Things I judge others by

   Truth be told, I will not judge you by whether or not you use your turn signal or not.  But #2 and #3 are deal makers/breakers.

Graffiti Friday

    And Hope Solo, dearie.  Do try to be a good sport, even when your team loses.  The Swedish team wasn't a bunch of cowards.  You and your team just got thoroughly out-coached and outplayed by them.

Tool Kit

    That covers just about every situation.

30 Minutes

    Seems reasonable to me.

Real Books Tuesday

    Yes indeed; this is a real book.  You can buy it at Amazon for $3.99 (Kindle version).

Pangaea Joke Monday

    And let's face it, Pangaea jokes are few and far between.

Book Excerpt for the Day

        And here I was in France.  France seemed so slow to change.  How I loved it.  The Provence I knew was sunny and beautiful, yes, but its darker side appealed to something dark in me.  It was a place soaked in blood, layered with history, mysterious with sorcery and the unexplained.  The countryside fragrant with lavender in summer once smelled of death, gunpowder, and fear.

    (from A Provençal Mystery by Ann Elwood)

    7*/10.  The complete review is here.

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My Spirit Animal

   Ah yes, I think I've found my spirit animal.

Intercourse, Pennsylvania

    Yes, there really is a town named Intercourse, Pennsylvania.  I grew up about 30 miles from it, and there are several stories about how it got its name.  It is in the middle of Amish country, hence the horse-&-buggy in the pic.

Music Appreciation Thursday

    Actually, Garbage isn't half-bad, albeit it's a band from my son's generation, not mine  But they can't compare to anything by Haydn.

Once you hit 60

    True dis.

Chalk Art Tuesday

   The rendering of the crushed soda can is particularly impressive.

Book Excerpt For The Day

    “We are a famously stealin’ folk.  Aren’t we lads?  Whut’s it we’re famous for?”

    “Stealin’!” shouted the blue men.

    “And what else, lads?”

   “Fightin’!”

    “And what else?”

    “Drinkin’!”

    “And what else?”

    There was a certain amount of thought about this, but they all reached the same conclusion.

    “Drinkin’ and fightin’!”

    (from The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett)

    8*/10.  The complete review is here.

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My Cooking Skills

    This is quite accurate.  The wise ones in the family know better than to allow me anywhere near the kitchen and/or barbecue grill when meals are being prepared.

Wine To The Rescue

    And just in time, too.

Wile E. Coyote

    Genius.  Sheer genius.

Abs, they said.

   
LMAO.

CD profits

    Just sayin'.

Happy Birthday, Aldous Huxley!

    Born on 07/26/1894, Aldous Huxley is without a doubt, my favorite highbrow author.

    Bonus Trivia Question : On what day did Aldous Huxley die, and why does nobody remember that?  (Answer in comments)

Nailed It!

    Perfecto!

Book Excerpt for the Day

        “If I have a ticket waiting at the Tucson airport, can you fly to Austin?  Is this thing important enough that you would go and see Kivu?  Does he know you?  Would he trust you?”

    “I think so, yes.  Wait a minute!  Just fly off to Austin?”

    “Do you want to be part of how this story develops?  Or do you want to leave it to press hounds like me, who might get it wrong?”

    “You always were a bitch, Val.”

    “Yeah, I know.”

    “I’ll do it.”

    “Good.”

    (from Dark Inheritance by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear)

    6½*/10.  The complete review is here.

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Lollipop

    You're welcome.

You Matter

    Or Science Friday.  Whichever.

Old Books, Old Friends

    I have to admit it - this is me whenever the subject of getting rid of old (already read) books comes up.  True confession:  I'm looking over at one of my bookshelves right now, and there's a "Photoshop 7" book on it.

Picture Makes No Sense

Underwear

    True dat.

Rolling Stone Magazine

    My favorite Rolling Stone Magazine cover of all time!

Art Appreciation Sunday

    Actually, when we were there for a week last July, the skies were for the most part blue, and the high temperatures were in the 90's.

Pot In A Cone

    File this under "Things I Never Thought I'd See When I Was In My 20's".

Oh, look! A doggy!

    Well, this is Liz actually.  Not me.  But I'm a silent co-conspirator.

Philosophy Thursday!

    This kinda describes me right now, as I convalesce from heart issues last week.

New Meat Loaf album!

    Meat Loaf has a new album coming out!  Titled Braver Than We Are, with all songs written by Jim Steinman, it is due to be released September 16th.

    I am stoked!!  I've seen Mr. Loaf twice in concert - the first at the (second) peak of his popularity, and the second many years later, at a venue so small I was literally about 10 feet from the stage.  I was not disappointed either time.

Mentally Unstable?

    One year in college (a long time ago), I lived in a four-plex, with a next-door neighbor who had 20+ cats.  Needless to say, we called him "Catman".

Black Lives Matter

    Taken during the Baton Rouge Black Lives Matter demonstrations yesterday.  There are no words to describe the confrontation between the forces of elegance, resolve, and the demand for justice versus brute force, racial killings, and the white status quo.

Rock Bottom

Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla!

     Born 160 years ago today.

Home from the Hospital

    I've been in the hospital since Monday, being poked, probed, tested, sedated, purged, and deprived of Sodium and fluids.

    Which is to say that everyone at Banner Heart Hospital was professional, committed to keeping me alive, finding out what was wrong with me, monitoring my vitals, and changing my lifestyle to a healthier one.

    I was able to come home tonight. in as good of shape as could be expected, and I have only one thing to add...

    Lasix, you and I will never be friends.  

English Is Fun

    I'm not sure why the plural, "homeowners", isn't included, since "meows" is there.  But I pick at nits.

Official Notice

    Gawd, as we sit here in monsoon storms and 116°F weather, is Halloween really creeping towards us on the horizon?

Buddhist Evangelists

    It was bound to happen sooner or later.  It seems Buddhist Evangelists have come up with a hand signal to push their "Be One With The Universe" dogma.