kochleffel

I have eaten Hostess Cupcakes, but probably not in the past 60 years. Absolutely no comment on the quotation. I probably have ground turkey about once a month, not because I especially like it, but because it's the only kosher meat that is always available here. Pass on the drink. Almost all Chardonnay is described as buttery, whether it is or not. I might go with the 2021 from Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, $16.99 The Hartford semester is over, but I'm still working on the Leuven course (asynchronous). The progress meter says that I've completed 82% of the course but already have enough points to pass, if I want to download the certificate right away. The certificate is not any value, to be clear.

Now having pizza and some of the CSM from a couple of days ago.

I've spent a considerable amount of time yesterday and today mowing grass--it was really too high for my battery mower, so the batteries ran down quickly and I had to pause while they recharged (I have two). It is always a question whether the mower or I will run out of energy first. Yesterday we ran down simultaneously, but today the mower was first in every round. There is still a little left, between my driveway and the neighbor's. If I had known that it wouldn't begin to rain until 8:00, instead of 5:00 as the forecast said, I would have planned to resume. Without my glasses, the cut parts look OK. With them, I can see how rough it is. It should really be mown again in a couple of days, not that the weather forecast is cooperating.

SpaceHook wants to show me a video that begins "My dog accidentally ate a whole bag of scrabble tiles." Accidentally? I think that the dog ate them on purpose.

The quiche would be OK, with Lactaid. Tuesday was Cosmopolitan Day, so the drink may be somewhat familiar. For the wine, I'll go with a 2022 Cabernet Franc-Zweigelt blend from Three Brothers. Today in History: 1941 British intelligence at Bletchley Park breaks German spy codes after capturing Enigma machines aboard the weather ship Muenchen I visited Bletchley Park, a short trip from Euston, during a visit to London a few years ago, and I recommend it. The last assignment grades from my Hartford course are in, which is fortunate for the students who need the credit to graduate since that takes place today. I seem to have giving the course-management system conniptions by ending up with 108% out of a possible 100. That happened because I completed an extra-credit assignment that I turned out not to need.

Another one I'm aware of, faking a member of clergy, says that the clergy person urgently needs electronic gift cards to help someone in dire need. These are usually in email, and almost every member of clergy I know reports that parishioners have received them.

Here's an even stranger story from the AP: the MSC Meravigilia arrived in the Port of Brooklyn with a dead whale across the bow. https://apnews.com/article/dead-whale-cruise-ship-new-york-2b4cf15e40ea234e2a1d8cc93f6fae06

Yes. Also, when Sasha became hyperthyroid and started losing weight, the veterinarian suggested feeding her kitten food until we received the topical medication, which is formulated individually for the cat.

The AP is reporting that a crew member on the Norwegian Encore was arrested by the FBI at Juneau after attacking crew members and a passenger while the ship was en route from Seattle. The report says that the crew member was seen trying to deploy a lifeboat and taken to the medical center, where he attacked a guard and a nurse, then stabbed another patient and two crew members with scissors. It says that he was taken to a "shipboard jail" and kept there until the ship docked at Juneau. https://apnews.com/article/alaska-cruise-scissors-stabbing-ce9014b648531bdc4832a5fe44d6d8b2

I knew about thalassemia, but now I know a little more about it. The name comes from Greek θάλασσα, thalassa ("sea"), referring to its having been first observed in the Mediterranean. Some countries are reducing the incidence through genetic testing and counseling. No on the menu suggestion (bacon) and no on the drink (sounds awful). For the wine, Dr. Frank's Brut 2020, just released, $29.99.

I wasn't aware of cystinosis but after reading about it I'm not sure that I'm much more aware than I was before. I would like the menu suggestion more with different seasonings. No on the Alabama Slammer and also no on the Cosmoplitan, as I believe the day refers to the cocktail, not the magazine or Stalin's "rootless cosmopolitans." The most expensive Finger Lakes Bordeaux blend that I can find is Damiani's 2014 Meritage, $90. "The current vintage of our flagship Meritage opens with notes of crushed black cherries and soft leather with hints of toffee and beef broth on the nose. The palate follows through with firm wood tannins and black fruits flavors of currant and licorice that finishes with a buttery plum-like tingle that dances on the tip of your tongue. Pair this wine with lean meats like filet mignon, bold blue cheeses, roasted eggplant, and caramel infused chocolates. Drink now - 2025 - 2028." The wine I have open now, from Israel, is essentially a Rhone blend, but with Carignan instead of Grenache. I woke almost three hours earlier than I wanted, so I'm not functioning very well. I took out the trash and recycling, had breakfast, and went back to bed, but didn't sleep again.

I would rather have the salad made with something other than kale--it's the only green that I actively dislike the taste of. No on the drink (Midori). Finger Lakes Pinot Noir is made in a similar style, so this time let's try one from Fulkerson, $25.00. "Grown on a mix of sand and clay soils, this Pinot truly expresses the “terroir” of the Finger Lakes. Complex, yet delicate, this wine ages well for 3-5 years! On the nose, sweet vanilla with hints of soft, smoky sweetness. Flavors of smooth sweet cherry lead to strong tannins with a smooth, fruit-driven structure." I was in Bar Harbor in October 2018 with the Norwegian Gem. It was cold and rainy, so I won't look for photos. Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Jewish world. (There is an international Holocaust remembrance day on another date.) Its full name in Hebrew translates to "Day of the Holocaust and the Heroes," but some today are saying that talking about "Heroes" (rescuers, partisans, et al.) distracts from remembering the six million Jews and about five million others who were killed. On the other hand, Jewish communities largely ignore the millions of political opponents, Romany and other ethnic minorities, homosexuals, and people with disabilities who were also systematically killed. The exhibits at Dachau present these thoroughly.

The CDC recommends vaccination against hepatitis B, because of a fairly high rate of it there, but I think a sedate traveler on a cruise is unlikely to be exposed. I've gotten hepatitis A and B vaccinations even though I'm very unlikely to engage in any risky behaviors. Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended if you will eat street food or spend time in rural areas. Where I live, the county health department is the only source for these vaccinations. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/japan?s_cid=ncezid-dgmq-travel-single-001

In 1995, Addison and Fergus were born in Waterford, Conn. Their mother was a homeless cat who chose to have her kittens in the back of a car (parked at the time). She chose well: she and all the kittens got good homes. When we lived in Los Angeles, Addison and Fergus thought it was wonderful that the whole city had a party for their birthday. On a Bermuda cruise I had dinner several times with a food and travel writer--not Eleanor Chalstrom--who had lots of good travel stories. Her method was to stay in a place for a while and develop articles for half a dozen different publications--one about restaurants, another about home cooking, one about an artisan in the neighborhood, etc. No on the drink (coconut). Not a lot of Sangiovese in the Finger Lakes, but Ventosa Vineyards at the north end of Seneca Lake grows it, so I'll suggest the 2019. "This wine greets with aromas of strawberry and rose. On the palate, savory touches merge with creamy red currant and hints of cherry blossoms and tobacco. Sleek tannins ensure a harmonious finish," $32.95. I hope that she is actually living in Michigan. It would be a long, long commute.

I would probably like the cod, although the creamy sauce might require Lactaid. I could enjoy the drink if it were served to me, but wouldn't order it. For the wine--no Malbec here but Cabernet Franc is our best-growing red variety--I'll suggest Fulkerson's 2018: "An up front nose of sweet cherry and creamy vanilla. The flavors are velvety with sweet cherry laced with chewy black pepper and strong tannins in the finish," $18.

In 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard shot 13 students at Kent State University, killing four of them. https://wapo.st/3UM8koH One of the students who was killed was from my hometown. If my family had lived a few blocks from where we did, we would have been in high school together.

Nice story from a friend who teaches public-school music out here in the middle of nowhere. Today he chaperoned a group from our school district to a music competition at Ithaca College, of which he's a graduate. Some of the ensembles competing were from the high school in Brooklyn of which he's also a graduate.

Sasha hated the topical medication! And I hated catching her to administer it. We used it only until she could get a place at Cornell for radioactive iodine treatment. The treatment worked, but she was traumatized by the stay in the Companion Animal Hospital. She was a small cat to begin with, scarcely more than six pounds, so losing even an ounce was worrisome.

They seem to have enough sense to know that I wouldn't be interested.

I support care for alternatively abled pets, don't support lumpy rugs or intentionally wearing different-colored shoes. I'd need Lactaid for the carrot cake, unless it were made with imitation cream cheese. Pass on the drink (pineapple juice). I'm running out of substitutes for Nebbiolo, but I'd suggest Dr. Frank's 2021 Amur, a variety from southern Siberia and northern China, if it weren't sold out. "Dark and rich red cherry, jammy blackberry, with meaty, savory notes and a touch of black pepper. The palate is rustic with strong tannins balanced with ripe red and black fruits, sweet spice, black pepper, and a touch herbal."

My dad was a life-insurance agent, although in later years most of his work was with group health insurance and retirement plans. I am aware of scurvy, although I don't think it's common in the U.S. now. It was a concern in the U.K. during World War II, and children received special rations of black currant syrup, black currants being one of the few natural sources of vitamin C--rose hips are another--to grow there. I grow black currants myself, but not for that reason. A sorrel story, although pesto doesn't figure into it. Around 1980, I went with friends in Berkeley to Chez Panisse, a restaurant that by then was rather famous. It served a set meal, and the night we were there, the main course was fish with two sauces: sorrel and pepper. We thought they would be served on the side, but we were wrong. Half the plate was lined with sorrel sauce and half with pepper sauce, making two precise half-circles, one bright green and the other bright orange, the fish in the center. The servers carried the plates high so that the diners did not see them before they were placed on the table. I may have been rather drunk, but since then I have considered it important that the way food is presented does not frighten the diner. No on the drink. I don't think that homemade pumpkin seltzer is in my future. For the wine, Salmon Run (second label of Dr. Frank's) Chardonnay Riesling, which I think would have a similar character although it's not totally dry, $13.99. Last night I got to sleep only with the help of B&B. Not Benedictine and brandy, but Benadryl and brandy. Acupuncture this afternoon, and then an Earth-to-Sky online meeting about a subject that I don't remember.

White matter is necessary and normal in the brain; it connects the neurons of the grey matter. However, damage to it can be serious. https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-white-matter-in-the-brain-98119

Registering for the conference and booking flights was a frustrating process, both because of the registration forms and because of the airline's superior--I mean horrible--IT (possibly acquired from a cruise line?). One of the first questions in the registration forms was the size for the conference T-shirt. It had to be answered and there was no option for "no T-shirt." The instructions for the date fields say to use the forms DD/MM/YYYY but the form actually requires MM/DD. For some parts, optional add-ons were combined with the basic options, but for others they had to be selected separately. You get the idea. Now, I needed to be booking flights while filling in the registration forms, because of having to specify whether I would need to arrive the day before or stay until the day after. Once I knew what flights I wanted, the airline's website offered no way to pay with e-credits and insisted on charging the entire amount to a credit card. I cancelled that booking (refund to the original form of payment allowed within 24 hours) and started again, this time from the e-credit page. When I had everything lined up, the website abruptly returned me to the home page. On the third attempt, I got it to use the e-credit but then it seemed to charge the balance to the number of one card with the expiration date and security code of another card, so I am not sure whether my "confirmed" booking might not be cancelled when they notice, if that's what actually happened.

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit. Also ribbet, ribbet, white frog, just in case. Today I need to deal with grocery shopping, laundry, and yard work. It's also time to plant lettuce seeds and peas. In theory it would have been better to plant them earlier, but I've found that when I do, they don't germinate until now, if at all. For those with doodler dogs:

The pesto chicken would be OK but I couldn't make it at home. I remember a bizarre train journey, Indianapolis to Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, that ran five hours late. My car had a group of Marines--looking too young to drink--returning to Camp Lejeune who guzzled so much rum and Coke that the bar ran out of rum. For the wine, Ravines Wine Cellers Le Petit Caporal 2020 even though it's $34.95. I spent several days in Juneau in 2021 during a non-cruise (Alaska Marine Highway System). It rained almost all the time so I have no pictures. The best part was an all-day trip to Tracy Arm Fjord with Adventure Bound that wouldn't fit into most port calls.