kochleffel

I have only ever roasted a turkey breast in the oven; I'm not even sure that one would fit in my Instant Pot (or slow cooker). I would probably like the wine. Would not try the drink--I have a low opinion of drinks that call themselves something-martini but have no relationship to a real martini except perhaps being served in the same shape glass. Kushiro wasn't on my Japan itinerary but that cruise did not take place anyway. Today I am finishing laundry, buying the last things that I need for the trip (leaving tomorrow, embarking Wednesday), and packing the main bag. It will be a 22-inch rolling bag instead of the 28-inch rolling duffel, with a smallish additional bag that can ride on it or that I can carry with a shoulder strap. I'm not taking any camera other than phone and iPad mini. Earlier in the day for the surgery on my arm, I had a disturbing visit from an occupational therapist. The surgeon had told me that my arm would be functional, although too painful to do much, on the morning after the surgery, but the OT was preparing me for permanent disability. She did give me some helpful tips about bathing and dressing with limited use of one hand, but the rest was off the beam.

I realized a little while ago that I'm currently taking three online classes and teaching two. Two of those that I'm taking run for six weeks, concurrently, but only one of them requires doing any work outside of class and it's offered asynchronously through Coursera. One of the other courses is on Demons and Possession, taught by two rabbis. One of the two seems to believe 100% in demons. Dinner tonight is what in Germany or Switzerland would be called Russische Eier: hard-boiled eggs with a mayonnaise dressing, plus Swiss chard with sunflower seeds and parmesan cheese. Except for the sunflower seeds, these needed to be used up before I leave.

The most excitement in my neighborhood was when a neighbor was screaming in pain and his partner called 9-1-1. It may have sounded to the dispatcher like either a home invasion or a domestic assault, but the result was that the police arrived and approached the house with guns drawn. (Or they may have known something that I didn't, or any combination of these things.) Eventually it became clear that what was needed was an ambulance, but the fire department arrived next (fire responds to many ambulance calls because they can usually arrive faster, and many of the firefighters have EMT licenses). Eventually the ambulance arrived; he was taken to the hospital and had his gallbladder removed the next day.

I'm puzzled most of the time, so I guess that this is my day. I called at Newport on the Norwegian Gem a few years ago, but I used to live in southern Massachusetts and have walked all over Newport with a Volkssport club. Touro Synagogue in Newport: On the packing question from yesterday: shoes alone are too bulky and heavy for really light packing, but at least I can pack clothing for only four days instead of seven.

AAMOF, I'll be entitled to a bag of free laundry. The potential bulk comes partly from sweaters, but I can pack one and wear one.

I had broccoli last night and so-called baby broccoli tonight, but not in a casserole with cauliflower. I'm not trying to have a broccoli festival; this is just what was on hand, and tomorrow there will be Swiss chard. G&T is my typical choice in warm weather. It was 44° today, which I didn't consider warm enough, not that I have any gin or tonic on hand anyway. Buenos Aires is yet another port that I haven't visited. This morning in the synagogue I led Psalm 148 to the tune of "Michael, row the boat ashore." Some of the congregation sang along, but I was happy merely not to be lynched, because most people here dislike novelty and change. I'm having trouble thinking about packing for my cruise next week--that is, rather to pack heavy and have no concerns about laundry, or light because I'll be handling my own luggage, on a ferry to Manhattan, to my hotel, to the cruise terminal, and eventually back to the ferry terminal. None of these is really far from the others and the ferry line provides a bus (which is part of the problem, because the buses are not adapted for boarding with luggage).

Roy, you may want them to admit you as an inpatient. Hospitals don't like to do this solely for observation, where you may not need treatment and aren't expected to be there two nights, but it can affect the insurance coverage. https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/what-part-a-covers/inpatient-or-outpatient-hospital-status

Hmm... there is a saying that Washington, D.C., combines Northern charm and Southern efficiency. Living in New York State--far upstate--I think of New York City as comprising the five boroughs. If I meant only Manhattan, I would say Manhattan. If I felt pedantic I might say New York County (this is meaningful on Law & Order). If I meant to include Westchester County and Long Island, plus some of Connecticut and New Jersey, I'd call it the Tri-State.

Here's Joe Crookston's song about a survivor's explaining, or not explaining, to her daughter. It's drawn from an interview with a survivor in my community.

Soon there will be no survivors left to speak. Have you seen the film Denial? It's based on Deborah Lipstadt's book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, an account of defending a British libel suit after she called David Irving a Holocaust denier. Survivors wanted to testify in the trial, but British lawyers advised Lipstadt against that, believing that there was a defense more likely to succeed. She won the case, with the result that there is a court decision affirming that the Holocaust occurred. The judge's opinion (it was a bench trial) states, "Having considered the various arguments advanced by Irving to assail the effect of the convergent evidence relied upon by the Defendants, it is my conclusion that no objective, fair-minded historian would have serious cause to doubt that there were gas chambers at Auschwitz and that they were operated on a substantial scale to kill hundreds of thousands of Jews."

OK, is it Big Wig Day (to give the appearance of "big hair") or Bigwig Day? I don't think that I want to celebrate either. I'd rather have falafel in a pita than in a pepper, but it's a bit difficult to make good falafel: often they are either burned on the outside or raw on the inside. I haven't been to Taiwan. I'm co-officiating at services in the synagogue tonight, and then the lead officiant tomorrow morning. We sing almost everything that can be sung, and the lead officiant tonight is a much better singer than I am; my role appears to be that of mascot. In the morning, I'm planning to sing the Hebrew of Psalm 148 to the tune of "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore." After that someone else will sing Psalm 150 in Hebrew, possibly to the tune of Leonard Cohen's "Halleluyah," although there are many other settings for it.

As Graham posted early today on yesterday's Daily, today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was established by the United Nations in 2005. Israel introduced the resolution but observes Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah, "Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day," as a legal holiday in the spring. Some countries observe yet other dates. For example, France marks July 16, the anniversary of the mass arrest of Jews in Paris, and Latvia marks July 4, the anniversary of the burning of the Great Choral Synagogue in Riga.

Thank you. International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Yom Hashoah are actually different days: the former on January 27, and the latter usually on the 27th of the Hebrew month Nisan, which falls in April or May.

The blood donation went smoothly, except that the room was so cold. In general the staff like it cool because they are moving around and working, while the donors, who are lying still, would like it warmer--but the rate of bad reactions can be higher if it's too warm. I wore a sweater over a short-sleeve shirt and put the sweater over me when I lay down, but my arms were still cold. At the snack table, where one is supposed to wait for 15 minutes, most people put their coats on. My contribution to non-clashing colors was that my trousers and the sweater were grey, with a blue shirt. This week the rancor has approached the level of FlyerTalk, which as a frequent-flyer site has a lot of people who feel highly entitled and are nearly always angry about something. Except when I need information, I stick to the old-timers' quiz there, which is congenial, maybe because it doesn't involve any actual flying (it's about historical routes and schedules, mostly). It has been running since 2011 and has more than 27,000 posts. On the arthritis and rheumatology subject: I seem to have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands and osteoarthritis in my knees. I haven't sought diagnosis or treatment.

I'm fairly safe against mixing stripes and plaids. What else is there to clash? I have an appointment to donate blood this afternoon--this is why I said I wouldn't be eligible as an emergency blood donor during my cruise next week, but it's just a five-day sailing to Bermuda. I will avoid donating within 8 weeks before the TATL this fall. Bringing my blood-donor card will be harder to remember, because the blood program here no longer uses them. Now they check you in from a QR code in their app. I'll be taking a hiatus from everything on CC except this thread, because of the amount of anger and outrage in posts in every forum that I read.

That fare on NCL, which is still available for this weekend's sailing, is for a late booking--if not last-minute, at least after final-payment date. The typical fare for an inside cabin is at least $2,000. After June of this year my schedule will be flexible, but there is still the issue of potentially very high air fares with late bookings. I wouldn't be too concerned about the lack of a solarium on the ship. The port days will all be in mild weather, some definitely warm. Only the Elephant Island and Admiralty Bay sea days are likely to have cold weather.

No real difficulty traveling to or from the dentist's office, and no dental problems found.

I'll skip all the special days, but would like the chicken and peanut stew. I was booked on a cruise in 2021 that would have called at Kotor, but it didn't take place. I replaced it in 2022 with a cruise from Athens, which called at Kusadasi. I think that Kotor is typically in itineraries from Venice (now Trieste or Ravenna, which makes them less attractive to me). We have about two inches of snow on the ground, with more falling although it will change to rain later. I have an appointment this morning for a dental exam and cleaning.

There have been recent reports that taking food back to your room from O'Sheehan's/The Local was no longer allowed, but I saw no reason to try. It's news to me that any cruise line has take-away food available 24/7, but it does sound like the buffet may be closing earlier than it used to.

I had that experience once on an NCL ship, when muster stations were inside. But what would stop me from cruising on a particular line is the old RCI style, where passengers were made to line up in military formation and stand silently that way for a long time before it even started, and dressed down Marine-style for using earbuds before the demonstration started.

I appreciate a beer can best when it's being used to roast a chicken. Compliments make me uncomfortable. A friend of mine teaches belly laughing professionally--that is, she's a laughter therapist. Would like the drink. Not making any chili mac. Have not been to Norfolk Island but we used to have a Norfolk Island pine. In 2001 the Senior Cat in Charge (he was then the Junior Cat) learned about police dogs. He was patriotic and wanted to become a police cat, but was rejected because of species discrimination. I thought that cats would really good at surveillance, because most of the time you can't even tell whether they're asleep or awake. However, I discouraged him from filing a class-action lawsuit, because he was probably too old to begin the training anyway.

My feet seem to have gotten larger since the shutdown in 2020 -- that is, they probably got flatter -- and I'm having to buy a larger size. Unfortunately, my true size is one that no manufacturer makes. Pie is probably not on the horizon. Neither is London broil although I wouldn't mind if it were. I haven't been to French Polynesia. We have about two inches of snow on the ground, with the chance of a little more. The Junior Cat is on alert for polar bears, which could hide in the snow.

[Duplicate post]

[Duplicate post]

I hadn't noticed the break for the Oosterdam, on which I'm booked the following month. It had been discussed in the roll call for the canceled cruise, which isn't one that I followed. There's another sailing between the canceled one and mine.