Jerk

I was going to write I had nothing. 

Then I remembered a video I took a few weeks back when I was visiting Morty. He was hoping I'd get this, or so he said when he saw me filming. 

Everything about this is wrong. 

Prove me wrong. 

Song by: the Buzzcocks

Ambush

It was a bad weekend of Jews. 

And that is an understatement. Big time. 

Brown University. Bondi Beach massacre. Rob Reiner. 

Neither of the Brown students who were killed were Jewish and the class review where it took place was for an Economics class. 

But the professor of the class, who was in attendance, serves as a faculty associate of the school’s Program in Judaic Studies. The professor previously served four years on the faculty of the Department of Economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Maybe there is no correlation, since at the time of this writing they have no suspect or motive. But anymore, it cannot be overlooked. And should not be. 

Bondi Beach - well, that was definitely a target on Jews. FFS, it was at a Hanukkah celebration. 

It was a father and son who were identified as the shooters. The family that kills together..........and all, I guess?  A single bystander disarmed one of the shooters. I saw a gofundme set up for him has over $1M in donations. Maybe there are ones for the victim, but I don't 'know. There was a pic of the hero in the hospital, so I'm assuming he was injured and / or shot. ....which is an injury. 

No motive was known (yet) for the shooting. 15 dead. Not including the father portion of the shooters. The son is critical but alive. Allegedly. 

This brings up a convo I had a little while back about safety of the Jewish community. A person expressed that it was not any more prevalent than other religions. I countered that if he hadn't ever driven past any temple (at least in the NE Ohio) to do so on any day of services. Armed security in each and every synagogue parking lot. Big or small. 

You don't see that at any Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Latter Day Saints or Jehovah Witness houses of worship. Well, I do see cops at the bigger places................for traffic control at the end of services. Yes I get it, making a left hand turn out of a parking lot is so much worse than, oh, I dunno.........semi-automatic weapons. 

I'll give the guy this: he had no comeback. 

Rob Reiner and his wife. I don't even know what to say. When 710 first told me - before it was known that it might be their son who committed the murders - I honestly didn't flash on it being Jewish related per se. Reiner has been such a vocal critic of the current administration, that I immediately assumed some MAGA fuck-head decided it was time for payback. 

Yes. That was my first thought. 

Still, it is a loss to the entertainment, free speech and Jewish communities. His voice will be missed. 

That was just on (or around) the first day of Hanukkah.  Only seven more to go, well, at the time of this draft. Six by the time you read this!

Song by: David Broza

My Music Monday

Another song rattling around in my head from years past - decades, really - is from a group called the Babys. 

While they formed in the early '70s, they had a brief yet semi-commercial period from '77-81. 

In my memory, I would have categorized them more as soft rock, but when I went back to play today's selection, "Midnight Rendezvous"  - and then some other selections - they did have more of an AOR or Rock vibe than I remember. 

John Waite would go onto solo success for a few more years, with his "Missing You" being what might have been the most played video on MTV in 1984. 

Jonathan Cain would leave the band to join Journey - which not that ironically the Babys opened for the band shortly before Cain's departure. One of the original members would play with Styx for 20 years. 

In later years three of the members would get back together to form Bad English. 

Anyway, the Babys ended up with a handful of hits of semi-hits in the late '70s. But it's been "Midnight Rendezvous" that has been unable to escape my mind lately. Maybe putting it back out into the universe will allow me to move on. 

Coming Down

Honestly, nothing of note today.

Winter Storm Advisory has been in effect for a day and still has another to go. Maybe two. 

The run yesterday was just awful. The all purpose trails were snow covered, but it was covering ice. So, we opted for the roads. And while they were clear, the traffic was not great. One of the guys turned around with me at the 1.5 mile mark. Ironically, for the next 1.5 not a single car was on the road. 

This was before 'the storm'. 

According to the weather apps we are supposed to get 5-10" of snow (so......probably 4). 

I texted folks in the group saying I wouldn't be there on Sunday (today). I mean, even if we don't get the snow, the ice is still on the paths. It's just safer to hit the gym and the treadmill. 

And the high temp today is supposed to be in the teens. 

I can stay at home with the dog and husband and hunker down as needed. Sounds like a lunch of grilled cheese and soup is in order, no? 

If we are to have dinner, I might need to hit the store after the gym. Of course, if we do get 10", well then, it's probably eggs for dinner. Or pasta. Or both. 

Once again - not even 'winter' yet. 

Song by: the Cult

12 of 12

 So I'm doing my 188th 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.   

Before we get into 12 of 12, which is taking place over pet pics: REMEMBER to send me you pet pics for the Annual Blobby's Blog Reader Pet Post (blobbysblog@gmail.com). Don't forget to include the name of the pet(s).  A few have already submitted (thank you), but let's see them furry family members!

Now on with 12 of 12. 

05:35.  T-shirt on random gym guy. 

It's hard to see, but the item on the 'to do list' seems to be completed with a strikethrough. 

05:52.  My balance half-ball. 

Used this dozens and dozens of tines at the gym. Never had noticed the warning. 

06:44. Sitting down to mush.  ....and granola and fruit. 

07:01. Washing out 710's favourite travel coffee mug. 

12:03. I'm a simple man, especially for lunch. 

12:12. ....and I pay the cheese tax. 

12:41. Everyone's a critic. But the work was derivative. 

Post lunch dog walk. It. Was. Cold. 

14:56. Snack.  Finishing off the Halloween gummi-bears.

I don't assume they can ever go bad. 

15:25. Doggie Dinner Time.

18:39. C-O-L-D evening walk with dog and hubs. 

19:07. People Dinner. Chili leftovers........on baked potatoes. 

Stupid me forgot the cheese.....which was the whole point. 

21:15. Time to charge the watch so it's ready for my run in the a.m.

Cooking with Blobby

We are 10 days away from "Winter", but you'd never know it here. 

Even with a continual day of rain, we still had snow on the ground. And then that rain just turned into more snow. And ice. 

It's in the 20s and no sign of getting out there any day in the next 4-5, so chili seemed appropriate. 710 likes it more than I, but I like him, so.........I do what I can.

I'm 99% sure I've made chili here before, but it is kind of like meatloaf or lasagna - almost impossible to fuck up regardless of how one makes it.  I mean, I'm sure there are ways, but if you stick with the basic ingredients, you're kind of on solid ground. 

Me? I did look on-line for an actual recipe and this will tell you a lot about me:  I used the first one that came up. Apparently I couldn't be bothered to peruse through the others to see what was what. 

I am NO fan of kidney beans. The look. The name. The texture. If I can get by the texture - which is rare - the taste seems ok. But it is a visual and tactile thing. Honestly, this is the first time I used beans in chili I made. .....again.....710. 

But I used a potato masher on the beans before adding them. The protein will be there. The flavour. It'll help thicken the chili........but I won't have to see them or bite into them.  Full disclosure - they all didn't mash. It's harder to do than one would think and an emersion blender seemed like overkill. 

Anyway - that's a lot of info to start, no?  Let's get to it. 

Ingredients 

 

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 

1/2 large white onion, chopped 

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

2 Tbsp. tomato paste 

1 1/2 lb. ground beef 

1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder 

1 tsp. dried oregano 

1 tsp. ground cumin 

1/2 tsp. paprika 

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional) 

Kosher salt 

Freshly ground black pepper 

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes 

1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained 

Shredded cheddar, sour cream, and sliced scallions, for serving 

Directions

Step 1 In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and translucent, 6-8 minutes. 

Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. 

Add tomato paste, stirring to coat vegetables. The recipe didn't call for jalapeño, but I added two. Seeds, ribs and all. You gotsta have heat!

Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain any excess fat. 

Step 2 Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, paprika, and cayenne (if using); generously season with salt and black pepper. 

Pour in tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have melded and liquid is slightly reduced, about 20 minutes; season with salt and black pepper, if needed. 

Step 3 Ladle chili into bowls. Top with cheese, sour cream, and scallions. (no worries, sour cream was used.)

Honestly, this takes less than 30 minutes to throw together. I had it done well before dinner time and left it on a simmer cycle for flavours to meld. 

It was a little thick, so one might want to thin it out a little with some water, tomato sauce or stock. I ended up using Scoops and treating it like Chili Frito Pie. Two jalapeños and cayenne gave it heat, but not so much so. 

710 was very happy with it, so I was too. 

So Sad

Normally "celebrity" deaths don't get me down. But the passing of Raul Malo is a sad one for me. 

I can't claim he's a household name. 

As a solo artist and the lead singer of the Mavericks, he was an incredible talent. 

I have featured a few songs here on My Music Monday of either the band or him by his lonesome. His voice was just amazing. But so were his songwriting skills.

We were able to see him a few times - both on his own and with the band. Each time was amazing. No gimmicks, no stage extravaganza, just raw talent and that voice. 

For those with a memory, Malo was one of the artists and subjects over which late blogger Birdie and I bonded. Should heaven exist, no doubt she greeted him. 

A lazy man would be quick to compare Malo to Roy Orbison, which in a slight way I get. But that comparison is overlooking a lot that Malo had, which Orbison didn't - and not just the Hispanic background and influence. 

Malo had a way with Hispanic music, but he could equally be compared as big band singer for the '40s, if you really went and sampled his solo stuff. But make no mistake, he was great with a full-on Mariachi band sound too. 

He put out music with the Mavericks and did solo work. A holiday album, a quarantine album during Covid, full Spanish disks, and the man was no stranger to covers - and those were all over the place. All well executed, even if not always my taste. 

Malo had colon cancer that metastasized to lungs and brain. When that happens, there is little that can be done, but even until two months ago he was planning a tour with the band. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it also might have kept him going for longer than planned. He was younger than I. 

Raul Malo was not super famous for sure, but well respected in the music community. And almost a decade ago, my cousin had his artwork on one of the Maverick's releases.  

There isn't one song I could use to encapsulate all of Malo's artistic qualities. So I'm just pulling something off one of his solo albums and using the song "Haunting Me" as a sample. 

Song by: Raul Malo

Hang 'em High

I've kind of ignored political posting for a while.  2-5 weeks, depending on what you consider "political". 

I do not think I have any MAGA followers, but if so, I would certainly (and legitimately) like their take on the GOPs constant - and no longer even cloaked - hate of Jews, Persons of Color and Women. 

Is there anyone - ANYONE - who thinks Hegseth's name card is even remotely an "accident"?

Not me. Not for one second did it cross my mind that it might be. I swear "they" do it to see if anyone even notices. And if they do - if they care. 

They do. And they don't. Respectively.  

Kind of myself included. It's just expected. It's not a shock. It's not a surprise. It's who they are. They've shown it time and again in other ways. It is just so fucking blatant now.

Knowing I don't read news, I was with Morty this weekend when he told me that the National Parks have free admission on Federal holidays. Except the BLOTUS administration has rolled back two of those. Morty wondered if I could guess which ones. It took me all of 4 seconds to say "MLK Day" and "Juneteenth". 

Shocking. 

If there is one Black supporter of BLOTUS and they see this blatant racism and they're ok with it - well...we are just fucked as a nation. 

Morty then told me they did add one additional day for free admission:  BLOTUS' Birthday. 

Swear to fucking g-d. 

It's just all so sickening. 

But while using a restroom at a record store (yes, an honest to g-d record store - it. was. heaven!!!!) the other day, I saw this and was so uplifted for a bit. 

I'm wondering where I can post it without the Secret Service or ICE escorting me off this planet. 

Song by: the Dropkick Murphys

Shopping with Blobby

Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think!  

Hey - may as well have it holiday themed this month, right? 

Perhaps this product has been out for a while, but alas, I have never seen it. And after all, a Christmas Story does take place here in Cleveburgh. So, it's only fitting I should have seen this, had it existed in the past. 

I'm not a fudge guy (oh, shut up!), so I'm not actually going to purchase this, and I have no idea if $5.49 is a good or fair price for eight ounces of chocolate. 

You gotta figure it took a while to get the rights to use Ralphie's face on the box. I know he's like 50 now, but this movie - and that image - is following him around for life. 

But it's not the above image I see (in my head) when I hear "oh fudge". 

My Music Monday

I know nothing of Darkways. From what I can gather, it is a solo artist who clearly has 80's, Goth, Industrial tendencies when it comes to their (I don't know how they identify - so this seems easier) music. 

Honestly, "Madness" sounds like so many other bands of the 80s and of my youth. Sisters of Mercy comes to mind, as do Camouflage or Bauhaus. 

None of that is a complaint or judgement. 

The video for the song - or a rendition of it - came through my IG feed. It's not a band video per se. I'm not sure if it is a fan-based one or not, but the entire thing is taken from the 1985 movie, the Breakfast Club. 

The version of the video I saw was exactly the same except for that it was in black and white with the exposure tweaked a bit to make it look goth-like. 

That said, the choreography from 40 years ago pairs extremely well with a song from 2023. 

Should you want to feel old(er), just look at it on YouTube's page and read the comments.  "The girl with the pink shirt is killing it...' ". 

They don't even know it's Molly Ringwald and who knows, might not even be aware that the video is made up from clips from a movie that as old as their parents, which they've never seen or even hard of. 

Ouch!

the Doctor

On my latest call with my shrink, as always, I'm 'in the room' first, awaiting his log-on. I've been brought up with the 'if you show up on time, you're late' mentality.  (This does not apply to open houses or parties per se). 

The doc gets on the call, and is chuckling. 

On personal Zoom with my friends I have typed my name in as 'Blobby'.  I forgot to change it back. There was little explaining to do - and I never brought up (nor have I ever) the blog. 

Dith told me I should. I said it could save some therapy time. She countered that it might add to it. Which is totally fair. 

Therapy went fine. At the end of the call, when we normally make our follow-up(s), he mentions there is a change to his schedule. The pause before that had me wondering if he was leaving the practice, but alas he is not. However, starting in 2026 he is no longer doing tele-health. 

On some level I knew this was probably coming. Dr. Spo had mentioned it in his blog for his patients. 

CMS* - for some unknown reason - is no longer reimbursing providers for tele-health visits. It's insane - and that's coming from a mentally challenged patient. 

A year or so before Covid, CMS had plans to greatly increase tele-health visits over the next five years. That was their goal. Adherence rates to these appointments are much higher, as patients clearly don't have to travel to see their provider. 

Space is facilities are classified as DO (Doctor's Office) or OH (Hospital Office). Oddly, the office in the latter does not have to be in / at a hospital. It is how the building / facility is affiliated. Depending on the designation, DO or OH can (or can't) charge for certain things. Lots and lots of details behind each. BUT, OH charges an 'administrative fee' which is usually picked up by insurance. When there is not a physical visit, you can't charge that fee. 

While Medicare and Medicaid pay or don't get charged these (respectively), it's no loss to them. It's no loss to the insurance company either. It is a loss to the practice. Those administrative fees do pay overhead - staff, brick and mortar, utilities. 

Covid really jumpstarted the increase in tele-health, so I'm not quite getting the 180. But it is. No doubt some BLOTUS related bullshit. Dr. Fucking Oz or something. 

So, come January, I will be actually meeting my therapist. In person. He's local-ish. It's gonna be a 30-40 minute drive each way. I suppose I could go with another doc, but ugh - I don't wanna start over. I'm 2.5 years into this. 

We will see how it goes. As it is January, I'm expecting it to be -9F or 15" of snow. Or both. 

*Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (yes, it should be CMMS, but it's not)

Song by: Loudon Wainwright III

Outside

It's a Shep day.  What can I say? 

At least he's adorbs!

the man does know how to get my attention. 

That's a lot of pounds per square inch he's exerting. 

First real snowfall of the season. 
It is earlier than usual. And not that welcomed. He's enjoying it though. 

Styling in his outerwear. 

The temps dipped into the teens, so out came the Carhartt. I still love it on him. 

a dog and his boy. 

Daycare pick-up, on a way to a walk. 

Song by: George Michael

Cooking with Blobby

No new recipes were invented here. 

I've done variations before, but to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld - sometimes you post with the content you have; not the content you want. 

I had 1.23lbs of ground chicken in the fridge and asked Gooooooogle what I could do with it. 

It came back with a lot of options that sounded good, but I didn't have some of the ingredients at home - and since was in the teens (temp, not Epstein girls age) I was not venturing out again. 

I'd say I made 'meatloaf', but honestly, isn't it 'chickenloaf'?  Which the word does not make it sound appetizing. 

Ehhhhh.......enough ketchup and Worcestershire, and save for the colouring, you'd never know the difference. Except maybe it is not as dense. Which is not a bad thing. 

Making this is as easy as can be. Dicing the onion took the most time, only slightly more than peeling the onion. Well cooking took the most time, but in terms of prep it was the onion. 

Ingredients: 

1 lb ground chicken 

½ cup breadcrumbs 

1 egg 

¼ cup milk (I forgot to put it in the pic atop) 

½ onion, finely diced 

2 tbsp ketchup 

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

For the Glaze: 

¼ cup ketchup 

1 tbsp brown sugar 

1 tsp mustard Instructions: 

Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a loaf pan or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, mix ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, onion, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Shape the Loaf: 

Transfer mixture to the baking sheet and shape into a loaf. 

Make the Glaze: Mix ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. 

Brush half of the glaze over the meatloaf. 

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove, brush with remaining glaze, and bake for another 10 minutes. 

Rest and Serve: Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meatloaf obvi is darker in colour, so it looks different, but tastes great. Like I said, it was lighter than meatloaf in density too. 

I paired it with the traditional sides - green beans and homemade mashed taters (with chives!). 

710 loved it. I loved it. Shep loved the bite he had. It was great for a cold almost winter's night. And we have leftovers!

Computer Love

It's not an exciting post or anything. 

Just one written on my new MacBookAir.

It migrated a day ago, but I never looked at the new desktop until earlier yesterday. Then began the arduous task of re-signing into everything. 

Blogger. Amazon. Gmail. NYT. all of it. 

I get it is a safety feature, but I'm sure I'll be stumbling over things I forgot to do and have to keep making adjustments along the way. 

One thing I did do was start to weed out my contact list. It was far far far too long. 

That list goes back jobs and jobs and jobs ago. Co-workers, friends, family who have passed away were still languishing there. I kind of get it - so one doesn't forget them, but in reality, I'd have to scroll to see them, which I never did. 

So far a good 150 people are gone. Some names I don't even remember. Me!  Some names I did and would say 'why?'. With some info I only had phone numbers or email addresses. Nothing that could help me identify how I might have known them. 

I did leave in some people who died - my parents for starters. I don't know why. I really don't. 

But the computer is fast. I'm getting used to the responsiveness of the keyboard. Home Row seems to be a slight slight slight move to the right, so I've been hitting 'caps lock' a lot. 

Given my relctucance to upgrades and change, it'll be a little while before I'm fully on board, but I'll get there. 

Eventually. 

Song by: Kraftwerk

I'm Not in Love

I'm somewhat being lazy today. 

I cannot bring myself to write about anything political and such. And I spent a good part of the day digging ourselves out from a "decent" amount of heavy snow. Then I went over and did it for my sister-in-law. 

I'm kind of taking the easy way out. 

ANYHOO.........

Back in - ugh - 1975 / 1976 I purchased the 45 of 10cc's "I'm Not in Love".  I just loved that song back then. It was like nothing I had really heard prior. 

I'd come to appreciate other songs from the band as well. Members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme would enter the video age as pioneers in the concept and directing fields. 

What a 12 year old me - and subsequently an aging me - never thought or considered was how innovative 10cc had been. 

There is this video series which breaks down songs, many times just asking if you can guess them from a bass line or a drum loop or some such thing. But they also do deep dives into songs, which for a nerd geek like me that loves to know about process is just a rabbit hole. 

But the host breaks down "I'm Not in Love" in an 8 minute (+) segment. 

I don't know you need to stick with the entire thing, but just the first few minutes of the vocals are kind of amazing in their concept and execution with technology that is now 50 years old. 

Should you be inclined - hit 'play'. 

Song by: 10cc

Some Girls are Bigger than Others

These are the same size - give or take. 

At least according to Apple. 

On the left is my new MacBook Air - 13". On the right, my old old MacBook - also 13". 

I suppose the one on the right might be considered a "Grindr 13". Or the one on the left does not have working knowledge of a tape measure. 

As I mentioned last week, when I broke down and had to get a new phone, I also knew I'd had to breakdown for a new laptop. I also mentioned that the helper at Apple told me to wait until November 28th, as I'd get a gift card upon purchase. $175.  ....and I'm cheap, so I made that plan. 

Still, if you remember the post, I also kind of had an anxiety attack in Apple. It was still on my mind and the idea of going back there - between Black Friday and Cyber Monday - was more than I could process. 

Via Morty, I found out that Costco was selling the same model at $250 off from Apple. I no longer had a Costco membership, so that wasn't helping me - and it's not like Costco wouldn't make me have a meltdown too. 

Come to find that amazon and Best Buy are also selling the model for $250 cheaper. And where Bezos doesn't need my money, the idea of having it delivered to my door where I have to deal with no living being seemed a reason to sell part of my soul. 

And $250 off is more than a $175 gift card. 

As always with me, eager to get, less than eager to set-up. But (!!) I opened the box in the first 24 hours, which might be a first for me. And I started setting it up yesterday and hit a blockade with our Time Capsule. My old one is all backed up - always is - but the TC isn't really responding. 

So tech support - 710 - can help me later to see if we can start migrating it over.  I'm drafting this somewhat early so I can just hopefully let the two synch. 

According to Morty, the new model is quick and takes almost no time for him to get to PornHub the London Financial Times. 

I also remember when the MacAir was lighter than the MacBook. Not so much. Not this one. 

Oh, and I got 'sky blue' - though it looks like light silver. The 'midnight' one looked real sharp, but the OCD side of me could never abide by the fingerprints and skin oils it would show. I've enough mental hurdles that I don't need to add that one to the mix. 

Hopefully tomorrow's post will be drafted on the new box!

Song by: the Smiths

My Music Monday

I know I did a Rosanne Cash song a few weeks ago, but today is not just My Music Monday, but also World AIDS Day....and there is no reason to skip my post for that. 

There has been some promising movement on the HIV and AIDS front. Some of it being in terms of gene therapy.

Johns Hopkins reported back in June 2025 that "a molecule within HIV itself can be manipulated and amplified to force the virus into long-term dormancy, a state in which HIV does not replicate. "

I could get into all the complicated detail surrounding this, but then I'd just sound like a White Paper and you already know I just did copy / paste. But for those interested, you can read about the research here. 

There are also injectable HIV medications, instead of pill form. Some are monthly, some every six months. These are for folks who already have their HIV under control with oral meds. But it would make patients more compliant and not have them miss a dose or two. A side effect is potential weight gain of 6-10 lbs. 

An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States have HIV, for which there is no cure or vaccine, and 4,941 people in the U.S. die each year from AIDS, the disease caused by HIV, according to HIV.gov. Worldwide, there are 39.9 million people living with HIV, and 630,000 deaths from HIV-related illnesses each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Honestly, 40 years in we are still looking for ways to decrease HIV. Covid, sure, let's get three different kinds of treatment within weeks and months. It tells me there is still a huge stigma around HIV - this one being funding for it, as some populations are less equal than others. 

And it wouldn't be a Blobby's Blog post without trashing this administration. 

FUCK. THEM. 

As for the song, I'm going with Cash doing "I Want a Cure" from her highly acclaimed 1990 disk Interiors. It's also the disk that killed her as a country artist. 

I've used the song title here before for a World AIDS Day post. I've just never posted the song. It is not about AIDS. It's not about disease per se. Interiors was all about transition for Cash. Divorce. Depression. Moving on. 

The song is very well written, produced and performed. My opinion, of course. 

When Will I See You Again

A while ago I posted an entry regarding my search for new glasses and frames. 

While I want to believe on-line is the way to go, it has been very hit or miss. More misses than bullseyes. Almost all have been ok, with one or two clunkers that I just never wear. 

Arguably, they are much cheaper than an optician brick & mortar. So, in a way I can "afford" to make mistakes. It would just be nice if I didn't. 

It usually always comes down to size.  ......and yes, that's what she said!

Usually I find the lenses to be too big. The height and mostly the width. 

I really wanted to like my new frames. No, I wanted to really like them. They're fine. Period. 

710 says said I look good in any frame. When I got these he said nothing.  N-O-T-H-I-N-G.  Not even the cursory, "oh, you got new glasses".  Even with crickets after that sentence I'd know what he thought. But nothing?  Well, then I'm not just imaging it. 

In Ghostbusters, Dr. Peter Venkman says to Janine, the secretary:

Good job, isn't it? Type something will ya, we're paying for this stuff, and don't stare at me you got the *bug eyes*. 

Every time I see myself in the glasses, I think of that exact scene. 

Yes, I know I placed them on my face like Annie Potts did, but it really doesn't look that different when I don't. 

Oh, and of all my back and forth about which site to purchase these frames - these things are light as a feather and it seems a strong wind could break them. Every time I clean my lenses, I'm waiting to snap the frames in half. 

So I did what I normally do - order yet another pair. I was meticulous about the height and width thing, going smaller and smaller as long as it would support my pupillary distance and prescription strength. 

I found some at a different site and for half the fricking price. 

I think I finally got it right. 

Not a great pic, but you get the idea. 

Song by: Lord Huron

Gold

One cat sighting this go-round  YAY.  The rest are dogs. 

But as we move into the holiday season, we are coming upon my annual blog-reader's pet picture post. 

Yes, your pets get to be the star of the post coming on Saturday, December 20th. Maybe the 27th. I suppose it doesn't have to be BEFORE xmas. It just always has.

During the last few years, I have kind of hurried to get this together and I'd rather not do that. So the earliest you can get me your pics - along with names of the cats, dogs, iguanas and ferrets - the better. I'll start crafting the post as I get the pics, so there will be no last minute rushing around. 

As always, there will be an in memorium section, so if you've had a loss of a loved one, we should honour that as well. 

On with this week's show!

The last photo shoot before we got snow. 

Winter has unofficially begun. 

Apparently the magic words are "drop it". 

Olive was not giving up the ball. Allegedly her favourite toy. 

Shep sneaking onto our bed. 

He really has no restrictions on where he can go, he just normally doesn't go into our room let alone onto our bed much - and almost never alone. 

In the last few weeks I've just found him here napping. It's fine with me. 

Golden City. 

THAT is a lot of Goldens. I'm sure it's not even all of them. 

Same day, different angle. 

I don't know his guy/girl - but yes, say it with me: I love them. 

SIMON!

It might as well be Nessie or Sasquatch for the rarity we've seen him. Dining Room is a Cat Room. 

Really - aren't all rooms cat room? 

I got a text from 710 as I was coming home from a run: Shep has been waiting for you. 

Along with this picture. It kind of broke my heart. 

Song by: John Stewart