Oh, We Are Going Back

      Yet another early post. I honestly was thinking about writing this a few hours ago, but thought that might be a bit of overkill with the early riser post. It's been another hard week, but I've made things work as best I could. I did make it to the record store, but I had to take my mom with me, which is a double edged sword. On the one hand it's good for her to get out, on the other hand, I have to be wary of her time tolerance. I almost made it. The good thing about the record store, if you didn't read last weeks post, you missed the link for the store. Go back and check it out. Anyway, with their new set up, they have that little listening room off to the side now that has a couch and comfy chair to just chill and hangout. That's were mom got to hang, right up until the time I was checking out. She began wandering for the door as we were finishing up, so I just missed the time limit. 

      Now for the epic score that I got this week. I was really excited about this record when I saw that they had it on their Discogs. It had one particular song that I was dying for, even since I was a little kid and they used to play it on the radio. I tried forever to get a pristine recording of it, but the DJ always talked over the intro and what not, but now I have a copy.

     It's that first track on side 2 that I'm talking about. The disco version of the theme to Star Wars. It wasn't until after playing throughs the album that other songs hit me as familiar from the radio in those misspent days of my youth. Superman and 2001 were also played on the radio back in the day. I can't remember the exact price, but this was a $6 or $7 dollar find, and it's a great copy with no skips or jumps in it.

     Since this week it seems that I'm going down memory lane with music, I'm just going to lay out a Paul Stanley appreciation post here. Paul Stanley is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the band KISS. I'm not a big fan of KISS, but I appreciate them. I mean as a kid I had the lamest of KISS albums, that being the Peter Criss solo album. I was a super fan of the Cat Man, which was Criss' character. That should show you how much of a fan of KISS I am. Anyway, I've always admired what they did, even though I was real excited about the music itself, and I follow Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons on Twitter. Paul recently caught Covid and had to cancel a few shows. The good thing is that he was fully vaccinated so the symptoms were mild, but even being that as it may Paul said that it was really rough and he still is experiencing some lingering effects, like getting winded easier when on stage. Here comes the appreciation part. I appreciate his effort to speak on how important the vaccine is, but more importantly how amazing he looks at the age of 69.

    That's him about a week or so ago just before he was going to hit the stage. The finger is for the 1 hour mark. That's him in the iconic Starman makeup. Are you ready for the non makeup picture? 

     That picture was taken 2 days ago. The dude looks incredible for his age. He's really healthy with his eating and frequently posts pictures of himself in his bike helmet when he goes out for his daily bike rides. I mean come on, may we all look half that good at his age. Much respect Paul.

     Ok, got a few more pictures before we hit the Favorite Song of the Week. Yeah, I'm just calling it now so you don't have to guess one song or thing. This first one is the halo effect that this weeks launch had. This is basically the rocket hitting a level in the atmosphere where it super heats the humidity in the sky and creates this super cool halo.

     If you don't live in Florida it's a good chance you never get to experience this in the sky. These are the types of launches that I love. They aren't typical. Usually the sky lights up and you see the red/orange glare of the thrusters and it slowly dims out, but this was pretty epic. That V shaped light is the light coming from the engines and it lit up the sky longer that usual because of the humidity and the just past dusk launch time. It's not often I can watch a launch and say the is unique and this one truly was.

     Next picture is of course a Morty appreciation post. Had to get a shot of the bestest boy in the whole world. Here is my buddy boy.

     Now, I know Morty's age, which is 9, but it never really crossed my mind that he was old. That was until Ri Ri came along. She is of course a spry 4 year old, with terrier energy to spare. Morty was always the energetic one, and he still has that high energy, but with The Schnuggie around, who had 2 speeds (slow, and slower), Morty seemed really spry. I can see his age now, and that is a little sad. Ri Ri tires him out pretty quick, and I notice the gray hairs more. You can't see it in the picture but he's getting a little more salt in his pepper. All of this just reminds me that my time with him is running lower. The average lifespan of a pit bull is anywhere from 13-15 years of age. If I had my wish He would live forever, but wishes are for fools, and I know that isn't a possibility. I'm hoping for the 15 years, so I get another 6 years with the best dog ever, that would give me a solid 10 years with him. Here's to being a fool and wishing for those 6 more years.

    Ok, time to travel back for Favorite Song of the Week. I'm going to let you experience the greatest side 2 opening song of all time. This is a song that just rips you out of your seat and makes you want to move, and it's the opening track on a side 2. That should already tell you who the artist is, but I'm gong to stay vague a little while longer. This was considered a follow album for this artist largest success. They had just come off the success of their last two albums, and this was a long anticipated record that was supposed to overcome everything that had come before, but critics took all the shots at it. The true fans saw the evolution of the artist and loved this album, and it is one of the great albums out there. This is a play from the beginning to the end record (tape, cd, download). Like the two previous albums from this artist, there are no bad songs. Yeah there are some better than others, but when you break it down, every song on this album could have been a hit single. The critics decide that the artist went too far from their sound, which wasn't at all true, but since things changed and moved forwards, critics couldn't handle it, and this was the so called beginning of the downfall. It wasn't. Any guesses as to who it is yet? Ok I won't leave you guessing any longer, it's none other than Prince & the Revolution, and this is the side 2 opening track from Around the World in a Day. I gleefully present to you Prince & the Revolution with  "America".  

     I mean come on. I may be biased, but in my opinion I think every band should open side 2 of the record with that track. Not a cover, or an interpretation, but that very track. I really hope you watched the whole video, because this showcases exactly everything Prince, and just how incredible a performer and musician he truly was. This video is everything Prince.

     There is so much more I could talk about, remind me next week to talk about the Movie Everybody's talking about Jamie. Spoiler, it's fantastic. Oh, I'm getting closer to getting my mind around the David Bowie bench. It won't be like the photo I shared with you, but it will be a Bowie bench. I'm just working out in my head how to assemble and then paint it. Ok, i'm outta here, Peace in and goodnight.

Let The Groove Begin

      What? Another early post? Yep, and I have to say that I'm loving getting this done early in the day. It's not like this takes up a ton of time to do, but when I do it early, I no longer have to worry about doing it at the last minute, which was mostly the case. This week was rather uneventful, but I did have a worthy moment early in the week. The record store I've been going to had been closed for the last two weeks, as they renovated and expanded. This is a true indie record store. It's proudly female owned and operated and is just a rad place. They originally had two bays of a strip mall, with one bay mostly being a display window and a storage area for records that they hadn't gone through to clean and where they kept orders for their online store. Yeah, they have an online store so if you want to check that out, you can go right here Savvy-Vinyl That is part of discogs which is an online source for record sales, new, used, rare, you get the picture. Anyway, back to the store. That old storage area is now a small quaint little lounge area with couches and chairs and it also houses all the 45s. The second bay was the showroom as to say. It was full of all their records for sale. They mostly had used vinyl, that they would go through and check then rate. They do a great job on their rating, and pretty much under rate each record, so when you get one that is considered Very Fine by them, you are getting one that is VF+ or even near mint. They had a very small area in the front for new vinyl and then a small magazine rack with a few more new items. Well, with the expansion they opened up a third bay, that the front is all new vinyl and box sets, and even a few music related knick knacks (t-shirts, Funkos, little Matchbox cars, all music and band related). 

     I got to make it down there on the first day of their re-open, but their grand re-opening was on Friday, which was a few days later. I managed to pick up a pristine copy of Billy Joel's Glass Houses, for $7. I love that record, I had the 8 track when I was a kid, so when I played it a whole bunch of memories came back to me. If you are into vinyl, and in the area, check them out in Melbourne, Savvy-Vinyl Records. If you are lucky you will get to meet the owners little dog, that is so awesome. I always give her all the pets when I walk in and she is there. If you aren't in the area, check out that link above and get you some great new(used or actually new) vinyl.

     Ok, this a little brag, my beard has been looking exceptional lately, and I had to get a picture this morning, this was soon after waking up, so no brushing or washing, just wake and wear. It's a little crunched from sleeping, but still has a great look to it.

     You may have noticed that it is undyed. I haven't dyed the beard in about two months, to get all the color out of it. I'm going to dye it again, but I'm not sure what color. I'm going to ask for your help on this one. Here are the colors I have; aquamarine, dark blue, purple (of course), vampire red, and pink. This might be the best time for pink since there is no color in there to throw it off, but don't let that lead you on your decision. Just leave a comment below (this blog, not Facebook) and whatever one is chosen the most will be the next color I do. By the way, the comments section on here is fixed and I am able to reply once again. I really don't know what happened with all that, but comments are much appreciated here.

     I'm behind on all my Netflix and streaming shows, since for some reason, my PS4 will not connect to the internet. It just stopped working about 2 weeks ago, and no matter what I've tried I can't get it to connect. I've watched a few shows on the ol' laptop here, but it's not the same, but I can recommend one show for you if you have HBO. It's a documentary about surfing, and it's really good. It's called 100 Foot Wave, and it basically follows surfer Garrett McNamara in his search for the 100 foot wave. He found a spot in Portugal called Nazaré. This place seems primed for the first ever recorded 100 foot waves. The last few record waves were recorded there and I believe the last one was 74 feet. Yeah, just looked it up and it is at 73.5 feet, and a woman owns that record. She is also in the documentary. It's compelling watching these people do whatever it takes to achieve that one massive wave, and as a surfer, I can tell you that water hurts, and 100 feet of water is a true killer if you don't know what you are doing. The largest wave I ever surfed was 12-15 feet, and when I made that drop it was like falling off a house, so image looking down 75 feet of water. That was the largest wave I surfed, but the largest wave I was ever on was 18-20 feet, and I don't say surf, because I never really made it up. When I was getting ready to stand up, the board squirted out from under me, an I went sliding down the wave on my stomach. All of a sudden I saw my board sailing right over my head. The first thought was, "whoa, that's really odd and cool" then the realization that my foot was attached to my lease struck me, right about the same time that it began pulling my leg up and over my head, which sent me over the falls. Basically when that happened, the wave sucked me up and slammed me into the ocean. I ended up being tossed around in the washer for about a minute before I finally stopped spinning. That's when I had to remember everything that I was taught. I was so far from shore that even with a 6 foot leash, I couldn't' reach the bottom, this is important because they way you find which way to go is you look for the light or the dark. Since it was rainy and overcast, there was no light, so I headed for the dark when I couldn't reach the ocean floor to kick off and make it back to the surface I was complete lost. Then the last possible way I could find the surface hit me, I reached down to my ankle and pulled on my leash. Your leash will always tell you the way as long as it's attached to your board. I followed it up to the surface, got back on my board and bodysurfed the next wave in. I was done. All in all, I was probably under water for a minute and a half, but it seemed like forever. Lesson to this, is surfing is a very dangerous sport in any condition, but what there surfers are doing is truly awe inspiring, and you should give that documentary a watch if you can.

     One last picture before Favorite Thing of the Week (it's a song), This is a picture of my Moringa tree that I thought was done for. If you remember, I had this tree in a pot and the main root had grown through the bottom and found it's way into the ground. A storm came up one day with really strong winds and blew the whole thing over, breaking the root in half. I took a shot and transplanted it in the front yard and it has thrived. I really didn't think it would make it, but it has. The thing about the Moringa is that every part of it is edible and is a complete source of protein, pretty awesome right. Well a new thing has begun with it, it has finally produced it's seed pod, or beans if you will. I know you can cook these up, but I'm not really sure how just now, but I'm waiting until it fully forms so I can harvest seeds from it. The seeds are huge by the way, there are the size of a jumbo gumball. These aren't there yet, but the first one that has grown is enormous, I measured it about a week ago and it was at the 2 foot mark, it has grown since then, but I haven't taken a new measurement. It's a pretty exciting thing to watch (I know, my idea of excitement is way different than yours). 

     If you look right in center you can see the pod and how long it is. I learned through this that they come from the flower stems, but I don't think, like peppers or other fruiting plants, that the flower is what results in the pod. I'm watching the other flower stems to confirm this. There are currently three pods on it right now with 4 more flower stems, you can see a few of them in the picture. They are the tiny white flowers. Oh, the flowers taste a little like cotton candy, and the leaves have a lemony taste to them. Yes, I have eaten them, I haven't tried the pod, or a stem yet (you are supposed to be able to eat the stem itself). I'll let you know what it tastes like if I ever do though.

    Ok, time for Favorite Song of the Week. I'm taking a small break from Halsey, (I've still listened to all r parts of that album each day though) and going with a legend. This is a new song released earlier this year, but I just came across it. It is none other than punk icon Iggy Pop. This is oddly enough a jazz collaboration with Dr. Lonnie Smith, which harkens back to memories of Dr. John (If you don't know who that is, you better be looking them up and listening.). Ha, just looking up the video for this song and I realized I was wrong, this song just came out, so I didn't really miss it at all (this is when I think I'm awesome). Here is Dr. Lonnie Smith with Iggy Pop on their new song, "Move Your Hand". 

     Come on, Iggy can do no wrong. That is a great jam right there, and if you like that, please go back and look up Dr. John.

     Just finished a 38 hour fast this morning, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with that break fast meal, or have something else a little later, but I broke it pretty big; 3 eggs, with spinach, kalamata olives, and cheese. I also had 6 strip of bacon and a cup and a half of blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries, with a quest bar on the side. I'm not sure of the exact calories, but I'd put it in the 1200 range. I know, you are thinking it's more, but it really isn't the bacon and eggs are around 650, the cheese spinach and olives are around 200, the berries around a hundred, and the bar is 180, so in reality it's probably more like a 1000 calories. I could punch it all in and find out for sure. Ok, I guess I'll do it. Ok, tabbed it all in and it came to 1102 calories. I was forgetting to add the Olive Oil I made the eggs in. Every little bit counts. Now that I'm looking at it, I may have some macadamia nuts later. That will be an additional 200 calories to that total, so 1302 for the day. Yes, that will be a lower calorie intake day, but it's not unusual for me to eat that low of a calorie total. When you eat right you actually need less. Just to let you know, I'm grooving to this Dr. Lonnie Smith album now and it's freaking great, really give that song above a listen, look up this album and of course Dr. John, really that guy is amazing. 

     Ok, I think I've tired your eyes enough for this week. Peace in and goodnight. 

I Had To Write Something

      Well, it's been another horrible trainwreck of a week, but I'm just going to leave it at that. I kept my eating moderate and didn't go crazy despite what's been going on in my life. I consider that a victory. I did weigh in once this week, I really don't remember which day at this point, but I do remember the weight. I clocked in at 166.6lbs, so I'm maintaining just fine.

     I owe this weeks mental strength to Morty, Ri Ri, and the new Halsey album.. I've been listening to it just about non-stop, and I found out that the guitar part on the song I shared last week was none other than Lindsey Buckingham. If you don't know who that is, first off, what is wrong with you? Second he was a founding member of Fleetwood Mac. There is one other guest musician on the album that stood out to me and that is the one and only Dave Grohl. He plays drums on the track Honey. I'd share that one with you, but I have another one in mind for today, and that will be coming up soon.

     I've been drying reaper peppers for weeks now. Every time I get a bunch of them I would dry them and let them sit. This week I finally ground them up and made powder.

    

     I'm not really sure how many that is, but I believe it is in the range of 40 or so. When I was putting in that little container, I had dust on my gloves, so I gave it the old tongue test. That tiny amount had a burn that lasted about a half hour. It wasn't intense the whole time, and the height of heat wasn't too bad at all. I'm sure that was because it was only a dab, so I'll see some time this week what a good pinch will do to me. My tolerance is very low compared to what it was, but I'd say it's still pretty high compared to most people.

     If you haven't figured it out, this is another early post. I have been waking up around 2:30 AM. I usually just lay there and doze in and out of conscientiousness until around 5 AM, when I usually get out of bed. Today I got up early to let the dogs out and then head out to spin pokestops so I would have pokeballs for the day. It's kind of nice driving around at 5:30 in the morning with the dogs in tow. These little jaunts have made Morty much better in the car. He no longer gets anxious, now it's mostly excitement and Ri Ri is just as come as can be. She is definitely a car dog, until a truck of any kind enters the scene, then it's very loud barking. I was warned of her aversion to trucks, but it is funny to me every time. That girl does not like trucks. 

     I'm going to get a little political here, because frankly I've had nothing to write about today, well nothing that I'm willing to share, and I've been just giving you as much as I can. If you didn't notice the big events that happened in Texas this week, then you are clearly living under a rock. This is going to be my 2 cents. It is not my place as a man to dictate what a woman can and can't do with her body. This new law is draconian at the very least and dangerous at the most.. It's offering up bounties for people to turn against one another, and it is enabling other states to do the same. Florida ha already announced that they are writing up a similar bill, and I'm going to say this loud and clear right now.. If you or anyone you know needs an abortion and needs transportation and and escort, I will do it. Let them come for me. I will use the law against them and file a countersuit of invasion of privacy. There are sites out there that are allowing you to spam the Texas tattletale site. I don't have links but I do implore you to look them up. A lot of people have been putting in very obvious fictitious information, for example: Shrek drove Fiona to get an abortion. Although this clogs up the site, I've seen people that say you should make it look as credible as possible so that it results in them having to use actual resources to investigate false claims. This is a net loss for them and actually does hurt them doing what they want to do. GoDaddy has given them a week to find a new host domain for them, so they will probably go offline for a short while, but they will be back and when they do spam them like you've never spammed anything. That's my 2 cents.

     I almost forgot, I have puppy pictures for you. Ri Ri was being adorable in multiple ways this week. First she climbed up on the outside table like she was a billygoat.

     Then she sat down in the chair next to me, like it was the thing to do. She is usually very much having to be right next to me, and when I move she moves, so the fact that she stayed in the chair so I could get this shot is outstanding.

 

     Now how can you look at that and not laugh and say aww at the same time. She is freaking adorable, and a little bit of a weirdo, but that's why I love her. Sorry no pictures of The Mort this week. He was just his plain ol' awesome self. Oh, he has been very much more clingy lately, I think it's because Ri Ri is a bit forceful in her affection for me, and Morty has met his match in the "I need attention" department. Ri Ri hasn't figure out how to get on the bed yet, so nighttime is Morty time. He has come in and slept with me each and every night since she came home with me. He has also been more of a snuggler too, which is very unusual for him. Usually if I try to snuggle with him, he thinks that means he is supposed to get the pets, but now he just lays there and lets me snuggle up with him. I'm liking this new Morty, not that I didn't like him before. After all, he is the greatest dog of all time.

     It's time for Favorite Song of the Week. As you already know, it's going to be a song of the new Halsey Album. Have you listened to it yet? Why not. didn't you see my special Tuesday post? I watched an interview with her, Trent, and Atticus this week and this song, which may or may not be my favorite track on the album (it's really hard to pick just one, this is an ever evolving thing) and she mentioned in the interview, that this was the fist song that she wrote and sent to them. Once again I'm happy to present to you Halsey with "Lilth".

     It's the little things in this song, so listen to it with headphones on, or with some really good speakers. For instance the way they distort her voice when she says "I'm corrupted". It gets more distorted with each time she says it, showing that the corruption is ongoing. I love that small but impactful detail, and this album is full of those, so really what are you waiting for, go listen to this album. I'm just now beginning the deep dive into her earlier work and its good. It's more poppy, but I like that stuff sometimes. It can't all be funk, punk, industrial, or etc. etc... 

      I'm going to just call this a post, cause I didn't have anything to write to begin with, and I've probably gone on too long at this point anyway. Peace in and goodnight.

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

     

      I would normally wait until Sunday to write this, but this just couldn't wait. This has been living rent free in my head for the last couple of days, and I don't see it leaving any time soon. What is it you ask? It's the new album by Halsey, "If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power". Ahh, you see where the title came from now. I had been seeing several posts about this album from people I follow on Instagram and Twitter. The two biggest were Taylor Swift and Trent Reznor. The last one is why I searched it out. Turns out that this new album was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. If you don't know them, Trent is Nine Inch Nails, and Atticus is part Nine Inch Nails (came into the band after "Broken" I believe), and part massive writing team that has been laying waste to Hollywood soundtracks. You probably remember their first big success as a writing team with the movie The Social Network. That soundtrack won 9 major awards including Best Original Score. They most recently took home more awards for the soundtrack for the animated movie Soul, which should check out if you have the chance. 

     I have been a fan of Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails since Pretty Hate Machine, which was the first album that basically changed my whole concept of music. It was a groundbreaking album that took the hidden genre of Industrial music and moved it into the mainstream. Some people would lead you to believe that it was a soft approach to Industrial that allowed it to happen, but that really wasn't the case at all, it was just so good that it resonated across genres. From that album on I have listened to everything and anything that Trent was a part of. This isn't about Trent, well not wholly, nor Atticus who took Trent to new levels of music. This is about Halsey, and honestly, I don't know her music real well. I've heard a few songs here and there, and I knew who she was. I mean there was this big controversy just recently when she posted pictures of her breast feeding her baby. Really do people have nothing better to do than to criticize someone for feeding their child? That was my two cents on that, Ok here is two more cents. If you have a problem with a woman feeding her child in public, the problem isn't her, it's you. Back to the music. After seeing all this buzz about this album I had to give it a listen. From the first track "The Tradition" I was hooked. You can hear the heavy influence of Trent with a track that sounds like it was pulled from Pretty Hate Machine or a new version of Hurt (you may think that Johnny Cash did that song first, but it was Nine Inch Nails). Each track gets better and better, and then when you listen to it again (which is directly after listening to it the first time) it happens all over again.

     My take on this album is that in ways it is a reimagining of Pretty Hate Machine, which I find completely enriching to my soul. From song to song you have classic fades to quick endings like Trent is known to do. Those small choices leave you always wanting more and this album delivers. There are a few songs on the album that don't have that Nine Inch Nails sound, and they range from hip hopesque, to pop, to folksy. Even though these songs sound out of place when compared to the rest of the album the also sound like they are exactly on the right album. This is one of those albums that I'm going to say is a fundamental to your music collection. You must give it a listen. I truly want to share every song with you, but I'm going to go with the one that was my first favorite on the album. That favorite changes with each new listen, and I'm going to believe that it will all rotate around. It's basically a perfect album. You don't get many of those throughout history, but they are there and this is one of them.

     The song that I'm going to share with you is one of those ones that seems to not fit, but fits perfectly. This is a more folky sounding song with a very strong fingerpicking guitar riff that is reminiscent of Blackbird by Paul McCartney. If you know you will hear those little influences in this. I happily present to you Halsey with one of her great new songs "Darling".

     I don't know who came up with that riff, Halsey, Trent, or Atticus, but it's pure genius. I have to admit, searching out this video and watching it, while posting it on here, I went down a deep dive, and I'm going to share one more with you to hear that iconic NIN sound. So without further adieu, her is a second song form Halsey, "I Am Not A Woman, I'm A God"

     I simply couldn't resist, like I said, I want to share every song on the album with you, but I'd rather you experience them on the album like they are intended. This album has instantly jumped up into my all time favorite albums and I'm looking forward to listening to it on repeat for the next month or so. I should quickly mention that the picture above are different covers for the album. The top being the Urban Outfitters exclusive album which has already sold out, and the second is the actual album cover. If you are offended by that one, you are offended by art. Get over it. If you are looking for the vinyl good luck, it sold out on her website immediately. There is a indie variant that you might be able to pick up at your local record store, but I'm sure that one is already gone as well. Your best bet for vinyl is to head to Walmart and Target, both of which have their own exclusives, each having a bonus track that is exclusive to that vendor. You of course don't have to go that route, I'm just on a vinyl kick lately and searched them out just to see. The digital download or stream doesn't have any bonus tracks, but please please please, get this album. I really think you will enjoy it.

     It's safe to say that this is my Favorite Thing of the Week, and more than likely I will have another song for you on Sunday. Until then peace in and goodnight.

Everlong

     Another early post this week. I woke up super early today and got everything done that I wanted to do today before 6 AM. I did take accountability photos, which are a complete and utter train wreck, but we will get to that in a little while. I did also get a good picture of the blooming desert rose, which I would rather hit you with first, because the other photos will scald your eyes.

    Only a few of the blooms have opened, but there are so many on it right now that will be open by the end of this week. It has grown a bit, but not too much. I think it is going at a nice steady pace right now. I'll see how big it gets before deciding if I want to go for a bigger pot. I like the one it is in right now for size and convenience of placement. It is sitting on the table between the outside chairs, which is a nice spot for it. I'm excited about that as well as how the garden is going. I may have to trim back the Lantana though, because it is beginning to take over the whole area. It's pretty impressive. Here is the picture from last week as a reminder. The Lantana is the yellow flowering plant in the middle.

     You have to remember those all came in 1 gallon nursery pots, so it has grown tenfold from when I originally got it.

     Oh, I kept forgetting to post this picture. This is the new chef at the White House. When this posted on social media it was quite the buzz. People could see a whole story of intrigue and action based on Andre Rush. See if this picture doesn't create a whole scenario in your head as well.

     I mean if that doesn't say undercover secret agent to protect the President, I don't know what does. I can see it now, and Independence Day type of movie where aliens come to attack the Earth and he walks out the front door to confront them and they just turn away and run back to space where it is much much safer. 

    Ok, time to burn your eyes out. I'm not happy at all about my appearance, but I also know that it's not as bad as I'm actually seeing it. I did weigh in and I was right about my weight (166.4 lbs). I also got a body fat reading that came in at 18.5%. Here is the thing though, at my low my body fat was at 15%, and that 3.5% is a massive difference. I can sit here an point out all the flaws in me that I see, but I'll just let the photos speak for themselves. I also need to state that this is an important part of my process in keeping myself in check.

     I'm going to stop beating myself up and start getting going again. I do know that my lack of a current tan (it has faded away from the spring) does have an effect on my appearance, but I look beyond that. There I go again, starting the beating. 

     You can also see from the photos that Ri Ri does not like to leave my side. She is an absolute sweetheart, but it is remarkable how quickly she has bonded to me as it compares to her cozying up to other people. It took her about a week to stop being freaked out by my mom. She is still unsure of her, but she has stopped the barking at her and just kind of nervously walks near her to make sure she isn't up to something. If anyone else comes around, she goes crazy. She is very much protective of me, a little too much, but she will settle. It takes time for rescue dogs to find their place and role in a new family, and that is all she is doing. This is that spot where I once again implore you, that if you are thinking about a new pet, to very much consider adopting and also to consider an older pet. Oh, I did get Ri Ri's information and she is 4 years 7 months old. Oh oh, I also saw that the dog that I was originally wanting to look at has been returned to the shelter. She is a beautiful girl named Jill, and if you live near me, and you know who you are please go to the Titusville SPCA and take a look at her, and if you do choose to adopt her please let me know so I can come over and give her all the pets. If they still have the same deal going on, adults dogs are free adoptions. That is the deal I got with Ri Ri, I only had to pay for a collar for her, since I didn't have an extra one. So that takes care of that excuse, now find a reason to get rid of all those other excuses you have.

      Before I get to Favorite Song of the Week which also is my Favorite Thing of the Week, I need to mention that my week was overly stressful this past week. I didn't hit my 48hr fast goal because that stress hit right in the middle of it, and I fell into confort food mode. This also has helped with how I'm seeing my physical self either. I'm just going to ride out today with more comfort foods, and then try to reset tomorrow. I don't know what this next week will have in store for me, but that is the plan as I move forward. Oh, one thing that did help relieve a little stress (part of it is coming from the state of this state and the overwhelming number of Covid positive people there are) was when I went to the local pharmacy to pick up some medication for my mom. There were several people there getting their first shots of the vaccine, and that made me happy. I talked a little to the pharmacist about it and he said they were up to doing 40 a day. For a small pharmacy that is really good. You have to consider that these were mostly people that were holding out for one reason or the other, but getting vaccinated won out. If you remember the last time I was there, they were administering a bunch of Covid tests, so to go from a ton of tests to a ton of vaccines is a big change. This is the place where I beg you to get vaccinated if you haven't already done so, and if you have please continue to wear a mask until this is at a much lower level. 

     Ok, now it's time for FSOTWAFTOTW. I threw you with that one didn't I. If you think about it you will get it. Anyway, earlier this week the Foo Fighters had a concert (yes they require vaccinations to get in or a very recent negative test result and everyone is required to wear masks) and at this concert Dave and the Fighters of Foo had a special guest come out for the final song of the night. If you remember last summer I shared at least one of the videos if not all of a certain drum battle that took place on YouTube between a precocious little girl (with all the talent to back it up) and Mr. Grohl himself. Well they finally met in person at this show, and Nandi Bushell was the special guest for that show closing song, and what a closer it was. This is the Foo Fighters with special guest Nandi Bushell on drums with "Everlong". 

     I've come to the conclusion that we truly don't deserve Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, but I'm enthusiastically happy that they don't see it that way. I once commented on a post from someone that asked, "if you could sit down and talk to anyone alive or dead who would it be?" I commented Dave Grohl cause he seems like a really rad dude, and this video just reenforces that answer even more. I would love to just sit down and talk music with Dave. I want to point out for you to take a look at Taylor Hawkins drum kit above Nandi during the video. It's so rad that he just took the song off and let her play, but also the kid that is up there with him leaning on his drum kit watching is his son that has been on this tour with them all summer. Just rad people.

     I can't see a better way to end this post then you just rewatching that video again. Peace in and goodnight.

All About The Music

      I thought I would write this out a little early today. Honestly I was thinking about doing it a few hours ago, but put it off to listen to some music. Music is life after all, which really ties into a lot that I have to talk about today. 

     First off, I will say that I do have a Favorite Song of the Week, but that will come up a little later. So, really the first thing is going to be these photos of a bench that were posted by Iman. If you don't know who Iman is, I really have to ask you what is wrong with you, but then I will say that she is a supermodel that is widowed by David Bowie. This was an art bench, or a book bench made by artist Sally Adams. I've never heard of her before, but this is one fantastic work of art.

 

     The bottom photo is a plaque that explains it all. I just love that the bench is an open book, which just adds an extra layer of awesome to it. I had to share this with a friend of mine that is also a very big Bowie fan and they said I should make one myself. I think it would be fun, but I don't believe I could pull of those exact shapes. I can however do my own spin on it and maybe make it more of a traditional bench. I will have to come up with a good design. I do have ideas. Although building it will be fun, I think painting it will be the most fun and more than likely the most challenging part of it. I'm going to take some time and really think things out before I even pretend to approach this though, but I think it's going to happen.

     Alright, now it's time for number 2. In the very little free time that I have, I've been hitting a record store. It's the one that i went to on Record Store Day, and they have some great old albums in great shape for really cheap prices, which is an extra bonus. My find yesterday was The Police Synchronicity. I always wanted that album when I was a kid, but what I never knew was that it is one of the most variant albums there is. I knew that the cover art on the jacket had variants. This is the one that I got.

   

     The variants with the cover are this paint swatches. Different copies have them in different orders. Now comes the part I didn't know. The records themselves were pressed on different colored vinyl and you really didn't know until you held it up to a light. This is the one I lucked into.

     How cool is that. That is purple vinyl right there. The photo makes it look a little more blue, but in real life that sucker is purple, and I'm so stoked about it, after all purple is my favorite color. I've already given it a spin and it's in great shape and plays like brand new. That is a $12 score right there.

     Now for not music news, here is a garden update. I got two photos one of what the garden looks like now, and the new and improved Desert Rose.

     As you can see the garden plants are filling out all the area really well. I did trim the dead blossoms from the rose bush to help promote growth, so I'm hoping that takes off soon. If you look at the top left corner right were the little fence turns out for the Tibutina, that bundle of big leaves is the Turmeric. I'm really hoping it produces a flower this year, because it's really pretty, plus there is the fact that this is the third year it has made a comeback from simply just a root in the ground. I finally put the Desert Rose into a pot. It was one that I had hanging around the house. There was another plant in it, but I got rid of that one, and the Desert Rose is liking it's new home. I wanted a picture with all the flowers bloomed, but that is as of this morning, and they haven't opened yet, so next week I'll have the really good picture.

     I guess I should update you on Little Miss Ri Ri. She is settling in nicely. There has been the ups and downs, but it's mostly ups. She has bonded very quickly with me and spends most of her time by my side. You can clearly see that she is comfortable.

     She is still a little jittery and walks around a lot, but that is lessening each day. Right now she is sleeping at the foot of my chair. Since she is still recovering from hear heart worm treatment, I have to keep play time to a minimum, which is usually instigated by her. I simply call Morty in (they like to play fight a lot) and have him sit by my side which usually does the trick to calm everyone down. She just needs a couple more weeks of clam time before she can be unleashed. Oh, and not to leave Morty out, here is a picture of my Big Baby Boy in all his glory.

      Ok, one last picture before FSOTW. Since I know you are clamoring for Pokemon GO news, here is my current buddy. 

     Just so you know, you can get bonuses when you make a Pokemon your buddy. They walk around with you and give you rewards and even help you catch other Pokemon. This is a Shiny Kangaskahn, which I named Roo. A shiny is a variation on the normal pokemon where it has a different color scheme and they are generally much more rare. The only way to get one of these here is to be lucky enough to catch it after a raid. That is when you battle a Pokemon with a bunch of different people and once you win, you get to catch it. The Kangaskahn is a regional Pokemon that is exclusive to Australia. You can catch it there in the wild, but there is a special event going on now (well a couple of days ago) where you could find this one in raid towers. I was super lucky and this was only the second raid I did for Kangaskahn when I got that. You are allowed two free raid passes a day so I've made the most of them this time by catching that one shiny Pokemon. The one I really wanted I did not catch and now it's going to be even more rare. During the event, these two (kangaskhan and Heracross) were in raids with a 1 in 75 chance of getting one. Since they have both left the raids and Heracross is now back in the wild (here in Florida but not the rest of the country) it is a  1 in 400 chance of getting one. I should explain the spawn rate, or chance here. That 1 in 400 doesn't mean that for every 400 I see I should get one. What it does mean that each one I see has a 1 in 400 chance of being a shiny. It is all very random but some people are noticing trends where Niantic may be manipulating the shiny spawn rate at certain times. I won't get into all that, I just wanted to share that little, but rather big guy right up there.

     Ok, time for FSOTW. I got one other album at that record store and it's another epic find at least from my view of things. It's from a Fats Domino album. This is the Masters volume 1 which is basically a compilation of hits. For me this is the bees knees because of one particular song, which is the one I'm going to share with you, but first I must mention one other song, because it's one that my Dad loved and would sing quite often. It is none other that Blueberry Hill, probably Fats most recognizable song. I can remember my dad singing that song from time to time and it always put a smile on my face. He would do an over exaggerated deep low tone the "I found my trill" part. It was never not funny. Anyway, that's just a memory that relates to that song and this album. I should also mention that my mom loves it. I give to you my favorite Fats Domino song "Walking to New Orleans". 

     I also need to mention that this album has the song The Fat Man on it which is widely considered to be the first ever rock n roll song. Do yourself a favor and look that one up if you haven't heard it before, it's a lovely little piece of history.

     I know I promised some accountability phots this week, but I never got around to taking them, so hopefully next week. I can say that I've been keeping on task with my new fasting protocol, which this past week was 2 24 hour fasts. I'm shooting for a 48 hour this week. I think I'll go for midweek. With a longer fast, I will only do one fast that doesn't of course count my normal intermittently schedule of 18 hours or so each day. That has just been a normal day for me, and has been something I continued to do even when I went off the rails. I'm pretty sure that is the only thing that saved me from gaining 30 pounds or so. Let that be a lesson to you. You can eat anything you want (within reason) if you eat in a sensible way. That is only weight wise of course, eating a ton of garbage all the time is definitely not going to help your health even with eating sensibly, so do like me and get it together.

     That's all for this week. I hope have wonderful days going forward until the next post (really beyond that but let's take it a week at a time for now). Peace in and goodnight.

     

     

Is Another Dog In My Future

      It's been an unusual week. That's not a bad thing either. I did two fasts this week, a 24 hour and a 35 hour. I'm beginning to feel a bit more normal, and i'm owing it all to my latest fasting protocol. My sleep pattern has also showed a bit of a change as a result. I'm back to not needing as much sleep and although I still haven't gone to walk the lake trail, I have been waking up early and done 1 of 2 things or both. 1 would be getting Morty in the car and taking him with me to spin pokéstops very early in the morning. This also gives me a chance to clear some gyms and get Pokémon in there to earn some coins. You have the potential for 50 coins a day, and I think I only had 1 day I didn't reach the max coins. The other thing I've been doing is listening to some audible books. That was part of my walking routine and has suffered with not walking, so I'm pretty excited about getting the books going again. 

      I'm going to try to get some accountability photos this week. I don't think anything has changed much, but I'm well overdue for taking some. I haven't weighed myself in about 2 weeks, but I'm sure I'm in the 165-170 range. 

     I can't remember if I mentioned the whole thing about Niantics response to the pokéstop issue, or if I just told you what is going on. If I've already told you this, my apologies for repeating, but Niantic did respond to the open letter to them about the distance issue. Their response is a bit lackluster, but at least it's a response. They are forming a committee for outreach within the community and are going to announce what they are going to do moving forward on September 1. I'm hoping that they reinstate the extra distance, but I'm not holding out much hope that it will happen. There is your Pokémon update.

    Now for a doggie update. As I told you last week, I was ready to begin the search for a new dog. Well, that search hit a snag around Wednesday when I saw an instagram post form the SPCA that the dog I had been looking at was snatched up and found it's furever home. I'm happy but disappointed. Anyway, I made my way to the adoption center yesterday to look at dogs that might be favorable to being in a household with another dog. I was shown 4 great dogs, one of which immediately made up it's mind that it wanted nothing to do with me, so it was down to 3 and one of them was a dog I thought I had seen before. Turns out it was a different dog with the same name, but before I get to that, I should go in order of appearance.

     The first dog I met was the beautiful brindle coat mix that looked like it has some german shepard in it. It's name was Ian, and he was as playful as playful could be. I could see him giving Morty a run for his money in the energy department. The second dog was Rita who kind of reminded me of the dog in Our Gang. She was mostly white with black spots and one very pronounced sot over her left eye. She was a timid girl but you could tell that she wanted to be friendly she was just shy. She was a let go by her family because they were moving and she just had puppies and they had to let one go, so she was the one that went. She has been through heart worm treatment and still has the little shaved spots on her back from it. She reminded me of The Schnuggie a lot in her temperament and how she acted in that first meeting. The third dog I met was the aforementioned Mellow who wanted nothing to do with me. He came out and went up to me with enough friendliness but then had a turn and began barking at me. He made up his mind right away. The final dog was Jinx and she was the one I thought I had met before, but it was a new little girl. I should mention that all of these dogs are pit mixes. She was stunning with her red coat and beautiful reddish brown eyes. She was super friendly and loved giving hugs. She had a playful lovey streak that was top notch and she quickly moved up to my number 1 spot.

     After meeting them all, I had to get home and find out when I might be able to take Morty up to meet them. Jinx of course was my top choice. There was one problem with her though and that is that she is very picky about who she likes as a dog, that meant Morty had to be on his best behavior. I made arrangements so that I could take him up today first thing when they opened. I had to get Ol' Morty ready for his meet and greet. That meant a bath and a new collar that I had gotten him. He had to look sharp. The short morning trips have paid off and Morty is much better in the car now, but instead of anxious, he gets overly excited, which tires him out, so that was a bit of a plus, Jinx doesn't like overly excited dogs.

     The time had finally come. I was lead to the back play area with Morty so that he could finally meet Jinx. It started out well. It was told to me that Jinx would let you know immediately if she didn't vibe. She came in and was a little aggressive towards Morty, but he handled it well. She spent a lot of time dominating him and he also took that for a little while. She finally pushed one too many times and Morty checked her. He didn't hurt her, but let her know that he was done. That made them being a pair a bit risky. It wasn't bad but it opened a lot of doors to what could happen in the confined space of a house. Jinx wasn't going to be the one. Rita was the next one to come out, and she reminded me even more of The Schnugg with their meet and greet. She was playful, but Morty was so tired at this point that he just was a bit indifferent to her, which was really the right response. So Little Miss Ri Ri came home.

     She is settling in just fine. She's a bit spastic right now, but that's just her finding her place here. There was one moment when I went up to give Morty a hug and she came up to get in on the action and Morty snapped at her, but it was just a snap with no real intent and I calmed them both down quickly. For right now, she is considered a Weekend Warrior, which is a thing they do now where you take the dog home for a few days to see how they fit. I thing it's a great thing, but I can see her passing the test and staying. I'm fully expecting to call them up on Wednesday to tell them that she is going to stay. I'm going to have to ask them her age, cause I forgot. I think she is 5 but don't hold me to that. Besides that spot on her eye that really stands out. She is like Morty was when I got him, with one ear that stands up and one that flops. The stand up ear has a little curl at the very top that is super cute. Her is the picture from the website that really shows it off. 

     How could I say no to that face? She's a little smaller in height to Morty and I think she weighs around 50 pounds or so. Right now she is at the foot of my chair waiting for dinner, which I will be making as soon as I'm done writing this.

      Ok, of course Ri Ri is my favorite thing of the week, but I do have another clip from Mama Mia Here We Go Again, because it was on again this week. This is the boat scene. It takes place in the movie where everything is going wrong and this is the turning point where everything comes together for a marvelous conclusion that leads up to that Cher and Andy Garcia scene that I already shared with you. Of course this is ABBA's best known song as well. Here is the scene from MMHWGA with "Dancing Queen"

      Seriously, that scene makes me smile every time I see it. I really implore you to give that movie a chance at watch it. It truly is fantastic.

     Ok, one last thing. This week the new One Chip Challenge came out for this year. They got rid of the charcoal and the Szechuan peppercorn, which I believe toned the heat down on the chip, and only put reaper, scorpion and salt. I think it is going to be hotter and a much better tasting chip this time around. I do have to say that my tolerance is way down, so this one is probably going to do me in, which is why I got 2 chips each for me and my buddy.

     Even though my tolerance for heat is down, there is no way I'm going to let that chip beat me. I'm not sure when we are going to do it, but we will make a video that I'll share here when we've completed the challenge.

     On that note is time to go make some dinner. Peace in and goodnight.