moody

I'm in a mood. 

You do know when people say that, it is never a good one, right?

Bad moods aren't always conducive to writing. Or thinking clearly, sometimes. 

I had a post semi ready to go, but just didn't finish it yet. You know, cause......mood. 

No doubt some of it is social media, which I just had to stop looking at, since every fucking post was about Kirk. That media / social media / propaganda machine is just working day and night. Talk about doom scroll. 

No doubt some of my mood has been from a week without running. Allegedly, I'll be able to start tomorrow (today, now). I think we all know that running is a huge mental health thing for me, so a week is a long time. 

Biking and lifting are ok, but don't do the job, and I'm anxious about how this affects my marathon training 

So I've been burying myself in reading in any of my free time. It distracts me from the now. And I finally got smart to do it where I put my phone and laptop in another room. Well, I put ME in another room, but you get the idea. 

I don't necessarily expect a mood shift once I do my first run. It might take a few, but hell, you never know. It could happen. 

Song by: Royal Otis

Sacrifce

I maybe full conspiracy theorist with this one.........and I'm fairly comfortable with it. 

Charlie Kirk had to die.  

End of sentence. 

This is not a white supremacy thing - though it factors into matters. 

It wasn't a religious thing - though it factors into the matter. 

This is not a transexual thing - though it factors into matters. 

This isn't even necessarily a GOP v Dem thing - though, yes, say it with me, it factors into matters. 

BLOTUS' blowing up of boats - not remotely trying to intercept them - did not change the national narrative on Epstein. 

Rumours of BLOTUS' health did not quell those stories either. 

They had to think bigger and badder - and someone had to take the bullet. Literally. 

With Kirk, they got the multi-pronged approach achieved. 

Now the cunt-ry is in an uproar about a known BLOTUS loving, white supremacist who wrapped hatred to look like religion being shot to death - publicly and on video - to achieve that uproar. 

If you hadn't noticed - there are no stories about BLOTUS and Epstein currently.  

MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED. 

They added / leaked stories of the shooter - and I quote: "living with a tranny"!!  So they did all the - a-hem - trigger points with one sacrificial lamb.  That the shooter couldn't have been Black and Jewish is just a shame. 

Even Kirk would have been proud. 

Naturally, it gets better, no? 

Did the AP or NYT report Kirk's death?  Nope. BLOTUS announced it. The body?  Picked up by Air Force Two. Flags flying at half-mast!

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK????

Rewind a few months - to a military helicopter bringing down a passenger jet in the Potomac, killing all 67 people on board. BLOTUS couldn't be bothered even addressing it.  Nor did he when Minnesota DEMOCRATIC politician was assassinated in their homes along with family members and the right-winged shooter had a hit list of other dems. 

No presidential or congressional outpouring of anything. 

Yes, I've seen the memes that had Charlie Kirk been a 4th grader, we would have moved on by now. 

Still, this comes down to BLOTUS. He is far far far too involved with a singular private citizen death. 

And again. EPSTEIN.  

Oddly this all happened right after a number of Epstein's victims testified before Congress and BLOTUS' birthday message to Jeffy was revealed. The walls were coming in. He had to do something. 

So he did. 

....and I'm sticking to this. That they let the shooter live seems like the only flaw in the plan. Assuming he really was the shooter. 

Song by: Sinéad O'Connor

My Music Monday

I cannot go on record to say I'm a big matchbox 20 or Rob Thomas fan. I mean, I don't think I'd go out of my way to see them perform live. And I've never actually purchased a thing of theirs. 

All of that aside, they have a handful of songs I either like or like enough not to hit the 'next channel' button on the radio. I guess just not enough to part with my money. 

Thomas has a new solo disk out apparently. I tripped upon one of the songs, "Machine". At least at this point it hasn't been released as a 'single', so it might just be a regular old album cut. 

It's all of two minutes and 40 seconds long, which is fine too. There is no new ground broken here for Thomas, be it in his solo work or with his band, but it's got a good beat. Part of it sounds familiar to any number of his previous songs. Sometimes familiarity is good. 

....and yes, I listen now for songs I can throw in a running playlist to pretend it helps my pace. 

I Call Your Name

Has there ever been anyone else with the last name Hitler? 

I mean, you know, since 1945. 

There was a great episode of Happy Endings that dealt with it, so if you can find it streaming somewhere, I suggest viewing. 

I think there is a small club of names really one does not want to have as their own: Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Caitlyn Jenner. 

Now Jeffrey Epstein has been added to that list. 

Shortening it to "Jeff" isn't really helping matters. 

So with this news item from our NPR/PBS site of course it got attention. How could it not? 

Naturally, my eyes immediately dropped to the number of comments. Then my fingers, to open said comments. 

Some are very predictable. Some are just out and out hilarious. I'm only posting a sample, but feel free to go to your IG search function for Ideastream, find the post and read the rest. Something is telling me there are many more comments added since I screen-captured these days ago. 

Song by: the Mamas and the Papas

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 185th 12 of 12.

Normally it is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of the month. Since I only post once per day, you get my images the following day. All pictures taken with my iPhone. Click images to enlarge, if you choose.

Created by Chad Darnell and picked up from, what I can tell, any number of random bloggers who then link back to him and vice versa. Chad is no longer doing this, nor is successor coordinating the linking of other 12 of 12'ers anymore.   

I know once a year or so, 12 of 12 takes place of animal Saturdays. It's just the way the calendar works. 

04:53. Time to leave for the gym. 

05:06. My seat for the next 60 minutes. 

I can't run, but I can bike. And Friday is usually bike day anyway. 

06:36. Head shaving mishap. 

Two towels, three tissues and one napkin later before it stopped hemorraging. 

7:20. B'fast. 

I am on no granola, oats or anything with seeds or crunchy at least until next week. Scrambled eggs it is. 

. 

12:35. Using up the avocado - tomato - corn side salad I made the other day.

Hoping the corn is considered bigger than seeds and oats. 

16:21. My Rx. 

Finally. I'm supposed to be on antibiotics post oral "surgery". It took Walgreens almost two days to fill it. 

16:55. Making an Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake. 

Have a pic-a-nic with the Old Man's Running Group tomorrow (well today now)- even though I won't be running.

17:15. Waiting for Dad #1 to bring dinner. 

19:30. Pasta for dinner. Something my gums can tolerate. 

19:59. Finished cake. It's not a looker, but it's good. 

20:34. Great Read. 

I'm taking this one slow. I adore the writing. I'm enjoying taking my time to take it all in. 

21:14. Dessert. I now eat like someone in a nursing home. Or first grader. 

Needles and Pins

Charlie Kirk's death delayed this post. Another thing for which you can blame him 

I do. 

Wednesday I had a periodontal appointment. I just loathe those. If my fear of the dentist wasn't bad enough, there is zero chance that a periodontist is going to better. 

This would be my third procedure to attempt to fix receding gums on teeth numbers 3 and 14. 

The first "fix" lasted about 10 years. The last one less than five. This one better stand the test of time, as I can assure it it is the last time I'm going through this. 

The first two times were skin graphs off the roof of my mouth. 

Yeah - I just saw you all cringe. 

The first time you're too stupid to truly know what's coming. The second, well, it's nothing but trepidation. 

This time would be different. No skin graphs. Phew. But somehow, someway, they'd put collagen plugs into my gums which would spread / push the existing gums to cover the root of the tooth. 

Now, Blobby has a high pain tolerance. Unfortunate, but true. I don't care how much numbing gel you give me, I'm a-gonna feel the 14 (!!) needle injections into my gums. Some were just pressure. Some were much more. 

Honestly, that is the worst part of it all. That and how your mouth has to be agape for 90 minutes straight. I'm not Luke Wilson acting in just about everything he does.

The aftermath isn't pretty. And sooooooooo many rules. 

• Ice packs every 20 minutes for 48 hours. Clearly not while sleeping. 

• No running for a week (!).  That's gonna be a slight blow to marathon training. 

• No wind instruments!!!!  Now I'll NEVER be a concert flautist.  

• No running your tongue over the surgical sites. Though they didn't say someone else couldn't run their tongue over them. 

• No alcohol. No Smoking. No Marijuana.  No problem. 

• No spitting. No straws (straw!). No gargling. No hot beverages. No gum. 

• No seeds. No nuts. No granola. Nothing crunchy. My morning gruel just got switched to eggs for the next week. 

• No brushing the sites for at least a week. Gingerly brushing everywhere else. With a special brush. For six MONTHS!

• Rinsing with some medicated liquid that turns your tongue brown, 2x / day. 

• Sugar will slow down healing process. Which means my healing is going to be delayed. 

• Oh, and a visit the next day, one week, three weeks, three months and six months afterward. 

All for a low low low cost your dental plan does not cover. 

What is not to love?   I mean, except the swelling and pain. 

I drafted the above the day of, but after, the procedure. To be honest, the pain at most is a 1.5 on the 10 scale. Again - high pain tolerance. Eating is weird. Brushing is too. I don't (think I) look swollen, but I feel it. 

Riding a bike for an hour isn't nearly as satisfying as running six miles. But I gotta do what I gotta do. Technically, I'm only missing four days of running, as two would be my rest days anyway. 

BTW - isn't that a fucked up image of all my teeth??

Song by: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks

Charlie

I know I'm a horrible person - so be it. 

I was telling our little ever-friend group yesterday, I'll show as much compassion and caring about Charlie Kirk being shot as the GOP showed to the people Kyle Rittenhouse killed. 

None. 

Since it was a GOP lover who got shot, it won't be about mental health issues. It certainly won't be about gun issues. It will be about hate and retaliation. 

So. Be. It. 

710 said he thought the GOP would weaponize this event. Fine. Good even. And the fucking Dems better TRULY start doing the same thing. Holy fuck, the Dems don't even really try to introduce, let alone pass, bills on guns and violence. They bemoan. They don't even politicize it the way the GOP is about to - which is why they are where they are. 

Thoughts and Prayers. 

Or as the saying goes, "Hope in one hand and shit in the other. See which one fills up first!"

And they're all shits. Both sides of the aisle. 

A quick look at Kirk's wiki page and his "activism" is filled with "Kirk falsely claimed......".  One after another. How he got a platform is beyond me, but as we've seen with the Right, it doesn't seem to take much. I'm not sure why the Left can't seem to truly grab onto this concept. 

But if you tell the lies enough, people are eventually bound to believe you. 

Here's one: I believe he's dead and I'm good with it.  Maybe Ben Shapiro will be next. Oh wait - that's not a lie. It's a wish. 

The shooting was in Utah, so chances of it being a person of colour are slim to none.  

Becky was hoping it wasn't a trans person - but I don't know I truly agree. I get the downside politically but honestly, how much more down can they be?  Even homeless folks can use public restrooms. Part of me is: "they're" afraid of trans people now for no real reason - fuck, let's give them a reason. Bet you start seeing gun laws aimed (no pun truly intended) at trans folks wanting to buy guns. 

Kirk hated just about anything and anyone who wasn't white, male, Christian and US born.  And he was vehement about his hate. Going to Utah was hardly a stretch for white supremacy. It's the fucking whitest place on earth. 

So, that someone hated him - many someones in fact - I'm fine with. I don't feel bad for is wife or his kids. Not one iota of sympathy goes their way from me. To be knowingly married to a man like that speaks as much about her character as it does his. 

While I truly don't condone violence, no one in the GOP cares when it's a democratic member of anything (see multiple murders in MN earlier this summer). So that it gets one of them this time, boo-fucking-hoo. 

Again, I get it. I'm a horrible guy. But so was he.  May he fucking rot in hell. 

Song by: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Selling Out

I really don't know what to think about the New York Times. 

While its readership is allegedly 62% left or left-leaning, they rarely make news for making news. 

Like so many other news outlets, they are good at reporting passing on "facts" and statements from our political leaders without really taking them to task directly.  At least that was the case when I was reading the news. 

As I haven't seen any 'BREAKING NEWS' from them, I'll assume it is the same old same old. 

And I get that revenue - or lack of - is what makes or breaks a paper. 

In my Journalism 101 class the professor asked first day what was purpose of the newspaper. Mind you, out of a class of like 60, I was the only person there interested in print journalism. Everyone else it would turn out was looking to be in Public Relations. 

As 18 year olds are, we answered with the pie in the sky responses of:  "report the truth", "investigate injustices" and the likes. 

What we got was a harder truth: "to make a profit".  Journalism 101 turned into Business 101 right quick. 

So, while I get the NYT needs revenue, I was more than disappointed in this:

Yeah - the font is hard to read in this screen shot, but fuuuuuuuuuuuck me. 

Now, do I think people who are on the Games section of the paper, going to play Spelling Bee are the ones who are thinking, "wow, a $50,000 signing bonus!"??   I do not. 

 I'm 90% sure Dean Cain doesn't read the NYT, or can spell. His fan (yes, singular), even less so. 

So, do I think Kristi Cunt Noem is cutting check after check for all her recruitment sign-ups from this ad?  I do not. 

Do I think the BLOTUS administration is fucking with the NYT and seeing how low they'll go for advertising income and sell out their alleged - and I really do mean alleged - liberalism for a few measly dollars?  

Yes. Yes, I do. 

Song by: Duncan Sheik

Rockstar

I've been laying low on races. 

Until this last weekend, it had been two month since my last. And I didn't even post about that one. 

After my July 4th 5-miler, my running just went to shit. Not that I didn't keep up the same five days per week runs, but everything was off. I attributed it to high heat, high humidity and poor air quality. Clevebugh was hit hard from Canadian wild fires. 

My times weren't horrid - but not great. It was my breathing and inability to run for miles without stopping that seemed to be the problem. 

I found myself walking more than I wanted it, though usually only for 10 seconds or so. At some point, I believe, it morphed from physical to mental, which then manifested back to physical issues. 

Months ago, I signed up for a number of races, the first one being this last Saturday. A half marathon. 

I was scheduled to run this a year ago when I got that stress fracture in my hip. So I was psyched to do it in 2025 hoping it would be my first sub-two hour half marathon. 

It wasn't. 

The time achieved was fine and in the ballpark of the two earlier this year, but slightly higher. I knew by mile 9 I wasn't getting any PR. That kind of fucked me up mentally. 

It all started poorly in a way. The race was point to point, so you had to take shuttle buses to and from the start and end. I did not love being on a bus for 30 minutes at 06:30 while some super hyper 20-something woman would. not. shut. her. pie. hole.  And laughing at everything she said - in the middle and end of it. Prob the beginning to. I just wanted to shout "SHUT UP!!!!!".   Normally I don't have an additional 30 minutes to overthink my upcoming race, so that wasn't great either. Nor the far far far too few port-a-potties. I opted to 'hold it". It was that or miss the start of the race. 

That said, the Old Man's Running Group was manning the water station at Mile 10. 

Talk about an ego boost.  

I'm running near a group of folks I don't know - and don't know me. But as we approach the water area, the dozen or so people distributing water just start yelling out my name and giving heaps of encouragement.  Felt like a total rock star. 

I'm sure those around are going, "Who the fuck is he??"

Yeah, I went out WAY too hard. Morty said I was "ambitious".  He meant "stupid". I speak fluent Morty. I like knowing I can run sub 9 minute miles for 4-5 miles in a row, and down the road that might help me, but not during a race where I can't sustain that type of pace. 

I suppose part of competition with yourself is maybe never truly being satisfied. It used to be I was happy just to finish, but that isn't the case anymore. I'm pretty sure I can finish now. 

Still somewhere in that run my inner voice said, "what makes you think you can run a full marathon??"

I had better come up with an answer considering I have one in seven weeks. 

Song by: Nickelback

My Music Monday

"Deeper Well" from Emmylou Harris popped into my mind this last week. So it's now in your hands. 

It is a selection from her incredible - and I don't say that lightly - 1995 album, Wrecking Ball. 

This disk is easily in my top 20 records of all time. Producer Daniel Lanois (who kind of killed the last Arcade Fire disk) takes Harris' unique voice and builds a unique record around it. Yes there are still elements of Americana and even Country here, but she transcends it all into something very very different. 

And in a great way. 

On the disk, Harris covers some heavy hitting, but varied, songwriters too: Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Neil Young, Jimmy Hendrix, Gillian Welch and others. She and Lanois stitch it all together seamlessly into something that I had not heard before, or since. 

"Deeper Well" is possibly the least accessible cut - if you want to label it. To me, it just shows how versatile an artist can be when they don't subscribe to genre defining roles. 

Even if you're not a fan of this song - and it took me quite a few listens 30 YEARS AGO! - I'd say to check out the entire disk. 

It is totally worth it. 

Positivity

I think anyone who knows me - or thinks they knows me - wouldn't use 'positive' to describe me when going through the first 1000 adjectives. 

It's possible I left off a 0 there. Perhaps two. 

....and this was before therapy. Not that my shrink has made me a ray of hopeful sunshine. He's just a man, not a miracle worker. 

So, as you know I don't read or watch news, I didn't know until yesterday that the Department of Defense has been renamed the Department of WAR. 

The uppercase was me. Though I don't rule it out that this is truly how it is now spelled out. 

So much for DOGE. How much $$$$ do you think will go into all new signage and stationery?  Since it is the former Defense depts, I'm going with BILLIONS. 

Tell me again why it wasn't named Ministry of War?  

I mean, that's where we are now, right? 

But it also trickled down to me about RFKKK's hearing and how he imploded, though I take no stock in that. It was in front of the same pussies who confirmed him in the first place. To do anything about it would be more a reflection on them - and they're not going to let that happen. They'll just double-down like they normally do. 

I also heard about a huge "spontaneous" protest in DC, taking over and shutting down the streets. Church bells across the District ringing out. 

Lord, let this be the start of a real revolution. 

See? That's me being positive.  

Don't get used to it 

Song by: Prince

Mama Said Knock You Out

Dogs and kittens. It's what Saturdays are about........

Picking up Shep 1:  BOING. 

Ears flying as he leaps up, when we get him from our vacation. 

Picking up Shep 2: EXCITEMENT

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. 

Tale of Two Dogs: Bailey pick-up after my sister's vacation. 

The kittens have been fixed. 

Shep was completely knocked out after an hour long hike with some of my cousins and their dogs. 

In all of my years of hanging out in stalls, never was I as lucky as 710 at work. 

I mean, I know you shouldn't really be talking in there, but how could you not??

He was a service dog for an "occupied" co-worker. 

Song by: LL Cool J

Headache

I don't get headaches often. Even then, it's usually a low grade thing for which I rarely take anything. 

Now and then, I get a doozy - like Wednesday night / Thursday morning sleep. Technically I don't know if I've ever had a migraine, but like 12 years ago I had a migraine-like headache that lasted three weeks. 

IF I were a betting man, I'd say the other night was a migraine as well. 

It woke me up at 02:00, never to go back to sleep. Almost never to move a muscle. Any movement made the pain so much worse. If I needed to take my pulse, I could do it through counting the throbs behind my eyeballs. Every beat of my heart (sounds Debbie Gibson-ish, no?) radiated hurt. 

Clearing my sinuses was considered, but even the thought of how much pain would be involved blowing my nose told me not to do that. 

Since I was up, I took a wee fistful of pain reliever and headed to the gym.  Yeah - I know. 

Thursday is a 5 mile run day, but that wasn't going to happen. I could not even imagine what would happen each time a foot landed on the ground. Let alone 9000 of them. So I just did the bike. And that's all I did. Not strength training, no lifting, no stretching. 

Things eventually eased up throughout the day, but honestly, I have no idea how people do this who get migraines consistently. I get why they get botox injections for them. I'd try anything too. 

Currently running on almost 24 hours of no sleep, and feeling it. 

Song by: Liz Phair

Pachelbel for the Potomac

This pic was taken on vacation just two weeks ago. 

You'd think we were white water rafting on the Colorado River, or the New River Gorge. 

Nope. Believe it or don't, this is the Potomac. Not the nice tranquil part you see going through DC. Not even the churning part near Harper's Ferry. 

This is Great Falls, VA. About a half hour from DC. 

Who knew?

I mean, who besides 710. But he grew up on and around the Potomac, so.........he kind of knew. But not to the extent of what we would see. 

Hiking in the area is not bad. The climb onto the rocks where I took those pics weren't easy for a man of a certain age. And of course once you get up there, barriers appear. However, the need for selfies, the barriers are meaningless. 

Couples (or singles) up and over the barriers / fences / whatnot and standing in all kinds of stupid "I'm an influencer" poses. 

The signage saying and average of 21 people die there per year is probably not from the rock climbers in the title image, or the kayakers below. 

I'm not 100% sure I'd even report it if someone went over trying grab that IG pose they need so bad. 

It was completely wild there. I'm not sure how the hikers got out to their rock formation. What you can't see is on the right of those rocks is just more raging river. 

This was something new and different for us. It might be a one and done. At least for the next few years. The George Washington Parkway into the city from there is under massive reconstruction. It took forever to get into town on single lane traffic. 

That seemed more dangerous than the park. 

Song by: Laura Sullivan

Site of the Month

I was going to do this as ad of the month, but what the heck, they deserve Site of the Month. 

To be honest, I saw an ad yesterday on IG (which is embedded down below) and I loved it and the message so much, it was a natural. 

Until later in the day, when I went to their website, I wasn't even sure what they sold. The logo would make it assume it's chicken. 

It is not. 

For years, I bought soap from Aveda, but I went back to just Dove for Men. And most days I use the clear, unscented body wash in the gym showers. I rarely need to shower at home. So fancy soaps, while nice, aren't really "me". 

I guess they sell lots of of bath and body stuff. Not just soap. 

Who knows, perhaps I'll use My Cluck Hut to purchase gifts for others. They deserve the business, as they fucking loathe BLOTUS and MAGA. And are overt about it. 

How great is that??

I guess I can call this Sites of the Month - plural. 

IF interested, I suggest you run through their IG page (which are think are originally TikTok, but I'm too old for that app) and watch their reels. HILARIOUS and just scathing. 

See Below:

They deserve to make millions. 

Die Already

On my primary iPhone app screen, I have both NYT and CNN there. It used to be I clicked on both multiple times daily. I do use the NYT one for the Games section, but that's it. CNN hasn't been opened since May 2024. 

I should probably delete the CNN app at the very least. I can't see me ever going back and reading stuff. Not even his obituary.......and you know of whom I speak.  I suppose I could move it the app to my last screen which houses stuff I almost never view. 

I set this all up to say, I'm still avoiding news, but as you know it's hard to avoid people posting social media shit. 

Yesterday - and I have no way to verify any of this without looking at news - I read that BLOTUS has not been out in public or spoken publicly for a week. Rumours of him being at Walter Reed Hospital seemingly persist. 

I rolled my eyes at one person who said, "I saw an ambulance in his motorcade!!!!!".   Oh honey, since Kennedy there has always been at least one ambulance in every presidential and vice presidential motorcade. Don't spread rumours or hopes that he has died. It's uninformed and taunting at the same time. 

Another post shows a large black bruise on the back of his hand. Both my parents had those from multiple IVs.....so no doubt he's being treated for something. But the caption was: "If my hand gets any darker, it have to take away it's voting rights". 

While we were away, I also saw some chatter about Vance stating he was ready to take on the presidency. 

Lord. There's a scary thought. And maybe a telltale one at that. 

That said: he needs to die. 

Soon. Very soon. 

I'd prefer it were a bullet to the head or shoulder to air missile launch, but at this point, if he goes from whatever disease he has, or goes out the Ivana way, I'm good. 

At that point I would get a flag and keep it at full mast. 

Song by: Prodigy

My Music Monday

I'm not saying I'm casting stones, except for the fact that I might be. 

This week's selection is good - just familiar. Very very familiar. 

Last December, I posted a song that sounded eerily like the Police. At least heavily influenced. 

If that was influenced, "Seein' Stars" by Turnstiles is borderline plagiarism. 

Do not get me wrong. The song is not bad. But listen to it and if you don't hear the Police's "When the World is Running Down" you're kinda crazy. Assuming you know that work by the Police. 

I loved the YouTube comment saying the song was "like a breath of fresh air".  Recirculated, maybe. Fresh? No. 

I also love that Wikipedia classifies the group as "hardcore punk".  I don't (think I) know them, so I can't really question this, but if you were to judge them by "Seein' Stars", I'd say Adult Contemporary, at best. Delilah would play this on her nationally syndicated show on FM lite-radio - should either her show or FM radio still actually exist. 

So, while the song isn't bad, I do have a hard time listening to it knowing Sting isn't getting any royalties for it. I find it hard to believe someone in the process of writing, rehearsing, recording and releasing this song didn't say something. 

Maybe it's meant to be an homage. 

Back Home

When we travel to the beach, we always take a few days to get there with either the first stop being a secondary destination or a number of small stops along the way to see things. It's a good way to ease into vacation. 

We did a little of both this last time. Two stops on our way to our first destination. One family business, the other just a sightseeing adventure. 

Once at the beach, sometimes we just never leave. We only got in the car once after arriving. Either we stayed in and made our meals or walked to the places to which we ate out. The rest of the time was reading, relaxing and swimming.  And running - for me.

Grandiose plans of going to movies and the like all fell away. A few dinners where we were going to go out just ended up simple meals sitting outside on the deck watching the ocean. 

Coming back is quite different. 

We start early and drive straight through - save gas, food and pee stops. About 11 hours. And we're beating a two hour window when we can pick up Shep from boarding. 

Knowing I'd be in a car that long, my day started earlier: a four mile run starting shortly after 04:00. 

I wanted some movement time knowing I'd have close to none until we picked up the dog and took him for walk. 

Oddly - or not? - there was one other person running at that time. Not so oddly, the two times we passed each other, there was zero interaction. No "'sup", no wave, no nothing. I put my hand up the first time to no response. I didn't bother the second. 

All said though - the stars and planet were amazing to view at that time. 

The drive, while not grueling during a holiday weekend, did provide bleacher butt that required stops to stretch............and buy a Powerball ticket worth $1 billion dollars (say like Dr. Evil). 

We are happy to be home, as a pack. Shep is beside himself. It might take him a few days to get back to normal. 

Song by: Graham Nash

Stay

Just because it's vacation week doesn't mean no new pet pics. 

Some are new, a few I've stockpiled for this very reason. We're not at home to get new pics. 

Also, there might be typos (more than usual) today, as I am a few drinks in as I draft this. Probably a bad idea to drink like this before a 10.5 hour car ride the next morning - after a 4 mile run (assuming I'm up for the run), but there's not turning back now. 

Shep at daycare / boarding while we are away. Hope he's happy. 

Willow in front of Lego Pippa. 

Comfy Henry and Virginia. 

Expectant Shep at a picnic. 

Willow and real Pippa. 

Yesterday's pic at daycare. 

We pick him up later this afternoon. We are SO excited. 

Song by: Jackson Browne

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there!  

I did not know of this collaboration, but apparently Wild and Clear and Blue is the sophomore effort by I'm With Her. 

The group is a collaboration of two fairly established Americana artists and the third being more of a newcomer. 

Sarah Jarosz has been around for about a decade building a name for herself. Aoife O'Donovan grew up singing mostly Irish folk songs. Sara Watkins is the best known for her work over the last two decades by being a member of Nickel Creek, The Watkins Family Hour, collaborating with the Decemberists and a number of solo records to her name as well. 

I like Americana music enough and had tentative high hopes for this. 

More in line with bluegrass, as there are no drums on this disk. Barely any percussion that aren't taps on the guitar or fiddle. 

The harmonies are pretty incredible. They do a great job with these. While they don't quite lose me when things become too solo-y, the thing on this disk is all about the harmonies. 

The songs themselves - cowritten by all three - are good, but I think the cowriting ends up homogenizing the tunes. Too many songs end up sounding like some of the others. 

Watkins didn't have that trouble with Nickel Creek or Family Hour, as some of the vocalists were also male. The women's lead vocals don't greatly diverge from any of the others here, so while a similar sounding song can take a different life with a great range of vocalists, that's not happening here. 

Musicianship is A+, as are the vocal arrangements....and again, harmonies. All songs are very good, but almost none are great. Or standouts, I should say. 

It still makes me want to go sample their debut though. 

Margarita

Part of vacation for 710 and myself is our own happy hours.

It's not that we're cheap, but traditionally we do this at the beach house we are renting. 

It is both convenient and limiting. 

Chance are, I can make a better margarita better than most bartenders. And cheaper. But two of those make it almost a certainty that we don't go out to dinner - which means we have to make our own food or have it delivered, which isn't easy where we go. 

I mix a fairly strong drink. 

We don't just drink. We have historically had an assortment of cheeses, crackers and grapes to compliment the booze. And sitting outside watching the sun sink, the surf and the surfers in the late afternoon is just a major calming effect. 

At home, we rarely go out to dinner. We are fairly Shep-centric, so we stay in. I kind of miss not taking full advantage of that while we are away, but daddy likes his alcohol too. As it is, I drink more this week then I do the rest of the year combined. Ditto for 710 and he drinks less than half of what I do during the year - and lately, my intake has been 4-5 drinks per year!

With our low alcohol intake, it does not take much to get us tipsy. There used to be a time, this would be my warm-up to going out all night. Now I just hope it doesn't fuck up my run the next morning. 

Still, it's good down time, good relaxation. And after seven years here, it is just tradition for us. I like the consistency. 

.....I'm also a little drunk as I draft this. 

Song by: Traveling Wilburys

Dream Police

My favourite heard criticism of porn is how it sets unrealistic expectations of how quickly one can get a plumber to come over. 

I've said similar things about the attractiveness of cable guys, truck drivers, firemen and police. 

Yesterday did nothing to disprove my thoughts. 

As promised, before the sun was over the Atlantic horizon, I stepped off into what would become a seven mile run. Once completed, I walked around the house in which we are staying, shed everything but my shorts and jumped into the ocean. It felt great. 

710 was watching me from the upper balcony with his morning coffee and was nice enough to meet me with a towel. I showered (well, in the most liberal sense of the word) outside wrapped a towel around me and went in. 

Our bedroom is on the second level. The kitchen and main living area are on the third. I know. It seems weird. But on the second level outdoor area, I finished toweling myself off and put on my clothes. For 0.87 seconds I had nothing on. But worry not, I'm not visible to the beach and there is no one occupying the places on either side of us. And anything longer than a full second, I start charging. 

I go up to 3 and make my oatmeal. It cooks, I pour milk in and then there is a pounding on the door - down on 2.  

"POLICE!!!!"

Well. Fuck.

As I open the door to two cops, it seems 710 encounters another out back with a third - as that is where he was having his coffee. Just three floors up. 

To relieve your suspense, no one called on me for being indecent. 

A "neighbor" had called saying it looked like someone was "b&e'ing".  It took me a second. I was not breaking and / or entering. Well, I entered, I suppose.

"They" told the po-po that the place wasn't being rented (!!!) and there was no car, but someone ("matching your description") tugging on doors and walking outside the perimeter of the house. 

710 got his phone to show them the rental agreement. Me telling them my car has been inside the garage for three days and I came back from my run and walked behind the house to get to the ocean. 

The only tugging on a door was me closing the front one behind me. IF anyone saw that, then they also saw me doing 10 minutes of stretching before I ran. Pervs!

I mean, I get it. Better safe than sorry shit. But how the fuck would anyone know - save the owner and rental property folk - who or when something is being rented on an island that has hundreds and hundreds of rentals.

About this time the Sargent came up the stairs and semi-apologized saying that people around here were skittish, as there has been an active shooting incident the summer before. I only half-believed that story. 

Each of the cops were professional and appropriate.  Just unattractive. Each uglier than the last. I mean, where's the payoff????

And the kicker??  My oatmeal had congealed in that 10 minutes. 

Where's MY justice??

Song by: Cheap Trick

That's It

You know, it's vacation. 

What's to write about? 

I'm not in the mood to discuss BLOTUS militarizing DC. 

We are in the last throes of Hurricane Erin. We saw no bad stuff, but the surf is rough. Red flags everywhere. Allegedly our beach had 50 rescues the week before due to rip currents. 

Save going in knee deep after a run and splashing myself with the Atlantic, I haven't been in. Yesterday it seemed much calmer, but I was lazy and read all day. Well, we did do a five mile walk. 

Mondays are generally my 'rest' day from running. One of them. I needed it too. So, I got up late, ate my gruel and read. I'll start book #2 today. 

Sunday it was ok to run a little later than I normally do. The temps have gone up up up, so I suspect I will be running before the sun fully rises tomorrow. It'll be a quick 6-8 miles. Or is the plan in my head. 

Allegedly we'll be able to see a rocket launch tonight (last night now), but it's getting foggy, so I suspect we will see nothing, which is a shame. 

Ok. That's it. Almost time for bed. 

Song by: the Cars

My Music Monday

Archives?  Kind of. 2018.  Not that long ago. And from a very little known band, Smokey Brights. 

"Different Windows" is just kind of a fun vibe. There is nothing super special or super different about it. Sometimes songs like this hit the right way at the right time. 

I see in the video that the title says something about Tuner Classic Movies. I have zero idea what that is about, but I'm guessing they used the song as some incidental music at one point