Where have I been this week? The week started off in Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia, we drove home from there stopping at the massively oversized Wegmans in Lorton, then Mt. Vernon, and the Farmers Market. Shopping run and walk. The pool, the gym. Out to lunch at Noodles, and then a nice wander and shopping. The gym, the pool several times. Mt Vernon for a long walk. What have I been up to in the Kitchen this week? Lamb tenderloin and roast butternut squash, pizza, leek and potato soup, braised beef short ribs with roast potatoes and haricot verts. I made my holiday fruitcake, a double batch this year and set them to mellow with good booze.
What languages have I heard this week? English and Spanish of course, and when I was out at Mt Vernon French and Italian. French I understand about 20% of. Italian is so wonderfully rhythmic and musical.
Who have I talked with this week? My Sweet Bear, Erica, Nancy, Eric, TJ, and the nice lady driving the golf cart up the hill at Mt. Vernon.
What have I been reading? "In My Remaining Years" a biography of a youngish artist - about 20% I found interesting.
What have I been listening to? Streaming music, classical, jazz, and hits of the 70s and 80s. When I walk outdoors, the birds, the wind, the leaves.
Who deserves a big THANK YOU this week? The Nobel Prize Committee.
What made me smile this week? Sweet Bear, aka Wicked Hamster, got a reply to a comment from Angus in St. Andrews!
8:04 PM
I enjoyed the videos from StAU. By coincidence, we were just down in Williamsburg VA the past couple of days, where I got a good taste of the College of William & Mary. I was struck by the similarities to StA: W&M has a an enrollment on 10,000 in a town of a population of 15,000; one is the 3rd oldest English speaking univ while W&M is ninth; their locations are both in fairly remote towns (StA much more so, but W&M is really in the middle of a forest); the other attraction of both towns is, one the one hand, an historic golf course, and on the other Colonial Williamsburg, the former capital of the Virginia Colony-the Governor's Palace and the House of Burgesses still intact, among others. Apparently I'm not the only one who's noticed similarities. Further research via the modern-day miracle of the internet revealed StA and W&M have a joint degree program: 2 years at one, 2 years at the other, and you end up with degrees from both institutions. Highly selective and limited to certain specific fields. What a deal!
October 12, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Employers seem to love the 2 years in VA, 2 years in Scotland degree course. It presumably signals to corporate recruiters self-reliance and maturity and has an exceptionally high post graduation job offer rate.
I am one of those few people who will proudly say, I love holiday fruitcake.
ReplyDeleteNot a great recommendation for “In My RemainingYears”!
I almost gave up on the book a couple of times.
DeleteI couldn't agree more with the BIG THANK YOU!!!!! Except for the fact the recipient, María Corina Machado, deliciated it to HWSNBN!! WHY?
ReplyDeleteHeavens....I haven't been to Williamsburg since I was little.
I hadn't heard that, I would agree with WHY? At least it was not him.
DeleteI was in a store the other day and a couple in line were speaking Spanish. The woman behind me muttered, "Speak English. It's our language." I smiled and said, "Actually, OUR language are the many different languages spoken by the indigenous people who lived here first."
ReplyDeleteShe again muttered something about how WE discovered the country and I smiled and, as politely as possible, said "Kinda hard to DISCOVER a country when so many people are already living there."
And Columbus, was Italian, funded by the Spanish, and he was not the first European here, most likely he was following very old Norse reports, and none of those people spoke English.
DeleteI love the sculpture in your photo! I too was thankful for the Nobel Committee.
ReplyDelete