Science fiction, fantasy, mystery and what-not
Floofcake (floofinition) – 1. Term of endearment for a sweet animal. Origins: 1829
In Use: “Rachel often referred to her chubby yorkie as her floofcake, an expression which the dog accepted but did not like.”
2. Wrestling move by many animals to dominate others by throwing their dead weight down on them. Origins: 1932, United States
In Use: “No more than twelve pounds when she was wet, Caramel would put herself on top of Cassie and pin Cassie in bed like Caramel weighed a hundred pounds.”
Label this, ‘useless dialogue’. I was watching an episode of The Rig. Magnus (played by an actor I enjoy, Iain Glen) said, “We don’t know where Bremner is, so watch your back.” And then they all herd forward with none of them looking around or watching their back.
Yes, it’s an insignificant flea of an issue, so tiny that it can’t really even be called an issue. Except aspects of shows like that undermines the show’s quality and realism for me. It depletes the tension. They clearly weren’t really worried about Bremner because they did not look around.
I know, all the things happening in the world and this is what I complain about? Well, don’t worry — I have a lot more complaints about other things.
My wife and I were talking about a study about coffee-drinking. The headline hook: “Limit coffee-drinking to this time window to lower early death risk, study suggests“
What prompted me to mention it to her was this line: “The researchers identified two patterns of timing of consumption: morning and all day.”
I’m a morning and early afternoon drinker, for the record. But she told me that she mentioned it to her coffee group yesterday. All her age or older, they’re intelligent people with good recall skills. As a group, they came up with all the other things we’ve been warned about over the years, only to have them roll over and say, “Wait, our bad. New data is in.”
So, you know, we take this study and its revelation with a little reservation. And maybe a cuppa coffee.
My car is now ten years old but it has multiple modern conveniences. This includes auto-temp control, heated seats, active headlights (which turn with the front wheels and change angles when going up or down hills to keep them level), and other goodies. While my wife loves the butt warmer, my fave by far is the backup camera. It is so useful to me. I recommend those for everybody and every car.
Mood: newsfogged
The fog has been another move on us, taking it to eleven. Can barely see the houses on the other side of the street. What can be seen is smeared as the fog acts like petroleum jelly on a phone lens.
Ayep, this is Twosda, Jan. 7, 2024. 38 F outside with fog and rain, and going up to 46 F. Stagnant air warning in effect, rain expected. Man, t’is nothing when you look at the storm hitting a huge part of North America. Snow and ice are having their way with many U.S. states. Flights are being cancelled, snow is accumulating, traffic is a mess as snow plows and police cars get stuck in some places. A state of emergency has been called in parts of at least seven states. Good to have a president in President Joe Biden who knows how to react to these situations. At least for a little while longer. After 1/20, prepare for a blizzard of bullshit, regardless of what’s going on.
Don’t think ’bout going to Canada to escape it, neither, as blizzards were ruling up there as well.
Meanwhile, a friend in Alaska reports, “Another major melt combined with high winds and rain. In January. Which is normally our coldest month.” Their temp was 40 F although it felt like 24.
Saw a headline: “Meta ending its fact-checking program”. Like users weren’t aware that they checked out of fact-checking months ago. Then came more: “Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday said the social media company is ending its fact-checking program and replacing it with a community-driven system similar to that of Elon Musk’s X.” My brain went, hahahahahahahahahahaahahah. Then it added, hahahahahaha. Well, they’re fooling someone with that proclamation. I suspect those being fooled are either low-information individuals – LOIs – or right-wingers who declare up is down because that’s what PINO-elect Trump tells ’em.
I’m off Facebook for the most part. Check on friendlies around the world on it. Don’t share nor post. I only issue emojis for certain folks and their situations. I don’t use Instagram, or Threads. I’ve shifted to Blue Sky and Mastodon for texting and most of my social media thrills.
But to say that Meta is moving to something similar to X. Wow. X, where Elon Musk lies and threatens and then asks for everyone to be more positivie in their posts. Man, that’s downright capital P Pathetic.
Today’s music came from the car radio. It seems like every time I got in the car in the last week, this song was played. I’d drive to library and it would immediately come on. Return home twenty minutes later — a six minute drive at 25 per — and they play it again. It’s like, how many times will they play this in one day? Like they’re watching me and announcing, “Okay, he’s in the car, go, go, play, play “Too Sweet” now!
Yes, the song is “Too Sweet” by Hozier from just last year. After hearing it so often, I think The Neurons got hozierfied. Cuz now I’m walking around the house with the tune in the morning mental music stream (Trademark fogged in):
I think I’ll take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at 3
You’re too sweet for me
You’re too sweet for me
I take my whiskеy neat
My coffee black and my bed at 3
You’re too sweet for mе
You’re too sweet for me
h/t to Genius.com
Many people — especially those of an older gen. — will call this an earworm. I call it a brainworm. I believe this is one of those instances where I must share the song with others in order to release from my head.
Coffee and I had a kitchen counter summit. Terms were agreed for the day. Here’s the music. Into the fog I go. Cheers
Was in the library. Coldish day with air temp circulating at 42 F as rain and clouds said no to the sun.
A woman and child walked past. The adult seemed in her late thirties. Child, a girl, looked ten. I assume Mom and daughter but I don’t know. What struck was their dress. The adult wore boots, gloves, a knitted hat, and a puffy jacket. Kid wore crocs. Loose pants which looked like fleece jammies. A thin long-sleeved top.
Out they went into the weather together. I said something to my wife about the difference in their dress. She replied, “Yes, those young people just don’t seem to feel it, do they?”
No, they don’t.
I was on a mission. Leaping into the car, I drove down to the library. Fingers crossed, baby, fingers crossed. See, I finished a puzzle last year. Last month. The other day. Munda. Twosda, we took the puzzle apart, packed it up, and turned it ino the library from whence it came. Wezda, I discovered a piece had been left out.
Well, that sucked. The library was closed that day. I told my wife and set it aside. She agreed with me, “We must get that piece back into the box.” Way we talked about it, it was a whole Indiana Jones adventure in the making.
Tursda arrived, and we forgot about the piece until that night. Then a big Homer Simpson d’uh moment hit and I remembered the piece. So, today, I left early and took the piece. The puzzle was still there. Chuckling to myself, I opened the box and put the piece in. Whispers arose from the other pieces. “Thank the maker, our little missing green piece of window shutter has been returned.” “Praise the maker,” other pieces echoed.
I was very pleased with my successful mission.
Floofsimilar (floofinition) An animal that looks or acts amazingly like another. Origins: Medieval Flooftin.
In Use: “Goof and Ball were different species but with almost the exact same black and white markings and chill, friendly personalities, were spooky floofsimilars.”
In Use: “Mark went out looking for his big black white cat. A week later, his cat showed up, and he realized that the first cat was a floofsimilar.”
We’re invited to some friend’s house to celebrate 12th Day on Jan 5. I’m looking forward to it because it’s the last official party of the holiday season for me.
I like the couple inviting us. Although we only met them this year, we’ve been at several of the same parties and ended up in satisfying conversations. But their invitation closed with an intriguing caveat: “Our driveway can only fit seventeen cars. Please consider carpooling.”
1. Seventeen cars? First, how do they know this? Was it listed as a feature or shortcoming when the property was being sold? “Driveway can fit seventeen cars.” Also, what sized cars are we talking about? Seventeen Fiats or seventeen Hummers? There’s a difference you know.
Other ways of knowing exist. Maybe they had a party and invited people and found out, OMG, our driveway can only fit seventeen cars. Or perhaps they did the measurements. Also, how are we parked on this driveway? Single file, in tandem? Two by two? So many questions.
2. I also suffered a bubble of driveway envy after reading that. Our driveway struggles with more than two cars, side by side. We can add two more in tandem behind the first two, depending on the relative sizes involved, but their rear ends will be sticking out from the curb. Looking at my street, we’d be challenged fitting seventeen cars onto it.
3. If they have parking for seventeen cars and suggest carpooling, how many people have they invited? My wife did mention that our hostess asked her for lists of the exercise class and coffee clatch participants, which not oddly if you know my wife is something that she prepared after arriving here and joining those activities and realizing that such a list — with names, phone numbers, birthdays, and email addresses — did not already exist.
Despite the suspiciously large crowd that might be there, I am looking forward to it. I mean, it is the last party of the season.
That’s reason to celebrate.
Mood: Yawninspired
It’s a nice day for a white sky, Billy Idol might have sung for today. A flat white sheet mottled by gentle grey moguls hangs loose across our valley. A little blue slips in from the far western edge on my field of sight. Sunshine chips through where it can, coming in with a fair facsimile of light. 46 F, windy, it rained last night. Might rain today. Might achieve a 51 F high.
This is Tursda, January 2, 2025.
Many are not aware that January has an interesting populist origin to its name. The first part of the year in the nothern hemisphere was often dark, cold, and quiet except for storms. Outside wasn’t a hospitable place. Inside caves, huts, and other primitive dwellings, not much was going on, either, as a lack of light, Internet, and decent heating kept folks huddling. Those first months became known as Jawnsuary. That j was actually a y; the period was Yawnsuary because they were so dull and boring. Later, the first month of the year became known as January to appease the god, Janus. Winter festivities were promoted to lift people’s spirits and change their attitudes. Religious leaders told people, “The cold, darkness, and suffering is good. It helps you appreciate the light and warmth that comes later. Snow is good. Look at all that you can do with snow. Have a drink, you’ll come around.” High priests built the first snow churches, snow men, and snowballs. Religious leaders led the way in going outside to have fun in the snow. That’s why religious leadership often wore heavy black, red, or blue robes. To stay warm outside, and to be visible in the snow. That’s a fact, jack.
Today’s music started last night when I, reading some news reports, dubbed some people as crazy. I know, it’s not nice, and often maligns people with genuine mental health and emotional issues by lumping those who are deliberately delusional, greedy, evil, and corrupt in with them, such as certain right-wing leaders. Anyway, catching a sniff of those thoughts, The Neurons came up with Gnarls Barkley and their offering, which is just called, “Crazy”. It’s playing now in the morning mental music stream (Trademark impaired). This song is not to be confused with the song, “Crazy”, covered by Patsy Cline, and written by Willy Nelson. They do have things in common in their lyrics, like believing something which is a delusion. I’ll include them both so you can compare the two different but impactful songs.
Stay groovey and be hip. Coffee and I have renewed our vows for 2025. Here’s the music. Let’s go get ’em. Cheers
Michael Seidel, writer 