Sunday, November 11, 2018

The Adirondacks in New York, as seen from Vermont

Between the darker foreground and the blue hills lies the southern part of Lake Champlain!


18 comments:

  1. Our trip to the SF Bay Area was a decidedly mixed bag, but we are home safe. The smoke got thicker and thicker as we went north and west; by the time we got to San Jose it was, at least in terms of visibility, about like the smog could be (and often was) when I lived there fifty years ago--so pretty bad. I think the smoke was less irritating than the smog, though. On our way home, about half an hour out, the engine of our car overheated--the coolant was gone. Don't know why, but will find out and fix it tomorrow. Water pump, maybe? Leak somewhere? The car is fifteen years old, and this is the first non-minor problem it has ever had. The first tow truck didn't show up; the second one did. But we were stuck at the roadside for about four hours, and the wind was cold by our standards. Miyoko had the foresight to bring extra warm clothing and a blanket. We saw the sun set--a dim orange ball behind the smoke.

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    1. Wow, Alan! The only time a car of mine did that was on Cape Cod, near the ocean, in bumper to bumper traffic. I suggest that, in both instances, it has something to do with particles in air and extra stress on the engine.

      So glad you made it out of there.

      I found your account almost poetic. Thank you.

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    2. The cooling system on the car (a 2003 Toyota Camry) has been excellent, which is a very good thing in the hot weather we can have here. The thermometer goes up right to the middle of the gauge, and just stays there no matter the driving conditions. Upon reflection, I suspect a hose sprung a leak or a hose clam failed. This morning I am inclined to take it to the shop we have used for the past 20 years rather than trust it to one of the chain repair shops that is nearby. Maybe I will refill the radiator today, let it idle, and monitor the temperature; if it is OK for half an hour, it will make it to the regular shop.

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    3. Hose clam = hose clamp; first cup of coffee impending.

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  2. Very Provisional Thoughts on Who [should] be the Democratic Nominee in 2020[Click] Sounds reasonable to me.

    I have been thinking about this analysis [Click] of how Mueller could deal with attempts to derail his investigation—particularly about the grand jury sending its findings to Congress, circumventing the US Attorney General, acting or otherwise. I calls to mind the Wikipedia entry on grand juries, [Click] particularly their original purpose [Click] (to circumvent misbehaving officials) and their power (not recently much used) to appoint their own attorneys general to prosecute cases.[Click] And then, there is the (now rare) phenomenon of the ”runaway” grand jury.[Click] It all seems VERY interesting.

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    1. I want to read this today! Going straight to Congress would be an option, but the Senate won’t concur with anything the House finds... unless it’s so damning that it threatens their Senate seats.

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    1. Ohhhh myyyy, have the Dems been thinking of doing so?

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    2. Oh, yes--the New Democrats haven't seen the error of their ways; they don't know how to do or be anything else IMO. I think the Dems need to get back to something resembling the New Deal.

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  4. We’re headed to NH today to shop for lighting at a dollhouse store...! Grandchildren come First! 😄

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    1. Yes, indeed. I suppose that these days LED lighting should be available for the and a considerable improvement over earlier technology. Drive safely and have a good time.

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    2. availble = available for the purpose

      Coffee needed to activate timely proofreading. Here goes!

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    1. But upon reflection, this is the time for Marx/Hegel, not Confucius--change, not stability.

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  6. Penny and I are just back from Windycon (science fiction convention). I was on three interesting panels and participated in two book discussions. There was also the formal organizing meeting of the committee bidding to bring the 2022 World Science Fiction Convention to Chicago, with adoption of the By-Laws and election of the initial Board of Directors. In the absence of anyone else who seriously wanted the job, I ended up as one of the seven directors. Although that probably won't involve much in this first year.

    Speaking of snow, we got a dusting Thursday night. By the time we left for Lombard Friday afternoon it was mostly gone in Oak Park, but as we got into the more distant and thus colder suburbs we saw a fair amount still on the ground and bushes. All gone everywhere today, though.

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  7. Car cooling system worked OK when refilled; safe to drive to our customary repair shop. There is a slight leak of coolant when the engine is running, maybe from the vicinity of the water pump--not sure.

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  8. Harking back to the earlier discussion:

    White Women, Come Get Your People. (But Who Are Your People?) [Click] “A political science professor gives historical context to the ways that white women voters are (and more importantly, aren’t) tied to each other.”

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