What's Going On

Yeahhhhhhh.............yesterday. 

Two weeks in a row with two "delayed" blog entries. I have no idea what is going on with me. 

Yesterday, I had drafted the post. Drafted. Weeks ago. I didn't even look over the last few days because it because I "knew" it was locked and loaded. 

Except that it wasn't. 

And whatever I did could not be fixed via phone, so I had to wait until later in the day when I was home to make it right. 

From the title image, I give to you a tiny glimpse into my blog editor, which lists entry status. As you can see there are three:  Draft, Scheduled and Published. 

The 'ed' in Published let's you know it is done. Past tense. Ditto - in a way - with 'Scheduled'. Once the scheduled date / time arrives, it updates to the 'Published' 

Then there is 'Draft'.  Exactly what it means - a work in progress, but either not completed or some yutz didn't hit "publish" with a "scheduled" date / time.

That yutz?  Me. 

It is disconcerting something like this has happened twice in short succession. This doesn't seem as bad as completely forgetting to write, draft, schedule, publish anything like last week. Disconcerting to me - probably not you. 

I honestly don't know what is going on with me these days. I don't think there is an underlying issue, but who really knows. I don't think I can get insurance to clear an MRI based on two missed blog posts. I'm not sure that proves medical necessity. 

Normally I'd say I'd be better.........but recent behaviour doesn't instill confidence, does it? 

Song by: Marvin Gaye

My Music Monday

Just an FYI, I've been drafting these MMM posts weeks and weeks in advance. I know if I don't draft them they'll fall off my radar and out of my head.  ....but the new music just keeps coming. 

This one is from Michael Stipe formerly of R.E.M. 

The man has been talking his first solo disk for years, with nothing to show for all the chatter. Even last year in an NYT Magazine interview he just lets deadline after deadline pass. Not that he's beholden to anyone. It's self-funded so any record company who might end up distributing it doesn't really have a say. 

That said, allegedly there is a new HBO show called Rooster that is out - or coming out. It looks like a Steve Carrell vehicle. 

Anyhoo.....Stipe does the theme song.

Now I haven't seen the show, but it is doubtful any opening song is three minutes long. Even the Greatest American Hero didn't get that, believe it or not. 

I've only heard "I Played the Fool" a handful of times, but it's not jelling for me. gelling? 

The way R.E.M. worked was Barry, Mills and Buck wrote the music and Stipe the lyrics. I'm not sure how his solo stuff is being crafted. But no one should ever doubt R.E.M.'s song-crafting. It was fairly impeccable. 

"I Played the Fool" isn't bad by any means. It is just more generic than I'd like to see from Stipe. But you know - it's gotta play to the masses who binge watch tv shows, though let's face it, after episode 1, they're hitting 'skip intro'. 

The song has its moments for sure, but as of now (well, weeks before this actually posts) it is a good song, but not great. 

Kill the King

Maybe I'm a fraud. Perhaps not. 

I couldn't muster the energy, courage or warmth to attend the third No Kings rally. 

Truth be told, until late last week, I didn't even know another one was even on the books. These last two certainly didn't have the hype of the first. 

When I heard about it, 710 told me and was keen on going. In theory I could get behind that. Still, it fell off my radar, and possibly his, as he never mentioned it again. 

After a shitty and freezing 10 mile run yesterday, someone at coffee brought it up that they were going. A number of others chimed in as well. At the same time I got a text from my sister asking if we were going. I just replied we were considering it. 

In all honestly, I just didn't want to go. If 710 had pushed it a bit, I probably would have, but I wasn't up to the mental task or the sub-32 temps. 

The picture my sister took is deceiving. I'm glad there were blue skies for this, but from 07:00 to this point, it was nothing but grey and flurries. 

It seems I'm fair-weather on democracy.......hence my fraud issue. 

If I truly thought my presence would bring down this current administration, I'd have been there with bells on.....and maybe little else. But we are at the third one. The first two didn't take them down. And it was scheduled for a very iffy weather circumstances day for one-third of the country. I'm assuming attendance was down most places. 

I could be wrong. I hope I am. 

Coming back from my run, a downtown parking lot that was full during the initial No Kings had cars you could count on one hand yesterday.*

The pic above is different than last June (May?) where there were barely inches between folks. 

Don't get me wrong, I am so glad folks showed. Any of them. They had more drive than myself. 

There are moments in time that I know 'break' me. In early BLOTUS second term days, it was all about discussing Project 2025 - but with all their shit, it's gone by the wayside.  Then this popped up:

It's been playing like a loop in my head for over a week. I feel so defeated with this administration  - and for us for missing this. And for us not truly being able to seemingly do anything about this. 

While I'd like to think showing up at a rally would solve this, it won't. We need to shut down the country. How is another matter, but I think it's the only thing that would get stupid fucks to pick up their head. 

On a "silver lining" note (I know, right?): 710 works for a company whose HQ is very pro-BLOTUS. With BLOTUS visiting there any number of times.....touting "all-American", though half 80% of 710's staff is located in India. 

That's not the silver lining. 

710 had to go to the corporate website, which he is only required to do for annual training. While there he saw a video of the CEO talking about the devastation of product lines and businesses due to tariffs. 

710 was surprised not only did he say it, but posted it. But add that CEO to the list of stupid fucks who voted - or at least rallied for - this dipshit "president" and now are having their asses handed to them. And while the CEO should be financially literate, they at least employ a CFO who is. How this didn't come up before is beyond me. 

But just maybe someone is seeing the light. Too late, but finally. 

*local news reported (according to 710) that ~2,000 folks were at Cleveland. There were about 5,000 when I went. 

Song by: Rainbow

Bite Me

Well, yesterday was just a weird moment and post. I got a text saying there was no post and clearly, it just went by the wayside. The post. The though of a post. The non-realization of something I have done daily for at least the last 6,205 days!  

Sure, I fixed it and all, but it was done on my phone (a first) from work (another first) . 

Clearly formatting a blog post via phone isn't a strong skill. But why break a daily entry streak since 2008?  710 thinks I should take days here and there. Morty gets nervous that I haven't taken a break - which sounds odd to some, but I totally get from where he is coming. 

Paying the cheese tax. 

Shep had to go to "school" but 710 was coddling him. 

I do love that both he and Petey use a pillow. 

My would-be girlfriend, Olive. 

75°F.  Two hours from then it would be 40°F. In six hours it would be 26°F.

But we enjoyed sitting on the back stoop for an hour just watching the world. 

I only know one of these dudes. 

SUPRISE !!!!

A special treat: Simon!

710 went over to see his sister last weekend and Simon made an appearance. He let 710 pet him, and then bit him........as he is prone to do. 

Song by: Avril Lavigne

It’s Late

Somehow I totally blanked on creating a post in advance.

This is my second dissociative instance I’ve had in the last month. I’m not liking it. But my shrink told me to document them……just in case. I was hoping it was a one time thing.  It seems not. 

The pic?  I sent to 710 yesterday saying his screenplay finally got made into a movie. 

Cooking with Blobby

It is quite possible neither 710 nor myself have ever had stuffed peppers. 

I certainly don't remember my mother preparing this dish. 710 doesn't think his did either. It must have come up on America's Test Kitchen or something. I'm not quite sure why else it would have hit our radar. 

But I'm up for a challenge and am always looking for something new to have for dinner. Again, 87% of that battle is coming up with the idea for dinner. Making it is the easy part. 

Well.....easier. 

In theory this shouldn't be too bad. But on the other hand it is a little labour intensive. A pot for rice. A pot to blanch the peppers. A pan to cook the meat and veg. And a baking dish to put it all into the oven once assembled. 

While technically it isn't my "job" to clean, 98% of the time I clean as I go, leaving 710 very little to actually do. Mind you, it's usually the pot / pan / dish, but it is usually only one. And honestly, I can do all of those save the baking dish while it cooks. 

I'm a good husband. 

The ingredients seemed good. I just wasn't sure if this would sate our appetite. So I did two peppers each, just in case. And it seemed easier to do that than mathematically cut the recipe in half. I'm the "Shane" of this relationship.    (you're welcome Morty.)

Anyway - let's do this. 

Ingredients 

4-6 bell peppers use any color – green, yellow, red, orange 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 lb ground beef 450g - you can also use ground turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, tofu, or other similar 

1 medium onion chopped 

1 jalapeño pepper chopped (optional, for spicy) 

5 cloves garlic chopped 

14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes (canned - or use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce) 

1 cup shredded cheese cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend

1 tablespoon paprika 

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

1 teaspoon dried basil 

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 cup cooked rice white, brown, or wild rice 

For Garnish. Fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes 

Instructions 

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and bring a pot of water (enough to cover the bell peppers) to a boil. 

Wash the bell peppers, cut off the tops, and scoop out the insides. If needed, slice a small part off the bottom of the peppers so they will stand upright. (NOTE: Chop the extra bell pepper tops to cook later with the onion - discard the stem.) 

Blanch the bell peppers for 5 minutes to slightly soften. (Alternative, you can roast the peppers for 20 minutes to soften). 

Set the softened peppers into a lightly oiled baking dish. 

Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat and add the onions, chopped pepper tops, and jalapeño  (if using). Cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant. 

Add the ground beef and cook 5-6 minutes, breaking apart as you go, until cooked through. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, seasonings, and cooked rice. Stir together and remove from heat. 

Stir in half of the shredded cheese until incorporated. 

Stuff each pepper with the meat filling mixture, then top each with the remaining shredded cheese. 

Roast the stuffed peppers for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender to your preference, and the cheese is nice and bubbly. 

Cool slightly, garnish, and serve.

The verdict?  Meh. 

710 liked it way better than myself. I mean, it looks pretty. It smelled great. The texture was a-ok. It just lacked......flavour.  And you kind of want that out of dinner!

Granted, yes, I forgot the paprika and oregano. I didn't add red pepper flakes because I used an entire jalapeño -  seeds, rib and all - and thought that'd be enough heat. (It wasn't.). 

I also salted the mixture, but it needed more upon eating, which you know I don't often do. 

Still, I thought fire roasted tomatoes and tomato paste would bring something more to the dish. It was fine and all, but for me nothing more than that. 

Somehow in my pea brain, if I have to use salt after the fact, I fucked up the dish somehow. Maybe that's valid, perhaps not. I'd like to think the dish stands on its own, and this one didn't.  Perhaps the oregano and paprika would have helped. Or maybe I'm missing an element of which I'm not yet thinking. 

It was a nice try, but I don't know how often I'll be coming back to this.  If ever. 

Ad of the Month

We have YouTube TV and the way at least we have it set up is the most viewed stations rise to the top of the guide. 

Honestly, if we have the Weather Channel or CNN is anyone's guess. I asked 710 about the latter the other day and he had no idea either. And since he can't really watch news at home when I'm here, he now and then listens to CNN on his XM radio on the drive home from work. 

Mind you, it's all audio. And since it is CNN, you get the commercials their air on tv on the radio as well. 

The other evening, on our evening dog walk, he was telling me about this ad he heard on the way home. After dinner we both had to look it up. 

Nampons. 

Yes, you heard me correctly.

I honestly don't know if the makers are subliminally crediting women for this product or mocking them. I don't think it's coincidence that there are no women shown in the ad. I don't think it's coincidence that women's products use 'blue liquid' in their ads, while this one shows actual blood looking fluid. 

Honestly, it just shows the disparity of what male marketers think in terms of something as natural as a period vs a nose bleed. Apparently no one wants to be reminded what Alice Cooper sang about.  (ok, truth be told, I don't think "Only Women Bleed" is necessarily about Aunt Flo.)  The harsh reality is men don't really want to know that women bleed.  Period.  Yes. pun intended. 

I think though we can all agree that we're a little disappointed these don't come with a string on the end. Am I right??

I suppose the swap out from T to N in the name is for "Nose", but that then begs the question, what the T stands for in the current female market. 

Master of Puppets

For the last few years the Half a Half Marathon (it's a quarter marathon folks) has been my first race of each running year. Last week's race kind of fucked up that streak. 

For the record, the Half a Half was the first run I signed up for 2026 - Berlin not included, that is. And it was this last weekend. 

My half marathon training had me slated to run a tempo pace for 90 minutes - or about 10 miles. I feel I'm behind in my mileage for 2026, so doing a 6.55 mile race seemingly was still cutting training short. Like the good trooper I am, before the race, I went out and ran 3.54 miles. 

I'm glad I did, and I wish I hadn't - all at once. First off, it was cold, so the pre-run warmed me up. But it left me somewhat at a deficit in terms of energy - or so I thought. 

My first mile was iffy, but miles 2-6 were solid. Fast. Almost carefree. At mile 3 I pulled away from the folks with whom I was running and didn't seem them again till after they crossed the finish line. They left to do another seven, but I was done. 

I collected my medal, then went for the Uncrustable, banana, bag of pretzels and water. None of which I ate, but I figured 710 now has one lunch for the week. One less I have to make. 

I starting to leave when a women yelled "83!  Hey 83! You won!"

Truth be told I didn't even know my bib number was 83. I never really look. Of course, I thought she was fucking with me. And why not?  Me?? Win??? 

As it turns out, she was being sincere. 

Blobby came in third in the 'men's masters' category, she said.  Ouch, I thought. I mean, yay, but ouch. 

The "masters" are participants 60 year and older. (seriously, I just typed '600'). 

Winning anything based on skill at any age is kind of nice. As you can see, I won a mug. As you can also see, I did not win a fashion contest. Inside the mug was another little medal for the category win. 

Had I not run my morning warm up run, I might have been able to take second place. I looked at the results and there was no way I could have been first. That man was running sub eight minute miles. I don't have that in me. 

For about 0.00038 seconds, I says to myself, "if I can keep this pace, I can do a sub-4 hour marathon". 

Make no mistake, I cannot keep up an 8:51 pace for 26 miles. Still.......yay me. And we know I don't say that a lot. 

Song by: Metallica

My Music Monday

I'm still a little backlogged on my entries. What can I say, some decent new music is out there, and I suppose having them lined-up is better than when I do iTune Roulette. 

Depeche Mode has a new song out - but no new record. 

They contributed a song to Help(2), a record where proceeds are slated for relief for the children across the Middle East due to the growing impact of war.  

Apparently there was a first disk back in 1995. It seems unlikely this region hasn't been affected over the last 31 years, but yay for someone taking up the cause again.

As I am old as fuck, I have heard of a little less than half the artists who participated on this disk. Some are new songs, some are covers. Fontaines DC do an underwhelming cover of Sinéad O'Connor's "Black Boys on Mopeds". To be fair to the band, no one is going to record that song better than O'Connor. 

"Universal Soldier" is Depeche Mode's contribution to the cause. This is also a cover of a song written and performed by Buffy Sainte-Marie some 62-63 years ago. Donovan and Glenn Campbell also recorded the song (both in 1965). 

It was an anti-war song back in 1963, and remains so n 2026. 

I have never heard any version of this song before a few weeks ago. Obvi, Depeche Mode isn't as folksy about their arrangement as Sainte-Marie, Donovan or Campbell. It's a bit more electronic, as you'd expect. 

The message is timeless though. 

Meteor

Yesterday, I (finally?) mentioned the meteor that went over us and landed in Lake Erie. 

At work, everyone was talking- or getting texts - about said meteor. 

It was like the Northern Lights all over again for Blobby.  Nothing. Never saw. Never heard. 

The building in which I work may as well be a bomb shelter. Built in the '30s (19, not 18) is solid. We heard nothing. Depending on who was telling the tale, it was 10 miles to my east or 20 to the west or 10 south. 

Everywhere but where I was located. In likelihood, you could see / hear it from all those places. It came up past Kentucky (they didn't know what it was because....well.......science) past Cinicinasty, Columbus, started breaking up over Medina and allegedly landing in Lake Erie. 

Mind you, it was far far too cloudy in our parts to see anything.  Other areas "nearby" did not have the overcats (not a typo) issue. 

The above dash-cam photo was taken at the Ohio / Pennsylvania border about 90 miles from us. I love how news programs played this and had to bleep most of it out - as the driver had a potty mouth that would have made yours truly proud. 

Oh, I didn't see the news, but my sister sent me the clip. The meteor broke the sound barrier making a ka-BOOM. 

My sister in law thought a huge tree fell on her house. A co-worker's wife thought two semis collided in front of where they live. 

Me? When told all these thought, "well, it is probably Iran bombing us - and rightfully so.". But I logically thought that through and figured they are NOT starting with Cleveburgh. We offer nothing. 

Meteor hunters immediately tracked the path and started looking for debris. Not the lake pieces, but allegedly someone found parts in Medina. 

710's not so guilty pleasure movie - though I really wish it would be a lot more guilt would be involved - is Deep Impact. While it sounds like an adult movie title, it is really just the 1996 Tea Leoni / Frodo classic that was the lesser mirror movie of Armageddon which would come out two years later. And the 'lesser' comment has to hurt on multiple points since Armageddon is not good. 

{Deep Impact spoiler coming}

In the movie, Tea perishes (on purpose) by going to 'the shore' to be swallowed by a tidal wave caused by the meteor. 

Well...........granted, ours was a smaller meteor than their fake one, but I'm not sure we even got a wave. So, either the science was wrong, Hollywood lied to us, or almost nothing hit the lake. It was very anti-climactic. 

Yet here we are, days later, people still chattering about it - like the Northern Lights....and except for a 'boom' nothing really happened,  Much like Cleveland. 

Song by: John Leventhal

Kashmir

It's been a week:  75°F  highs. 15°F lows. 85 mph winds. 1" of snow. a 2.2 earthquake and a meteor....all in the 216. 

I'd say 'end of times', but that seems a bit too optimistic for me. 

But we have dogs...........and cats. Well....cat. Singular. 

Pic from from same time / location as the blog vlog video shoot. 

Sydney!  The day after her birthday. And she belongs to our friend and former neighbor Mary. 

Sydney always greets me. 

Shep did not make the daycare feed, but Siggie, my cousin's dog did. 

This is Pearl. She is 18. She belongs to a friend in my running group. 

She eventually made her way over to me and laid in my lap. I was in heaven! She weighs nothing. 

This is Hallie. She is Pearl's new sister. Skittish. Only way she'd come near me is if I ignored her. 

This was the snow day I mentioned up above. 

Honestly, he was out there for 45 seconds before getting coated. 

Don't know this dude, but oh so handsome and friendly. 

Kashmir is becoming a daily greeter for me. Sydney close behind. I might love Kashmir. 

Early parole. 

I got Shep out of daycare early yesterday. He was thrilled. 

Song by: Led Zeppelin

24 Frames

Oh, it's that time. Vlog time. 

Another year down. 24 of them now.  7,755 entries and counting. 

20,360 comments (give or take) as of this draft. Too many images to count. Ditto with keystrokes. 

It is amazing to me that I've been writing this blog more than one-third of my life. I could do the math, but I'd have to get out my TI-84 and figure out how much more than one-third, and I just might not want to know. 

Spoiler Alert on the vlog part:  I have nothing new to say. Of course, I'm drafting this part before I actually "film" anything, so you never know.  .....but on the other hand, don't you?

This is I think the shortest vlog I've done, but it was cold out and Shep and I were having lunch and then on a squirrel hunt.

 

Song by: Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Underneath it All

With my Cooking post yesterday, I alluded to never wanting to spend my time in the cold watching a St. Patrick's Day parade - or any parade for that matter. 

Ugh - drunks, step dancers and bagpipes.  Shoot me. Or them. I'm good either way. 

I also wrote something like "hold that thought". 

The Saturday before the Irish cavalcade, there were not one, but two (well three) races - all St. Paddy themed. 

Some church run - which I did - had two races: a 2 miler and a 5 miler. I did the latter. Many I know did both. Later in the day there was a Jameson 5k. Je did not do that. 

It's Cleveland in March. It's gonna be cold, and you're running right next to a Great Lake. The high for the race would be 31, not factoring in windchill. 

Oh - and the organizers were attempting to get a Guinness World Record for the largest kilted run. 

Kilts are skirts with nothing on underneath. I was 100% sure the organizers must have meant 'skirt', as they would not be checking to see who was wearing what below. And your shirt size was supposed to determine your kilt size to which they'd provide. 

My shirt size is XL. Without noticing until I got home, They gave me a M kilt. Those only sizes were M and XL, btw.  Yeahhhh......it fit, but........it wasn't the waist which worried me, but the length. 

As you can see, I look like I stepped out of Britney Spears  "Hit Me Baby Me One More Time" video shoot. Goooooogle image that if you must. These weren't kilts as much as catholic school girl uniforms. 

As you can also see in the pic, as it was so cold almost everyone wore something under their "kilt". As you can see - Blobby did not. 

Well, you can see I didn't wear leggings to keep warm. But I was true to the theme. I wore a kilt - not a skirt. 

Yes, Blobby was freeballing it. 

You might imagine that it might cause problems - and you would not be wrong. 

Sitting down anywhere was not an option. Had I worn an XL, maybe I could have gotten away with it. The wind off the lake was also going to be problematic. More so for anyone else participating or spectating. 

Blobby had to borrow an extra safety pin and secure the lower part of the kilt together so it wouldn't "twirl up". But it made it tighter for my gait than I would have liked. Yet, that is the price. 

Like always, one-quarter mile into the race and the cold was no longer a problem (except for my hands.....always my hands). I didn't have any record set, but you know it was a 'fun run'. The first 1/3 of a mile was dodging walkers and people with dogs. .....and hoping the kilt stayed on. 

Still, I wasn't out for time. Just to get my first race of 2026 on the books. And allegedly, though not by name, I will be in the Guinness World Record book - next to those fat twins riding mini-bikes - as we unofficially attained that record. 

Song by: No Doubt

Cooking with Blobby

Once again, the weather has turned cold. In a 24 hour period, temps dropped by 40°F . 

I know I said I was over Winter a while ago, but I can't stress it enough now. And we are expecting snow and wintery mix on Saturday. So...........yay!

Dog walks are freezing. I can't imagine the throngs of folks who showed up to a St. Paddy's parade yesterday. You'd never catch me there (though hold that thought). 

Yet, as I was walking the dog - and freezing - I thought, soup sounds like a good idea. 

My friend George made a potato / green onion soup months back which was just wonderful. While I could have - and should have? - asked him for the recipe, I figure I could do this on my own, right? 

Well.............let's see how true that was. 

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons (30g) Unsalted Butter

½ cup (70g) Yellow Onions, small dice (¼ inch) 

¼ cup (35g) Celery, small dice (¼ inch) 

3 each Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced 

¼ cup (34g) All Purpose Flour 

2 quarts (~2 liters) Vegetable Stock 

1 lb. (454g) Yellow Potatoes, large dice (1 inch) 

1 teaspoon (3g) Kosher Salt 

1 teaspoon Pepper

½ cup Heavy Cream 

½ cup Sour Cream 

2 cups (160g) Shredded Cheddar Cheese 

1 cup (100g) Green Onions (sliced) 

Nutmeg (just a sprinkle) 

Dried Thyme (just a sprinkle)

Parmasean Rind

It seems like a lot of ingredients, but if you do the dicing first, it comes together very very quickly. 

Preparation 

1. To prepare the soup, in a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat, and begin to sauté the onions. While stirring often, cook the onions for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent but no color. 

2. Add the celery, and garlic, continue to cook the vegetables for an additional 2-3 minutes all while trying to avoid any color. 

3. Add the flour and stir while cooking for about 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. 

4. While stirring gradually pour in the vegetable stock, the flour should be incorporated into the stock and will begin to thicken slightly. 

5. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, and heavy cream. Cook the soup, stirring occasionally at a simmer until the potatoes are tender (approximately 15-20 minutes). 

6. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onions.

7. Allow cooling just slightly before serving. Enjoy!

First off, it was really good. Filling but not heavy. We paired it with toasted cheese sandwiches, since while I was making it was were living inside of a snow globe. It just all felt like comfort food. 

I always am very careful about salt, and while I added it slowly over time, the full teaspoon was needed. 

The cheese was a nice touch, but.......it made it all very stringy. More so than I thought it would. I might cut that in half next time. 

But it probably would give 5-6 servings. We have leftovers, which is good, as the weather is supposed to be spotty at best for another week. 

All By Myself

I don't know if this was the last Annual Academy Award Guessing Games®, but it might be. 

Blobby got stood up, but good. 

Take a look at the text chain. 

At least I got a warning I was going to get stood up. I suppose that's something? 

I just suppose the magic is gone with Mike and me. I can see no other reason. 

Sure sure.....he and his husband are "on vacation", but still. He knew about this. He always knows about this. 

I'm just ever so slowly getting the brush off. I suppose the friendship ran its course. 

On the plus side, I only had to win one category to prevail. As it would turn out, I should not watch all the movies more of the time if we are to continue this contest. I only lost 6 of the 24 categories. 7 if you count there was a tie for Best Short Action Film (clearly I guessed neither). 

All I get are bragging rights. 

I hold out hopes for Mike and myself. At least he texted to make fun of Barbara Streisand's appearance at the show. He was right to do so. 

That said, we watched very little. I'd only turn up the volume when Conan was on. 

Anyhoo......from the accounting firm of Dewey, Cheatam & Howe, I give to you the results. 

Best supporting actress - I lost (but still glad Amy Madigan won)

Best actor - I win

Best actress - I win

Best supporting actor - I win

Best director - I win

Best makeup and hairstyling - I win

Best original score - I lost

Best live action short film - I lost. Twice. 

Best adapted screenplay - I win

Best original screenplay - I win

Best animated short film - I lost

Best casting - I lost

Best original song - I win

Best documentary feature film - I lost

Best documentary short film - I win

Best international feature film - I win

Best animated feature film - I win

Best production design - I win

Best film editing - I win

Best sound - I win

Best visual effects - I lost. Stupid Avatar

Best cinematography - I lost

Best costume design - I win

I'm guessing this is how Mike felt when he'd win his "office pool". 

Song by: Eric Carmen

My Music Monday

It seems I just have a plethora of new music to share.

Most of 2026 MMMs have been new music. It doesn't look like March will be any different. 

The Bleachers have a new song out - as of about two weeks ago (I'm backlogged on music posts). 

The band is good. The band is live in this selection. It's in the studio, but they're playing / recording live (allegedly). 

Jack Antonoff heads the band - and it is a band, not just him - but in reality it's kind of his side gig. He has made his millions writing and producing a lot of Taylor Swift albums, some Florence + the Machine, Kendrick Lamar, the Chicks, P!nk,.....the list goes on. 

The Bleachers are more rock oriented than the pop stuff he normally produces (well.....not Lamar). And "You and Forever" actually is reminecent of the song "Thunder Clatter" by Wild Cub that I posted almost 13 years back. That both videos are of the band playing the song(s) live might influence me on that similarity. 

I like the writing, structure and production of the song, though there is a period in the last third where the vocals are just aren't that coherent. I'm a lyrics-centered guy when it comes to music, so I'm never thrilled when I HAVE to decipher too too much. 

Still, it's a more than decent song. 

There is a video / album version too, which isn't nearly as compelling. I swear the backing vocals sound like they're saying "ding.......dong....." making it sound like a shitty holiday record. 

Guessing Games

If you ever thought I was winging it before in Mike's and my 15th Annual Academy Award Guessing Games® you haven't seen anything yet. For better or worse. 

I might officially be old, but Mike is older, so I'll always have that. 

I'm not sure what movies (if any) he has seen. I have seen a whopping zero. Some I haven't heard of; ditto with the actors, music or costumes. Hence the old comment. But to be fair, staying away from media has me at a huge disadvantage here. In the past I'd have heard about some of this shit. 

2026 really puts "guessing" into the spotlight here - for both of us, I'd assume. 

Let's just say, I already know what cookies Mike will be getting when I lose this thing. I could easily go to websites to see who favours whom / what, but I might just go with my gut. 

While I will try to have fun quips below, it's gonna be tough going into this totally blind. 

Best picture "Bugonia" "F1" "Frankenstein" "Hamnet" "Marty Supreme" "One Battle After Another" "The Secret Agent" "Sentimental Value" "Sinners" "Train Dreams" 

I haven't even heard of three of these. Maybe I've seen the clips somewhere. Maybe. You gotta figure it comes down to Sinners or One Battle. The latter didn't do that well at the box office, but it had great buzz for a while. Still, I'm gonna pick the former. 

Best supporting actress Elle Fanning, "Sentimental Value" Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, "Sentimental Value" Amy Madigan, "Weapons" Wunmi Mosaku, "Sinners" Teyana Taylor, "One Battle After Another" 

If I'm being honest, I'm going with my friend Jon's take on Taylor's performance. And I know Amy Madigan plays a freakish character, but she has done such great work over the years, I wouldn't be mad if she won this and I lost the category. 

Best actor Timothée Chalamet, "Marty Supreme" Leonardo DiCaprio, "One Battle After Another" Ethan Hawke, "Blue Moon" Michael B. Jordan, "Sinners" Wagner Moura, "The Secret Agent" 

Ya know, opera / ballet comment aside, Chalamet's demeanor has just become exhausting. He's quite full of himself. Maybe he's been dating a Kardashian for too long. I just want him to lose. 

Best actress Jessie Buckley, "Hamnet" Rose Byrne, "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" Kate Hudson, "Song Sung Blue" Renate Reinsve, "Sentimental Value" Emma Stone, "Bugonia" 

Emma Stone shaving her head won't let her win this time. 

Best supporting actor Benicio Del Toro, "One Battle After Another" Jacob Elordi, "Frankenstein" Delroy Lindo, "Sinners" Sean Penn, "One Battle After Another" Stellan Skarsgård, "Sentimental Value" 

Again, my friend Jon said Penn was great. And if I can look past his personal persona, he is a great actor. As must as I'd like to see Elordi {sigh} up there......just to look at.....it probs won't be he. 

Best director Chloé Zhao, "Hamnet" Josh Safdie, "Marty Supreme" Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another" Joachim Trier, "Sentimental Value" Ryan Coogler, "Sinners" 

Best makeup and hairstyling "Frankenstein" "Kokuho" "Sinners" "The Smashing Machine" "The Ugly Stepsister" 

Jacob Elordi {sigh} says his make-up took up to 12-14 hours for this movie. That alone should get them something. And who wants to cover up all that beauty???

Best original score "Bugonia" -- Jerskin Fendrix "Frankenstein" -- Alexandre Desplat "Hamnet" -- Max Richter "One Battle After Another" -- Jonny Greenwood "Sinners" -- Ludwig Göransson 

Best live action short film "Butcher's Stain" "Jane Austen's Period Drama" "A Friend of Dorothy" "The Singers" "Two People Exchanging Saliva" 

I adore Miriam Margolyes, so I hope Dorothy wins. I'm sure the others are good too. 

Best adapted screenplay "Bugonia" -- Will Tracy "Frankenstein" -- Guillermo Del Toro "Hamnet" -- Maggie O'Farrell and Chloé Zhao "One Battle After Another" -- Paul Thomas Anderson "Train Dreams" -- Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar 

Best original screenplay "Blue Moon" -- Robert Kaplow "It Was Just an Accident" -- Jafar Panahi "Marty Supreme" -- Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie "Sentimental Value" -- Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt "Sinners" – Ryan Coogler 

Best animated short film "Butterfly" "Forevergreen" "The Girl Who Cried Pearls" "Retirement Plan" "The Three Sisters" 

I don't know. 

Best casting "Hamnet" -- Nina Gold "Marty Supreme" -- Jennifer Venditti "One Battle After Another" -- Cassandra Kulukundis "The Secret Agent" -- Gabriel Domingues "Sinners" -- Francine Maisler 

Is this new? Did it replace something? I don't remember a 'casting' category. Lord fuck knows about this. 100% guess. As if the others were more educated ones. 

Best original song "Dear Me" from "Diane Warren: Relentless" "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters" "I Lied to You" from "Sinners" "Sweet Dreams of Joy" from "Viva Verdi!" "Train Dreams" from "Train Dreams" 

There must be some law that says Diane Warren MUST have a song in this category. I'm not sure she's ever won - or should. But there she is...........again. (she's had 17. I had to look it up.).  She won't win. 

Best documentary feature film "The Alabama Solution" "Come See Me in the Good Light" "Cutting Through Rocks" "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" "The Perfect Neighbor" 

I dunno. But neither does Mike. Or you. 

Best documentary short film "All the Empty Rooms" "Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud" "Children No More: 'Were and Are Gone'" "The Devil is Busy" "Perfectly a Strangeness" 

Are we really voting for ones that aren't about killing children in school shootings?  Je think not. 

Best international feature film Brazil, "The Secret Agent" France, "It Was Just an Accident" Norway, "Sentimental Value" Spain, "Sirât" Tunisia, "The Voice of Hind Rajab" 

I always pick the one that is also up for Best Picture. It almost ever wins best picture (maybe except Parasite(?).)

Best animated feature film "Arco" "Elio" "KPop Demon Hunters" "Little Amélie or the Character of Rain" "Zootopia 2" 

I've seen Josh Brolin go on and on about this - and how it makes him cry. REALLY cry, well, you kinda gotta love that. 

Best production design "Frankenstein" "Hamnet" "Marty Supreme" "One Battle After Another" "Sinners" 

It's Del Toro. He always goes beyond. 

Best film editing "F1" -- Stephen Mirrione "Marty Supreme" -- Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie "One Battle After Another" -- Andy Jurgensen "Sentimental Value" -- Olivier Bugge Coutté "Sinners" -- Michael P. Shawver 

Best sound "F1" "Frankenstein" "One Battle After Another" "Sinners" "Sirât" 

C'mon. vroom vroom vroom.  Right? 

Best visual effects "Avatar: Fire and Ash" "F1" "Jurassic World Rebirth" "The Lost Bus" "Sinners" 

It seems like another Avatar should get it. I just don't want it. 

Best cinematography "Frankenstein" "Marty Supreme" "One Battle After Another" "Sinners" "Train Dreams" 

Best costume design "Avatar: Fire and Ash" -- Deborah L. Scott "Frankenstein" -- Kate Hawley "Hamnet" -- Malgosia Turzanska "Marty Supreme" -- Miyako Bellizzi "Sinners" -- Ruth E. Carter

Again: Del Toro movie. 

For the record, for the first time ever, I asked AI to generate a pic for me:  Mike (insert last name here) holding an Oscar. 

That is what I got. While a perfectly decent looking man, it's not Mike. This guy has more hair and it's darker. Not the ash blond that real Mike sports.  ....I mean, what's left of it. 

Mike can claim the win of looking better than his AI generated counterpart.  ....but it's not an actual category. 

Check back Tuesday for results. 

Song by: Daryl Hall & John Oates

Love Bites

It's more about the guests this week. 

I did most of the daycare pick-up this week and boy oh boy was I greeted by lots of would-be friends. Yay me!

Shep meets a chunky "Bailey". 

Everyone was well behaved. 

Cute Burmese Mountain Puppy. 

He liked to put my arm in his mouth........

,,,,,and turns out didn't like to let it go. 

I was halfway home before I realized he 'bit' me. 710 asked what I've learned from this. The answer? Nothing!

OMFG. 

A different Henry. He looks so big and tough and he is SUCH a sweetie. I HEART him. And he, me.

Didn't get a name on this dude, but look at those eyes!

Don't ask. I don't know. 

Kashmir (I'm assuming they went with the Led Zeppelin spelling). 

Soooooo gorgeous. They are an Ibiza Hound. 

Pippa on my last day of caring for her. Willow never showed......again. 

Beautiful day (no longer) so, I took Shep up to the lake for a walk. 

Song by: Def Leppard