Day: August 23, 2018

INSPIRED ELDERS – Marilyn Armstrong

We are them. We are full of inspiration. We want to fix the world, end the Trump reign. Force congressional representatives and senators to do their jobs. No, really, that’s what we want.

The problem is the “elder” part of the title. We did this already. I did in personally with letters and protests and all that collegiate and post-college stuff. Garry did it on the air, with cameras, and the world watching.

Photo: Marilyn Armstrong
Photo: Marilyn Armstrong

Since retiring, we’ve been doing it online. Writing and urging people to vote. Warning people how dangerous not voting will be. Discussing issues. Making fun of The Bad Guys in DC. Personally, in conversation. Rationally, in words.

And maybe, after all this … just maybe we’ve gotten a few people here and there to take the issue seriously. Unfortunately, quite a few of them are not American and while they wholehearted agree, they can’t vote here. Oh well.

I can’t get my granddaughter to recognize that the stuff going on has anything to do with her. I’ve had old friends — from the south and that’s not a small thing — tell me that all reporters lie. When I pointed out my husband was a reporter and trust me, he never got up in the morning and went to work for the purpose of deluding the public, they went silent, finally responding with “Does it really matter?”

You mean … DOES TRUTH MATTER?

When the truth stops mattering, nothing else matters.

So we are inspired and I’m pretty sure we are going to remain inspired, but unfortunately, we aren’t getting any younger. I’m very glad to see so many fresh, new political faces. We desperately need them because the battle that is building is going to need a force behind it that isn’t old and tired.

Younger people must stand up, be counted, and become involved in the NOW. The world is forever changing, rarely for the better. We — my generation of boomers and pre-boomers — didn’t start this fire. Nor did our parents or grandparents.

Time for an anthem:

WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, “The King and I” and “The Catcher in the Rye”

Eisenhower, vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu falls, “Rock Around the Clock”

Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev
Princess Grace, “Peyton Place”, trouble in the Suez

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, “Bridge on the River Kwai”

Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather, homicide, children of thalidomide

Buddy Holly, “Ben Hur”, space monkey, Mafia
Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go

U2, Syngman Rhee, payola, and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, “Psycho”, Belgians in the Congo

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Hemingway, Eichmann, “Stranger in a Strange Land”
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion

“Lawrence of Arabia”, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson

Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex
JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
Ayatollah’s in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan

“Wheel of Fortune”, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China’s under martial law
Rock and roller cola wars, I can’t take it anymore

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
But when we are gone
Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it.

Songwriter: Billy Joel
We Didn’t Start the Fire lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

No one living today — or even during the past couple of hundred years — started the fire. Regardless, each person of every generation shares an obligation to stop looking for someone to blame and try to make this world better. Not only for yourselves but for every child who will come.

Do it for every child, all races, any religion or none. Do the best you can for the humans of planet Earth. Before the big giant head sends us all home.

If you don’t, there will come a time and I think sooner rather than later when there’s nothing remaining to be done. No number of inspired elders or youngers will matter by then. Do what you can while you have a world that can be repaired. It’s not going to wait much longer … if it is waiting. I certainly hope it’s still on hold!

FOWC with Fandango – INSPIRED
RDP # 84 – ELDER

KITCHEN GADGETS – BY ELLIN CURLEY

My adult son has always been cooking averse. Kitchen challenged. He would grill when weather permitted, but otherwise, he ate food that came in packages. His culinary interest ranged from heating something in the microwave to heating something in the oven. When he discovered that frozen vegetables come in microwaveable steamer bags, his stove top became obsolete.

Then he discovered modern kitchen technology. He is now the proud owner of sous vide machine and a vacuum sealer (explanation coming), an air fryer (self-explanatory) and a pressure cooker (see “Top Chef” and other Food Network shows). Each contraption comes with its own recipes, manuals, and propaganda.

Every day now I hear about the wonders of these amazing machines. I also hear about the equally amazing culinary wonders they create. Each gadget has its own strengths and weaknesses and you have to learn what works well in each one.

For example, the sous vide machine is a device that cooks vacuum-sealed food in a water bath. You can bring food to precisely controlled temperatures and the water is circulated to ensure consistent temperatures throughout. The benefit of this technique is that the food is very slowly steamed, which seals in the moisture and enhances the flavors.

sous-vide-machineMeat comes out particularly well this way, cooked in marinades, sauces or just plain. In conventional ovens and grills, meat shrinks quite a bit in the cooking process because it loses liquid, and therefore flavor. This doesn’t happen with the sous vide (or with the pressure cooker). Oddly enough, the sous vide also excels at making puddings (including crème brûlée) and cakes (including cheesecakes).

My son’s next big boy toy, the pressure cooker, cooks food in liquid, under pressure, in a sealed container. This results in very rapid cooking, similar to braising. The pot roast that would take four hours on the stove or in an oven, would take just one hour in the pressure cooker.

The process also locks in flavor and moisture, as does the sous vide. The pressure cooker also bakes and makes other unexpected dishes. My son said that the brownies he made in it were moist and fudgy and awesome!

The air fryer sounds amazing to me. It cooks by circulating hot air around the food. So you can use a small amount of oil to create wonderfully crispy foods like fries and chips. Apparently, you use 80% less fat and get 95% of the flavor and crispness of regular frying. You can bake in this device as well.

air-fryer

If all this isn’t techie enough for you, these gadgets can also be connected to your iPhone or iPad. You can set temperatures and times on your phone and the phone will tell you when your food is done. This level of technology excites my son and terrifies me.

Anyway, now my son calls me several times a day to discuss the night’s meal. First I hear about the menu and techniques planned for dinner. Later I get a progress report or a call for help.

Finally, I get the review of the finished meal. We talk about any shortcomings or failures and try to figure out how to make it turn out better the next time. Sometimes this involves referencing a cookbook or an appliance manual.

I am thrilled that my son has discovered the joy of cooking. He has branched out and is now looking at cookbooks and recipes online. He has actually used the stove. He’s learning the proper way to sear meat and sauté onions. He’s thrilled that he’s eating healthy (he’s on a diet). He’s even more thrilled that he’s saving money.

He rarely eats out when he used to go out several times a week. He’s also saving money because buying raw ingredients is cheaper than buying prepared foods. He can’t believe how much money he used to waste!

I’m happy to be able to talk about food and cooking with my son. I love cooking and have been a foodie since before that was an actual word. But it was not a subject I could share with my son. Now we share recipes

So, if you want to share your love of cooking with your non-cooking son, son-in-law or husband, go out and get them a cool kitchen appliance and sit back and enjoy the show.

HIDING OUT – Marilyn Armstrong

I would like to say the home wasn’t always like this, but that would not be true. Home has always been my hideout.

From the first time I finally I got a place of my own, it has been my staging area. This is where I put on the bells, whistles, and makeup I needed for the outside world.

That was back in the early days when offices required we come to work all “dressed up.” Towards the end of my working life, they didn’t care if you showed up at all, as long as you got the job done. A big improvement. I still feel like home is where I “stage” myself for the rest of life.

300-hearth-oddballs-inside-120217_066

Home is where the comfortable furniture is. It is where the dogs hang out. It’s got my kitchen, so it’s the place where I can cook. My books live at home so I can cozy up with a Kindle.  Or maybe a camera or whatever I find interesting.

Now, more than ever.

It used to be where I came home when the day was done. Now it is where I am unless something else takes us away for a while.

Home is the good place. My place.

KNOWLEDGE, TRIVIA, OR DUMB? Marilyn Armstrong

Game On – S2 Created by
A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip!

But stolen from sparksfromacombustiblemind – EMBERS FROM SOMEONE DOGGEDLY TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL…

This challenge will be 21 questions or in truth 16 “flexible questions” because there will be five (well, maybe not five, but something kind of like that) permanent ones that are supposed to stay in place all the time. Except I deleted one and added an alternatively dumb question to another dumb one. 

Apart from those 5 impermanent questions, should you choose to reblog, then you can change any of the other 16 questions or create 16 of your own, that’s down to you, however, you must stick to the Daily Topic Subject. Which today is “Knowledge.”

Someone needs to define “knowledge” because this ain’t it.
The Rules …

1] Leave the Permanent Questions [PQ] always in place, please.

2] Reblog should you so desire

3] If you do reblog, a pingback would always be welcomed so l don’t miss it.

4] This is a non-tagger/ non-nomination game.

QUESTIONS:

Daily Topic Subject – Knowledge  (It appears to me that this might be called “Trivia” because the questions are more trivial than knowledgeable.  But peel an onion, you get a lot of layers, right? (Marilyn: I agree — NOT knowledge. Not even close.)

Marilyn’s Notes: Many of these questions are silly. Is the center of the earth icy? Duh! Does the earth travel around the sun? Double-duh! Who played what in “Friends”?  That isn’t knowledge and frankly, unless you are the right age, it isn’t even trivia.

The meaning of knowledge in fewer than 100 words? Seriously? And that’s a permanent question? Another permanent question — A song full of knowledge? That’s like a Facebook meme full of knowledge. Ain’t no such thing. It is, as we say, an oxymoron.

Q1] Bambi was what exactly? First a fawn, then a buck. But for those of you who might need to look up whether the sun travels around the earth or vice-versa, deer. 

Q2] Who was the gloomy donkey in Winnie the Pooh? Eyeore.

Q3] In Shrek who was the voice actor of Donkey? Eddie Murphy

Q4] What part of the body produces insulin? Pancreas.

PQ5] What is your best song with regards knowledge – provide a link, please. I don’t know any songs full of knowledge. It’s MUSIC. They are full of lyrics, notes, chords, and such. I know songs that are tender, sweet, loving, haunting, and passionate. I know some that make me weep.

I do not know any that are knowledgeable. Music is not supposed to educate you unless it’s the ABCs.

Q6] How many syllables make up a haiku? 17.

PQ7] What is the best Knowledge film you have ever seen – please provide a link. The Emerald Forest. It was the first movie of Boorman’s I ever saw, but it left an impression. I’ve been interested in the Amazon ever since. 

I should add a second one: The Seventh Seal. It’s about the 14th century, death, human madness, superstition, and the Plague. It is one of the things that got me seriously interested in history. It’s also a great movie, but not everyone’s cuppa tea. My husband will let me watch it as long as he can read a newspaper while it’s on. To be fair, he isn’t fascinated with the 14th century.

Q8] Who wrote the Scarlet Letter? Nathanial Hawthorne

Q9] Did the writers and signers of the American constitution know that the civil war was inevitable? How do we know this answer? Yes, they knew. We know because they wrote it down. In diaries, letters, memoirs. They knew, but they thought the formation of a country was more important than justice. We are living with the result of that Devil’s choice. Followup question: Were they right? Think about it. Get back to me on it.

Q10] Entomology is the science that studies what? Bugs.

Q11] Who was the Father of Geometry? Euclid.

PQ12] What is your favorite quote concerning ‘knowledge’?’ It’s not what you don’t know that will get you. It’s what you DO know that’s wrong. (Author: my father) (Note 2: “Most favorite” was redundant. Favorite is the favorite. If you’ve got “more than one favorite,” only one is actually the favorite. This is up there linguistically with “bestest.”)

Q13] Who played the Sheriff of Nottingham in “Robin and Marian”? 

Robert Shaw

Q14] What are the two valves is human left ventricle? 

Aortic and mitral valves. I know this because I had both of them replaced — among other things. I got very familiar with the heart.

PQ15] What famous TV executive was a telegrapher in New York during the sinking of the Titanic? What television network did he later found?

In 1912, Sarnoff was assigned to manage the Marconi wireless station at the Wanamaker department store in New York City, which led to his participation in a pivotal moment in the history of communication. On the evening of April 14th, 1912, the ocean liner Titanic struck an iceberg and started taking on water.

Almost immediately, the ship began transmitting distress signals. Soon the airwaves were flooded with news of the disaster as operators tracked the rescue effort. Sarnoff played an important role throughout the crisis  After three days at his Wanamaker’s post, he traveled to Marconi’s Sea Gate station on Coney Island.

While there, he contacted the steamship Carpathia, which had picked up survivors from the Titanic and was returning to New York. Sarnoff proceeded to compile the names of these passengers and forward the good news to their families.

He created RCA, then NBC.

Q16] What famous American baseball stadium opened the day the Titanic sank? Fenway Park.

Photo: Garry Armstrong

Many people think that’s why the Red Sox spent 89 years trying to win the World Series, but that’s mere sports mythology.

Q17] Which ‘G’ is an Italian blue cheese made with unskimmed cow’s milk? Gorgonzola (mmm-mm!) I do love bleu cheese! Made anywhere!

Q18] What is the philosophical term for the study of knowledge, justice, and the rationality of belief? Epistemology. 

Q19] What does MRI stand for? Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PQ20] Are you deleting any questions, if so which ones? 9, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19 

Q21] On average which might be the heavier animal? The Giraffe or the American Bison? Hard to say. Both pretty heavy. I’m betting (just a guess) it might be the giraffe. It’s just overall a bigger creature. But I could be wrong.

I deleted one permanent question. I can’t describe my understanding of knowledge in under 100 words. I can’t even describe what knowledge IS in 100 words.  Call me long-winded. No one will argue with you, not even me.