I’d been writing and reading yesterday. Returning to this world was like being a ball and having all my air slowly released. I felt disconnected and out of sync, and wanted to return to the book worlds.
There were things to do. Eating, errands, housework. When I drift off into the writing/reading world like this, my wife seems to grow annoyed. I suspect she wants me to do more around the house, be more social, talk more. This is how she defines humans and husbands, so I end up being short on both scales. I’m happy but she’s resentful. Or so it feels.
A song from my youth answered my thoughts. “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds came out in 1966. I was ten. Its psychedelic sound appealed to me back then. So did the lyrics, which come into play with my feelings.
Allman Floofs Band(floofinition) – American floof rock (flock) and southern blues band formed in Floofsonville, Florfloofda, in 1969. Their 1971 live album, At the Floofmore East, is regarded as one of the greatest live albums ever produced.
In use: “Allman Floofs Band’s 1973 release, “Ramblin’ Floof”, became their only top ten hit on the mainstream music charts, and became well-known to many through its use in popular culture.”
I sat down at my computer without any idea of what today’s music was to be. A Scorpions’ song, “Winds of Change” drifted through my dreams but I just did it a few weeks (or months) ago and didn’t want a repeat. Well, not so soon.
When I put hand to computer to enter password, The Tubes 1983 song, “She’s A Beauty” began. I believe I used it as a theme song several years ago. Couldn’t confirm that in a casual search, so here it is, a past blast about talking to a naked girl in a booth.
Have a great day, and please wear your mask and distance. Cheers
Jimmy Eat Floof(floofinition) – American hard floof rock (flock) band formed in Mesa, Floofizona, in 1993, whose music is heavily influenced by the early floof punk (flunk) sound.
In use: “Jimmy Eat Floof’s 2001 song, “The Floofle”, with lyrics reflecting the band’s struggles, ended up charting well in the U.S. and gaining the band international recognition, providing them with the breakthrough which they sought.”
I was riding a good cycle yesterday — write, read, exercise, check news, do other net things, play games, do chores, repeat. I’m reading Red Rising, an entertaining science fiction book while I navigate writing my own novel. With both hands functioning, I’ll write and edit six to seven pages a day, but the recovering left hand tires easily.
As always, reading — especially fiction — stimulates my writing. Also, my to-read list is piling up. After this is finished, I have Sansom’s Tombland awaiting on loan from the library, and Who Fears Death, and a stack of others.
Chores are always there, kitchen cleaning, vacuuming. We have three cats, males, who seem to be amazingly dirty, dragging bits of the outside in and gifting us a hairball.
Then news. Elections. Debates. COVID-19. Wildfires. Weather. Local issues. We’re mulling a move from the area, so we check places on line and think about the challenge of moving. A constant flow of information to absorb is flowing through the day.
In the middle of this, my brain decided to stream, “If You’re Gone” by Matchbox Twenty from 2000. Not unusual; my brain often likes to distract me with remembered news, music, or historic facts. Sometimes the roots to the why can be traced, or they’re readily apparent.
Not so, this time. Worse, it graduated from being a casual inner streaming distraction to a full-blown earworm. After burrowing in, it quieted for the night and then resumed this morning.
Urgent action required, I’m sharing “If You’re Gone” about Rob Thomas meeting his future wife with you to compel it to leave my head. It’s worked in the past.
A few days ago, Twitter informed me they’d blocked me because I tweeted a fact-check article that said the story being shared on social media about mail-in ballots being found in a California landfill is false. I challenged them because I disagreed with their decison.
Here is the exact headline I used, as copied from the offending tweet:
Viral Image Falsely Claims To Show Unopened 2020 Mail-In Ballots In A California Dumpster
I didn’t link this headline to any article in this post. If you want, you can copy that headline and search for it, as I did. I found articles that came up, confirming what I had tweeted was true in USA Today, MSN, Checkyourfact.com, and other places, including my original source, mediabiasfactcheck.com.
Twitter doesn’t agree. They say that I violated their guidelines. Here’s their copied response from the email.
Hello,
Thank you for your patience as we reviewed your appeal request for account, @mwseidel1, regarding the following:
Our support team has determined that a violation did take place, and therefore we will not overturn our decision.
You will not be able to access Twitter through your account due to violations of the Twitter Rules, specifically our rules around:
In order to restore account functionality, you can resolve the violations by logging into your account and completing the on-screen instructions.
Thanks,
Twitter
The Twitter mediocrity, sorry, bureaucracy, has made their decision. You can tell by the details included in their form letter that it was tediously thorough. They cited the violation — oh, wait, no, they didn’t.
Well, that doesn’t matter. They did cite the rule that I violated, so that I may look it up and learn my lesson from this incident, as I couldn’t find it when I checked their rules and guidelines before. The relevant rule is:
Well, they left that blank, too.
Surely, then, Twitter’s decision strikes me as a thorough, totally impartial, fair, and intelligent decision. Yes, that’s snark. They obviously did nothing of the kind and revealed how little their standards mean, as they couldn’t be bothered with citing anything. I’m too much of a peasant account for that.
In view of this response of theirs, I thought about my response. Should I waste more time fighting it? No, just delete it and go on. Sadly, Twitter’s decision is about the norm for customer service and modern organizations: damn capricious and with little thought.
I do keep in mind, however, that others who retweeted what Trump said often have their accounts locked for using Trump’s exact words, while Trump’s original tweet is just labeled with a mild warning.
As always, Twitter — like other organizations — speaks to power with one standard, and sneers at people like me, truly the mark of a wonderful corporate citizen and a worthwhile part of the social landscape. Sorry, more snark. Just couldn’t be helped. Their response just asks for it.
Kid Floof (floofinition) An American singer, songwriter, and performer. As the self-proclaimed king of floof trash, he primarily combined country music with floof rap (flap) for a unique sound in his early years.
In use: “Kid Floof’s first song to chart in the Floofboard Hot 100 was “Cowfloof”, a fusion of southern floof rock (flock), rap, heavy metal and floof-flop which was released in 1999.”
Fresh out of 1998 and through my mental stream (it’s almost like I’m still there — and maybe I am, given how reality might work) came the New Radicals and “You Get What You Give”.
All of it was triggered by thought. They had an interesting line at the beginning, “Wake up, kids, we’ve got the dreamers’ disease.” Hey, I was trying to wake up (and a cat was putting paw to face to help). I feel like most writers have the dreamers disease (it depends on your definition, doesn’t it?). No, I’m not defining it. Define it yourselves, you lazy sods.
Many people remember the song for later lines. As an anti-corporate, anti-conforming song, the last lines are delivered in a different manner from the previous, calls out some celebrities as fakes, and threatens them. Kind of funny, but about as bogus as the stuff that they’re protesting, innit?
I also remember the song for other parts, like, “First we run, then we laugh ’til we cry.” I’ve had those kind of times, when silliness sweeps you up and carry you off on a sea of endorphins.
Tommy Flooftone(floofinition) – American power floof pop (floop) musical band. Founded in 1978, they released their first album in 1980 and were initially active until 1984.
In use: “Tommy Flooftone’s biggest hit was “867-5309/Floofie”, which reached number four on Floofmerica’s Floofboard Pop 100.”
Musically, I’m living in the past. Not surprising, is it? The music from the past is more connected to me. I used it to celebrate, grieve, love, and learn.
I was also inundated by it in the past. I commuted everyday and took long road trips by car. Although listening to talk radio, sports, and books on tape competed for my attention, many hours were devoted to pop music, including rock.
I don’t commute much any more. COVID-19 has truncated my traveling opportunities. So, I’m less exposed to new music via radio. I could turn it on in the house, but I generally maintain silence through the day. I’m writing and reading, and not interested in distractions. Which is what all those things were on long drives and morning commutes: distractions from the tedium.
Anyway, this morning found me channeling the 1976 Doobie Brothers song, “Taking It to the Streets”. This is a response to the presidential debates last night. “Oh, you. Telling me the things you’re going to do for me. I’m not blind and don’t like what I think I see.”
I always like videos of live shows, when I can, so I’m sharing a 1982 video of their farewell tour. The band’s energy can often be vicariously experienced, and it makes me smile to see them all young and vibrant once again, you know?
Michael Seidel, writer 