Tag: weather

Tuesday’s Theme Music

Mood: restless

Yes, it’s Tuesday, 8/19/23, and we’re ready to go home. Leaving on a jet plane tomorrow AM around 7, pushing us to leave the hotel at five, pushing us to get up at 4:40 AM. Ah, the inconvenience of modern travel. Still better than what it was one hundred years ago. Trying getting a flight back in the 1920s.

Meanwhile, this last day has extraordinary weather to me. Overcast, with a casual threat of rain, temperatures are hanging around the mid 60s F with some spitty hope it’ll hit 70. Don’t think it will, but the smell and feel is tres comfy to me. Sort of nostalgic and invigorating, a delightful blend, which would make a fortune if I could bottle it.

Sort of saddish ending to the trip. My sisters are busy with personal matters and their lives and we can’t get with them for that. Would like to have spent more time with them but after the wedding, the spouse and I sort of crashed, probably a reflex to relief that we’d made it, had done our part, and so on.

Now we’re focusing on getting home — see that first paragraph. We spoke to our floofsitter yesterday. She assured us all was well with the Tucker & Papi show. It’s been hot so they haven’t been eating much, which is how they often become. I’ll get home and indulge them with some extra late evening feeding and treats.

We are visiting Mom with the spare hours, and enjoying her company, along with her partner, Frank. Mom had an energy explosion in the afternoon. Inspired by the song “Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel (1962). She was struggling to remember the song and as she spoke, the song came to mind and I sang it for her. That was it; Alexa was instructed to play it so she could sing along.

Then came David Lee Roth’s 1985 cover of “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody”. She and Frank began dancing, which was fun to see; her health issues, especially with balance and mobility, have curtailed her dancing, and that was the couple’s favorite pastimes, besides eating. They still enjoy eating; I don’t know how and why they don’t wear more. They always have food on hand, and it didn’t help that my spouse and I took more food to them several times — cannolis, rolled eggplant, and one of their favors, KFC.

Well, that second song caught Les Neuron’s attention last night. They dropped it into the morning mental music stream (Trademark faltering), along with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fear, which arose from a dream. I went with ‘Mom’s song’ for the theme music.

Stay pos, be strong, don’t worry, be happy. Love life as best as you can. I’ve have had coffee, but help yourself. Here’s the beats. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

Mood: lethargic

Today is Monday, September 18, 2023. We awoke to light fog and mist and an overcast sky. It’s transitioned to broad sunlight cut by dark swirling clouds. Temps were hanging in the low 60s but working its way up to 70 F. We’re here for two more nights, and we’re ready to head home and our normal life. Being away from floofs, routines, and habits is an energy drain.

We’re both tired, in our third hotel in six days. This one didn’t work out as well as the other two. The first was a new, modern Holiday Inn Express. They’ve become my hotel of choice in the last ten years. Second was a Hyatt House which had was heavily renovated and modernized, and we had a mini-suite. Third — current place — is a Comfort Suites which is in the throes of a long term renovation, and, sister, that renovation is needed. It’s quite a shock after the first two hotels. Breakfast in all three was fare made up of fake eggs, packaged pastries, instant oats, cereals, and breakfast meats and potatoes. Fortunately, we enjoyed the close proximit of several satisfying local eateries.

Where the hotel is located always affects our attitude toward it. In that regard, the Hyatt won. Located in Shadyside, we easily walked around to local places, encountering people who live in the area. Lot of kind, thoughtful, good-humored people were met while ordering or looking for directions. The Comfort comes in last; just out there on a busy road. So was the Holiday Inn Express, but more could be reached via car, quickly. None of the three establishments let us open the windows. We were sealed against the world. I totally dislike that. Love smelling the air and hearing the sounds.

Musically, The Neurons are pumping “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and the News into the morning mental music stream (Trademark haphazard). Why it? The Neurons weren’t sharing at all. No insights into where they were coming from or where they’re going. I’m just a helpless prisoner.

Stay pos, be strong, and keep moving it forward. Coffee has been consumed; time for the music. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Mood: R&R – relieved and relaxed

Today is Sunday, September 17, 2023. It’s 58 F outside with a high of 68 F on the books as the forecast. Overcast skies command the area, and heavy rain is projected later. We’re looking forward to it.

My nephew’s wedding is over. Wasn’t without a hiccup for my spouse and I. We began by going to the wrong venue. We made it to the right one in time, which was the Phipp’s Conservatory, but not the othe Phipps place, which was the gardens. But once we were in sprawling grounds, we were like, now where do we go? We saw a wedding, went through. Nope; not our wedding. By now, we began finding others like us, wandering around in search of the wedding. Instructions were given. We followed those through the maze, finding more people looking for the wedding until we were a party of twelve. “Don’t follow us,” on said. “We don’t know where we’re going.” “Safety in numbers,” I replied, and several, “Yes, good.” Eventually, the way was found and we arrived. More arrived afterward, so we weren’t the last.

The ceremony was outside, in 70 F degree air under a marbled blue and white sky shortly before sunset. The flower girls were beautiful in green satin gowns, as were the ringbearers. These were young nieces. My sister was gorgeous in a merlot satin floor length gown. None, though, was as resplendent and stunning as the bride in traditional white with a train. Quite lovely. Then there was her hubby to be, nervously chuckling, tears ready to break out, in a black tux. They were a beautiful couple, and I was pleased to be there to witness the continuation of their relationship into the next stage.

Later, there were toasts by the bride’s father and my sister. Misidentified as Susan instead of Sharon, she addressed that gaffe with amusement, rolling it into her commentary about her new daughter-in-law. The couple had met via Bumble during COVID’s early days. They told of long, aimless walks together, the burgeoning realization that they were in love, always looking forward to seeing each other, counting the days and hours when away from the other. I’m so happy for them.

Next was the first dance, Ed Sherran with “Perfect”. We watched and smiled, teary-eye as the two privately danced in public, smiling, hugging, kissing, whispering.

Then was delicious food, and the cookie table. The wedding cookie table tradition in Pittsburgh began around the nation during The Depression of the 1930s. People couldn’t afford to make wedding cakes because of butter shortages and prices, so the cookie table, a community initiative, was taken on to overcome the problem. And so it continues.

Little boxes were provided to us. I’m pleased to say that I led the way, hitting the table to admire the goods and collect my share. The rest began descending like murders of crows. Good times.

Finally the dance floor. We stormed it in waves, getting down to songs from several decades, dancing with strangers, sisters, wife, brother-in-laws, nephews, nieces.

So, for a while, we put everything aside to focus simply on this couple and their joy. We’re fortunate and privileged to be able to do so, I know, and it is flatly at odds with so much happening in the world. Everyone deserves such a day and hour, and it’s a sad testimony to our state of existence that food insecurities, wars, and disasters keep many from even enjoying a happy minute.

Stay pos, be strong, and keep building on positive experiences. Coffee is being consumed; breakfast is on hold. One of the frustrating aspects of my relationship with my wife is that she doesn’t usually want to eat until after 11 AM, and I awake hungry hours before. We compromise by alternating between satisfying our needs.

Although The Neurons kicked “Roots” (Imagine Dragons) and “Whatever Gets You Thruthe Night” (John Lennon) in the morning mental music stream (Trademark traded), I’m overruling them for Ed Sheeran and “Perfect”. Here’s the tune. Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music

Posting note: once again victimized by WordPress; post went into autosaving mode and never left it. Had to start over, once again. And then, one more time. Sigh. Tech can be capricious but conversely, where would we be without the dang stuff?

Mood: variable, sunny to moody to frustrated to pensive

W-1. Wedding is tomorrow night. Tonight is the meet n’ greet cocktail gig. Don’t know who will attend, so anticipation has a ragged edge. Several sisters and their spouses bowed out. Bummer but they have issues they’re dealing with, such as preparing for surgery or dealing with a teenage son dealing with his newfound health issues. The son loved playing basketball; now, due to fits of dizziness caused by medication used to combat seizures, he can’t play b-ball. His weight has ballooned by twenty pounds and he’s of course, depressed. Not a good place for a fourteen year old or his parents and family.

We’ve moved hotels. The first, a Holiday Inn Express, was chosen for easy access to family and familiarity with the area, Monroeville and Penn Hills. Now we’ve shifted to the Hyatt House in Shadyside, where the wedding will be.

Weather here continues to be big sun and cool air, a pleasant, refreshing, relaxing combo. Sounds like a drink advertisement: “Drink weather, a pleasant, refreshing, relaxing flavor that your body and mind will love.”

Still reeling from the Libya flooding disaster. We just seem to pivot from disaster to disaster: within the past few weeks we surfed from Hawaii’s fires to Morocco’s quakes (over twelve thousand dead) to Hurricane Lee to Libya’s flooding (over one thousand dead) to the tropical storm formerly known as Lee, with some domestic and political drama (auto worker strikes, Hunter Biden’s legal issues, China’s missing defense minister) sprinkled over it to add depths.

Los Neurons have activated Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with “The Waiting” (1981) in the morning mental music stream (Trademark unheard of). It’s fitting. Although well-practiced in waiting (I’m 67, been married over 48 years, and was in the military for over twenty years, things which all reinforced the need to wait for things to happen), I’m not good at it. After months of slow pacing toward the day, acceleration exploded this week. Suddenly days are falling off the cliff and the moment is here. But that sort of time change happens with many things we’re anticipating, doesn’t it.

Stay pos and be strong, and try to stay sober. I’ll do the same. Hand me that coffee, wouldja? Here’s the beats. Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Mood: brisk

It’s W-2: two days before the wedding. The women have been comparing dresses and shoes for the event and talking about their hair.

Men have been complaining about how their clothes fit.

Nervous excitement is burgeoning.

It’s September 14, 2023, in the burgh of Pitts, Pennsylvania. Lovely fallish weather with a low 70s F high. Sweeet. Family visits have been fun. Instructional. We catch up on matters of health and recent experiences, with a common refrain about how conversational matter has changed through the years; we used to talk about many other matters. We still do, but the proportions have shifted. Mom looks good, better than expected from the daily text message complaints and updates she provides. My sisters and their hubbies look well, healthy, happy, but that defies some of the topics and details they go into.

My wife and I are enjoying a swell time, although sharing a bathroom demonstrates privilege and how we’ve taken for granted having two bathrooms to spread out and do our morning things. With one BR, regimenting and rationing time and functions is required. We’re used to two places, where it can all be done in parallel, without interference from the other.

For a while, The Neurons entertain me with the song “Sisters” by Irving Berlin from 1954 in the morning mental music stream (Trademark laughable). Both parts were sung by Rosemary Clooney. I know the words well because both Mom and my wife would sing that song, although I’ve never heard the two of them sing it together. It’s a terrific ditty about love and relationships.

But those those Neuron scamps brought up D. Bowie with “Changes” from 1972, because, you know, I’m driving around the old life zones from my youth around Penn Hills and Monroeville, spotting changes and differences, right?

Stay pos, be strong and brave, and keep pressing forward. I’ll try doing the same. Coffee helps me on my journey. Hope you got something that helps you, too. Okay, pressing on. Here’s the beats. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

Mood:

Good day to you from Ashlandia, where the road construction continues as we move into autumn’s waters.

It’s 9/11, and you know what that means in 2023. It’s also a Monday. Everyone will be looking back on the 9/11 part. We’ve already had 60Minutes do it. No doubt, that brave journalistic effort will be repeated with solemn broadcasts across the country. Some will probably speculate, could 9/11 happen in America today? Others will remember how the tragedy ‘brought the country together’. More will point out that many of the security measures installed after 9/11 were kneejerk reactions that created the cumbersome Homeland Security. Another faction will discuss the intelligence failures and whether we’ve fixed that while more pundits will write that, noting how Americans reacted to fear, the GOP has seized on fear as their Big Tool for getting voters’ attention and scaring them into supporting the GOP. The GOP will blow things out of proportion and flat lie to that end in these days. We have the videos.

So, first, a correction; I’d seen a weather report that said we were going to be climbing into the upper nineties in our area. I don’t know if I imagined that or if they changed it, but that’s all gone. We’re going to stay mostly in the 80s F. Today we’re at 60 F and we’ll hit 82 F. It’s good tedium to have these manageable, predictable temps.

Sirens are going by down on the main road. I listen and wonder about the story behind them. They stop abruptly; I listen and watch to see if they come up our street. Muses in me automatically created a speculative vignette about what’s going on. My rational mind wonders, what type of vehicle is driving that siren. Worries about fires and friends butterfly around my head.

Flying out tomorrow, so we have prep work underway today. Packing, final cleaning, final coordination with the house/floof sitter. She’s a good friend and good person who enjoys floofs. We’re lucky to have her. It’ll be a day of traveling tomorrow, beginning pre-dawn thirty, flying across the nation from left coast to where the three rivers meet in western Pennsylvania. We’ll be there a while with a wedding in the middle of the visit this weekend.

The Neurons are feeding “A Day in the Life” by les Beatles (1967) into the morning mental music stream (Trademark in jeopardy). The lyrics also hooked my mind and take me into more introspective places. I’ve always thought it was a telling commentary on different points of view with one enjoying drugs, shaking their head at the endless news stream, and the other just dealing with the mechanics of existing and working, doing little thinking about anything outside of that. To those end, I considered it a yin and yang statement on where we are as a modern civilization. But that’s just me. The more existential question is, what are The Neurons up to, feeding this into me? Well, this time my guess is about watching and reading the news and noting others’ reactions to these cycles. They tune in and tune out; and I do the same.

Off to wage peace on the day. Stay pos, be strong, and keep chill. Coffee mug is warming my hand whenever I pause, sipped and gulped to stir the gray beings populating my brain. There must be billions of them. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Mood: spirited

Seems like Indian Summer is on its way here in Ashlandia, where the peaches were sweet and juices this year, and the cherries were no-shows. 64 F now, 82 is today’s high, but get ready; we’re heading into the upper nineties this week.

It’s Sunday, September 10, 2023

Technically, if one can say such a thing for an expression like Indian Summer, it can’t be Indian Summer now, as it’s September, and it’s still summer. According to the sages, Indian Summer happens in October or November, and at least after autumn commences. But they’re not sure about the phrase’s origins, and can only make educated guesses about it. Then, they applied those rules about when it is and isn’t.

Horrific news out of Morocco as the death count after the quake rose and rose. At least 2,000, were killed by the ‘strongest quake in 100 years’, and more were injured and displaced. In other news, someone is killing trees in a wealthy enclave around Sidney, Australia. Locals theorize that someone is doing it to improve their view of the water. Sadly, as one person mentions, property values are all about things like views. It seems totally possibly in this age, doesn’t it? And as another interviewee said, they’ll probably get away with it. Another grrr moment in life.

Playing with Whichbook.net, a tool designed to help you find your next read. I’ve never had a problem finding my next book to read. So many books at there waiting to be read, my problem is that I need to make more time to read them. But that then takes away time from other things. Terrible, ugly circle of time and things to do. But I checked out the tool because I was curious. Twenty-four attributes you can look for in a novel are listed. Things like, “Short, Long”, “Happy, Sad”, “Optimistic, Bleak”. You can select four. A slider feature lets you put greater emphasis on one side of the scale over the other. I suppose it can be useful if you’re really in a muddle about to read or at a lost because you’ve tired of a genre and you’re trying to find something different. It’s interesting that it doesn’t address genre or era.

Once again, The Neurons pried a song out of the vault and tossed it into the morning mental music stream (Trademark fishy) without giving any clues about their logic. In this case, the song began while doing various tasks at home under the general umbrella of housekeeping. Then the song started: “When I think of those East End lights, muggy nights, pink curtains drawn in the room downstairs.” Yes, it’s the 1975 Elton John song, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”. Although other songs came and went for a while as I cleaned, this song arose in the MMMS this morning. It could just be that The Neurons started roaming through my mind as I worked, bored with what I was doing, and brought up this and those other old songs to alleviate the tedium. But why’d they put it back in the MMMS? Another question which I can’t answer.

Time to commence things, like drinking coffee. Stay pos, be cool, be strong. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Mood: lifted

Blue sky fall fever is settling over Ashlandia, where the trees are green and the sunshine is warm. 69 F on this Saturday morning, the expected high for September 9, 2023, will climb into the mid to upper 80s, depending upon exactly where you stand in the valley.

Got my car back from its repairs. All seems well. Continuing to prepare for our trip for a nephew’s wedding in PA. All the marriages in this family on my side, sixteen, and this will only be the second one with my attendance, the other being a niece a decade again, if you don’t count Dad’s second marriage. Have attended one marriage on my wife’s side, which is 20%. Couldn’t attend most of the others as I was outside the U.S. on military business.

Reading more today about the slow speed overthrow of democracy in America. Since Twitter went to X and throw off its controls, Chinese and Russian disinformation bots have ramped up production and influence. I read this in Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters from an American” for September 7, 2023. Here are some of her pertinent words:

“A report published last week by the European Commission, the body that governs the European Union, says that when X, the company formerly known as Twitter, got rid of its safety standards, Russian disinformation on the site took off. Lies about Russia’s war against Ukraine spread to at least 165 million people in the E.U. and allied countries like the U.S., and garnered at least 16 billion views. The study found that Instagram, Telegram, and Facebook, all owned by Meta, also spread pro-Kremlin propaganda that uses hate speech and boosts extremists. 

“The report concluded that “the Kremlin’s ongoing disinformation campaign not only forms an integral part of Russia’s military agenda, but also causes risks to public security, fundamental rights and electoral processes” in the E.U.” 

Coupled with Google and Meta’s decisions that they’re going to allow AI generated fake political ads — with suitable ‘disclosures’, of course — and the sea of confusion and disagreement is bound to overtake us as surely as a storm surge during a hurricane in Florida. But don’t worry, we’ll have shiny toys to play with.

But today’s most heartbreaking story has to be the quake which slammed Morocco. Over 1000 dead at this point. Rescue missions and supply deliveries will ramp up soon. Hope there are no aftershocks.

The Neurons have gifted me with “Wait” by White Lion (1987) in the morning mental music stream (Trademark classified). Again, I don’t know what kicked the song in there. White Lion was a big hair band with a sound similar to several other bands of the era and a strong Eddie van Halen guitar influence. I haven’t heard this song in years and years, I don’t believe. It was never deeply in my hearing rotation so its arrival this morning is startling.

Stay pos, be strong, and be true to yourself. Coffee is being consumed already. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music

Mood: upbeat

Swaddled in surreal dreams, tucked into bed, left alone by the cats, I slept late and solid. Now I’m back, baby, ready for Friday, September 8, 2023. After clouds gathered like buffalo at a watering hole yesterday afternoon, we passed through the night without wetness falling from the sky, thunder, and lightning. Today brought us impressive sky clarity and blueness. It chilled overnight. Back into the late sixties now, we’re heading into the mid 80s realm.

Reading Peter Navarro was convicted pushed my belief in the US justice system fractionally higher. Hurricane Lee still has me watching anxiously to see what’ll happen. You’re talking Cat 5, sustained winds over 159 MPH, strong enough to easily flatten frame houses.

Interesting article over on NYT about data being delivered by the James Webb Space Telescope and its impact on our knowledge and theories about the Universe’s origins. Confounding and unexpected discoveries have cosmologies saying “Wait, what?” I’m pleased because one theory being considered is whether physics itself is evolving and changing. That’s one of several personal ideas in my quiver, along with the idea that we have many ‘variations’ of time which we haven’t even begun to approach, and that these things are not uniform nor consistent, giving us a much richer tapestry of existence. Fun to ponder with coffee, beer, or wine.

We have a repeat of a song posted in 2017. The Neurons have dug out “Long, Long Way from Home” by Foreigner (1977) and plopped it right into the morning mental music stream (Trademark confounding). I don’t know what aspects of my dreams, thinking, or activities inspired Les Neuros to pop this one out. Trying to figure them out is like understanding quantum mechanics, and I ain’t nowhere near even explaining QM to others. By the way, remember when QM meant a Quinn Martin production? Yes, that’s The Neuries talking.

Okay, a collective demand for coffee is swelling through my corporeal being. Time to move it, move it, move it. Stay strong, be pos, test neg, and carry on. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Mood: focused

It’s cool and blue in Ashlandia, where the nights are getting longer, and the people are looking inward. 60 F now on this Thursday, the seventh day of September, 2023 in the common era, but we will experience 81 F today. I’ll take that. No wildfire smoke. The fires are slowly being contained. Last week’s rain helped. That pressure — worrying about fires encroaching on your town, your home, and eating it until only blackened messes remained — has eased.

The cats approve of the weather change. Papi remains on his out-at-night schedule, but he’s now more likely to be visible in a resting space just outside one of the doors during the day. Tucker has decided he’s an elder statesfloof, who are beings who don’t worry about details about weather and seasons.

Watching Hurricane Lee’s progress today. Another destructive storm, it is missing Puerto Rico at this point, and looks like it might lick the Bahamas. Early days, yet, but it could avoid the US eastern coast except for some tide and surf impacts. Meanwhile, some of the US in the realms of the east and south continue to endure a record-setting heatwave as they cruise toward autumn. San Antonio has had 70 days over 100 F degrees. I remember when I lived there back in 1980, we were impressed that we had eleven straight days over 100. That’s nothing these days.

Also paying attention to conversations and lawsuits addressing whether Donald Trump can or should be on ballots, discussions about the potential government shutdown, and the continuing war in Ukraine. Also interesting news and data about abortion rates was found in the NYTimes. There was too much other matters — uplifting and depressing — to go on about without caffeine.

From out of the blue — or out of the gray, I guess — The Neurons are treating me to the 1970 song, “Ride Captain Ride” by the Blues Image in my morning mental music stream (Trademark revocable). I can speculate about this song’s place in my day’s thinking. Maybe it’s because I’m thinking of my youth and this 1970 song was part of the scene in my fourteenth year, when many things are happening to a boy’s mind, body, and soul. Or, it could be the sense of focus and promise the song offers to me. Who knows what The Neurons latched onto? I certainly don’t.

Stay pos, be strong, and eat well. Here’s the music — which, um, is an interesting video, a product of the times back then. Hope you enjoy it. Coffee time, one more time. Cheers

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