Danskcolin: Thursday, November 22, 2018

09:00 Lois and I get up, and after breakfast we swing by Bob, our neighbour, a retired construction worker. Lois discovered yesterday that there are two major cracks in the brick parapet over the door to our garage, which is a little worrying.

the parapet over the doors to our garage, where Lois yesterday

noticed 2 sharp cracks - yikes!

Bob investigates the problem and agrees to fix it, but first he wants to wait for it to rain heavily so that he can determine how much water is leaking down into the parapet from the drain pipe on the side of our house. He talks a lot to us about the problem, but unfortunately, I understand almost nothing of what he says, although I keep nodding in a wise way while he talks.

Also, we use the opportunity to show him the piles of car tools and children's equipment that our daughter Sarah left behind when she and Francis and their 5 year old twins moved to Australia 3 years ago. We offer to give him or his relatives anything they want to take home. Have them all, Bob, if that's what you want .... PLEASE !!!!!

I'm quite sure that many people in my position would enjoy advertising all these things for sale in the newspaper or online, but I would find it all too boring, I have to admit. I could never have been a businessman, I have to say.

11:00 Lois and I come back to the house and warm up with a cup of coffee on the couch. The postman yesterday sent us a letter from the council's planning committee, all about the plans that the doctors at the local surgery have made about getting their current clinic torn down - they want to move to a new clinic that is already being built 5 miles away from here, on the other side of Bishops Cleeve, a small town 3 miles north of Cheltenham.

The doctors plan to pay for the new clinic by demolishing the existing clinic and getting 6 new houses built on the land; and one of the new houses would be right next to our neighbour Stephen's house (just 4 feet away) - good grief, they are such bastards, those doctors !!!

Stephen wrote a letter a few weeks ago to the municipal planning committee, in which he protested that he could not guarantee to allow construction workers to step onto his land if they were wanting to build, maintain or repair the new house in question, which is fair enough, Lois and I think.

The council's planning committee must have agreed with Stephen's protest and must have asked the doctors to submit new plans - the new house is a bit narrower and the distance between Stephen's house and the new house will now be a bit wider, say the doctors.

This is at least a small victory, but will the doctors win the final battle and get the council's approval? The jury is still out on that one.

The doctors' new plans to get 6 new houses built, according to their application

(with my handwritten annotations). Frances and Stephen's house is on the left

and the distance between their houses and one of the new houses is still

not specially wide to put it mildly - yikes!

My god, they are such bastards, those doctors !!!

13:15 We have lunch, a little later than usual, and afterwards I go to bed to take a gigantic afternoon nap. I get up at 3:30 pm and we relax with a cup of tea and a piece of bread with homemade apricot jam - yum yum!

17:00 I listen a little to the radio, an interesting program about humanity's ability to deceive others and to deceive themselves. And other species also have the ability to deceive, apparently.

The primatologist Jane Goodall reported that female gorillas who encounter a cache of bananas cannot control their food call, which is automatic and involuntary, just as a person cannot stop themselves sneezing or yawning - the gorillas just cannot suppress them successfully.

But the female concerned does not want to inform other gorillas about the bananas so she covers her mouth with her hand so they do not hear the food-call, giving her a bit more alone time to enjoy the bananas without having to share them with her "girlfriends" - my god what madness !!!

A hare being chased by a dog will run in zigzags, right, left, right, right, etc in a random way, to try to shake off its pursuer. The hare does not know what direction he is going to take next so the technique is very very effective - if the hare's strategy were a conscious one, dogs would have evolved to identify the signs of the hare about to jump right or left, and then fewer hares would survive the chase.

The American geneticist, Robert Trivers, who wrote the preface to Richard Dawkins' famous book, "The Selfish Gene," says on the program that he has recently been studying Donald Trump's political tactics. Like the hare, Trivers says, Trump moves randomly at times. In the morning he supports one policy, in the evening sometimes the opposite.

Trivers think that Trump does this "intentionally, but not necessarily consciously" (if that makes sense!), with the aim of not creating the kind of pattern that others can figure out. It is harder for his opponents to plan a counter attack against him if he randomises his moves.

My god, what a crazy world we live in !!!!

18:30 We have our "thanksgiving" dinner: beefburgers, roasted potatoes and sprouts, with homemade pineapple upside-down cake for dessert - yum yum!

Lois showcases her homemade pineapple upside-down cake,

which will be our thanksgiving dessert

Lois and I lived in the US 1982-85, but we cannot remember what form the traditional thanksgiving dessert takes. Maybe there isn't one, although the Danish wikipedia recommends pumpkin, which is not my concept of a dessert if I'm honest, but I'm going to let that one slide.

It is hard to imagine the original Puritan pilgrims in 1621, for example, eating our local restaurant's signature-dessert, "death by chocolate", but the pineapple upside down cake is probably okay, considering that pineapples originally came from the new world, and sparked a sensation when they first appeared on English dining tables.

I recall an old episode of Big Bang Theory, where Sheldon tries to defuse an awkward situation in the cafeteria by noting that pineapples were once so rare that King Charles II of England posed for a portrait with a man presenting him with one.

Sheldon's friends respond by asking how the pineapple anecdote helps, but Sheldon has a convincing answer prepared.

Like Sheldon, Lois is also very interested in pineapples and she told me about an interesting article she recently read about their history: https://theweek.com/articles/785763/how-pineapples-became-status- symbol.

Charles II taking part in a ceremony where somebody or other

presents him with an almost invisible pineapple.

I tend to suspect that I'm the most obvious Sheldon figure in our marriage, but it may be that it's actually Lois, but that's something we're not completely sure about. The jury is still out on that one.

19:00 In contrast to the above, Steve, our American brother in law, sends us a picture of his own more authentic celebration of the holiday: turkey breast injected with garlic oil and lemon juice, potatoes and gravy, lima-beans and homemade port wine cranberry sauce accompanied by a fine white wine - yum yum (again).

20:00 We spend the rest of the evening watching television. The latest episode of the current (and final) season of the Big Bang Theory is on.

The "scientist / mathematician" in me cannot help noting that today we have Thanksgiving and this evening's episode is about Halloween, so I estimate that the British airing of this fun sitcom must be running about 23 days behind. Eureka!

It's amusing to see Simon Helberg, who plays Howard, showing off his talents as a mimic.

Howard's impression of Sheldon, which Sheldon at first doesn't notice

Howard's impression of Dick Van Dyke's impression of a cockney chimney sweep

with Bernadette as a seductive version of Mary Poppins

22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzzz !!!!

Danish translation

09:00 Lois og jeg står op og efter morgenmad smutter vi ind hos Bob, vores nabo, en pensioneret byggemand. Lois opdagede i går, at der er to anselige revner i murstensrækkeværket ovenpå dørene til vores garage, hvilket er lidt bekymrende.

rækkeværket ovenpå dørene til garagen, hvor Lois i går

bemærkede 2 anselige revner – yikes!

Bob undersøger problemet og aftaler at fikse det, men først vil han gerne vente på, at der regner kraftigt, så han kan afgøre hvor meget vand lækker ned i rækkeværket fra afløbsrøret på siden af vores hus. Han snakker meget med os om problemet, men desværre forstår jeg næsten intet af hvad han siger, selvom jeg nikker på en klog måde mens han taler.

Også vi benytter lejligheden til at vise ham de bunkevis af bilværktøj og børneudstyr, som vores datter Sarah efterlod hos os, da hun og Francis og deres 5-årige tvillinger for 3 år siden flyttede til Ausralien. Vi tilbyde at give ham eller hans slægtninge noget som helst, de har lyst til at få med hjem. Tag dem alle, Bob, hvis det er det du har lyst til.... PLEASE!!!!!

Jeg er helt sikker på, at mange folk i min position ville nyde at annoncere alle disse ting til sælg i avisen, men jeg ville finde det hele langt for kedeligt, det må jeg indrømme. Jeg kunne aldrig blive forretningsmand, det må jeg nok sige.

11:00 Lois og jeg kommer ind i huset igen og varmer os med en kop kaffe i sofaen. Postbudet leverede os i går et brev fra kommunens planlægningsudvalg, der handler om de planer, som lægerne hos det lokale lægehus har lagt om at få den nuværende klinik nedrevet – de ønsker at flytte til en ny klinik, der er i gang med at blive bygget 5 miles væk herfra, i den anden side af Bishops Cleeve, en lille by der ligger 3 miles nord for Cheltenham.

Lægerne planlægger at betale for den nye klinik ved at nedrive den nuværende klinik og få 6 nye huse bygget på jorden; og ét af de nye huse ville stå lige ved siden af vores nabo Stephens hus (kun 4 fods væk) – du godeste, de er sådanne nogle sjufter, de der læger !!!

Stephen skrev et brev for nogle uge siden til kommunens planlægningskudvalg, hvor han protesterede, at han kunne ikke garantere at tillade håndværkere adgang til at træde på hans jord, hvis de skulle ønske at bygge, vedligeholde eller reparere det pågældende hus, hvilket er fair nok, synes Lois og jeg.

Kommunens planlægningsudvalg må have været enig med Stephens protest, og må have bedt lægerne om at indsende ny planer – det nye hus er lidt smallere og afstanden mellem Stephens hus og det nye hus vil nu være lidt bredere, siger lægerne.

Dette er i det mindste en lille sejr, men vil lægerne vinde den sidste slag, og skaffe sig kommunens godsendelse? Det er juryen stadig ude om.

lægernes nye planer om at få 6 nye huse bygget, ifølge deres ansøgning

(med mine håndskrevne annotationer). Frances og Stephens hus ligger til venstre

og afstanden mellem deres hus og ét af de nye huse er stadig ikke ret bred for at sige mildt – yikes!

Du godeste, de er sådanne nogle sjufter, de der læger !!!

13:15 Vi spiser frokost, lidt senere, end normalt, og bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage en gigantisk eftermiddagslur. Jeg står op kl 15:30 og vi slapper af med en kop te og et stykke brød med hjemmelavet abrikosmarmelade – yum yum!

17:00 Jeg lytter lidt til radio, et interessant program, der handler om menneskelighedens evne til bedrage andre og at bedrage sig selv. Og andre arter også har evnen til at bedrage andre, lader det til.

Primatologen Jane Goodall rapporterede, at hun-gorillaer, der støder på et gemmested af bananer, kan ikke have styr på deres madskrig, der er automatiske og ufrivillige, ligesom et menneske ikke kan stoppe med at gabe eller at nyse – de kan ikke undertrykke dem ret godt. Men hun har ikke lyst til at informere andre gorillaer om bananerne, så hun dækker sin mund med hånden, så de ikke høre skriget, hvilket giver hende lidt mere tid til at nyde bananerne uden at skulle dele dem med sine ”veninder” – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!

En hare, der bliver jagtet af en hund vil løbe i siksak, til højre, til venstre, til højre, til højre, i en tilfældig måde , for at prøve at ryste af sin forfølger. Haren ved ikke, hvilke retning han skal tage næst, så teknikken er meget meget effektiv – hvis harens strategi var bevidst, ville hunde have udviklet sig til at identificere tegnene på, at haren skal springe til højre eller til venstre, og færre harer ville overleve jagten.

Den amerikanske genetiker, Robert Trivers, der skrev forordet til Richard Dawkins berømte bog, ”den egoistiske gen”, siger på programmet, at han har været i gang med at studere Donald Trumps politiske taktikker. Ligesom haren, siger Trivers, bevæger Trump sig tilfældigvis til tider. Om morgenen støtter han den ene politik, om aftenen nogle gange det modsatte.

Trivers tror at Trump gør dette ”med vilje, men ikke nødvendigvis bevidst” (hvis det der giver mening!), med det formål ikke at skabe det slags mønster, som andre kan regne ud. Det er sværere for hans modstandere at planlægge et kontra-angreb mod ham, hvis han randomiserer sine skridt.

Du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!

18:30 Vi spiser vores ”thanksgiving”-aftensmad: beefburgere, stegte kartofler og rosenkål, med hjemmelavet upside-down-kage med ananas til dessert – yum yum.

Lois fremviser hendes hjemmelavet upside-down-kage med ananas,

som bliver vores thanksgiving-dessert

Lois og jeg boede i USA 1982-85, men vi kan ikke huske, hvilken form den traditionelle thanksgiving-dessert tager. Måske er der ikke sådan, selvom den danske wikipedia anbefaler græskar, der ikke er mit koncept for en dessert, ærligt talt, men det springer jeg over.

Det er hårdt at forestille sig de oprindelige puritanske pilgrimme i 1621 i gang med at spise for eksempel vores lokale restaurants signaturdessert ”død ved chokolade”, men upside-down-kage med ananas er sandsynligvis okay, i betragtning af, at ananas oprindeligt stammede fra den nye verden, og voldede en sensation, da de første dukkede op på engelske spiseborde.

Jeg mindes om et gamle afsnit af Big Bang Theory, hvor Sheldon prøver at afbøde en akavet situation i cafeteriet ved at bemærke, at ananasser engang var så sjældne, at kong Charles II af England poserede for en portræt med en mand der forærte ham én.

Sheldons venner reagerer ved at spørge om, hvordan ananas-anekdoten hjælper, men Sheldon har et overbevisende svar forberedet.

Ligesom Sheldon, er Lois også meget interesseret I ananasser og hun fortalte mig om en interessant artikel, hun for nylig læste, som handlede om deres historie: https://theweek.com/articles/785763/how-pineapples-became-status-symbol .

Charles II I gang med et ceremony, hvor en eller anden

skænker ham en næsten usynlig ananas.

Jeg har tendens til at mistænke at jeg er den mest indlysende Sheldon-figur i vores ægteskab, men det kan være, at det faktisk er Lois, men det er vi ikke helt sikre på. Juryen er stadig ude om den.

19:00 I modsætning til det overstående, sender Steve, vores amerikanske svigerbror, os et billede af sin egen mere autentisk fejring af helligdagen: kalkunbryst injiceret med hvidløgsolie og citronsaft, kartofler og sovs, limabønner og hjemmelavet portvin-tranebærsauce, med en fin hvidvin til maden – yum yum (igen).

20:00 Vi bruger resten af aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser det seneste afsnit i den nuværende (og sidste) sæson af Big Bang Theory.

”Forskeren / matematikeren” i mig kan ikke undgår at bemærke at vi i dag har Thanksgiving og aftenens afsnit handler om Halloween, så derfor beregner jeg, at den britiske udsendelse af denne morsomme sitcom må være forsinket med ca 23 dage. Eureka!

Det er morsomt at se Simon Helberg, der spiller Howard, fremvise sine talenter som parodist.