Cooking with Blobby

I think I'm branching out in my cooking. The things we repeat are less and less. Sure, I still have my old stand-bys.

Still, I'm more interested in trying new things.

Or I think they're new things. Sometimes halfway through cooking I says to myself, I says.... "have I made this before?"   It all seems so familiar sometimes.

And I've been pacing these posts so it doesn't seem like I have an eating disorder (i.e. eat all the time) or that it is confused with a cooking blog.

Still - it turns out I had not made this before, or at least blogged about it. And yes, I looked at all my cooking posts to confirm this. I don't have much of a life.

This was a winner. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner for sure. I'd do this again in a heartbeat.


2 5-ounce chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, brown the chicken for one-and-a-half minutes on each side.

Mix in the onion and continue cooking for one minute. Sprinkle the flour on the chicken pieces, turning them so that all the pieces are coated. Cook one minute to lightly brown the flour.

Add the water and stir to dissolve the flour until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the skillet and boil gently for five minutes.

Remove the meat to a serving platter and keep warm. Cook the sauce to reduce it to about one-and-a-half cups.

Mix the dry mustard with the Dijon mustard and stir until smooth. Stir the mustard mixture into the sauce and heat, but do not allow the sauce to boil after the mustard has been added.

Place the chicken pieces in the sauce and warm over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes to develop the flavor.

Serve the chicken with the sauce.


Again - it was easy and totally doable and will repeat this one.

Fall On Me

A good collection this week, if I say so myself.  ....and I do.

I get Sophie for about 15 minutes per day. If 710 is home, that time is cut in half. She is all about 710.  Unless it's my bed time, then she sleeps with me. 

 .....later that same day, at the lake......

I won't say it was the last nice day of the year for this, but they are dwindling....and fast. 

Fall has fell. 

 "Someone" looks crabby. 

He looks ferocious, but he is actually quite gentle, though enthusiastic, to take the treat from your hand. Though this treat is glucosomine....for his aging joints. 

When Soph wants to be left alone, she heads into "the boy's room".  I still found her. 

Song by: Cry Cry Cry

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 68th 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. Now it's just Erik (and sometimes Jim) and myself - that I know of. 

I still continue to do this, because of all my consistent post topics, I actually like this one the most.

04:36.  Clock set 15 minutes fast. 

Awake, but not up. 

 06:15.  Awake. Up. 

Putting on possibly the most important article of clothing. 

06:20.  Emptying the "coffee diaper". 

Even though I don't drink coffee. 

06:50.  Reading the Cleveland Plain Dealer electronically. 

It's time to cancel the physical paper - which is only delivered 4 x a week. 

07:45.  B'fast.
I've graduated from Cap N Crunch to Honey Nut Cherrios. 

08:35.  Morning Petey walk.  

Wind gusts 35-60 mph.

10:55. Working on a document due next week. 

12:20. Lunch. 

Left over spaghetti. 

16:00.  Errand #1

Gas. 

16:20.  Errand #2. 

Cash.

16:30. Errand #3

Pet Supplies.  

Probably a mistake to take Mr. Pete with me, but I wanted to get him out. Too many smells in the store for him to enjoy his trip - though every kitten at the adoption center was looking his way. 

Then he took a big old dump in the middle of the aisle.

19:15.  Preparing dinner. 

It was my second time making the dish that was and is really good - so you can expect a Cooking with Blobby segment in the next week or so. 

.......and your Baker's Dozen......

21:20.  Paring down what is on the DVR liberry. 

Virtual Insanity

Virtual Reality is here.

Thanks to the Sunday New York Times. And assuming you subscribe and have home delivery.

In this last week's Sunday edition, came a cardboard box that allowed you to insert your iPhone and venture off into the world of virtual reality. As long as you downloaded the app, of course.

I don't know why it says it takes you halfway around the world. Depending which direction you go, I think you can go all the way. Kind of.

There are different programs from which to view. The big one is a VR film Displaced  about children uprooted due to war. I suppose it is the right thing to say that is what you're actually using the device for.

You can also travel to other cities. I'm likening this part to be somewhere between a GAF ViewFiner and Google Street View. Say you're in Venice, you get a 360 view of the one place whomever took the picture is standing. It's nice. It's clear. But there are quite a few more square miles of city you'll never see this way. However, unlike Street View, you can look up at the sky, or tops of buildings, or you can look down at the walkway or street.

Personally, I had a lot of trouble not being able to click on the New York setting. It would skip right past Venice to Rome, even though NYC was next in line. And I tried about two dozen times. It wasn't there for me. 710 must have seen it, because he commented on it.

There are also ways to see a 3-D kaleidoscope. And you can be at the Smithsonian to see dinosaurs and the Enola Gay and a Space Shuttle. All very cool. Some very close up.

You do have to recalibrate your equilibrium a bit. The device and some of the programs throw off your sense of balance a little bit. And it's not horrible easy to use while using glasses. That is something someone will have to work on - though Google and the NYT did a decent enough job on one size fits all for the 1.7 million folks who received one of these devices.

I tried without glasses, but I'm blind enough to not get clear images - even that close up.

Of course, I'm hoping someone will add to the app, or other apps, where you're flying, or having a speeding train come right at you or some such activity. Maybe there are other apps out there already. I haven't looked.

But at least we now have the device to play with our reality.



Song by: Jamiroquai

Site of the Month

Rwanda. The Sudan. Durfur. Syria. Crimea. Genesis.

Millions have suffered due to these.

These are things that the United Nations deals with on a daily basis. Some more successfully than others. All are just crimes against humanity!

I don't think it's unreasonable for Phil Collins to stay in retirement...................forever.  (and if you think I'm hyperlinking his name - you are saaaaaadly mistaken!)

Do you?

Haven't we had a lifetime of marginal to shitty music from him?

The question is rhetorical, of course.

Collins helped drive Genesis to the center. He helped define MTV. He has his Grammys and his undeserved Oscar. He did enough over-the-top drumming with Frieda and his solo work to last a lifetime.

Now he's threatening EVERYONE on the planet, with the prospect of coming out of retirement to tour and record. That is worse than all the genocides on the earth......EVER!

Though somewhere, Philip Bailey is probably happy for a potential duet.

It will be easy enough to avoid Phil in the arenas. And technically, it will probably be easy enough to avoid him on the radio.  For one, he's not a slutty teen girl with an auto-tune device. Secondly, he's a 73 year old (ok, I'm guessing......or rounding up) white male - so what radio station is going to play "new" music. His stuff is ensconced on the "oldies" stations. Thirdly, he's not a teen mom, so MTV won't play him either.

I don't know where his outlet would even be to get played or noticed. Hence his big announcement. In reality, he could have come out of retirement years ago no one even noticed.

Or cared.

I'm going with the latter.

Due to disabilities, he can't even drum anymore, so now we just have to endure the scrodling that is his "singing".

Here is where you come in - and my Site of the Month.

There is a change.org petition -  to. the. U.N. - to Stop Phil Collins. 

Honestly, I could not stop laughing. The United frickin' Nations.  Perfect.

My problem with this?  Whomever created this is only asking for 5,000 signatures. Clearly, they could have gotten 100 times this many, no?

It's not just me.............right?

Right???



Ok - and while I know, and I think you know, the U.N. petition is / was a joke, clearly others did not. The person who started the drive actually had to post a disclaimer.

Get a grip folks.

Love is the Drug

This last weekend we were really planning on seeing the new James Bond movie. Mostly for 710, but I enjoyed Skyfall too. More than I thought I would.

But we also wanted to see Sicario - and considering it was down to playing in all of two theaters - each for one showing per day - we knew if we wanted to see that on a big screen it was now or never cable.

We picked 'now'.

While I can't say it was super high on my list, I know 710 wanted to see it, and for the most part I have dominated our movie-selection process for 2015. The one preview I saw didn't really call to me. And you know, well, Benicio Del Toro doesn't ever do it for me.

If the press releases are correct, Sicario was written for all males. They reworked some things for Emily Blunt to play the lead.

Let's start with the storyline. FBI, DEA, CIA, etc battling drug lords. It is a story old as time - well, if you're 40 or under. It's a brutal and gritty story. And one full with contradictions, blurred lines (half-sing that like Robin Thicke) and untidy endings. But if you know the subject matter going in, you know all those things.

While no doubt Blunt will get the nod for award nominations, she was ok. She was not over the top good. She is fairly one-note in this film - keeping the same expression from being interviewed, to being on a raid, to drinking beer, to almost being killed. Still this keeps alive my claim that she might never surpass her role being "Emily" in the Devil Wears Prada. The reality is, any award nod will be due to the fact that there are few female roles like this.

You can chalk the one-note thing up to being a steady FBI agent or just questionable direction.

The stand-out is actually Del Toro. I loved his performance. Josh Brolin does a good job - though you've seen some of it before, even from him. And this is the second movie this year where I've seen Jon Bernthal (from the Walking Dead - though I've never seen the show) appear. I'll just say, the man can wear a pair of jeans. And he has a great nose.

No spoilers, though you can guess them to a degree. The story isn't extremely original, but it is very well done. There is violence, as it is multiple government agencies and drug cartels. Some of the violence is implied, some is aural, but your mind goes to visual even though the camera does not.

There are some great scenes and shots. I turned to 710 and said so. I wasn't really disturbing anyone, as it was a 19:35 showing on a Sunday. The other four people in the theater were nowhere near us....and I whispered.

There are some really well done action scenes - not just filmed that way, but envisioned at the way they were done.

While it is doubtful that the movie is still playing in many markets, you still might have a chance to see it. I would actually recommend this movie.

I'm guessing it has to better than other movies at this theater:  Friends and Romans?  The Man in 3-B? The Perfect Man.  

The last one isn't a question mark. I've seen numerous previews for this when it was released mid-summer. The bigger concern is that it is still out there!

The theater we went to is attached to a sad mall, that must serve a different clientele than I noticed before.

I'm just sayin', is it just me that thinks Regal Cinema and Geico Insurance are racially "marketing"? W.T.F.


2015 Movie Count / Goal:  15 of 12



Song by: Roxy Music

My Music Monday

Bad Music from Favourite Artists. That is the November drill.

Drill - as is painful. Or it can be.

Last week I let you off the hook with a bad-good song. This week it is just bad-bad. There is no fucking way around it.

It's no secret here that I used be very fond of Fleetwood Mac - and in certain ways I still am. But glow started to fade around 1987 with their release Tango in the Night.

That album actually had four hit singles off it - so good for them, but it started to show that they might be overstaying their welcome a bit.

Now, I could have easily picked almost any song off of their Say You Will album, but I thought I should pick a disk where the popular line-up all participated.

I'm picking on Stevie Nicks here, as she has - without a doubt - the worst track on this disk: "Welcome to the Room....Sara".

I was going to give her a break by saying she wasn't with the band for recording the album, as she was in a lengthy rehab process - and she only came in for two weeks to do her vocals, and backing vocals for the other songs where she doesn't sing lead.

She actually only contributes three songs to the entire disk, one of which wasn't even written by her, though the really bad track is attributed to her and her alone.

I thought it wouldn't be nice to kick a drug addict when she was down (and allegedly, the song is about her time in rehab). but then while looking for a video to attach, I came across Nicks' demo of the song and it is as equally as bad (if not worse) than the full-band version.

Lindsey Buckingham usually (re)arranges her songs into listenable music, but it looks like he just left it as is, though fleshed out the backing vocals somewhat to include him and Christine McVie. Still, Nicks is left with part singing, part talking her rambling "lyrics".

There is no official video - as you can probably tell this wasn't a single, let alone a hit one.

Cheaper Than Free

I really don't know how long a hot water heater is supposed to last. Suffice to say our new one will last longer in this house than we do. I'm speculating, of course.

Fearsome did a post a week or so ago on 'being cheap'. And no one knows better about 'cheap' than I do. But I also know when it pays to pay.

And now I should know not to use Lowes.  (our regular plumber was unavailable when our hot water heater conked out, so he suggested Lowes.)

I should have learned this lesson 13 years ago when they screwed us over on a hardwood floor installation that they couldn't do and then refused to return our deposit - even though they did the assessment that they could do said job.

Anyhoo - communication is not Lowes' strong suit. The 4-1-1 they were giving me versus what they were telling their sub-contractors versus what they were telling me the sub-contractors would do was extremely inconsistent.

Still, I ended up coordinating all the work on my end with their plumber. And I had to eat crow with the plumber's helpers whom I chewed out earlier in the day, due to misinformation provided by Lowes. I flew off the handle too early without knowing all the alleged facts or whom was providing them.

What I couldn't foresee - is that when 710 came home, he was upset that they installed the wrong water heater. It is not the one he ordered. And we were not cheap on this - as 710 ordered a DE-luxe model with 12 year warranty.

Lowes refused to take responsibility - and told 710 he had to share in the culpability. I don't get the manager's logic at all - save to protect his employee and her mistake. Saying that 710 did never specified a tank is insane. He is so meticulous about this stuff - with research and looking at pricing and warranties, etc.

But let's say he didn't - so, Lowes is randomly picking the size and price of a tank and length of a warranty (theirs was six years) they think we want or need?  Insane thoughts.

It's like the manager is a GOP presidential candidate refusing to engage in any logic whatsoever.

As compensation, they offered us $500 off on the tank he did want, which would mean having to pay (at our expense) for someone to uninstall and reinstall the new one. That seemed reasonable!

I don't foresee me patronizing Lowes again. I might stop in there to poop, but never purchase anything. As much as Homo Depot can annoy me, Lowes takes the cake. I need to be better about utilizing the local hardware stores and just saying 'fuck you' to the Lowes of the world - since they've effectively said 'fuck you' to us...........twice.




Song by: Stevie Nicks

Autumn Leaves are Falling

I find Petey to be photogenic most any old time, but if push came to shove, I'd have to say that Autumn is his best time of year for pictures.

That is, if he'd ever pose. The boy knows when a camera comes out and then purposefully turns the other way.

Bastard.

Sophie too.

Petey and his friend, Rocky - who is actually a girl. 

Petey at Jackie Collins' house. 

Nah - it's my mom's. She has some electric blanket with a giraffe or leopard pattern. 

I honestly think it was the first time that he has ever settled down at her house. It probably didn't hurt that none of my sisters or their kids were over. 

What can I say - the boy likes a good pile of leaves. 

He didn't even poop or pee in them. 

Me and the Space Shuttle. 

My daily Sophie kneading. 

Whether I want it or not. 

Boomer !!!!  

On another trip to my mother's house - with no Petey. He was a cuddle bunny. 

Song by: Clannad

Cooking with Blobby

Normally, when you Cook with Blobby, it's a main course.

However, I'm always on the lookout for sides.

710 and I have problems with sides. That sounds nicer than saying we have trouble with each other.

I like broccoli. He's so-so on it. I love spinach. That's pretty much a 'no' for him. I like asparagus, he tolerates it.

And it's not just him - there are only so many green beans, string beans or sugar snap or snow peas I can bare.

So I find I take the "tolerable" ones and try to change them up a little.

Take the asparagus. I saw something about "healthy" fries. The quotes are mine. I mean, they have to be better than Ore-Ida crinkle cut fries, right?

It's still a vegetable. It's not fried. save for maybe the cheese, it's all still healthy - unless you have a fucking gluten allergy.  And it's quick - to prep and cook.

Ok, flour, egg and breadcrumbs is a sticky mess. Let's be honest. And there is no easy way to do it that isn't by hand - so suck it up.


1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
salt and pepper to taste

Dredge the asparagus in the flour, dip in the egg and then into a mixture of the panko, Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Place the asparagus in a single layer on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425F oven.  

Bake until golden brown, about 7-13 minutes.

Make sure you turn them over halfway through. I kind of forgot and they started to brown a little too much on the one side - but I caught it before they burned. 


I liked them. 710 tolerated them. I ate whatever he left on his plate. 

Love is in the Air

When we went to NYC a few weeks ago and were battling few and available mid-priced hotel rooms, I went on airbnb to see what they had.

I have been a bit iffy on how comfortable I'd be staying at another person's place, but you know - it couldn't hurt to look.

While some of the places were not for me, there were more than a few really decent places and really good prices. And while I got over my discomfort with the idea, I could not talk 710 into doing this experience.

Airbnb  - for those who haven't really looked into it - offers a mix of houses, apartments, condos for 'rent' on a temporary basis. They are lived-in places, so furnishings, etc are all there.

And there are options of entire residence to yourself, renting a room or even couch surfing. For the record, I'd only be ok with the entire residence to ourselves. I barely want to share with 710.


I kid.  I kid.


Semi-frequent contributor - though he doesn't actually know it - Jeremy, sent me a little tidbit about misterbnb, which seems to be a gay version of airbnb. While I don't think the two are affiliated, the gay version is remarkably similar in set up to the main site.

Just looking at the Cleveland locations, they are all just room rentals. It seems that the owner is always there.  No. Thank. You.

Ditto with the sample Jeremy sent for a place in DC. Except...............you're not exactly getting to stay in another room.  You get so. much. more. !!!!!!

I'll let YOU read the ad.

Forget couch surfing.  You get to share Don's bed.  Nekkid !!!!  

Well, Don will be. I suppose you don't have to.

Clearly Don isn't nude "all the time", as he has close (the spelling joke is tied to the ad) on in his profile image.

I asked Jeremy, that "I assume the rape is implied?"

Still.........you can overlook the implied sex if he had Hulu Plus.  But just plain Hulu?  Forget it!




Song by: John Paul Young

You're Makin' Me High

I suppose I should care, or sound hip enough to say, that I wanted legalized marijuana to pass in Ohio. Not just medical, but recreational as well.

That was the big issue for yesterday's vote here in Ohio.

Actually, that's not true. Not for me. Issue 1 to create a bipartisan commission to (re)draw legislative districts is my biggest vote - and it has had almost zero publication and few robocalls. I'm tired of the reigning party (the GOP) getting / trying to remap things to for their advantage.

Now, back to issue 3 - I will admit to having smoked pot in the past. Unlike Bill Clinton, I even inhaled. But I can't say I was ever a pot-smoker per se. It wasn't my thing.

The truth is, I am not sure I care(d) one way or the other.

If the revenue that Colorado reports is accurate, it is something Ohio can certainly use. How they will regulate its use, as they do with impairment ala alcohol, I will wait to see.

Of course, it was a hot topic. Every day letters to the editor for and against. Every day editorials. Every day just plain old articles in every newspaper.

It might have been coincidence that 60 Minutes featured heroin use in Ohio two nights before the election. It's doubtful it was a coincidence that Mike DeWine - our Attorney General, advocate against legalization and all-around douchebag - made all the media rounds the following day.

You can argue whether pot is or isn't a gateway drug. For me, alcohol was my first drug. Pot my second and yes, heroin (but only once - so that's ok, right?) was my third. But 60 Minutes and DeWine certainly put that into question on Sunday.

People decried the monopoly of only x amount of people allowed to grow and sell it. In certain ways that was a problem for me. But on the other hand, one or two companies hold all the rights to all the casinos in the state. Alcohol, though now it can be sold at other places than state stores, are still actually sanctioned by the state. I'm not sure the distribution of pot is any different in those regards.

I was enjoying the TV ads. Vote issue 3 to create jobs. Because in Ohio which lags in economic recovery from the 2008 fall-out, it is still all about jobs. Not one word about the actual issue at hand or what it was about.

Of course, I think the biggest draw for me to vote 'no' would have been having to see Nick Lachey "star" in the ads. I mean, yeah, he used to live in Ohio, but doesn't. Not registered to vote here. And worst of all, still even peripherally attached to 98°.  {shudder}

I suppose I'd need to be high to listen to that tripe.   (though you have to last to 00:34 of the video.


The Soup: One Tree Hill/Stay Out Of It Nick... by Jason6385

People say pot isn't addictive. I know a few examples of people who not only cannot go every day without it, but sometimes cannot go a few hours without it. It is not that they can go without and don't - they CAN'T go without it.

I mean, the same is true with alcohol.

And meth. I mean - I've heard.

Jimbo had it right a few years ago .....when it comes down to it, it my issue might be due to pot breath. Sorry guys, but here's something people won't tell you - you smell horrid.

As I draft this, results are not final, but legalization is failing - and not by a little.  Two-thirds were voting 'no'. But even if it passes, I would assume there would be some legal wrangling on if and how it gets launched.

I will post an update in the comments after I wake up and see what the end-result actually ends up.



Song by: Toni Braxton

(You're the) Devil in Disguise

Well you can't say I didn't call that one. With Sunday's post I said I'd be in no mood or shape to post a Halloween entry for Sunday.

I don't know about my mood, but I can tell you I was in no shape. It's been a while since I've woken up and wondered if I even bothered  (or able) to take out my contacts. And taking a glass of water to bed doesn't help when you basically just pass out after you get upstairs.  Sure, it seems like a good idea, but it is fairly useless. The time change didn't help matters much.

Previously I had said that Markie and Scott (mostly Markie) are really into Halloween. The house is done up inside and out. There is even a special room where Markie keeps a bunch of creepy faceless dolls.

So yes, from the title image, you saw I went as Beelzebub himself.

The outfit turned out pretty well, if I say so myself.

The horns? Much better than I anticipated after seeing them in their packaging. Of course the folks at Halloween City (you know, one of those pop up stores) were of zero help. So from the package instructions, I gathered I needed fake blood (I didn't). Said I needed some blending powder (I didn't). Said I needed the spirit gum to adhere the horns (I did) and some adhesive removers (and I didn't).

And as it turns out, all sales are final, so there is $13 bucks down the drain for that other crap.

But I wasn't just going as the Devil. That was never the plan. Anyone can go as Satan. Well - anyone who has $50 for horns, the trimmings (that were not needed), a pitchfork and a cape. No, I had other ideas. Well.....idea. Singular.

The t-shirt was supposed to be the pièce de résistance.

Ted Cruz was always my first choice, because of his mole-like fart face, but I had to wait. From the time of the costume idea to execution, it was anyone's guess if he'd still be in the race. No worries, Marco Rubio was my next choice. Trump and Carson were never on my radar for this, and let's face it, I'd be surprised if Pataki's camp has even bothered to spend money on apparel.

And no worries, I got the shirt through amazon. It was not technically Ted-approved, but it also cost me one-third of the official shirts and I didn't get stuck on some donor list of which I could never remove myself. And since it was Amazon Prime, two day free shipping.  Score!

Now, while our 'hood is a fairly liberal bastion, others would be at the party too. I know I could be courting "controversy" {sing that like Prince!}. So be it, I say!

Folks seemed to notice the shirt or the Devil outfit, but rarely the two together - at least at first glance. So I would make remarks like:  "He (meaning Ted) does my bidding!"  Or I'd switch it around and say that I did Ted's bidding. Or the ever popular, "sometimes people don't ask the big guy upstairs {point upwards with the pitchfork for affect} if they should run for President."  My fave would be, if someone asked 'why Ted Cruz?', I'd go "I'm (Satan, that is) a big BIG fan!"

These would usually garner some howls. Save once.

Yes, some man - un-costumed, I might add - told me he really liked what Cruz had said during the last debate. Groan. I will give him this, he's not sold on Cruz and even said it is the first time in his life he cannot imagine voting for anyone.

I think I excused myself to get an eclair.

One of the hosts of the party is a professional costume designer - and we are talking big playhouses et al. So he and his partner's costumes (above) were elaborate and very detailed. Many of the guests work with Markie (as Pinocchio) in the theater, so theirs were too. A steampunk Annie Oakley. An abandoned bride. Mary Poppins. And Alice and Alfalfa.

Actually, a number of their friends and our neighbors were dressed by Markie. He didn't offer it to me, but I would have refused. It was his party, he shouldn't have to work at dressing people too lazy to have their own ideas. Yeah - I said it.

Our friend and neighbor Piet, came in a Venetian mask that creeped the hell out of me.  Me! The Devil!   You look at him for more than 15 seconds and you just get weirded out.

He was smart enough to come with a second mask that would allow him to eat and drink.

In the end, I ended up talking to a bunch of people I knew and many more I did not. It is amazing what a little alcohol (and isn't "little" all relative.....I mean, really???) and hiding behind a mask can do for any social awkwardness.

As it was, I walked home alone, drunk and in the dark - red satin nylon cape wafting in the breeze behind me.

Petey was happy to see me - well, to be let out to pee. I peeled the horns off my head (and apparently took out my contacts). Markie told me any natural skin oils will help remove the adhesive and they did. That and sweat.

And a few minutes later, the Devil passed out......water sitting at bedside......untouched.



Song by: Elvis Presley

My Music Monday

November's My Music Monday / Hi-Fi Friday theme is brought to you by the folk at gambrinous with griffonage: The Worst Song From Your Favourite Artists.

Unfortunately, I immediately agreed to this.

It's unfortunate because I fear (and expressed) you will click on these as some kind of train wreck of our musical liberries. Yes, that could be amusing.

It is unfortunate to admit that even our best loved bands do indeed make bad music.

"Bad" is all relative, of course. What one might like, one might not....and vice versa. And I'm finding myself tempering what I consider 'bad' even within the realm of this theme.

I'll start off with Crowded House.

Neil Finn is a master songwriter and arranger. He has a way with vocal and music arrangements that can be truly truly outstanding - and he usually succeeds far more than he fails. And yes, there are bad Crowded House songs ("Italian Plastic").  Of course, Finn might just finally pick better songs to don the album than they record. Their Afterglow album - songs that weren't actually even b-sides, but ones that didn't make the cut for any record surfaced, when it should have not.

So for my selection, I'm picking a song from their 2007 album, Time on Earth, with the song "She Called Up".

Here is the caveat: it's not a bad song.

It has a bad element to the song which actually pretty much ruins what could have been a very good song.

I find nothing worse in adult songs than using children's choruses.

Well.......maybe genocide is worse, but a children's chorus in an adult pop song is a strong strong second. But with that element, you can almost see what drives men to genocide.

Actually, there is something worse - adults imitating children's singing voices in a chorus. And that's what Finn does for "She Calls Up".

Admittedly, for years I would hit 'skip' on any device where this song showed up. And one day on Sirius XM, I let it play. I manned-up and powered through  the "la-la-la-la-la-la" shit and decided, "man, this really could have been a decent song".

I find myself letting it play if it comes up in rotation, though I will skip it if I'm in a mood - and I think you know how often that might be.

I'm not sure how I feel about the video trying to deflect a bad adult child-like chorus onto actual children themselves. It seems unfair to the kids.

And as Helen Lovejoy would say, "won't somebody think of the children?"

Daylight

For those who are my friends follow me on Facebook, you saw me post this weeks ago. But there are dozens and dozens of you who don't - so this might be the first time you're seeing this movie trailer.

Sorry, "movie trailer".

Yes, I bet you thought you were getting Halloween pictures today, didn't you? Well you're wrong. Those kind of parties start after sundown and go for a while. I was in no mood or shape (probably, as I'm drafting this before the actual party) to get a post up for early morning.

You'll see the outcome on Tuesday.

Today is Daylight Saving. Fall backward, as it were. Though, how many people fall backwards? When you fall, I bet it is usually forwards.

Anyway, I do love how these videos have gotten so professional.





"It's not plural" is my favourite line.




Song by: Delerium ft Matthew Sweet