by Anura Guruge
on February 14, 2024
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Last Year’s.
With or without a card she always makes my day, each & every day.
We now kind of KNOW that she will have cards made for us. Kind of expect it, BUT it is always such a TREAT. She doesn’t want us to see her making them. So she makes them secretly. Yes, we are very lucky.
Search on ‘artist‘, on this blog, for more or her amazing work. SMILE. Yes, I am rather proud of her.
by Anura Guruge
on January 20, 2024
I usually get bored & despair of ‘God movies’. Not so in this case. The ‘God‘ aspect is rather fascinating and illuminating. I could never, ever, have that level or kind of faith & belief. It intrigues me to watch people like that. WOW.
What makes this SPECIAL is that you are told, from the start, that it is based on a TRUE STORY. I like inspirational movies based on REAL LIFE. This sure is that.
Inspirational & uplifting. Not hard to watch. I recommend it — without hesitation.
by Anura Guruge
on January 19, 2024
For Tax Year 2023
Filing in 2024
This is for Tax Year 2023 — filing in 2024.
Since folks, even as I type, are still using the 2022 one — I kept that in place & also added the 2023 to that as well. So, folks will be able to find both. OK?
This is NOT sophisticated or fancy. It is very SIMPLE & BASIC.
I do my taxes by hand. SMILE. Have done so for years. I was well trained by an AMAZING tax accountant over a decade. He did all of his returns, & he had HUNDREDS of clients, by hand! He showed me how to do it by hand. To be honest I kind of enjoy doing it by hand. Sure beats all the DUMB & inane questions you have to answer with the likes of ‘TurboTax’ & ‘H&R Block’. If you know your way around the 1040 it is easy enough to just go in & fill the forms directly.
The only problem is that you have to do the worksheets. Again, that doesn’t bother me overly. SMILE. I do know my way around a calculator too.
This year I DASHED off this quick Excel to CHECK MY MATH on the ‘Qualified Dividends And Capital Gain Tax Worksheet‘. But, PLEASE check my math on the Excel. It is very, very basic. I had looked around for a spreadsheet like this. SIMPLE. Not complicated. Check the formulas. Make sure I haven’t screwed up.
Yes, I looked at ‘Excel1040‘. It was OVERKILL for my needs. I just needed to check my math.
So, IF you have a similar need, give this a spin. It is SAFE. No macros. Just the simplest of formulas. But, check my math. SMILE.
by Anura Guruge
on January 14, 2024
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In the scheme of things I stayed pretty ‘local’. Didn’t go that far. Google says I drove close to 11,000 miles. That sounds right.
I had FORGOTTEN some of these trips. Wow.
So, it was all confined to 4 States (not counting my home state of New Hampshire) — viz. Maine, Vermont, New York & Massachusetts. Lot of NEW places for I. I am glad. I am happy. But, I am always happy. SMILE.
by Anura Guruge
on January 4, 2024
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They send out a ‘Thank You’ video every year around this time.
I have been waiting for this so that I can SHARE it with you. It came today. So here it is. Enjoy.
by Anura Guruge
on December 29, 2023
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I have always maintained that ALL ‘Revels‘, by definition, are GOOD (& yesterday’s Revels in Cambridge was probably the 25th I have attended between Cambridge & ‘Revels North‘ (and this was my 2nd Revels of the year)).
So, it was GOOD. Of that there can never be any doubt or debate.
So, when I ‘review’ a Revel, all I am still always in the SPECTRUM of the GOOD. So, yes, we have GOOD, better, best, memorable, exceptional, outstanding, gob-smacking etc.
Yesterday’s show, the last of 2023, in my reckoning was middle-of-the GOOD spectrum. Better than just plain good, but not as good as some of the past ones at Cambridge (and the ‘Venetian’ & ‘Arcadian’ readily spring to mind).
“The Feast of Fools” was very powerful & compelling on the acting/performance & stagecraft/prop departments. Tour de force. But, in my opinion, it was a tad light on the MUSICAL front. Yes, of course, there was plenty of music, song & dance — but there was NOTHING totally captivating.
Yes, there was a delectable ‘Peasant Dance‘, with gypsy music, but it was all instrument.
The incomparable M.C. & maestro ‘David Coffin‘ did NOT appear to play as bigger role as he normally does. That might be the crux of it.
I got to meet & shake hands with David BEFORE the show. WOW! First time I actually got to meet him. I had (through some contacts I have in the ‘Front Office’) managed to get a copy of my ‘Christmas Quiz‘ book delivered to him. He came upstairs looking to see who sent it down. He had it in his hand. So, I knew he was looking for I. That was SPECIAL.
Though it contained all the mandatory Revels ‘elements’ we did NOT have a SWORD DANCE this year. Instead we had a STICK dance. Not the same. I love the Cambridge sword dances.
The King had enormous presence & bearing. Quite the guy. But …
C’est la vie. It was still GOOD. Better than good, just not way up there. SMILE.
Still made my day. My year is now complete.
by Anura Guruge
on December 27, 2023
It is a LONG DRIVE to Cambridge, through the morning traffic. So, I never take it for granted.
Hope to be there. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Thanks.
by Anura Guruge
on December 20, 2023
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Prior years going back to 2014.
I remembered that we have had a few during my 39-years in New Hampshire.
I distinctly remembered one c. 1992 when we had very little snow fall & folks were worried about their dug wells running dry come the Spring.
LUCKILY, I now have my DAILY photographic record going back 2014. I wish I had started it earlier. Very handy to just go back & look.
2015. Ahh! Can’t remember it that well — but photos rarely lie.
by Anura Guruge
on December 18, 2023
Sunrise & Sunset Times for Concord, New Hampshire around the
the December 2023 Solstice (On the 21st).
(From Time-and-Date).
Welcome YULE!
Rejoice! REJOICE!
My favorite day of the year, hands down.
As of the Winter Solstice days start getting longer!
The Winter Solstice, the SHORTEST DAY of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Welcome YULE!
Shout it out loud. Welcome YULE.
Evenings have already started getting longer — as I pointed out in this post. Funnily enough (if it can be construed as funny) mornings DO NOT START getting earlier until 2024! Then, we really getting into the stride of things. Within a month of the solstice we would have gained in excess of 30 minutes!
As I do most years I give YOU, in peace,
‘Dona Nobis Pacem‘ (Grant us peace)
for the Winter Solstice.
by Anura Guruge
on December 16, 2023
The 2 keywords of note here are ‘recorded history‘. When it comes to papal birthdays, papal history only goes back to 1400. The birthdates of popes prior to 1400 are either unavailable or unreliable. Hence, any meaningful age-related claims as to popes have to be ‘as of 1400’. Don’t let anyone fool you into saying ‘oldest … pope‘. We just don’t know.
Francis became the 3rd OLDEST pope as of 1400
on December 30, 2023.
Francis could become the 2nd OLDEST KNOWN
on Oct. 17, 2024.
So, to be fair, this 87th birthday, though a BIG deal, didn’t change his standings in the ‘n oldest pope‘ stakes.
So, he has been 3rd oldest close to a year. He still has 11-months to go before the next HUGE milestone — and that is a tad out there in the future. If he makes it that would be quite the thing. Kind of WILD. I HOPE HE WILL. That will be a landmark for all of us to witness.
We have had 64 popes since 1400, & of those 64 Francis is the 3rd oldest.
Francis’ predecessor, who resigned in 2013, i.e., Benedict XVI, will remain in #5; John Paul II who was the previous will be at #8.
So, the last 3 popes will, respectively, hold the #3, #5 & #8 spots (as of 1400) — from among 64 popes.
IF Benedict XVI had not resigned, he, at 95, would have been the OLDEST pope as of 1400. That is a sobering thought.
Just two years ago Francis was at #7. He has been going up in the rankings fast.
But, given that he was elected quite old, i.e., 76.2 years (9th oldest since 1400 & 4th 76 old to be elected), his reign as pope is only 10.76 years. That is respectable but nowhere close to being a record.
He is currently #70 (out of 267).
So, not even halfway. So, he has a long ladder to climb to get up those rankings. 11 popes have reigned for 11-years!