Sadie and the Christmas Tree, Part 2022

 

One of the traditions that we like to do is to set up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. My girlfriend and I still both love Christmas, and we both love to see a lit up tree to cheer things up during the extended darkness this time of the year.

Admittedly, the tree went up a little bit later than usual this year. In fact, we just put it up yesterday, literally a week later than when we usually do it. That said, I did make sure to put up a Christmas tree at my son's place some days earlier, to brighten up the place and, hopefully, to make his Christmas experience a little brighter and more exciting. It is a small tree, admittedly. But better than nothing. Plus, it up on a table by the window, and add decorations all around it as well, to make it look better even than it does. I rather like it. 

Getting back to the bigger Christmas tree that my girlfriend and I have and just put up, anyone with cats knows that Christmas trees are often viewed as welcome, indoor playgrounds for felines. They love to climb up the tree, and then love to hit the ornaments, often to the point of knocking them down on the ground. Obviously, it is not a good idea to put up delicate or prized ornaments when you have cats, especially young ones. 

Two years ago, we had a young kitten, who was then less than three months old. She absolutely adored our Christmas tree, and decided to help us decorate. Yes, Sadie was extremely helpful in this regard, knocking down the ornaments that she feels were misplaced, and regularly climbing the Christmas tree in order to get a better appreciation of the lights and ornaments and such.

Well, Sadie continued her fascination with the Christmas tree this year. She has not done nearly as much damage, but she did climb the tree very soon after it was put up. My girlfriend took the picture. And she seems far more fascinated with the tree than the other two, older cats that we have, who seem almost indifferent towards the tree, surprisingly. 

In any case, here are some pictures to show Sadie back then and now. She's definitely grown some! 

2020:

2022: 

Christmas tree at my son's place

LeBron James Questions Media Silence Regarding Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Attending a Racial Desegregation Protest in 1957

Now, I have said before that I am not the biggest fan of LeBron James. Mostly, I take exception with his own seeming aggressive push to be recognized as the "GOAT" of basketball. He is undeniably great, but I am not sure that he is better than Kobe Bryant, and I am quite sure that he is not as great as either Michael Jordan or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

That said, I do admire his bravery in taking strong political stands, which he did some years ago during the BLM movement.

Well, he did it again. He criticized the media's fixation on the controversy involving tweets from NBA star Kyrie Irving, when he promoted a movie with anti-Semitic themes. And while I hardly think that LeBron is exactly exonerating Irving, he does point out how strange it is that black celebrities like Irving and Kanye West get strongly and seriously scrutinized, while white celebrities often do not receive nearly the same scrutiny.

Specifically, he pointed to a picture recently released that showed Jerry Jones present during a racial desegregation protest at Little Rock High School in Arkansas in 1957. Jones was only a teenager at the time, and it is not really clear whether he was a supporter of segregation or not, at least from the picture.

However, does LeBron not have a point? The media slammed Kyrie Irving - and justifiably so, as far as I am concerned - for the anti-Semitism controversy, and his apparent difficulty in even seriously apologizing for it. Yet here is a prominent and very publicly visible owner of one of the most iconic franchises in sports who outright was in attendance during a protest regarding one of the most controversial chapters in modern American history, and there have been no questions asked? 

That kind of makes you wonder if, as LeBron is suggesting, there is not some double standard at play. Let's se if more serious scrutiny is applied towards Jones now. 

LeBron James: A photo of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones attending a racial desegregation protest in 1957 has NBA star asking questions of media’s handling of race issues by Amy Woodyatt and Homero De la Fuente, CNN , Thu December 1, 2022:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/01/sport/lebron-james-jerry-jones-photo-intl-spt/index.html

LeBron James 'disappointed' by lack of questions about 1957 Jerry Jones photo, says media were 'quick to ask' about Kyrie Irving by Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer, December 1, 2022: 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35153937/lebron-james-faults-media-not-asking-1957-jerry-jones-photo

Far From a Genius Move, Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover Has Made Him Look Foolish

“This is an individual who has demonstrated a total lack of grace, has no guardrails around him and is going to see his wealth probably cut in half.” 

-  Scott Galloway

There is this mythology regarding ultrawealthy individuals - billionaires - and how they are there because they are so much smarter than the rest of us. This is particularly true in the United States today, where we tend to virtually worship certain celebrities and people of power. Many celebrities are given almost divine status and, as such, it seems like their most loyal followers really do feel that they can do no wrong, that they literally are too smart to make any mistakes. Look at who was sitting in the Oval office not long ago, and how blind and cultish his most loyal followers tended to be.

Well, Elon Musk is one such figure. We've had it crammed down our throats that this man is some kind of a genius. Indeed, he officially became the richest man in the world, and became the face of one of the fastest growing car companies: Tesla. He also seemed to be a pioneer in modern space exploration. And for a while, it seemed like everything that he touched turned to gold, at least according to his fans, and some who hoped to get rich off stocks related to Tesla.

But this man has made some mistakes. Serious mistakes, ones that compromise these notions that he is some kind of incredible genius. And his arrogance has begun to rub many people the wrong way.

Now, it seems like many of these things are being exposed in a very public way. Musk decided to go ahead and buy Twitter. In so doing, he dismayed those who identify themselves as liberals and/or opposed to Trumpism, because many Trump supporters believed that Musk would give Trump and his supporters free reign once he took over Twitter. Then, once he placed restrictions and seemed to have reservations about bringing Trump back, he dismayed Trump supporters and many who identify themselves as conservatives. And he dismayed those who were interested in buying Twitter stocks with all of this uncertainty, and then by seemingly engaging in a panic move by laying off many workers, as stocks tumbled. 

It could turn around, possibly. Stranger things have happened. However, it feels like some of the shine of the formerly glowing public perception of Elon Musk has finally worn off and eroded a bit. No longer do so many people feel that he is an unquestionable genius.

Personally, I think of Musk in a similar fashion to Trump himself. He is a needy billionaire with a very privileged background and a false sense of entitlement. Like Trump, he likes being the center of attention and headlines. And like Trump, he seems to always assume that whatever he has done, is doing, or about to do is sheer genius, simply because he is the one doing it. As far as that goes, then, I am glad to see such a man as this cut down to size a little bit. 

Below is the link to the Forbes article that I used i writing this particular blog entry:

How Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover Is Ruining His Own Myth — And Tesla’s Stock by Alan Ohnsman, Forbes Staff, Nov 23, 2022:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2022/11/23/elon-musk-tesla-stock-twitter/?sh=2839f89b6f81

Movie Trailer For Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Released

Okay, so we now have our first real glimpse of the upcoming Indiana Jones movie. It will be the fifth installment of the franchise, and will also be the final Indiana Jones movie. It will also be the first Indiana Jones movie not written by George Lucas, who seems tom have been effectively pushed out of both Indiana Jones and Star Wars. 

Still not quite sure what the adventure will be based on this particular trailer, which does not really show too much, while nevertheless giving glimpses of various adventures from both the past and the present. Harrison Ford has gone through a digital de-aging process for this particular film.

One thing that was quite amusing: the very end of the trailer. While I do not wish to spoil it for anyone who has yet to see the trailer, it evokes one of the most iconic, memorable and humorous scenes involving Indiana Jones, but with a new twist added. I found it funny, and my guess is that plenty of others will, as well.

It is almost here, right around the corner. Getting excited now.

Watch the trailer if you want, and click on the link below for some more information on the upcoming movie, which is set for release on June 23, 2023.

Enjoy the trailer!

Harrison Ford Goes Under the De-Aging Technology Knife for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny by Alejandra Gularte, December1, 2022:

https://www.vulture.com/2022/12/indiana-jones-5-release-date-casting-details.html

Lindsey Buckingham Pays His Respects To Christine McVie

Okay, one last post on the passing of Christine McVie. 

I already posted two blog entries on two other prominent bandmates from Fleetwood Mac paying tribute to McVie. So might as well do the third, right?

Here is a link to the article, and here, specifically, is what Lindsey Buckingham said in honor of his former bandmate and, as he calls her, "musical comrade, a friend and a soul mate:"

“Christine McVie’s sudden passing is profoundly heartbreaking,” Buckingham began his message, posted to Instagram. “Not only were she and I part of the magical family of Fleetwood Mac, to me Christine was a musical comrade, a friend, a soul mate, a sister. For over four decades, we helped each other create a beautiful body of work and a lasting legacy that continues to resonate today. I feel very lucky to have known her. Though she will be deeply missed, her spirit will live on through that body of work and that legacy.”  

RIP, Christine McVie.

Lindsey Buckingham Honors ‘Musical Comrade’ Christine McVie by Corey Irwin, December 1, 2022:

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/lindsey-buckingham-christine-mcvie-death/?fbclid=IwAR0Bz_mQkFebcogrirJ6gbrso4kYch-13tubD-zfJevOMyoRA7e6DTG05MI

Another Former Fleetwood Mac Bandmate, Mick Fleetwood, Pays Tribute to Christine McVie

Tributes are coming in now for Christine McVie.

One includes former bandmate Mick Fleetwood, who like Stevie Nicks, gave a moving tribute to his departed bandmate.

Below is the link to this article:

Mick Fleetwood Pays Tribute to Christine McVie: ‘Part of My Heart Has Flown Away Today’ "I will miss everything about you Christine McVie. Memories abound… they fly to me," Fleetwood writes following the death of his bandmate  BY DANIEL KREPS  NOVEMBER 30, 2022

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mick-fleetwood-christine-mcvie-tribute-fleetwood-mac-1234639050/?fbclid=IwAR1banUqYbhUy_VmjfDGddR0FIbY49n04QJ2KiC3f3W61jAPvFt8Qyb7tu8

NFL 2022 Week 13 Thursday Night Football Preview: Buffalo at New England

  

🏈🏈🏈🏈

Buffalo Bills (8-3) at New England Patriots (6-5)

Remember how these were the top playoff teams in the AFC East last season? Remember how it seemed like a wild race, one that the Patriots had effectively won, two games up and a victory at Buffalo in their pockets, with just a few weeks remaining? And then, the Pats got col, and Buffalo got hot, and stormed back to take the division, returning the favor and beating the Patriots up in Foxboro? Then, the Bills completely dominated the playoff meeting between the two teams.

Well, this is the first rematch between these two teams since then. And this has been another wild AFC East race, although involves all four teams this year, instead of just these two particular teams. Both of these franchises have seen an up and down kind of season here so far. New England has kind of been all over the place, just up and down, while the Bills raced off to a 6-1 start before dropping two straight against the Jets and Minnesota. Then, they returned back to form and have now won their last two games, including a big win in Detroit on Thanksgiving.

Bill Belichick will try to do some things. He is very shrewd and habitually prepared. My suspicion is that this is a large part of why New England currently sports an overall winning record, or why they were as successful as they were last season. So they should prove to be tough, as they were at Minnesota.

All of that said, the Bills feel like the better overall team. They know that they went through some bumps on the road, and they also know that despite an impressive record against teams outside of the AFC East (8-1), they are nevertheless 0-2 within their own AFC East division to this point. And that needs to change, if they are going to win the division title and secure an elite position come playoff time. True, they have not looked as incredible as they did earlier in the season. But this is still one of the elite teams in the AFC, and indeed the league. Tonight, I believe they will remind us all of why that is.

My pick: Buffalo