Are you a muggle?

 Feel free to respond to my previous post, but this is concerning.

I have to put this into context

The other day I was having a conversation with an aquaintance who is a POC. He was telling me in confidence that he plans to move back because he's giving up. Some of our conversation was in French. I speak several languages.

A few hours later I was waiting outside for someone who was late. A man in his seventies holding a cup of coffee asked me a question in a foreign language. I looked at him indicating that I didn't understand.

Oh did I get the wrong one? 

What language was it, Iasked.

He wouldn't answer. I'm interested in languages, he said.

So am I, I said.

He asks me something in Turkish then farsi. (Which I don't speak, but recognize). He didn't speak them, but had picked up a couple of sentences and asked me to guess what the language was.

I asked if he could identify xiexie. He guessed middle east. Wrong phonetics I said. Shisha? he tried.

Something feels wrong

Usually when I get drawn into these conversations, it's by people who have a genuine interest in linguistics or networking. I've met a climate scientist from Australia, a postgraduate student researching linguistics in computer models, a grandma whose son is a researcher at CERN, all because of our accents. We both come away enriched.

How did you become interested in languages? I asked. Oh, I have 10 children with the same wife, they live all over.

Not credible.

Then he asked how I knew the poc guy, was it a friend, was I related.

Xiexie means thank you in mandarin chinese, I replied.

Then he told me that he can trace his ancestry back 200 years and that he is Arian. He started asking me personal questions. Weird, because I'm tall blonde and blue-eyed. I was extremely uncomfortable and told him that it was none of his business.

This is the second time in the last week that this has happened. I'm assuming it's trending? I don't know how to interpret what he was after.

H.O.P.E. The power of words

  

H.O.P.E. The power of this season

 This is a powerful season. Always has been. It is a season that fights the darkness with light and hope. I saw an interesting acronym;

H.O.P.E.: Hang on. Pain Ends.

I was looking for some good quotes and images for this post, but gargle gave me mostly trite kitsch. While trying to find a transcript of the simple but effective text only speech of King Charles, I was inundated with ads. (If anyone has the patience to find a text only version I'd appreciate it).

His Christmas 2025 speech can be viewed here:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ciqg2W0T-8c

The history of the poster below is on Wikipedia.

During world War Two the Brits accomplished the impossible and won. The government put out various posters to motivate and encourage with the now ubiquitous Keep calm and carry on posters. Those type of subliminal messages address our subconscious and do work.

King Charles alluded to some of this history in his speech, speaking of the literal and figurative "journey" of our lives and geographic displacement. Whether he merely reiterated key words based on what he hears from the public I do not know.

Hope, courage, resilience, bravery, compassion and Respect (which he mentioned at least twice) are the key words for 2026. Words matter, but become meaningless if there is no action. 

We will have to give eachother light through deeds. Help eachother and offer more than meaningless words. Step out of our own communities and give light, because it is no longer Christmas business as usual. We've done it for hundred thousands of years during the winter months. That is the power of this season.

I wrote this prior to Christmas or whatever people celebrate because it applies throughout the winter season and will apply in 2026.

I have come across social media posts where people complain that these are just meaningless words. I agree; actions speak louder than words. Speeches may show intent, but can lose their power.

But so do the words spoken and written by people who harm others. They are also just words, aren't they? And yet they have the power to incite physical and mental harm to others.

But words can also 'incite' to do something good. Words will matter in 2026.

As always please do not mention or insult any politicians.

Greeting cards, they are more than the thought that counts, much more

Pop Up Card

 Sometimes helping someone get through a difficult time can be as small as a card.

In high school, word got around that I could draw really well, I was asked to draw a card for a teacher who was quite ill. I drew a perfect Blue Jay handed it to the person collecting them. Too young (and stupid) to ask if I could give it to him myself.

I often included my cards in the gifts I gave to friends and family. I was very selective. Uncle creepy or Aunt Gossip queen got a store bought one as did anyone where I felt a professional boundary may be crossed. They were wildlife and flowers so the theme doesn't really fit Christmas nor was I going to handraw/paint 30 cards.

Then came commissions by galleries and museums. I discovered a place were I could color print them onto cardstock. The exposure was great, but at 50% profit per card through the gallery, simply not worth my time. The materials cost me a few dollars per card, I would have been fine selling them for ten each, despite the fact that each took me half an hour to glue, and calligraphy (verb?). I also couldn't mass produce them, this was merely a hobby at the professional level.

My contract was always the same, the gift shops had to buy them outright, then pay me the difference of what was sold. All of them always did, but when a botanical garden gift shop also wanted me to provide little plastic sleeves against the humidity (they also sold plants), I thought four bucks per card simply wasn't worth the time.

Hand made cards weren't valued, but when I walked past a window display there were intricate pop up cards selling for 25 to 40 a piece. I hoped to get some, but they were sold out before they went on sale.

When I discussed it with my father, ever the business man, he told me:"waste of your talent"

Around 2008 the postal service was struggling, artists and crafters created artists trading cards. It turned into a movement, with so many participants that the media noticed.

Back to greeting cards. Some of the friends I gave them to, gave me no feedback. One of my friends had no interest in art. Then why did I bother, if they meant nothing? All that time and care to get him through a difficult time, and the cards were part of that, had no value. I was getting e greeting cards back.

We lost touch, but reconnected. Somehow art came up. "But you were never interested in art," I  said. "I liked your cards. They're beautiful. My mother thought God was guiding them. That you were a guardian angel. I kept them all. Framed one of them. They helped."

Stunned silence.

When I went through my father's things, I found a box. Many, many years of my hand painted cards, tied with a ribbon. Every.Single.One. Well worn from being looked at. One would have to know my father to understand how significant that was.

It mattered and was appreciated more than I was told. It lifted mood and allowed people to hang on to something in difficult times.

Encounter with a squirrel

 

Penguin biscuits 

I was in London and had an important decision to make. At the meeting they had handed out some Penguin chocolate wafers. I'd never heard of them.

I decided to make my decision by walking through Hyde Park. As I walked along the Serpentine, I stopped to eat my uninspired sandwich and remembered the wafer. I opened the wafer, bit into it and immediately noticed that there was nothing chocolate about it. Just the synthetic flavor.

On the rim of the garbage bin sat a corpulent squirrel, watching me. When she sat up it was quite obvious that she was preggers. I looked at the ingredients on the wrapper (squirrels should not eat chocolate) but this was safe. Mostly various fats and sugar.

I had some experience with wildlife rescue centers. Squirrels are actually omnivores. They are fed nuts fruit  veggies while being rehabilitated and even mealworms especially when they have a litter. Those that do not migrate away for the winter need the calories. Grey urban squirrels had displaced the red one, because they had adapted to a different diet.

Here's a tame squirrel stealing some candy.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FunnyAnimals/comments/11iox8d/candy_thief/?share_id=OaYQciY94aBuMbZvQS7JZ&utm_content=1&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1

I broke off a piece and handed it to her between thumb and index finger. She daintily grabbed it and polished it off. She looked at me for more.She simply sat there, her paws tucked in waiting to be fed. I broke off another little piece. Again, she gently took it from my fingers and nibbled away.

A woman had stopped to watch us. "It's lovely to see", she said. I nodded.

I was having a moment of interspecies mutual trust with lady squirrel. Nature had tapped me on my shoulder as a fellow blogger had taught me. As I continued on my thinking walk, I was in a better mood, because of this gentle encounter. Made my decision, which turned out to be the right one.

Funny moments with strangers

 Overheard in public places

1. A couple and their teen daughter were walking toward me. Mother is recounting a story. Teen gets distracted by an ice cream place, husband trails behind. Mother exasperated to me:" This one walks off in one direction that one in another. Who the hell am I telling my story to?"

2. Couple is walking their young Labrador in the evening. Dog let's out a deep bark and starts going after something. Her:"We are the only couple with a dog who barks at a shoe."

3. Sitting on the patio of a restaurant. Guest next to me asks the waiter: "Do you have any dessert?" Waiter comes back with the menu. What is this? 

It's cashew paste with mint cream, says the waiter. Guest makes a face" Do you have anything else?" No.

Guest: It's like Russia. You have a choice, but there is only one.

4. Sitting in a park with a playground. Father brings in his toddler. She starts wobble running toward the playground. Father: "OK, honey amuse yourself. I'll come pick you up in two hours."

The world and world politics

There are two previous posts related to this one. I blame high school for not teaching history properly.

Just a simple overview:

World War 1 took place between 1914 to 1918, which is where a lot of ideas are currently coming from. The Spanish flu was discovered in Spain in 1918 likely brought in through all that movement and the poverty of war.

The Ottoman Empire (ended in 1922) was already declining, leaving room for others to expand. The land that is currently Israel belonged to the Ottoman empire, was conquered and held by the Brits.

Iceland belonged to Denmark and achieved its sovereignty in 1918 and 1944. It is a Nato member, but has no army of any kind. Wikipedia has a decent history on it in which the US played a role. It shows how much territorial reshuffling wars produce.

The recent slip of the tongue at the WEF where he mentioned Iceland several times is probably the intent of repeating a base on Greenland which I think is going to be the agreement.

How important good allyship and friendships are. In 2022 when the pipeline on which Germany is dependendant for 40% of its gas supply was destroyed by the Russia/Ukraine war, Canada quickly repaired one of the giant bombardier turbines that the Germans needed.

When the US ran out of baby formula (also 2022?) due to Covid and supply chain interruption, Europe sent baby formula on military planes. 

Canada along with the Ukraine are the main suppliers of world wheat, but the former is dealing with Tariffs. The later had to let it go to waste.

Then there are very young Turkish people that want the Ottoman Empire back, Iranians who want Persia back and a group of pure bloods who claim Vikings as their ancestry.

Anthropology is a soft and speculative science. involving a lot of hypotheses. Vikings were the warrior tribe of the norsemen, likely mercenary, marauding and exploring, spending a lot of their time on ships and telling tall tales. They didn't really settle anywhere they landed (Greenland and Iceland among it), which they abandoned due to the mini ice age of the middle ages. They were only active for about 150 years.

They were a little taller than the Europeans at the time (around 5'7 or so) probably due to their lifestyle and fish based diet. They ended up integrating and marrying into European culture. Considering the estimate of about only 100,000 of them claiming them as ancestors is silly.

This should make some of the recent comments make more sense.

Currently, Germany wants to repatriate their gold reserves, because it no longer views the US as reliable. It was stored there due to fears that Russia might invade. Ironic, because Russia is expanding.

Troops are being deployed to deal with Iran and rumors have it that Israel is asking the US for restraint.

Of course a lot of propaganda is Russian generated and this is modern warfare, so how much is for show and distraction is anyone's guess.

China has already acquired Hong Kong, which was thriving. Not sure what is currently going on with Taiwan. I could be wrong, but China is mostly interested in intellectual property and selling its goods.

Before people think it's over there, well, it affects all of us with western values.

Here's a very brief commentary on the WEF meeting. I'm still trying to find a non AI transcript of Carneys speech.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=j7CH59Q6ytg

I leave with a Churchill quote:

"Democracy is the worst of all political structures,

except for all the others that have been tried from time to time."

As always, please refrain from insulting politicians. At this point it's much bigger than that.

Self care is not escapism, its a necessity

 I had a good day yesterday. I'm still dealing with long Covssshhh so I decided to take a day off from reality, not watch any news and take a self care day.

I managed to get some groceries, made a healthy meal that according to spouse turned out well and tried not to think about the fact that I had to take naps in between to accomplish that little. 

Then we watched Dungeons and Dragons Honor of Thieves. 

The first DandD movie with Jeremy Irons was probably one of the worst movies I'd ever seen and I remember being embarrassed that I'd convinced a friend to watch it in the theater with me.

This one? Good. In fact very good. Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant in what I can only describe as a fantasy adventure comedy reminiscent of the old Indiana Jones movies, not geared to children.

I'm glad a friend kept insisting that I'd like it. There is no deep meaning, at most reminding audiences that we're all flawed, but that value and virtue still matter. I haven't seen this type of movie in a long time and you don't need to know anything about the board game to enjoy it.

Old fashioned story telling, a reluctant hero's journey, great visuals (Lucasfilm), well paced action sequences, no slow lulls, truly original laugh out loud humor interspersed throughout the movie. (An overweight dragon, seriously?) It's really funny and I finally slept really well. I highly recommend it as a stress reliever.

Oh, Jonarthan.

The Ukranian Battle Cat

Ukranians are some of the toughest, but also most polite and considerate people I've ever met. They love their cats. Many had to be left behind when their owners fled and there are countless rescue groups that try to reunite them, find them new homes or even adopt them out to Europe.

There are too many kittens and strays and the soldiers, who were civilians in their previous lives adopt them to be front line cats.

Ukranians are creative and great at boosting morale, so they named them "battle cats" after the he man cartoon, where He man finds a scared kitten that becomes a scared adult cat until magic turns it into a fierce warrior named Battle cat.

Roar Awwwww

The soldiers train them to climb and ride their shoulders. Cats and soldiers are nothing new in the trenches, primarily for pest control. But Ukranians consider them part of the unit, do not leave them behind and keep them as their personal pet. Sad and horrific situation, but sweet to see this documentary on the cats and dogs of Ukraine who get a second chance:

Viewing time 12 minutes:

https://www.reddit.com/r/catsofukraine/comments/1dvyb7a/frontline_battle_cats_meet_ukraines_surprising/

This is Alexander and his tactical battle cat Puck

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=929391978575500&vanity=weareseenstories

They're very well cared for and better than the alternative of letting cats fend for themselves or freeze to death.

There are many videos of them online. I'll add some more later.

Nato and Greenland

 

While trying to keep on top of the news from different points of view, I was reading a European paper that tried to make a sensational story out of nothing. It falsely claimed that European troops had recently left Greenland early.

I wish that newspapers would have experts on staff that understood political science or at least consulted with them to check facts. No wonder people are confused.

There was a recent deployment of military from various NATO countries in Greenland. This is not unusual. They are mostly intelligence and reconaissance, training together. These type of maneuvers have been happening for decades. Every country does things a little differently, so learning with and from eachother is exactly what NATO is there for. Some countries do not permit a permanent military base. Denmark permitted a US base in Greenland primarily for strategic reasons, but in the end no matter how good the relation, visiting army are always considered guests.

Nato was founded in 1949 primarily out of concern that the Soviets were expanding. It has one purpose; to come to the defense if another one of its allied members is attacked or invaded. The emphasis is on defense, if all other means of negotiation and diplomacy fail. It allows military bases in host countries mostly as a deterrent and the potential to launch weapons quickly.

People complain about the cost. In a perfect world we'd just trade and leave eachother alone. That is wishful thinking. But for the last 8 decades deploying a warship in a certain area was often enough to deescalate. Until 2014 when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea (part of Ukraine) then invaded Ukraine in 2022. Since Ukraine is not a Nato member it couldn't be defended. Europe is being dragged into a war that could escalate.

Countries that managed to stay neutral during ww2 joined nato recently for protection. Finland in 23 and Sweden in 24.

Greenland is a potential part of that. 

It's autonomously governed but all Greenlanders are Danish citizens. Denmark spends close to a billion per year for Healthcare and infrastructure and all Greenlanders have access to Danish postsecondary education. They've been a part of Denmark for 500 years.

Greenland was likely settled in part by inuit that migrated from what is now Canada. Like Canada it cannot be annexed because it was never owned by Murica. An invasion of Greenland is declaring war on Europe. The only other option is for a referendum in which the majority of the country wanted to become Muricans.

It makes no economic sense. The cost of war would far outweigh the cost of a mining company willing to invest there. Considering the adverse weather conditions even that might not be that lucrative.

To end on a more positive note here's a fun video by a group of youtubers that put themselves in extreme experiences. This one on taking a survival course with the Finnish military known as the Ghosts of the Snow. (It's an hour, but the first 10 minutes are interesting). 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9HHI2EuZoWc

As always feel free to comment without insulting any politicians.

Even our tea bags are texting us

 The world is full of slogans. I have a quotation book in which I write my favorite quotes. Mostly from the thinkers of past and present. Online many of these quotes made it onto Pinterest with backgrounds of beaches and mountains.

I always peruse the giftshops of museums and galleries and found quotes on famous art postcards as well. Then came mon-quotable slogans on the bags of food delivery: "Pasta makes you smile".

I was gifted various teas for the holidays. Mostly herb and spice mixes with names like wellness tea and  Soothing comfort.  I'm used to pouring tea then checking the label on the tea for steeping time. Instead of instructions there was this:

Sigh.  Pure poetry. Because everyone else is taken? (Wilde quote)

Wonder if fortune cookies are upping their quote game.

Excuse me, do you know where I can get a coffee?

 

Rainforest Cafe

Pop up stores have been around for a while and I generally don't mind them. Often tied to a trend or serving as the introduction of a new line filling empty storefronts.

Until they started to bother me. This surreal reality were living in that is forcing people to shop online is just part of this feeling of an unstable world.

Municipalities approve what goes where and four internet cafes in a row made no sense to me. Its poor city planning. In November,  a much needed cafe showed up. Baked goods, breakfast and coffee. It was packed on the opening day. People read papers and their digital media. Anytime I walked by, it was well frequented. I asked about brunch and they were still just serving yoghurt and muesli as they had just opened and weren't ready.

I was ill for a month and when I walked by the Cafe I'd been looking forward to just a month later, it was gone. There is no possibility that a new owner with a thriving business was failing. A pop up cafe?

I like to support small businesses, but I suspect it's part of much bigger companies who either try out concepts or are required to fill their empty real estate with something.

During Covid a number of landmark department stores closed. Because of the number of jobs involved, the government stepped in. Some of those companies didn't make it and as it turns out the new owners had no interest in the retail aspect, but were only interested in its real estate. Government is suing. We'll see.

I like new experiences, but not being able to rely on any store being where it was is not an experience but a hassle.

One of those experiences was the Rainforest café in London, a few years after it had opened. I went as an adult as it had not been around when I was a child. I would have driven my parents crazy had it been. At the time it was still in great condition, animatronic animals, a fog machine, thunder and lightening. No gift shop that I recall and the animals weren't well known cartoons. My inner child was in awe, adult me thought this was a better design than Disney world. The food was overpriced, less than meh, but we had a good time. It was a once in a lifetime themed experience. A number of them have closed in the last few years. I can do without a themed restaurant, but I do not want everything to turn into a theme or trend.

An aquaintance of mine wants to open a themed bar with miniature train sets delivering beverages and hammocks to relax in, if only he could get investors to fund it. I laughed because I doubt either will work well with inebriated people.

Too much is disappearing too quickly. That businesses come and go is normal, but that everything is disappearing is not. Spouse and I needed some new pots, but the store where we always buy them from was now selling clothes under the same name. I no longer know what store carries what items at any given time.

Maybe I should open my own flower shop, which also serves a good coffee, sells pots and pans as well as art supplies.

Everything is weird. Even the grocery store.

 Salsa. I had a sudden craving for organic  chunky Salsa. I used to have it quite a bit. It was another one of my lazy go tos ages ago. I had found one that tasted fresh, not like a tomato paste based sauce, more like Gazpacho with large bits of identifiable vegetables.

I had a Nacho phase but could not replicate a healthy version at home. I came across this jar and can no longer recall the brand name, but it made a great pasta sauce, especially if I added herbs and Parmigiano reggiano, the real stuff not the Kraft kind. Alternatively, fresh scallops and a little garlic. I had it so much, I salsad out until the recent craving.

There is no Salsa, I tell spouse.

People stopped dancing?

Not this Salsa. I do a little Salsa shuffle. The store didn't have any Salsa. None. It's like all those post-apocalyptic series, games and movies where people look for cans and jars in abandoned grocery stores to survive zombies , environmental disasters, alien invasions and weirdos.

They also ran out of eggs. During.The.Week! But guess what they had? Easter Eggs.

Easter Eggs?

Yup. Colored Eggs. Uncooked I assume. In JANUARY! IN JANUARY??? What's the thought process there? They can't be from last Easter or next Easter. Eggs don't keep that long. Some CEO said let's introduce Christmas Eggs?

"They're probably cooked so they can last longer."

My point exactly, I exclaimed. Nothing in this reality makes sense. As soon as I get over long Covsshh, I'm putting up an All Season tree with lights and seasonal or trendy ornaments.

Doesn't seem weird anymore.

Hope and Mentorship

 

Theres a lot of hopelessness in academia at the moment for many varied reasons. In fact, one interesting thread I came across quickly devolved into what's the point. It became so negative that I simply stopped scrolling. Talking about how bad everything is might make one feel less alone for a moment, but it does nothing to improve the situation.

It reminded me of a personal experience that to this day gives me strength.

I was in undergrad at university. Had filled my mandatory course load and since I wanted a well rounded experience, I chose to take an environmental biology course. It was an upper year course, but my marks and academic status allowed me to do that. There were several books, the main one was "Our Common Future World Commission On Environment and Development". I did what I always do; buy the book and preread. The book was dense and I lacked the economic terminology to really understand it.

The prof was ponytailed, looked like he had just stepped off the farm and was very outdoorsy. I expected a laid back personality. Within two lectures he told us young impressionable minds that we had no future. It was because everyone had two DVD players and if we didn't stop this consumerism we were doomed. Bad example, how about taking the time to explain that we need products that last?

The lab work was a field trip to set up grids to measure predator/prey numbers. My grid showed no activity. Therefore, any life form had already been driven to extinction. EVEN THE SQUIRRELS. Then we had to present a research project that felt like a high school science fair. Followed by being voluntold by the TA to help pith mice. (Feel free to look it up). Using students as an unpaid labor force is one thing, doing that? Not happening. Feeding lab animals, letting them run mazes with treat rewards, I was willing to do, but not that. Additionally, I did not care how many bunnies pooped in a field. I was done.

After every lecture I walked home, looking around this gorgeous campus watching birds and adorable chipmunks chatter about their day. They were all going to perish. The world was going to end, build some spaceships the apocalypse was coming. I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was utterly depressed after every lecture. Animal preservation was futile. Global warming and overpopulation was coming. There were no solutions.

I made an appointment to see the Prof. Thought it was a good sign that his two labradors were in his office. Prof. Ponytail and I chatted. He was anti-corporate, anti-establishment and cranky. He told me that he's tough and very few students get an A. I nodded politely. My scholarship and future career path depended on straight As. and a full course load, so I couldn't drop it.

I was miserable. Other things weren't going well either that year. I called my father, explained. He listened, the gist of his advice: I don't know. This sounds like university politics. Talk to other students and profs. Be diplomatic and don't mention that he's a bitter jerk. Trust your gut. There is ALWAYS a solution. You'll find it.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, dad. I didn't mention that I was ready to quit. At least ten more years of this. Of weekends spent hitting the books and not having much fun.

If this was fiction I'd insert some deus ex machina device, some great encounter with a sensei who showed me the path. Instead I moped, and went to see a University counsellor. I explained the situation. What's your GPA, he asked. I told him; close to a 4.0. Whoa, we usually see students that are failing, I have never had those kind of marks. 

This is not about you or what you can't do. And for anything financial there's always student assistance. Thanks genius, I'm trying to stay debt free. Why don't you drop the Varsity team? Because I enjoy it.

I said nothing. Well that was utterly useless, I thought. A clueless councillor who tells students to give up.

I rolled up my sleeves, went through courses that would fit my program and time slot and interviewed the professors. I mentioned that I would like to audit the course because it was months into the academic year and I didn't know if I could catch up. (I was a little screwed).

One prof told me to register. He was going to help me catch up. He was funny and encouraging despite the topic. So I did, after getting special permission for an additional course. Then went back and dumped the one I had started to dread. In quiet retaliation I tried to sell Our Common Future (no one wanted it, the irony doesn't escape me.)

I had closed the door on despair and opened the door to hope. Prof. Fantastic turned out to be thought provoking, entertaining and hilarious. His classes were always well attended. He became a mentor and was one of those rare gems of educators who encouraged and helped.

The year was tough and bad, I occasionally still get bad dreams when something reminds me about it, but my marks had increased compared to the previous year. Had I stayed with Prof. Ponytail, he would have been the last straw.

I learned a lot that year

1. Bad advice is freely given. Good advice is hard to find.

2. People don't care. Sometimes you really are on your own. It's alright. Nothing lasts forever; neither good times nor bad times.

3. If someone doesn't feel right. Get them out of your life. There are always three types of people: those that pull you up, those who drag you down and those who are indifferent.

4. Neeeeeever, Eeeeever lose hope. Sometimes quitting can lead to better things. Be flexible in your envisioned path.

5. Life moves on with or without you, better if it's with you.

6. My father wasn't particularly helpful that year, but in hindsight and as an adult I realize that he believed in me and trusted my choices. He believed that I would manage and gave me the confidence to do so.

7. Mentors are lifesavers.

8. I made it through that year.

9. Listen to my own advice.

We just want you to be happy, Carol. Update

E pluribus unum is written on the banner

 Spouse talked me into watching Pluribus. A show that I had heard much about, but I didn't want to watch yet another adaptation of puppetmaster/Body snatchers, this time by alien invasion.

I figured that the acclaim was mostly marketing and didn't want to watch yet another series made by a media giant.

I expected to binge watch it, but had enough after 3 episodes looking for the last which I could not find, as I do with some books to see what happens. I do plan to watch the rest of the season, so please no spoilers.

Spoilers for the first 8 episodes:

Hmm. So far it is thought provoking, but obviously heavily inspired by sci fi novels, feeding into or reflecting our current fears of losing autonomy and a hive mentality, which we recently experienced with social media, as well as a complete loss of the individual.

Spouse asked me if the hive reminded me of anything current. It's AI. Access to all the knowledge of the human race, it is looking forward to another book when Carol pretends to want to write again, because the hive does not appear to know creativity. It also cannot distinguish between Carol's trashy bestsellers and Shakespeare. It doesn't understand the knowledge or emotion it has acquired.

Frightening in its parallels to current society and what the internet has become.

Of course it's also about grieving and tremendous loss, but the protagonist, an impossibly strong female character manages to get through it. As to Carol, I really liked her character with all her sarcasm and intelligence.

Something that is interesting is that Carol's anger disrupts the "peaceful" hive mind to the point of incapacity. The koi suite in the ice hotel which represent resilience, strength and  perserverence; after a Chinese legend that koi swim upstream to turn into dragons. There are probably many references that I didn't catch. My attention span isn't what it used to be before all the scrolling.

Something that made no sense to me; if they take Buddhism to the extreme of not hurting anything; releasing animals from the zoo into habitats they can't survive in would harm them. Surely there is a zoologist that would have pointed that out?

The show is interesting but not great and I do not see how they are planning on four more seasons. Rhea Seehorn just won the golden globe. Incredibly well deserved after she is practically the only character in many scenes.

Update:

Watched up to the finale (Episode 9). Apparently the servers are overwhelmed, so couldn't watch it. I miss the good old TV days.

I wont spoil it, but I definitely recommend it. It has a lot of pop culture references. I think what you see is what you get; there are no big action sequences and weve gotten used to either that or elaborate alien spaceships in scifi.

The cinematography is beautiful and apparently not CGI. The first episode is intense. The whole series so far, mostly psychological horror, unease and stressful. What I liked the most is that Carol is relatable. It's the first time that a person in that situation knows the world is suddenly batshit and goes through normal reactions snarky one moment, scared the next and in a panic can't make something work, sleeps on it and then has a facepalm moment.

Finished watching the first season. I recommend it. Am hooked and it's disquieting and relevant to today's world. I only hope that it doesn't turn into J.J.Abrams Lost.

The humor is refreshing. No great one liners, but Carol is pure sarcasm. Some situations are absurdly funny. (Still chuckling at the drone).

Here it is:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=d2cWxqo27zU

Final thought, if everyone was about peace, love and happiness, and nothing else, wouldn't joining them be akin to joining a cult?

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER The following assumes youve watched it. A few thoughts:

I still give the show a 6 to 8 out of 10. What the show does really well is lay down the bare bones and then leave viewers to analyze and discuss it.

I was looking at online discussions and how many people disliked Carol. Spouse said and I agree that had it been a male character he would at most be a curmudgeon. I thought of Will Smith in I am Legend (there's also a golf scene) but when we discussed him back then, there was no criticism of his personality but compassion for the situation he's in.

Somehow people lost empathy in the last decade. I rarely come across any understanding of the incredible loss and trauma the humans have gone through. Carol in particular. People are devasted by the loss of a loved one, she also has to deal with the loss of humanity and potentially her own individuality.

Manounos actually tells them: you took our world from us. You don't belong here.

Another theme is that different cultures deal with it differently. The highly communal Peruvian girl would rather join then lose her community.

The 12 survivors are a cross section of humanity. Including a mother who pretends her child is fine, rather than doing anything to make sure the child is well. The French guy just wants to live his fantasy inspired by movies. Utterly selfish and self absorbed. Like Cypher in the matrix he just wants to eat his juicy steak. The hive doesn't seem happy about acting.

The hive can learn and I suspect it's learning from the humans it inhabits. Otherwise it seems to be a thoughtless species requiring a host. I think they can learn to lie. The frequency (sound?) of anger disrupts their telepathy, maybe more. I think the massage scene was very poorly done.

The hive doesn't care about what it's doing to any other species but probably genuinely believes that it's helping.

Once you've seen it, I'll check back here if you wish to discuss it.

If you watched it, what did you think of it? What are some cultural references you noticed?

A brief explanation of world resources

 People have a tendency to react on an emotional level and ignore what led to this point or lack the information to make an informed opinion that is not based on emotion.

Just because we don't like the reality, doesn't mean that a particular reality doesn't exist.

I've been asked several times to post about this. I chose not to because I do not want to be dragged into political conversations. One of the reasons that I started to blog again was to find some refuge in art music books and creativity.

I'm providing a little information as objectively as possible on a superficial level. It has nothing to do with my personal opinion.

This is turning into an oil/gas war, which has always been a possibility but which we mostly averted through diplomacy and negotiations. (By we and us I mean the western world UK, EU. US etc). There are very powerful organizations that were aware decades ago that climate change was coming and saw the financial potential. These families and organizations are frequently generational and have long term strategies that included recruiting scientists in the 70s.

In the 90s Hapag Lloyd started to build triple hulled tankers, ice breakers and supercontainershipping ships in anticipation of the new arctic ocean. Long story short, they are no longer doing that. The Chinese and Russians are building them. There are some collaborations between the US, Canada and Finland as well.

The majority of the world's polluters are big industrial factories, many of which turn raw materials into eg. Metals like steel that we all  need and use. Most of them use oil to run their factories and would or will need years to switch to an alternative.

The Saudis have access not only to the highest quality crude oil but also the infrastructure to extract and refine it into a finished product. Extraction is mostly offshore, easier and higher quality than drilling into land. Many other countries have oil, but it's landlocked and contains such impurities that it can't be used for fuel. Countries in North Africa have a lot of land based oil, but lack the infrastructure to extract it and/or have governments too corrupt to trade with. Other countries appear to have oil offshore but drilling reveals flat oil pockets.

Kuwait is similar but to a lesser degree. Both countries have experienced some of the highest temperatures on the planet; over 50 °Celsius up from 40°Celsius in just a decade. Without air conditioning which almost all households have anything higher will be impossible to survive.

They need wealth and energy for that. The irony is that the world will need more energy to survive climate change.

This is the northwest passage, which only Canada has sovereignty over. Russia is trying to extend its territorial waters and economic zones. 

Greenland (population 56000) recently rejected the contract with Australian mining company ETM, which opens it up to other offers. Part of the problem with mining there is that once the ice recedes there is no guarantee that there are as many resources as guesstimated.

The race for arctic resources is on. The oil there is already thought to be the impure kind. The US has the refineries.

One of the reasons that the UK brexited in 2016 is that it didn't want to be dragged into a war and failing that wanted to be able to make it's own decisions.

Alternatives

The patent for Hydrogen technology is held by BMW. Dirty to produce and will likely go nowhere.

Science was working on reducing the half life of radioactive materials. Nuclear power plants are the most energy efficient and after the Fukushima disaster countries like Japan are reinforcing and modernizing the reactors. Many of which were based on 1950s technology.

Building a combustion engine that is less polluting is another option.

Wind and Solar main problem is lack of storage. Even if batteries eventually can, the materials in them are also very toxic.

Until we have a great alternative we can transition into, using all of them in equal measure reduces the impact individually.

Im not discussing the environmental impact in the post, but feel free to.

There is a good video explaining the refineries. As soon as I find it I'll post it here.

As always please refrain from mentioning politicians, especially since this 'started' decades ago.

Please let me know if this is helpful.

A little smile is in order

We are a goofy household. I have never been a class clown, but making people laugh and lightening a stressful day can do wonders. One of the things I do is word of the moment. Some word that strikes me as funny will be repeated until I get a smile out of people. I never write them down, but "dingalam"was among them.

It came from Engineers technical terms:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ucto-eAmTVs

Spouse will sometimes start with eye rolls of the here we go again variety, but eventually I'll mime it until she bursts into laughter.

Another is stupid human pet tricks. There was recently a thread on how people injure themselves slightly doing really mundane inane things. My claim to glory was tugging at bedsheets (it was my turn), when it came off with a snap and I smacked myself in the forehead. It struck me as impossibly funny. I hurt myself making the bed is not something one hears everyday.

Anything you do that makes those around you laugh? Any stupid ways you meet the challenges of the mundane?

The neuroscience behind creativity and art

The other day, I ventured out for a bit, (it's quite cold) and needed some watercolor card stock. There's a local store that has a decent office supply/kids/notebooks section so sometimes I can find something. I didn't, but a number of books caught my eye "Adult Coloring books".

Random book.You get the idea.

Well what took them so long? I leafed through and unfortunately they turned out to be the same as the kiddie ones except with a different cover. They're not the type of imagery that would hold my interest, but I'm overjoyed how many people are into it.

They're not that new, but the idea went mainstream as Zentangles, Zendoodles, based on Mandalas, became popular in 2004 or so. This is finally accepted as anxiety reducing, stress relief, mindfulness and all the other slightly esoteric terms attached to it.

There is reproducible science behind it:

Certain types of activities produce alpha waves in the brain. It's that deeply relaxed, yet highly focused state that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described as "Flow" in which he investigated that Zen like state of creativity and focus.

Many activities produce that alpha wave state; meditation, watching light mindless television, knitting; anything that is focused and somewhat repetitive. Above all of them is art. Cutting a detailed collage from a magazine picture engages the brain into that alpha wave state.

Cortisol allows us to deal with stress. It has a counterintuitive action of sending the immune system into overdrive and allowing you to "thrive under pressure". However, long term exposure is neurotoxic (it can literally kill your brain cells). Especially if it lasts several months or years. It is reversible, but if high stress persists it isn't. A lot of trauma victims have what is basically a brain injury. Cortisol also interferes with neural plasticity and memory. The alternative is to form new neuronal connections and art is one of the ways to do that.

I will not get into all of the other neurochemicals involved in this reward system that calms the mind, but it goes far beyond dopamine, serotonin etc. into some that are only there very briefly.

Regular therapy can be very helpful. It depends on the individual and the experience. The problem with and why I am not a fan of talk therapy or cognitive therapy is that it reinforces and strengthens the neural network you want to get rid off and is actually contraindicated in trauma patients. (The last thing they need is to relive it-think war vets with PTSD).

When I used to teach art therapy whenever the opportunity arose, I made it very clear that it does not fix serious problems or change a situation. It might not even help someone cope with a difficult situation, but it does allow the brain to rest and recover, to "detoxify" a little while arting. What it does is teach the brain to use its natural ability to heal itself and to cause a healthy addiction for internal neurochemicals rather than rely on external medication, drugs or alcohol. It takes about three months to grow new neurons or what we observe as practicing a new activity. During the time that someone is painting or collating, other cognitive functions temporarily move into the background. The negative chatter ceases because the decision is now sap green vs Windsor green. Do I put this here or over there? The world falls away.

When someone plays an instrument they are focused and relaxed, but when they create a new song, they are usually in the Flow. But art surpasses that probably because it engages so many parts of your brain. (Visual cortex, hand eye coordination etc.)

Here's a little Zendoodle. It's a continuous line.

Which activity keeps you in the flow?

Hayao Miyazaki

Forest Spirit

Hayao Miyazaki just turned 85 years old. The animator who uses mainly females as his lead roles once stated that his Studio Ghibli was so successful because 50% of his employees are female. Highly unusual for a Japanese at the time he created all of those incredible characters.

Princess Mononoke deals with the complex exploitation and interaction with nature as well as rebirth and renewal.

There is a confirmed story about Miyazaki's interaction with Harvey W. (Yes that one), who was known to be cutthroat and bullish towards males as well. He wanted to distribute Princess Mononoke in the Western market, but only if Miyazaki reduced the length to 90 minutes, because no one would go see an animated movie for 3 hours in the theaters.

Miyazaki was angry and in style sent Harvey a beautiful long box with an authentic Katana in it, accompanied by a simple handwritten note: "No Cuts". The rest is history.

I've watched almost all of them and was delighted when Spirited Away won an Oscar.

Miyazaki has been very vocal against the use of AI in animation. There's a documentary about him on Netflix, which I haven't watched yet. 

Here's a very short video celebrating a very energetic Miyazaki.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTI0WD2Dw0b/

An icon, indeed.

Update: I watched The boy and the heron. The Japanese title "How do you live?" is more accurate. It's incredible and makes complete sense. Miyazaki  started this project in 2017. Its somewhat autobiographical and shows his desire for creating a better world, as we as a belief that we can. Only after watching it, here's a great and interesting analysis.

https://aleccowan12.medium.com/the-optimistic-absurdity-of-miyazakis-the-boy-and-the-heron-6d9b74d57372

The Power of Fireworks

 I convinced spouse to not cancel plans and visit family. Wasn't up to it physically or emotionally. Every year in local papers there are invariably people who send a letter to the editor complaining that fireworks once a year traumatizes Fluffy and Cottonpuff, who hide beneath the furniture to escape the noise.

I have had dogs and cats, none of them were bothered by it. They take their cue from me, I'm calm so they are as well. Sometimes the owner is more neurotic than the pet. Then the environmentalists complain about air pollution. It's negligible and disperses. Go extinguish a volcano. Spoil sports and energy vampires.

Cities listen and eventually the public can't have them for "safety reasons". Some of the cities official displays were reduced in number. I slept. Ate a bit. A little tired of life and people. We or I usually do something. A tradition in my family, once again maintained by my father and then me. At the very least there's a nice dinner at home or out. Something extravagant and out of the ordinary. A meaningful gift. And of course fireworks, even if it's just a little sparkler.

I went out to grab a few things for a stew. Felt dizzy at the checkout. Came home and napped, then prepared the stew, ate a small bowl to fortify myself before calling loved ones. It left me sad. Told spouse that I was going to go to sleep, without her, watching the ball drop was not a reason to stay up. I watched the Sidney fireworks, and went to bed. At 1130 I was woken by the noise of fireworks.

I pulled it together, bundled up, made tea and coffee, put some junk food on a plate, pulled a chair in front of the windows and watched what I could from the open window. As I watched I thought of how a weapon invented by the Chinese thousands of years ago, gunpowder, could produce something as beautiful as this with the addition of a few minerals and chemicals.

I also thought about my father and how many people whom he had helped had betrayed him and myself. How cruel, sadistic and incomprehensibly greedy these individuals had been. They took more than my father from me.

In an act of civil disobedience, people started to come out of buildings, light fireworks on the street especially the corners so that everyone could enjoy them. Many who believe that all of that noise and light will drive last years evil spirits away. Distracted from my thoughts, I watched. The crackle of all that lit power was palpable. The smell of sulfurous oxide overwhelming.

I looked down and saw that it was 0001. And it hit me unexpectedly. My father who always called me even when life, distance and time zones separated us, at precisely 0000 so he could be first to wish me a good year would never call me again. The finality of that realization undid me. I started to sob as I had not done in a long time. The man who had guided and argued with me, who had created memories that I could lean on, whom I had known my whole life was gone. The sobbing was cathartic, left me drained and numb. I washed my face and bundled up joined the small crowd outside. The gift from a temporary community on many street corners and a wonderful display allowed me to forget and focus on color and light. The burst of adrenaline gave me a little energy.

A firework corkscrewed it's way up like a golden Chinese dragon and exploded in a golden plume. Another went up; a shower of purple with a second complementary gold in the middle. The reds were bigger but I had seen them before. A salvo of blues went up mingling with others. A few went up with a whistling tone stopped high up and released their sparks on the way down. More and more joined. It was LOUD it was wonderful. I could feel the booming and the vibration and the sheer awe and POWER of it all.

Across the street a portly bald man was pouring champagne into plastic cups sharing with everyone. He ran over to me handed me a cup and yelled "Happy New Year!" before jogging back. That has never happened to me before. I don't drink, but I sipped a little. Still as acrid and acidic as I remember, never liked the taste.

After experiencing something outside of the range of normal experience. After being involuntarily stuck in caregiving for years during covid and just starting to climb up and out of that physical and mental abyss. After the possibility of long Covssshhh, people that joined in creating one hell of a firework display together gave me an hour of feeling normal again.

When people occasionally tell me:"that's life", I respond with no it isn't. Life didn't do this. People did. Self absorbed People like those pet owners who have nothing better to do than write those letters and comments to the editor, who suck the life out of joy, who do not think about people like me, who couldn't join life for a while.

I didn't get the New Years Eve I wanted, but I was gifted the New Years Eve that I needed.

 It's a good start.

About Resolutions and a happy year

 Many years ago a friend of mine, who is spiritual and into self help, suggested a gratitude list. Every morning list five things that one was grateful for, no matter how small. For about a week I tried it then reduced it to several times a week.

To my surprise it had the opposite effect; the list demotivated me and I realized that it was fear based. How many times can one write down how grateful one is for family and a good cup of coffee. After some digging I discovered that it was religion based. For the same reason I do not make resolution lists on New Years, I write down goals or things I'd like to do that year, everything else is asking for disappointment and self punishment.

To each their own.

A neat idea that I found in an art journal book, was to make a good things that happened or were accomplished journal. One of the examples that the female author gave was making 365 meals for her family that year. I never thought of meals that way, (spouse and i take turns), but it is an non-appreciated accomplishment. I ended up with a good things journal. I prep the pages and in chronological order, I write down the pleasant moments that happened, the situations I resolved to my satisfaction and so on. Flipping through it is satisfying. The human brain has a tendency to remember stressful situations, this helps me remember the good random conversations in a store, finding something that I like, even how much the well wishes from strangers on my post meant to me when I received more bad news a week ago.

It adds up and it also separates the good from the bad. Do I remember the jerk in an oversized SUV who drove over the separator to take the parking spot after I'd waited for half an hour? Yes. Would I have remembered the moment after bad medical news, at a coffee place where I ordered my coffee, when he noticed my expression and said: "On the house, sit outside in the sun and take a moment." had I not made a journal page out of it? Probably not.

Let's raise a glass of whatever you enjoy, thank you for rewarding me with comments and figure out how to make this a good year.

HAPPY GOOD YEAR

2026