Tag: weather

Wednesday’s Theme Music

Mood: Cofoptimism (optimism fed by coffee)

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 14. 2024, my fellow travelers. Which means Valentine’s Day. You probably haven’t heard about this little-known holiday. Invented to sell more jewelry, candy, flowers, and cards while increasing liquor and restaurant business. According to a 2017 ABC News piece, Valentine’s Day spending in that year topped $136 per person on average.

Sadly for my partner, my romantic tendencies withered away long ago. She accepts that with acidic humor, but accepts. Although she doesn’t cop to remembering this, she told me in our first years of marriage not to buy her Valentine’s Day Gifts. I was hurt, and I remember. She bought a bag of Dove dark chocolate hearts and made little gift bags for her friends. They were passed out after exercise class this morning; she said she’s celebrating ‘Galentine’s Day’, because, “We gals don’t need men.” Her gay friends are included. She cracks me up. BTW, I did buy her a gift last year, some lovely little earrings which she likes. Or claims to. She does wear them. We did go out to dinner last night, too.

Rainy, cloudy, and chilly are today’s descriptors. Temperature is 44 F and it’s not going much higher. In the give and take between winter and spring, and their offspring, sprinter, winter has asserted its presence.

The rain is keeping the housepainters away. They are very close to having our house done. It’s a welcome break, because they’ve been by the house almost every day for almost two weeks. The cars also appreciate it, because they can relax and behave ‘normally’. Well, Papi can. Tucker has been reasonably unaffected by the painters. Just his nature. Meanwhile, we’ve been keeping them in at night because, cougar. Papi is generally displeased by this development but I assuage his mood by giving him a treat when he wants out. He eats that and goes off and sleeps. Knock on wood that this strategy continues working without him becoming a chunkofloof.

Lot of interesting and exciting political news today. Maybe it’s just my natural optimism rising or I’m being naive, but my confidence for a Biden re-election victory is rising. Fingers crossed, etc.

The Neurons didn’t have anything loaded into the morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks). I don’t know what’s wrong with them. On vacation? Sleeping in? Hungove? I don’t know. After some thinking as I fed the cats and myself, I thought I’d share Madonna’s 1990 song (written by Lenny Kravitz), “Justify My Love”. Returning from a four-year tour of Germany with the military, I saw the video for it when I was in a hotel at my new base the following February (1991) and thought, holy cow, or something like that.

But then I came across this thing on Facebook, so I’m instead sharing Taylor Swift and Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) performing “Smelly Cat”. This song was featured on a television sitcom called “Friends”. “Smelly Cat” was introduced to the show in 1995, and was regularly performed several years after that. It’s a humours little piece.

Stay positive, remain strong, lean forward, and vote when the opportunity arises. I will do the same. Now, back to drinking coffee for me. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

Mood: springy

Season’s greetings, everyone, no matter what season envelopes your existence this date. This day and date are Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. Spring has reasserted its stance here in Ashlandia, where the theater is above average. 51 F under a cloudy sky where the sun keeps breaking through, our high is supposed to be just one more degree over the current temp.

It’s another late start for posting for me. I assisted my wife’s Food & Friends deliveries. I’m her driver. That started at 10 AM. We were finished circulating around Ashlandia’s southern streets and home by II:30, having taken a hot meal to fourteen homes, part of a small army out there doing this almost every day.

In good news — for us in Ashlandia — our snowpack significantly scored with the last storms. It now stands at over 70% of normal, thanks to the atmospheric rivers that dumped on California and much of the PNW. Sad for CA and their losses. Brutal to read of the flooding, mudslides, destruction, and death, or see videos of it. Meanwhile, the northeastern US has another snowstorm descending on them. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t do too much to the area and that no one dies.

In stories about other worries and losses, did you see Donald Trump Jr’s post? I had to remind myself that this came from a supposedly educated and intelligent adult human. The crass humor demonstrates an adolescent’s maturity and a first-grader’s intelligence. That this comes from the son of the mighty GOP’s leader, that it involves a family member and not a candidate, that it involves a former first lady, that it’s racist and misogynistic, and that GOP leadership said nothing about it, speaks volumes about that side of the political spectrum. The Principles of the GOP: RIP.

By the way, the KC Chiefs beat the SF 49ers in the Super Bowl yesterday. Kelce Travis and Taylor Swift said nothing about voting for President Joe Biden, despite right wing predictions of that happening. Surprise.

Maybe I’ve mentioned this before, and maybe not, but my spouse enjoys reading Reddit threads about the modern dating scene in America. She enjoys, too, reading the stories tell while asking for advice about what to do in their marriages or relationships. In a recent one, a 27-year-old man was pursuing his dream of becoming a professional video game player. I knew such a position exists, but I didn’t know the rest, like they have teams, and coaches. It’s evolved much more since I’ve last paid attention to it. The girlfriend writing in was talking about how he was not supporting them while he accused her of the same.

She doesn’t believe he’s good enough to be a pro, and the evidence does stand against him. People commented, pointing out that he is too old at this point because the oldest pro gamer now is 25. However, I dislike telling people to give up their dreams. Hell, I’m pursuing my own of becoming a novelist, despite my age (I’m almost 28). Trying to look at it from both sides, I feel for him and his partner. Showing signs of my own fiction writing addiction, I immediately saw how it could be part of a novel.

I don’t know why, but today had The Neurons post “Missing You” by John Waite into the morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks). I enjoy the 1984 soft rock tune, having frequently heard it on the radio while buzzing around Okinawa during my final year of living there. Why that song today? Don’t know. I’d been doing cleaning after feeding cats previous to showering and dressing when I realized it had taken over the MMMS. No clues were found for why. Anyway, that’s today’s theme music.

Stay positive, be strong, lean forward, and vote when you can. Now fortified with coffee, I’ll do the same. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Mood: super

Ahoy everyone, it’s Sunday, February 11, 2024. Here are today’s top headlines.

Ah, never mind that for now. We’ll do that later. In weather, sprinter had dashed back into the Ashlandia, with strong spring highlights overtaken weak winter elements. 52 F, with classic strong sunshine lording over bright blue, it’s a good day to do many things. Today’s high will be 58 F.

House painting continues with no issues at all. My wife and I did a walk around to see the progress yesterday, and we’re pleased. The housefloofs have adjusted the situation. Tucker went for an outside visit this morning, conducting a recce of the painters’ supplies. Not at all concerned by appearances, he then returned to the door and was granted re-entry. Papi, having seen it all now, is little bothered, dashing in and out several times with barely more than a head bob toward the painting gear, confirming, yes, that stuff is all still there. Hustling in before they returned, both cats are now retired in the house in sunny places filtered by the flimsy plastic over the windows.

As it’s super Sunday in the U.S., the day when the two NFL conference champions play a final game to decide who is number 1 and end the season, I thought I’d blink back at 1993. T’was the year the marching bands and drill teams were gently shuffled aside, and the Super Bowl pop era. Game number XXVII was being held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Buffalo Bills, representing the AFC, faced the NFC Champions Dallas Cowboys. The Bills were there for the third straight year. They came again the next year to make it four in a row, setting a record as the first time to appear in four straight Super Bowls. Sadly, they remain winless in that realm.

For that first pop Super Bowl, they hired a pop icon, Michael Jackson. One of his songs performed that day was “Billie Jean”. Released ten years before, featuring a deep bass line and telling a story, it was and is a song the people enjoy dancing to. It’s not ranked the best Super Bowl halftime show, but it’s the first commercialized pop version. The league and network had never done anything like that. They’ve since learned from mistakes and improved the show until we’re at this point. Frankly, the shows have become fat to me and can use some simplification, but that’s me.

If you’re watching the game — or the commercials, or halftime show, as so many people do, I hope you’re entertained. I’ll watch the game and cheer the KC Chiefs in honor of my neighbor, Walt. After being a lifelong KC fan, waiting for another SB victory, he died the year before Andy Reid and Patrick Mahommes delivered the first SB win since Hank Stram and Len Dawson took them to the big show in 1969 and defeated the Minnesota Vikings and Al Kapp.

Stay strong, remain positive, lean forward, and register and vote, if you’re in a democracy and afforded the opportunity. Here’s the music; coffee has been guzzled. But first, a 1993 SB commercial break from Lee Jeans, featuring a young Alan Cumming.

Cheers

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Mood: sunny

Greetings to my companions as we continue our interstellar journey on this spinning orb, racing around the sun as the solar system gallops along and the galaxy chases its revolutions. It’s Saturday, the tenth of Feb. in the common era year 2024, and it’s the start of the Lunar New Year. Let’s celebrate new beginnings.

Sunny and blue-ish describes our day. 49 F now, 58 F is in the running as today’s high. Our house is masked for painting, so the windows were all covered in fluttering clear plastic. Made for interesting window gazing. Everything was out of focus and indistinct. Protected by those, I felt like I was in a nest, womb, or spaceship. A later walk found me admiring a skeletal snow crown atop a peak, glittering with sunshine against a clear blue space of sky.

With the painting going on, Tucker planted himself in a napzone and let nature take him to the land of nod. Papi bolted out and staked out a space where he could alternate between monitoring painting activities, his territory, and napping.

I did a small information-finding exercise last night, visiting the Billboard TicToc top 50 songs just to taste what is listened to in that realm and its inhabitants. Many talented performers are featured on the site, and there are a wide range of sounds and intriguing videos, delivering an entertaining and provocative trip.

One song which engaged The Neurons was “Little Life” by Cordeilia. They caught enough of it to pull it back into the morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks) today as I went through the AM routines. It’s a quiet song, like a small brook bubbling past, exuding an introspective, reflective tone. Lyrics like, “I think I like this little life”, emerges in Cordelia’s gentle lilting voice, striking notes about how life goes as you mature. Listening it to with my mind’s ears, I returned in spirit back to hikes through woods or along shore, quiet moments contemplating sunsets and sunrises, and instances when I yearned to turn my back on secular matters and journey inward.

Stay positive, be strong, keep leaning forward, and register and vote, y’all. Here’s to coffee and the rewards it brings. Let’s enjoy the music. Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music

Mood: enthusiastic

It’s Friday, it’s Febrary 9, it’s still 2024, it’s 40 F and it’s unrelenting cloudy. Layers of clouds, deepest dark in the forefront, light gray white serving as background, all blocking blue sky and warm sun. Sprinter has yielded back to winter. High will be a sweltering 43 F.

They’re masking the house today to begin painting tomorrow. I’m surprised by the conditions they work in, cold and rainy. But if it works, it works. We have two good guys, Brad and Gary, from Rick Stevens painting doing the work. They’re thorough and hardworking, clear professionals who have mastered the processes. Fun cheering them on toward the finish.

The weather has the cats playing in-out-in, a very popular game among floofs. Papi excels. Tucker took one turn, came back in, and headed for the bedroom and sleep. Papi, though, played at least five rounds, taking time between rounds to request food and pets. He’s a sweet little stinker.

I’m late with posting today. A few weeks ago, I wrote a little bit around a prompt about someone named Darla. I shared it with a few friends. They loved it and pestered me to write more. That wasn’t in my plans but I kept thinking about it, playing out different trajectories and concepts, etc. Today I awoke with more Darla in mind. I built out a long scene and then sat at the ‘puter and typed. With a few pauses to dress, eat, talk to the painters and my wife, and drive to the coffee shop, I wrote twenty pages today. It just kept pulling me along. Love writing days like this.

Songwise, nothing was homethere until I thought about the drive to write that piece after I stopped writing. Then The Neurons punted “Got to Get You Into My Life” into the no-longer-morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks, I promise). I guess The Neurons thought the song was playing into my writing urge. Well, okay.

This Beatle song was released in 1966, when I was ten. Paul McCartney wrote it, and in this video, he performs it at the White House for President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and a few guests in 2014.

Stay positive, remain strong, lean forward, and register and vote. That’s all I ask, except for coffee, security, kidness to animals, etc. Here’s the music.

Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Mood: nostalgic

Hello, fellow travelers through time and space. Welcome to Thursday, February 8, 2024.

It’s a cold day here, despite sunshine. The weather is deftly nicking us with a cold and sharp northern wind. Growling crowds are creeping in, darkening and getting fat. Rain is expected later this afternoon. It’s now 42 F, not far off from our expected high of 44 F.

Although keeping up with news, I don’t feel up to commenting on anything, so pressin’ on. Today’s theme music is brought to you by Nickelback. “Gotta Be Somebody” was released in 2008. The Neurons let it loose in my morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks) after I experienced deja vu when I stepped outside and breathed in the cold but fresh air this morning. Soaking in sunlight, watching the cats regarding the yard, I thought, I remember days like this from previous years. It was a marvelously bittersweet few minutes. Thinking, déjà vu, The Neurons pumped in more of NIckelback’s song:

It’s just like déjà vu, me standing here with you
So I’ll be holding my breath
Could this be the end?
Is it that moment when
I find the one that I’ll spend forever with?

‘Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
‘Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands
There’s gotta be somebody for me like that
‘Cause nobody wants to do it on their own (Their own)
And everyone wants to know they’re not alone (Not alone)
There’s somebody else that feels the same somewhere (The same somewhere)
There’s gotta be somebody for me out there

h/t to AZLyrics.com

Keep leaning forward, be strong, stay positive, and register and vote, right? Coffee has blessed my esophagus; time to move on with other activities. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Mood: Optimungry. Yes, that’s that unique set of feelings of being strongly hopeful but very hungry.

Hey, all you Solsters*. Another day worth of declaring winter is still here. Up to 37 F now, and rain continues putting its shine on everything as the sun toils behind a thick stack of clouds. 46 F is the purported high for our neck of the valley.

Wednesday, Feb 7, 2024, has descended on Ashlandia without pomp or ceremony. Nothing special to write about it here in Ashlandia, but sometimes, nothing special is good. Everyone is going about their business and nobody is veering into another’s path to make their life difficult. The furnace is heating our house’s air, the cats have staked out their nap sites, and the neighborhood is quiet, even still. No people, machinery, birds, or dogs are heard. Grant’s Tomb is noisier.

Heading off to get our latest COVID-19 vaccination shortly. Finishing my coffee first. My wife is hosting her book club tonight, and I’m attending a brewery with a of friends. Meeting with them satisfies my need to socialize, have a beer with friends, discuss news, politics, etc, and keep close to remaining sane. I’m looking forward to discussing the ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that Donald Trump isn’t above the law as a former POTUS, including actions he took while in office. The unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel validated what I remembered learning about the Federal government and the checks and balance system while in school. Now we’ll see if the SCOTUS gets involved, and if so, how they rule. Interesting days still ahead.

Today’s song is “Foolin'” by Def Leppard from 1983. The Neurons planted the song in my morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks) when I rhetorically asked of someone else, “Who do they think they’re foolin’?” Presto chango the song launched. I complain about earworms or involuntary musical imagery (INMI), but it doesn’t bother me much. I consider them an amusing process within my mental faculties. I’ve learned through research that 1 in 5 people experience an earworm a day, but they don’t usually lost long, just a few minutes. I’ve always wonder if experiencing and remembering vivid dreams are related to experiencing earworms as I do, and if it’s something in my mental processes and neural paths. At the same time, while I’ve always had a natural tendency for dreams, I began working to remember them when I was in my early teens and started keeping dream journals. Likewise, when I experience an earworm, I don’t often try shutting them down, but instead strive to recall all the details about my experience with the song.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably muttering, “Enough about you.” I agree. Stay strong, be positive, lean forward, register and vote. I’m trying for the same. Here’s the music. Cheers

* Solster: person who lives on a world dependent on the star called Sol.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Mood:

Good morning, fellow planet dwellers. It’s time again for Tuesday. As a first (as far as I know, but you know how tricky memory can be), this Tuesday is on February 6, 2024.

It’s a sunny day here in Ashlandia, where the coffee is strong and fresh. Not warm, though. Rain cooled the night and more rain is sashaying our way. 40 F now, today’s high will take us all the way up to 45 F. Even so, with the sun and the front that moved in, it feels 48 F right now. That’s weather for you. While many parts of this region are suffering from storms brought on by atmo rivers, quirks of mountains and the jet stream protects us from those streams, basically pushing the rivers around Ashland.

Painters have been scrapping the house in prep for painting it. Tucker, black and white floof, doesn’t care; he ate and went to bed, but he is an older feller, a young elder as felines go. Papi is just middle-aged. Papi was out when the painters arrived, sitting on our walk as they parked. I tried calling him in, but Papi had to sit down and watch the painters, neck craning, body leaning forward, as they went about meeting, talking, and getting out equipment.

Papi is always like that: ‘I must know what’s going on but I also must get the heck out of here.’ Curiosity wins, though. He and the dog that lives across the fence in our backyard share mutual animosity. Whenever Papi goes out, day or night, he first turns and stares at that wall for his nemesis. His stance and appearance is like a gunslinger at high noon in the wild west, with his eyes narrowing into an angry squint.

Just finished reading Annieasksyou’s post about the resistance. I’ve shared it on my blog and Facebook, and recommend it as a read. It picked up my spirits because mass media and its commercialized, monetized mentality works hard to keep it an interesting ‘horse race’. They want everyone to believe that Trump is slightly ahead, and wonder, can President Biden overtake him? What are all the things going President Biden, they constantly frame it.

For those reasons and more, I’m dubious of polls. I think many people use it as a space to complain and don’t always indicate how they will vote. Just my feel about it; they think they’re turning up the flame by being negative. Secondly, Democrats keep winning the popular vote but lose in the Electoral College. Do the polls reflect that aspect of how the vote will go?

On to today’s theme music. The Neurons apparently think that I need to complete the “Lady” song trilogy that came to me the other day. Jill D. began it with Lionel Richie singing “Lady” (written by Kenny Rogers). The Neurons countered with the Little River Band and “Lady”. But circulating in the morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks) is “Lady” by Styx. Released in 1973, it was Styx’s second hit, and goes full rock ballad.

Remain positive, be strong, lean forward, and vote. Are you registered? One of Oregon’s many things to admire is that as soon as you get a DL in our state, you’re registered to vote, and it’s all mail-in.

Coffee has been sucked up. Here’s the music. Carpe diem. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

Mood: flexible

Good day, humans. Rise and shine. Time to try again.

Monday has opened its eyes. Today is Feb. 5, 2024. Cloudy is today’s sky description. Wind has calmed; rain is on a break. 47 F now, 51is the suspected high, after an overnight low of 38 F.

Haven’t read much news this morning, as I’m into a book by Colson Whithead, Crook Manifesto. I admire his language use, the phrases he turns, the characters he projects. Suberb pacing and plotting as well. He’s won a few Pulitzers for a reason.

When I did turn to the net for news, I sighed and thought, more coffee needs swallowed before I can take on those headlines and their stories. I wondered, when will we land on the Star Trek track where we make greater and more impressive changes? Will we ever reach that point, or will we forever fight the same wars again and again? At the rate we’re going, we’re going to ruin civilization, take down humanity and much of the planet in the same blink.

Yeah, I’m a bit pessimistic and cynical on this chilly AM.

Out of this, I remembered a song line, “I hope we see the light before it’s ruined.” Took me a few to recall it’s from “Ghetto Gospel” by 2Pac, and then the 2005 song began running the course in my morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks). Released in the year that I moved to southern Oregon, I caught the song on as I traveled back and forth to meet with my team in San Mateo, California, every month. I find the song has a lovely and intriguing melody and a powerful but hopeful message. I’ll take some hope with my coffee today.

Stay strong, be positive, lean forward, and vote. Back to the coffee cup for me. Enjoy the video and music. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Mood: lazeepy

Greetings Worldlings. Welcome to Ashlandia, where it is Sunday, February 4, 2024.

We’re tangoing with the wind and rain today. Dark out there, like the sun called in sick. 41 degrees F now, that wind slices the heat right off ya. Riding that wind, the rain slashes like millions of kitten claws, shockingly sharp pricks to the system. Were supposed to shuffle up to 46 F as today’s high, but shade me dubious that this will happen.

And somehow, I’m now thinking of dinner. Chinese food fits my mood and weather in my mind, so I’ll propose it to the household’s other human and see what transpires.

I’ve been reading about the politics and facts about the southern US border and immigration for the past several days. A NYTimes article the other day recapped efforts to fix the situation since the Dubya’s time as POTUS. Does it surprise anyone that when deals were reached, the GOP’s hard right often put a stop to it? Yes, this is the same hard right gunning to stop legislation again. Different people, same MO: their way or nothing. (Yes, it was also once moderate Dems who killed the legislation.) So we’ve had nothing for twenty years while they bitch and scream for someone to do something. Same thing is happening this year, with former POTUS DJ Trump urging his congressional supporters to shut it down. Otherwise, President Biden and the Democrats would get credit for doing something about the border situation, and the GOP would lose one of their fear planks.

Without further surprise, one states’ rights constitutionalist governor, Abbott of Texas, is flouted federal law and the recent SCOTUS ruling against it. Reminds me of the 1960s and 1970s, when racism was being battled, and those red state governors fought against discrimination laws and integration. Reminds me, too, of those ‘pro-life’ states forcing women to carry to term regardless of the woman’s situation. These are the small government folk who decry the Democrat’s government philosophy because they find it too invasive. Damn hypocrites.

Jill Dennison inspired The Neutron’s musical choice for today. Jill’s blog is a regular stop, although I sometimes board late. She’s often charming, sometimes humorous, frequently political, regularly snarky, and always absorbing. I read her post about her music choice yesterday, “Lady”, written by Lionel Richie and performed by Kenny Rogers. Released in 1980, it was a crossover success in the US but also charted well in Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

But when I saw, “Lady” as her title, I wondered, “Oh, is she talking about the Styx power ballad?” Then The Neurons launched “Lady” by the Australian group, the Little River Band, which remains in the morning mental music stream (Trademark coming in two weeks) today.

“Lady” by the LRB was released in 1978. I’ve written ’bout my late friend Randy a few times. I met him in 1992, when he came to work for me. An Atlanta Braves fan, regular cigarette smoker, and fan of the rock groups Van Halen and Boston, he really loved “Lady” by Little River Band, and yes, he declared love. Whenever this song came on when Randy and I were together, he announced that fact, no matter what else was happening. Then you’d see his lips moving as he silently sang along.

BTW, I really doubted it would be the Styx song as Jill’s choice. Their rock and roll style isn’t her style, IDT.

Stay positive, remain strong, lean forward and vote. Coffee is being served and consumed, hot and black. Just keep it coming. Thanks for reading and have a good one. Here’s the music. Cheers

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