Tag: rock

Thursday’s Theme Music

The wheel has turned, and we’ve come, at last, to Thursday, October 21, 2021. A warmer day here. Dryer. Lively with wind teasing fabulous fall foliage. Red leaves dressed scarlet to merlot are in abundance, competing with warm pumpkin orange leaves, bright yellows, bronzes, and burnished golds. All against the enduring greens offered by firs, evergreens, and pines. While the current temperature is a pleasant 58 F out there, we expect it to get ten degrees warmer. Sunrise overtook us at 7:30 AM and sunset will transpire at 6:20 PM. The cats are generally enjoying it. Winds are not their thing, but they find places for a cozy nap outside.

They don’t know it, but the click is ticking. A cyclone bomb is heading our way. That entails stronger winds and much more rain. The cats will not be happy.

Today’s tune occupying the morning mental music stream is a Rush song called “Subdivisions” from 1982. It came through on the heels of yesterday’s music. After I played yesterday’s selection, I let the music keep rolling on Youtube as I typed with my headphones on. “Subdivisions” was one of the subsequent melodies heard. I haven’t heard it in quite some time. Sort of surprising, as classic rock stations that I tune into often play Rush music. I usually hear “New World Man”, “Tom Sawyer”, “Limelight”, or “Closer to the Heart”. I like “Subdivisions”. As it cut into my thinking, I flipped the puter over to the Youtube tab and enjoyed the live performance.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax or booster when you can, as you can. And remember, drink plenty of fluids. Staying hydrated is very important. I have water and coffee beside me now. Ready to write and roll. Here’s the music. Enjoy.

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

I’ve rolled the dice. They’ve come up sixes. Moving my piece — which, by the way, is a beer mug — half full, thanks — I land on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. Shadows are long and the sunrise is slow where I am. A weak, lethargic sun, debilitated by distance and angles, hindered by clouds. It began its journey through our sky, a function of the world turning, at 7:29 AM Pacific, and will retreat from our region at 6:21 PM.

Rain sang to us all night long, sometimes soft as a kitten’s swat. Othertimes it burst into a long Buddy Rich drum solo. The wind came in with demonic shrieking and wolfish howling. Now it’s calm. We hear it’s a momentary thing. We’re happy for the rain as it feeds root systems and replenishes our water sources. While it rains here, we keep our fingers crossed that it’s snowing in the mountains, building up the snowpack.

We’re at 46 degrees F. right now. High will be about 56. Air quality is good, at 7.

The morning’s mental music stream is entertaining me with “Eminence Front” by The Who from 1982. Not a favorite song nor album. I felt their mojo had waned by then. But — should be noted — I’m comparing this song with the music I knew from them ten years earlier. I believe front was the trigger for the song’s entrance into the MMMS. I was reading about weather fronts. I think the mental Alexa jumped on that and said, “Playing ‘Eminence Front’ by The Who.” She’s so cheeky.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vaxes and boosters as recommended. Then, chill. Have some coffee. I know I will. I hear it whispering to me from the other room. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music – Fixed

We’re striding through the week, marching through Tuesday, October 19, 2021. The winds here think it’s March. They’re roaring like a lion. Sunrise arrived sans fanfare at 7:28 AM, with sunset due at 6:23 PM. Temps will reach into the mid sixties from their present point of 56 F before dropping down into the low forties tonight. It’ll be a dry day, with a bit o’ wind. If the wind ceases later, as expected, I’ll head out for a walk.

Was a beautiful walk yesterday afternoon. Two miles burnished by bright sunshine and cool, mild breezes. Colorful trees provided companionship, along with deer, squirrels, jays, and cats. With an AQI of ten, the view across the valley was unhindered and inspiring.

With the cooler temperatures, we have the house heat turned on for the season. We keep the house at 68 F during the day. While that’s the agreed temperature and I find it comfortable, my wife likes it hotter. Not so much a personal request on her part; more a matter of coping with her health conditions. As compromise to the situation, we have a small electric heater employed in the snug. It’s like a little sun in there. She cranked it up to Medium yesterday, or, as I call it, broil. Had the room a toasty 81 degrees F. That inspired the morning mental music stream, of course. I ended up singing lyrics to myself from “Some Like It Hot” by The Power Station, way back in 1985.

Feel the heat pushing you to decide
Feel the heat burning you up, ready or not

Some like it hot, and some sweat when the heat is on
Some feel the heat and decide that they can’t go on
Some like it hot, but you can’t tell how hot till you try
Some like it hot, so let’s turn up the heat till we fry

h/t to AZLyrics.com

The last time I used this song as theme music was June, 2019, when a heat wave was crashing o’er us. Whenever I think of the song’s title, I can’t stop the movie, “Some Like It Hot”, from crashing in. A silly farce from Billy Wilder that won six Academy Awards, it had a helluva cast, with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe headlining. Not PC for these times. A remake would require substantial re-scripting. But it came out in 1959. I saw it on television, of course, a looong time later.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Here’s the music. Time for me to rassle up some coffee. Cheers

Well. Left the link to the video out. Sorry. That’s what I get, trying to post without hot-starting my brain with spot of coffee first.

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Monday’s Theme Music

Monday motivation has arrived. Yes, it’s Monday, October 18, 2021, the third Monday in October. Monday is often thought of as a new week and a new start. That works for me, part of the inculcation process begun with school and continuing with my work existence. I now work every day, writing, so there’s no new start to that process. Yet, Monday still starts a new work.

We’re trending toward winter. Winter weather warnings. Snow on the mountains albeit still mostly above four to five thousand feet. Colder and colder at night. Night will come after sunset at 6:24 PM tonight. Sunrise came, sluggish through the gray miasma, at 7:27. Precipitation isn’t forecast for our area today but showers arrived yesterday and hung around through the night. Dampness rules outside. The cats are displeased. Besides the cold and damp, the street cleaner made its regular journey over the roads, much to the cats’ disapproval. It’s like a giant vacuum cleaner to them, I think, circulating the neighborhood with its infernal noise.

The morning mental music stream is featuring U2 with “With Or Without You” from The Joshua Tree. The album was released in 1987 and I was immediately enamored with it. I was stationed in Germany at the time, where weather often seemed a damp, cloudy, and chilly. Neurons connected today’s weather with that German experience and brought the song forth. Yet, “With Or Without You” does fit with a sullen day that seems chilly and ambivalent about rain. The song begins introspective and searching but then expands and explodes.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax when you can. Here’s the music. I’m off for a coffee break now. Be back in a few. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Salutations, my fellow travelers on this space ship called Earth. Shipday is Sunday, October 17, 2021. Sunrise in my ship sector took place at 7:26 AM this morning. They had the area thermostat set on fall chilly, with an overnight low of 42 F. Showers are planned for this area, limiting the high temperature to 56 degrees F in accordance with ship seasonal doctrine. Sector sunset will take place at 6:26 PM. You will note that they continue to reduce the hours of sunlight in our sector and the sun’s warmth level here. They have scrubbed the air. The AQI remains a healthy 13.

Several days ago, some deviant neuron started playing Tom Cochrane’s “Life Is A Highway” from 1991 in the mental music stream. Although the song is popular with the neurons, many did not want it repetitively played and shut it down. Enough neurons wanted it that the song kept being resurrected. It’s overwhelmingly strong in this morning’s mental music stream today. I think the only way the neurons are going to let go of this is if I release it to the net. So, here you go.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as necessary, and get the vax, if, when, you can. The neurons inform me that it’s coffee time. I will acquiesce to their demands. Enjoy the music. Cheers

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Hear ye, hear ye, Saturday, October 16, 2021, is underway. Let the games begin.

Sunrise spanked us at 7:25 this morning in the valley. Warmer air dominates today. It’s already 56 and we expect a high of 79 degrees F. Should be a glorious autumn day before sunset takes place at 6:28 PM. Our air quality is stellar at a clear and fresh 10 as rain and cooler air helps us in the fight against wildfires. Containment is increasing. We take a breath of relief that another season has been survived. It has its costs, though, as wildfires destruction in 2021 in the U.S. is expected to cost between 70 and 90 billion dollars, along with lives lost.

I found myself walking around in circles this AM. Catering to cats, you know. Fickle felines. Want in, want out, want that food, this food, no, pet me, pet me, pet me, let’s go play! I did the feeding, a little ear and chin scratching, and then attempted to deal with my essentials — food and coffee. When all settled down I chuckled at hearing a song by Soul Coughing called “Circles” circling the morning mental music stream. The song was released in 1998. I probably wouldn’t be familiar with it but I had a friend and co-worker, Saba, who knew it. She’d already introduced me to the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Violent Femmes. Now, on a lunch run where she was driving, she called up “Circles” and introduced me to Coughing Soul.

So, here’s to Saba and her wonderful influence. Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get a vax if you can. Enjoy the music while I ensure the dark deliciousness served as coffee. Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music

Good morning, fellow pumpkin spice heads. C’est moi, coming at you undead from Ashland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Today is Friday, October 15, 2021. Please set that to memory; you may be called upon to tell another later. Of course, being of retired military mind, the fifteenth was the middle-of-the-month payday during my working military life, when we, the enlisted, could rush out and buy groceries, gas up the car, and pay bills.

Sunrise was another glorious, steady rise of golden light, like a veil being pulled off night, that came at 7:23 AM. Temperature was a fur-chilling 40 F at that point. I know because the ginger boi, aka Meep, aka Papi, came in and told me, “Chilly out. Feel my fur.” Which I did, telling him, “Oh, your fur is cold.” He replied, “Meep, purr.” I assume that meant, I know. Sunset will come at, oh, 6:29 PM, according to the old farmer’s google. Temperatures will rise to the mid-fifties again, before falling into the high thirties after we’ve rotated away from the sun’s assistance. Such small windows of comfort, innit?

Today’s offering in my morning mental music stream comes from the Moody Blues and 1971. Yes, there is a line of lyrics involved. At some point yesterday, while in the snug discussing something, another something — a noise — from where? — who knows? — popped into our awareness. A what’s that, I don’t know, convo followed as we half-heartedly pursued the answer to this sound mystery. I mentioned at one point, “Listen. It sounds like it’s slowly turning.” After I’d walked away from that major, earth-shaking interruption to our routine, when I was in the kitchen, the song’s line, “Listen to the tide slowly turning,” whispered in my ears. The song then came on in full.

Of course, the progressive fusion of classical, folk, and rock that is “The Story in Your Eyes” aligns with my optimism. I often believe the tide is slowly turning. We’re slowly becoming less warlike. We’d probably make better progress in that were it not for the global defense industry and the need to make profits but killing others in the name of peace and security. Likewise, I’m always sure that the tide of justice, freedom, and equality is slowly turning, too. Someday, we’ll also unite to address climate change, right? Probably not until most of the lower ranks of people are standing up to their armpits in water, but I’m hopeful it’ll come before then.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, get the vax, sing a song, dance a little, laugh a lot, and have some fun. Here’s the music. Enjoy the photos of the band in their youth. My hot, black coffee is also here. Must drink it before it grows too cold. Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Hey, all you sons and daughter, mothers and fathers out in cyberland, how is your world?

Today is Thursday, October 14, 2021. It’s the third Thursday of the month, out of five. Likewise, we have five Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October. Must make Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday feel lame, to have less than the others.

Sunrise is at 7:22 AM. It’s a good one, exuding a strong sun presence – you know, light and heat. Really brings out the reds, gods, greens, yellows, and oranges in our valley, a large change from yesterday morning, which looked like a set for Wuthering Heights. Our temperature ranges from 39 to 56F today with a stop at 44, where we now sit. Sunset will come at 6:30 PM.

I have a PC computer, and use Microsoft Windows. Which means it was time for another security update yesterday. Which makes things different. It’s humorous and odd. On WordPress, for example, I have a different default font this morning. I made no changes; the computer powers did this for me. The spacing and size are different, too. I’ll just go with the flow on this because it’s workable. Nonetheless, it’s a shade annoying when these things are changed for me.

Which brings me to the music. “Heartless” by Heart — ironic? — is playing in the morning mental music stream. The clue for why is in the lyrics. “Never never out of control.” Because I’m not in control. Not of my ‘puter. You see? The mind just played with those ideas and up bubbled the 1978 song by Heart. Well, it’s a good throwback sound, a little hard rock with some pop nuance.

Stay positive, test negative, wear thy mask as need be, get thee the vax when and if you can. I know it’s not all simple on the vax front. Underlying conditions and meds can be game changers in the vax world. My sympathies if you can’t get it for those reasons. The world must be a terrifying place, to have COVID-19 out there raging, a vax available, and you not able to get it because of your health.

Here’s the music. Listen while I go for coffee. I think there is also one last pumpkin spice muffin in there. I call dibs!

Cheers

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Good morning, peeps. Today is Wednesday, October 13, 2021 in our slice of the valley. Rain is descending. Began last night and just was having so much fun, it kept going. Not heavy rain. Sporadic. Sprinkles to light, you know?

Temperatures are hovering in the mid-forties right now. Expect to flutter toward the mid-fifties before winding down to a cold 34 F for the night. With those brooding, swollen clouds out there, don’t expect much sun relief. Sunrise petered in at 7:21 AM. Sunset comes at 6:32 PM.

Heavy dream play for me last night. Vignettes that danced with memories, leaving me with fading thoughts about things that happened before and questions about what happened to different childhood friends. One of them was John. Haven’t seen him since I was sixteen. He and I hung out all the time between the ages of twelve and fifteen. Then just moved away from one another like a magnet’s polar opposites.

But he’s responsible for today’s morning mental music stream. He brought my attention to a song called “Leader of the Pack” by the Shangri-Las. The song came out in 1964 but John and I were probably talking about it a few years after that. He didn’t care for the song. No; he said, “That sucked.” What John liked was the motorcycle sounds imbued in the music. Early signs were emerging that he was destined to be a motorhead. I later heard through friends and family that he’d moved to North Carolina and opened up a garage. Get the picture?

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Let’s be safe out there. Now. Need to see a machine about a cup of coffee. Here’s the music. Enjoy.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. Today is Tuesday, October 12, 2021. The big local topic is trick or treating. It’s coming up, you know. Large bags of fun-size candies leaped into local stores back in September. Right on their heels came the early Christmas offerings of decorations and lawn ornaments.

The T or T question came up because everyone wanted to know, what’s the plan? Should offerings be purchased to give out to children? Well, we usually don’t. They don’t come up our street. It’s steep. Not many street lights, making it dark. Houses are spaced apart. I don’t know. These are my guesses. But we’ve purchased in the past and then ended up eating that stuff. So, no more. Sorry, kids, but our light will be off.

Sunrise struck bold and beautiful at 7:20 AM. Steam rose off the ground as the icy and frosty grounds warmed up. Pretty in its own way. We were supposed to drop to 27, 28 F last night. When I went to bed at 1:30 AM, we were still at 36 F and it was that temperature when I got up just after sunrise. Sunset will occur at 6:34 PM. We’ll hit a high of about sixty-five between those hours, a bit warmer than yesterday.

We have a gas fireplace in the living room. We turn it off during the summer. With temperatures often sniffing around one hundred degrees, we feel having the fireplace pilot light going is just adding to the heat and we don’t want that. We’re trying to chill out. But now, we’re down into the range where having the fireplace available to turn on is beneficial.

I got down and went through the steps to light the fireplace pilot. Songs and cats accompanied me. The cats were helpful as I looked into the workings, asking, “What are you doing? What’s in there? Can I go in there?” After I told them, “No, move back,” they started giving me big eyes and telling me how mean I am.

The songs included The Doors with “Light My Fire” and then Jose Feliciano’s cover of the same song. Then, as the pilot wouldn’t lit, my mental Alexa fired up Billy Joel with “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. But the pilot came on, the fireplace was lit, and all was well. After that, as I gazed at the fire, The Bangles played “Eternal Flame” from 1989. That’s the song which started squatting in the morning mental music stream. I offer it to thee to displace it.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Here’s the music. Now, where’s my coffee? I had it just a minute ago…

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