Tag: rock

Wednesday’s Theme Music

Entering our consciousness just after midnight, Wednesday, October 26, 2022, sailed in under a gray curtain of rain and trumpets of gusty winds. Sunlight’s arrival at 7:36 AM brought up pre-winter conditions. Frost advisories have been kicked out. Temperatures are dropping. Lovely rain extended its visitation rights. Streams and creeks grow swollen with contributions out of mountains, gutters, and drain systems.

It’s 5 degrees C right now. We’re told — and they’re usually pretty close on these things — 51 F will be seen by the afternoon. The sun’s departure at 6:13 PM will kick the temperature back down the stairs toward the lower thirties.

We were reflecting on Halloween’s approach. Until last week, it felt like summer here. Trees hadn’t turned, temperatures remained in the eighties, sunshine and blue skies lorded over the valley. Summer, right? Then a cosmic meteorological switch was turned and autumn crashed down. Suddenly, summer was gone and, hello, it’s Halloween? What? Seriously?

And now October is finalizing its last day plans. Enjoy it while you can. I don’t want to be a spoiler, but I can tell you that there will be a change next Tuesday.

A cat inspired The Neurons for today’s music. Papi, energetic from being housebound when the rains and temperatures dropped suddenly declared last night, “Enough of this! I want out!” Yes, I warned him, it’s no longer summer out there. But he’s a cat. Did he listen? Of course he did. But he ignored me. Because he’s a cat and ruler of whatever he thinks he can get away with ruling.

So he went out. And came back in. And wanted back out. No, in! Out! In! Out! Well, yeah, by the fourth time, I refused to play the game. But my wife was awoken by his efforts to get in and did his bidding, only for him to come to me and say, with pleading eyes, “Please, sir, let me out.”

At some point in all this, I told him, “I love you but you’re driving me crazy.” Well, yeah, Der Neurons liked that and fired up some Sammy Hagar in the morning mental music stream. His song, “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” (1983), has been playing in my head since serious dark thirty.

Although October may be ending (or maybe not!), keep wearing your positive pants. You know the ones, the ones which you’ve decided brings you good luck because you got a free coffee once when you were wearing them and people compliment you and are nicer, and you were told you got a promotion that one time, and you always get better traffic flow when you have them on, seriously. Also, continue to test negative.

I’m up for coffee. Anyone else? Here’s Sammy. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Drizzle filled our skies all day yesterday, posturing it as an ideal day to stay in and read. We naturally hit the road for some shopping, as supplies had dwindled. Sure, we had coffee and many of the other essentials, but we lacked a few of our regularly required items conducive to be healthy, happy, and full.

Today, Tuesday, October 25, 2022, is cloudy but without precipitation. Sunrise brought in velvet fingers of light at about 7:35 in the morning. The sun will pull its influence at 6:14 in the evening. It’s currently 41 F but will jump to 13 C before we cross midnight. Rain is expected to start falling at ten PM and continue until 1 PM tomorrow. Dress right, you know? (Had to stop myself from putting in “Dress right, dress,” right? Ingrained stuff, right?)

I had “Cracklin’ Rose” by the Taylor lad playing in the morning mental music stream. The Neurons then replaced it with “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean, followed by “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce. “On a story-telling song kick,” I queried The Neurons. They pivoted to “We didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel, riffing of my thoughts of turning on the fire because it’s a damp morning. Oh, those neurons crack me up.

They weren’t done yet. I was outside, sipping hot coffee on the cool porch, enjoying the sun’s silvery presence behind bruised clouds and the smell left behind by the rain, when The Neurons pulled up Duane and Gregg Allman with “In the Morning When I’m Real”. The song was part of their first band’s efforts, a group called The 31st of February. Now I knew the song ITMWIR but didn’t know the Allman boys were behind it. Didn’t sound like them as it lacked their guitar-sharp rock blues sound I place against their names. Wasn’t till the mid-seventies, when I was back at Mom’s house when she presented me with a box of stuff I’d left behind that I re-discovered the album and this song and realized it was the Allmann Brothers. I don’t know how I acquired the album. I suspect someone left it behind at my house but it’s one of those things which remains unknown, kind of like, have extraterrestrials visited Earth?

Keep on being positive and testing negative. Wear masks as needed to protect you and yours. You deserve it, don’t you? I have coffee, started drinking it when I ate a warm buttered blueberry scone. Why don’t you go get yourself something? I’ll wait here. I’m gonna go ahead and play the song, though, ‘kay? Here it is.

Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

The calendars bring us around to another Monday again. Has little to do with the earth’s movement and the sun and the stars. These were our decisions what to call what day, done to standardize taxes and activities.

In another move, the results of long-ago decisions and mechanisms, this is October, 24, 2022. Trees still wear their new fall outfits, although some are showing some daring naked trunk and branches. Sunshine, according to the chronometers, was at 7:34 AM, but rain dampened the experience. As it was a chilly 41 F, too, attendance to witness it was low. Also, it seems like people who work and rush around are less enamored with sunrise these days. Feels like most just want to see sunrises and sunsets when they’re on vacation. Although, I feel compelled to do an aside that two sisters and one sister-in-law often photograph sunsets using their phones and post them on social media. Our sunset, by the way, will be at 6:15 PM, in case you want to get out there and get some snaps in. Our high temperature, so you can dress right, will be 55 F. Rain might be falling. I know it won’t be climbing.

BTW, I just imagining telling my grandfather that people take photos of sunsets with their phones. Grandpa Paul died back in 1975, but he was the guy with a Polaroid camera in the sixties, taking photos of everything. I appreciate his efforts because I know exactly what I wore on different holidays for several years. I think he would have gone with the flow and used a phone himself. He liked adopting new technology.

Musically, the song today has roots in my novel in progress. Well, not really roots, because the song was out long ago. Now I’m going off topic. Just let me go on.

I’d come to a chapter that was leaving me flummoxed. I’d written it several ways, found one I liked, and edited it a bit, but still remained dissatisfied. A “Eureka!” moment struck last night. That might put an end to the issue, but maybe not. I find that as a writer, sometimes I’m satisfied at the moment but later demand to know who wrote that crap and put it in my file.

But the internal debate encouraged The Neurons to pull out a Lovin’ Spoonful song from 1966 called “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” Written by John Sebastian, it’s a playful melody about choosing which girlfriend you want. You probably see the connections which Les Neurons made.

Keep engaging your mind’s positive vibes, man, and pour oil on that negative energy. I hear oil will calm negative energy and keep it from growing. No word on what kind of oil. Feel free to experiment and report your results. I’m getting coffee to pour down my throat where, I believe, it’ll drown my negative energy and lift the positive vibes. At least, that’s the hope, right?

Here’s the song. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

We turned on the fire yesterday. Yeah, we have a gas fireplace. I turned on the gas and ignited the pilot light. All done because it was a cold, wet day. A friend went hiking this morning — yes, she and her husband are both crazy like that, hiking at dawn around 7:33 this morning — and sent back photos of light snow covering the pines and ground up on a ridge a few thousand feet up. None of my local upper ridges show any snow.

Today is Sunday, October 23, 2022. Sunshine and rain/snow clouds are waltz across the sky. Bright sunshine rules one minute before clouds close the gaps and threaten precipitation in the next. It’s 6 degrees C outside, keeping the felines inside slumbering in their usual winter spaces. Guess that’s the key. Leaves are changing and we’re racing toward winter. High temperature today will 51 F.

I was thinking about waiting this morning, as I was waiting — again — which made me go into a lap of ‘poor me’ self-pity because I’m so put upon, often treated as something stepped in that assaults the nose with a nasty reek after an animal does their business somewhere. Once the lap was done and I was over myself, The Neurons came in with The Black Keys and their song, “Lonely Boy”, from 2011, because, you know, the song has ‘waiting’ in it. What I remember more about this song was the video. I love this guy dancing and lip-syncing the song. He did a sensational song IMO. I read about him on Wikipedia today. His name is Derrick T. Tuggle. Wikipedia called him, “actor, musician and part-time security guard”. Hope you watch it and enjoy it as I have, as much as he seems to be doing.

Hope you have your positive energy shield up and your negative test armor on. I’m adding some coffee protection. Don’t know if you’ve heard of this magical brew and its amazing properties…

Here’s Tuggle and the music. Cheers

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Yesterday had us in bee mode, going from event to event. Slowly today, with only one thing on schedule.

It’s Saturday. Claim you prize at the window if you guessed correctly. Don’t know what the prize is. You’ll need to talk to the director about that. It’s also Oct. 22, 2022, if you’re going for the perfecta.

Rain began last night at tennish, got serious about it around midnight, calmed itself down for part of the night, and then stormed back at five. Lot of rain sounds. Some wind joined in to move a few things. We’ve needed rain, so yea, and now need snow. Fortunately, snow is forecast for the area above 5,000 feet. We’re below two, so we shouldn’t need to deal. More rain is due from above today (I know, where else did I think it would come from?), with most forecasts proclaiming it’s going to rain from early afternoon to almost midnight.

It’s currently 45 F in our area. 10 to 11 degrees C is posted as expectations for our high. We have a plan to go to the Japanese Garden opening in Lithia Park. Two plus years in the making, they tore up some stuff and built a wall, so ambivalence is greeting the park’s appearance. They’re also talking about perhaps charging an entrance fee in the future, anathema to Ashland’s attitude toward parks. They’re supposed to be free recreation areas for the people, yo. We’ll see what happens when the future arrives.

Dawn had an underwhelming arrival, with clouds and rain dictating light and visibility. Sunrise came at 7:32 AM. On daylight’s other end — dare I say, its rear end? — sunset will be at 6:18.

We were at Empty Bowls last night, the fundraiser for feeding the homeless and struggling. My wife is part of the setup committee. We met with other friends there, catching up on news from the COVID era. Too much of it was about bad health. Three friends, not seen in a while, we learned had died. Another had a massive heart attack and was going in for triple bypass surgery on Monday. But there were also sunny faces sharing happy tales about how well they and their families were doing.

This is a transition day for me vis-à-vis clothing options. I’ve been in shorts in Oregon since spring, other than a few special events. Now it’s time to dig out jeans, long shirts and sweaters, and raincoats. That had me thinking about yesterday, which was a magnet for The Neurons. They came out with 30 Seconds to Mars and “From Yesterday”. It took me a while to put that together as I had the refrains about a map of the world on his face going on. In fact, I often incorrectly think that the 2007 song’s title is “Map of the World”. But as the song went through my head, the title was corrected.

The cats are also transitioning. Tucker was out, moving around the yard seeking solar patches, but Papi, the young feline, said, “Screw this,” and mostly stayed in the house. Of course, the night of rain arrived, and the situation reversed. Now, though, both cats are declared themselves indoor pets. Tucker slumbers on the desk left of my computer while ever a contrarian, Papi naps on the living room sofa.

Well, stay pos, test neg. I’m up for coffee and an orange cranberry scone. Can I get you anything? Here’s the music while you think about it. I couldn’t find the short version so here’s medium version. The actual song begins about halfway through.

Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music

If this is Friday, it must be October 21, 2022. Maybe it’s the other way around.

Sunshine broke the night’s hold a little before the official 7:30 AM time, kicking some heat into the 45 degrees F morning. Mists rose, giving a slow reveal of leaves reveling in their new brilliant finery.

We’re to see 72 F today, they say, before sunset ends the show at 6:20 PM.

I spent the morning helping my wife and her friends setting up a 75th birthday celebration for their exercise instruction, who coincidentally is celebrating forty-five years as an instruction with the same organization. My music comes from standing in a line today, waiting to do some things. Without prompting, I began humming the start to “By The Way” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Neurons quickly joined in, and the next thing I knew, the song was settled into the morning mental music stream. I was in Atlanta shortly after the song came out, visiting the corporate headquarters. I’d heard the song on FM and then caught the video while working in my hotel room. After seeing the video, the song’s tempo change made more sense to me.

Coffee has arrived. Exercise a positive attitude. Try to remain negative with your test results for COVID and the flu. I wish you well this Friday. Here is the video. Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

We have a new and improved Wednesday at our fingertips. Never sullied by human behavior before, this Wednesday is an ideal gift for Mom or Dad, big brother or little sister, or even —

Excuse me, just a moment. The Neurons are clamoring for my attention.

What? It’s not. Oh. Well.

Sorry for the typo. This is a new and improved Thursday.

Aw, forget it. The magic is gone, the spirit is ruined.

This is Thursday, October 20, 2022, brand new, etc.

Sunshine unveiled itself in our valley at 7:29 AM and will illuminate our life until it’s turned away at 6:21. It’s 57 F now but 86 F is foretold for this afternoon. But the plants are whispering, “Rain is coming.” Not today, but it’s coming.

I have “livin'” on my mind as part of song titles, like “Livin’ on A Prayer”, “Livin’ on A Wing”, “Livin’ on A Hill”, and “Livin’ in a Can”. Don’t know which of those is an actual song, except I’m sure the first one is a Bon Jovi tune. Rising to the moment, The Neurons have thrust “Feels Like the First Time” by Foreigner (1977) into the morning mental music stream. They explain that it fits right in with the fact that this day is a brand-new day. (Side bar: couldn’t they have just used Sting’s “Brand New Day”?) They explain that in the Foreigner song are the words, “Never will again, never again,” which, The Neurons think, makes sense for a brand-new day: it’ll never be again, so make the most of it.

I’ll give them that since I lack the coffee energy to debate them. Stay positive, test negative, etc. Here’s the music. Enjoy it. Also enjoy your brand-new day if you can. We’ll hopefully get another one tomorrow. Now it’s coffee for me.

Cheers

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Dawn light cracked the night’s eastern flank apart at 7:28 AM. With sunlight alleviating the cold, we soon saw temperatures rise to the mid-fifties. Temperatures are expected to prance on up to 86 F today before night closes in at sunset, predicted to be at 6:23 this evening.

It’s Wednesday. Mid-week for many. Beer night for me. We celebrate Ron’s 75th birthday tonight. Per the beer group’s tradition, the individual reaching the milestone buys pizza and beer. Salute.

It’s also October 19, 2022. Just a normal day for me, but many will be celebrating, like Ron. To you, salud.

The Neurons are being cheeky today. I was out admiring the sky, breathing in and out, not thinking about anything specific. Cats were with me, checking it out. Tucker, our black and white long-haired enigma, was busy grooming. Papi the ginger blade was pretending to see things that he might attack. He rarely pulls the claw on his planned attacks; they go on in his mind, I imagine.

As I turned to head back in, The Neurons brought up a song called “Sky High”. While I knew the lyrics and melody – they’re quite simple and straightforward – I was like, who, when? I knew somewhere from the early seventies. Wikipedia fed me what seems like the correct answers: 1975 and Jigsaw. I don’t recall hearing any other music by Jigsaw. Watched the video after that and yeah, I’ve never seen the group. Thank you for the music, guys. I do appreciate it. In another surprise, I learned that the song was for a movie, The Man from Hong Kong, which my memory denies knowing. The movie starred George Lazenby, an actor who once played James Bond.

Here’s the music. I have coffee at hand. Maintain your positive attitude and do your best to test negative as COVID and other viruses and illnesses spread. Other than that, I encourage you to drink deeply and prosper.

Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Looks like autumn is making progress in the area. More trees are choosing to change their leaves, as is their right. Their trunk, their leaves, their colors.

A mellow Tuesday morning has settled in the valley. The week is shaping up to be cooler. Rain is in the weekend forecast with high temperatures in the upper fifties. The air’s shimmer itself seems to have shifted at last, shaking off its summery flavors for autumnal accoutrements. Today, though, will be 80 F and it’s already 56. With that rich blue sky crowning trees becoming wealthy with golds, yellows, orange, and scarlets, it’ll be a fine day to take in the outside world.

Sunrise kicked off the daylight portion of October 18, 2022, aka as ‘today’, at 7:27 AM and will close out at 6:24 this evening.

My morning mental music stream is empty. Yeah, The Neutrons have let me down. Well, “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf was in there. I’d decided to make coffee before sitting down to the ‘puter and started singing, “Got your coffee brewing, and then make your breakfast,” all to the tune of BTBW. So you need to know the song for it to make sense. But I’ve featured the rebellion anthem a few times already and didn’t want to repeat it. So what to do instead, Neurons?

Crickets.

“The Crickets,” The Neurons instantly shouted. “We know The Crickets.”

“Yes, I know,” I answered. “That wasn’t an invitation, guys.”

But they were off. Before I’d even begun my reply, they’d kicked “Peggy Sue” into the morning mental music stream.

While I know the song, I needed to look up the year it was released. Yep, 1957, when I was one. It was an AM pop familiar for a looonnng time. Don’t hear it much any longer unless you’re on a ‘golden oldie’ station, it seems.

Well, I have my coffee and ate my breakfast, so all that’s left is to enjoy the song. Be like a proton and stay positive. Test negative like an electron. Sorry, that’s all I got. I would blame a lack of coffee but I’ve had some. Must just be Bad Neurons.

Here’s The Crickets. Oh, yeah, and Buddy Holly. He got all the credit for the song, but if, as Paul Harvey used to say, you know the rest of the story…

Good day.

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Monday’s Theme Music

Monday muscled into the morning, declaring, “Ready or not, I am here.”

It’s October 17, 2022. Half of October has fled under the bridge and over the horizon of the past. But they tell us the past doesn’t really exist once it’s done; really, all the previous days have evaporated, except for what we hold in our minds.

After reaching 95 F yesterday, half a dozen degrees higher than prepared for, today will drop into the upper seventies, maybe striking 80 (26 C). It’s a clear enough sky for it. Nothing but blue from my vantage. Trees have at last begun shifting colors here. Local leaves are mostly going gold or yellow.

Monday’s sunrise tiptoed in at 7:26 this morning like it had a hangover. Sunset will come at 6:26 this evening, just eleven hours later. Next Sunday, we ‘fall back’ in most of the U.S., resetting our clocks to be an hour later, part of a hugely debated bi-annual ritual adopted as law last century.

The Neurons were spying on me this morning. No surprise, right? The tiny peckerheads often do. Going about the usuals needed to void my body and begin to re-assume form and manners for being among humans, I found myself examining a memory about meeting a man. After carefully checking it to see where it came from, I realized it was from a dream – ‘we’d met each other in a dream.’ Case closed, I decided, but the dream was suddenly so vivid.

Well, The Neurons heard ‘we’d me each other in a dream’ and called up Heart and “Magic Man” (1976) for the morning mental music stream. It’s been going over and over in an endless loop, kind of like how phone calls and meetings take place on Monday. Chuckle, chuckle.

So that’s the theme music for this October Monday. Stay positively oriented and negatively tested when it comes to COVID and its variants and the flu. It is definitely coffee time for me. I’m positive about it. Here’s Ann and Nancy and the band with their song. Cheers

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