Tuesday’s Theme Music

Yesterday was in the mid-nineties. Today we’re looking at ninety-eight to one hundred degrees. Heat warnings out, etc..

Can’t complain too much. Had a scorcher back in May, and thought, oh, no, here comes the heat. But June turned mild and rainy. Different from what we usually get, and tres acceptable.

I’m not an air conditioning fan. Prefer not to run it in the house. Seems like a sledgehammer approach to things. I don’t usually run it in the house until the temp inside goes to eight-three. To do this, I cool the house at night, right? Sure. Everyone’s with that. But last night didn’t cool too much (seventy at eleven) (that’s degrees at o’clock PM). The house was comfortable through and it’s comfortable now, but, well, we’re looking at eighty by eleven (temp/time, AM).

Speaking of time and clocks (or writing about them), I was thinking about counter-clockwise. I was following some instructions which used that statement. Which cause wonder, what’d they say before clocks about turning things? I suppose, reflecting on technology, not many things were turned before clocks, and they just said, left or right.

Also, though, kids. Their clocks are digital. Aren’t they? Are they? Don’t have children, so I don’t know what’s in school, and whether that’s still taught. Kind of assumed it wasn’t, since they’re dropped the whole cursive writing business.

But if they’re not shown standard round clocks, being told about turning something counter clockwise must cause a minor brain freeze.

Back to the music. For today’s heat, the theme is “Heat Wave” as covered by Linda Rondstadt back in the last century. The original song was excellent, and there are many terrific versions, but Linda’s version popped up in 1975, so I associate it with driving around and partying as a young adult.

Let’s go with it.

Katrina and the Floofs

Katrina and the Floofs (floofinition) – BritAm new wave floof rock (flock) band formed in the early 1980s.

In use: “The 1985 release, “Shedding My Fur”, became a hit in several countries, propelling Katrina and the Floofs to international stardom.”

Monday’s Theme Music

Using the post to rid myself of a song. Heart’s power ballad, “Alone” (1987) fired into the stream shortly after I rose for the day. Why? Don’t know. Although I had many and complicated dreams, this song wasn’t featured (no, that was Cyndi Lauper’s “All Through the Night”).

So, to dislodge “Alone”, I must foist it onto the blog and send it back into the ether from whence it came. Does sort of fit with things – you know, waiting, wondering, clock ticking – and questioning. Little bit of a stretch.

Sunday’s Theme Music

“Do you ever get restless?” my wife asked.

Do I ever get restless?

Do cats ever go to sleep?

Good lord, we’ve been sheltering in place with limited contact with others since the middle of March. I’ve had itchings to leap into the car and race away, to find some sanctuary at a beach. I’ve sighed over ideas of meandering through book stores. Favorite places get longing looks as I drive by. Small heartaches are felt as advertisements to travel slip past. When will we safely do these things again?

Last night, I sniffed the cooling summer breeze. The breeze smelled like that time I was on Sicily, and recalled a moment on Okinawa, and a summer night in the Philippines. The breeze reminded me of being in bed in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia when I was a child, and being on holiday with my wife in Astoria, Hawaii, and California. Recollections of living in Germany, standing under the Eiffel Tower, and visiting Korea rode that breeze in. A little bit of the Carolinas, Texas, and Florida came in on that breeze. Other times in Oregon and New Mexico rose on that breeze.

So, yeah, I get restless. After she asked, and I was outside later, staring at the night sky (cloudy, so saw nothing but clouds), a line from Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” (2001) streaked through my stream like a summer meteor.

We’ll run away together
We’ll spend some time forever
We’ll never feel bad anymore

That was followed by that lovely, low key refrain, “Hip, hip.”

h/t to Genius.com

Yep, feeling a bit restless today. I’d love to be on an island in the sun. Hip, hip.

Quarterfloof

Quarterfloof (floofinition) – American floof rock (flock) band formed in Floofland, Oregon, in 1980, notable for having a female lead singer who also played the floofophone.

In use: “Quarterfloof’s biggest hit, “Floofen My Heart”, caused confusion and controversy over the meaning of ‘floofen’ used throughout the song.”

Saturday’s Theme Music

Today’s song comes fresh out of the dream stream. I awoke singing the song Danny Elfman wrote that he can’t stand, “Weird Science” (Oingo Boingo, 1985). I’ve never seen the movie by the same name. Began watching to see if friends who loved it were right, but didn’t find it that weird, that funny, or that interesting, and too predictable.

As for the dreams…well, that’d be another post.

Floof Zombie

Floof Zombie (floofinition) – Heavy metal floof rock (flock) band formed in 1985. Based in New Floof City, Floof Zombie first gained notice as a white noise band before settling into heavy metal.

In use: “Floof Zombie’s best known song outside of their hardcore base may be “More Floof than Floof”, released in 1995.

Friday’s Theme Music

Cyndi Lauper’s 1986 song (wow, so long ago, in retrospect), “True Colors” gave to mind today as I perused the news.

Everything seems like political news in the U.S. in this era. Trump wants to stop Bolton’s book from being released, using the conflicting reasons, it’s all lies, and it’s all classified, making the book classified lies, which I think would be a good name for a music group. “Classified Lies”. Think they might be a one-hit wonder.

Karens — white women who call the police for calling on Blacks for living while being Black — have been caught showing their true colors, smugly declaring how right they are in hateful tones, demanding that Blacks go back to where they came from or stop what they’re doing, or police! The tactic seems to have been solidly ingrained into their psychic, as they have little fear of using it. Oh, how often when the video exposes their true colors do they sob about how sorry they are, how they didn’t realize. Sure, too late; we see your true colors.

More on the right insist that wearing masks and social distancing doesn’t matter, they want to invoke herd immunity. “The economy,” they scream. Many are ‘pro-lifers’ who also screamed against abortion choice and spread rumors of death panels when the ACA was being debated. Now, the possibility of spreading death doesn’t bother them. Life isn’t so precious as the economy. They’ve shown their true colors.

As protests supporting Black Lives Matter and against police brutality rose and spread, some people spoke up for the police even as video evidence of their abuse and disregard spread. True colors were shown.

Yes, the pressure to stand somewhere and declare yourself often exposes true colors. It’s a good song for Juneteenth, 2020, as we see too many people’s true, ugly colors.

Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg wrote “True Colors”. I didn’t know that until I read it on wikipedia.org. Cyndi Lauper puts a beautiful spin on it. While I mock the true colors of racists and the right wing in the light of current news, the song is an antidote to such trumpshit.

No, “True Colors” is more supportive of the protesters standing for change, because more of us, a majority, are awakening to the wrongs manifested in our names, and are trying to put it right.

You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
Its hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow

Show me a smile then
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there

h/t to Lyrics.com.

Thursday’s Theme Music

I’ve always enjoyed these lines:

Here’s your ticket, pack your bag, it’s time for jumping overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far, maybe you know where you are
Fighting fire with fire, ah!

h/t to Genius.com

After a night of chaotic dreaming (sometimes I was dictating a novel to others, sometimes they were dictating it to me, which sometimes involved an empty white room but then featured a red jukebox where I made selections but they didn’t come up), I awoke with those lines from “Burning Down the House” dominating my mental stream (along with “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Croft and “This Magic Moment”, as covered by Jay and the Americans). Not really hooked on it (for example, fragments of Bon Jovi’s “Runaway” just skittered through), but why shouldn’t it be today’s theme music? I like the song’s nonsensical connections that hint at something deeper.

Wednesday’s Theme Music

Today’s music arrives because of interactions with the cats.

Another cat, one I’d never seen, arrived on the backyard fence yesterday. Alarms went off in my cats. Tucker, who rules the house, lifted himself up, slowly sat down, curled his tail around his body, and watched this newcomer, a tabby with a white chest and white front paws. They gave Tucker a long look.

Then Boo, the resident house bagheera, took note of the newby and sat up so he could watch. And Papi, the ginger blade, emerged from the shadows to sit and watch.

Newby had been thinking about jumping down into the yard. These three’s laser gazes gave them pause. But how should they redirect? Nothing appeared trustworthy.

Which is when I said, “Everyone relax.” They immediately ignored me. No one relaxed but Frankie Goes to Hollywood began thumping in my head.

So here we go, “Relax”, from 1983.

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