birthday card, to “Cyndi with one eye”, with a picture of a hot cyclops.
But yes, you commented within minutes of me. Maybe we are in balance with us, but not the universe. Yet. And if I ever get a tattoo to cover any of my scars it will definitely be one of those tribal totems of some sort.
I wonder if 44 is also awake?
i have not lurked there ever since they released my personal info. i have been attacked through the internet, by e-mail, and spiritually from these sickos. but i am still here, stronger than ever. i have some powerful allies now. they have already lost.
i am in the best place ever in my entire life. i do hope all of you get here soon. i will do my best to show you all the way.
no, i am not stoned, drunk, or nuts. but if i had some weed, i’d certainly lean on natures gifts to help me to chill out and just sit here grinning ear to ear. but i think i am going to be super busy. all i wanted was to wake up, and then rest! oh well. other plans i suppose. but i agreed to all this. it has been hell, but still one hell of a bargain already, and i am just getting started on this new thingy.
love you. i should try to sleep some OK. probably hopeless. but i will settle for laying on the couch with a purring cat licking my hair.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Don’t be getting manic … sending you chill vibes …. no need to show the way ..
anyway…
it’s either the shortest day, or the longest night. everything is relative. we live in a dimension that has duality. you have a choice – free will. don’t let anyone convince you of otherwise.
and remember what i said the other day. it doesn’t take much evil to control magnitudes of ignorance. just ask Hillary’s or Trumps’ campaign managers.
look up wetiko, the “white man’s disease”. you have to do some of the work folks.
i know the difference. so does my wife. what are you so afraid of?
don’t be a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body
You are acting like you have some sort of secret knowledge that you can’t explain but are acting superior about, and you are preaching in a patronizing way. I am not afraid of anything … what an odd question. And you are treating me like I am spiritually lacking … not a problem that I have.
Sorry to be so blunt but I have been hinting …
i am guileless Xty. bring all you got! 🙂 i can take it! but this is not about you at all. let go of your ego. i am not angry but you do frustrate me! let me have a voice here, and let any lurkers decide for themselves if i am crazy, condescending, whatever, OK? i have nothing to prove. people will believe what they want to believe. i could help explain some things is all. it is like that moron Fix used to say, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” i want to teach. it might just be my calling.
it is 55 degrees in Wisconsin on the first day of winter. nothing to see here. move on.
ttyl. chill back at ya! 🙂 🙂 🙂
at the top of your page is this, “I am finally awake … again”
it is profound. you do have depth, er, may i take a chance and call it spirit?
🙂 🙂 🙂
i will have to go to work soon. peace.
No worries, and peace indeed.
But don’t lecture me about my ego.
something pretty amazing is happening to me. something amazing is happening to the planet. it is real. some are already noticing it, some are actually active in bringing about this change. others are so damn smart that they are not noticing anything at all.
i do not want to talk about economics anymore. i am also done complaining about politics, the job market, etc. i am moving on. none of this stuff really matters.
if anyone wants to ask me anything that i just might know something about, i hope you will let them do it here Xty. if that does not happen, whether no one cares, or you discourage the conversation, then you might as well shut down this blog. if i go, it will be only you left.
remember me if we go our separate ways, and no regrets. we all are on our own paths. sometimes we merge, sometimes we go apart.
if this does not post, or is edited in any way, i am done here as well. i will not tolerate any manipulative crap like what happened at that other blog.
ttyl. peace.
You are being weirdly aggressive. If you have something to say, say it. But don’t threaten me.
And good morning, mostly. I do want to talk about economics and have been listening to an interesting book about behavioural economics that is fascinating about human choices and how we discount things over time and why we can’t stop eating cashews. So let’s not be discouraging conversation … especially conversation that your host, for so it is, finds enjoyable.
just a few random thoughts and i will leave you be.
one must offer the choice.
Au and Ag are powerful elements spiritually. that is why they are the only honest money.
the oral tradition of aboriginal cultures is way closer to the truth than religions that have been used for power/control/conquest. yet every religion on this planet contains truth.
speculation in the financial markets is wrong. you are screwing with someone’s livelihood. hedging risk/investing are just fine.
if you really want to piss off evil, call it stupid. 🙂 🙂 🙂
DPH – Dark Purple Haze. hmmmn. sounds like black ops. i should have trusted my instincts.
peace.
oops… one last thing.
Turd, Sinclaire, Maguire, Sprott. et al took the other side of the bet.
won’t you please allow some new people to have log ons Xty?
you should read this from start to finish. you are totally right about the turtles.
http://www.crystalinks.com/hopi2.html