Giving Thanks and Thanksgiving.

The week has been a blur. At times I felt like Ray Milland in Lost Weekend - without the booze. Though I didn't leave the apartment for two days, I worked my widdow fingas to da bone.

Beaucoup loads of laundry, kitchen floor mopped, bathroom cleaned and floor mopped, prepped and ironed shirts & trousers for the work week, listened to music, and cooked up a storm. (I paid dearly for all the exertion.  My back and hands were in spasms for 2 days.) Never mind that.  Marinated pork loin was followed by a new recipe for beef pot roast I found for the crock pot.  Both were delicious.

The landlord sent over a workman on Wednesday to re-seal the inner wall of the bath enclosure and replace the old, broken toilet seat with one that I purchased earlier this month.  I felt guilty for not going out and about, but looking around the place - and all that was accomplished - it was a good investment of my time.  I sort of made up for that by taking a walk on the boardwalk this morning before work. Sort of, but not quite. Guilt dies hard.

Today (Thanksgiving day here in the US) was a busy, delightful, day at the restaurant. There was a special Thanksgiving Menu (turkey, stuffing, many vegetables, and a variety of desserts) for $14.00, plus the regular full menu was available for those not interested in turkey with all the trimmings.

This has been going on for 5 years now and it just seems to grow year after year.  Everyone chills out and relaxes while enjoying the company of their own group and those around them. After so many years, most already know one another, so it's almost like family - without the dysfunctionality.  By 4 pm today we had served over 200 diners and there were reservations for the rest of the evening, too.

I enjoyed a Grande (26 oz.) Margarita after my shift, then the boss sent me packing laden down with a huge package of food for my supper. Turkey, red-skin garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, stuffing, a baked sweet potato, corn, brussel sprouts, and a huge chunk of apple pie. The package weighed at least 5 pounds! I couldn't eat even a tenth of that.

I had my fill and packaged the rest for later use. I counted my blessings and while there are fewer than last year, I chose to focus on those that I have, anyway.

Tomorrow is "Black Friday" (dun-tu-du-dun!) and previous years tell us that we'll be up to our eyeballs in  shopping bags, frustrated shoppers unsuccessful in their attempts to snag the door-buster deals they wanted.  The margaritas will flow, they'll tell their tales of woe, and laugh at the whole stupid experience.  They will also vow NOT to do it next year...but they will.

And the Sun will rise and the Moon will set, and you learn how to settle for what you get.  It'll all go on if we're here or not.  So who cares, so what? So, who cares, so what?

And so it goes.
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Tis the Season to Get Trampled...

...Or not!

This is sad and depressing. Stay home.  You could get killed, or worse.

And so it goes.
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Barack Obama and McKayla Maroney: not impressed

Absolutely Priceless.  I love this.
From the Guardian:

President imitates gymnast's much-mimicked 'not impressed' look during US Olympic team's visit to the White House.

A comment on the progress of vital fiscal cliff talks in Washington? His verdict of Donald Trump's latest Twitter rant against him? A reaction to Mitt Romney's accusations that he won the presidential election by handing out gifts to minorities and the young?
Whatever the reason, Barack Obama clearly isn't impressed if the latest photo handout from the White House is to be taken at face value.
Captured when the 2012 US Olympics gymnastic team stopped by at the White House earlier this week, Obama took time out to recreate one of the enduring images of the Games – McKayla Maroney's impression of someone sucking a lemon while simultaneously chewing a wasp after she missed out on gold in the vault.
The "not-impressed" look has been much mimicked since, but Obama's mug-pulling in the White House – accompanied by Maroney – has given the meme new life.

I love the playfulness of this picture and the humor behind the shot. I love my president.  He is far from perfect, but he's on the right track.  Keep it goin' Mr. President.

And so it goes.
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Common Quote Caturday

I use this quote more often than most. My host station is at the front of the restaurant whose windows are full size - ceiling to floor - and can slide open in good weather to give the al fresco feeling to diners.  This  also provides a view of everyone on the street; what they're wearing (or not wearing), how they behave and other activities I won't even try to explain.  Just be grateful I don't take photos.

More later.
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Revealed Secrets

A few days ago I posted a Rumi quote that can be found HERE. A comment was left by Dr. Spo (the dear) asking "what have you learned?"

I have always been a morning person. I've enjoyed watching the sun rise as far back as I can remember.

As a kid living one block from Lake Pontchartrain many a morning found me sitting on the seawall watching the sun come up over the eastern shore.  The morning air was fresh and helped to clear my mind of too many thoughts and worries. No, I won't go into the sordid story that was my childhood. Let's just say, I had to grow up damned quick - and leave it at that.

In NYC, I would ride my bike to the Battery, or East river when I needed my fix of fresh air, sunlight and a clear head.

Now, I live near the Atlantic Ocean, and whenever I have a troubling night or this new life offers particularly disturbing challenges, financial or otherwise, I make my way to the boardwalk in the dark, sit on a bench facing the ocean and await the sunrise.

Mostly it's relaxing, but at times my head clears enough that I find solutions (sometimes difficult ones) to a challenge or situation. I walk back to the apartment with a lighter heart, take a shower, play some music, and get ready for the work day. Refreshed.

When I get to work, a different person is on display. One that hasn't a care in the world, laughs and jokes constantly.  Enjoying the interaction with co-workers and those I serve and entertain.  That person happens to be me, too, so it's all good. The environment lifts my spirits and they remain high for the rest of the day/night.  I never drag my personal business to the work place. My personal life is never discussed.  It's easier that way.

There is no one to confide in, to share intimate thoughts, I'm on my own. The last 6 years have been a roller coaster ride of health issues, and financial woes and it isn't always easy to pull out of a deep funk.  Those quiet moments at dawn really help.

Yes, I know.  I really, really need a holiday.

And so it goes.
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$4.5 B Settlement: BP Employees Charged with Manslaughter

This comes on the heels of yesterday's post and it's quite a shocker.  No really, I thought they would walk away with paying some fines and go back to business as usual.  This is substantial.

BP, the British oil giant, pleaded guilty on Thursday to 14 felony counts related to the 2010 explosion and subsequent oil spill at the site of its Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The plea agreement with federal prosecutors includes 11 charges of manslaughter for the deaths of workers on the Deepwater Horizon rig, and one felony count for obstruction of justice for false statements made to Congress about the amount of oil leaking from the out-of-control well.
The company will pay $4.5 billion to settle the charges, the largest corporate criminal penalty in U.S. history.
Three former BP employees also face separate felony charges related to the spill, the Justice Department announced. Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza, BP drilling managers who oversaw operations on the Deepwater Horizon rig, were charged with 22 counts of negligent manslaughter for the deaths of the 11 rig workers. David Rainey, a former BP vice president in charge of exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, was charged with felony obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to Congress and federal law enforcement officials about the amount of oil leaking from the well.
Attorneys for all three men have vowed to fight the charges. Reid H. Weingarten and Brian M. Heberlig, attorneys for Rainey, slammed BP for acquiescing to the government's charges. "We are profoundly disappointed that the Department of Justice is attempting to turn a tragic accident and its tumultuous aftermath into criminal activity," the attorneys said in an emailed statement. "We are even more disappointed that BP has succumbed to the pressure and agreed to this extortionate settlement. Mr. Rainey did not commit the crimes charged in the indictment, period. We intend to vigorously defend him at trial and are confident he will be exonerated of these baseless charges."
BP's plea agreement, which still requires approval by a U.S. federal court, would free the company from further federal criminal charges and penalties, but it does not obviate a full complement of potential civil claims that could reach well into the tens of billions. 

Of course BP will kick, scream, and fight all civil claims, and G*d knows what else. This will not change the damage to the gulf, wildlife, or the livelihood lost by gulf water-men. That's done and cannot be undone. BP  pleaded guilty, at last, and that's what's important.

There is more HERE.

And so it goes.
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New Oil Sheen at BP Site: Here We Go Again

This will not end in my lifetime.  Sadly.

An overflight inspection of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster site 40 miles south of Grand Isle this weekend found a new, mile-long oil sheen, which has prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to again require BP to inspect the wellhead and debris area on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico with a remotely operated vehicle for the source of the oil.
The flight was piloted by Bonny Schumaker, founder of the California-based non-profit On Wings of Care, which has conducted surveillance flights in the Gulf in the two years since the spill.
Schumaker reported that during her several flights over the wellhead during the past few days, she was able to direct the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Research Vessel Falkor to the sheen site, where it conducted an inspection of the wellhead with an ROV and found no indication that the oil was coming from the wellhead or the debris field.
"A plan was submitted for an additional remotely operated vehicle to inspect the underwater site of the Deepwater Horizon incident, to determine the source of a surface sheen," said Coast Guard spokesman Ensign Glenn Sanchez. The new inspection will again focus on the wellhead, cofferdam and the riser pipe that once connected the wellhead to the surface.
A BP spokesman said the company continues to work closely with the Coast Guard to investigate possible sources of the sheen.
"After recently confirming for a third time with ROV video inspection that the Macondo well and its associated relief wells are secure, we've capped and plugged an abandoned piece of subsea equipment known as a cofferdam that was identified as a potential source of sheen," said spokesman Craig Savage. "A further investigation is planned to inspect the Deepwater Horizon rig. If it's identified as a potential source of sheen, we'll work with the Coast Guard and rig-owner Transocean to address the matter."
In a Sunday post on her weblog, Schumaker quoted Florida State University marine biologist Ian MacDonald, who is the ship’s chief scientist, as saying the most likely source for the new sheen is one or more natural seeps of oil to the east of the well that are associated with a salt dome beneath the gulf bottom. Oil deposits often are found along the edges of the underground salt formations.
“The bottom near the wellhead is totally transformed by drill cuttings and debris,” MacDonald told Schumaker. “It was unlike any deepsea benthos I have ever seen.”
Benthos is the scientific term for the sediment layer on an ocean’s floor, and for the organisms that live in the sediment.

The rest is here.

And so it goes.
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Coffee: From Senseo to Tassimo, Maybe.

Haven't had time for a post of my own; I worked 9 days in a row (including Election day) with today my first of 2 days off.  Yea!

Today is windy, rainy and dismal so I went shopping for a few things to stock the pantry and was disappointed to find no coffee pods for my Senseo.  Wal-mart was supposed to be under contract to Melitta to carry their coffee pods, but today I was told that the k-cups are too popular and the space was needed...you know, supply and demand, and like that. One less reason to visit Wal-mart.

I came home and searched for other single-serve machines and came up with a few options:  Flavia, Keurig, Tassimo, and a new entry by Starbucks - Verismo.  After a few hours of investigating the various options, reviews, pros & cons of each, I wanted to see what was available locally.

So I dropped in at the local gourmet/kitchen supply store (Kitchen & Company) to see what they had to offer.  Their Keurig display of machines and coffees took up a whole aisle that stretched the depth of the store, front to back. And that was it. Keurig.  Period. They had never heard of the other machines or even cared. So much for buying locally.

OK so, I've ruled out Keurig; basically a drip coffee maker, too big and heavy.   They look like something out of the original War of the Worlds movie, and their coffees are overpriced. 

Flavia is out, too. Very complicated and inconvenient for a one-cup machine. The Verismo is compact and interesting, but expensive, and accepts only Starbucks brand of limited products for the machine.

I am leaning toward the Tassimo machines offering a vast array of coffee products, tea, hot chocolate by various well known coffee companies. They're also lighter and more compact to fit into my small space. Called "Brew Bots" the unique feature of these machines is that they use T-discs that contain a bar code which tells the machine what disc is being used, how much pressure to use and how much water at what temperature will be necessary to make the requested cuppa-joe.

There are 4 Tassimo machines available and some are on sale at various outlets.  They are more versatile, brewing not only coffee, but cappuccino, latte, espresso, and tea.

I want a good cup of coffee with a nice crema and rich flavour to kick start my heart in the morning. Is that too much to ask? The Senseo has served me well for about 10 years and it will be a radical adjustment, but I think the Tassimo will be my best option - if a little more expensive for the pods.

I've got Senseo coffee pods left, so I have time to refine my search.  Nothing will have to be decided until around the new year.

I smell olives.

And so it goes.
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I've Known This Since Childhood

"the breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. don’t go back to sleep"  — ~Rumi

And so it goes.
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Post-Election Caturday

 

If the shoe fits, wear it.

And so it goes.
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Bookshop Saves Out-of-Print Sci-Fi 1 e-Book at a Time

I just stumbled upon this article and being both a Sci-Fi and Kindle lover I thought it a great idea.  Talk about dedication.  I had no idea that this kind of publishing (Sci-Fi) would be so complicated, but it is.

With its dramatic cover art and fantastical story plots, science fiction dared readers to dream of amazing possible futures filled with aliens, robots, and all sorts of gadgetry. Now, ironically, some of the earliest books of the genre find themselves precariously near extinction, never to make it to the future they describe. Until Singularity & Co came onto the scene, that is.
Lawyer Ash Kalb, musician-anthropologist Cici James, stylist-writer Jamil V Moen, and former Gawker media community manager Kaila Hale-Stern are the intrepid crew behind the Brooklyn-based bookshop. Each month, Singularity & Co—with the help of its community—chooses one great out-of-print or obscure science fiction novel, tracks down the copyright holders and makes that work available in DRM-free PDF, Epub, and Mobi format for subscribers.
Founded in April, after a massively successful Kickstarter campaign that earned them 350 percent of their $15,000 (£9,500) goal and kudos from authors like Neil Gaiman, Cory Doctorow and Ken McLeod, Singularity & Co hasn't always had the easiest time unraveling vintage sci-fi's copyright issues. "We knew it would be difficult to track down the legal status of the books, but it's simply much harder than we thought it would be," said James.
Books get lost along the way for a variety of reasons. There could be no perceived demand for it, publication rights become muddled, or the books are simply forgotten. Sometimes, things get political. "It's really sad because a lot of really great books get lost not because nobody wants them but because people with lots of money who claim they have the rights are stopping people who have the rights from actually doing things. We hope to help these people down the road," said Kalb, the lawyer of the group, who takes charge of helping authors and author estates untangle the copyright mess.
Since April, Singularity & Co moved into a high-ceilinged space that doubles as the team's work area for their respective personal pursuits in Brooklyn's Dumbo (down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass) neighborhood. "We call it the bookshop at the end of the Universe because we're on the edge of Dumbo, where it becomes Vinegar Hill," said Kalb, "We're surrounded by scenery that wouldn't work for anybody else, but it's perfect for us." Views of power grids greet visitors alongside shelves of sci-fi books arranged chronologically, instead of alphabetically.
It has also published two books: A Plunge Into Space by Robert Cromie and The Torch by Jack Bechdolt, both with fresh cover art re-imagined by artists today (in the future, Singularity & Co's plans to find original cover artists and secure rights for reprinting their illustrations). For its soon-to-be-released third book, Mr Stranger's Sealed Packet by Hugh MacColl, the team tracked down the lone copy out of university archives and went on a thousand-mile drive just to scan it.
Despite being out of copyright, none of the universities who owned a copy of Mr. Stranger's Sealed Packet permitted scanning. "If you're part of that university or that consortium then you have access to that book. If you don't then you don't," said James.
"Which is sad," added Kalb, "the default position of the organization seems to be, 'I don't know if this is valuable but, just in case it is, I want to make sure nobody else gets their hands on it.'"
As expected, authors and author estates are quite happy to get the call from Singularity & Co—not only because it means revived readership, but also, surprisingly, a better business deal. "We negotiated our first couple of deals based on what we thought was fair as opposed to what was normally done in the publishing industry," said Kalb, "As a result—especially for backlist stuff—we're offering just a much better deal. That's because we know we can do things efficiently and make enough to keep going that way. We also want to make sure that we're fair to everyone that we work with."
It's that benevolent business spirit that has earned Singularity & Co praise from the community. "This project is about what it appears to be about," said Kalb, "We're not in this business to make a ton of money. It'd be great if we can bring some value to the people that own this stuff and also bring the books back to the world." The bookshop works with a socially responsible enterprise framework—one that doesn't aim for astronomical profits, but simply wants to keep the lights on and the scanner running.
Flush with success, Singularity & Co's looking to extend its service by carrying new sci-fi books in its Brooklyn shop; opening an e-store that offers sci-fi cover art-inspired merchandise; and further along in the future, launching another imprint in charge of reviving books from another genre. Could world domination be next?

Learn more about Singularity & Co here, and you can subscribe to their service here.
And so it goes.
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The Country Wins

Last week Bill Maher said, "if Obama wins, the country wins - if Romney wins, comedy wins" so, guess what?  Uh-huh. Alright Lady Liberty, you can come out now;

OK, time for all the wingnuts to climb back inside the clown car and follow the Republican Circus Crazy Train into the sunset.

The only winner from the national wingnut brigade, crazy-eyes Michelle Bachmann, will continue representing her state.  I suppose her constituency is as coo-coo as she is - and that's saying something.

It was a good day for the country overall.

• Elizabeth Warren beat up out tea-party pretty boy, Scott Brown in the Massachusetts senate race.
• Open lesbian, Tammy Baldwin is heading for the Senate to represent Wisconsin.  Unfortunately, Paul Ryan (Romney's VP choice) will return to his seat in the House also representing WI.  He hedged his bets. Too bad that, but can't win' 'em all.
• Another gift, Alan Grayson took back his Florida seat after losing the last time round.  Outspoken and always ready to educate the rightwing stoopid, he will be another refreshing change in Congress.
• Marriage equality succeeded in 4 states, NOM and DOMA suffered severe losses across the board, and the loons opposed to abortion (and knew more about women's bodies than women did) went down in flames.

Shenanigans & dirty tricks:

• Targeting democrats and minorities with mailers giving the wrong polling place and date which, when discovered, were promptly corrected by local media, word of mouth, and phone calls.
• Creating bottlenecks for voters (you know who they are!) by limiting voting machines in areas of high progressive/Democratic turnout. Think Florida & Ohio. Word got out early and some waited on long lines for 4 hours or more to cast their ballot. But they would not be denied, they eventually voted, and that's what counts.
• Rigging or tweaking voting machines so if the voter didn't push the correct button in the proper sequence, their vote was voided, or in some cases switched to the other party.  That one was caught early on election day. No details yet. There is a YT video, however.
• Photo ID was demanded in states that do not have voter ID laws. While some voters complied, others refused and demanded to cast their ballot.  To avoid mass publicity the poll workers allowed those who refused, to vote anyway.

The majority of schemes the Republicans concocted to fool or deny voters access to the polls, in the end were all for naught and showed them to be the whining, childish cowards they are.

While the media insisted that Obama's base of young people, minorities, and elderly had eroded, it was these very people who discovered and warned about the tricks listed above. 

I was always told as a child that 'cheaters never win and are usually found out'.  Maybe it's Karma.

Results of many local races, (including my state of Delaware where most progressive candidates won easily) show that things are changing in the US. Religious bigotry and overt disdain for those who disagree with the ultra-conservative agenda lost in almost every instance.

There is a dangerous Nor'easter, already named Athena,  heading our way - New Jersey and New York are in its path, too (prayers ascend for everyone in harms way) - but I'm feeling pretty good today.

And so it goes.
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