Cold and still a bit breezy today, hopefully warming later. It got into the mid 40s yesterday, but returned to the mid 20s after midnight.
It’s Christmas Day, after another dumpster fire of a year, but we are still here. Still living our lives, still holding on to hope that it won’t get really bad. Not much hope, but still hope.
Wherever you are, and whatever your beliefs, I wish you the Joy of the season. Find the joy in your life, and celebrate it.
Merry Christmas everyone.
nick flandrey
Happy Christmas, everybody!
Even after 40 years, this bit still makes me laugh.
Sir Humphrey Appleby wonders if he might crave your momentary indulgence….
https://youtu.be/xW7EL3_xL9s
I retired our Elf on the Shelf to a garbage can in a fit of rage right in front of my kids about 10 years ago after what my wife thought would be harmless prank turned into high family drama that night thanks to my mother-in-law being even more selfish/superstitious/stupid than usual.
My daugher kinda-sorta knew the Elf was a harmless game, but to my mother-in-law, he was an evil little demon.
Another precious childhood memory tarnished.
Merry Christmas To All!
Merry Christmas, all y’all, from Texas!
Same to All!
And a MERRY CHRISTMAS to the smartest, best looking, most perspicacious, best smelling, and most engaging readers and commentors on the intarwebs.
It’s 34F and melting. Sun is out. Cinnamon rolls are in the oven and sausages are in the pan. Kids are (surprisingly) still in bed but the adults are up.
@denis, that plan for the day sounds lovely.
We are going to eat breakfast (much less than a normal Christmas) open some “Santa” gifts, and head for the BOL. I hope we find it in good condition. Dinner plan for tonight is crock pot pot roast, made with the American wagyu chuck roast… and bread. Simple and hearty. Our big meal was yesterday.
Spend a day and a couple halves at the BOL, take mom to the airport, get everyone’s fangs cleaned, and maybe back to the BOL for New Year’s.
Of course no plan survives contact with the enemy….
May all the blessings of the day be upon you.
nick
From FEMA
n
‘Sploding Plastic
https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-12-25
They’ve never heard of C4? Plastic explosive?
Activate The Christmas Hammer!
Spring semester doesn’t start until 1/30.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11
Headed out. Be full of good cheer.
n
@dcp
Paul Eddington was a gifted actor and the epitomy of class. He and Penelope Keith played Tom Good’s neighbors Jerry and Margo Leadbetter as a blend of normalcy and loony that provided the perfect foils for the eccentricities next door. Both went on to even greater success as the stars of their own shows, with Yes, Minister and To the Manor Born now considered British Comedy icons in their own right.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11
Our Church showed the Peanuts Christmas special this morning where Linus quoted that. It was nice.
Snow flurries at Joe Robie (or whatever they call it now) Stadium in north Dade County, Florida today ahead of the Packers vs Dolphins game. So much for global warming.
The Cheeseheads should feel right at home.
https://twitter.com/ActionNetworkHQ/status/1607069136357556227
72 deg F here in Huntington Beach. Going to a family get together.
Our latest Ehristmas Eve deep dish pizza experiments on the gas grill were once again tasty, but the leftovers were even better as individual slices placed back on the stone in a 400 degree grill today and heated until the cheese started bubbling.
@drwilliams
As I read this I heard it in my head as Linus speaking to the Peanuts gang, including the hesitation before “a Saviour”. Fond childhood memories!
To all (and sundry) Merry Christmas, and all the best to your houses for the new year!
@Greg Norton
Winning 26-20 and capping the game by intercepting the opposing quarterback on each of the last three possessions, they were a little too at home for the Miami fans.
Vince Guaraldi composed the music for the 1965 “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and subsequent specials. He died suddenly of a heart attack on February 6, 1976. He knew how tremendously popular his music had become, but had no way of knowing that the show and his score would surpass the classic and become an American cultural icon.
At the time those involved thought they had a flop on their hands. Ed Levitt, one of the animators, had the opposite opinion and stated”
“the best special [he’ll] ever make […] This show is going to run for a hundred years.”
Well over halfway there.
“It’s so cold it’s raining BATS in Texas: Stunned creatures are plunging from underside of bridge as Lone Star State is hit by historic winter storm that’s killed at least 23 nationwide”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11572551/Bats-plunging-underside-bridge-Lone-Star-State-hit-historic-winter-storm-killed-23.html
“Freezing temperatures in Houston are taking a toll on the city’s largest bat colony, as the cold can cause the bats to go into hypothermic shock”
“Tesla owner in Virginia is forced to cancel Christmas plans because his EV wouldn’t charge in arctic temperature”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11573305/Tesla-owner-Virginia-forced-cancel-Christmas-plans-EV-wouldnt-charge.html
Tesla’s won’t charge below 20 F ? No freaking way.
I saw this on AoSHQ, which is hard to link to, so I found another copy:
“If You Are Missing Baby Jesus, Call 7162”by Jean Jeffrey Gietzen
https://washingtonparish.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/If-Youre-Missing-Baby-Jesus-Call-7162.pdf
It was published in 1999, so I am 23 years behind.
We are 32 F outside right now but we are suppose to be 76 F on Wednesday. Unreal.
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/us/tx/sugar%20land/77469
“Rescue Mode ” by Ben Bova and Les Johnson
https://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Mode-Ben-Bova/dp/1476781036?tag=ttgnet-20/
A hard science space opera science fiction book with no sequel or prequel that I know of. I read the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen in 2015.
The first manned mission to Mars is launched in 2035 with a 600+ foot (200 meter) space ship with a eight person crew using a nuclear reactor with a hydrogen propellant. The crew is four men and four women. Unfortunately, the journey is interrupted with the space ship is hit by a one foot diameter meteoroid that severely damages the space ship, the hydrogen tank, and the water tank. Luckily, the Mars Lander is not damaged. But the anti-humans on Mars contingent on Earth is re-energized.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars (55 reviews)
Merry Christmas everyone!
The vehicle must always have enough charge to keep the battery temperature within a specified range.
That battery was dead dead if it wouldn’t charge.
“Death in Paradise” returns tomorrow night on BBC One. Until then, schaedenfreude sells The Mail.
It was in the 50s when I got here but it is much cooler now- 36F. There was still a bit of ice on the lakeshore in the perma-shadow near the dock. 6 inches of ice in the wheelbarrow. Lake was a bit higher than last week.
Ham for dinner, with baked sweet potato, baked beans, and applesauce as sides. Wife thought the chuck roast would be too much work and might not be ready on time. $1/pound Hill Country Fair (HEB’s low end house brand) spiral sliced ham was delicious. If they have more when I get home, I’ll buy some more. Honestly, it’s hard to mess up ham, so the house brand should be fine, and it was.
Sliced ham or a ham steak is my go-to for a quick meal.
I think I’ll try for an early night, and skip the fire and radio… it’s chilly willy down there, and very damp. Maybe tomorrow will be nicer.
A merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
n
FBI investigating if these incidents could be related…gee, ya think?
Reuters: Thousands lose power after three substations targeted in Washington state, sheriff says.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/two-substations-attacked-washington-state-utility-says-2022-12-25/
With all that electricity in a power substation, seems it would be quite easy to electrify the chain link fence that surrounds the substation.
Merry Christmas
Last couple days have been very good indeed. Low stress day today. Eight at dinner. On Christmas Eve we went to our original church’s evening service, then to our current church 10 pm service , and back this morning to our current church’s Christmas Day service. If you’d told me ten years ago we would attend three church services in less than 24 hours, that weren’t wedding / funeral related, I’d have been entertained at your obvious derangement. I gotta confess, church truly has made our life better. The services were beautiful and meaningful and filled our hearts with joy.
Danger Santa brought our daughter a darned nice palm and knife set for wood carving. They are quality American made tools that will last her lifetime. She’s been using a knife since she could hold one, a sharp knife since she could follow directions with it, and whittling sticks and branches for years. It was time for an upgrade so she can grow her skills.
She worked with the tools after guests went home. She really enjoyed exploring the different cuts and variations each blade could produce.
Gift was a hit. Danger Santa for the win.
Too much danger of an accidental electrocution. Unless you wired a “ShotSpotter” into the link. Three microphones, linked to a computer, will give you a VERY good fix on the shooter’s location, and have THAT electrify the fence. Slew some BIG cameras and spotlights, and you might get a good photo of the shooter.
However, since they’re SHOOTING at the station from a distance, there’s not much chance that they’ll need to come inside the fence to do anything.
Never ascribe to conspiracy that which can be explained by Pierce County, WA.
Lots of episodes of “Cops” were filmed there.
It’s the house down at the end of the dirt road with the shades always drawn that’s been there forever that nobody pays much attention to, where the guys in camo and face paint slip out on cloudy nights that need our attention, but instead we gawk at the sleight of hand artists in DC packing crates of Patriot missiles bound for our Ukrainian “pals” while they also line their own pockets. Stack all things offensive and defensive and make sure that you know how to use them. Challenging times may soon be upon us.
Best wishes to everyone and keep safe.