Sunshine rolled over the horizon and onto the ocean at 5:43 AM. It’s Wednesday, the mid-point for the week, July 13, 2022. Marine layers and stout winds asserted their presence yesterday. I was cleaning sand out of, ah, everywhere last night, again and again, fine, gritty sand. The marine layer has retreated for today. The wind is on break. Sunshine warms a blue sky. A faraway thule layer rests on the ocean’s deep blue horizon. Current temp is a cool but pleasant 15 C. Won’t get much past 66 F today. Sunset will take us into night at 9 PM.
A wild night of dreams is in my mental rearview. The Neurons extracted “Cover Me” by Bruce Springsteen from the dreams and planted it in my morning mental music stream. “Why?” I asked. Yes, why?
The Neuron smirked. “Use your brain.”
“I thought that’s what you guys are.”
The Neurons snorted. “Think again.”
So, it’s “Cover Me” for Wednesday’s theme music. Stay posi, test negy, etc. I’ve already had my coffee, thanks. The Neurons demanded it before they’d even speak to me. Hope you have a wonderful way wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, short of hurting others, right? Yeah. Let’s be reasonable.
Being on the Oregon coast is invigorating. Air temp hovers around 59 F as a sea breeze and marine layer dominate. The high temp will be about 65 degrees here, but the fresh air and ocean sounds of bursting waves intoxicates my spirit. Wish all could experience this. Wish I knew it more often.
5:41 AM and 9:02 PM are the relevant times for respective sunrise and sunset. It’s July 12, 2022. Tuesday.
Of course, a Black Eyed Peas song, “I Gotta Feeling”, is circulating the morning mental music stream. The Neurons brough it out as I stepped out onto the patio at 7:30, cuppa coffee in hand, gazed out at the ocean, listened, smelled, and reflected. Yes, this song has been used here before. It’s a worthwhile song. My opinion, of course. Your opinion might be different. It’s alright, right? I gotta feeling it is.
Stay positive, test negative, and so on. More coffee? Yes, please. Cheers
The thermometer crushed 90 F yesterday, beating expectations. Clouds never bothered turning up. I often amuse myself, crediting the sun for the heat. Yeah, while the sun is our primary heat source, weather systems, highs and lows, and humidity, allied with seasons and the axis tilt and all that, affect the local temperature. Not informing you, just reminding myself.
The Earth’s established rotation returned my valley into sunshine at 5:45 this morning. I check each day to ensure it comes up in the west per usual. But honestly, if reality flipped on me and it rose in the east instead, would I be able to comprehend the diff? I suspect not. That’s how reality works. It messes with your head and expectations.
We sit at a comfortable 17 C right now. Change to that is expected as we’ll see temperatures pop up to 99 F. Sunset will come at 8:48 PM. This is the weather for Monday, July 11, 2022.
The Neurons have three songs circulating in the morning mental music stream. The first is a beat called “Wildwood Weed” by Jim Stafford. The 1974 song was a dryly humorous story about farmer brothers discovering marijuana on their land, their growing fondness of the weed, and the government coming in and digging it up and burning it.
Second up was Willie Nelson’s 1982 cover of “You Were Always On My Mind”. The heartfelt ballad has been recorded by hundreds of groups and individuals. Elvis Presley had a memorable hit with it. But I like Willie’s softly reflective version. Guess that’s why The Neurons tucked it into the stream.
Last was a recent theme song selection, one that’s been done a few times, “Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim. I enjoy Walken’s dancing in the video. That almost made me remember the song as much as its melody and its lyrics. Almost. I often find myself mentally singing, “You can go this way, you can go that way.” Then I hear that bass line.
As the second song wasn’t featured as my theme music at any time in the past, I thought I’d keep it loaded in the mental music stream and make it the day’s choice. As for why any of them are in the stream to begin, The Neurons take the fifth.
Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and, you know, protect yourself and those around you, yeah? Okay. Speaking of protection, I’m going for coffee now. It protects me from all kinds of imaginable ills. Here’s the tune. Cheers
You are here, on Friday, Jun 10, 2021. No, no, wait…stupid time machine. (Yeah, don’t tell me that you think it’s operator error.)
Take two. You are here, on Sunday, July 10, 2022. 18 C outside now, we expect the numbers to strike 87 F before the sun winds down its act at 8:48 PM. The sun tapped danced in through the trees and o’er the hills and mountains at 5:42 this morning. Clouds are absent again, though haze blurs the western horizon. The mornings have been starting out cloudless but clouds drop in later in the day, sailing through on their way to somewhere else. A scorcher is anticipated for tomorrow — 98 F — which kicks off a series of days in the nineties. No triple digits are expected. I’m heading for the coast, though. Much different conditions will rule by the Pacific.
As I was sitting on my throne this morning, The Neurons gifted me with “All Night Long” by Joe Walsh, a song which has been featured as the theme music before. Honest bafflement on my end met their choice. “What is this? A joke?”
The Neurons scoffed and snickered. “Yeah, a joke.”
I often do not understand them. I think they might be young neurons.
Stay positive and test negative, if you will. Two more friends notified us that they were COVID pos yesterday. We’ve been masking and isolating for the most part. Haven’t seen my friends for a beer for two weeks. (Start sad string music.) Didn’t even go out for the 4th or my birthday. Yeah, going to the coast tomorrow, but it’s with a lot of trepidation.
Maybe coffee will help me. I’ll try it. Here’s the tune. It’s a rockin’ one. Cheers
The page was flipped from night to day at 5:43 AM in the valley. Hello. Today is Saturday, July 9, 2022. Your top stories are pretty standard fare so we’ll go right to the weather. It’s currently 19 C as chilly mountain air clings to the idea that it’s spring. The sun might have other ideas today. With no clouds to challenge it, temperatures will again pump up into the upper eighties, probably peaking at 86 to 88 F in this locale. Night takes over when the sun leaves out stage at 8:49 PM.
I have a personal favorite playing in my morning mental music stream, “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago, who went by another name when the song was released back in 1970. (pause for dramatic effect) That was fifty-two years ago. Yes, over half a frigging century. Time sure flies when you’re living.
The song came into my mind as I was noodle about what to do, what to do, readying plans, asking myself, “Should I try to do some more?” That is, of course, all it took. The Neurons recognized that as a line from the song and unleashed the music.
That’s okay. It’s a sentimental favorite. Coming onto the scene as I tripped into being fourteen years old, the song embodied the guitar sound and exuberance I liked in my rock at that age. It’s a good song for air-guitar work.
Stay positive and test negative. COVID is hettin’ up here as the July 4th parade proved to be a superspreader event. Five more friends, all vaxxed and posted have mild symptoms and tested positive. One tested positive after having coffee with my wife, so she’s isolating at home. She has no symptoms and hasn’t tested yet. Fingers crossed, right? Yeah.
I’ll take some coffee now. You enjoy the tune. Here it is. Cheers
“Let’s add fri to day and call it Friday. Think people will buy it?”
“Yeah, we’ll make it the end of the week. That’ll help them remember it, ’cause it is a pretty weird word.”
And so, Friday came to be.
Today is July 8, 2022. It is 18 C outside for now but it won’t stay there. 86 F, they think will be the thermometer’s top end for today. “Clouds?” the blue asks. “What’s that?”
The sun shrugged. “Don’t know. Heard of them but I don’t see anything that might be a cloud.”
5:42 AM saw the sun bring its edge to our valley. That’ll change at 8:49 this evening, when the world’s spin will remove the sun from the valley’s view.
The Neurons dropped some Bad English music from 1989. “When I See You Smile” is a big hair power ballad complete with a dramatic drum and guitar concert video montage. That’s how it was played back then. The song comes back to me overhearing two women talking. One told the other something along the lines of, “Your smile always makes my day. When I see you smile, I just immediately feel so much better.” The two, older and younger, maybe sixties and thirties, gave good suggestions that meeting up made both happy. Hugs were engaged. Deep smiles rose and stayed. Laughter followed. Fun to see. Naturally, hearing those words, The Neurons brought the song out of the memory attic. And here it is, still in the morning mental music stream twenty, twenty-one hours later.
Stay positive and test negative, etc. More friends reported they’re positive for COVID. The cases are on the rise. Think I’ll have a sip of coffee, maybe two, and decide my next move. Here’s the theme music. Cheers
We reached the corner of sun and rise at 5:42 this morning. And guess what? Sunset will come at…8:49 PM. It’s finally moved off the 8:50 hook but now the sun’s impact will begin to grow shorter and shorter until it disappears altogether, leaving us to ask, “Hey, has anyone seen the sun lately?” To which people will reply, “Well, where’d you see it last? Maybe if you retrace your steps…”
It’s Thursday, 7/7/22 and 18 C. Should strike 82 F today, an altogether comfortable-sounding day. A cloud-free sky has been declared. The back door is open to let cool air drift through. Do this every morning and then shut the door, trapping the cool air. The house will slowly heat up but doesn’t usually get to A/C temperatures until it tops 100 F outside (about 38 C). The gingerbread cat known as Papi (or Meep) loves the open door, racing in from the back patio, speeding through the living and dining rooms, streaking past the kitchen and office and down the hall to the guest room and then catapulting back out on the reverse course. The thunder of murder mittens on hardwood floors and carpeting is hilarious. This was executed four times this morning. He’s now sacked out on the sofa.
A deer ate most of our front flowers this week. It’s like, oh, well, it’s a healthy deer and has every right. But now there’s new bear scat where the deer has been eating. Makes us wonder about the situation… Appears the deer might have a stalker.
The Neurons inserted “Lucky Man” by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer into the morning mental music stream. Lake wrote the song when he was twelve and learning chords. Quite impressive.
I asked The Neurons why this song from the 1970s was being played. They shrugged. “What’s it to ya?” Such attitude.
Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, etc. Four friends tested pos this week. Three of them work at the emergency food bank as volunteers. There might be a pattern here. Think I’ll get some coffee and ponder it. Here’s the tune. Cheers
The sun lifted over the planet’s turn at 5:41 AM. It’s 18 C on this Wednesday in July, 2022. The 6th finds us expecting a high of 80 F, a few showers, and a sunset of 8:50 PM. Again. Hotter weather is on the way, and a surge into the nineties is in the projections for next week. An archipelago of white clouds are hanging out. Humidity is up to 76%. Feels a little muggy to me.
Another night of dreams rocked my sleep. The Neurons dragged “Everything You Want” out of the technicolor mire into the morning mental music stream. I can’t peg which dream or scene it relates to, but The Neurons insist that they do. Who am I to argue with them? The Vertical Horizon song from 1999 is firmly staked to the Bay area commute from that year. The first two thirds of the year had me driving from Mountain View to Redwood City and back and the last third’s commute was Half Moon Bay to Redwood City and back. Not far by car in mileage, the trip home was generally an hour to an hour and a half. I had a lot of music and talk radio. Pity the people that go yet further.
Stay positive and test negative, etc. Anyone up for coffee? I know I am. Here’s the music. Enjoy. Cheers
The rain is crushing it this July, 2022. With rain today, it’s been a rainy start, with showers and storms every day except the first. I’m liking it.
This is Tuesday the fifth. Our overnight low sank to 55 F but the temperature pulled itself up by its bootstraps, to use a worn and inappropriate expression, and now sits at 20 C again. The high will be about 75 to 77 F. Maybe 76, which is twelve degrees below average for the day and twenty-six below the record high. The sun’s initial appearance was at 5:41 AM. Sunset will be: yes 8:50 PM. Again.
While listening to the rain with the window open in the office, I smelled smoke. I mentioned it to my wife. She said it smelled like a bonfire. I looked out for signs of smoke from fires, whereupon The Neurons lit up “Smoke From A Distant Fire” in the mental music stream. I didn’t know who did it or when it was released. I asked The Neurons and they were all like, “Song? Song? What song?” I thought the song might have been released sometime in the 1970s but had to research it to learn it was 1977 and the Sanford-Townsend Band. I felt sorry for them that I knew their song but not them. Still, they’d tried and had temporarily broken onto pop’s big stage and had a moment, right?
Stay positive, etc. This feels like a good coffee day. Excuse me while I get some. Here’s the music. Know the song? Cheers