All Things in Moderation

What is a conservative?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-best-way-to-tell-if-someone-is-a-conservative/2018/05/25/fdc5a1fa-5f83-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html?utm_term=.e3ae61ec8985

Will’s perspective here has resonance for me, especially because I agree that TR was the progenitor of the modern Presidency.  I have always thought, since law school anyway, that Taft deserved better placement in history, but Wilson, quite a bit worse.

I will be reading McCain’s final book as soon as it is in paperback.

Our Adriatic cruise was the first pleasure cruise longer than eight hours for me.  Plusses:

• we got a taste of several different “go to” destinations – the ruins at Delos, the ruins at Minos, the UN historical site at Alborello, the mountain views on Corfu, the surprisingly [to us] inviting old Dubrovnik, and Venice.
• a decent amount of walking at each destination.
• perfect May weather, 70s, no rain.
• relatively low cost way to “sample” several destinations.
• comfortable and efficient cabin on ship (MSC Lirica)
• talented entertainers nightly in big production staged music, magic, dance, and acrobatics.
• a world of travelers and a core crew fluent in five languages; mix of ages, families, singles.

Minuses:

• Cruise ships are apparently studies in captive audience selling – massages, youthful skin treatments, yoga, dance lessons, photos, duty free inflated priced jewelry, and much more.
• The shipboard food is plentiful but uneven in quality –  e.g.; great fresh fruit but beef like shoe leather no matter how you order it.
• Public spaces are superficially glitzy, like casinos – visually tiring after a few days.
• People past middle age in bikinis and skinny briefs flaunting beer guts and worse.
• Bad lounge singers in the bars – remember Bill Murray’s parodies?
• Ping Pong on the deck of a ship making 20 knots.

I had never intended to cruise anywhere except perhaps a river or the Inner Passage from Alaska to Vancouver.  I am still of that mindset.  We did this trip because my brother in law arranged it for his wife’s 60th birthday. Thus there were three siblings and their spouses traveling together.  We all get along well so Rosanne and I were willing to join in.

My bucket list is long and my time may not be.  Too many National Parks left, plus Australia, New Zealand, more UK, more Canada, and more Italy.  Cruises are not the way to do that.  And Corfu may be pretty, but it isn’t spectacular like the American west and northwest, or many stops on the Canadian Pacific route from Vancouver to Banff.

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This post is for Brent.

Classic commercials of the 60’s and 70’s. Talk about nostalgia and bringing back memories. Remember that crying Indian?

I don’t know what made me think of this, but I remember seeing this game live on WPIX when I was a kid. I’d never seen anyone so crazed before.

Duke beat Syracuse for the NCAA lacrosse national championship yesterday. This a more palatable memory, from 2009 (OK…this is more for me than Brent):

For all you Star Wars and Star Trek geeks, the physics of space battles.

This one really is for Brent…America’s coolest houses. BTW, number 2 is actually in New Canaan, so Brent you can easily visit. (I don’t get why it is such a big tourist attraction, but then again I don’t get a lot of things.)

And finally, an old KW favorite…bad lip reading:

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