Monday’s Theme Music

Ashland, Oregon — Monday, February 23, 2026. Today’s sky is mottled gray streaked and splashed with blue. All the snow is gone from view. It’s 50 F. Rain is expected, along with a high of 56.

No text messages greeted me this morning. I thought, well, we’re into a consolidating/adjusting phase. Or the text message systems aren’t working, or they’re no longer using the group chat.

Turned out that options 1 and 3 are right. The sisters are doing things more one-on-one back east. Mom has gone silent, troubling our youngest sister, who has the tightest relationship with Mom, because she lived longest with her. As another pointed out, that sister was the only one who was living with Mom when they celebrated their 18th birthday. The rest of us left before then.

Moving on from family matters, I’m watching and reading stories about the east coast blizzard. Already a big storm, I hope everyone stays safe and warm.

There are other thoughts but this needs to be short because it’s our Food & Friends delivery day. Meanwhile, The Neurons have Laura Branigan singing “Self Control” in my morning mental music stream. Branigan’s 1984 hit is a cover of a song that was an international hit, something I always need to remind myself. I like the song’s mellow beat and its overall imagery about night, impulses, and not losing it. I think Les Neurons plugged it in in association with a dream, as the song started in my head after I began remembering the dream.

Lyrics

I, I live among the creatures of the night
I haven’t got the will to try and fight
Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I’ll just believe it
That tomorrow never comes

A safe night (You take my self, you take my self control)
I’m living in the forest of a dream (You take my self, you take my self control)
I know the night is not as it would seem (You take my self, you take my self control)
I must believe in something, so I’ll make myself believe it (You take my self, you take my self control)
This night will never go

Well, let’s hope peace and grace find a way to show up and make themselves felt more strongly and persistently in our daily lives. Have and do the best you can.

Cheers

Monday’s Theme Music

Welcome to Mocha Monday Madness! How I used to refer to Mondays. Back when I used to regularly visited coffee shops. We’re still under masks limitations in our county, which makes it all a little wearying. But we’re trending toward lower positivity. Fewer COVID-19 cases. Of course, if people had vaccinated, the story might be a little shinier. Even so, I think masks and limitations are here for a while. How long the while lasts depends on too many factors for serious guessing. With my track record, though, these thoughts will push Oregon to life mask restrictions for our county immediately. Just how life sometimes seems: contrarian.

Today is Monday, October 25, 2021. Sunrise came in with grey slug speed at 7:35 AM. Sunshine will spin out of our valley at 6:14 PM. Wind and rain will dominate topics and weather appearances. We’ll top out in the low sixties, which is higher than the current 46 degrees F.

Exasperations and frustrations inform today’s morning mental music stream occupant. Laura Branigan passed away back in 2004. Fifty-two years old. Her greatest commercial success came in the 1980s. That’s when this song was released. “Self Control” was a hit for her in 1984. Her song is basically about partying at night and losing control. Which was the quasi area I was shooting at in my thoughts. As modern frustrations arose, I reminded myself to maintain self-control. To not wallow in a negative energy pool. But that inspired my mental Alexa to pick up on self-control and deliver the Branigan song to my conscious awareness. Love how that works. Stream of consciousness music shuffle.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, get the vax and boosters when you can, and use self-control when called for. Here’s the music. I’m gonna go indulge in a that dark brew that I so enjoy. The one that gets my heart going. Yes, coffee. Cheers

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