Happy Birthday To Pete Best

November 24, 2024, at home

Happy 83rd Birthday to Pete Best !!!

Happy Birthday Aunt Laura

November 24, 2024, at home

Happy 103rd Birthday to my Great-Aunt Laura. All the best and all our love, Debbie and Bill !!! (She was married to my maternal grandmother's brother.)

November 24, 2024, at home

Happy 103rd Birthday to my (Italian) Great-Aunt Laura. (She was married to my maternal grandmother's brother.)

1973 Stranded Release

November 24, 2024, at home

On November 24, 1973, Roxy Music's third album "Stranded" was released. My favorite song from this album is "Serenade," mainly because of the double, layered guitar solo by my favorite guitarist Phil Manzanera. The other main members of the group are Bryan Ferry (lead vocal, keyboardist, songwriter) and Andy Mackay (saxophone, oboe). My favorite keyboardist Eddie Jobson joined the group on this album, replacing Brian Eno. Jobson also plays electric violin. (I attended two Ferry solo concerts in 1988 in Philadelphia and in New York City.)

https://youtu.be/v45eYZjdRcA?si=dP6DLnRAk1eKw4ki

National Sardine Day

November 24, 2022, at home

I think that I tried eating a sardine once decades ago and didn't like it. In fact, the sardines in the photo look like what I used as bait when I went fishing as a teenager in the 1970s. I prefer eating anchovies in moderation, especially on pizza or in a Caesar salad.

Verstappen 4-Time F1 Champ

November 24, 2024, at home

YEAH !!! Congratulations go to Max Verstappen on his 4th consecutive F1 championship !!! I just watched him (on TV) win the championship at the finish of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the 22nd of 24 races this season. He finished in 5th place in this race.

Las Vegas Grand Prix

November 24, 2024, at home

I am watching live coverage of the twenty-second race of the 2024 Formula 1 racing season. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is being broadcast on ESPN from a feed from Sky Sports F1. The race started at 10 p.m. local time on November 23, 2024 (1 a.m., November 24, 2024, Eastern Time in the United States).

Below is a diagram of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Almost all of the races are on actual circuits (tracks), so this street circuit is relatively rare. Each circuit around the world has a different configuration, therefore a different dynamic, regarding turns and elevation fluctuations.

This season's 24-race schedule is as follows: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan, China, Miami, Italy, Monaco, Canada, Spain, Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy (different circuit), Azerbaijan, Singapore, Austin, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

The first two races this season (in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia) were held on Saturdays due to the Islamic observance of Ramadan. All other races will be held on Sundays, as usual, except for the Las Vegas Grand Prix which is being held on Saturday.

Before each race, there are two days of practice/qualifying. The races run every week or every other week from March into December, with a month-long summer break.

In Formula 1 racing, there are 20 (male) drivers, with zero drivers from the United States. A driver from the United States made it more than halfway through this season, but he was replaced.

There are 10 teams (with two drivers on each team), so not only do drivers compete against their rivals, but they also compete against their teammates. There are two championships: one for the drivers and one for the constructor teams.

This season, as with last season, there are three races in the United States. In fairly recent years, there were no drivers from the United States and no races in the United States.

Formula 1 racing is the only sport that I actively follow. I have been a fan for decades. I watched my first F1 race decades ago on television at the home of one of my many Austrian cousins while on vacation in Austria.

Today Is ...

November 23, 2024, at home

Every November 23rd, Fibonacci Day honors Leonardo Bonacci, one of the most influential mathematicians of the Middle Ages. The date corresponds to the first numbers of the Fibonacci sequence: 1 1 2 3.

I remember attempting to understand the Fibonacci sequence when I was a reporter/writer/analyst of commodities trading for an international wire service in 1990 into 1991. My bureau was based in New York City. I covered futures and options trading of the coffee, sugar, cocoa, cotton, and orange juice markets in real time, plus the weekly money-supply meetings at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York every three weeks.

November 23, 2024, at home

I love an espresso, but my coffee of choice is a ristretto, which is a "short shot" of a more highly concentrated espresso. It is often enjoyed in Italy as a quick pick-me-up in the middle of a busy day.

November 23, 2024, at home

Cashew is one of my favorite nuts, along with filbert (hazelnut) and Maroni (roasted chestnut).

November 23, 2024, at home

I do like sweetened, dried cranberries.

Dating These Days

November 22, 2024, at home

This EXACTLY explains what has happened. The sign on the desk refers to the MGTOW Movement (Men Going Their Own Way) where men swear off women in an effort to live happier lives.

News Again

November 22, 2024, at home

Now that Trump is president-elect, I am watching the news on TV again so that I can get some good news. I watch Fox News for information, and sometimes MSNBC and CNN for implosions and hatred.

I have also downloaded news apps on my phone: Fox News, The Epoch Times, The Washington Times, Newsmax, and New York Post.

November 22, 2024, at home

Cranberry Relish

November 22, 2024, at home

I like it with the whole berries.

Today Is ...

November 21, 2024, at home

Happy 82nd Birthday to Tweety !!!

November 21, 2024, at home

I ate stuffing for lunch. I particularly like chestnut stuffing.

November 21, 2024, at home

Gingerbread cookies are OK, but they are mostly too plain for me.

November 21, 2024, at home

Wear red mittens today in support of Canadian athletes.

Pick 3

November 21, 2024, at home

olive oil, pickled capers, minced garlic

Fudge & Absurdity

November 20, 2024, at home

I prefer plain chocolate fudge.

November 20, 2024, at home

I love absurdity, which is why I enjoy discussing politics with liberals and men's rights with feminists.

God Says No

November 20, 2024, at home

God has answered every one of my prayers. He said "no" to 99 percent of them.

Dinner

November 19, 2024, at home

Many thanks go to my wonderful wife for making turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy, with white shoepeg corn.

Six Pillars

Today (November 19, 2024) is International Men's Day !!! Here are the Six Pillars.

My Men's Day Video

November 19, 2024, at home

This afternoon, I created and uploaded a video onto my YouTube channel to celebrate International Men's Day today.

International Men's Day (Nov. 19, 2024)

https://youtu.be/HxcjP5jsbPU?si=0wQVrBmDCWTTvPif

International Men's Day

Today (November 19, 2024) is International Men's Day !!!

Odd Story On Men's Day

November 19, 2024, at home: "An Odd Story on International Men’s Day"

Today (November 19, 2024) is one of my most favorite days of the entire year: International Men's Day !!! I have celebrated this special, celebratory day every year since the early 1990s, when I officially became a Men's Rights Activist, when I was in my early 30s. I still fight the good fight for men's rights and father's rights, although these days, in a mostly mellow manner.

One particular Men's Day found me in a rather awkward, unnerving situation. Thirteen years ago today on a Saturday (November 19, 2011), I attended a strange Eggplant Parmesan-making "party" in southeastern Florida. I thought that it may have been an actual sleep-induced nightmare, but it was real because here is a photo I took outside of the house where this rather bizarre, annual event took place.

Basically, I was the ONLY man in a house filled with seventeen (17) women, and my wife was the ONLY woman there who was NOT a lesbian. (no joke) ... So, there I am, a Men's Rights Activist on International Men's Day surrounded by a whole bunch of lesbians wielding sharp knives. Uh, yeah.

Seriously, I had fun, and everyone was nice, but I will admit that my stress level was through the roof, especially during a rather uncomfortable, seemingly condescending interrogation by one particular lesbian with an icy stare who asked me in a slow, calculating voice: "So, you play the piano," as she cuddled with her girlfriend. I simply replied, "Yes," which was followed by endless silence and continued staring.

Is there a lesson here? Maybe: Step out of your comfort zone. It may be, well, uncomfortable, but ... uh ... I don't know ... something about creating empathy or not ever doing that again, which I never did. LOL

Monopoly & Beverages

November 19, 2024, at home, International Men's Day

In the 1990s, my friend Tom and I used to play games of Speed Monopoly, meaning we played the game of Monopoly as fast as we could. One afternoon in my dad's living room, we played FIVE games in three-and-a-half hours. I lost all five games.

I also have a French version of the Monopoly game (using French Francs) that I purchased in Paris, when I was taking two university courses in Massy, France: "French Conversation and Composition I and II" (six credits in three weeks). That was in 1984, when I was 23 years old. I graduated from Villanova University in December 1984 with a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in the French language. (I took 18 credits/six courses of French.) I would later graduate from the University of Missouri in Columbia in May 1988 with a master's degree in journalism.

Today Is ...

November 18, 2024, at home

I am fairly sure that I have eaten Vichyssoise. It was most likely when I was a young kid in the later 1960s, maybe early 1970s.

November 18, 2024, at home

Many decades ago when I was a teenager in the 1970s, I received a bit of (potentially controversial) advice from a now-forgotten, jaded, older-and-wiser gentleman. He told me:

"Never marry a woman whose father calls her Princess because she believes him."

Happy Birthday Mickey

November 18, 2024, at home

Happy 96th Birthday to Mickey Mouse !!!

Bizarre Behavior

November 17, 2024, at home

Many women are shaving their heads and swearing off men in protest of Donald Trump's victory and Kamala Harris's defeat in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. I say, hey, do it, if you want. Express yourself.

Feminists around the world have been wearing their hair short in protest of the so-called "patriarchy" for decades. It was even mentioned by William Shakespeare in one of his plays in the 1600s.

I was a journalist from 1982 to 2017, and also a lifelong Republican, so I am in favor of free speech and free expression of beliefs. As for me, I find the derangement of these particular women entertaining and humorous, mainly because nobody is taking away any of their rights. In fact, the lives of these women will get better.

I just watched a short, sad, humorous video on YouTube. A bald woman said: "I have cancer. I'm not stupid."

Popular with many women is the South Korean-based "4B" protest movement:

no sex with men (Korean: 비섹스; RR: bisekseu),

no giving birth (비출산; bichulsan),

no dating men (비연애; biyeonae), and

no marriage with men (비혼; bihon).

There was a book written many years ago where the women stopped having sex with men to stop a war they were fighting. 4B seems related, but it is being done out of spite and is just a blatant example of misandry rather than being positively productive.

Reactions to 4B:

Some people have said that the 4B Movement is actually good because it actually brings these radically liberal women to conservative values. Some people have said that the 4B women are the women that men don't want anyway, so it's Darwinism in action. One conservative woman on television said: "Then, the conservatives will outbreed you." One woman said that you can't threaten to take something away that nobody wants in the first place.

Many of these women are also advocating that women wear masks so that men are not able to see their faces. Hmm. That sounds like women in Middle Eastern countries.

As per my observation, many of these liberal females wear oversized eyeglasses.

WARNING: If you see a woman wearing a blue bracelet, run away. She is one of them.

BIZARRE !!!

UPDATE (11.18.24): There will also be fewer abortions, so there are many benefits of 4B.

Today Is ...

November 17, 2024, at home

Memory: 1985, Dippity Donuts, Babylon, Long Island, New York, 2 a.m., many Sundays, gyros, baklava, with Cousin Scott

November 17, 2024, at home

Today is also National Homemade Bread Day.

November 17, 2024, at home

Today is also National Butter Day.

Double Fantasy Release

November 17, 2024, at home

"Double Fantasy" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono was released on November 17, 1980. I purchased this album on vinyl within a few days of its release. About a month earlier, I purchased the 45-rpm vinyl record of "(Just Like) Starting Over"/"Kiss Kiss Kiss" around the time of its U.S. release on October 23, 1980.

I recently found out that Andy Newmark played drums on this album. He was also one of the main drummers for the band Roxy Music of which I am a huge fan. I am now even more blessed and more elated to have witnessed Newmark perform twice in 1988 at two solo concerts by Bryan Ferry, the lead singer, keyboardist, and main songwriter of Roxy Music, in Philadelphia and in New York City.

Wow !!! I never knew Newmark played drums on "Double Fantasy." I will now have to revisit this album and just listen to Newmark's drumming. Amazing !!!

Trivia Question: What is the name of the song that inspired John Lennon to return to the recording studio to record this album? "Rock Lobster" by The B-52's.

Today Is ...

November 16, 2024, at home

My favorite fast food restaurant is Nordsee. What is yours?

November 16, 2024, at home

I have a traditional Austrian jacket that I bought in Salzburg, Austria, many years ago. The buttons are made from deer antlers.

November 16, 2024, at home

Be safe.

Bundt & Fridge

November 15, 2024, at home

I don't particularly like bundt cake unless it has some kind of frosting or sugar glaze on it. I really don't like cake, just frosting.

Wrong Notes

November 15, 2024, at home

That's true for me. When I improvise on a piano, if I hit a wrong note, I play the next few notes wrong, so it sounds like my first wrong note was on purpose. I then turn my improv into some kind of cheesy, campy, kitchy, avant-garde piece of music, at least a section of it, until I can get back to playing my normal improv. After I finish, the entire improv sounds proper and somewhat interesting. For me, every improv is the quintessential improv.

TS?

November 15, 2024, at home

Someone on Facebook asked me what I think of Taylor Swift. This was my response.

I can best answer that by stating a line from the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Principal Ed Rooney describes student Ferris Bueller, saying: "He gives good people bad ideas." Swift is a blatant misandrist who bashes males at all times and cashes in on her hatred of men, whether or not her attitude is authentic. Swift is the new Alanis Morissette. I understand that there is a need for the toxicity of the music of Swift, Morissette, and the likes of death metal music, but I don't particularly like it. Swift is in her 30s, but she acts like a 12-year-old, which is OK. She is appealing to her fan base. I haven't heard any of her music other than a few seconds of that "Never, Ever, Ever" song long ago. That stuff is quite unappealing to me. In fact, I very rarely listen to any female singers. I also haven't heard any Lady Gaga songs. Swift uses her money in donations to help females. That's OK. If I were wealthy, I would donate to organizations that help men. Basically, I don't pay much attention to her. I prefer positive music, although I do occasionally listen to Pink Floyd.

The Rules of Sixes

November 14, 2024, at home

I looked for a meme on the Internet that had all of this information so that I could post it to help men who are just starting to date women. I couldn't find any, so I decided to make one by myself. I think it came out fairly well.

Today Is ...

November 14, 2024, at home

I like any kind of guacamole.

November 14, 2024, at home

I like any kind of pickle, but I prefer sweet gherkins.

November 14, 2024, at home

I have been struggling with diabetes for more than a decade.

DEI

November 13, 2024, at home

I love that Trump is thinking of doing this.

"Trump threatens to use school funding to pay restitutions to 'victims of DEI' "

Kamala Harris was a DEI hire. How do I know? Joe Biden said she was. He picked her because she was a black women and not because of her qualifications. He said that.

Also, do you think I could cash in on this? LOL 😆😆😆 ... In the early 1990s, I was passed over for a promotion because I was a man. How do I know? My boss told me. At the time, she asked me if I thought that a woman should be in that position because the other comparable position was held by a man. I said "no" and "OK," and that was it. I didn't pursue anything further because the woman who got the position was doing a good job, and I kind of liked her. That boss passed away several years ago or longer. Anyway, at the time, I had another boss at the same magazine, a man, who was more supportive of me. I did soon get a promotion, but in a different section of the magazine. Any-Hoo.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-department-of-education-dei-b2646489.html

Felix & Pudding

November 13, 2024, at home

Happy Felix Unger Day !!!

November 13, 2024, at home

I haven't ever tasted Indian pudding.

Anchovies & French Dip

November 12, 2024, at home

I prefer the opposite. Keep the works. Just give me the anchovies.

November 12, 2024, at home

I occasionally enjoy French Dip.

Many Thanks Go On Barron

November 11, 2024, at home

Many heartfelt thanks go to Barron !!! 👍

Barron Trump, Donald Trump's 18-year-old son, was instrumental in getting his father re-elected. Barron mobilized the "Bro Vote" (men voting) and the "Manosphere" vote in support of his father, specifically by suggesting that Donald appear on Joe Rogan's podcast.

As of September 2024, Rogan's YouTube channel boasts 17.3 million subscribers and over 5 billion views. His Spotify podcast following stands at 14.5 million, making it the most popular show on the platform. Most of his subscribers are men.

By definition, the Manosphere is "a loosely affiliated network of masculinist websites, blogs, and online forums."

As you may know, I have been a Men's Rights Activist since the early 1990s, when I was in my early 30s. I have only become aware of the Manosphere quite recently. I now consider myself to be a tangential member, meaning that I have created and uploaded somewhat-related videos onto my YouTube channel in regard to the 2024 Election. I definitely imbibe some Manosphere content.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/barron-bro-vote-manosphere-tate-donald-trump-win-election/

Veterans Day

November 11, 2024, at home

On Veterans Day today (November 11, 2024), I honor my father, who served 22 years in the Navy on active duty and in the reserves. Here he is in 1958 at age 24, when he was stationed in Hawaii.

My mother worked for the Navy as a civilian.

My dad retired at the rank of Commander, about three months away from earning the rank of Captain. After more than two decades, he had enough and decided to retire from the military.

Dad also served aboard a ship in the late 1950s, transporting displaced persons (delayed pilgrims, as he called them) after World War II multiple times from Bremerhaven, Germany, to New York City.

Soon after his death in 1997 at age 62, some of his ashes were scattered from a Navy ship into the North Atlantic Ocean, where, as he had told me, he spent one of the best times of his life.

The remainder of his ashes were interred at Breslau Cemetery in Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York. (Lindenhurst was formerly named Breslau after the city in Germany.)

Dad requested that his ashes be mixed with the ashes of his favorite dog Ludwig, which were in a metal can as the only thing Dad ever kept in his large metal safe which was never locked. (We didn't do that.)

Dad would take Ludwig to work with him at his insurance and real estate office in Lindenhurst, the town where he grew up. Every weekday morning, my dad would get the dog a buttered roll and a cup of coffee with sugar and milk. Two things an already jittery dachshund definitely did NOT need were sugar and caffeine.