I probably have other blog entries with this exact same title, or at least theme, as I periodically swear off beer as a way of losing weight. It usually works, but there's always that first time, when it doesn't. I need to give it some more weeks and months.
My lifestyle is too sedentary as my presence is not required in the hinterlands. Sure, I write about Extreme Remote Livingry and all the gizmos this entails, but then I write about bizmos too. The writer doesn't always get immediate entre into her or his subject matter, even when the genre is non-fiction, investment banking even.
Tonight I joined Wanderers for open discussion. We discussed the Dominicans and the history of antisemitism in the Catholic Church, not that I'm any big authority. I brought up the Gospel of Judas I'd been learning about, thanks to National Geographic. I did grow up in Rome and work for Dominicans after Princeton, which is how the topic arose in the first place. Then we turned to a discussion of the solar system, which lasted most the rest of my time there.
Were I to draw a histogram of what we talk about, boat engines would dwarf almost everything else, especially if more than one boat owner is present. Astronomy is also a high bar. We're not to be confused with Talking Liberally, another meetup I've posted about. That was at Lucky Lab. I've not been to that group in many years. More recently, I've attended Thirsters, which is more likely to get into politics against a backdrop of political history.
We did talk about dynasties and which presidential last names had been repeated e.g. Adams, Roosevelt, Bush. We almost had two Clintons. That would have been a first: a husband, then a wife. I joked about a Chelsea-Ivanka co-queendom, wherein all Senators would be women, all Representatives men. The possibilities seem endless once we've broken free of the Constitution. This conversation came after the main meeting had already concluded. Not that we're plotting to suspend the Constitution. That part seems pretty well taken care of, starting well before 911. Praise Allah for autopilot, right? Meaning I'm glad we know how to keep going through the motions, of keeping America great.
The No Beer Diet does not entail giving up alcohol, just the habit of swilling two or even three pints on more days than I don't, sampling new IPAs or sticking with old favorites. The other drinks I imbibe instead don't add up to the same calories, by a long shot, is the theory. So far, that theory has proved out in practice.
During the main meeting, when I was talking about teaching high school for the Dominicans, I brought up Father Divine, the short black shaman deity figure who organized multi-racial hotel living centered around banquets. He always seemed to walk his talk. By the time I showed up, interested in the breakfast menu, Father had moved on, but I believe Mother Divine was still active, as she was quite a bit younger. The Fairmont Hotel was kitty corner to St. Dom's, and I'd go there with other faculty for breakfast sometimes.
