Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Be a traveling stable for those who can’t find room at the inn.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

The frogs are rarely mistaken.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

Bogus polls are all they’ve got left. Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls a year from now.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Happy New Year

Happy New Year

by | 165 Comments

This post is in: ,

I don’t think I even made it to eleven pm EST. Just was nothing to gain from being awake.

One of the weird things about being sober for over a decade (I think I had my ten year anniversary but am too lazy to look it up) is that even thought I have not been hungover for that time, I read Betty say this morning she was hungover and the memory of a hangover washed over me like I had been on a solid old school bender last night. I FELT the dry mouth, the headache, the greasy queasy feeling, the shakiness from the alcohol withdrawal and all the sugars in your system, all the blood vessels in the body contracting after all the booze. It washed over me like a horrible dream.

I do not miss that at all.

What is on the agenda today? Don’t forget the zoom at 1 pm. I missed the one last- been here 24 hours and already the time zone difference got me. Showed up after everyone was gone and it was just me and max and subu and WG and riky. Hopefully I will manage to keep it together long enough to remember to attend in an hour.

Reader Interactions

165Comments

  2. 2.

    Ten Bears

    It’s not sloth, I just think it’s bad medicine to count the years. It’s been many

    But I too have experienced alcohol flashbacks. I don’t miss any of it

    I also think it bad ju-ju to talk about it, but am counting days w/out cigarettes …

  3. 3.

    Jackie

    Happy New Year to you and Joelle! I hope Thurston, Steve and Max are settling in nicely and are being welcomed nicely by the four-legged homies!

  4. 4.

    twbrandt

    Happy New Year, John! It’s funny, I’ve been reading BJ almost since the beginning, and is the only site I’ve been visiting consistently for the past, what, 20? years. Thanks for keeping this corner of the internet going for so long!

  6. 6.

    narya

    @Ten Bears: I quit cigarettes in 1988. In the intervening 35+ years, I have not smoked more than 600 million cigarettes–and, believe me, I would have smoked all of them. THAT number–the number not smoked–hits me more than days or years

    ETA: good luck. I found that the most useful approach for me was to think about/plan around what to do when I wanted one; I simply took “have a cigarette” out of the list of options.

  7. 7.

    dmsilev

    Happy New Year!

    Today, we’re doing a slightly early birthday party for my niece and nephew (since I’m heading back to California tomorrow). This morning my mom and I made a checkerboard cake (one kid asked for chocolate, one vanilla….), which came out okish; some of the squares won’t be quite uniform etc. Not bad for the first time either of us has ever tried to make one. I’m sure it’ll taste fine though.

  10. 10.

    Another Scott

    I think I’m done. – August 9, 2013 – might be it.

    One of the (few?) good things I did for a while as a young Boy Scout was help out at (something like – might not have been this exact group) Smoke Enders meetings. The mantra there was “I choose not to smoke”. Applies to similar things, and I think it’s a good approach – will your frontal lobes to take over from the lizard brain.

    Congratulations to everyone who has exerted more control over their lives, and strength to those who are still fighting the good fight.

    HNY!

    Cheers, er so to speak,
    Scott.

  14. 14.

    la caterina

    Happy New Year All!  Thank you Cole for hosting, all the FP’ers for posting and especially WaterGirl for always going above and beyond!  And thanks to all jackals for being here. Y’all make life better for me.

  16. 16.

    Another Scott

    I get e-mail… Subject: “Start the New Year with David Brooks”

    AAaargh! OMG! NOOOOOoooo!!

    The University of Chicago (my alma mater) doesn’t understand me at all…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  22. 22.

    Another Scott

    Jaime Harrison
    @harrisonjaime
    29 Dec 2023

    🧵 The New Year provides an opportunity for evaluation and reflection.

    I’m often asked about the DNC returning to a 50 states strategy. In evaluating our support for state parties over the past few years, we have taken that strategy to the next level.

    Since I’ve been Chair of the DNC, with the support of Pres. Biden, and in coordination with our @DemStateParties we have dramatically increased support for all state parties, specifically Red States. We have even allocated resources to support our Democrats Abroad.

    @kenmartin73 & I created the first of its kind “Red States Fund” to supplement support for red states that need additional assistance.

    We also have continued the State Party Innovation Fund (SPIF) to provide grants to support new ideas and programs from our state parties.

    Dec 29, 2023 · 3:51 PM UTC

    Good, good.

    Lots of good things can happen when one does one’s job as party chair, instead of trying to bully states to support an insurrection…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  23. 23.

    feebog

    Speaking of hangovers, I’m doing dry January.  It’s a facebook group started by a friend of mine.  I’m not a heavy drinker by any means, had one drink last night to usher in the New Year.  But I want to see if a month of abstinence will make a difference in my health.

  24. 24.

    BeautifulPlumage

    I used some of my unexpected bonus to get Miss Cleo Marie a small cat tower for the front window and I’m enjoying watching her explore it and love on it. She also got a teeny bit of smoked salmon, as a treat, while I’m having some with my coffee.

    My new year is solstice, so I wish all the jackals in the North a pleasant (continuing) return of the sun ☀️☀️☀️☀️

  25. 25.

    Barbara

    @feebog: My doctor told me that certain liver enzymes are definitely affected by alcohol consumption, and it doesn’t really have to be a high level of drinking.  I have a goal of never drinking more than three days per week, never more than two servings per day.  I am lucky in that I don’t find that to be challenging at all.

  26. 26.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Happy New Year everyone! Doing the traditional watching of the Rose Parade on KTLA — you can take the gal out of SoCal, but… Thankfully with YouTube it’s far easier these days to find a stream, and KTLA, which is one of the oldest TV stations in LA, has probably the best location along the parade route.

    The one thing I miss is that for a couple days post-parade the floats are on display. That, and I used to live over the hill from the Rose Bowl, where the floats are finished up and judged. It was fun to go there the afternoon of New Year’s Eve to watch the workers putting them together, as well as see the floats rolled briefly out of their barns and put through their animated paces.

  27. 27.

    dmsilev

    @WaterGirl: You make a layered cake with each layer being a set of concentric rings, wbw or bwb, and then stack them so when you cut through it you get a checkerboard pattern. To make the ring layers, there are two approaches. Either you bake white and black layers separately and then use round cookie cutters or a template and a sharp knife to cut out matched sets of circles and thus assemble the rings, or you use a recipe with a somewhat thicker batter and build the ring structure before baking (you need the thicker batter to keep it from flowing around too much during baking). We went with option B, but we got some flow and distortion so it won’t look quite right.

    I think we’ll survive…

  29. 29.

    raven

    @Sister Golden Bear: It’s been six years since we went to both the parade and the game. We had a great time at both but I think the highlight was the miniature ponies and the angels!

    We were on the overpass bridge on Colorado Boulevard and we were so close I couldn’t us my camera with the telephoto lens and had to use my phone!

     

    https://flic.kr/p/22KroEd

     

    I assume you know why the parade and game are not held on Sunday?

  30. 30.

    trollhattan

    We get mail.

    Hello there!
    Unfortunаtеly, thеrе аrе somе bаd nеws for you.
    Somе timе аgo your dеvicе wаs infеctеd with my privаtе trojаn, R.A.T (Rеmotе Administrаtion Tool), if you wаnt to find out morе аbout it simply usе Googlе.
    My trojаn аllows mе to аccеss your аccounts, your cаmеrа аnd microphonе.
    I have successfully gathered all of your documents and personal data, including information regarding all of your account accesses.
    You truly enjoy checking out porn websites аnd wаtching dirty videos, while hаving а lot of kinky fun.
    I RECORDED YOU (through your cаmerа) SATISFYING YOURSELF!
    And I have also obtained the documents or evidence of your crime, where if others were to find out, you would encounter issues and end up in jail.
    If you still doubt my serious intentions, it only tаkes couple mouse clicks to shаre the video аnd your crime documеnts of you with your friends, relаtives, аll emаil contаcts аnd on sociаl networks.
    All you need is $1659 USD in Bitcoin (BTC) trаnsfеr to my аccount (Bitcoin equivаlent bаsed on еxchаnge rаte during your trаnsfеr).
    After the trаnsаction is successful, I will proceed to delete everything without delаy.
    Afterwаrds, we cаn pretend thаt we hаve never met before.
    In аddition, I аssure you thаt аll the hаrmful softwаre will be delеted from your dеvice.
    Be sure, I keep my promises!
    If you аre unаwаre how to buy аnd sеnd Bitcoin (BTC) – Google: Where to buy Bitcoin (BTC), to send аnd receive Bitcoin (BTC).
    My Bitcoin (BTC) аddress is: Link
    Yes, thаt’s how the аddrеss looks like, copy аnd pаste my аddress, it’s (cAsE-sEnSEtiVE).
    You аre given not more thаn 48 hours аfter you hаve opened this emаil (2 dаys to be precise).
    Everything will be cаrried out bаsed on fаirness!
    An аdvice from me – regulаrly chаnge аll your pаsswords to your аccounts аnd updаte your device with newest security pаtches.

    Oh noes, a private trojan! 🙄

  34. 34.

    bjacques

    @trollhattan: Sometimes I don’t check my email for 2 or 3 days, so when I occasionally get one of those, I’ve already missed the deadline.

    This has to be a really shitty business model, when the victims will probably not have the money nor know how to set up a Bitcoin account and pay within the allotted time.

    And it’s too bad you usually can’t answer to say they’re lying about hacking your computer and probably just found their mother’s or sister’s copy of the video.

  35. 35.

    Yutsano

    The Taliban are the results of a joint venture with the Saudis. Maybe Islamabad should hit us up Ol’ Bone Saw for some help.

  36. 36.

    trollhattan

    Glimmer of hope from Israel, as Supreme Court throws out Bibi’s get out of jail free card.

    Israel’s Supreme Court has struck down a controversial judicial reform that triggered nationwide protests last year against the Netanyahu government.

    The change would have limited the power of the Supreme Court in overturning laws it deemed unconstitutional. Critics say it would have severely undermined the country’s democracy by weakening the judicial system.

    There is strong opposition to the current Netanyahu government, seen as the most right-wing in Israeli history.

    The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the law passed by the government in 2023 follows months of internal turmoil. In July, the government passed into law what is now known as the “reasonableness” bill. This removed the power of the Supreme Court and lower courts in Israel to cancel government decisions it deemed to be “extremely unreasonable”.

    The law caused widespread anger and division, prompting hundreds of thousands of protesters to take the streets calling for the reforms to be scrapped – and for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Organisers said the weekly protests were the biggest street demonstrations in Israel’s history.

    At the time, hundreds of military reservists – including air force pilots – threatened to refuse to report for service, which led to warnings that this could impair Israel’s military capabilities.

    A statement from the Supreme Court said that 8 out of 15 judges ruled against the law, adding it would have caused “severe and unprecedented damage to the basic characteristics of the State of Israel as a democratic state”.

    Israel’s justice minister and architect of the law Yariv Levin criticised the judges for “taking into their hands all the powers” and called their decision to strike it down undemocratic. [How do you say “activist Judges” in Hebrew?]

    The “reasonableness” law was part of a wider series of judicial reforms introduced by the Netanyahu government. These would have weakened the power of the Supreme Court to review or throw out laws, enabling a simple majority of one in the Knesset (parliament) to overrule such decisions.
    BBC

  37. 37.

    Betty Cracker

    ‘‘Twas extremely mild as far as hangovers go. I’m perfectly fine now and cooking red beans and rice.

    Someone’s dog got loose and wandered past our yard on the riverbank. It was a largish dog — looked like a Golden mix. My dogs went apeshit, but fortunately there’s a fence.

    The dog reversed direction and took off. I hope it goes home before a gator gets it. We’d have caught it and escorted it home, but it was moving too fast.

  39. 39.

    Baud

    @trollhattan:

    hundreds of military reservists – including air force pilots – threatened to refuse to report for service, which led to warnings that this could impair Israel’s military capabilities

     

    Turns out Bibi did that all on his own.

  40. 40.

    Geminid

    Israeli’s Supreme Court started the New Year off with a bang. They struck down Netanyahu’s amendment to Israel’s Basic Law that would have limited the Courts power to void laws on the basis of “reasonableness.”

    That was part of the governing coalition’s “judicial reform” package introduced last February. Intense public opposition forced the government to back down on the other parts but it passed the “reasonableness” amendment anyway.

    This is not a surprise because the ruling was leaked a few days ago. Netanyahu’s allies were trying to head off the decision through Knesset action but now the Court has preempted them.

  43. 43.

    BigHank53

    Congrats on the sobriety, John. Not a small thing.

     

    I have never received one the emails trying to extort money, unfortunately.

  44. 44.

    Phylllis

    @trollhattan: I get this one at work on occasion. Have been tempted to reply with ‘dude, no one’s gonna be shocked by video of me shoving a honeybun in my face, but nice try’.

  45. 45.

    Jeffro

    @narya: that’s a really good way to think about it…”hmm, how many more cigarettes would I have smoked if I hadn’t qui…OMG…THAT MANY?”

    I might have to run those numbers myself, it’s been 21-22 years since I quit.  =)

    ETA: I was a pretty light smoker at the time I quit but I ran the numbers and it’s still almost 40,000 cigarettes NOT smoked.  Good lord I rock 😎

  46. 46.

    Hob

    @trollhattan: And not just a private trojan, but one so private that you can easily look it up on Google!

    I don’t know if this is one of those “deliberately make no sense so that you can winnow down your marks to people who definitely don’t think anything through” things, or if the scammer just doesn’t care to make sense, but a friend* of mine got a similar extortion email where the scammer ended with “Don’t attempt to communicate with me, I am going to delete this email address to ensure my security.” Uh… OK then?

    (* My friend then turned the email into a performance piece where I read it out loud to him in the voice of Orson Welles. Went over pretty well)

  47. 47.

    bjacques

    I’d like to join y’all on the Zoom but I’m pooping out early. Work tomorrow. I appreciate Watergirl setting up this one—next time.

  48. 48.

    BeautifulPlumage

    @Hob: but someone so tech clueless they believe this would also have a hard time buying & sending bitcoin successfully 😸

  49. 49.

    Splitting Image

    @trollhattan:

    Israel’s Supreme Court has struck down a controversial judicial reform that triggered nationwide protests last year against the Netanyahu government.

    Go Israel!

    I do understand that Netanyahu’s removal is not sufficient to defuse the situation in Gaza, but I believe it is essential. This is a good step in that direction and I’ll take good news where I find it.

    Nice to start the year off on the right foot. Hopefully Netanyahu won’t be the only fascist to suffer defeat this year.

  56. 56.

    Geminid

    @Splitting Image: This ruling does not directly affect Netanyahu’s status. It’s still a defeat though, and a potential stressor for his fractious coalition.

    Journalist Noga Tarnopolsky is one of several good sources on current Israeli politics that Adam Silverman cited last week. Another was the Times of Israel. Tarnopolsky has an anti-Netanyahu bias but she is still fairly objective. She posts on Twitter (and the “Post” platform I think).

    Axios reporter Barak Ravid is another source Silverman mentioned. Ravid mainly reports on diplomatic stories like the ongoing negotiations in Egypt about a possible ceasefire and hostage release, but he also retweets a lot of posts about Israeli politics from Israeli journalists

  57. 57.

    eclare

    Also Oregon thoroughly thrashing Liberty.  Just looking at the rankings, how on earth did Liberty make it to the Fiesta Bowl?

  60. 60.

    David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch

    🦆 Oregon ducks are crucifying LibertyU, 31-6 @ 1⁄2 time

  61. 61.

    Betty Cracker

    @eclare: Bill said the Ducks are crucifying the Fightin’ Falwells! 😂 We’re watching LSU vs Wisconsin. Geaux Tigers!

  62. 62.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Barak Ravid has a story in Axios about the Israeli Supreme Court decision. I found this out when I checked Rachel Bitecofer’s Twitter feed. She reposted Ravid’s article between comments on the Liberty-Oregon game. Bitecofer’s a big Ducks fan.

  68. 68.

    narya

    @Jeffro: I used to be a guest speaker for session 7 of an 8-session smoking cessation group, and I started using the number for those sessions; it always got people’s attention. When I quit, I was smoking 2-3 packs/day; I realized, when I turned 30, that I’d been smoking more than half my life, and that, plus seeing a flyer for that group, made me decide to quit. I’m not usually a “group” person, but it was useful to me at the time, I became friends w/ the person who did them (a nurse who is passionate about smoking cessation), and I ended up contributing a lot to the way she thought about cessation. The two big takeaways, I think, were, first, taking smoking off the table as an option (i.e., there’s no problem or question to which smoking is the answer), and, second, telling her that no one WANTS to quit; one can still decide to do so. I also likened quitting to ending a bad relationship–you can acknowledge you got something out of the relationship, but that ultimately it’s not good for you.

  69. 69.

    Geminid

    @Steve in the ATL: One question after Virginia Tech beat Virginia to win the Commonwealth Cup: did this mean the Hokies were the second best team in the state after James Madison University, or the third best after Liberty?

  72. 72.

    raven

    @billcinsd:
    Well I thought I?d go out to Tulsa

    And ride in a rodeo

    Red beans and rice sure would be nice

    Back where the Mississippi River flows
    And it’s a long way back to Vicksburg

    Mississippi River is muddy and wideBut it don’t seem like much

    When sweet Louisiana’s waitin’ on the other side

     

     

    I don’t care nothing for Charlie but this seriously rocks!

  78. 78.

    Geminid

    @raven: Yeah, the Hokies would crush Liberty. I’m just laughing at how the upstarts are now overshadowing Tech and Virginia.

  80. 80.

    David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch

    The weird thing about Michigan is their student fight song is about being a cuckold (video)

    I’m coming out of my cage, and I’ve been doing just fine
    Gotta, gotta be down because I want it all
    It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?
    It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

    Now I’m falling asleep, and she’s calling a cab
    While he’s having a smoke, and she’s taking a drag
    Now they’re going to bed, and my stomach is sick
    And it’s all in my head, but she’s touching his
    Chest now, he takes off her dress now
    Let me go

    I just can’t look, it’s killing me
    And taking control

  81. 81.

    Redshift

    Good to see people in the zoom for a while, and Happy New Year to everyone else! Unfortunately, my external monitor seems to have died during the zoom, and after that zoom wouldn’t work with the laptop microphone, so rather than hang around just listening, I dropped off. (Fortunately the monitor belongs to work, so if I can’t get it to recover at least I don’t have to pay for a replacement.)

  83. 83.

    zhena gogolia

    Why am I so sleepy? I only had two small glasses of wine at 6:00 last night. And we have to go to a party in 2 hours. I don’t know how I’m going to stay up.

  85. 85.

    trollhattan

    @Phylllis: ​
    :-)
    “I’ll take Slut-Shaming through Baked Goods” for a thousand, Alex.”

    Guess the host would have to be Paul Hollywood.

  86. 86.

    Redshift

    @Betty Cracker: I forgot to drink water after I got home from our low-key New Year’s last night, but I was lucky and woke up with no ill effects. (I guess I can handle a couple of glasses of champagne; this year my friend didn’t make wasn’t the insanely good eggnog I find hard to resist.)

  88. 88.

    Another Scott

    @trollhattan:

    Made me look…

    No pool boy celebrations for the Flames tonight. #FiestaBowl

    Yeah, it was just hangin’ there, wasn’t it??

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  91. 91.

    Ruckus

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    I lived for a while 2 blocks south of Colorado just east of the start of the Rose Parade. The floats would gather on the streets around there to get in line for the start. Very interesting to see all the work that was done to get everything going.

  100. 100.

    Ruckus

    @raven:

    That shot is looking south and the street intersecting Colorado is the street that I would walk up to get to it. I lived 2 blocks south of your picture.

  103. 103.

    Another Scott

    @zhena gogolia:

    WebMD.com:

    Chew Gum

    Some studies show gum chewing can kick up your alertness, help you react faster, and improve your attention and boost productivity during the workday.

    Hey, it worked for Violet, right??

    ;-)

    Good luck!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  106. 106.

    Soprano2

    I went to the first Jazzercise class of the new year. It was all Taylor Swift and was 1 1/2 hours long (normal class is 45-50 minutes!). Came home and we went to have breakfast at Village Inn. They had a problem with one of the outside doors so it was probably 60 degrees or less in there. I’ve been sitting on the couch resting because I’m putting off taking down the tree, but I can’t put it off any longer. This is the time I have to do it, so I need to get it done. So tired of having to do stuff mostly by myself….

  111. 111.

    Soprano2

    @WaterGirl: No, but if I don’t do it today I won’t have a time I can do it until next weekend. It’s a real tree that’s been up since the first weekend of December, so it needs to come down. I have to do things when I have the time to do them. I won’t have much help from hubby. The worst part is taking the boxes out of the attic and bringing them downstairs. I wish I had a magic wand I could wave and have it all done.

  113. 113.

    Krista (RedKitten That Was)

    @Omnes Omnibus: ROFL! Well, I hope for the sightings to become more frequent. Am stepping away more from the hellscape bird app, and wanting to get my analysis from reasonable people again.

  115. 115.

    Jackie

    Ready to root for the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl, then onto the UW Huskies in the Sugar Bowl!

    Rooting for the Blue states to crush the Red 😁

  116. 116.

    Yarrow

    @Soprano2:

    So tired of having to do stuff mostly by myself….

    I’m so sorry. It’s really hard when your person is there but not “there” in the same way they used to be, if that makes sense. If the reason they’re not able to help is something short term, like a broken leg, it’s easier to deal with. But when it’s a chronic illness or the situation you’re dealing with and it really isn’t going to get better it’s just hard. I don’t have any simple answers but wanted you to know you’re seen.

  120. 120.

    RevRick

    @WaterGirl: Absolutely not! Traditionalists would keep it up through Twelfth Night (January 5th). Those of us who have an artificial tree like to extend the joy until Candlemas (February 2nd).

    It was a pleasure meeting folks on Zoom.

  124. 124.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Jackie:

    Ready to root for the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl, then onto the UW Huskies in the Sugar Bowl! 

    And if it’s the Wolverines v the Huskies next week…?

  130. 130.

    wjca

    @WaterGirl: Is there a rule that you have to take the tree down on New Year’s Day?

    If you’re a traditionalist you would leave it up until 12th Night.  Not so many traditionalists around these days.

    EDT  And RevRick got thete first….

  133. 133.

    RevRick

    @WaterGirl: We have a small outdoor tree that my wife will decorate with red lights for February. Our son suggested green lights for March, but MrsRevRick thought that would be a bit much.

  134. 134.

    lowtechcyclist

    @RevRick:

    Traditionalists would keep it up through Twelfth Night (January 5th). Those of us who have an artificial tree like to extend the joy until Candlemas (February 2nd).

    Well, now I know when Candlemas is! I have attended churches of several denominations along the way, including a few Episcopal churches, but I can’t recall Candlemas ever being celebrated.  I honestly wasn’t sure it was still a thing – the only references to it that I’ve seen have been in fiction set in older times.  I think it pops up in Tolkien’s Farmer Giles of Ham, if I’m not mistaken.

    I’m amused that it’s the same day as Groundhog Day.

    Even with an artificial tree, ours will come down after Twelfth Night, because we really need the space it occupies.  But I’d been thinking of leaving the outside lights up through January because one needs lights in the dreary part of winter, so Candlemas seems like a good excuse for doing so.  At least by then the days will be starting to get noticeably longer.

  135. 135.

    Another Scott

    Speaking of sportsball, … ArsTechnica.com:

    For this latest study, Cabarkapa and his colleagues recruited 34 healthy active males with at least four years’ experience playing basketball. After warming up, each player took 10-15 practice shots, then stood at the free throw line and attempted ten shots, resting for 10-15 seconds between each one to rule out fatigue as a factor. The researchers used a 3D marker less motion capture system incorporating nine high-definition camera to capture the biomechanics of each shot for analysis.

    The results: the best free-throw shooters had more control over the shooting motion, particularly over key variables like lower knee and center of mass peak and mean angular velocities, compared to less skilled shooters. The best shooters also reached a greater release height and their trunks leaned forward less at the point of ball release. Finally, an overemphasis on the height at release could often be counterproductive, causing even the best free shooters to miss more shots.

    “These findings imply that basketball shooting motion is not as simple as some may think. Shooting efficiency can’t be simply attributed to one biomechanical variable,” said Cabarkapa. “It is founded on a mix of multiple segmental body movements performed in a controlled manner.”

    Interesting – it’s always good to see measurements applied to common knowledge.

    I’m reminded, though, about a story decades ago in USNews about the progression of champions in 100m sprints just as Ben Johnson was winning all his records (while hopped up on steroids)…

    IOW, what the best players are doing now is not necessarily the best for all players for all time. Of course.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  136. 136.

    lowtechcyclist

    @wjca:

    The temptation to say “God’s chillens done whupped the heathen!” is almost overwhelming.

    There are times for yielding to temptation, and IMHO this is one of them. Go for it!

  138. 138.

    divF

    @trollhattan:

    “Start the New Year with a colonoscopy” would be about as welcome. And at least one would learn something.

    Funny you should bring that up, ’cause that is what I am doing (a week from today, actually).

    As I go through the prep this weekend, I will keep telling myself, “well, at least it’s not David Brooks”.

  139. 139.

    Redshift

    @RevRick: One of our neighbors has inflatable decorations for every holiday, so they’re up all year round. Whatever makes you happy, I guess. They’re constantly adding more; it’s kind of entertaining.

  141. 141.

    NotMax

    @divF

    Does Appleby’s have a barium bar?

    “Choice of thick, extra thick or congealed. For a limited time, available in pumpkin spice.”
    //

  143. 143.

    RevRick

    @lowtechcyclist: Since we no longer use candles for home illumination, Candlemas has largely disappeared. Even Roman Catholic Churches relegate it to an afterthought at their February 2nd daily mass. So, I created my own version for the first Sunday of February using the text from Luke 2:22-39, hymns based on light, and congregational candlelighting a la Christmas Eve.
    February 2nd is 40 days from Christmas, and thus corresponds to the Jewish Law regarding the purification of a woman who has given birth to a boy. It used to be the time household candles were blessed for the coming year.

  146. 146.

    NotMax

    Arrgh. Format fix.

    @RevRick

    Since we no longer use candles for home illumination

    Neither Whaleoilmas nor Gasmas made the cut.
    ;)

  148. 148.

    Roberto el oso

    @narya: whew!!! I was reaching for my calculator! (I’m still a smoker …. I can’t help but remember my anniversary date for quitting drinking and drugs, because it’s Dec 7, Pearl Harbor Day, which was just how it turned out, I didn’t deliberately pick the date …. 26 years of sobriety as of last month, or, as I like to say “more than a quarter century” :)

  154. 154.

    RevRick

    @NotMax: When I first started as a pastor in 1975, there was a community Good Friday service that ran from noon to three and a community Thanksgiving Eve service and midweek Lenten services in Irwin PA that were well attended. Twenty years later, if I suggested such things, the response would have been to look at me like I sprouted another head.

    Even though Ascension Day is still on the church calendar, it is no longer celebrated. Getting even dedicated members to show up for such traditional services as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday or Good Friday is becoming difficult.

    Candlemas probably lost its motivation in the early 19th century.

  157. 157.

    Geminid

    @The Lodger: Israel doesn’t have a constitution, and the Basic Law that regulates governmental powers was legislated by the Knesset and has been amended before. The seven Justices who dissented probably believed that the Knesset had the authority to amend the “reasonableness” provision.

  158. 158.

    Abnormal Hiker

    @RevRick: What I remember from my youth is the Blessing of Throats on St Blaise’s Day. Early Feb I think.  I wonder if they still do that?

  159. 159.

    RevRick

    @Abnormal Hiker: February 3rd. But I am not familiar with Roman Catholic and Anglican church practices. As someone out of the Calvinist tradition, we consider all Christians saints.

  161. 161.

    Soprano2

    @Yarrow: Makes absolute sense to me. You can miss someone who’s still there. People in my spouse FB support group talk about it a lot. Thanks.

  162. 162.

    Soprano2

    @eclare: No, unfortunately not. I got it done. Mr. Soprano helped some, because things like taking the tree out of the stand takes two people. I may have to get an artificial tree next year if I have to do it all by myself.

  164. 164.

    Miss Bianca

    @RevRick: No Good Friday service? I remember the 12-3 service from when I was in choir – we sang the Bach Passion According to St John at it.

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