Blue Skies

I saw the most astonishing cloud formation out my window yesterday. These shapes mimicked our neighbor’s tree aka the squirrel highway.

Its beauty distracted me from recognizing
the window screen marred this image.
~sigh~

It reminded me of the a cappella group Voiceplay covering an ELO song. They amaze me.

Are you familiar with Electric Light Orchestra’s music? If so, isn’t their range from upbeat (as above) to melancholy (video below) amazing?

Shared Musical Tastes

Of late I’ve dedicated myself to more frequent YMCA visits, whether I swim or resistance train. Taking care of myself feels good. Because of our Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States it’s been busy this week.

Seeing kids lifting weights with parents has been pretty cute. In the natatorium children can be a loud nuisance.

But my new favorite lifeguard doesn’t let families curtail him streaming rather loud music, which makes my half hour of laps easier. So does people watching. Anyway, last week I recognized Rammstein and on Wednesday before Thanksgiving I heard Motionless in White.

Both days I said as much before heading to the locker room. And again, to this middle aged lady he replied, “Good taste. Good taste.” This time I presented my hand and we slapped an old fashioned high five.

My earlier attempt hailing him from the water failed. And since he strides around the pool, often focused on his footing, it got me thinking.

Should such a distraction be allowed? Do you enjoy people watching?

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Replies, Thanks, & a Palaye Royale Bonus

I'll start with a belated response to Pam's excellent question as to whether our home has wall hangings and who put them up. Well, on a good day I can drive a nail in straight. As for my kitchen shelf debacle, drilling a hole would have been ideal but my drill was all the way downstairs.
~rolls eyes~ I just kept hammering away into what must have been a wall stud instead of being smart. And we own a wall stud finder! Oh, well. I would never attempt projects at Pam's skilled level.

Strayer, bless her and all the thousands of stray cats she's helped, mentioned Giardia causing feline diarrhea. I did a quick search, sent an email to my vet clinic, and drove over for doses of metronidozole. That was a week ago (!) and they finished their courses. Fingers crossed, this will solve Terra and Polly's ongoing issue.

Darling Cleo mentioned never hurting her mom during a nail trimming. I'm not surprised. ~grin~ My fear leans more toward cutting too short and harming a kitty. I paid a reasonable fee to have Polly's nails trimmed by a vet tech in hopes she stops limping. We shall see.

Now many bloggers kind enough to read and reply to my humble posts may know one another but I want to give a shout out (in no particular order) to warmhearted Sandee, generous Ellen Pilch (thanks for the kitty toys), the precious Eastside Cats Crew, kind Pradeep Nair, talented crafter/teacher Liz A., beloved Brian and Friends, and Marv's sweet family. Our blogger community is such a treasure.

And here is a recent Palaye Royale video for your enjoyment.

Can you believe darling, floofy Polly struggles against being held for medicine more than sleek, intrepid Terra? My clawed cheek is healing well, though. She was just flailing to get free. :) Meanwhile, if the condition persists, should I try another animal clinic or grant these folks more time?

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Misappropriation

The word chosen for my title usually refers to financial misconduct. But Liz A.’s Cinco de Mayo misadventure reminded me of time and money wasted on a long past yet unforgettable disappointment.

Both Mississippi Delta blues music fans, my husband and I traveled over a hundred miles to Indiana’s oldest blues bar and legendary nightspot, The Slippery Noodle. We arrived that evening, show tickets in hand, to discover massive crowds and no available parking. I never considered the month’s significance or that a downtown Indianapolis sports stadium hosted a March Madness basketball game.

Somehow I navigated around countless inebriated pedestrians and found a free spot several blocks from The Noodle. Relief lasted only until we discovered the place packed with still more intoxicated sports fans. Waitresses were so overwhelmed that we could hardly order a drink, let alone the anticipated meal.

At long last served, we relaxed upon seeing the musicians set up. But after a few tunes the performers met with what appeared to be a club manager and, overwhelmed by drunken hecklers, surrendered the stage to a giant descending screen. I imagine management feared a destructive riot.

My husband and I left our table to the screaming fanatics. At my request, he went in search of a (much needed) cocktail while I headed to the ladies room.

On my way I found the headlining band on a second stage. At last! Unfortunately, another sound system interfered further, broadcasting the stupid game at ear splitting decibels.

I cannot imagine how the artists must have felt. They acted calm and cool. My husband and I were outraged that the place turned into a sports bar. Disgusted, we crashed at our hotel, drove home first thing the next morning, and never returned.

Have you ever been annoyed by a sports event preempting a television broadcast? Can you imagine if professional half-time musicians would not allow the Super Bowl to resume? And here’s a dumb final question: do you think my emailed bewilderment received a response?

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Rockin’ the Body and the Brain (not quite over the rainbow)

I have struggled leaving the house ever since our car accident. Kudos to my husband, who prefers not to drive, for stepping up and going by himself on a few occasions for groceries and whatnot. But this is not how I want to live, however mean the world outside can be.

View Outside My House March 14

Going to see a physician on Monday proved to be a positive step forward. Took me three weeks to get an appointment, but learning the occasional stress induced chest pains are just that, nothing serious, and making a plan to get out of this anxious rut got me back to the gym. This morning’s resistance training is my third for this week and proved to be my 462^nd total (!) since joining the YMCA a few years ago.

Following my checkup I agreed to go on a super low dose anxiety medication, perhaps just for a few months. We’ll see how it goes. My husband encouraged this, in fact, which told me how much my condition upsets him. He hated when I took Abilify and some anti-depression pill or other years ago, saying they dulled my wit and personality. In 2012 I left my stressful job in exchange for going off the stuff.

I never saw this attending doctor before Monday (so much for keeping your regular doctor through the health insurance marketplace). He and his fellows are working toward residency under guidance of senior physicians including my husband’s longtime doctor. I liked him.

He asked about my dreams. Any nightmares?

Oh, yes.

To that he offered another medication formulated to ease symptoms of an enlarged prostate.

Yes, you read that right. Mine is an off label drug use, with potential of lowered cholesterol and reduced nightmares as possible side effects. So, again, we shall see.

The pharmacist warned me about the drug’s main purpose, as if I didn’t already know and would be offended. As if. I find it all very amusing. My entire adult life I’ve felt like a seventeen year old boy resides in my brain. Why not a fifty year old male? Maybe ‘he’ grew up alongside me in strictly a physical sense and developed prostate issues. My husband found that notion hysterical.

Meanwhile, as I prepared to park near the pharmacy, a nasty driver honked at me for driving too slow. In a parking lot, as I drove behind a pedestrian. Nice, huh? But the joke’s on them because my anxiety level was high enough the honk barely caused a bleep on my mental radar.

This afternoon I’m happy retreating into my fiction. Editing to ‘The Crow’ soundtrack has been therapeutic. I’m about to get back at it while rocking out to band Black Light Burns.

What is your preferred escape from reality?

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Exercise Wins Again

Let me start at the beginning before explaining this post’s title.

This morning I struggled with something that should have been one of the little joys in this life. A new compact disk came in the mail and I uploaded the album to my laptop endeavoring to sync my iPod Touch with iTunes. The normal opening steps achieved, the last failed, communication between linked software evaporated.

Grabbing my trusty old iPod Classic and its cord, I hit pay dirt. The album loaded in less time than it takes to turn on my computer. What the heck? Software and both hardware devices rebooted, follow-on Internet tips explored, and several more attempts provided the same failed results.

Following the fourth or sixth (?) failure my husband returned from a routine doctor appointment. Ever the mensch and longtime computer expert, he offered to help. Sent links to additional suggestions confused me more until he took over my laptop and iPod, me standing over his shoulder.

Together, we finally solved the issue. He managed to pull up a Touch settings popup window in iTunes. There, I discovered a checkbox preventing a sync with the entire library. Since my newest album was not selected by hand, the program overlooked all those tunes.

Grrr…

I’m thinking now that perhaps an earlier reboot of my Touch changed that setting. Otherwise, why have I not fought with it every time, or today with the Classic?

Worse than this frustration, and the mild blood pressure spike such electronic brawls always trigger, is that my current brain chemistry translates elevated BP as a reason to full-on panic. My guy wanted to show off the navigation upgrade he wants to gift me for our new car’s OnStar package (since I refuse to carry a smart phone… Heh…). I couldn’t do it. I had to walk away with apology.

Heart hammering and head starting to pound, I needed to jump on the NordicTrack before things got worse. Blessedly, exercise speeding my heart sort of resets the mechanics. Cooling down, my body calmed to normal. What a relief.

Mr. Williams hanged himself at age 34 in 1998.

Have you ever heard of tragic American Gothic singer Rozz Williams or his musical projects?

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Pimping My Boys

It’s been a while since I shared anything about Palaye Royale. This post’s title is how my husband phrases my proclivity for mentioning them to pretty much everyone, including complete strangers.

As I type this, my new PR shirt is out for delivery. It promotes the single “Dying in a Hot Tub” off their newest “Boom Boom Room (Side B)” album. The font, colors, and overall design are pretty.

I like that the back sports their name and cool logo. Strangers are not likely to read the front of a woman’s shirt. If I do, and like the design and/or statement, I make a point to express appreciation.

Meanwhile, the video is good, too. Folks speculate that the ending symbolizes fans saving the band from giving up on their dream.

Do you read what is printed on other peoples’ garments?

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Road Rage on the Rise

As more and more vehicles hit the streets in my little suburb, people seem to drive angrier and angrier. I admit to sometimes becoming frustrated to the point of snapping. I’m happy to say no accidents have thus far resulted for me on either side.

It’s a bloody miracle.

I am getting so tired of commuters cutting me off because I don’t know a lane ends ahead. Do they really think I’m being malicious or believe they’ll reach their destination that much sooner?

Some find their final destination every single day. I believe more deaths (or at least fender benders) result from anger than drunkenness, though driving intoxicated is a terrible idea.

On my way home from the gym minutes ago some dude risked both our safety and vehicles over my judgment call. Let me be clear. He had plenty of time to slow down for one more car as I merged into slower traffic ahead of him.

He raced around me and, instead of continuing on his angry way, cut me off with inches to spare. To be honest, I flipped him the middle finger to express my displeasure. The dude did the same. How original.

So I blew him a kiss before taking my turn off that hellish route.

That sort of encounter always unsettles me, more than it should. Before reaching home I wondered if I could make two signs for that sort of incident, one in reverse for jerks like him.

It could read, “Have a better one” or maybe “Sorry you’re having a bad day.” There’s no doubt everyone has a rough day now and then that shortens his or her fuse.

But taking time to read might cause an accident my blessed reflexes and distrust of other drivers thus far keep avoiding.

Maybe I could draw a big red heart. Or a broken black one.

Then again, some of these hateful acting people might run me off the road and beat me to death. I wish I was joking.

J-Pop Artist Gackt - His Art is Only Rivaled by his Intellect
aka A Pretty Man and His Pup (I feel better now)

Don’t you wish there were a breathalyzer test for rage that would prevent a car from starting?

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Party Like It’s 1999

Last night I acted like someone aged thirty, not a woman on the cusp of fifty. Today my body feels it, though not too bad. I’m recovering.

And I had a wonderful time.

Palaye Royale came to town again, performing at the same venue as last March. This time, they were the headlining act. Three bands opened for them, all with a majority of female members. I don’t know if this was intentional, though PR frontman Remington Leith made mention.

From Last March - Em smirking at left
Rem on the right, my fat self in the middle

Whatever the case, they all rocked the house. I liked that there seemed to be a bluesy thread to some of the groups’ songs, not unlike many PR tunes. Without a doubt The Haunt, Dead Posey, and Bones kept me on my feet before the main act.

Well, truth be told, there was nowhere to sit. For whatever reason, the back bar and upper balcony were closed off, perhaps due to the somewhat smaller crowd. I’ve learned that comedy clubs rope off unsold seats so people pack tighter together. Proximity, it seems, makes reactions more contagious.

I basically danced around for four straight hours.

Of course Palaye Royale did not disappoint. Besides several well known favorites, the guys performed some new music not on either “Boom Boom Room: Side A” or “Side B”.

It was a blast, even if I didn’t get to talk to any of the brothers this time. I did see drummer Emerson Barrett up close.

When he walked past me toward the entrance I followed. ~grin~ He went for a discussion with their merchandising guy but took time for a few photos. Seeing how much meeting the band means to these kids both in person and online, I hung back to give youngsters opportunity. When Em said, “one more” and pulled a very young girl out of the small crowd I could only stand there smiling.

What a nice man.

Their planned meet and greet got postponed by a late arrival, so I headed home at eleven instead of getting in line with all those young girls. Again, it seemed only fair to give them the chance I received months ago.

Today a brief consideration to hit the gym is off the table. It’s taking a minor effort to stand for any length of time. Heh… So, it’s back to writing for me. Meanwhile, I’m trying to decide how to count my activity on the ActivTrax fitness software.

Do you thank it fair I count last night as two hours of light exercise?

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A Case of the Stubborns

In case you are unaware, my title comes from an old “Tales from the Darkside” television episode. A young Christian Slater (!) and his mother are mourning the death of her father-in-law… except… there’s a problem. Grandpa is too stubborn to let go of life! Hilarity ensues, enhanced by a quirky reverend portrayed by the delightful Brent Spiner (famed as character Data from TV’s “Star Trek: Next Generation”).

Christian Slater Dressed for Grandpa's Funeral

The teleplay came to mind today because I’ve been dead set against carrying a smart phone. I just don’t need or want that kind of Internet and social media connectivity. When I attend writing events with local friends, it’s a joy to stay busy writing while watching others distracted by their email or some Facebook announcement.

However, some smart phone conveniences have become all but mandatory requirements. Take concert tickets, for example.

I saw a reminder upon Facebook, of all places, that tickets went on sale today for November’s Palaye Royale concert. Awesome! And my ticket cost less than $20, believe it or not. I expected a lot more add-on fees. But this ticket seller bombarded me with ‘free trials’ at the end of my order placement. Perhaps they make more money with business partnerships these days. Who knows? I declined them all.

The only problem is that I would have paid a good chunk extra for the delivery of said ticket. And what if it got lost in the mail? Ugh… As a result of my decision to save money, I’m left with a digital ticket.

It’s a good thing SO carries a smart phone. As arranged last March, we will trade devices for the evening. In an ironic twist, I did not need the phone to gain entrance last spring. I used a printout of the scanner code. But this time I can’t access that image, so wish me luck I don’t fumble too much using our smart phone come fall.

In retrospect, I’m amazed to recall a childhood in which my family not only shared one home phone number, but our entire neighborhood utilized the same line! In the case of an emergency, one neighbor might ask another to please end their call. Thank heaven, that changed by the time I came of dating age. Otherwise any eavesdropper might have gotten an embarrassing earful.

Cover Art for PR Album 'Boom Boom Room: Side B'

Did you ever hear of, let alone have a party line in your lifetime?

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Positive Sparks Monday June Fourth – A National Treasure

To quote Annie of McGuffy’s Reader, the bright spirited blog where she created Sparks Mondays, “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world!” She is currently on a blogging hiatus. Please keep Annie and her loved ones in your prayers.

As a child I admired Sammy Davis, Jr. as a great comedian and singer. He always struck me as a super cool fellow with a heart of gold. We lost him to throat cancer back in 1990 but something made  me think of him yesterday.

Looking up a biography, I was horrified to learn what terrible racism he faced, especially in the military. The hatred mystifies me, and it never occurred to me the reality of his youth. Call it denial if you will, I never wish such treatment upon anyone and guess a part of me wanted to believe this man I admired was spared the cruelty.

I decided then and there to find a quote from him for today. As expected, there were a plethora ranging from comedic to regretful to nostalgic to poetic to uplifting. It took me two seconds to find and decided on this one:

Image Courtesy of Brainy Quotes

Did you ever see a Sammy Davis, Jr. performance?

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Sparks Monday May 7 2018

To quote Annie of McGuffy’sReader, the bright spirited blog where she created Sparks Mondays, “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world!”

A fellow writer and FB acquaintance shared an excellent quote by Dolly Parton a while back. I immediately searched and found this on Brainy Quotes to save for today:

Which do you prefer, a straight path or the road less traveled?

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Sparks Monday - April 30 2018

To quote Annie of McGuffy’sReader, the bright spirited blog where she created Sparks Mondays, “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world!”

I am once again sticking with the musical theme. Today enjoy an inspiring remark by the amazing Bruno Mars.

Quote Courtesy of Brainy Quotes

Have you ever heard him sing the Mark Ronson tune ‘Uptown Funk’?

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Pop Evil Punks and a Class Act

On social media the other day I found footage from Palaye Royale’s final show opening for Pop Evil. While the brothers of PR defended their headliners as treating them well, fans shared the fact Pop Evil would not allow the siblings and their bandmates to interact with people between the start and encore of the PE set.

The funny thing is, I’ve waited in line to buy the opening band’s merchandise while rocking out and cheering to the headliner. Doesn’t Pop Evil understand this?

I was lucky jumping in line before Palaye Royale’s set ended that night to meet Emerson and Remington while Pop Evil was getting set up. Otherwise, I might have stayed for the headliners instead of leaving in silent protest as I did. Their greedy jealousy got me home by 10:15, so maybe I should thank the punks.

The clip showcased a rather mean prank. Here you can see a freeze frame of the event.

I Adore Emerson's Classy, Understated Quote

No doubt the guy thought it would be funny imitating Palaye Royale’s opening drum roll in the “Mr. Doctor Man” video with this dousing of talcum powder. And I might have been amused to a small degree had it not been for the fact the band wasn’t done performing.

As the video continued, Emerson stood up, tossed a stick to fans, and kicked over half his kit. I am sure this was in part to clear the toxic cloud away from his face, and no doubt released steam to stop him pounding the jerk into jelly. Afterward he had to get set up again before they could resume playing.

Did you know it’s unhealthy to inhale talcum powder?

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Sparks Monday – Wise Words from the King

To quote Annie of McGuffy’sReader, the bright spirited blog where she created Sparks Mondays, “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world!”

I remember my precise location when Elvis Presley passed away. Barely tall enough to reach, I was in the basement washing my clothes with the radio playing. When I decided to pay tribute to him today, the following (amazing) quote popped up at the top of the Brainy Quotes website. I’m grateful to whoever took the included photo.

What were you doing August 16, 1977?

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Positive Sparks March 26, 2018 – A Musical Note

To quote Annie of McGuffy’sReader, the bright spirited blog where she created Sparks Mondays, “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world!”

As usual, today I’m sharing words from a (late) great musician. Today I give you the incomparable Prince. As I am more likely to read the Bible and pray than attend any church, the following quote rings true to me. And I like to think that if even atheists could agree with it, the world would be a better place.

Out of the Entire Book, I Most Adore Psalms and Proverbs

Thanks to Brainy Quote for this saying. Photo courteous of Matias Rengel from Unsplash.

As I want this heart for my wall, I have to ask if anyone has any neon at home.

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A Minor Announcement and a Pretty Picture

I don’t believe I have ever written a post with so many tags before. And the first might be misleading. I want to formally announce that I will not be taking on the A to Z Blog Challenge this April.

As dear Annie of McGuffy’sReader reminded me, there is still time. And I even started out with plans to share music videos (and you know I would have touted Palaye Royale along with some awesome My Chemical Romance and Panic At the Disco).

Then I considered stealing Annie’s theme and sharing snippets of my prose. But in the end time, despite my lack of outside employment, is a constraint.

It’s not so much the posting but reading new blogs, which I feel compelled to do in support of fellow challengers. I already follow so many folks on a near daily basis, I just couldn’t see adding more. Not when I really want to spend all my time writing.

In fact, I should shout out to all of you with links but fictional characters are calling. ~grin~ Anyway, best wishes to all who endeavor to run in this spring blog race. And with that I’ll leave you with something shiny.

Drummer Emerson Barrett of Palaye Royale in Studio
I Cropped the Rude Gesture Toward a Brother

Do you have any special plans this spring?

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Spark by a Musician (from an Obsessive Music Geek)

Marilyn Manson Image Courtesy of Fan Pop

To quote Annie of McGuffy’s Reader, the bright spirited blog where she created Sparks Mondays, “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world!” 

Before I share Marilyn Manson's quote, let me share the inspiration. Yesterday my writing track was what I named “Marilyn Manson Singles” on iTunes. There are 37, not music released by the band for radio play but rather B-sides and rare finds.

I have four additional categories: one for studio albums and compilations, talking (interviews), live performances, and ‘oddities’. That last was named for some weird early experimentation but generally is just repeated tunes from having bought many singles for their rare and cool B-sides.

That said, here is a quote from Brian Warner (aka Mr. Manson) that caught my attention. As I like to tell folks, the man is wicked smart (when sober).  ;)  I snagged this from Brainy Quotes.

"Don't ever empty the bucket of mystery. Never let people define what you do. It's not about zigging when you should zag. It's not about doing something unprecedented and unpredictable. It's just about never being a word, or something that is not in the process of transformation."

- Marilyn Manson

Did you know he scored the brilliant soundtrack for the original “Resident Evil” film?

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