A little later than usual, but isn't that typical of the times we're in now. But, as I once again sit down with Rush: Different Stages Live playing in the background, I ask you all to pull up a chair and come along with me down the road that is the annual tradition. Yes folks, here is the always rambling, occasionally entertaining, hopefully educating: What I Learned, What I'm Thankful for, and What I'd Like to Forget, 2021 edition.
I'd like to forget that I hardly wrote anything this year. Seriously, it's like this blog gets harder to write every year, not because I don't have enough information to fill it (that always comes), but rather because I've forgotten how to write in the interim, simply because I haven't spent enough time in front of the computer.
I'm thankful to have a new computer this year. For the first time since probably before this blog even started, which is a LOT of years ago, I'm typing this on a new computer.
I'd like to forget that it took me MONTHS to figure out said computer, because I was literally still using MS Office 2000, and Windows XP. Stunningly, computer software, and hardware, has evolved quite a bit since then.
I'd like to forget that Microsoft software absolutely sucks now.
I'm thankful for Open Office, which is free, and even though it took me a while to figure out how to use it, I now am using for everything, and am able to not have a constant barrage of Microsoft ads asking me if I want to upgrade to the paid version. And I can actually store everything on my computer instead of in the cloud.
I'd like to forget that I didn't get the annual Dreaded Christmas Letter out this year. Honestly, the biggest reason was simply that my Christmas card mailing list is still on the old computer, and it is such a pain in the ass to access it now, that I ran out of time.
I'm thankful for the reasons I ran out of time.
I'm thankful for the experiences that I had for my 50th birthday this year. The Van Gogh exhibition in Portland was one of the most amazing things I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. It was beautiful enough to make me cry (not that that takes much, I'm a total sap), but also beautiful enough to have been worth sitting through twice.
I'm thankful to have followed that up with the Queen Nefertari exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, which was fabulous.
I'm then very thankful to have finished off my birthday trip with a two-day stay at the Sylvia Beach Hotel. Seriously, if you're a book lover, you should at least once in your life take the time to make that a destination for you. Every room is just so wonderful.
I'm also thankful to have had the opportunity to hit up 11 different bookstores on my birthday trip, and to have scored some wonderful first editions.
All this thanks, lets learn some stuff... I learned that Armagnac is the oldest liquor to have been continuously produced. It's a brandy distilled from wine in France and has been made since 1310.
I learned that Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist, has a non-profit organization called the Silk Road Project that promotes collaboration between artists and institutions, and promotes multicultural artistic exchange.
I learned that, and am thankful for, the Keith Jarrett album The Koln Concert, is truly an amazing piece of music.
I learned that the Kerguelen Islands are a couple of thousand miles SE of Madagascar, and are also known as the Desolation Islands, as they are among the most isolated places on Earth. I think I've found my retirement home. Just me and a few thousand books.
I learned that the California Raisin girl was a woman named Lorraine Collett.
I'm thankful to have had the opportunity, for the fourth year in a row, to beat my personal record for number of books read in a year. I finished 2021 having read 185 books. And it's that love of reading that generally gives me almost all of the “I learned...” entries in this blog. My goal is always 150 books a year, but last year was a good year. And this year I started with 6 books in the first 9 days, so I'm hopeful I can reach it again next year.
I'm thankful to my mom who instilled in me a true love of reading.
I'd like to forget that it's now been almost 9 years since my mom died, and I still miss her almost every day.
I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to coach kids in baseball for 34 years. I started when I was 16 years old at Lambert Park Little League as a pitching coach for 11 and 12 year olds. And after 34 years, most of which were spent as a pitching coach for 11- and 12-year-old kids, that that is still my favorite age to coach. They're young enough to still love the game without taking it too seriously, and old enough that you can actually coach them and have them retain the knowledge. I've known for a couple of years that I no longer had the mental drive to do it anymore, and Covid just knocked the final wind out of my sails. But I hope that I have made a difference in at least a few lives.
I'm overwhelmingly thankful that in my final year of coaching, for the first time ever, one of the kids that I coached was taken in the Major League Baseball draft, with Robert Ahlstrom getting picked in the 7th round by the Yankees.
I'd like to forget that I didn't get one final season of coaching the absolute greatest pitcher I ever coached, Sean Freepons. I had hoped to have one last chance to admire him, but alas, it wasn't to be.
I'm thankful that I was able to have the year-end party this year, after not being able to in 2020. And I'm thankful that for the first time ever, I was able to get everything made without scratching anything for time. 29-courses for 20 people.
I'd like to forget that another one of my former pitchers, Bennett, wasn't able to help cook with me this year. But I predict that if he ever chooses to pursue that as a career, he will be unbelievably successful.
I'm thankful once again, for my therapist, Robert Noble. Having been in therapy for a number of years now and having worked through a lot of my bigger issues, many of our sessions now are simply both of us bitching about the state of the world, and making pop culture references about everything. But I know that whenever I do have something that I need to process, he's there to help. Therapy works folks, you should try it.
I'd like to forget that Aline Kangas died. Technically this happened a couple of days into 2022, but I'm using the Neil Peart rule to include anything that happens between the first of the year, and whenever I get off my lazy ass to write this blog. Virtually no one who reads this blog will know that person by name, but anyone who has read this blog over the years should remember the story of my shoes. Many years ago, I posted a picture of a bird that landed on my foot when I was leaving work up in the mountains one day. At the time, my shoes were pretty worn out. When Aline saw that photo, she sent me a new pair of shoes. This would be a wonderful act of kindness if it were done by any of my long-time friends. But here's the kicker, I never had the chance to actually meet Aline. She was originally a person that I met 12 or so years ago playing Mafia Wars on Facebook (let's all date ourselves with that reference). Afterwards we started playing Scrabble together for a couple of years, and eventually we migrated like everyone else, to Words With Friends. She was arguably the best opponent I had on there, even though she was discouraged by not being able to beat me more. She beat me more than anyone else ever did. She was a beautiful person, and I will miss her very much. And thanks again for the shoes.
I'd still like to forget that Neil Peart is dead, and there will never be any new Rush music.
I learned, shockingly, that 45% of all pregnancies in this country are unplanned. West Virginia has the highest rate in the country, as 53% of all WV pregnancies are unplanned.
I learned that Fath Ali Shah Qajar, the second Shah of Iran, had more than 1000 wives, and when he died he was survived by 57 sons and 46 daughters, as well as 296 grandsons and 292 granddaughters. Take that Wilt.
I learned that Titivillus was said to be a demon that worked on behalf of Satan to introduce errors into the work of scribes.
I learned that most moths don't have mouths.
I learned that the Kudzu vine can grow several feet a day.
I learned that the name of the traditional Venetian masquerade mask is a Mascheranda mask.
I'd like to forget that Covid time exists. Not Covid itself, that obviously sucks. But the phenomenon of like, not realizing where the last two years went, or that something that feels like it was a couple of months ago was actually like 18 months ago. It's just weird and I don't like it.
I'm thankful that I've been able to resume live poker again. If you're interested in playing, see my post from a couple of days ago on my timeline. Now doing poker both live and online.
I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to bottle feed kittens again this year. It sucks when we then have to pass them on to their forever homes, but just being able to have that opportunity is wonderful.
I'm thankful for all the animals that we were able to foster this year.
I'd like to forget that one of the dogs we fostered was returned six months later for being “too snuggly”. Seriously, WTF?
I'm thankful that my favorite team in two separate sports, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (no I'm not a bandwagon jumper, I've been a fan since the Lee Roy Selmon creamsicle jersey days), and the Atlanta Braves, were both able to win their respective titles.
I'm still thankful for this particular Rush album. I love all of their live albums, but I really do think this is the best of them all.
I'd like to thank Ryan Lee, who rearended my car a few weeks before my birthday vacation, causing enough damage to warrant a settlement, but not enough damage that my extremely non-vain self needed to repair the car. So, when the settlement came through as we were driving out of town to start the vacation, in an amount that pretty much paid for the whole trip, it was like an added birthday present.
Obviously, like everyone else, I'd like to forget that Betty White is gone. And I can't say this is really something that I learned, because basic math is one of my stronger suits. But as I was feeling all old the past month or so, I saw a post that pointed out something interesting. When I was born 50 years ago now, Betty White was essentially the same age that I am now. I seriously doubt that I have another 50 in me, but it at least made me reframe the argument in my head that I'm far closer to the end than I am to the beginning. Maybe I'll be lucky, and all of you fuckers will be stuck reading this blog for another 50 years.
I'd like to forget that we did lose one animal this year, Ponics, the leopard gecko. So many times over the years, I thought he was dead, only to have him perk up when I would blow on him. But he lived a hell of a life for a leopard gecko, 21 years.
Under the Neil Peart rule, I'm thankful that we did add one animal as well, as Sara finally has the turtle that she's always wanted.
I'm very thankful to have finally had the opportunity to meet Kristin Warnaca in person, after a couple of years of only chatting online. Such a truly wonderful human being, that I am happy to have as a friend and a part of my life.
I learned that the lights at Hood View Park in Happy Valley shut off on a timer at 10pm. This is fine, unless you're still in the middle of a baseball game at 10pm. Then it's a bit of a problem, because it takes a solid half-hour to restart the lights, which makes for a VERY late finish to your game. Fortunately, we didn't have the early game the next day.
I'm thankful for figuring out how to rearrange things in my bedroom as to allow for 4 ½ more bookshelves. This has allowed me to up my personal library to just under 1500 first editions. And I'm now able to go to sleep and wake up next to a wall of books, which is remarkably relaxing.
I learned how a diving bell works. I had always read the term diving bell, and understood the general idea of them, but not how they actually work. Basically, it's the same concept of turning a glass upside down and submerging it in water, where there's a pocket of air that remains at the top.
I learned that Gulab Jamun is the national dessert of Pakistan. It's basically milk solids garnished with dried nuts.
I learned that despite many stories depicting pirates tattooing maps to their hidden treasures on their skulls, and then letting their hair grow out as to conceal them, that they are basically all apocryphal. I can find no evidence anywhere supporting this claim.
However, I did learn about steganography, which is basically the act of hiding a secret message within a larger one in such a way that others can't discern that it exists. The most famous example was the message written by Demaratus and sent back to Greece to warn of the impending invasion by Xerxes.
I learned about the Lillehammer incident during the Wrath of God operation. The Wrath of God operation was the Mossad agents assassinating members of Black September, the group responsible for the massacre of Israeli olympic team in 1972. But the Lillehammer incident was where they thought they were killing Ali Hassan Salameh, who was the head of operations for Black September, but in reality, they killed a Moroccan waiter named Ahmed Bouchikhi.
I learned that the Pronghorn Antelope is the second fastest animal on land after the cheetah, with a top speed just over 60mph.
I learned that prior to 1868 Tokyo was named Edo.
I learned that Eric Stoltz was originally supposed to play Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies. Does that mean Michael J. Fox would have been in Pulp Fiction?
I'm very very thankful to have a job where I'm able to read as much as I do, and learn all of this absolutely useless knowledge, that I'm now passing along to you.
I'm really thankful that I enjoy drinking water as much as I do. Seriously, it is the only healthy thing that I do. I eat like shit, I don't exercise regularly, but I am willing to bet that I drink more water than almost anyone that's reading this. I easily drink over a gallon a day, sometimes two.
I'm thankful that Kinkfest is, fingers crossed, going to happen again in 2022. And I'd like to forget that it has been Covid-canceled for the last two years.
I'd like to forget that I didn't experiment much at all in the kitchen this year.
I'd like to forget that one of the main reasons that I didn't experiment much was because our dishwasher was out of commission for many months.
I'd really really like to forget that when I finally got it in my head to fix the dishwasher, it was like a 20-minute fix.
I learned that dishwashers are super easy to fix, at least when it's just replacing the hoses.
I really wish I'd learned that earlier.
I'd like to forget that I just spent half a page talking about the dishwasher after it caused so much stress earlier in the year.
I'm thankful to have a therapy session tomorrow where I can relieve the stress of the dishwasher discussion.
I'm not going to spend much time on the actual books that I read this year, as I just did a blog about my top books of the year (if you're interested, it will be the entry directly below this one on my blog). But I am very thankful for the experience of reading West With the Night by Beryl Markham. It was my top book of the year. Check it out.
I'm thankful for the recommendation from Meagan.
I'd like to forget that I didn't get to spend any time with Meagan last year, and hope to remedy that this year.
Speaking of books, I'd like to forget that I didn't spend nearly as much time this year restocking the little free libraries around town. I was able to do it a couple of times but didn't have the books available to do more of it. If you have any books that you no longer want, and you're in the Eugene area, let me know and I'll come by and pick them up. Or you can always just leave them on my porch sometime. I will make sure they find new homes.
I learned that the largest prefix of a unit of measurement in the metric system is Yotta, which represents 10^24 or one septillion.
I learned that the LeMat's pistol holds 9 rounds plus a shotgun shell. It was built in France as a weapon for the South in the Civil War, after the North turned him down. They were devastatingly powerful, but weak metal made them unreliable.
I learned that Project Stormfury was a joint effort between the Navy and the National Weather Bureau to use silver iodide in an attempt to weaken hurricanes. It ran from 1962 to 1971, but didn't work as the science behind it was flawed.
I learned that the process of protecting oneself against poison by ingesting microdoses of it (think Westley with Iocane powder in The Princess Bride) is called Mithridatism.
I learned about the Iron Mountain, which was a ship that supposedly disappeared on the Mississippi in 1882, only to magically reappear elsewhere years later. The reality was that it sank in 1882, and remained on the bottom for many years until the river flooded, and pushed it way down a tributary of the river to be discovered.
I learned that mummies in Arica, Chile predate Egyptian mummies by nearly 2000 years.
I learned that the drug Ecstasy was created in Germany by a company trying to develop blood coagulants.
I learned that Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the home of the atom bomb, and many cities like it at the time, were basically pop-up cities created almost entirely from a wonderfully unhealthy material called Cemesto, a quick and easy material made of cement and asbestos, and nearly every building in these cities was made of it.
I learned about Erastus Cravath, who was a pastor who after the Civil War helped found Fisk University and other Historically Black Colleges for the education of freedmen.
I learned that the first governor of California, Peter Burnett was a pretty terrible dude. He signed the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians, which, despite its name pretty much enabled the enslavement and genocide of those peoples.
I learned the origin of “Pass with Flying Colors”, which is a phrase from the Age of Discovery, where ships would return to port with their flags (or colors) either raised or lowered to signify success or defeat, with raised flags representing success.
I learned that the Bechdel movie test, named after the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, is a measure of the representation of women in fiction. It asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man.
I learned that the oft quoted claim that the majority of plastic in the ocean is discarded fishing nets is bullshit. Taking micro plastics (the bulk of plastics in the ocean) into account, the number most often reached is 10%, but even that number seemingly is pulled out of thin air.
I learned that Valoy Eaton painted some really great landscapes. Seriously do a Google image search of him. Enjoy. Do it while listening to the Keith Jarrett Koln Concert I mentioned earlier in this blog. Have a relaxing afternoon.
I learned that a .454 Casull is a handgun capable of exploding a 16-lb bowling ball in two shots.
I'm thankful that I learned so much this year, and that this blog is more learning and less wanting to forget.
I'm thankful that the snow that shut things down around Christmas timed itself so perfectly as to come in on my first day off and be back to normal by my first day back to work. Let's time it like that all winter Mother Nature. Deal?
I'd love to forget the time we all spent looking for Poe after thinking that he had escaped through a window that Doja's freaky sister had torn in Sara's window. After we all spent hours wandering around town, Poe calmly walked out of his hiding place in the garage, came up to us and wondered why we all seemed stressed out. Can I get some head scratches now?
I'm thankful for being able to watch Ves grow up this year, thanks to all of Meagan's posts and videos.
Remember the ubiquitous Bernie Sanders memes of him sitting in the chair with the mittens? That was less than a year ago. Once again, I'd like to forget the mindfuck that is Covid-time.
I'm thankful for my membership at the Portland Art Museum, which is seriously worth every penny.
I'm thankful that neither my original vaccination, nor my booster, had any side effects at all other than a slightly sore arm for a day. Seriously, my pneumonia vaccine hurt way more.
I'd like to forget the friends that have died over the last few years. When I was scrolling through my poker post the other day looking for people to tag, I was honestly stunned at the number of friends that are no longer with me. I feel old, and then that whole “Betty White got another 49 ¾ years from where you are right now” kicks in and I simply feel lucky to have had the time I have had. Especially 26 years post-Cancer.
I'm thankful for St. Vinnie's book sales. Even despite their dick move of raising the prices on their books on the first day of one of the sales last year.
I'm thankful to have had nearly two decades of being able to coach with Chris Arbogast, who allowed me to run the pitching staff the way I wanted to do it without interference. Beyond the fact that I was mentally burned out the last two years, the biggest reason I retired this year was that he was retiring from coaching as well, and I honestly don't have it in me to deal with someone new after almost 20 years.
I'm thankful for all of the books I read this year that were “favorite books” of friends. I asked that question of many people over the last year, and many of my Top-20 books of the year came from those recommendations. Out of the 15-20 books that came from that, I only had one book that I hated, and almost everything else I loved or liked a lot. So, if you're reading this, and you haven't already done so, please either comment below, or send me a message, letting me know what your favorite book is. I will read it, even if, as was the case with Cold Mountain, I despise it. And if I do hate it, I'll at least try to be kind when I let you know that I hated it, and will never trust your judgment about anything ever again. Lol.
I'd like to forget the friends that I lost over the last year or two. Seriously, it's not you, it's me. I realize it's me, and I'm sorry. It doesn't change anything, but my regret is sincere, and hopefully you can at least take some tiny solace in that. Not that any of you are actually reading this, but on the off chance that you stumble across it late at night sometime, there you have it.
I learned that Roy Bean was a judge that ruled in 1884 that a Chinese man in Texas wasn't murdered because under Texas law, the Chinese weren't human. So hey, even though racism is still a massive problem in this country, at least we aren't THAT racist anymore.
I learned that Lady Trieu was a warrior in 3rd century Vietnam who managed for a time, to resist the rule of the Chinese Eastern Wu Dynasty, and is still considered a national hero now.
I learned that the concept of Social Security was at least in part based on a book called The Fixed Period by Anthony Trollope. It also led to the classic Sci-Fi movie Logan's Run.
I learned that Megadeth was the first band with a website. Megadeth, Arizona was a fitional town setup, and the band actually spent time online interacting with fans.
I'd like to forget that for only the second time in all the years that I have been running my poker tournament, I didn't win the regular season points title. Congrats, Kyle on a great year.
I'm thankful for the apple tree at my site, which every year in the spring gives me a week or so of absolute beauty when it blossoms.
I'm thankful for Estate Sales, where I found a bunch of great art, and a handful of rare books this year.
I'd like to forget that I didn't get nearly as many really great bird photos this year.
I'm thankful for the opportunity to take bird photos whenever I want at work.
I'm thankful for Otis the Bloodhound who comes into my work, and who I can hear howling from a quarter of a mile away when he turns onto the road to my site, because he knows I'm going to feed him a dog treat. Seriously, I love all the animals that have come into my sites over the years, but Otis is my favorite of them all.
I'm thankful to have not just been able to go to a concert this year, but to have gotten really great seats to it. Guns N' Roses was pretty awesome. Also, if you haven't heard the new AC/DC album with Axl doing the vocals, check it out. It's amazing how much he sounds like Brian Johnson.
I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to do the Redwood Sky Walk at the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka. That town is pretty terrible overall, but it did have a good seafood restaurant, and the Zoo is worth it just for that Skywalk, which makes you appreciate the Redwoods better than most experiences.
I am thankful that I was able to convince Renne to take the chance to quit her U of O job and come to work for the county, as her timing was perfect and she was able to go from being a 520, to having her own full-time rural site in a matter of months. It took me 6 ½ years.
I'm thankful for no major fires in Lane County this year.
I'm thankful to have actually had trick-or-treaters this year, and to have actually carved pumpkins.
I'd like to forget that we did almost no Christmas decorating, as we just didn't have the energy for it.
I'd like to forget that the Stellar Jays, and the Northern Flicker Woodpeckers both discovered my bird feeder this year for the first time, and so I'm burning through suet at twice the pace now.
I'm thankful for discovering Critical Role this year, which is a lot of fun to watch, but takes up an inordinate amount of time.
I'm actually thankful that I have almost no new shows to recommend to you all, as I spent very little time watching TV other than British Baking late at night. I probably watch about 10% of what I used to watch. If the choice is a book or a TV show, the book always wins. I can give you lots of author recommendations if you'd like.
I'd like to forget that Niantic, the company behind the Harry Potter: Wizard's Unite game, doesn't ever answer their email, and so I've been locked out of the game for months, and possibly won't ever play again, as I'm not starting over.
I'm thankful for Sara's membership at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
I'm thankful that I still have the recipe for my grandfather's butter cookies. So addictive. No, I don't give that one out (there are only two cookies I don't give out the recipe for, that's one of them). But I'll gladly sell you a dozen anytime you want them.
I'd like to forget that I did very little baking this year. After the fiasco last year where I made 23 cheesecakes and 22 dozen cookies in two days, and then couldn't move my back for two days afterwards, I took a bit too much time off, and reevaluated my process. Smaller batches, I will get to baking soon if you're interested.
I'd like to forget that as I've gotten older, my hands don't hold up as much as they used to. So, after a couple of hours, my fingers are screaming at me, and I need to wrap this up.
So, I will end with my usual thing that I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for all of you. Seriously, if you've read all of this, I'm so thankful that you chose to spend some of your time with me. I'm thankful that each and every one of you is in my life. I love you all. Whether I've known you for 40 years, or 40 days, I love you. Because if we're ever going to make it through everything that's going on in the world, the only way we're going to do it is with love, not with hate. So, thank you all for being a part of my life, I love you all.
