Did A Little Telephonic Surgery...

...this week...changed out the T1 transmitter on my candlestick phone (like the above)...

...for a "bulldog transmitter".

Note the flatter, wider profile of the mouthpiece compared to the original protruding one.

Much better looking, IMO.

But the real reason for that change wasn't cosmetic.

The transmitter inside the black bulldog housing is a T1 element, same as the old one...

...but the old one was barely functional.

The new T1 works great and the quality of the audio that people hear on the other end of the line now is much improved.

Couldn't be happier with the outcome.

In addition I swapped out the metal subset/ringer box for this period correct wooden one:

Many thanks to Richard Rose, proprietor of <Ericofon.com> who supplied the bulldog transmitter, helped me with wiring the subset/ringer box...

...and provided lots of great information about antique phones in general.

If you have an interest in vintage phones - and if you don't, for crying out loud, develop one - visit his site, and its sister site <Memory Lane Telephones>. 

Great stuff at good prices.

You know what really excites me?

The month of March.

It's sad to have arrived at the age when the near proximity of a crappy month like March seems like a <raison de célébrer> but just think of it:

In a week we'll have escaped the armpit of winter!

a rare visible sunrise this month.  so far we've had snow on 20 out of 22 days.

And while it's true, March isn't much to write home about in terms of gorgeous weather, it's got one great big beautiful quality you have to admire:

It ain't February!

So full speed ahead to the time change, St. Paddy's Day, and finally, <Blessed Spring>! 

If that doesn't get you excited, you need to check your pulse.

In the "surely they jest" department, have you smelled the latest putrefaction oozing from the legacy media?

According to noted historian and arbiter of state approved truth, CBS' Margaret Brennan...

...the Holocaust was caused by - wait for it - free speech.

I kid you not.

Think about that for a minute.

This is not some obscure liberal moron (redundancy alert) ranting on X.

This is the moderator of an iconic - and in halcyon days of yore, respected - political TV show, Face The Nation.

So here we have what resembles an adult human being who...

* is allegedly college educated;

* appears to be of sound body, if not mind;

* shows no signs of being coerced;  - yet -

...actually claims on live TV that the state sanctioned slaughter of 6 million Jews was caused by free speech.

Don't believe me?

I almost can't blame you.  No one can really be that dumb...can they??

To see for yourself, turn fatuity deflector shields to max power, set phasers to stun, and proceed at your own risk: 

<check it out here>

You can be forgiven if you rushed the exits early; attempting to swallow Brennan's guano de toro causes severe asininity reflux.

The key part of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's response is this:

"Free speech was not used to conduct a genocide.

"The genocide was conducted by an authoritarian Nazi regime that happened to also be genocidal because they hated Jews...

"...there was no free speech in Nazi Germany — there was none.

"There was also no opposition in Nazi Germany.

"They were the sole and only party that governed that country, so that's not an accurate reflection of history. "

Seriously: how is this woman still employed?

Kudos to SOS Rubio for giving a calm, reasoned and intelligent response in the face of such profound stupidity and intellectual dishonesty.

Not sure how much lower the alphabet soup media can go but at the moment the prize for Biggest Dumbass Of The Year rests securely in the talons of Brennan and CBS.

Congrats, Maggie!

Thank you for publicly documenting your continuing descent into utter irrelevance.

Should anyone ever ask you, tell them yes, <It's A Long Way To Tipperary>.

In the meantime, let's 23 Skidoo:

atop the Omni hotel in New Orleans <10 years ago>

#1 grandson serenading the city

beautiful New Orleans skyline

It's kinda ridiculous to live in a state known for its winter sports activities and then complain about winter, and yet I often do.

So why do I live here?

Same reason most people live where they do - work and family.

We generally live where we make our money, and we generally make our money where we can be near our family and friends.

Even in today's age of hyperconnectivity that's made working remotely (often equated with remotely working) a reality, we still want to be close to those we love.

So I'm probably not going anywhere, in spite of my propensity to bellyache about the cold and snow.

Besides, I like whining...it's one of the few things in life I can still do pretty well, so there is that.

In the meantime, consider this truth from God's Word as you exit the AMC and re-enter life's fray:

later, mcm fans...

It's That Time Again...

...when we celebrate...well, depends where you are in life, I guess.

For the traditionalists among us, history says St. Valentine lost his head - literally - for officiating secret marriage ceremonies in ancient Rome.

Why secret?  Because Claudius the Cruel had outlawed marriage so men would become soldiers willing to die for their country, instead of lovesick little puppies cuddling at home with their wives.

When St. Valentine's clandestine activities came to light, he was "...beaten to death with clubs and his head cut off".

So, yeah...Happy Valentine's Day; don't forget the roses lest your fate mirror that of our unfortunate saint.

And in the 2-fer-1 department, it's also <Pale Blue Dot> day.

Please do some good with your time topside of God's PBD.

He made it with us in mind.

It's a tired refrain by now but "Who Let The DOGE Out?"  

#3 son was a senior in high school when "Who Let The Dogs Out" by the Baha Men had its brief time in the sun.

It was stupid then and today's political brouhaha over DOGE is even dumber.

Elon & Co are doing amazing work exposing fraud and saving taxpayer money, but democrats are screaming bloody murder while humiliating themselves in the process with some truly horrendous folk singing.

Please, I beg you, do NOT <click here>.

Why would anyone oppose rooting out waste and fraud from our government, unless they were benefiting from all that waste and fraud?

As Elon Musk noted there are many federal workers making around $200k per year with a net worth in the tens of millions.

Kickback much?

Stay tuned; the forecast calls for a rapid increase in the kicking of posteriors accompanied by widespread taking of names.

If February could just move a lee-tle bit slower we might actually achieve a complete break in the space-time continuum.

Just like the song, this is the month that never ends, it just goes on and on my friend...

...and no need to thank me; ear worms are provided at no extra charge.

They're one of the many perqs of this interminable month, along with cabin fever, ennui, lethargy and the uncontrollable urge to...um...well, never mind.

You know how some people can't take the hint when the party's over, it's time to call it a day, they've burst your pretty balloon and taken the moon away?

Yeah, well that's not me.  This party is definitely over, so let's mount up and 23 Skidoo:

After he lost the big game and she was booed for the 1st time in her career, T&T ditched the spotlight and settled into a sedate middle class existence somewhere in suburbia.

as february drags on, a helpful reminder of your current estate

Loki, king of all he surveys

need to replace the transmitter in my candlestick phone...

...and swap out the metal ringer box with a period correct wooden one.

not a fan of flying anymore, but definitely would have loved flying in a Pan Am Clipper back in the day

I'm at that age where I can't afford to wish too much time away, but mercy, is this winter ever dragging by in slow motion.

Even so, wisdom stipulates we needs must make the most of whatever time we're given:

 

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

    - Ephesians chapter 5

later, mcm fans...

In My Continuing Quest...

 

...to neuter the dystopian present....get a load of this:

For detailed info <click here>

The black cord is power, the brown cord goes to my 1927 Western Electric 102B1 rotary phone, and after pairing Xlink with my iPhone via bluetooth, voila:

All incoming / outgoing calls on my cell phone are now handled by my rotary phone.

If you're baffled by this, wondering "what the heck is wrong with this guy?", please to consider:

*  you're not alone; I get that a lot -

*  who do you think would win a beauty contest: my gorgeous 1927 classic or your boring black rectangle?  and finally -

*  I'm vintage and love vintage things - hickory golf, old phones, antique TVs and radios, retro toys, classic cars, etc.

An ironclad axiom:

Deal with it.

Don't care what anyone says - for less than $50, this is très cool.

Love my antique phones, and am now happily using them (there are several that get swapped out from time to time)...

circa 1910 candlestick phone

 

...for the purpose they were intended: communication.

And yes, I'm dialing 10 digit phone numbers, not looking at a name in my contacts and tapping it.

Hey, it's a rotary phone; you dial them.

C'mon, join the resistance and give it a try!

You're not chicken, are ya?

A year ago the Detroit Lions played in the NFC championship game and lost.

Still mystified how that happened, as I did everything right that day, including (but not limited to) wearing these:

In spite of my best efforts, the universe remained unimpressed, so no Super Bowl appearance for the beleaguered Lions.

This season - well, this season they didn't even make it to the NFC championship game, in spite of a franchise record 15 win regular season and being the #1 seed.

Inexplicable since - remembering last year - I did NOT wear my lion slippers, figuring the universe was angry with my arrogant display of blatant Lions bias.

As if dealing with the insouciance of the cosmos wasn't enough must we now also endure the indignity of insult added to injury?

Because let's face it, there's no accountin' for taste when it comes to the universe's choice of football teams.

Super Bowl (insert large roman numeral here) will feature the Liberal Bubble Girls from Kansas City vs the Dirty Birds from Philadelphia.

Who's gonna win?

Well, my friend Larry from work sent me a pic of the NFL's new ref uniforms for this year's game...

...so your guess is as good as mine.

Either way, I don't have a dog in this hunt and probably won't watch...but might tune in for the commercials.

Maybe.

What are you waiting for?  Let's 23 Skidoo already:

as we contemplate moving, this is a selling point we want to create in our basement...wine cellar ambiance for the next owners

last round of the season and feels like forever ago, but it's only been 3 months.  only round I've played where I had nothing worse than a bogey.

the great Jose Capablanca, 4 years old and playing chess with his father in Havana, circa 1892

my idle hickory sticks, taunting me

The interminable winter drags on, but fear not; Spring is <on the way>.

In the meantime, some encouragement from God's Word:

later, mcm fans...