12.21.2022 -rather win ugly

rather win ugly
than lose pretty – no Lions fan
feels comfortable

As any of my regular readers (bless their hearts) know, I start my day with the Guardian Newspaper of Manchester, GB and the New York Times (at least I do when I remember to renew my free three day account through my library).

This morning, both papers had articles about the Detroit Lions!

The Guardian has a story headlined, From sad sacks to contenders: How the Lions became the talk of the NFL where a Mr. Dave Caldwell writes, “Goff said in a postgame news conference, “You’d rather win ugly than lose pretty. There were times earlier in the year when we were winning pretty in certain situations, and then kind of letting it fall away from us towards the end, and I think that’s totally flipped to where we’re at now. We’ve won some games recently pretty handily, but we’ve also won some close games, and won some games on the road close that we had to pull out and things had to go our way at the end.

“Is it going our way, or are we making a play? I lean toward making a play, whether it was a sack on that last drive, or just things we did up front, we’re starting to learn how to win and how to win consistently in close games in tough environments. And yeah, it’s a good, mature team now.”

The New York Times has a story, NFL Power Rankings: Jaguars rise, join Lions as ex-doormats with playoff hopes by Bo Wulf who writes, The wildest weekend of the NFL season included the biggest comeback in league history, two ho-hum comebacks of 17 points, a potentially season-changing injury for a Super Bowl favorite, and probably the dumbest play since the invention of the game.

There won’t be any kneecaps left in the Detroit metro area if Dan Campbell’s Lions are able to pull off this rally to the playoffs. After Jared Goff hit Brock Wright — a real high-water mark season for Brocks leaguewide — for a 51-yard game-winning touchdown to beat the Jets, Detroit has a 57.6 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Mock’s projections.

Do I believe?

YOU BET I DO!

What do I believe?

Believe me, you don’t want to ask.

Mr. Wulf closed his comments with a caveat on the Lions.

(BTW remember how in the BOOK, Gone with the Wind, Scarlett wanted a new name for her store she acquired by marrying Frank Kennedy? Rhett Butler suggested the name “CAVEAT EMPTORIUM” and Scarlett liked it so much she had a sign made. Then Ashely Wilkes translated the sign for her. But I digress.)

Mr. Wulf writes: Its schedule the rest of the way looks there for the taking, but there isn’t a Lions fan alive who feels comfortable.

And if they don’t pull it off, well, there might not be any Lions fans alive.

Well well well.

Entirely agree that there isn’t a Lion’s fan alive who feels comfortable.

That easy enough to say as there isn’t a Lion’s fan alive who EVER felt comfortable.

But the idea that if they don’t pull it off, well, there might not be any Lions fans alive.

Cannot say I agree with that one bit.

Because they always play next year.

Honolulu Blue forever!

12.20.2022 – swimming pools palm trees

swimming pools palm trees
summer resort winter rain
hope springs eternal

The pool is ready.

The pool guy has been and gone.

The loungers are lined up by the chimney with care.

The palm trees sway with the breeze.

The sky is an iron gray.

It is December 20th.

And a cold rain is falling.

Still …

Sunshine, pools and palm trees.

It is only a matter of time.

Hope springs eternal.

12.19.2022 – mechanisms for

mechanisms for
content monetization
are in disarray

From the paragraph, “Late last month, James Dolan, the company’s chairman, made clear how troublesome that was for the company. He announced that there would be “large-scale layoffs” of 20 percent of the staff, because the “the mechanisms for the monetization of content are in disarray.” in the article, Want to Understand Television’s Troubles? Look at AMC, by Benjamin Mullin, in the New York Times, December 19, 2022.

The article continues to quote Mr. Dolan, saying, “It was our belief that cord cutting losses would be offset by gains in streaming,” Mr. Dolan wrote last month. “This has not been the case.”

Is not that sentence fabulous?

The mechanisms for the monetization of content are in disarray.

Such a marvelous march of sounds and syllables leading to dire portents for all involved.

I can picture some scene in the Viking era when some Kingship has gone vikinging and called for the soothsayer who comes forth, spits in the wind, pees on the ground and looks into a smoky fire and pronounces, “the mechanisms for the monetization of content are in disarray!”

And the project is abandoned.

I am not so sure that the art of business forecasting has progressed much since the Viking era.

To paraphrase Sir Humphrey Appleby, I foresee all sorts of of unforeseen problems, which, if I could foresee them, they wouldn’t be unforeseen.

12.18.2022 – rules regulations

rules regulations
which limit freedom price for
civilization

In the essay, What Life Means to Einstein, in the book, Glimpses of the Great (Macauley, New York, 1930), author G. S. Viereck asked Albert Einstein, Do you agree with Lenin’s statement that liberty is a bourgeois prejudice?

“Maybe,” Einstein remarked, slightly inclining his silver head.

“Lenin was right.

Complete freedom is incompatible with civilization.

If I don’t want other men to tread on my toes, I, too, must submit to rules and regulations, which limit my freedom.

The more highly populated a country is, the greater are the sacrifices of personal freedom demanded of the individual.

These sacrifices are the price we pay for civilization.”

SO am I quoting Einstein or am I quoting Lenin.

I mean I know I am quoted Uncle Al, but as inspired by Vladimir Lenin.

Not sure it matters as just the very idea that COMPLETE freedom was NOT promised by the Constitution of United States and that there is any value or concept such as civilization that is word the price of any part of our freedom will be seen as code words for gosh who knows what.

Code words, bad words, evil words.

Had it been around, Uncle might have worked the word woke into the quote.

I mean such thoughts, let alone getting these thoughts down on paper, BOY HOWDY!

In his book, Waiting for the Morning Train: A Michigan Boyhood by my hero, Bruce Catton, Mr, Catton recalls the afterwards of a town versus town baseball game, writing thusly:

I remember one time a baseball team from a nearby town came over to play our team.

Our team was badly beaten, and afterward I watched a wagonload of out-of-town fans start off on the homeward trip.

These people were jubilant, and a woman sitting beside the driver called out gaily: “We came here to see Benzony get trimmed, and by Jolly they did get trimmed.”

This was bad to hear.

There was malice in it; furthermore, the woman had said “by Jolly,” which was simply a thin disguise for “by Golly.”

No one knew just what Golly was a euphemism for, but it clearly was some sort of profanity, and no woman in Benzonia would have used the word.

It appeared that the children of darkness had triumphed over the sons of light.

It’s just not civilized.

12.17.2022 – higher than wisdom

higher than wisdom
the soil in which the spirit
lives, thinks and invents

From the quote, Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents, which is credited to Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) by Bettina von Arnim in a letter to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, May 28, 1810.

SO did he say it?

Maybe.

Can I prove he did through a letter that purports to quote him?

Maybe.

Does it matter?

Nope.

Once more …

Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.

Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.

And as Fran Leibowitz says, “Music makes people happier, and it doesn’t harm them. Most things that make you feel better are harmful. It’s very unusual. It’s like a drug, that doesn’t kill you.“

Regardless, Happy Birthday Mr. Beethoven.

And to return to your words from other people’s letters, as you said on your death bed, Applaud, my friends, the comedy is over.