Donald Amiot

 Ed's step-dad, Don, passed away on Monday. We had a great weekend with him before this happened. He is getting older and had gone mainly blind last year. But for Thanksgiving weekend, he had saved up his energy and was right on the ball.

We all had dinner on Thanksgiving, and Don and Carson then went to the birthday of his grandniece, where he saw the other side of his family.

He passed away on Monday after a car accident. Ed's mom was in the hospital for two days but was released yesterday, and her son drove her back to Minneapolis.

We all - including me - enjoyed our time with him very much. He worked in athletics his entire life as a coach and then Athletic Director at the University of Wisconsin, Stephen's Point. After Ed graduated, he became the Athletic Director at Mankato State (Minnesota). 

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving.

Jo and Donald

The grandkids (Faith, Mejkin, Dora, Sean, Ansley)

Grandpa Don and Ansley

Birds of Threads #1

 Threads has an interesting algorithm. Liking penguins has delivered me a lot of amazing birds. A small selection:

Rewilding: Wolves

Hello All, I think I am going to focus - as much as possible - on non-political news and on better things. Hopefully positively. I find the idea of rewilding hopeful and so I will talk about that more than you probably want.

I find rewilding makes me happy and hopeful. Two things I am not when I read too much political news. So I want to share an AMAZING story of rewilding by reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone. I had not idea of the positive impacts of this reintroduction. You really need to watch the video.

I know there is controversy as the increasing numbers of wolves wander off the park and attack stock animals outside the park. But I had no idea what good they were doing inside the park. Watch, it is way cool.

(and yes, this is a bit of nervous posting)

Screenshot 2023-11-26 at 10.37.22 AM

Posting on hold for a while

 According to the second most powerful man in Washington, I am the reason our country is Hellward bound. (Not homeward bound - that is Simon and Garfunkel. Who are not the problem despite breaking a few of the Big 10) 

I mean, look at my marriage! 

Am I not the actual instrument and embodiment of hell that many of my Countrymen believe and share freely?

The embodiment of all that is unholy.
Swearing to support my husband forever.

Sorry, nieces - Hell 4 U

Sorry Jane Hell 4 U

Hell for Canadians 2? Sorry Joc.

Did we doom the Brits 2? Sorry Gareth

And Barbara

Sorry Scott's Family - Hell

And Lynn

(Mother of the Hell Hound)

Well, their from New Orleans -
They were already in trouble

Right after this picture, Carson's arms spontaneously caught on fire

Sorry Juni - No Dog Heaven for you

Sorry Ed's Family - Hell

Poor Scotsmen Probably Hell 4 U 2

Sorry Lynn - Hell 4 U (twice, but ...
we've been friends for a long time. You're definitely going)

God Has Doomed America Because 25% of Kids Haven't Decided Who they Want to Sleep With for the Rest of Their Lives

This has bugged me, but not for the reason you might think.

So, yes, I know he is an incoherent christo-fascist. But that isn't my only problem here. It is his reasoning - or lack of it.

He is obsessed with homos - still not the problem in and of itself. But he is self-unaware and shares that freely AND is second in line to the Presidency should something happen to the president and Vice-President.So yes, he scares the fuck out of me.

He is using statistics from a question where the results were that 25% of High School Kids did not know yet if they were going to exclusively sleep with men or women in the future. Not all, or mostly, gay. Not all, or mostly, lesbian. Most were thinking bisexual - without or without ever doing anything - OR not sure.

And that is dooming our culture to eternal damnation. The idea of a small minority of kids, the vast majority of whom have not had sex at all, haven't decided who they want to sleep with for the rest of their lives.

Why only sex? Why not religion? I bet more than 25% of kids aren't sure they are Christian yet. Why doesn't that doom us to hell?

How about future plans. I bet more than 25% of kids don't know what they want to do when they graduate. Does that doom us to hell?

What about getting married. I am sure more than 25% do not want to get married but do plan to have sex. That is a BIG sin. It's in the Top 10 from the tablets! But that isn't the list of going-to-hell reasons.

No. A 15-year-old kid hasn't decided who they want to sleep with for the rest of their lives; THAT is the kicker that sends America into the fire pits of hell.

Here, by the way, is a section of actual 15 year olds. These are the kids that are sending America into hell because they cannot tell you who they want to sleep with right this second for the rest of their lives!!

These are 15-Year-Olds at a Michigan High School Shooting , which FYI - school shootings don't send America to Hell.  BUT - if 6 of these kids don't know EXACTLY who they want to FUCK for the rest of their lives? Hellfire to the rest of us.

Fuck.Face

And yet...

 .. fags are outlawed in a town in Tennessee. Jesus Christ.

There was a time when sense reigned in our Congress

 That time is not now. I remember when we laughed at the antics of the Taiwan and South Korea legislature. Their discussions descended into fist fights with regularity. We sat smugly and wondered what was wrong with them.

No More.

This week, we had one Senator, Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin, rise to try to beat up a man who was testifying before Congress. DURING the hearing! When asked about it, he replied it was "Oklahoma Values."

Our new Speaker of the House blamed gays for God abandoning America. Less than a month ago!

The segment was filmed Oct. 3, just weeks before Johnson’s unexpected rise to become speaker of the House. Garlow pressed the clean-cut Louisiana congressman to say “more about this ‘time of judgment’ for America.” Johnson replied: “The culture is so dark and depraved that it almost seems irredeemable.” He cited, as supposed evidence, the decline of national church attendance and the rise of LGBTQ youth — the fact, Johnson lamented, that “one-in-four high school students identifies as something other than straight.”

Discussing the risk of divine retribution, Johnson invoked Sodom, the Old Testament city destroyed by God for its wickedness with a rain of burning sulfur. Johnson is a polished orator, but in a closing prayer with Garlow he grew tearful. Johnson intoned, “We repent for our sins individually and collectively. And we ask that You not give us the judgment that we clearly deserve.”

Once again, we found that a Representative from New York lied about: his mother dying in 9/11, his being Jewish, using campaign funds to buy Botox and subscriptions to "only fans" sites, hiding foreign donations, and using scams to earn $700,000 one year. O George, we barely knew thee. And - of course - Congress won't vote George out because the Republican majority is razor-thin.

Why the pic? Well, George lied about many things, denying being a Gay Drag artist from Brazil. 
"Kitara Ravache"

Not so much the adults in the room anymore.

Sunset Blvd looks FANTASTIC

 I saw Sunset Blvd in London when it first premiered with Patti LuPone. A d I thought it could never be done better.

And then I saw it with Glenn Close. And, it turns out I was right - she can't hold a candle to Patti despite all the hemming, hawing, and over-emoting on display. It was terrible singing wrapped in a package of asides, winks, come hither glances, twitches, and frenetic staging that pummeled you into acceptance (or, in my case, hatred).

There is a new version in London that is on a bare stage with Nicole Scherzinger, the American ex-lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. I had no desire to see it.

BUT

Wow, this show looks great and sounds amazing. Watch her below. It's an ad for the show, but it will tear you up.

Some stills from the sets. They may not work for everyone, but they do for me.

Contrast that with the original staging.

Some nice pictures from around the neighborhood

 Just some nice pics from here to share....

This is interesting because in mainly new Hells Kitchen, there are still a few old buildings that

 have their old tenants' advertising painted on the outside.

I have posted him before, but he looks particularly good in the Fall. He is one of several doughboy statues supposedly around the city. I have really only seen this one.

10th Ave. Every morning.

I love this house is dressed up for Diwali, Halloween, and support for Ukraine.