kochleffel

I don't think so, but I'll ask my doctor.

I think that the laundry room is also where mine are hiding -- the litterbox that they're using is in an alcove there. I've placed water and a different brand of wet food just inside the door.

{{ @luvteaching Karen }}

I'm in favor of onions, sunglasses (outdoors, when it's sunny) and Helen Keller. For a couple of years I was chair of our county's human relations commission, and when we were planning to participate in a back-to-school fair and needed to have swag made for it, I proposed having a Helen Keller quotation printed on pencils. A member of the commission who had been a superintendent of schools objected that "we can't tell parents what to teach their children." I substituted a quotation from Maya Angelou that made the same point, but more subtly. We also gave out frisbees with a slogan that the ex-super didn't question. I like chicken piccata but the addition of cream makes me queasy. When you keep kosher, you become accustomed to avoiding combinations of meat and dairy ingredients, and while I am not strict about that away from home, when both the meat and the dairy ingredient are conspicuous it seems off. OTOH, I have made Swedish meatballs using tofu sour cream, so I suppose I could make this using something like NutPods. The drink startled me, because Berry White is also a strain of marijuana. (Don't ask how I know this.) I would like the wine and might be able to find it at Total Wine when I'm driving back from New Jersey last month. From the Finger Lakes, maybe Glenora Sauvignon Blanc 2021 although it wouldn't be as refined. It goes without saying that I haven't been to Nawiliwili. I still haven't seen the cats and they didn't eat the wet food, but both have used the downstairs litterbox. First thing this morning, after taking out the trash, I went to change the filter in the upstairs furnace, to get ready for using AC (no AC downstairs). I had to tear the old filter apart to get it out and in trying to fit the new filter in, I cut my hands in several places. My clothes and the house look like a crime scene.

The bruising that I was expecting hasn't developed, although people at work noticed that one side of my face is a bit swollen and red. However, whether from the fall or from the weather, I ache all over.

When Sasha came to us, I kept her in my study for the first 10 days, initially because Fergus was very territorial, then because she had an upper respiratory infection, and after that because she had been spayed and needed to be kept quiet. My office here isn't large enough for two cats, and the only other room that might be suitable is the utility room. For now, I'm not looking very hard for them, because I don't want them to feel that they're being hunted. If I don't see them this evening, I'll set out some wet food for them, not only to entice them, but also because it's easier to tell how much was eaten.

In Judaism there is a duty to forgive anyone who requests it, especially before Yom Kippur, but it's only mandatory if they ask on three separate occasions. I once asked a rabbi whether it was obligatory to forgive people who didn't want to be forgiven. She replied that it wasn't, but it might be good for my mental health. I live in spiedie territory but the spicing of today's menu would be OK with me. So would the cocktail. FWIW, grenadine was historically made from pomegranate, but in the U.S. shifted during World War II to raspberries. I've suggested a Finger Lakes syrah recently, so instead I'll mention the wine I was given at our annual meeting, a Yarden 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel. I haven't been to Puerto Princesa but you could have guessed that. Last night I knew where Mona Lisa was hiding, but she has moved from there and now I can't find either cat. I think that they have eaten. I was going to work at home this morning but concluded that they might be braver if I went to my office. No visible bruising, but maybe a little swelling. CVS says that I have to pick up a prescription even though I won't need it for another five or six weeks.

So far they are only hiding. Maybe they enjoy that -- Fergus liked to hide, and would fall asleep and forget that he was hiding. So no photos yet. As I was returning to the car for DaVinci, after bringing Mona Lisa in, I fell on my face. Only very minor injuries and I didn't break my nose or my glasses, but I think there will be conspicuous bruising tomorrow.

DaVinci and Mona Lisa have arrived.

Does Log Cabin Day refer to actual log cabins, or to syrup? Actual catfish or catfishing? I used to live near New London, Conn., a port city, where the historic Catholic church is St. Mary Star of the Sea--Maris Stella. I don't think of salmon as a typically Greek fish, but the way I most often prepare it, sautéed in olive oil, could be Greek. No on the cocktail, yes on the wine. It might be obtainable here. Sauvignon Blanc isn't widely grown in the Finger Lakes, but there are varietals from Dr. Konstantin Frank and Fulkerson. I visited Mykonos last year on the Norwegian Jade, but only as a jumping-off point for Delos. Today I teach Hebrew at 9:30 and it's the last class.

I did that last year on an RC cruise, the one just before which I had an implant removed in Copenhagen. (I have only had one tooth removed but I've had it removed twice!) I liked that part of the tour, did not especially like the guide for the city part. I kept my shoes on and my feet dry. The retirement celebration wasn't as awful as I feared, although it was awful enough. The lunch was very good (poached salmon, stuffed grape leaves, strawberry shortcake). I had requested no speeches and no gifts, got no compliance. The gifts were a piece of mathematical art by one of our past presidents (engineer, can't draw but can do math) and a Steuben Glass owl. Steuben Glass is made 15 miles from here. I have no idea what to do with either.

No dog to take to work, and today is not a work day anyway. I think that the meaning of "food truck" probably intended must be specific to this side of the pond. I mostly avoid them because of concern about sanitation, but a friend is part-owner of a Firehouse Subs franchise that I think is safe. Yes on the chicken, no on the drink. The wine is probably unobtainable here. It appears to be a Bordeaux blend so I could substitute Wagner Meritage 2020 from the Finger Lakes. My retirement celebration is today and I'm dreading it. I didn't want it to take place at all and my conditions for it were (1) no speeches and (2) no gifts, but I've been warned that neither condition will be met.

I don't think that I have any pink clothing. I'm going to hold that the day refers to Dianthus species, the flowers called pinks. OK on the fish, NOK on the cocktail. Since the wine comes from the region that produces the best Pinot Noir in the world, I won't suggest an alternative. I haven't had a port call at <pedant> Grundarfjörður </pedant>. I woke at 2:00 a.m. and didn't get black to sleep until after 4:30, so I'm not firing on all cylinders this morning. It hasn't started to rain yet, but still feels like it will at any moment.

I'm in favor of chocolate eclairs, onion rings, and rainforests, but I don't think that they should be combined. The meal might be OK, depending on the heat of the jerk seasoning. Or does that mean that you have to be a jerk to eat it? Oh well. Not very interested in the drink, and for the wine I might substitute Glenora 2021 Chardonnay. I haven't been to Montevideo. Today we finished my last issue of the monthly newsletter. It was a double issue and especially difficult to produce--double the articles that came in late, double the errors that had to be tracked down (factual errors, not typographical), and so forth. Yesterday evening I was mowing the lawn and the batteries ran down before I finished. The first one would have been recharged while it was still light enough to resume, but I was also out of energy and don't recharge as quickly, so I did some more tonight. It's working up to raining for 10 straight days and was unpleasantly humid. After it I was more than ready for cardboardeaux.

I don't enjoy stuffed bell peppers, but the issue is the baked whole pepper itself, not the stuffing. I like peppers better when they are sautéed. Christmas Punch doesn't seem to fit with the summer solstice. As a substitute for the wine, I'll nominate Fulkerson Reserve Syrah. I haven't been to Ibiza, only to Palma de Mallorca. My organization's annual meeting was last night. No children were harmed, but I came close to inflicting grievous bodily harm on several adults. Actually, the meeting was very successful even though most of the reports that were given made no sense whatsoever. The important thing was that we elected new officers and board members, and for the first time since before the pandemic, all seats were filled. It was my last annual meeting as executive director.

I wouldn't mind an ice-cream soda, but I'd prefer a root beer float, which we always called a Boston cooler. IIRC, Ben Franklin thought that the turkey, not the bald eagle, should be our national bird. He called the bald eagle "a Bird of bad moral Character." If "seafood" indicates shellfish,I'll have to pass on the fried rice, and the drink doesn't sound at all appealing. The wine is probably not obtainable here, so I might substitute the 2018 Pinot Noir Reserve from Heron Hill Winery. I haven't been to Papua New Guinea. Last night was the last Talmud class with our rabbi, since he's moving away next week. The class has run for about seven years and a few people have attended the entire time. Although it has met on Zoom since 2020, last night was a hybrid session, with those who could attend in person doing so. I brought kosher Prosecco and I was not the only person who had that idea, so the class was even rowdier than usual. I suppose that people are supposed to be serious and reverent during Talmud study, but this group never has been and the tractate we've been studying doesn't invite a serious attitude, being all about hypothetical situations that have probably never arisen.

Chili is peculiarly a specialty of local chains of chili parlors in Cincinnati, Ohio. The most iconic way to order it is "five-way": spaghetti, chili, beans, onion, and cheese, always served on small oval plates. It is not very much like Texas chili or any other chili anywhere; the characteristic seasoning is more Greek than anything else. I have had moussaka in Greece that tasted a lot like it, minus the beans. We have celebrated Juneteenth at the synagogue since before it was a legal holiday. Last year a Black Jewish activist spoke over Zoom; this year the rabbi gave a sermon about the (mostly mis-) treatment of Jews of color within the Jewish community. My office is open today. We close on MLK day in January, but Juneteenth falls right before our annual meeting, which is tomorrow. We serve hamburgers and hot dogs, plus various salads, at the meeting; my particular job is to buy vegan burgers and gluten-free rolls for members who want them, and to make five-bean salad (not anything like Cincinnati chili except that it contains beans). Multi-bean salad is a picnic tradition, but we also serve it because there are vegetarian members who prefer not to eat analogues such as Impossible or Beyond burgers.

It's National Martini Day, not National Pseudotini Day. None of my pets has ever been in a film, and I've never taken my cat to work. Two co-workers have brought their dogs recently. One takes the dog everywhere; the other's dog had a grooming appointment. Both dogs are escape artists and we have to keep all the interior doors closed when they're in the building. Classic chili supposedly contained no beans, while vegetarian chili is mostly beans, isn't it? No on the cocktail and I have no idea what the wine is. I'll counter with Lakewood Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Franc. I haven't been to Puerto Madryn. IIRC, officers of the Metropolitan Police were once referred to as Peelers, but it is not true that Robert Peel invented the vegetable peeler. I've been awake since 4:45 a.m. and I don't like it at all.

Fishing isn't in my immediate plans, but as of July 1 I'll be able to hang out a permanent "Gone Fishing" sign. It bothers me to have Panic Day and Picnic Day coincide. I could envision making tofu wraps and I may even have the ingredients, but probably not Buffalo seasoned. Another pseudotini, even more pseudo than most? The wine is beyond my means and the principal grape, Grenache, blended into Rhône-style wines isn't grown in the Finger Lakes (it requires more heat), so I'll suggest Fulkerson Reserve Syrah, a variety that is usually part of the blend. I've been to various places in Holland but never Rotterdam. I taught Hebrew and Prophets this morning. It was the last Prophets class and we finished II Kings. The newsletter that I edit publishes graduation announcement for the families of members, but I've taken the stand that these can only be high-school and college graduations, no preschool--no matter how excited the grandparents are--or obedience school.

I've found this to be true on other cruise ships, a little less true on RCI than on HAL or NCL, but I almost always order a vegetable or salad starter, sometimes two. Requesting extra vegetables with the main course doesn't work as well when traveling solo, because they sometimes bring enough to share with a group, even if I'm seated alone at a two-top. FWIW, dinner tonight was steamed broccoli,two servings by my measure and at least four by a cruise line's, with grilled salmon.

Since many people fly to and from Australia for cruises, this news seems pertinent. QANTAS is announcing a project to reduce jet lag in its longest flights, those to New York and London. The changes include reordering the meal and light-out times to help passengers adjust to the time at the destination, and a wellness area on board, with handles for stretching safely and exercise videos. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/06/17/qantas-jet-lag-research-sydney-new-york-flights/

I promise to eat my vegetables today. The only road trip in my immediate plans is for a conference next month, in New Jersey, which barely qualifies as a road trip from here. I don't have the visual coordination to watch juggling, never mind actually doing it. I might like the portobello burger, although mushrooms are high in FODMAPS. Roy, I'm sorry, but it you make it without the mushroom, it's just a hamburger roll and condiments. No no no to cocktails involving coconut. I would probably like the wine, but if obtainable here would be expensive, so I'll suggest Dr. Konstantin Frank's Old Vines Pinot Noir 2020 from the Finger Lakes. It's the second-oldest planting of Pinot Noir in America. The itinerary for my Panama Canal cruise next year doesn't include a call at Colon, but has an overnight at Fuerte Amador.

I'm well-stocked with fresh vegetables. For International Waterfall Day, here's a photo of Shequaga Falls in the center of the village of Montour Falls, about 20 miles from here. . (By Russ Nelson - img_3716Uploaded by Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24128358) I'm not enthusiastic enough about coconut to want to try the fluke. Definite no on the drink. The wine is one that I would probably like, but I resent the review complaint that it's only 75% Cabernet Sauvignon. The classic Bordeaux blend is often only 70% Cabernet Sauvignon. In the U.S., some wineries that want to imitate the Bordeaux blend license the name "Meritage" for it, since they can't just call their wine Bordeaux, but I don't see anything wrong with labeling a 75% blend as Cabernet. The Hazlitt 1852 Cabernet that I posted yesterday would be a Finger Lakes alternative. It's 88% Cabernet but imagine that the crank at Wine Spectator would still complain. I'd prefer it only because it contains no Merlot. I haven't been to Airlie Beach. My favorite Bertrand Russell quotation is "I would say that it's all Greek to me, but I know Greek."

I don't like heat and humidity at all, but live where we have plenty of both in the summer. It hasn't kept me from travel to places that are hotter than I enjoy, but it makes a difference to be able to get out of the heat, especially for sleep. Graham's concern about it reminds me that both the climate and the attitude about it are different in the U.K. from here. When I've visited England in the summer, people have often said to me, "You should go to Greece," or "You should go to Spain," adding, "It's hot there." They couldn't understand that I came to England partly to get out of the heat over here.

I've booked a Panama Canal cruise for 2024! It's just Miami to Fuerte Amador--I wasn't excited enough about the ports on the Pacific coast of Mexico to pay more. Oddly, the ports of call were different, and less interesting to me, for the other direction. My only acquaintance with the Panama Canal is that I acted, a long time ago, in a production of Arsenic and Old Lace.