Christmas is a Humbug

[Specmaster]

Last Christmas I caught the dreaded Covid in a big way and so spent the entire Christmas in bed and isolated with the occasional visit from close family members with drinks, drugs and food, including calling an ambulance out to me fearing the worst, but I got through it and the family cancelled Christmas until the New Year when I was able to join in.

It seems the Butcher family is cursed, this Saturday 23rd my 3 sons were taking me out for a meal and a whole night playing snooker at our local club. The eldest came from work Friday and said he felt ill but thought nothing of it and went to bed early, mid-afternoon Saturday he decided to do a Covid test which proved positive, but he used an out of date test kit and rang us up to inform us of the test result and if we had one in date to double-check. I took one over to his house and popped it through his letter box, no more 10 minutes away.

By the time I got back home he had done another test and the result was almost instantaneous, positive, so we had to cancel the planned meal and snooker, and hopefully we can rebook it later. So once again the family Christmas get together is screwed, he and his Girlfriend were coming for Christmas dinner, the turkey has been out thawing, so we can't put the dinner on hold, so they will have to cope the best they can while we enjoy dinner, and I'll have to take their presents over tomorrow and do a distant exchange and then do a FaceTime on Christmas day to open the presents up.

I wonder what will go wrong next year.....

At least Mrs Specmaster is releaved at not having to cook a separate meal for his Girlfriend as she is a vegan, and we really don't have the capacity for doing 2 lots of cooking.

Here's hoping everyone else has a lovely Christmas and not too many dramas.

[tggzzz]

At least Mrs Specmaster is releaved at not having to cook a separate meal for his Girlfriend as she is a vegan, and we really don't have the capacity for doing 2 lots of cooking.

Know that problem

My solution last year was.a small cheap portable worktop minioven, augmented with an HP5371. I've just checked that will work again this year.

Good luck with the.other suboptimalities.

[bd139]

I find that Christmas is a time of inconvenience and obligation with a side helping of transmissible diseases. Hope you feel better soon and that you get things back on the rails.

Decided to keep it simple this year. I sold the car earlier in the year, which reduces obligations and inconvenience and it was just me, the kids and the ex wife for a bit which limited transmissible diseases. They buggered off to her grandfather's (still hanging on at 96 years old) for the afternoon so I walked home. That was as much Christmas I can cope with. Today I am heading to Waterstones in Chiswick to buy a Malta travel guide and going for an amble through Richmond Park with some local friends.

Don't put yourself out too much for Christmas. You just end up sick and broke!

[Specmaster]

@bd139 Yeah, thanks, but I'm OK and firing on all cylinders but just to be on the safe side took a test last night as we have to go and assist in looking after my 92yr old MIL who had a stroke and covid last Christmas. Now my wife and her sister have to take in turns to go round every morning to make her bed and other things that she can no longer manage herself, and so we have to be double sure that we don't pass on covid to her in her reduced health state.

Christmas was a low-key affair this year after our son got covid, so exchanged presents yesterday morning remotely distanced at his front door and then went home, had dinner and did FaceTime on the iPad to see each other open the presents etc.

I did my usual with gifts, just gave money, that way nobody gets something that didn't want, and they can then buy what they really want, even if they have to add to it.

Been to MIL's this morning then off to SIL's this afternoon for tea and cake etc and then back home again, simple is best.

[Zenith]

Don't put yourself out too much for Christmas. You just end up sick and broke!

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's humbug, but it's difficult for it to live up to the build up. For some reason people feel obliged to lay in mountains of food, in particular a huge turkey, and spend the next few days finishing what's left of it, with increasing resentment. It's far better to get something a bit special but more manageable; fillet steak, venison, pheasant.

Being ill at Christmas is particularly unpleasant.

[tggzzz]

Don't put yourself out too much for Christmas. You just end up sick and broke!

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's humbug, but it's difficult for it to live up to the build up. For some reason people feel obliged to lay in mountains of food, in particular a huge turkey, and spend the next few days finishing what's left of it, with increasing resentment. It's far better to get something a bit special but more manageable; fillet steak, venison, pheasant.

Being ill at Christmas is particularly unpleasant.

Agreed. A brace of pheasant and the ex last year, guinea fowl and the ex this year.The

Having said that, the engineer in me likes finding novel ways to use up the remnants of a feast. That used to be a necessity, not merely a hobby.

Daughter's 50p badge present...

[Specmaster]

Agreed. A brace of pheasant and the ex last year.
[/quote]
And was the ex nice and succulent or was the pheasant better?

[tggzzz]

Agreed. A brace of pheasant and the ex last year.

And was the ex nice and succulent or was the pheasant better?

A nasty bitter aftertaste, but the fowl was delicious

[Zenith]

Agreed. A brace of pheasant and the ex last year.

And was the ex nice and succulent or was the pheasant better?

A nasty bitter aftertaste, but the fowl was delicious

I'd venture one was fowl and the other foul.

A nice young bird vs a tough old boiler.

Roasted pheasant has often disappointed me. The meat's too lacking in fat to roast properly, even with lardons. It's far better skinned, not plucked, and then casseroled, or better casseroled Normandy style with apples, cream and Calvados.

[tggzzz]

And was the ex nice and succulent or was the pheasant better?

A nasty bitter aftertaste, but the fowl was delicious

I'd venture one was fowl and the other foul.

A nice young bird vs a tough old boiler.

Roasted pheasant has often disappointed me. The meat's too lacking in fat to roast properly, even with lardons. It's far better skinned, not plucked, and then casseroled, or better casseroled Normandy style with apples, cream and Calvados.

I like it well hung (but not so long as traditional when the body and neck has hit the floor), stuffed with chestnuts and chipolatas. Roast under tinfoil until browning at the end, baste frequently.

[Zenith]

I like it well hung (but not so long as traditional when the body and neck has hit the floor), stuffed with chestnuts and chipolatas. Roast under tinfoil until browning at the end, baste frequently.

Too much trouble for dubious results when you can casserole it with an excellent meal to follow.

Tom Lehrer had powerful insights into the Christmas season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtZR3lJ ... l=FreddeTl

That said, I do covet that badge you were given. She could have presented you with another 485 or another HP5371, or a TDR, but she cut to the chase. Wear it with pride.

[tggzzz]

I like it well hung (but not so long as traditional when the body and neck has hit the floor), stuffed with chestnuts and chipolatas. Roast under tinfoil until browning at the end, baste frequently.

Too much trouble for dubious results when you can casserole it with an excellent meal to follow.

Tom Lehrer had powerful insights into the Christmas season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtZR3lJ ... l=FreddeTl

That said, I do covet that badge you were given. She could have presented you with another 485 or another HP5371, or a TDR, but she cut to the chase. Wear it with pride.

Sproglet forwarded link showing just how much she thinks I'm worth:https://share.temu.com/dCBt74tWWmA

I did say "don't spend much", and for once she listened to me.

[Zenith]

[

Sproglet forwarded link showing just how much she thinks I'm worth:https://share.temu.com/dCBt74tWWmA

I did say "don't spend much", and for once she listened to me.

I can't see it's any reflection on her opinion of what you are worth. It's clear you have a loving and considerate daughter, torn between a natural desire to shower her dear papa with costly gifts, and your wish that she should do no such thing. She found a sensible compromise.

She may be a chip off the old block. A good engineer can do for a shilling what any damned fool can do for ten quid. Well she paid 50p, but that was a pre-decimal statement and inflation has taken its toll.

[bd139]

I think my perspective is somewhat similar to tggzzz's: don't spend much.

Saying that they unexpectedly chipped in £5 each for this Lego parrot which was fun to build. It is a 3-in-1 kit so there are two other things you can build. On top of the other large combination of things you can materialise in your head. Good for Zoom meetings! Very happy with that

IMG_0031.jpeg

[tggzzz]

Sproglet forwarded link showing just how much she thinks I'm worth: https://share.temu.com/dCBt74tWWmA

I did say "don't spend much", and for once she listened to me.

I can't see it's any reflection on her opinion of what you are worth. It's clear you have a loving and considerate daughter, torn between a natural desire to shower her dear papa with costly gifts, and your wish that she should do no such thing. She found a sensible compromise.

She may be a chip off the old block. A good engineer can do for a shilling what any damned fool can do for ten quid. Well she paid 50p, but that was a pre-decimal statement and inflation has taken its toll.

Just so (both zenith and bd139). Thought is more important than cost.

>50 years ago I saw that money != worth. My mother befriended an asian woman who had just moved into a semi-detached next to the hospital where her husband was an anaesthetist. She and her daughters went around perfectly happily in jumpers with holes in the sleeves.

After a few months she said she was thinking of buying a house, and my mother was wondering whether to point out how expensive houses were around there. After a while she said she had bought a house, and was thinking of bringing her maid and chauffeur. The current price of the houses in that area are ~£3m. The penny started to drop, and we found out she hadn't got a clue how much she was worth (her grandfather created Tiger Balm lotion and the eponymous Singapore pleasure garden, and she owned a significant chunk of the Singapore Times), and had houses in several countries including Hong Kong.

She continued to value my family's friendship, since clearly her money wasn't relevant. We were last in touch when her daughter (house in W14!) spotted my mother on the cover of Waitrose magazine

Hence, those who have always had money don't care about the accoutrements; they know what money doesn't bring. Conversely, the ones to watch out for are the nouveau riche, since they want to flaunt it and make people realise they deserve it.

[Zenith]

I went to a family Christmas party in France about 12 years back. There were over 30 people there. They had a rule that everyone should bring a gift, costing no more than €15, and they numbered them and had a raffle. I drew a rip off a page every day calendar. Each day it was a new quote from the Dalai Lama.

I thought it was a good way to do things. It does assume you can gather enough family members who still speak to each other, but they all seemed to get on well.

[bd139]

Sproglet forwarded link showing just how much she thinks I'm worth: https://share.temu.com/dCBt74tWWmA

I did say "don't spend much", and for once she listened to me.

I can't see it's any reflection on her opinion of what you are worth. It's clear you have a loving and considerate daughter, torn between a natural desire to shower her dear papa with costly gifts, and your wish that she should do no such thing. She found a sensible compromise.

She may be a chip off the old block. A good engineer can do for a shilling what any damned fool can do for ten quid. Well she paid 50p, but that was a pre-decimal statement and inflation has taken its toll.

Just so (both zenith and bd139). Thought is more important than cost.

>50 years ago I saw that money != worth. My mother befriended an asian woman who had just moved into a semi-detached next to the hospital where her husband was an anaesthetist. She and her daughters went around perfectly happily in jumpers with holes in the sleeves.

After a few months she said she was thinking of buying a house, and my mother was wondering whether to point out how expensive houses were around there. After a while she said she had bought a house, and was thinking of bringing her maid and chauffeur. The current price of the houses in that area are ~£3m. The penny started to drop, and we found out she hadn't got a clue how much she was worth (her grandfather created Tiger Balm lotion and the eponymous Singapore pleasure garden, and she owned a significant chunk of the Singapore Times), and had houses in several countries including Hong Kong.

She continued to value my family's friendship, since clearly her money wasn't relevant. We were last in touch when her daughter (house in W14!) spotted my mother on the cover of Waitrose magazine

Hence, those who have always had money don't care about the accoutrements; they know what money doesn't bring. Conversely, the ones to watch out for are the nouveau riche, since they want to flaunt it and make people realise they deserve it.

This is very interesting in context to the experience I had recently. I spent a chunk of boxing day with some folk in the nouveau riche side of things which was extremely weird. I got invited to a house party after a day hike in a rather expensive bit of Ham. I won't go too far into detail about the folk, which could turn into an essay, but I have come to the conclusion that a lot of people really have nothing either socially or financially other than a trail of carnage and debt and a thin veneer of status propped up by that debt. Around 1:30AM I departed, to the sight of a low ranking MP pissing up the wheel of his own Audi TT in the ironically pissing rain, with an even stronger reassertion that everything of value in my life does not come from status or wealth or power. This was a refreshing kick up the arse for the start of 2024.

[bd139]

I thought it was a good way to do things. It does assume you can gather enough family members who still speak to each other, but they all seemed to get on well.

This is a serious logistical problem in my family that would keep even the combinatorics researchers locked in a university basement somewhere in deepest darkest London busy for decades.

[tggzzz]

I can't see it's any reflection on her opinion of what you are worth. It's clear you have a loving and considerate daughter, torn between a natural desire to shower her dear papa with costly gifts, and your wish that she should do no such thing. She found a sensible compromise.

She may be a chip off the old block. A good engineer can do for a shilling what any damned fool can do for ten quid. Well she paid 50p, but that was a pre-decimal statement and inflation has taken its toll.

Just so (both zenith and bd139). Thought is more important than cost.

>50 years ago I saw that money != worth. My mother befriended an asian woman who had just moved into a semi-detached next to the hospital where her husband was an anaesthetist. She and her daughters went around perfectly happily in jumpers with holes in the sleeves.

After a few months she said she was thinking of buying a house, and my mother was wondering whether to point out how expensive houses were around there. After a while she said she had bought a house, and was thinking of bringing her maid and chauffeur. The current price of the houses in that area are ~£3m. The penny started to drop, and we found out she hadn't got a clue how much she was worth (her grandfather created Tiger Balm lotion and the eponymous Singapore pleasure garden, and she owned a significant chunk of the Singapore Times), and had houses in several countries including Hong Kong.

She continued to value my family's friendship, since clearly her money wasn't relevant. We were last in touch when her daughter (house in W14!) spotted my mother on the cover of Waitrose magazine

Hence, those who have always had money don't care about the accoutrements; they know what money doesn't bring. Conversely, the ones to watch out for are the nouveau riche, since they want to flaunt it and make people realise they deserve it.

This is very interesting in context to the experience I had recently. I spent a chunk of boxing day with some folk in the nouveau riche side of things which was extremely weird. I got invited to a house party after a day hike in a rather expensive bit of Ham. I won't go too far into detail about the folk, which could turn into an essay, but I have come to the conclusion that a lot of people really have nothing either socially or financially other than a trail of carnage and debt and a thin veneer of status propped up by that debt. Around 1:30AM I departed, to the sight of a low ranking MP pissing up the wheel of his own Audi TT in the ironically pissing rain, with an even stronger reassertion that everything of value in my life does not come from status or wealth or power. This was a refreshing kick up the arse for the start of 2024.

Oh yes indeed.

The phrase I most closely associate with such people - especially Tory politicians and their cronies - is "fucking riff-raff".

EDIT: as for money, I can't remember a time when I thought of money as being anything other than a "hygiene factor" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-factor_theory While money wasn't plentiful as a kid, there was enough to allow me to invent/make things involving woodwork, scalextric, electronics, train sets etc.

I also explicitly noticed that "human dissatisfaction is a constant", since when an individual finally gets whatever they covet (e.g. a TV or fridge or...), they rapidly become just as dissatisfied because they covet the next thing (e.g. a colour TV or freezer or second car).

In that respect, the modern young adults are better, since they worry less about "possessions" and favour "experiences". I'll skip over whether that is due to the "generation rent" phenomenon.

[bd139]

This is very interesting in context to the experience I had recently. I spent a chunk of boxing day with some folk in the nouveau riche side of things which was extremely weird. I got invited to a house party after a day hike in a rather expensive bit of Ham. I won't go too far into detail about the folk, which could turn into an essay, but I have come to the conclusion that a lot of people really have nothing either socially or financially other than a trail of carnage and debt and a thin veneer of status propped up by that debt. Around 1:30AM I departed, to the sight of a low ranking MP pissing up the wheel of his own Audi TT in the ironically pissing rain, with an even stronger reassertion that everything of value in my life does not come from status or wealth or power. This was a refreshing kick up the arse for the start of 2024.

Oh yes indeed.

The phrase I most closely associate with such people - especially Tory politicians and their cronies - is "fucking riff-raff".

Oh you're too kind. He was one of those politicians. Another attendee was another suitably low ranging editor for a particular right wing rag, which was absolutely hilarious because she was disgusted with herself for having the job and constantly apologising for it. The excuse being she had to eat (and clearly pay for the expensive handbag). It was a petri dish of execrable slime.

EDIT: as for money, I can't remember a time when I thought of money as being anything other than a "hygiene factor" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-factor_theory While money wasn't plentiful as a kid, there was enough to allow me to invent/make things involving woodwork, scalextric, electronics, train sets etc.

From an earnings perspective it's a hygiene factor here as well. The collection of it is mostly about security which is, after being in a couple of periods of zero security, quite important to me these days. The objective has always been to collect enough to give the universe a middle finger and live modestly until I drop dead, an increasingly enticing prospect. This was accelerated earlier this year with the disposal of a car and purchase of a bicycle which really grates on my Tesla-driving colleagues for some reason, which I admittedly quite enjoy. But as a kid, yes that. I had very little money and spent a lot of the time digging around in skips and bins trying to find things to do. This was quite successful back then thanks to the non-existence of things like WEEE and social responsibility. That and enabling the creation of new things is missing from the world now. People work within the rails of what materials they can buy, not find, scrounge and improvise with and it's rather sad.

I also explicitly noticed that "human dissatisfaction is a constant", since when an individual finally gets whatever they covet (e.g. a TV or fridge or...), they rapidly become just as dissatisfied because they covet the next thing (e.g. a colour TV or freezer or second car).

That's my ex wife. This was damage amplified by the catalogues allowing instant access to the coveted goods with only your (well my) soul being paid back monthly in return. There is nothing I covet at the moment apart from perhaps a nicer than Ikea bed sheet .

In that respect, the modern young adults are better, since they worry less about "possessions" and favour "experiences". I'll skip over whether that is due to the "generation rent" phenomenon.

I think that's because a lot of the previous possessions which were to be coveted are no longer required due to consolidation into our general purpose computing capabilities. On a semi-regular basis I meet "digital nomads" who have little to no possessions and live out a backpack most of the time. And they're doing very well out of it. As for experiences, they aren't really doing those either because they can't afford it. Experiences seem to be spending the last tenner in KFC on a heavily optimised purchase involving the most amount of calories you can get out of that money.

[tggzzz]

This is very interesting in context to the experience I had recently. I spent a chunk of boxing day with some folk in the nouveau riche side of things which was extremely weird. I got invited to a house party after a day hike in a rather expensive bit of Ham. I won't go too far into detail about the folk, which could turn into an essay, but I have come to the conclusion that a lot of people really have nothing either socially or financially other than a trail of carnage and debt and a thin veneer of status propped up by that debt. Around 1:30AM I departed, to the sight of a low ranking MP pissing up the wheel of his own Audi TT in the ironically pissing rain, with an even stronger reassertion that everything of value in my life does not come from status or wealth or power. This was a refreshing kick up the arse for the start of 2024.

Oh yes indeed.

The phrase I most closely associate with such people - especially Tory politicians and their cronies - is "fucking riff-raff".

Oh you're too kind. He was one of those politicians. Another attendee was another suitably low ranging editor for a particular right wing rag, which was absolutely hilarious because she was disgusted with herself for having the job and constantly apologising for it. The excuse being she had to eat (and clearly pay for the expensive handbag). It was a petri dish of execrable slime.

Imagine us all shouting "Essay. Essay. Essay."

EDIT: as for money, I can't remember a time when I thought of money as being anything other than a "hygiene factor" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-factor_theory While money wasn't plentiful as a kid, there was enough to allow me to invent/make things involving woodwork, scalextric, electronics, train sets etc.

From an earnings perspective it's a hygiene factor here as well. The collection of it is mostly about security which is, after being in a couple of periods of zero security, quite important to me these days. The objective has always been to collect enough to give the universe a middle finger and live modestly until I drop dead, an increasingly enticing prospect. This was accelerated earlier this year with the disposal of a car and purchase of a bicycle which really grates on my Tesla-driving colleagues for some reason, which I admittedly quite enjoy. But as a kid, yes that. I had very little money and spent a lot of the time digging around in skips and bins trying to find things to do. This was quite successful back then thanks to the non-existence of things like WEEE and social responsibility. That and enabling the creation of new things is missing from the world now. People work within the rails of what materials they can buy, not find, scrounge and improvise with and it's rather sad. The

James Clavell's meaning of "drop dead money" has shaped my thinking. It is remarkably liberating.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define. ... ad%20money

[mnementh]

I think my perspective is somewhat similar to tggzzz's: don't spend much.

Saying that they unexpectedly chipped in £5 each for this Lego parrot which was fun to build. It is a 3-in-1 kit so there are two other things you can build. On top of the other large combination of things you can materialise in your head. Good for Zoom meetings! Very happy with that

Also smarter than all the others attending said meetings.

mnem
A cynic? isn't that where you wash the dishes?

[tggzzz]

I think my perspective is somewhat similar to tggzzz's: don't spend much.

Saying that they unexpectedly chipped in £5 each for this Lego parrot which was fun to build. It is a 3-in-1 kit so there are two other things you can build. On top of the other large combination of things you can materialise in your head. Good for Zoom meetings! Very happy with that

Also smarter than all the others attending said meetings.

mnem
A cynic? isn't that where you wash the dishes?

Well, there is a lot of wittering about replacing people with LLMs, a.k.a..statistical parrots.