Friday’s Theme Music

If this is Friday, then this must be September 17, 2021. At least I hope so. Otherwise I have one of them wrong. Then I’d need to ponder the whys of screwing up the date and/or missing time. Hate when that happens. Was it a worm hole? Alien abduction? Overfamiliarity with beer or wine?

Sunrise was a pleasant gentle rise of an orange glow. Orange because of the smoke effect. Came at 6:53 AM. We expect sunrise at 7:17 PM. Today’s high will be eighty-ish F. Air quality is Moderate to Unhealthy, fluxing around 97 to 110 so far this AM. A wind can change it all. Rains are forecast for later today — probably won’t come in until night — with more rain and much cooler temperatures — like upper sixties/low seventies — at our house. Can you say Fall?

A mellow song has fluttered into the morning’s mental music stream. Came about while feeding the cats. First I was singing them an actual cartoon theme song. Don’t know if you’re familiar with Underdog. I was singing that song but with lyrics contorted as “Thundercat”, an homage to the black and white streak that Tucker Cat, aka Thundercat, made as he thundered around. You know, “Speedy claws, meows of thunder, fighting all who sleep and slumber. Thundercat, Thundecat.” Once that song was purged, I went on with Steely Dan and “FM (No Static at All)” from 1978. Instead of singing the original lyrics, I sang, “Worry the kibble Mamma, form a breakfast line. Kick off your velvet claws, it’s eating time.” Yeah, makes as much sense as the original lyrics.

Worry the bottle Mamma, it’s grapefruit wine
Kick off your high heel sneakers, it’s party time
The girls don’t seem to care what’s on
As long as they play till dawn
Nothin’ but blues and Elvis
And somebody else’s favorite song

Give her some funked up music, she treats you nice
Feed her some hungry reggae, she’ll love you twice
The girls don’t seem to care tonight
As long as the mood is right

h/t to AZLyrics.com

Time to drink coffee. Remember, stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Let’s be careful out there. (From Hill Street Blues). Here’s the muzak. Cheers

September 17, 2021 0

Thursday’s Theme Music

Today’s numbers are nine, 16, 2021, 7:19, 6:52, 64, and 81. Installing them in the right context outlines the day’s parameters. The date by month, day, and year. Sunset and sunrise. The air quality index and expected high temperatue in Fahrenheit. Context always helps.

After last night’s dreamathon, Elton John’s 1983 song, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”, lodged itself into the mental music stream. Not sure how the song and dreams fit. Maybe they don’t. Perhaps the song was randomly selected from my cranial jukebox. Maybe I’m just a victim of some cosmic or quantum entanglement. This song is playing at another time, past or future, and I’m hearing it now. Maybe some relative or close friend is hearing or remembering it, and its transferring to my awareness. It could be that one of my cats is hearing it or thinking about it and projecting it onto me. I can’t guess.

Anyway, the EJ song is Thursday’s theme music. Stay positive, test negative, try to relax and have some fun, wear a mask as needed, get the vax, and have some coffee, as I’m about to do. Here’s the music. Cheers

September 16, 2021 0

Wednesday’s Theme Music

Greetings, life forms. I include the undead who might be reading this, too. And whatever other ethereal forms are browsing the net — or browsing history in some future state.

Anyway, today is Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Sunshine entered the valley at 6:51 AM. We expect it to fade away at 7:21 PM. Our high temperature will be in the low eighties. Our air is serviceable. Light traces of smoke and haze hang along the mountains’ tree lines but the AQI sits at 70, putting us in the Moderate (yellow) range. It’s a continued improvement that we’re happy to have.

In news, it was great to see that the California recall effort fizzled. Don’t live there but I used to. I live in Oregon, in fact, just a few miles north of the California – Oregon border. Have friends in California and still follow their politics. I didn’t want Larry Elder as governor of anywhere. He spouts reactionary garbage. The disaster it would have been were he to have replaced Newsom is nauseating to contemplate.

Most importantly, the loss throttles the precedence and encouragement it would create for Republicans to backdoor the system. Naturally, upon hearing that he was going to lose, that Newsom would not be recalled, Elder immediately cried, “Cheat!” It’s the GOP way of this century. It’s a good thing that they’re doing it. They’re raising an alarm for something that isn’t there. As it’s proven again and again that no fire is behind the smoke only they see, rational individuals will walk away from them and tune them out.

My night was heavy with dreams. It’s a monthly cycle. My mood goes up and down each month. Get quite dark for a day or two. Want nothing to do with the world, writing, cats, or myself in those hours. Being aware of it helps. cope. I just endure and ensure I don’t do anything stupid during the darkness.

Anyway as part of the peak, versus being in the trough, my mind is busy with dreams. After waking up and thinking them over doing all my morning rituals, I settled with my coffee. About then, a 1991 Yes song percolated into the morning music stream. “Life Me Up” was the group’s last hit, as far as I know. Not that I track these things but others do, and I read that. Not my favorite Yes song (hah – funny that, if you know their albums) but no doubt it’s a Yes song.

Stay positive, test negative, stay in the groove, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Here’s the music. Time for more coffee, I believe. Cheers

September 15, 2021 0

Tuesday’s Theme Music

Punched the clock at sunrise, 6:50 AM. “Punched the clock.” Wonder if that’s one of those expressions that date me? I imagine they still have some timekeeping device at factories but don’t know if they use that term as part of the current vernacular.

Sunset is tentatively planned for 7:22 PM. Making it tentatively in case something happens between now and then. Don’t laugh; this is 2021. Strange things happen. Part of the whole 2020s vibe happening.

Today is Tuesday, 9/14/2021. We’re doing better with the air, still, causing a seasonal burst of optimism. Forecasts call for rain; the pulse takes up a raggae rhythm at the prospect. Highs are again expected to be in the low eighties. Overnight temps are falling low enough that the current house floofs, warmth and sun-lovers all, are staying in more often, finding somewhere to curl up and floofze away the time.

I have a song called “Roxanne” circulating the mental music stream today. No, it’s not the song by The Police. Nor is it “Rosanna” by Toto. This is a 2019 prap, or p-rap, (pop-rap) song by Arizona Zervas. That one chorus keeps playing.

Roxanne, Roxanne
All she wanna do is party all night
Goddamn, Roxanne
Never gonna love me, but it’s alright

h/t to Genius.com

Never saw the video until now. Has a Groundhog Day vibe to it. I assume that you understand that I refer to the movie and its theme of a day being repetitively experienced for reasons beyond our ken. Maybe I assume too much. Movies are pop-culture. What’s known and relevant to one segment is wholly unknown to another. The movie was released in 1993, and it’s American. Yet, with global communications, streaming, and re-runs, I would bet that it remains well-known. The movie’s concept of a day being repetitively experienced is a motif familiar to many during COVID-19 days. It’s how often seems as outside contacts and experiences are narrow and limited.

Here’s the music. Be safe, stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. I’ve gotten the vax. Now I follow “Tales of the Variant” and “Wonder About the Booster”. Cheers

September 14, 2021 1

Monday’s Theme Music

“Just another manic Monday.” Yes, welcome to Monday, September 13, 2021. I generally wasn’t fond of Mondays in my school days. Monday. Yech. Up early. Off to await the school bus. Then in the building. Didn’t mind school and did well but disliked that routine. Never was routine oriented in those days. Writing changed that for me. A routine was essential. Of course, I centered it around coffee.

We didn’t drink coffee as children when I went to school. Rarely drank sodas, pop, sugary carbonated beverages, whatever you wanted to call them. Our drink was chocolate, as in hot chocolate or chocolate milk. I’ve noticed that every coffee shop close to a school has a regular glut of children in there getting a morning beverage. Chai tea seemed like the fave was the longest. Of course, in my day, we didn’t know about chai tea, or cafe mochas or lattes. There weren’t usually coffee shops. They were rare and small. A place to get a blue plate special. Change, right?

Sunrise today was a proper one. Boosted by a clear sky and just the right angle, full sunshine beamed into the valley at 6:49 AM. We had a clearish day yesterday with good- to moderate- rated air. Green and yellow. Nothing over 90 on the AQI. Today’s AQI is 39. Sweet. Sunset will come to our valley at 7:24 PM tonight.

As for songs, a 1966 cover of an older song is in the mental musical stream. “See You in September” was covered by the Happenings and became a pop hit. Hearing it provides an interesting look back at how pop music sounded then, and how it was evolving. You had the surf sound going on, the Brit invasion, but also songs like this along with others by the Four Seasons, and Motown soul. Rock and roll was growing, and so was folk music. Rock and pop has always been eclectic. One of the reasons I love it. A song for any mood, a sound for any time. I admit that I lean toward blues-based guitar and piano sounds with subtle soul nuances. Sounds like I’m describing a wine, doesn’t it?

Here’s the music. Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. If we do these things, then maybe we will see one another in September, out in public, without a mask, enjoying fresh autumn air. Cheers

September 13, 2021 0

Sunday’s Theme Music

Woo-hoo. Welcome to Sunday, September 12, 2021, National Video Games Day! Yes, today is set aside as a day of observance and remembrance to the video games we loved and played. Yeah. A popular social media device is to ask you what your favorite video game was a child. I think mine was Etch-A-Sketch. Does that qualify? I do remember when Pong came out and we all played it for about twenty minutes. Ah, the seventies. What a period for video games.

Sunrise was 6:44 AM today. Sunrise cometh at 7:27 PM as daylight hours accordion down. AQI is moderate, mid seventies, and the high today will be in the low 80s F here in Ashland, southern Oregon.

I’ve already dated myself with my video game recollections. So, nothing to lose. I awoke with “25 or 6 to4” by the Chicago Transit Authority playing in the mental music stream. Its emergence for here and now isn’t clear. What is clear is that it’s stuck and must be shared to be removed. Chicago later dropped the last two words of its name. Its style changed, too. But, that’s how it goes with music.

So here it is, from pre-Internet, pre-worldwide web, pre-video games. Why I listened to this song on vinyl. Then tape. Now I listen to it on digits. Remember, stay positive, test negative, wear a mask, and get the vax. Now go play a video game while I get coffee. Cheers

September 12, 2021 1

Saturday’s Theme Music

Good morning. Welcome to Saturday, September 11, 2021. Sunrise came at 6:46 AM. Sunset will be at 7:29 PM.

Gorgeous outside right now. Very excited for that. AQI is 34. Code green! Was also that low last night, prompting me to do a long walk, for which my body thanked me. Been so long that we’ve had such clean air to breath. Ah, to be able to open a window and let in fresh, cool air. To look out and be able to see the green mountains and blue sky again. It’s the little details that sustain us.

Temperatures are also cooperating. We expect highs in the low 80s. Couple with the overnight lows in the sixties and the rain remnants from two nights ago, and the ingredients of a delightful fall day come together. It’s a good day to think about who you are and look forward to who you can be and what you can do. Move the needle.

The mental music stream has “Follow Me” by Uncle Kracker (2001) running. I know, odd choice. Compelled by cats, I tell you. They were awaiting the royal feeding. I called out, “Hungry?” “Yes,” they answered. “Follow me for food,” I answered. “Come on, follow me.”

I started walking. They followed. By then, my neurons had linked with the words, “Follow me.” The association was made and the song began.

Stay positive. Test negative. Wear a mask as needed. Get a vax. Drink coffee. That’s what I’m going to do. Here’s the music. Cheers

September 11, 2021 1

Friday’s Theme Music

It was two A.M. The bladder mumbled something. Didn’t need to hear exactly. Knowing what he wanted, I ambled through sleep and dark to the voiding station. A precipitation orchestra was tuning up. Plink plink. Plink.

Rain. By the time my bladder had finished his business, a solid downpour was underway. The cats and I — my flooftourage had followed me, of course (what’s he doing, where’s he going?) — slipped to a door to enjoy the rain and fresh air. But the smoke remained, thick as oatmeal, scratching at my eyes and nose. Still, it had rained.

Today is Friday, September 10, 2021, the second of four Fridays in September. We will have five Wednesday and Thursdays in September. A tepid imitation of sunrise took place at 6:45 AM. Last night gave us an an almost normal sunset as the smoke cleared enough for standardized views. Who will know tonight? The smoke comes from all directions. If you want to see the sunset in Ashland, look west — outside or through a window — at 7:29 PM.

The Dutch band, Golden Earring, had a 1982 hit called “Twilight Zone”. The song begins with a man talking. Then he says, “It’s two A.M.” The vocalist then begins singing with that line, “It’s two A.M.” He then goes on, “The fear has gone, I’m sitting here waiting, the gun’s still warm, maybe my connection is tired of taking chances.”

More lyrics (h/t AZLyrics.com):

Yeah there’s a storm on the loose, sirens in my head
Wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
Cannot decode, my whole life spins into a frenzy

Help I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go, now that I’ve gone too far
Help I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go, now that I’ve gone too far

Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone

I’m falling down the spiral, destination unknown
Double-crossed messenger, all alone
Can’t get no connection, can’t get through, where are you

Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind
This far from the borderline
When the hitman comes
He knows damn well he has been cheated

It’s all about wondering who you are, what’s going on. Whether you’re losing your connection with reality. What’s going to happen next.

Stay positive. Test negative. Wear a mask as needed. Get the vax. Enjoy your Friday. Fetch me a coffee, please. Never mind, I’ll get it myself. Here’s the music.

Cheers

September 10, 2021 0

Thursday’s Theme Music

First, standard warnings. The outside air is unhealthy. Recommend you avoid going outside. Don’t exert yourself outside. People with respiratory issues should take additional precautions.

COVID-19 positives cases remain high as vaccination rates continue to wane. ICUs are full. Wear a mask when outside your home, especially when in stores and restaurants. Social distance. The library is closed to browsing but there is front door service.

Welcome to Thursday, September 9, 2021.

It’s similar to Wednesday and Tuesday. Many of us wonder, when will this stop? The smoke. COVID-19. Drought. Water shortages.

Sunrise was at 6:44 AM. Sunset will be at 7:33 PM. Saw a big red-orange ball in the sky late yesterday afternoon. Purported to be the sun. And darkness did gather when it disappeared. So, cause and effect, must’ve been the sun.

Temperatures today will remain warm but not hot with a forecast high in the mid to open eighties.

A Wham song is rooted in the morning musical mental stream. This is a dream’s influence. I’m still sorting the dream. The song is “Everything She Wants” from 1984. I respect Wham and George Michael but their music wasn’t the sort I generally paid mind. But my female friends and wife looked their music so I heard it often. I’m still piecing together why it was in my dreamscape’s musical score.

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

September 9, 2021 0

Wednesday’s Theme Music

Good morning, fellow travelers. Our vehicles — body, planet — still appearing to be functioning or we probably wouldn’t be here, me typing this, you, reading it later. Or should we propose some Twilight Zone inspired theories about who we are, where we’re at, and what’s really going on?

Today, ‘they’ claim that it’s Wednesday, September 8, 2021. Smoky, again, in my area. Sunshine came red and dull through the haze at about 6:43 AM. It was a dark and gloomy sunset last night. Dark by 7:30 PM. Sunset today will come at 7:33 PM. Hope we can see the sunset for the smoke.

AQI is currently at 112, so it’s improved but still unhealthy. Present temperature is 64. Autumn is coming, bringing a high of 87 F to us here in the valley. Leaves are turning yellow on a few trees. The shimmering maples are beginning to do their thing, too.

I’m with Queen this morning. Another blogger sang “Some bunny to love,” on an Instragram post. Oh, terrible. But the song stuck to me like peanut butter on a spoon. I finally countered with “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen (1979). I so vividly recall when this came out and I heard it for the first time. Was at work. Then in the Air Force. Stationed at Randolph AFB, Universal City, just outside of San Antonio, Texas. Worked in the command post. It was by far the most unusual command post in my career. For one thing, we had windows. No other command post I worked in ever had windows. Windows are vulnerabilities that reduce security, you know. Also, this command post was on the first floor of the Taj Mahal, just left of the front entrance. Here’s a photo of that building.