South Of Someplace: 2019

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Cheese

It dawned on me last evening that a number of popular Italian cheeses have feminine names:

Mozzarella

Parmigiana

Ricotta

Fontina

Gorgonzola

This seems odd given the cheese is a masculine noun in the Italian language:

Il formaggio

To make is more confusing, there are Italian cheeses with masculine names as well:

Asiago

Pecorino

Stracchino

Bitto

Crucolo

Taleggio

And a few that are difficult to classify:

Provolone

Mascarpone

So, in conclusion...

Maybe I’d better

Shred some more Cheddar

‘Cause I don’t know Jack

About cheese

I started a new job in January. I spend a lot of time at the office, but I enjoy the work and the people on my team. I took training classes in Python programming and Data Science. The training cut into my free time a bit, but the topics were interesting, and hopefully, the training will help me to land new opportunities when the time comes for another move.

Entertainment

I attended some amazing music performances in 2019: Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No. 5’, Handel’s ‘Messiah’, ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’, plus concerts by ‘The Fixx’ and ‘The Steve Miller Band’. I saw ‘Wicked’ on Broadway, which had been on my list for some time.

Writing

In 2018, I set a goal to write an entry on my blog for each day of the year. I met that goal, and I didn’t think that I would ever do it again due to time constraints. I must have had some momentum built up, because I met the 365 posts goal again this year.

Travel

Florida. Hungary. Slovakia. I hope to do more traveling in 2020, but there are no specific plans yet.

Photography

I enjoyed discovering new photo opportunities as I explored some different neighborhoods in New York. I put particular energy into Nighttime and Black & White photography. I’ve been keeping up with my photo blogs, and my Instagram following is growing, but my website has fallen behind. I have thought about scrapping it and starting over, but there wasn’t enough time this year.

Music

I continue to play music each week, which I enjoy, but I haven’t had much time for composing. I hope to compose more music in 2020.

Dance

I didn’t do much dancing in 2019, but I dream about it occasionally. We’ll have to see what the future holds for this part of my life.

That’s my report. Have a good 2020!

Sunday, December 29, 2019

The Essence Of True Beauty

A beautiful person is beautiful no matter where they are, what they wear, or what they are doing. Beauty is not something that one pulls out of a closet and puts on before a big night on the town. It’s what a person thinks about, how they treat people, and how they look when they get out of bed in the morning.

Saturday, December 28, 2019

A Christmas Story

The week, we celebrate Christmas, the holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the founder and central figure of the Christian religion. Whether you are a Christian or not, you’ll probably recall the story.

Jesus was not born in Nazareth. The Romans were holding a census, and all citizens and families were required to return to their ancestral homes. Joseph was a descendant of the family of King David, so he and his bride-to-be Mary journeyed to Bethlehem (The City Of David). They found no accommodations when they arrive, so they stayed in a hut with animals. It was here that Jesus was born.

You may also recall that three wise men visited this newborn child and brought him gifts. The wise men were spurred to make the journey when they noticed an unusually a bright star in the sky. They interpreted this as a sign that a new king had been born.

But the wise men made a foolish miscalculation. Along they way, they stopped and announced their intentions to King Herod. Herod was a villainous king, known for his debauchery, cruelty, and vanity. When the wise men mentioned the birth of a new king, Herod felt threatened and plotted to have the infant Jesus killed.

Joseph was warned of the plot by an angel who came to him in a dream. He and Mary left Bethlehem with their newborn child and journeyed to Egypt, where they stayed until they received news that Herod had died.

So, think about this for a moment. When Jesus was a child, he was a refugee. His family sought asylum in another country, because they feared that if they stayed, he would be killed.

Imagine if the Egyptian authorities had refused entry to Joseph and his family.

“Hey, look, Joseph, we’re sorry, but there’s nothing that we can do right now. Our government has put restrictions on the number of refugees that we can let in, and we are no longer accepting applications for asylum for any reason. If you noticed along the border, we’re building a big new wall to keep people like you out. You’re just going to have to go back where you came from. And if you try to sneak back in, we’re going to take your child away from you and lock him up in a makeshift detention center.”

Immigration has become a political football in recent years with tragic consequences. The administration that has taken repeated draconian and downright cruel actions against immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers rose to power with strong support from people who claim to be Christians.

That’s right. People who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who himself was once a Middle Eastern child refugee fleeing violence in his homeland, have enabled public policy that has lowered the number of refugees that the USA will accept, stripped children away from families and imprisoned them, and blocked all immigration from a number of Middle Eastern nations. How’s that for a thick slice of bitter irony wrapped up in a hypocrisy sandwich soaked in a toxic helping of fuck you sauce?

We need to go better as a nation. Much better. If you claim to be a Christian, start acting like one.

Friday, December 27, 2019

Cleaning Up

Sometimes

People need to rid themselves

Of items from the past

And sometimes

The item is you

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Don’t Skip Steps

We walk up a flight of stairs one step at a time. No one walks up the first couple of steps, concludes that they have stairs all figured out, and then leaps two thirds of the way up the staircase in order to reach the top faster.

We can try to skip every other step, but it’s exhausting and unsustainable.

Anything that you try to accomplish, any skill that you try to develop, can be broken down into a series of successive and most likely progressive steps. Any step that you skip in the process will result in a glaring weakness that you will have to go back and fix later. The omission and the resulting weakness will impede your progress. Once you go back and fix it, you’ll need to redo the later steps in order to get the full benefit of each of them.

The lesson is straightforward. Don’t skip steps. Don’t take shortcuts. Don’t try to skim or cheat your way through a process that cannot be rushed. You’ll end up wasting valuable time, and it will take longer to get to where you want to be than if you had simply done the right things in the right sequence.

New York Minute 174 - Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve fell on a Tuesday this year. I worked through the day and left the office at five o’clock to go to a dinner. I saw a couple of interesting performances as I rode the subway.

First, a Mexican man brought a guitar onto the train and sang ‘Feliz Navidad’ with a female companion. They sang and played well, and I appreciated that the song was seasonally appropriate. The funny thing was that while the duo was performing, the train conductor triggered a pre-recorded public address message multiple times.

“It is illegal to ask for money on the subway. Please give to charities that help people.”

Undaunted, the Mexican couple finished their song and passed the hat before moving to repeat their performance in the next car.

When they Mexicans left, a young, very fit African American guy come onto the train with a large, battery-powered loudspeaker. He entered the door across from where I was standing. (I typically stand while riding the subway, and my preference is to stand by a door.)

When I saw the guy enter, I moved quickly to another doorway at the far end of the train. I knew what was coming, and I wanted to witness it from a safe distance.

The guy with the speaker was an acrobat. They work the subways during quieter hours when the train cars are less crowded. I was traveling at rush hour, but I supposed that most people had left work early or didn’t go in at all. The train car was nearly empty.

These acrobats do amazing flips and tricks with the assistance of the metal poles and bars in the subway cars. The bars are there for standing passengers to hold onto for stability. Sure enough, this young fellow started flipping and jumping all over the place. I was glad that I have given him some extra space.

The guy also did some amazing tricks with his hat, tossing it up in the air, catching it with his feet, kicking it in the air and having it land on his head again, that sort of thing. And as with the Mexicans singers before him, his act was accompanied by PA messages advising passengers not to give money. It was quite surreal. I gave the acrobat and the singers a buck each.

I reached my destination and enjoyed a delicious dinner and a few hours of Christmas cheer before having to depart for the church. I needed to pick up my instrument along the way and get set up for carols and the Midnight Mass.

Along the way, I passed a man who was walking slowly and laboriously along the sidewalk with the aid of a wheeled supporting device. He didn’t appear to be very old - he might have been younger than I am - but he was clearly in bad shape and looked quite disheveled. I felt genuine sadness for the man and wondered whether he might be spending Christmas Eve alone. In retrospect, I wish that I had thought to invite him to come to the mass where he could enjoy being with people, but the idea didn’t occur to me until much later.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

New York Minute 173 - Parking Enforcement

I passed a Walgreens drugstore on the way to work this morning. The Walgreens truck was parked at the curb in front of the store. It was not double-parked.

As employees unloaded supplies from the truck, an NYPD Parking Enforcement officer stopped by and put a ticket on the truck. My first thought was, “Did you not see the people unloading the truck?” I guess that doesn’t matter.

My second thought was, “It’s Christmas Eve! Could you maybe give it a rest for one freaking day? Are they going to withhold your Christmas bonus because you weren’t enough of a hard ass?”

I don’t understand the relationship between delivery vehicles and parking enforcement in the city. I’ve seen UPS and FedEx trucks with stacks of tickets on them. I have heard, but this is not confirmed, that the companies agree to pay the city a certain amount of money every month. The individual tickets aren’t prosecuted. (Who would have the time?) It’s all part of a big game of organized payola. That said, it must stink to be out in cold weather writing meaningless tickets.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a mail truck with a boot on one tire. I guess the US Post Office must have been late on their payola payment. It was around the time when the federal government was on the verge of another shutdown. I guess the city didn’t want to take any chances.

Monday, December 23, 2019

New York Minute 172 - Cough Fest

One of the ironies on life in New York is that despite the vast number of restaurants that operate in the city, New Yorkers tend to go to the same places over and over again. It makes sense if you think about it. You might occasionally trek to another part of town for dinner, but you’re not going to do that every day. For lunch, you’re even more restricted, because you have a limited amount of time. So, you tend to gravitate toward a handful of places in your neighborhood that serve good food and aren’t overpriced.

There’s one restaurant that I visit just about every weekend. It’s located near where I shop and do my errands. The food is good, the prices are reasonable, and the people who work there are always very nice. They know me and my dietary restrictions, so I don’t have to explain things every time I go there.

I had lunch at this restaurant on Saturday after a stop at the post office. As I was finishing my main dish, a lady in a blue hospital uniform, a nurse or a technician perhaps, came in and sat at the table beside mine. She was very quiet; I didn’t notice much other than her uniform and the fact that she didn’t order right away. She appeared to be waiting for someone.

Ten minutes or more went by. I finished my meal and was catching up with news and emails on my iPad as I waited for the bill. (Note to restaurants: I HATE waiting for the bill.)

A man came into the restaurant with his little boy, who seemed to be about seven years old. They joined the hospital lady at her table. They all greeted each other and shared a bit of kid friendly chit chat before the lady launched into a prolonged coughing fit. Unable to get her coughing under control after a minute or two, she excused herself and went into the restroom.

My brain started to make some unpleasant calculations. Bad cough. Hospital uniform. What could that mean?

While the lady was in the restroom, the man started to cough. It wasn’t an uninterrupted stream of coughs as the lady had suffered, but it was still concerning. These were deep, loud, hacking coughs, and they kept coming even after the lady returned to the table. Happily, she wasn’t coughing any longer.

So, there I was sitting in a restaurant next to a guy who’s coughing like mad, a woman in a hospital uniform who until moments ago had been coughing uncontrollably, and a germ-carrying kid. I stood up, grabbed my coat, and chased the waiter down so I could pay the bill and get out of there.

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Best Gift Of All

Don’t buy me something silly

You know I won’t return it

Exchange it for goods or credit

Or quietly regift it

If you went to the trouble

To pick it out and buy it

Take it home and wrap it

Then I’ll have to assume

That you wanted me to have it

I’ll keep your gift for as long as it lasts

A symbol of our connection

I’ll remember the day that you gave it to me

With fondest recollection

I’ll brag about it to my friends

With no hint of condescension

And display it proudly like a piece

From some revered collection

So, skip the ugly sweater

Giving nothing would be better

Why waste your time

Shopping for junk

Out in this nasty weather?

Truly, the best gift of them all

Is not sitting on a shelf at the mall

It’s when someone takes the time

To write

Or text or maybe call

When they offer the greetings of the day

And have some pleasant things to say

And share how much they value you

And appreciate you in their life

To express how they like to have you along

For this crazy awesome ride

That is a gift that I would treasure

And brag about with pride

Evidence To The Contrary

Supporters who believe that 45 is a great president are like diehard fans who think that their last place team is going to win the Super Bowl. I appreciate that they want it to be true, and I admire their dedication, but it’s painful to watch when the evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.

More Beautiful

Every woman is more beautiful than she thinks she is.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Random Thoughts - 20191219

Ignore a problem and you’ll have it forever.

Never tell someone to go to hell. Why risk running into them again?

I don’t trust people who make eye contact in the men’s room.

What exactly is dirty about a dirty blonde?

Everyone wants something that they are afraid to ask for.

Talent is a strong but lazy horse. You’ll have to do a lot of work to get it to work for you.

Sometimes you have to remind the neighbors that they’re living next to a lunatic.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Forge

Bad times are the forge that purifies our life, melts it down, and reshapes it to better fit our future.

New York Minute 171 - Subway Clarinetist

A guy with a clarinet boarded my subway car last evening just as the doors were closing. At first, I wasn’t happy about the idea of someone playing music on the train. My day had been long and tense, and I just wanted to ride home in peace and quiet.

Thankfully, the guy was really good, I mean, like, really, really good, like maybe he plays for a symphony orchestra good. He performed a complex piece of classical music with soaring tone and effortless technique and followed that with a couple of fun Christmas songs.

I was very impressed, so impressed that I decided to give the guy a buck. I don’t mind contributing when the performance is genuinely enjoyable. Unfortunately, when I pulled out my wallet, I realized that I only had twenty-dollar bills with me.

I felt bad. I really wanted to give the guy a tip, but there was no way I was going to give him twenty bucks. It was frustrating.

As the train approached the next station, the clarinetist finished his performance and held is empty clarinet case open to encourage riders to contribute tips. A gentleman walked over and placed a dollar bill in the case. The clarinetist thanked him.

My turn.

I walked over and said, “This is all I have, but you played well.”

You should have seen the look on his face when I tossed a twenty into his instrument case.

“Oh, my God!” he gasped in amazement.

“Spend it wisely!”

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Life Goes By

Life goes by

At a hundred miles an hour

Take that ride!

Monday, December 16, 2019

A Post-Impeachment Survival Guide

Despite the fact that the Mueller Report and the Impeachment Report detail the misdeeds of the current administration, don’t expect anything to change. Senate Republicans are not simply hinting that they will refuse to hold the president accountable; they are actually bragging about it on television.

It’s almost certain that this president will not be removed from office by the Senate. He will still be in the White House in the spring, summer, and autumn of 2020. That’s going to be an unpleasant pill to swallow for anyone who still believes that no one is above the law, but acquittal is all but inevitable.

Here’s what you can do about it.

1. Verify your eligibility to vote.

States that are controlled by Republicans (most of them) are doing everything in their power to prevent Democrats from voting in 2020. Wisconsin just removed 234,000 citizens from the voting roles. Unless those people reregister, it will be nearly impossible for a Democratic presidential candidate to win the state. Make sure that you are eligible to vote now, and check your eligibility again before the cutoff date in your start to register.

2. Encourage everyone you know to get out and vote.

Only massive voter turnout can flip the White House and the Senate. Only an enthusiastic blue wave will break the current choke hold that corrupt politicians have placed on the US Constitution.

3. Refuse to be divided.

I read this morning that there is a “Never Pete” movement developing in the liberal community. Recognize this for what it is. It’s a scam aimed at discouraging some Democrats from voting for Mayor Buttigieg, a scam that has been orchestrated and paid for by allies of the current administration.

I’m sure that as the electoral process moves forward, there will be a Never Joe movement, or Never Bernie or Never Elizabeth. Who benefits from this nonsense? The current resident of the White House and his staunch supporters, including the governments of Russia and Saudi Arabia.

DON’T FALL FOR THIS CRAP! REALIZE THAT YOU ARE BEING TARGETED!

Resolve now to vote for whomever gets the nomination, even if they are not your first or second or even your third choice. A change in the administration is critical, and it will come only if Democrats we stand united. Infighting among Democrats only helps the current administration.

4. Be prepared for a rough ride

If the current regime gets away with its crimes, as they most likely will, they will be emboldened to commit more crimes and more serious crimes. Things are going to get ugly the next year. People’s careers, and in some cases, even their very lives could be in jeopardy.

Think of it this way. The cops picked up your abusive stepdad, but the judge likes him, so he let him go. Now, he’s coming back home, and he’s really pissed off. Are you ready to deal with that?

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Mea Culpa

Yes I was looking

At your chest but it didn’t

Meet expectations

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Fastest Way

The fastest way to get to the end is to start at the beginning and refuse to take shortcuts.

Morals

I won’t suggest

That you have no morals

That would be unfair

But if you support

This president

Your Morality

Is sitting in the back seat

With duct tape on its mouth

While fear and greed

And other bad intentions

Drive the gas guzzler

At eighty miles an hour

Through a School Zone

In the morning

Rushing to a gun store

On the way to a klan rally

To celebrate

The destruction of the Planet

The spiraling national debt

The caging of small children

And the burning of the Constitution

And while you probably

Didn’t intend

For this to happen

It makes you LOOK as though

You have no morals

Even though you really do

Deep down inside

Somewhere

You have simply decided

That morals aren’t what matters

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Soon, The World Will Know

Is the GOP the party of law and order or a cult of unchecked power? Soon, the world will know.

Have the checks and balances of the US Constitution been rendered ineffective by a lawless president and a corrupt party of unprincipled enablers? Soon, the world will know.

Can the American voters rescue their country from the brink of tyranny with decisive electoral decisions, or has Western democracy reached the point of no return? Soon, the world will know.

Monday, December 9, 2019

Holiday Dining

This holiday season, be sure to enjoy the four food groups: chocolate, coffee, wine, and bacon.

New York Minute 170 - One Shoe

The homeless man sleeping on the train today

A portly White fellow of advancing age

Had only one shoe

Which must be a pain

On a day when the forecast

Is for one hundred percent rain

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Handel’s ‘Messiah’

I have seen Handel’s ‘Messiah’ performed a number of times over the years; each performance is a unique experience. I have seen ‘Messiah’ performed at Lincoln Center by a full modern symphony orchestra and a massive choir that probably numbered a hundred singers.

I remember seeing a recorded version in a movie theater once, which I have to say was not a great idea. Handel’s ‘Messiah’ needs to be seen live to be appreciated. Watching a recorded version is like looking at someone’s pictures of Paris. No matter how good the pictures are, it’s not nearly as amazing as being there.

Last evening, I attended the most enjoyable performance of ‘Messiah’ that I have ever seen. It was a modest production in a church with wonderful acoustics. The orchestra was smaller and more authentic for the size of orchestras used in Handel’s lifetime. The musicians were wonderful; their playing was inspired and flawless from the first note to the last.

The choir was modestly sized, as well, but they were absolutely on fire. They sang each piece with passion and impeccable precision. Even the most complicated contrapuntal passages were executed perfectly.

The vocal soloists sang their hearts out, and the audience could feel it. The connection between the solo voice, the solemn lyrics, and every listener in the room was palpable. There were a number of moments where the singing was so moving and so beautiful, I could not stop smiling.

Finally, I would like to offer a special word of praise to the two amazing trumpet players.

They played like angels, with soaring tones that blended perfectly with the vocalists and the rest of the instruments. The trumpet lines were the perfect highlight on top of a brilliant performance of timeless music.

Handel’s ‘Messiah’ is a fairly long program of music. It can take some stamina to sit through the entire production. I will confess to having nodded off at times at previous performances. But last evening’s performance captivated me from beginning to end and made me appreciate even more fully how wonderful Handel’s great classic truly is.

If you have a chance, look for a performance of ‘Messiah’ in your area. The musicians and singers would appreciate your support as they bring this amazing, challenging music to life for your enjoyment. If you don’t warm up to all of it, that’s okay. There’s a lot of material here, and it can be overwhelming for first time listeners. Keep an open mind and enjoy the moments, the sounds, and the voices that appeal to you. Let those special passages pull you in and touch your heart. You may walk away a new appreciation for great music.

Tragic Fire In Delhi

I was deeply saddened to read the news of the factory fire that killed more than forty workers in Delhi, India. My sympathies go out to their families.

The workers were sleeping in the factory. Doors were locked, so they could not escape the deadly smoke.

This incident shows the importance of regulations that protect workers and building residents, as well as the faithful enforcement of those regulations. I don’t know whether Delhi fire codes were insufficient to prevent this tragedy, or whether the codes were overlooked by bribed officials. The bottom line is that lives would have been saved if the right kind of doors and fire retardant materials had been used.

When I hear politicians bragging about cutting regulations, it makes me angry. Regulations are put in place, because businesses and landlords would not take important, life-saving actions without them. Does complying with regulations cost money and add bureaucracy? Probably in most cases, it does, but it’s a small price to pay compared to even one human life or even a serious injury. No business should ever sacrifice safety for profit.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Observations On Practice

What I practice carefully gets better.

What I practice haphazardly stays the same.

What I neglect to practice gets worse.

Wise And Foolish

The wise man yearns to understand everything. The fool believes that he already does.

Friday, December 6, 2019

True Love Is Peaceful

True love is peaceful. Drama and tension arise out of feelings of inequity, insecurity, disappointment, and mistrust. When those toxic elements are present, the relationship is turbulent, fragile, and constantly on edge. When we feel fundamentally secure with our partner and they with us, love thrives calmly and effortlessly like a boat rising steadily in a powerful tide.

Enrichment

What we earn enriches our wallet.

What we learn enriches our mind.

What we give enriches our heart.

What we forgive enriches our soul.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

People Change

People change, but the change doesn’t often happen in the way that we want it to. Not many people go through a positive Scrooge-like transformation, morphing from a miserable, selfish, demanding person into a joyful, generous, caring human being. That’s one of the reasons why his story is so compelling. It’s special, because it’s something that we don’t see very often.

Most of the time, we people change in a negative direction, or at least they seem to. Someone who once brought love and fulfillment into our lives becomes disappointing, difficult, or worse.

It’s possible that they haven’t really changed at all. Maybe the difficult, disappointing version of their personality is who they were all along. Maybe they presented a pleasant, idealized version of themselves to you when the relationship was of greater value to them. We were happy to give them the benefit of the doubt; why not? - they were making us happy.

Over time, everyone tires of pretending. No one wants to pretend to be happy when they are dissatisfied or to be fulfilled when they are unhappy. Façades fall. Relationships based on half truths begin to crumble. It should surprised no one when a delightful companion transforms into a complicated, imperfect personality before our very eyes. They’re just being honest about who they really were all along.

Impeachment Values

If you think that it was reasonable to impeach a Democratic president for lying about sex but improper to impeach a Republican president for bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, and soliciting personal favors from foreign governments, then either you are more concerned with maintaining power than preserving the rule of law, or you can’t stand the thought of somebody else enjoying a blowjob.