I just realized – The Queen of the Night Aria probably represents the most universal of human experiences: a teenage girl has her mom down to her very last nerve. [watch on YouTube] Elena Moșuc Soprano Elena Moșuc plays the queen. How ’bout this for keeping the dream alive! Ms. Moșuc sings at the Zurich […]
Month: October 2023
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Ozoni / Mochi
It all began with a work assignment from board member and Senior Elder UC#3: [UC#3]Much more work to do for WLBOTT: and connections between food and culture/religion [UC#3]And the mochi thing is real: Four women die in Tokyo after choking on ‘mochi’ rice cakes | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis [UC#1-SU]Can […]
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The 2000 Watt Society
A concept brought up in Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel The Ministry for the Future is the 2000 Watt Society. With its emphasis on scientific accuracy and non-fiction descriptions of history and social science, the novel is classified as hard science fiction. – Wikipedia The 2000-watt society is a real thing. Much of the novel is […]
UC#3 sent us down a delicious rabbit hole when he suggested we research the dangers of eating Ozoni soup on New Year’s Day in Japan which causes choking deaths from the gelatinous mochi ball. Many of these images were liberated from My Modern Met (more below). Konel Bread More liberation from My Modern Met: Toast […]
Many years ago, I found myself alone, driving cross country on an obligatory (and ultimately pointless) journey, when I passed through a city on the interstate. A sign appeared: “This Lane Does Not Exist”. Wow – that was weird – do I merge left? Am I on the shoulder? A short time later, again the […]
UC#1 Back when I was considerably smaller than I am now, my dad set up an electric train for me and my sibs. Our house had only a partial basement – for the front half of the house it was only partially excavated leaving a space big enough for kids to play in. Dad took […]
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Lent Prep
We’re preparing our 2024 Lenten menu, and the question of corned beef came up. [Michael] O’Leary will enjoy his corned beef on Friday with a clear conscience — thanks to a special dispensation from another Irish-American, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee. Dolan is among dozens of bishops — from Green Bay, Wis., to Arlington, Va., […]
While exploring Calais (Maine), and Calais (France) in a recent BLOTT, we came across the incredible sculpture The Burghers of Calais and it’s amazing backstory. The Story Behind the Famous Calais Sculpture The Burghers of Calais is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin in twelve original castings and numerous copies. It commemorates an event during the […]
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Calais Maine
We had planned to feature two notable people from Calais, Maine (and hope to very soon), but we were detracted by the town itself and it’s sister city and namesake, Calais France. If you want to get a head start on Andrea Gibson‘s incredible poetry, check out their YouTube channel. Roger Lyndon was a mathematician […]
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Big Eyes
First grade – Montgomery, Alabama, no air conditioning but lots of fans. My parents bought us a set of children’s encyclopedias, and one had a picture of a Tarsier on the front. I remember being a little bit terrified, worried I would turn into one, and a little bit “let’s get one!” Each of the […]