Category: pop culture

Tuesday’s Theme Music

Good morning. Today is Tuesday, August 24, 2021. We’re into August’s last legs. September begins next week. Autum will take over in a few weeks. 2022 is hurtling toward us with comet speed.

Sunrise and sunset are 6:28 AM and 8:08 PM, respectively. Temps are lower. Just 60 F now. Expect mid-80s by the mid-afternoon.

We’re back to reality. Back home. In Ashland. Spent a week on the Oregon coast. Drove home yesterday. Coming south/east, smoke took over as the dominate feature, rendering trees and mountains into sketchy outlines, killing breathability, locking out blue sky and sunshine. Oregon, 2021: another year of smoke.

Yardwork needs tending. I’ll put on a mask and do it, though philosophical reservations pummel me. Is having a pretty yard really so critical when attaining it means risking your health. Hell, no, of course not. But, property values, the marketing forces reply. Image and impressions. Some suggest, hire someone. Sure, take advantage of another’s weak financial security and force them to sacrifice their health. Makes sense. Ah, but their choice, right? And they need the money. And there is capitalism’s doom loom in its essence.

The boys — Tucker, Boo, and Papi — are happy to have us back. Lot of love time spent with each yesterday. Heads were scratched. Purrs were issued. Comforting was done.

Had the Animals song, “It’s My Life”, in my mental music stream this morning. “Comedown” by Bush. Then Duran Duran replaced those with “Ordinary World”. Somehow, Lost Frequencies came through from 2015 with “Reality”. Just a matter of words with this light tune, really:

Decisions as I go to anywhere I flow
Sometimes I believe, at times I’m rational
I can fly high, I can go low
Today I got a million, tomorrow I don’t know

Stop claiming what you own, don’t think about the show
We’re all playing the same game, waiting on our loan
We’re unknown and known, special and a clone
Hate will make you cautious, love will make you glow

Make me feel the warmth, make me feel the cold
It’s written in our stories, it’s written on the walls
This is our call, we rise and we fall
Dancing in the moonlight, don’t we have it all?

h/t AZLyrics.com

Yes, I’m all over the map this AM. Happy to be home. Sad to be away from the ocean. Relieved my fur friends and home are okay. Appalled by the state of the air, the extended drought, the multitude of wildfires. Depressed by the break in routine, the inability to saunter to a coffee shop to write (see Air Quality, COVID-19 restrictions), humble that I have a life where I can make such choices.

Reality can be great. It can also suck. At the same time.

Stay positive. Test negative. Wear a mask as needed. Get the vax. Have some coffee. Or tea. Wine. Whatever. Enjoy the music. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

The daily cycle has commenced again. The beat goes on. Monday, Monday. Sunrise, sunset. Here we go again.

Hello! Welcome to Monday, August 23, 2021. Sunrise in Florence, Oregon, was at 6:29 AM in a clear pale blue sky, a sunrise of hope and optimism. Sunset will come at 8:08 PM. It’s 52 in Florence now but it will be 72 later today. Should be beautiful. But we’ll be on the road. Heading home. Ashland. Current temp there is 58. High is forecast to be 85. Air quality has improved, but it’s poor — 69. Still, it’s home for all that it implies, with its failing and securities, comforts and frustrations. Home. Such a four-letter word.

Unimaginatively, many home songs scale my brain. Home, sweet home, I’m on my way. Just set me free. Home, sweet home. And road songs. On the road again. Just can’t wait to get on the road again. But I’m also thinking, ain’t that a shame? Ain’t that a shame that I must leave this lovely place and ain’t that a shame that more people can’t live better lives? That we can’t find and sustain a better balance between nature and humanity’s endeavors? So I’m playing “Ain’t That A Shame” by Cheap Trick in the morning mental stream. I know Fats Domino was first with it. Great version. But I’m rocking today.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Sunday. August 22, 2021. My final full day on the coast. Clouds from sea to mountains. Will probably burn off. Cool breeze. Will probably grow stronger. About 58 F now, will probably top out in the upper sixties. That seems like the pattern in Florence, Oregon. Sunrise came at 6:28 AM. Sunset, which have been clear and beautiful out over the Pacific, will be at 8:10 PM.

It’s been a good vacation. Pleasant break from heat, routines, smoke. But I miss my writing routines. And I miss my beasts, Boo, Tucker, and Papi. Worry about them. Hope they’re doing fine. Probably are. Were almost always asleep when I was home. I imagine that hasn’t changed much with our housesitter.

Today’s song came via a sequence of events. First, read of a conservative talk radio vax denier who died of COVID-19 this year. Phil Valentine. Urged people not to vaccinate. Here’s a little from Rolling Stone magazine covering it.

“Valentine, whose nationally syndicated Phil Valentine Show aired on 100 stations from 2007 to 2019, had questioned the vaccines on his current show on Nashville’s SuperTalk 99.7 WTN and online, mocking the U.S.’s inoculation campaign in the song “Vaxman,” a parody of the Beatles’ “Taxman.” “I certainly am not getting the vax now,” he replied to a commenter on Facebook on July 14th. “I have full immunity.”

“Valentine died Saturday from complications related to Covid-19, according to a tweet from his station. He was 61.”

From denier to death in a few months. Not a new record. Nor is fresh and original. But after reading that, I walked through town to a coffee shop (River Roasting, which has superb coffee and a good vibe) assessing the weather. Inside the coffee shop, all were masked save for two. One was a woman who appeared to be in her thirties. Her tee shirt said, “Unmask our children”, white block letters on black. Wondered, is she vaccinated. If she gets COVID-19, will she beg us to vaccinate her children as she dies, as so many others have?

Long story. Not a happy one. Brought to mind the Supergrass song, “Alright”, 1995 (yes, I looked it up).

We are young,we run green
Keep our teeth nice and clean
See our friends, see the sights
And feel alright

[Verse 2]
We wake up, we go out
Smoke a fag, put it out
See our friends, see the sights
And feel alright

[Chorus]
Are we like you?
I can’t be sure
Of the scene as she turns
We are strange in our worlds

[Verse 3]
But we are young,we get by
Can’t go mad, ain’t got time
Sleep around if we like
But we’re alright

h/t to Lyrics.com

Song always struck me as a vacuous response to life. Yes, like most of us as youths experience. We run around, have fun, feeling invincible. Then shit happens.

Stay positive. Test negative, wear a mask as needed. Get the vax. Don’t wait until you’re dying on your bed to ask for it.

Here’s the music. Cheers

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Good afternoon, duckies! Today is Saturday, August 21, 2021. I remain on the Oregon coast on vacation. Tis why this post is so late coming out of my head. I arose first at 7 AM. That’s after sunrise, which came at 6:27. I was up to admire low tide. Cool then, in the middle fifties. Light rain wet everything. Thickening fog kept it all wet. Returned to bed for another hour. Then, shower, shave, and coffee, please. Took a walk. But — suddenly all were atwitter. Where are we going? What are we doing? We’re on vacation, fill the time, hurry, hurry, lest we don’t do things and enjoy this time on the coast. So we dashed out to check schedules. Assess weather. Make plans. Buy tickets. Then, we needed to kill time. Let us walk around and kill time while waiting to go on this thing for which we purchased tickets.

The fog burned off. We’re left with another lovely coast day. Upper sixties. Light breeze. Plentiful sunshine. Sunset will arrive at 8:11 PM.

So, with the vacation strings being pulled so hard today — we’re running out of time! Vacation is almost over! — vacation music blew into my head. Lindsay Buckingham’s 1983 song, “Holiday Road”, ended up drowning out the others.

I found out long ago
It's a long way down the holiday road
Holiday road
Holiday road

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Take a ride on the West Coast kick
Holiday road

H/t to Lyrics.com

Stay positive. Or try, you know? Yes, it can be a challenge, can’t it. Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Enjoy the music, please. Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music

Sol’s magic numbers for the Oregon coast for Friday are 6:26 and 8:13. That’s AM and PM. If you had those times in the pool, you may already be a winner.

Hello. Today is August 20, 2021. In the news today, COVID-19 vaccinations, cases, and deaths are all up. Locally in my county, the vaccination rate jumped to 2.1% a week. Yeah, progress. Probably because people are becoming woke. ICUs filled. Hospitals running out of beds and staff. Greater reports of people who said, “I’m healthy. I’ll survive it.” Then they succumb. In one case, it was a forty-two y.o. mother and her forty-eight y.o. spouse. They left four orphaned children. Mom’s final request was that her children get vaccinated. Why didn’t you go get it, Mom? Why?

In other news, there are still wildfires burning and a drought going on. Politicians and columnists are wringing their hands over the evacuation out of Afghanistan. Yeah, they apparently didn’t see that coming. Perhaps I’m too cynical but it’s exactly what I saw coming back when George Bush and his administration made their promises in 2001. War was going to pay for itself. A cakewalk. Wasn’t that the gang that said they’d always have an exit strategy? The ones who weren’t into nation building? Yeah, so, sorry, not surprised by this disastrous end to a disastrous war. Should have never been there. In drone news…

Yeah, not going there. Just revving you up a little.

Turning to weather, it’s partly cloudy and cool here on the Oregon coast. Low sixties. High will be in the mid sixties. Breeze of about ten MPH blowing. Clear air.

My mind began playing “Love Hurts” for me this morning. I don’t know why. Decided to go with it. Nazareth. 1975. Stay positive. Test negative. Wear a mask as needed. Get the vax. Let’s be careful out there. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Good afternoon. Today is 8/19/2021. Thursday. Still on the Oregon coast. Having a late start because, issues. See, we’re on vacation with others. Everything must be done by committee. With great discussions. Great reluctance for others to make a decision. Want to come to consensus, whether it’s to take a walk, drive someplace, or eat something. “You’re eating something now? What is that you’re eating? Well, are we all going to eat now? Is anyone else hungry now?”

Beautiful weather, thought. Sunrise stole in over the coastal mountains at 6:25 AM. Expect it to slip out over the Pacific’s horizon at 8:15 PM. Temperatures are expected to top out at 68 degrees F. Light sea breeze blowing. Beautiful, you know?

Today’s morning crises was about kayak tie-down straps. One was failing on our friends’ car. New one required. Where can we find it? A hard target search commenced. Meanwhile, other shopping was indulged. Crackers. Cheese. Drat, forgot to procure another bottle of wine. I’m doomed. Must endure with beer. Alas. Took us two hours of searching stores and talking to people to find that strap. Fortunately, I had a large coffee with me to help me cope. Coffee. Good for what ails you.

While I was there, my mind began singing a variation of the Eurythmics song. “Would I Lie to You?” became “Would I Shop with You?” That’s because of that verse that goes, “Watch me walking, walking out the door.” It morphed into “Watch me shopping, shopping in the store.” Then, to amuse myself, I created other verses as critical discussions regarding what chocolate to buy was raised and engaged.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Here’s the music. Watch me typing, typing up this post. Cheers

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Another day on the coast. Sunshine shouldered in at 6:24 AM. Clouds took note of Sol’s mood and sauntered off oh so casual, not really going because he was there but just ‘cuz. Temperatures perked up. They swear it’ll be in the mid sixties by the time Sol strolls out at 8:16 PM.

Today is Wednesday, August 18, 2021. Our housesitter back home said smoke is gone. AQI sits at 105 this morning per the Innertube. Still not healthy. Yesterday’s high in Ashland, she said, was in the mid-seventies. It’s going to be in the low eighties today, is the claim. We’ll see.

Nice to be indulging in a little vacation. Sharing a condo with friends. Two couples. It’s enough space but my energy veers away from the spectrum’s social end. I’m more internal. Like my writing. Routines. Those are all unintentionally trample by others. Because, to be normal in America means you stop what you’re doing. Socialize. ‘To have fun’. Just shut off one thing. Turn on the other. Doesn’t work like that for me. While the wife knows, she suffers it. So I suffer because she suffers. There.

My mental music today is “Push” by The Cure. Picked it up from my friend yonks ago. Think it came out in 1986. At least, that’s when I associate the song with my life. Could be wrong. Wouldn’t be the first. Could attempt to hunt down the correct year but I’m a little lazy this morning, sitting by the water in the shadows as the sun’s presence grows.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask, and get that vax. Even talking a third shot. At least 99% of those encountered in stores and restaurants are masked. Bit reassuring. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

On the Oregon coast for today, Tuesday, August 17, 2021. Sunrise was at 6:20 AM. Sunset is at 8:09 PM.

Cool, here. Rained this morning. Ahhh. Rain and coffee. Is there a song for that? We expect a high of 64 degrees F. Brilliant, walking along in the cool, fresh air, going to a coffee shop in the early hours while the sun is still clearing its eyes behind a bank of clouds. Going into a funky coffee shop. Fantastic art by local artists on the walls. Fresh coffee. Fresh pastries. Fortunate to enjoy such things.

Back home, the woman staying in our house and taking care of the three amigos told us the smoke blew away after we left town. Yes, we’re taking it personally. The heat dome wandered on. Temperatures dropped by twenty degrees. Yes, we’re taking it personally.

Talking with friends about their lives, medicines, treatments, and ailments. Friend visited Pompei back in the mid seventies. I’m listening to the Bangles’ cover of “Hazy Shade of Winter” in my head. You know, “Time, time, time, see what you’ve done to me. While I looked around for my possibilities. I was so hard to please. Look around. Leaves are brown. And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.” It’s another terrific Simon & Garfunkel composition. Paul and Art released the original in 1966. The Bangles did their bang up in 1987. Here I am, thirty plus years later, listening via technology’s assistance. Do you have a preference between these two versions, or another?

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask, get the vax. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

A cool one is expected today, in the mid to upper eighties. Had some wind yesterday. The heat dome shrugged its shoulders. Smoke lessened. The sun became familiar, ah, sunny hues instead of a red hole in hell.

Sunrise today, Monday, 8/16/2021, will come at 6:17 AM. Sunset will bless us at 8:12 PM. For music, I’m stuck on a 1970 song, “The Rapper”, by The Jaggertz. “So he starts his rapping. Hoping something will happen. He’ll say he needs you, a companion, a girl he can talk to. He’s made up his mind, he wants someone to sock it to!”

Ha, sock it to. Have you heard anyone use that recently. It’s like, “Where’s the beef?” Or, “Mama mia, that’s some spicy meatball.” “Oh, he likes it. Hey, Mikey.” Or, um, twenty-one skidoo. Or groovy. Or even, “Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who?”

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask, get the vax, you know? Enjoy the music. Cheers

2

What I’m Watching

Yes, it’s time to tell the world again what I’m watching. Mostly so someone will provide tips on other things to watch but also to spead the word on the good stuff.

  1. Loki. Finished it. Wasn’t hugely impressed. Wasn’t that impressed with WandaVision either. Neat concepts but both struck me as comic books. I wasn’t wowed as so many critics and audiences were. Not sorry that Loki is over. Not looking forward to the next season.
  2. Just started the seventh and final season of Grace & Frankie. We enjoyed the first episode. We love their beach house. Gives us house envy.
  3. Hit and Run. Into the fourth episode of this Israeli – American show. It’s holding our attention and we do root for Segev, but sometimes question some of his decisions and behavior.
  4. Seaside Hotel. Now watching season 5 of this Danish melodrama. Love the character and relationship arcs, and the world’s changes around them, imparted in small ways. A sweet and gentle show, for now at least.
  5. The Last Wave. This French production caught my attention as I was drifting through choices the other day. I’ve enjoyed a number of Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Aussie supernatural themed shows, so I was willing to try this one. It’s holding onto us with its tale of a cloud and the impact on the town and some individuals. Looking forward to seeing this through. Hope it doesn’t disappoint.
  6. C.B. Strike. I started watching this British offering on my own in the evening. Then my wife was going by, stopped to watch, and was drawn in. We completed the series as released to date. Based on the Robert Galbraith novel series (and you know who he really is), they were entertaining fare, although some aspects became tedious and overdone (IMO, of course) by the end.
  7. We’d already finished Shrill, for which we experienced mixed feelings — she didn’t seem to learn lessons, and, as always on television, life as a writer seemed amazingly easy. Also finished was The Underground Railroad. I finished it; my wife did not. Too brutal for her. I agreed, it was terribly brutal. How we marginalize and treat people as a society based on skin color. Origins. Religion. Whatever little thing is deemed different is unacceptable and used to brutalize others.
  8. Walked away from Halifax. Strong cast, etc., but I didn’t buy into her role as a psychologist on the task force. Seemed forced and unrealistic.
  9. While I wasn’t particularly entertained by The Bay‘s first year, the second year was stronger and kept my attention. It came to an intelligent and satisfying conclusion. The last season of Jack Irish was good, bringing us up a lot of ancient history, expanding on everyone’s story, and spilling greater light on the circumstances that led to Jack Irish as we knew him. Helps that I’m a Guy Pearce fan, though, I think.
  10. Also just about finished is Unforgotten. Satisfying cold-case investigations. I could watch Nicola Walker in anything. She does a great job. I think she’s one of those actors who lifts up the production. One point that always has my wife and I laughing is how they ask people what they were doing on a particular night or weekend thirty years ago. This people always remember! Even thought they’re sixty, seventy, eighty. We’re of the opinion that we need to get on whatever memory diet they’re following.
  11. Just picking back up on The Sommerdahl Murders. I find this Danish show an intelligent take on relationships and personal histories and personalities as well as a decent murder mystery.
  12. Still on Thou Shalt Not Kill, from Italy. Hard to believe this thirty-year-old woman is a police inspector — that seems like an amazingly young age and she hasn’t done anything that makes me think it’s because she’s brilliant — but it is well-acted and with sufficient twists that I keep on going back. Not the highest one on my list but still worthwhile.
  13. Tested Kevin Can F**k Himself. Weren’t blown away. Didn’t go back for more.

There are a number of shows watched and off the list — Sweet Tooth, Chewing Gum, Please Like Me, Work in Progress, The Expanse, Killing Eve, What We Do in the Shadows, The Kominsky Method, The Queen’s Gambit, and Counterpoint all come to mind. And there are comedies where I watched the latest season and I’m waiting for the next: Would I Lie to You and QI. Of course, I’ve gone through all the Bosch, Vera, Hamilton, Varg Veum, and Line of Duty to date, along with Case Histories. Wouldn’t mind seeing more new ones of all these. I also watched, again, the one and only season of Firefly.

I’m sure I’ve overlooked a few. In the meantime, I’ll keep hunting up new things to watch. So what’s on your telly/laptop/streaming device? Any must see?

Cheers

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