Category: Blogs & Blogging

NewMexiKen Tweets

  • Valentine states.
    Oregon was admitted to the Union as the 33rd state on Feb 14, 1859.
    Arizona joined as the 48th state Feb 14, 1912. #
  • Worth repeating, a word for today: Nachküssen — German for a kiss “making up for kisses that have been omitted.” #
  • Ask an Academic, Valentine’s Edition: The Kiss http://t.co/7I8Ta4HX via @NewYorker #
  • 10 of the Greatest Kisses in Literature http://t.co/kV1XwgB1 But they forgot Lady and Tramp. #
  • The Most Romantic Kiss in the Movies http://t.co/yYnYWQgR #
  • Teller is 64 today. Raymond Joseph Teller was his name, but Teller is now his legal name, one of few Americans with one name on passport. #
  • Valentine Birthdays. http://t.co/zFEuHxhr #
  • "A Widow's Wisdom" http://t.co/qXd496ZI Love comes in many guises. Hate has but one ugly look. #

Away

NewMexiKen expects to return February 26th or 27th.

There will be tweets during my absence and the daily list of them will be posted here.

NewMexiKen Tweets

  • How did that bouquet you bought get from the farm to your vase http://t.co/0HLxMx8Z The Smithsonian Magazine investigates. #
  • Chuck Yeager is 89 today. In 1947 he was the first to fly faster than the speed of sound. He had the "right stuff." http://t.co/pKjWTG8E #
  • Was it just me or is watching the Grammy show a lot like Top 40 radio? One song, one award, eleventeen commercials and station breaks. #
  • Duke Coach Krzyzewski is 65. Peter Gabriel 62. And Leslie Feist is 1-2-3-4 … http://t.co/etEUKsTm #
  • One thing about the Grammy show last night. It made me appreciate the moderation Madonna showed in her act at the Super Bowl. #
  • Some upset that Pacific time zone tweeters had Grammy show on 3-hour delay. As usual no mention of Mountain zone and our 2-hour delay. #
  • A word you need to know in time to practice before tomorrow. Nachküssen — German for a kiss “making up for kisses that have been omitted.” #

NewMexiKen Tweets

  • Listen to this incredible isolated voice track from "How Will I Know." http://t.co/eOeVjC4z My God, she could sing. #
  • In honor of Darwin's birthday I'm going to make an extra effort today to evolve. #
  • Do you suppose that when they sang "Happy Birthday" to Darwin on Feb 12, they used the line "You look like a monkey"? #
  • It's the 88th anniversary of George Gershwin's phenomenal blending of jazz and classical music, Rhapsody in Blue. http://t.co/UHVtj6i3 #
  • February 12th Is Not a National Holiday. But it sure as hell ought to be. http://t.co/O9SyLax5 #
  • "Jeremy Lin Already a Legend? Reality-Checking the Hype" http://t.co/jCJrbob2 Buzz Bissinger turns down some of Friday night's lights. #
  • The last of my Mexico photos. http://t.co/zGuU6ElF #
  • Every World Press Photo Winner from 1955-2011 http://t.co/xpLgQ80W #
  • Saw "Midnight in Paris" last night. Classic Woody Allen. Wonderful film. And Owen Wilson is perfect as a new Alvy Singer. #
  • "The great escape of bath toys in the Pacific" http://t.co/RqKYa42s Where did all the rubber duckies go? #

NewMexiKen Tweets

  • Sheryl Crow is 50 today.
    All I wanna do is have some fun;
    I got a feeling I’m not the only one. #
  • Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, OH, Feb 11, 1847. Tech has evolved so he isn't truly appreciated. But read obit. http://t.co/ZPJLdRTr #
  • Jeremy Lin’s Rise, Charted in Tweets: http://t.co/nnuzMnok Fascinating. #
  • Feb 11, 1856 Dred Scott case argued. Sup Ct ruled persons of African descent could never be citizens, slave or free. http://t.co/fpIdZXrd #
  • Sarah Louise Heath (Palin) was born 48 years ago today, pretty much messing up any holiday aspirations for February 11th. #
  • Benjamin Franklin opened Pennsylvania Hospital, 1st in colonies, on Feb 11, 1752. Alas, Franklin also established first insurance company. #
  • Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born Feb 11, 1805. His mother was Sacagawea. Little Pomp as he was called accompanied Lewis & Clark 1805-6. #
  • Lots of birthdays today. http://t.co/Y12PjTbQ #
  • Linsanity. Catch it. http://t.co/p9YX2SDd #
  • "Jeremy Lin on His Fast Break to Fame, God, and Kobe Bryant" http://t.co/Vc2nuEOr A good Linsanity column. #Linsanity #
  • More photos from Mexico http://t.co/bBMUeQNt (For those that like that kind of thing.) #

NewMexiKen Tweets

  • Smithsonian Magazine has iPad app. E-subscription just $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. American Indian magazine has a separate free SI app. #
  • Money and Morals http://t.co/hWfGg4QX An important column from Paul Krugman. #
  • Samuel Aranda's Photo From Yemen Wins the Photo of the Year http://t.co/SNK9PkWV #
  • Leontyne Price is 85 and Roberta Flack is 75 and today isn't a national holiday. Shame. http://t.co/SNqIbFI0 #
  • Aging (with chart!) http://t.co/xyPxjwSS Joe Posnanski takes an interesting look at great seasons and MLB players' ages. #
  • I wish I could negotiate something with the President. I like to win. #
  • Common Sense: How Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler Ad Stirred Politics http://t.co/mVNylWSs Interesting analysis, not the usual. #
  • I follow a fair number of scientific web sites and I would no more have a cat in my house than I would smoke cigarettes or drink diet soda. #
  • Delightful car porn from Dan Neil. The new $100K Porsche Carrera 911. http://t.co/ePxDE20p #
  • Mystique of the Mother Road, Feb issue @SmithsonianMag on the iPad http://t.co/K1GWzrIs is worth $1.99 subscription (each issue) by itself. #
  • Saturday's Powerball is $325 million annuity value, or probably around $100 million in cash after taxes. If I win I'm voting for Romney. #

Thursday’s Early NewMexiKen Tweets

Yesterday’s NewMexiKen Tweets

  • Edward Abbey and the Grand Canyon Bottle Ban http://t.co/GCIilnAL #
  • Dear Ronald Reagan: Thanks for Wrecking America http://t.co/aL9c3tYZ #
  • Feb 8 1693 King William & Queen Mary charter for “perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, & other good Arts & Sciences” in VA. #
  • The making of gay marriage’s top foe http://t.co/8MWhuOq1 Wow! Just wow! #
  • The Atlantic's Civil War issue is now online. Outstanding contemporary and current writing from the magazine. http://t.co/Q3BqAHrx #
  • "The Great Illusion of Gettysburg." @YAppelbaum, @TheAtlantic http://t.co/o1t5skff Excellent piece on the Gettysburg Cyclorama. #
  • Katherine Boo on Her Book 'Behind the Beautiful Forevers’ http://t.co/nNYhwd3Y Interesting profile of the author of a book receiving praise. #

NewMexiKen Tweets

Experimental blog post listing tweets during the past 24 hours.

Yesterday

Tuesday Morning

  • 7 Little Words will cast a spell on you. http://t.co/IHjNzJC8 A great word puzzle free iPhone/iPad app. Link is to review. #
  • An excellent look at the best actress nominees and especially Viola Davis. http://t.co/V9a4IuVZ Insightful, informative reading. #
  • John Deere was born in Rutland, Vermont, on this date in 1804. Deere invented the steel plow to replace the cast iron version. #
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder was born near Pepin, WI, on this date in 1867. When she was 63-years-old she began writing about her pioneer childhood. #
  • Google has a good Dickens doodle on this the author's 200th birthday. http://www.google.com #
  • Frederick Douglass was born Feb 7, 1817. His NYTimes obituary from 1895 is a fascinating contemporary article. http://t.co/yWEHH3o4 #
  • Garth Brooks is 50 today. Why is it not a national holiday? Also Chris Rock 47, Ashton Kutcher 34. #

Update

Nothing is fixed, although I do understand a little more about the underlying problems and shutting the site down for 30+ hours was helpful in that regard.

The simplest solution is to start over with an empty blog. Not certain I’m willing to do that.

Other than that, every once in awhile I just need a couple of days break.

Here’s the latest tweets. Some of these links were pretty interesting.

  • Joe Paterno's final days; the ex-Penn State coach was not bitter http://t.co/DWOMNuIK As always, Posnanski puts it best.
  • Who Are The Highest Paid Announcers In Sports? http://t.co/JGMDXXck "Costas, Michaels, Buck and Nantz each earns in the range of $5 million"
  • 1/24 Mike Luckovich cartoon: Elephant tusks http://t.co/cxTA4vci
  • The Power of Introverts http://t.co/rzxI4r1w "introversion is different from shyness"
  • "Much like the Geico Caveman commercials, the E-Trade baby is about 2 hours past his 15 minutes of fame." http://t.co/6XiqiKLD I agree.
  • Willard Romney made $380,354 in 2010.
    A week.
  • $10 million from one married couple for Newt. http://t.co/uY6ZI5P6
  • "Disunion: The Union's 'Newfangled Gimcracks' " http://t.co/j25ff7iY "Repeating rifles could have changed the course of the Civil War … "
  • "Living in Fear of the N.C.A.A." http://t.co/GMyT4VfW When is something going to be done about the NCAA? Seriously.
  • "When a woman falls ill, her pain may be more intense than a man's, a new study suggests." http://t.co/Y7tiIHLD

Announcement

It seems NewMexiKen has gotten too big for its server.* It is so slow, especially in the mornings when I try and do most of the writing, that I can no longer stand it. Perhaps 20,600 posts is too many.

Time to pull the plug — and start over.

In the meanwhile I think I will take a break of undetermined length — a day, two, a week, two weeks. Who knows? I always miss it when I’m gone.

In a day or two I am going to take the whole site down. While it is down, the URL will transfer you directly to my Twitter feed which will remain active.

Eventually, I’ll be right back here at NewMexiKen.com with the same old wisdom, whimsy and wit.

If you have any suggestions for what you want to see more of — or less of — please feel free to make a comment or email me at newmexiken at gmail dot com. Maybe 8-1/2 years is enough. Maybe I should just do history or national park stuff.

——————

* Technically the hosting service is throttling the domain because NMK is using more than its share of the server.

Need Advice

Gmail thinks this is spam, but I don’t know. It seems sincere to me.

What do you think?

Dear Beloved,

I am Mrs. Wand Smith an aging widow suffering from long time illness. I have some funds I inherited from my late husband, the sum of US$12,400,000.00 and I needed a very honest and God fearing person who can use the fund for charity work in any part of the world, I found your email address from the internet and decided to contact you. Please if you would be able to use the funds for the charity work, kindly reply back immediately for further details.

Yours in the Lord,

Mrs. Wand Smith.

Why bother?

I see Garret’s and Avelino’s and Elaine’s photos and I think, why bother.

I post about politics for 8 years and a regular reader thinks I could be a “right-winger” — or just stupid — and I think, why bother.

I spend an hour on the birthdays and almost no one ever says a thing and I think, why bother.

I see today’s top NMK search terms — ron howards brother, ron howard’s brother, omarosa nude, ron howard brother, sleeping bear dunes national lakeshore — and — after 19,819 posts — I think, why bother.

No I am not quitting and you don’t need to comment — in fact I’ve turned off comments for this post. It’s my blog. Just let me vent.

Although I wonder, why bother.

Seeing and Making Comments

If you wish to comment or to see what others have said, you have three choices.

  1. Click on the post title. That will open the page for just that post.
  2. Click on the little balloon to the right of the post title; the balloon that’ll have a number in it if there have been any comments. That click will take you directly to the comments section on the page for just that post.
  3. But, easiest of all, click on the Show Comments (or Leave a reply) link at the bottom of every post. That will open the comments form right there before your very eyes.

BTW, I’ve made the appearance cleaner as that works best, especially on mobile devices such as phones and iPads. A few longtime readers have told me that it’s too plain. Thoughts?