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Jack Mallory

The Remnick article/preface gives future historians a complete account of the reasoning and motivation of the committee members. I'm reading and highlighting like a grad student prepping for doctoral exams!

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But still making the time to get out in our plus and minus single digit temperatures to record the ice flowers forming. 
 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Stephen Hatchett

May your every sunrise in the next year be as promising as this solstice one,  coming up out of the CA central valley fog next to Brushy Peak, a Native American landmark.

And if you need a very, very last-minute gift idea:  There's a food bank down in El Paso doing all kinds of good stuff, not just food and meals, even toys.

Steve

Jack Mallory

Happy Holidays, of whatever variety, brand, or flavor, to all!

Up to 10 degrees on Christmas morning (-3 with wind chill, but what's a degree or two), maybe we'll take a dip?

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Steve, that sunrise picture is beautiful. Thanks for posting it....

Jack, I can't show your picture to my husband. His cold level is anything below 50 degrees...He doesn't even like to see snow. As an artist, I love to see snow and all the seasons....Love, Joanie    

Stephen Hatchett

All I gotta say Jack (and Deb) — If you go kayaking today,  WEAR A THICK WETSUIT (or a DRYSUIT), okay?

And to all you East Coasters (yeah, I know, "keep to coffee table un marked", no)  Stay warm and please don't travel much.

We West Coasters await a week of rain. That's good, but I'd rather shovel snow than mud.

And that El Paso food pantry's website is https://elpasoansfightinghunger.org/

John Smeby

Merry Christmas to all and hope everyone is warm and cozy. Also, happy Hanukkah next to the last day and all holidays you celebrate! After 22 years of traveling from Dalllas/Fort Worth Texas and Florida via I95 to Northern Virginia/Maryland and Norfolk VA area for Christmas to visit children and grandchildren, we decided it was time for a change. So we are on a 14 day Caribbean cruise covering Xmas and New Years. Yes it is a warm, sunny and balmy 85 degrees here in St. Thomas USVI as our first stop. Tomorrow it is St. Kitt, then St. Vincent, Martinique, Barbados, Trinidad, Grenada, Aruba and back to Fort Lauderdale FL, and we are assuming the northern Canada/U.S. weather has retreated back up north where it belongs.

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Jack Mallory

Another reminder of the Mallory Mantra. To be chanted every time you engage in anything that could conceivably be life threatening: ”Don’t die in a way that when the details of your death appear in the news the first thought in most people's minds is, ”What a dumb fuck.”

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Joanie--not for your husband's eyes:

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Jack Mallory

Perhaps inspired by the weather, perhaps by John's trip plans, Deb and I just signed up for a cruise in more tropical climes ourselves--five days of kayak camping through the Everglades!

In March, as we move into what is called mud season in NH, we're off to paddle our way through a little bit of Everglades National Park. 

No wet suit necessary, Stephen, just mosquito repellent! Like the Grand Canyon rafting, the outfitter provides all the necessities, plus the requisite knowledge in negotiating the environment. It will be a very different experience than running the rapids of the Colorado: a slower, self-powered pace, eyes out for manatees and alligators rather than big horn sheep. Paddling open water and cypress/mangrove swamp, rivers and estuaries. Camping on raised platforms over the water, on oyster shell mounds, on Gulf Coast beaches. Should be some GREAT photography. 

I spent a couple of field seasons on the coast of Chiapas, Mexico doing survey and excavations in sites in the mangrove swamps there, so in some ways this will be a familiar environment. But kayaking and camping through it will be a totally new experience. 
 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Stephen Hatchett

Sounds like a grand trip, Jack and Deb.  Phyllis sez bring plenty of deet, but you knew that.  Manatees up close and personal are somethings I've always wanted to see.  Seen gators. Never wanted to see a Burmese python.  But the birds should make the trip.

Cheers all to a New Year!

Jack Mallory

Happy New Year, all! We'll take some of our hopes for 2022 into 2023.

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Jack Mallory

From Red WAVE to Red Trickle to Red Clusterfuck?

Helen Lambie (Goldstein)

I once thought there could be no one worse than my fellow Californian, McCarthy, to be Speaker. Until Jim Jordan got 20 votes yesterday. It's like we used to think Bush was the worst President until Trump was elected. I hope the Republicans can come up with a candidate who can get the needed votes and will lead his/her fellow congressmen to pass reasonable legislation.

Jack Mallory

If you've ever had rejection issues and were helped by a good therapist, send their contact info to McCarthy--he's going to need treatment.

Or maybe he should just use the supposed Groucho Marx line: "I wouldn't want to be a member of a club that would accept someone like me as a member." 

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Sometime during votes 4 or 5 I found these in the woods today:

 A friend suggests that these saprophytes were feeding on the corpse of the Republican Party, but then wonders if they have a  disgust threshold that would prevent that. 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Jack Mallory

Never thought I'd be glad I moved from CA to NH because the weather's better here. Hope all BCC Californios are safe and well. 

Jack Mallory

Republican Keystone Kongressionals choosing a Speaker. 

Joan Ruggles (Young)

Yes, we've got a lot of rain here but it stopped long enough for us to take a brief walk today in the balmy mid-day. Am I crazy to be riveted by the insane goings on in the House?  It's hard to understand how Mr. McCarthy could continue to allow himself to be humiliated for 11 losing votes. Still, I'm fascinated to see who prevails. But just think about how the R's will be able to govern when they can't agree on their leader and he (if it's McCarthy) will be blocked by the rebellious 20 R's. They can only turn to the Dems in order to get anything done. What a year ahead!

Jack Mallory

Glad you've got a spot of dry, Joan.  

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"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall lose his own soul, and still not gain enough votes to become speaker of the House?"

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/05/opinion/america-kevin-mccarthy-great.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

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After the 14th ballot: it's a bitch when you're trying to sell your soul to the devil, he's telling you it's not worth it.

Jack Mallory

Republicans in action on the House floor. Nearly 30 years of teaching teen-age children and never had this happen in my classroom. Does not bode well.