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After getting into a heated and rather futile argument with a couple of dingbat male cycling enthusiasts - I took a well-deserved walk around Greenwood Cemetery.
[Edited to Clarify: The argument was on Facebook not in the Cemetery. It's winter - so not really around. And there's gatekeepers at the Cemetery and security at all the entrances. They check everyone who enters - to ensure they are following the rules and stop those who don't. I've seen them stop cyclists and make them leave their bikes at the gate. And they ask drivers of motor vehicles why they are coming in, and inform them of the rules. Also check to see if people are wearing masks.]
[ Greenwood Cemetery in its over 168 years of operation has never permitted bicycles. (Oh people have snuck them in on occasion, and done dumb things, reinforcing the Cemetery's reasons for prohibiting it. The idiotic cyclists thought it was ridiculous Greenwood prohibited this. I don't know why I felt the need to debate the topic with them - none of us have any control over it. Also convincing folks of stuff on social media is kind of impossible at the moment. All that happens is everyone gets angry at each other. I tend to jump off just before it turns into a pissing match - or when my hands start shaking, and my blood pressure rises. Greenwood is a private cemetery and a historic landmark. It doesn't have to let people walk through it. I've talked to the gate keepers about it. These idiots can whine all they want, sign petitions, what have you - it's not going to change the Cemetery's perspective. Prior to the pandemic, the Cemetery didn't open any gates but the main entrance on weekdays. I'll keep my walker's paradise blissfully free from evil cyclists. No worries.]
There's another winter storm coming - should arrive around 6 AM tomorrow, and last until 9 PM tomorrow night, hit South Eastern New York and Northeastern NJ along with some of the Atlantic States. It's not supposed to go any further than that. And will most likely go out to sea.
In other news, mother informed me that my brother is having a tad more difficulty than expected disentangling himself from various items that contain his email address' domain name.
Me: Not as easy as he thought, eh?
Mother: Well, apparently he was on the phone with AT&T forever to get them to change it. And there's all these security protocols. Even after four hours, he got nowhere.
Me: Yeah, it can be problematic.
Mother: His wife told her daughter - "Our music streaming service is screwed up due to your father's greed."
I laughed. I know I shouldn't find it funny, but I do. Yes, changing ones email is a lot harder than it looks. And his domain name is connected to his email and his daughters and their finances, and his work, and his streaming.
Oh, my poor little brother.
I've decided it is physically impossible to take a bad picture of Greenwood Cemetery. Also the light and sky today were amazing - due to the on-coming weather system. It was also in the upper 40s.
There were people and cars, but not that many. I was able to walk for about fifteen minutes or twenty minutes without them nearby. I realized as I was walking and listening to the birds, and occasional conversations, that I'd walked the breadth of the pandemic through the Cemetery. I've seen the seasons change and shift during in it. And so have you, in a way, since I've posted pictures. I have seen every season in that cemetery unfold with all its permutations...
I'm thinking of donating more money to Greenwood and thanking them for prohibiting cyclists. I've grown to despise cyclists during this pandemic.
Decided to stop whinging and call my niece. Niece is lovely for putting up with her crazy old Auntie. We talked or chatted for a bit, then her Dad called her - and we hung up. It helps push the loneliness at bay - not that I'm truly THAT lonely. I tend to like to be in my own space for the most part. But it helps at times to hear another voice.
Apparently she, and her Mom are furious with my poor brother - for selling their email domain name. Now they all have to change everything.
Other news?
* I listened to an article in the NY Times Magazinethis morning about how the classics field needed to be changed and possibly disbanded - because of how it had increasingly presented a racist and white supremacist ideologue.
At first, I disagreed, but as I listened, I changed my mind realizing a few things along the way: 1) I've never been fond of the classics. 2) How information is presented, matters. Often it's the teacher not the subject matter - and if a teacher doesn't question the subject matter and provide a counter-argument? Also, how one portrays the classics could be the problem? I'm not sure they justify or endorse a slave-based society nor do they push racism, if anything the opposite - if you look deeply enough and critique it. Shakespeare kind of did in his plays, as did others. It's like any work of art - it doesn't exist in a vacuum - how we choose to critique and relate to it is important too.
* This article in Time Magazine is a rather interesting take on why we didn't end up with a coup or violence post the November election. Everyone, including Trump, was expecting it to happen. But nothing did. All that happened was celebrations and expressions of relief - across the land and around the world (with a few exceptions.) Also, I know a good portion of my readers were involved in this campaign, I know I was - I sent money and support to it. And I know there were people from church, family and friends who wrote postcards, did phone-banking, everything possible to ensure the election went off without a hitch and it was the cleanest and safest one on record as a result. We, together, protected our democracy.
( excerpt )
And it was bi-partisan in its effort. And went across all lines.
* They Stormed The Capital - Their Apps Tracked Them
Hee Hee.
A source has provided another data set, this time following the smartphones of thousands of Trump supporters, rioters and passers-by in Washington, D.C., on January 6, as Donald Trump’s political rally turned into a violent insurrection. At least five people died because of the riot at the Capitol. Key to bringing the mob to justice has been the event’s digital detritus: location data, geotagged photos, facial recognition, surveillance cameras and crowdsourcing.
It's scary. But also...funny. You can turn it off by the way. But people are dumb.
* A Martian Marathon with China, United Arab Emigrates, and the US this month
Be curious to see what happens once they all get there. [It's kind of disturbing to realize that science fiction authors are better at predicting the future than expected.]
( excerpt )
Crazy people doing outdoor dining in the middle of winter in little shacks on the sidewalk.
That was a new restaurant doing it - or the Thai to Farm Kitchen, the other one, Angelique's, has appeared to have given up for the time being.
Ah well...enough rambling for tonight. Last night I feel down the youtube rabbit hole - watching an Oscar roundtable with George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Michael Fassbender, Charliz Theron, Christopher Plummer and Viola Davis.
Did I already post this picture? I forget. Oh well, it will be gone in a month anyhow. [I did, I'm changing it.]
[Edited to Clarify: The argument was on Facebook not in the Cemetery. It's winter - so not really around. And there's gatekeepers at the Cemetery and security at all the entrances. They check everyone who enters - to ensure they are following the rules and stop those who don't. I've seen them stop cyclists and make them leave their bikes at the gate. And they ask drivers of motor vehicles why they are coming in, and inform them of the rules. Also check to see if people are wearing masks.]
[ Greenwood Cemetery in its over 168 years of operation has never permitted bicycles. (Oh people have snuck them in on occasion, and done dumb things, reinforcing the Cemetery's reasons for prohibiting it. The idiotic cyclists thought it was ridiculous Greenwood prohibited this. I don't know why I felt the need to debate the topic with them - none of us have any control over it. Also convincing folks of stuff on social media is kind of impossible at the moment. All that happens is everyone gets angry at each other. I tend to jump off just before it turns into a pissing match - or when my hands start shaking, and my blood pressure rises. Greenwood is a private cemetery and a historic landmark. It doesn't have to let people walk through it. I've talked to the gate keepers about it. These idiots can whine all they want, sign petitions, what have you - it's not going to change the Cemetery's perspective. Prior to the pandemic, the Cemetery didn't open any gates but the main entrance on weekdays. I'll keep my walker's paradise blissfully free from evil cyclists. No worries.]
There's another winter storm coming - should arrive around 6 AM tomorrow, and last until 9 PM tomorrow night, hit South Eastern New York and Northeastern NJ along with some of the Atlantic States. It's not supposed to go any further than that. And will most likely go out to sea.
In other news, mother informed me that my brother is having a tad more difficulty than expected disentangling himself from various items that contain his email address' domain name.
Me: Not as easy as he thought, eh?
Mother: Well, apparently he was on the phone with AT&T forever to get them to change it. And there's all these security protocols. Even after four hours, he got nowhere.
Me: Yeah, it can be problematic.
Mother: His wife told her daughter - "Our music streaming service is screwed up due to your father's greed."
I laughed. I know I shouldn't find it funny, but I do. Yes, changing ones email is a lot harder than it looks. And his domain name is connected to his email and his daughters and their finances, and his work, and his streaming.
Oh, my poor little brother.
I've decided it is physically impossible to take a bad picture of Greenwood Cemetery. Also the light and sky today were amazing - due to the on-coming weather system. It was also in the upper 40s.
There were people and cars, but not that many. I was able to walk for about fifteen minutes or twenty minutes without them nearby. I realized as I was walking and listening to the birds, and occasional conversations, that I'd walked the breadth of the pandemic through the Cemetery. I've seen the seasons change and shift during in it. And so have you, in a way, since I've posted pictures. I have seen every season in that cemetery unfold with all its permutations...
I'm thinking of donating more money to Greenwood and thanking them for prohibiting cyclists. I've grown to despise cyclists during this pandemic.
Decided to stop whinging and call my niece. Niece is lovely for putting up with her crazy old Auntie. We talked or chatted for a bit, then her Dad called her - and we hung up. It helps push the loneliness at bay - not that I'm truly THAT lonely. I tend to like to be in my own space for the most part. But it helps at times to hear another voice.
Apparently she, and her Mom are furious with my poor brother - for selling their email domain name. Now they all have to change everything.
Other news?
* I listened to an article in the NY Times Magazinethis morning about how the classics field needed to be changed and possibly disbanded - because of how it had increasingly presented a racist and white supremacist ideologue.
At first, I disagreed, but as I listened, I changed my mind realizing a few things along the way: 1) I've never been fond of the classics. 2) How information is presented, matters. Often it's the teacher not the subject matter - and if a teacher doesn't question the subject matter and provide a counter-argument? Also, how one portrays the classics could be the problem? I'm not sure they justify or endorse a slave-based society nor do they push racism, if anything the opposite - if you look deeply enough and critique it. Shakespeare kind of did in his plays, as did others. It's like any work of art - it doesn't exist in a vacuum - how we choose to critique and relate to it is important too.
* This article in Time Magazine is a rather interesting take on why we didn't end up with a coup or violence post the November election. Everyone, including Trump, was expecting it to happen. But nothing did. All that happened was celebrations and expressions of relief - across the land and around the world (with a few exceptions.) Also, I know a good portion of my readers were involved in this campaign, I know I was - I sent money and support to it. And I know there were people from church, family and friends who wrote postcards, did phone-banking, everything possible to ensure the election went off without a hitch and it was the cleanest and safest one on record as a result. We, together, protected our democracy.
( excerpt )
And it was bi-partisan in its effort. And went across all lines.
* They Stormed The Capital - Their Apps Tracked Them
Hee Hee.
A source has provided another data set, this time following the smartphones of thousands of Trump supporters, rioters and passers-by in Washington, D.C., on January 6, as Donald Trump’s political rally turned into a violent insurrection. At least five people died because of the riot at the Capitol. Key to bringing the mob to justice has been the event’s digital detritus: location data, geotagged photos, facial recognition, surveillance cameras and crowdsourcing.
It's scary. But also...funny. You can turn it off by the way. But people are dumb.
* A Martian Marathon with China, United Arab Emigrates, and the US this month
Be curious to see what happens once they all get there. [It's kind of disturbing to realize that science fiction authors are better at predicting the future than expected.]
( excerpt )
Crazy people doing outdoor dining in the middle of winter in little shacks on the sidewalk.
That was a new restaurant doing it - or the Thai to Farm Kitchen, the other one, Angelique's, has appeared to have given up for the time being.
Ah well...enough rambling for tonight. Last night I feel down the youtube rabbit hole - watching an Oscar roundtable with George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Michael Fassbender, Charliz Theron, Christopher Plummer and Viola Davis.
Did I already post this picture? I forget. Oh well, it will be gone in a month anyhow. [I did, I'm changing it.]