Yesterday, the radio opera was Giuseppe Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” – one of his early successes which made masterpieces like Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Rigoletto and more possible. It reminds me of La Gioconda, in that both have a character who has the hots for the heroine (who is in love with someone else) and is so resentfl at being turned down that he destroys pretty much everyone else in the cast. Verdi named this character “Wurm,” so you know right up front just who he is. (Come to think of it, “Andes Chenier” has one of those too.) Off to see Virgil now – will of course check in upon return.
Yesterday,the radio opera was “L’Eliser d’Amore” (“The Love Potion) by Gaetano Donizetti. It’s a comedy, and not just because it has a happy ending. It premiered in 1832 abd kas kiterakky never been out of the repertory. Normally, I’m not crazy about productions which change the time or the country an opera is set in – because there’s always something that doesn’t fit the history and/or culture of the new setting) – but, years ago (so many years that I was not yet married) a production was televised set in the 1860’s in the American southwest in the 1860s – and it was spooky how well it fit. The southwest did not have peasants – but it did have cowboys. And it had traveling snale oil salesmen. And there was a war on. (And of course, a young woman who owns a farm or a ranch could be just about anywhere, any time.) Since then, I have never heard it without remembering that production. (And it didn’t hurt that the tenor was very easy on the eyes.)
I would never have thought of this, but I’m glad someone did. (I did think of taking bayyet to address balance issues – and it worked – but didn’t last because I didn’t keep it up. Marine bases didn’t have barres installed then – and I’d be very surprised if they do even now.)
This chick is lucky to be a penguin – it it were an animal which could be cuddled gy humans, it would be cuddled within an inch of its life, it’s so adorable. (No disrespect is meant by calling it “it” – penguins cannot be gendered by humans visually, and it needs to be old enough for a blood test to check its DNA, and it isn’t yet.)
This is long for a Sunday, and it’s also not yet actual good news but potential good news. But, having spent a couple of years as a regular visitor to a couple where the wife had advanced Parkinson’s, it hits home to me.
Time just got away from me. But I had worked on a post earlier, so rather than waiting until 2025 I’m just going to go ahead and share it.
I was hoping to post it yesterday so I could slip it in as a Boxing Day article – so I’m just going to pretend it’s STILL December 26th.
Boxing Day, a UK holiday tradition celebrated the day after Christmas, was once a day to donate gifts to those in need. But it has now evolved to become a part of Christmas festivities, and an extension for those of us wanting to participate in the PoliticsPlus Holiday Festivities – but got tied up with other things.
To start I created some GIFs of the drone light show employing 4,981 drones to create the Guinness record-breaking holiday display over Mansfield, Texas on November 26, 2023
The spectacular show was created by Sky Elements Drone Shows and UVify, a North Texas-based drone company.
To be honest, I’ll post the YouTube source video – but they make so many cuts and change of speed it was a bit difficult.
(And you might want to kick up the speed in YouTube because the drones tend to move pretty slow in performing their precision aerial display.)
In the same order as the video:
And here’s the source YouTube video:
And I borrowed a Jacquie Lawson Christmas message to add the one word we’re all hoping for:
And it just wouldn’t be Christmas without a reprise of those Caroling Penguins. (That song STILLS makes me chuckle just thinking about it.)
No matter how you say it (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Swedish/Norwegian & Latin), I hope everyone is enjoying a delightful day.
Since my old tried and true Christmas routine was usurped by the cantankerous – but hilarious – TV sports reporter-cum-weatherman yesterday, I decided to trot out the old stuff today with just a few additions.
First, for all those traveling I wish you a safe trip with no unexpected misfortune (unlike some):
Music (for most) is an integral part of the Holidays – so feel free to delight in the old favorites. And be sure to enjoy new variations on a theme:
[Sung to the tune of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”]
“Hark!” the Herald Penguins sing:
“Please don’t eat our little wings!
Eat a goose down to the bone,
But leave Penguins all alone.”
“Baby ducks are very sweet,
Tastier than Penguin meat.
If it’s carried in your store
Please don’t shop there anymore!”
No doubt we’re all hoping that Special Counsel Jack Smithwill be able to put out an album by next Christmas with lyrics like this:
He sees you when you’re grifting
He knows that you’re a fake
He knows that you’ve had bad intent
So prepare to serve upstate!
Truthfully, I think we’re hoping for an entire album:
There’s no doubt the present that we’re all hoping for is this:
Yesterday, I did some recovering and braced myself to be ready for tomorrow’s hearing. I did a little knitting – making some headbands with scraps of corron and cotton blend yarn that will just fir around my head at forehead level, which I can wet down and refrigerate for the days when th ceiling fan in the den isn’t enough. I had tried before, but they were always too big and wouldn’t stay put. but after making three now with smaller stitch counts, I have it right The old, too big ones, though, I’ll wet down and refrigerate to go around my neck, sort of like cowls, if I need that extra. Just for getting cool, they won’t be any use as ice packs for arthritis – they’re not thick enough. It’s was a bit cooler, so it seemed like a good time to make them – no pressure.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
Gizmodo – Hundreds of Little Blue Penguins Are Washing Up Dead in New Zealand Amid an Ocean Heatwave
Quote – New Zealand Department of Conservation post-mortem examinations revealed many of the birds were particularly vulnerable juveniles. The young penguins died of starvation and hypothermia, with no fat to help them hold onto heat in the water. Counterintuitively, seabirds dying of cold corresponds with hotter ocean temperatures caused by both climate change and the weather phenomenon La Niña, a Depart of Conservation representative, Graeme Taylor, told RNZ. Click through for details. The quote uses the word “counterintuitive” (which is actually true of hypothermia in other ways too), and it strikes me that, in so many ways the things we need to do in the face of climate change are counterintuitive as well. Which is why it is so important to get solid science – exactly what people want to ignore. Sigh.
The New Yorker – Putting the Backlash Against Progressive Prosecutors in Perspective
Quote – In San Francisco, Chesa Boudin—a reform-minded district attorney—was recalled by voters by a significant margin last week. Boudin had instituted a number of progressive reforms, from liberalizing bail policies to reducing jail populations through diversion programs. But those changes were buried by the perception that the city had descended into a state of chaos. His recall has been cast as a referendum on crime and on the public’s attitudes toward progressive criminal-justice policies. What were the voters in San Francisco blaming on Boudin? The New Yorker staff writer Benjamin Wallace-Wells recently wrote about Boudin’s recall. He speaks with the New Yorker senior editor Tyler Foggatt. Click through – it’s a podcast, but you can download a transcript. It did not offer me any file extension, but when I went to open it, my PC gave me a list of programs to choose from; I selected “Notepad” and it opened right up. “Wordpad” also works, but Adobe Reader doesn’t. It’s valuable information for anyone who cares about restorative justice, reforming our legal and prison systems, and the like.
Glenn Kirschner – All the President’s Lackeys: Bannon, Clark, Eastman & the Others. Watergate vs. the Insurrection
MSNBC – Biden Breaks Down How Build Back Better Act Will Lower Cost For Families Dealing With Diabetes
Meidas Touch – SCOTUS Poised to Strike Down Legal Precedent from Roe v. Wade
Rebel HQ – Ethan Crumbly’s Parents Face Justifiable Consequences. I’m not sure how long I have been saying “Responsible gun ownners should take the lead in drafting legislation to regulate gun ownership and use – because, if they don’t, the rest of us will, and they won’t like it,” but it’s been since before I was married, an our next anniversaty will be our 38th. It was so long ago that the NRA was still considered a responsible organization.
Really American – Madison Cawthorn Claims Women Are “Earthen Vessels” (but Chip has a good idea)
Beau – Let’s talk about not talking about race…. Most of the time I agree with Beau, and he’s right on the institutional level. But he’s wrong on the individual level. On the individual level, it’s more like, yeah, if you don’t have pancreatic cancer for example, you don’t need to talk about it in order not to be hurt by it. But if you are being eatne away by pancreatic cancer, not talking about it won’t make it go away.
I hope Santa was good to you this morning. He had a little difficulty in his travels last night …
And that was complicated by a mix-up with an order in the “Lord of the Rings” toy workshop section …
But that hasn’t kept our penguins from getting into the caroling spirit
“Hark!” the Herald Penguins sing:
“Please don’t eat our little wings!
“Eat a goose down to the bone,
“But leave Penguins all alone.
“Baby ducks are very sweet,
“Tastier than Penguin meat.
“If it’s carried in your store
“Please don’t shop there anymore!”
And I would encourage everyone to visit JD’s standard stellar Video Thread 12/24/2020 – and please, don’t miss the spectacular “A Christmas Light Show at A Home in Leggiuno, Italy”! I was blown away by how tastefully done it was. And the peacocks fanning their tales … just amazing!
So in this abbreviated yuletide Friday Fun, I wish you all a
