Science fiction, fantasy, mystery and what-not
I’m often visited by earworms. It’s a chronic thing. Songs from across my lifetime drop by in the part of my head where music memories reside, the mental music stream. This often happens in the morning, giving that realm the name, morning mental music stream.
These songs don’t just drop in and depart. They’re normally on a tour that lasts several days. Well, I recently shared a song as my day’s theme music, “Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode. After dressing, heading out the door for the coffee shop this morning, I was singing it aloud as it played in the MMMS when I suddenly remembered Mom singing it to me once during a visit home, Mom, with her Doris Day voice.
Oh, that made me laugh. The song came out in 1989. I lived in Germany then, so I think it was when I came back to America in 1991 and visited her that the singing took place. I don’t know how she knew the song, but suspected it was through her daughters or grandchildren.
What a memory.
“Let’s go,” I urged myself this morning. “Time is ticking away. Time to go write. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.
“Well, first I’ll dress. Of course. And shave. Okay, let’s go. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.
“I should clean the kitchen first. And exercise before I do that. Okay, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.
“But I think I’ll have more coffee first. Okay, let’s go. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”
Mood: fungry (funky and hungry)
Hey, all you gravity bound individuals, welcome to another Friday. This one is 1/26/2024, in case you ever need a more specific reference for it, though you will hear folks when talking about days like this referring to it in other ways at various times, like last Friday, the final Friday, or even ‘today’. In days past, I’ve even heard it call next Friday. It’s all relative.
Sprinter continues. We have a few weather dwarves visiting us today to contribute. Sunny, Foggy, Rainy, and Windy all dropped in. Sunny seemed like they were under the weather, all weak and listless, while Windy acted disoriented, blowing every way that you can imagine in erractic, impulsive gusts. It’s 46 now, and Rainy is out there letting loose off and on while Foggy lingers at the edge and watches. 52 F will be the day’s high.
As for the cats, well, they have declared themselves inside cats for today. Papi is curled up in the living room on the sofa while Tucker has taken the mink blanket in the primary bedroom. Both are softly snoring.
Today’s theme music is inspired by the GOP and Mr Trump, aka TFG. I was reading various articles in which Trump lied. The articles noted the lies and why they were lies. Next was a story I caught about a Trump surrogate urging Nikki Haley to surrender, accusing her of becoming an election denier, which made my eyes roll with incredulous amazement. I watched a video of another Lincoln Project ad, and then read an article in The Hill, “The 6 states facing the most serious groundwater crises.” Out of all of that, I wondered if MAGA supporters will read or watch any of these things and if so, declare them untrue or fake news.
I’ve been fooled by fake news more than once. It seems like checking and re-checking to validate facts is needed when watching television, listening to the radio, or reading the news online. The Neurons came up with the Eurythmics and “Would I Lie to You” from 1985, playing it full throttle in my morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks). It’s a robust song, a solid choice for a weak Friday.
Stay pos, be strong, lean forward. Coffee is still available, so I’m drinking it while I can. Here’s the video. Enjoy your Friday. Or this day. Whatever. Cheers
I walked around Ashland’s Railroad District today, enjoying sunshine, and came across a new plaque. It described that the building behind it was a fire station. Built in 1908, it first had hand-pulled pumper wagons. A horse drawn wagon replaced it a year later. Then, in 1913, the town’s first motorized fire truck was purchased, and the Texaco gas pump at the curb was installed.
That all surprised me. I thought from its glass and metal front, gas pump, and single garage door, that it’d been an early gas station.
The plague went on to explain that besides those things, the station also had a jail.
What?
The jail’s original barred window remained on the building’s alley side.
I walked around and looked at it, confirming, yep, there are bars.
Walking on, I thought about the constance of change. Plaques like these were always fun to find and read, so more of our history is explained and understood. Now the historic building is an artsy consignment shop, as it’s been for over the last ten years.
Just fascinating.
Mood: excited
Ahoy, brothers and sisters from other places and spaces. Today has arrived in the guise of Thursday, 1/25/24. Blue skies escorted the day in, with a few dancing clouds joining the sunshine parade. It rained earlier and will probably rain later. Temperature now is 49 F under a sunny sky, and today’s probable high is just below 60 F. Not bad for a sprinter day. Actually registers as typical.
Les floofs are enjoying this weather as it allows them to exercise their lion and panther sides and explore our yard without being cold or wet. It’s one thing to be wild, but quite another to be uncomfortable.
Nikki Haley inspired today’s music. She’s on the trail, campaigning to be the GOP nominee for POTUS. The schedule had her in New Hampshire for their part of the ritual, and the press was following her. One NTY writer, Charles Blow, addressed her campaign rally music, calling it an oddball selection. Among the performers whose music was used were Bruce Springsteen, Cheap Trick, Blake Shelton, Janis Joplin, Norm Greenbaum, REO Speedwagon, Queen. Hardly a staunch conservative list. Springsteen, for one, actively supported Barack Obama and Joe Biden in their campaigns. I agree with Blow’s conclusion, as he wrote, that the music choices are a headscratcher.
I wonder if the Haley campaign got permission to use these performers’ music and what they would think. Political campaigns’ use is a complicated issue involving copyrights, fair use, and the creator’s rights and intentions, and whether they’re comfortable with the politican’s views. As example, this week, The Smiths’ guitarist, Johnny Marr, told Trump’s campaign, stop. You don’t have the right to use that music, and we don’t want you to.
“I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass,” guitarist Johnny Marr said in a message posted on social media on Tuesday, according to an article in The Hill.
“Consider this shit shut right down right now,” Marr added.
Anyway, after reading Mr. Blow’s piece, The Neurons began playing “No Surrender” by Bruce Springsteen in the morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks). That’s the Springsteen song Haley’s campaign used in NH. That’s just how The Neurons work in their diabolical way.
Be strong, stay pos, and keep leaning forward. I’ve been sucking coffee down, thank you, but you do what you need to do. Here’s the music. Cheers
Finished editing and revising for the day on page 320 of 525 on what I consider the fifth revision. A sixth revision is planned. It’s needed for the music and levels.
Started a new novel today. I’d been thinking about it, and the words began coming to me last night, so I sat down to write those opening pages so they’re not buried in memory with other ideas. This is a corollary novel to the work in progress. The main character is level seven.
All very satisfying and challenging. Still, I look forward to being done (enough) with revisions that I’m happy and able to advance toward the next steps to publication with it.
Cheers
One woman at the table beside me in the coffee shop said to her companion, “I wish the Dairy Queen would re-open soon. I’ve been eating healthy all year, and I need a break.”
* Our local DQ closed after a kitchen fire in September of 2023.
Floofstrapping (floofinition) When an animal helps itself.
In Use: “Smart animals will often use floofstrapping to feed themselves or satisfy their desires.”
Recent Use: “Parade Magazine shared a tale about a floofstrapping golden retriever escaping his place to take a dip in a neighbor’s pool “
Michael Seidel, writer 