Room with a Vew

The work week was stressful. Still, as always, you put those things to the side when it comes to the pets. They need the love and attention more than I do, and they really kind of live for all of it, so why not? 

Sleepytime Girl. 

Something had his interest. I'm guessing a squirrel. 

Bailey had a spa day. 

710 has the best co-worker, ever. 

Checkin' out the scene. 

Birthday dinner. She was not patient. 

Picnic with a view. 

Song by: Marti Jones

You're So Vain

I am a wee bit tired, but this made me laugh.........more than I care to admit. 

I've read blurbs about her Netflix special, which seems more common than special. She films herself - or has others film herself - getting news she didn't get nominated for her being in a movie about stripping.  I mean, for fuck sake, you don't hear Tatum Channing (Channing Tatum?) whining about the same thing, do ya? 

I am with her on her assessment that is was stupid have two acts at the Super Bowl. Shakira and J.Lo?  Exactly!  Having none would have been a lot better.  Shakira's hips might not lie, but neither do my lips. At least in this case. 

I'm a little surprised she doesn't have a Grammy since they give those things away like candy on Halloween. Oscars too. Yeah - I'm looking at you Cuba Gooding Jr. 

But to whomever wrote the meme above.......thank you!  It was not in vain. 

Song by: Carly Simon

You're Sixteen

My friend, Jon, has commented on how inappropriate this Ringo Starr song is / was......even back in 1973. I suppose it is, unless he might be singing about his cat, and not the teenager he's trying to bang. 

See, I can say "singing about his cat" because yesterday, Sophie had her Sweet 16. 

It's amazing we got her back in 2006, months after Kylie passed. But Tovah was so lonely - until this monster came into the house. How a 2.2 lb kitten could be alpha to a full grown cat amazed me. 

But Soph is a good girl, who, overall, is in pretty good health, though I am experienced enough to know this time is a critical age area for cats.  

She plays, she jumps on things when she shouldn't. She purrs. But she HOWLS.  Something g-d awful, a sound you haven't heard before. 

We are guessing some kitty kat dementia maybe?  I know she knows where we are, but she will just HOWL.   .....and at times you'd really rather she didn't. 

Since just past kittenhood, she's always been Rubenesque. But in the last 18 months, she is down to what a cat should weigh - about 9lbs. It's hard to see her and think she isn't thriving because she isn't chunky, but I have to tell myself it's a new phase. 

We monitor her food intake and box output, just to ensure all systems are semi-normal. 

Most importantly - and for the most part - she gets along with her brother. He rarely sees her as prey anymore, which is good. 

Still............16. I'm amazed and we are lucky she is still bringing us love all these years later. 

Song by: Ringo Starr

Dallas

I've been writing this blog a long time - and have mentioned this before, but I get no one is retaining things from 6,300 or so posts. 

When I was in 6th grade, I read the entire Warren Commission. For whatever reason, I was semi-obsessed with the Kennedy assassination. It was the first book I read on it, but hardly the last, as I'd end up going through dozens. 

Fast forward a few dozen years, and I'm having breakfast tea with my friend Jeanne. We were just chatting and I heard these two old(er) men next to us talking about the Kennedy assassination. I only eavesdropped a little. 

I told Jeanne, and mentioned my reading of the Warren report. It was the only book I wanted when I cleaned out my parent's house, and it wasn't there. I'm assuming it got pitched years ago in some purge my mother went through. 

As it turns out, Jeanne knew the guys next to us (through her mother) - both in their 90s. One guy was making a movie (I know it didn't sound right to me either) about the assassination.  The other was a former judge who - wait for it - served on the Warren Commission!!! 

I said, 'no offense, but I'd rather be sitting at their table!'.  It wasn't quite untrue. 

Fast forward another two weeks, and Jeanne had me stop by to give me something - two 1st editions of the Warren Commission. She hoped one would be the same as what my parents had. They weren't. 

Now, I haven't looked it up, but there are two different publishers, so I'm not 100% sure that both (or either?) are actually 1st editions. Still, it was a great gesture. 

Even better, Jeanne, via her mom, said the judge would love to have coffee some time and talk. With me, that is. 

I have to believe this would be better than meeting Coldplay backstage. But I'm guessing so would having pink eye. 

....and now I have two copies of the Warren Commission on my bookshelves. 

Song by: Johnny Winter

(K)Nights in White Satin

In case you weren't aware - White Supremacy is alive and thriving in the U.S. 

When we bought this house two years ago, the previous owners left behind 4-5 tiki torches. At one point they were probably whimsical for a backyard evening party.  All I see are white folks in Brooks Brothers shirts marching in Charlottesville. 

Of course, maybe the previous owner took them to (and brought them back from) Virginia to march through their streets to scare off the black and Jewish populations. I mean, what do we really know about our neighbors and acquaintances? 

We're never using these torches. 

Like clockwork, I said after the backwards fucktards got their hands on regulating women's bodies, they're coming after the 'mos.   ......and they did. 

31 white nationalist pussies from all over the country gathered in northern Idaho with probable plans to riot at a Pride rally in Coeur d'Alene, the gayest named city in the state. 

I call them pussies because of course, they covered their faces at time of arrest, so they wouldn't be identified. I LOVE that the Coeur d'Alene police released their mugshots, names and where they resided. They're "man enough" to take on the homos, but fragile enough to fold like a house of cards. 

Still, the Patriot Front are scary as fuck. 

Here's a little info from the Anti-Defamation League: 

• members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them, and no one else
• Patriot Front justifies its ideology of hate and intolerance under the guise of preserving the ethnic and cultural origins of its members' European ancestors. 
• An African may have lived, worked, and even been classed as a citizen in America for centuries, yet he is not American. He is, as he likely prefers to be labeled, an African in America
• A central tactic to Patriot Front is 'flash demonstrations' -- privately planned and unannounced events that allow groups to promote their beliefs while limiting the risk of individual exposure, negative media coverage, arrests and public backlash

Oh - and now the police department are getting death threats for arresting the dipshits. That was just a matter of time, and only a little while longer before one of these groups acts upon that. 

This country sucks. 

And just to fuck with them, here they are, and I'm linking to their arrest records with their names for all to see for years to come.  Or until I end this blog.  Neanderthals, all. 

Song by: Moody Blues

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 146th 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. Erik is back and I think he's picking up 12 of 12 again.

05:46. Sunday. So I slept in. Till 6:15 ish. 

06:49. I start each day with Worldle (did it in one!), then Wordle (did it in four) and peppered in there is Spelling Bee, which took far too long. 

08:48. Gym time. 

So now you know I've been to the gym at least three times.  OR, I was clever and went once and took a lot of pics for pretend.  Only my scale knows the truth. 

10:24. Tea time with my cousin. 

We used to do this twice per weekend. Now I'm lucky if we do it twice per quarter year. I need to change this. 

12:06. Groceries. 

Most everything is healthy. Relatively. 

13:02. Shep's weekly adventure to a park and walk. 

Well, actually, every Saturday and Sunday. Regardless of weather. 

Driving through the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. 

14:55. Enjoying some sandwiches from a local smokehouse (thanks for the tip David!) and enjoying the shade and Lake Erie as a backdrop.  

Far too many kids cavorting around. Shep no likee. 

15:23.  After his 18th trip around the park, I said to 710 - "man, he must be drowning in so much pussy!"

17:51.  One stone. 

17:00. Ready for weekly Zoom drinking meeting with friends. The only good thing to come out of Covid - except for not having to shake people's hands. 

I used the wine glass, for sure (x 3) but ended up using my phone and not the laptop for the meeting. 

19:31. Drunk-ish grilling. 

Bone-in, skin-on chicken with a teriyaki glaze. 

20:23.  Pre-trash day. 

The only thing worse than putting these out the day before, is rolling them down the driveway before 05:00. 

There you have it. Yet another month of this. 

Don't Came Home a-Drinkin' (with Lovin' on Your Mind)

I'm struggling for an entry. 

January 6th hearing?  Meh.  And to be honest, I can't bring myself to watch them or read about them. I get snippets from my friends, and even that is painful to hear. Mostly, because I know the ending:  nothing is going to happen to anyone. 

Even the timing is to fuck with the mid-terms and the Dems will be weak on that too, and I believe they can (and will) easily lose the House and Senate. 

The bigger reason for my struggle is:  I might be drunk. 

....and of course, by "might be", I think we all know that I am. 

Not like it was a bender. I just met two friends at 17:00 for a beer, which became three. And the alcohol percentage might have been higher than normal. 

Now I'm just trying to stay awake until bed time. 

More tomorrow. 

Song by: Loretta Lynn

Cats and Dogs

It is Saturday, so it is dog and cat day. 

Sophie's spot of choice, when she's not with us. 

Sunday hike in a reserve. It was chilly out. 

Bailey turned 3 yesterday. 

Her words per minute are in the low single digits. 

Goofball. 

Shep could not claim his space, as someone else had already done so. 

He was perplexed as to what to do next.  Sophie gives no fucks. 

Song by: the Head and the Heart

in Bloom

As is the usual, after work, we walk Shep. Our 'new' neighborhood gives us a number of different routes, depending on how far we want to go, or in which direction. 

Now and then we veer off our intended path, usually due to an oncoming dog, often who are not on leash. And we aren't wearing masks...........or taking chances. 

Yesterday, Shep was in the grass near a school, so he could roll around. 710 had me come over and look at something. 

You'll have to click on it and enlarge to read what, to me, amounted to a tombstone. 

It's marker, for the class of 2004. 

As this was an elementary school, was it for the class that would graduate in 2004, or "graduate" to middle school in that same year?  If the former, those kids are, what - 36 now?  If the latter, ore like 29.

If you noticed, their 'tree' did not grow and bloom like the class of 2004. 

Or did it? 

Has anyone checked on them - these 29-36 year olds (and some guy probably named Gary, who was held back twice)?  Maybe they "bloomed" exactly like this tree - unsuccessfully..........and then they died. 

The marker, and failed tree, could be a metaphor for the class. No doubt, someone named Abigail is heading the 20th reunion that is coming up in just under two years. But if the tree is an indicator, half the class fell victim to fentanyl mixed in their street heroin. 

FYI - my dad attended this school...............in 1926!

Song by: Nirvana

Running Up That Hill

I'm kind of blanking, kind of not. Kind of lazy. Kind of real lazy. 

But, since there are dozens of articles out there anyway, I may as well pile on. 

If you've been reading me for any length of time, you not only know that I adore Kate Bush, but that she was the co-first CD I ever purchased back in 1985*. 

On our every Sunday drinking call, my friend Jon mentioned how he got into Kate Bush's Hounds of Love disk because of me.

Au contraire mon frère. 

It was Jon who played it for me over at his house. I went out and bought the disk ($18.99!!! in 1985!) that day. And a few days later, actually bought the CD player, so I could play the damn thing.  That was another $149!

But what a disk. 

Fast Forward 37 years and Kate Bush has a verified hit in the U.S. ........with a song from 37 years ago. 

"Running Up That Hill" was apparently on the show Stranger Things, and in whatever context it was used, resonated with the music buying public who weren't around 37 years ago. It has been #1 on iTunes songs chart since. This isn't like Billboard that is updated weekly, this is a several times per day update - and the single remains there. 

Bush's entire catalog is up like 1,160%, but honestly, that doesn't mean a lot. It's doubtful someone who records so infrequently and isn't that well knowing stateside (she has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice - not getting the nod. Pat Benatar is getting in and had covered Bush's "Wuthering Heights on her first album!) moves that much product on a weekly basis anyway, so that percentage might only be a low four digit surge. 

Still, a win is a win. 

Perhaps my news feeds are a bit too targeted, but NPR, Billboard, American Songwriter and various other outlets are writing about Bush on a daily basis.  I hope it pays off for her. 

Fun fact: the original title for the song is the parenthetical - "Deal with G-d".  But UK radio didn't (maybe still don't?) play songs with 'g-d' in the title, so the title changed. I thought the Victorian era was a while back, not 1985!

I know it's not My Music Monday, and I know I already used "Running Up That Hill" in that segment eons ago, but what the hell.  Let's send Kate $0.0000072.

 

*Laurie Anderson's Home of the Brave was the other co-disk. 

Song by: Kate Bush

Just a Dream

I'm dead tired, so I don't have a post - or an idea for a post. This happens sometimes, as you know. They're not all Peabody winners!

I was just looking through YouTube for something and it had a clip of something else on the right-hand column saw what I'm posting today. 

I'm sorry to see Kate McKinnon leave SNL, but she can't stay there forever. It's just a shame, the two things I saw her in outside of SNL were, well.........not great.  In Sisters, she wasn't great. I liked the movie. In Ghostbusters, no one was great.....or even good. NO ONE liked the movie. 

She'll be hard to replace, but they've "survived" before. 

In this clip, I believe Will Farrell appears, as I believe he was host - and not just the cast member who stayed around WAY too long. He's not horrible, which is more than I can say for a lot of skits he is in. 

Still, McKinnon's hesitation on some of the lines is just priceless. 

Song by: Delerium 

Time

I neglected to write about seeing a movie on Netflix. 2012 was its release date, but it was a full length film, we hadn't seen it and we sat through the entire thing. So - it counts. 

Quartet was the movie, and it was directed by Dustin Hoffman about a senior living center for retired / aging musicians - mostly, if not entirely, of the classical genre (including opera). 

It was slow paced. The storylines were there, but barely, and no great resolution to anything - at least for good reason. Maggie Smith is the big name, though Billy Connolly does the best job.  

It was fair at best. 

2022 Movie Count / Goal: 05 of 15

This last weekend, we saw another Ryan Reynolds, made-for-Netflix movie, the Adam Project. 

It was cute and all and only semi-original. It was at least way better than that POS thing he did with the Rock. 

Without giving too much away, it does involve time travel.  And it's mostly been done before, as snippets from many other movies seem to show up here.  Different scenes seem to come from - and in no particular order - Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Field of Dreams and yes, the Time Traveler's Wife. And one line is lifted from, and as an homage to, Reynolds' own Deadpool. 

For the most part, the cast is solid. Though people keep hiring Jennifer Garner for some reason. She's a little milquetoast-y, but like from Love, Simon, she plays the 'every mom'.  Mark Ruffalo is in it, so always bonus points there, even if he's cast in another role that makes him a disheveled man who doesn't own a comb. And an unrecognizable Katherine Keener in her present day state - though more so in her creepy CGI earlier self state. 

Zoe Saldaña is in it, but she is contractually obligated to be in any movie with space ships. She has two Star Trek movies under her belt, two Guardian of the Galaxy flicks and now five (!!!!!!)  Avatar movies that have filmed or are filming. She might be better in the Ryan Project than the others. 

The kid in the movie starts off a little weak, but I enjoyed his performance. Reynolds is Reynolds. While not quite one-note, he has a style and has been milking it for a while. He's not as cheeky in this as others, but it wouldn't take much. 

It was a fun-ish two hours. It won't stretch any critical thinking cells you might have going on upstairs, but that's ok too. 

2022 Movie Count / Goal: 06 of 15

Song by: Pink Floyd

My Music Monday

I figure I'd do my theme for this month as 'song to run by'. 

I'm in to my gym routine - mostly - and in most regards have trained myself not to tap my earpods to advance to the next track should it not to be to my liking. 

I guess I'm trying to reconnect with the music I seemingly as one point liked enough to put on my phone. So I'm either discovering it, rediscovering it, liking it, tolerating it or hating it. 

This entire scenario does not apply to running. I can bike or elliptical to almost any music. For me, I need a solid rhythm section and usually a 2/4 time to run. And yet I'm too lazy to make playlists that I can just select, so I do use the 'next' feature a lot. 

I'll sample a few of the songs this month. 

I'm doing double duty with the first one: "a Question of Time" by Depeche Mode.  

I really wanted to acknowledge the passing of keyboard (and sometimes bassist) Andy Fletcher at only 60. He was a founding / original member of the band and died a week or two ago.  

Remember when 60 was ancient?  Now it's just "young".  

"Time" is a much better song for biking or spin, but it works here too. 

Proud

It is Pride month - though I know parades go year-round, depending what part of the States or which part of the world in which you live. 

Cleveland's Pride has always been sad.  There have been times the time / place isn't even on the official website - that is how unorganized it is.  The turn-out has been just as sad - but some of that you can account due to the previous sentence.  

I don't think we ever break into 5 digits of people at the parade (watching or participating), let alone at the gathering spot at the end, where all of the sudden, the banks, insurance, car dealers and such want your dual-income, no kids $$$. 

Columbus - 129 miles to the south of us - regularly has a 500,000 attendees. 

To me, that is daunting. I'm a semi-extrovert who hates most people and crowds that size.  You just can't win with me. 

We haven't been for years, though it's probably not a bad thing to show up just for the numbers. Especially in these trying times. But honestly, when aren't they trying?  Someone is always after the gays. The last few years "they" have been focusing on trans folks. But it's been nice that the homos that usually turn on each other at the drop of a hat have really (well, kind of) pulled together to support the trans community. 

More often than not, I see the Pride flag that now has the trans triangle as part of the design. Less and less is the striped one. 

As Cleveland goes, there are two-ish gay areas. Lakewood is gayer, but boy gayer.  Cleveland Hts, is gay, but a good mix of gay men and women - if we are going by cis-terms......which I know I can be jailed for not being as correct as I should. 

The Hts is more liberal in general. About half of our population is Black, and Lakewood is kind of whiter than white........ok, it's not that bad, but still.........   Cleveland Hts is a lot more hippier (not hipper) than the rest of the 216. 

So, I am heartened that this year, we have gone slightly gayer and pride-ier. 

We have a cool, young mayor - our first elected mayor. Before it was a city council vote. He's single, but straight (allegedly!). He's middle eastern by descent. He is also the first to fly this flag at our own city hall. 

In his statement Mayor Kahlil Seren, mentions that Pride month started and much more than a month. Yet the flag only stays up for the month. I get it - it can't always be about the 'mos. 

But the city went farther. As you see in the title image, there have been multiple crosswalks that have been gayified.  Four of them, I believe. 

....including one that goes right to the high school. 

I'll take it.  

They say any publicity is good publicity, but I've never been one to buy into that theory. But I'm down with this. This is good. 

Song by: Tegan & Sara

Fields of Fire

I'm still cranky.  The cat and dog help.  It's more difficult to be annoyed when they need attention. 

The look I get when he wants a walk, but before he starts to get vocal about it. 

I almost always cave before he "says" something. 

Sophie tried to make an escape to the outdoors. 

Shep is not normally a "stick guy". So it always amuses me when he decides to have one. 

710's week working from home, which means close proximity to his co-worker, who does not observe the mandatory mask rules. 

Bailey on Memorial Day. 

Spot the Shep. 

Soph is a good worker. 

Song by: Big Country

Cranky

I'm super cranky. 

This doesn't bode well for creativity...........or this blog,  Those things can be very exclusive....just not this time. 

I have no time or patience to think of a thing to write, let alone the focus to actually complete and entry. 

You'll have to do with this.  Sorry.  

Life'll Kill Ya

While I had no blog post planned for today, even I thought, "Blob, you should do something that isn't about mass shootings". 

.....but fate had other plans. 

I'm sure Ted Fucking Cruz is touting some: "......if the hospital only had one door, this wouldn't have happened...." bullshit.

Part of me hopes these keep up right until the mid-terms. 

I mean, they are going to keep happening. History has taught us this. So let's just keep 'em coming in these gun loving states of Texas and Oklahoma.  Let them keep killing their own. 

Maybe - just maybe - someone........anyone.......will get the message.  And maybe right around election time. 

There I go again. That fucking potential, but never gettable, silver lining.  "Maybe this time".  

Yes, insanity. Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.  

I'm a moron. 

Song by: Warren Zevon

Kill

I'm still on a gun rant.  There is no 5-day waiting period for that. But apparently, no one else seems to adhere to that phony bullshit. 

Just days after the mass school execution, our Sunday paper opted to take money to run this four page ad - three times.............in a row. Not three days in a row.  Ad after ad........for 12 full pages......right before the Mini-Page and comics. 

I shit you not. 

I do love the "Father's Day" angle.  Hey Kids - get your "dad" a gun. 

Maybe pops would be less thrilled when he finds Jr. took the gun to school and killed a bunch of kids. But YAY for shooting and killing things!

Song by: Jimmy Eat World