Summer is already over :(

This time next week, the kids will be back at school. 

Where has the last three months gone? 

Considering we have been reaching over 100° (with humidity) for the past several weeks, the kids are going to be drenched in sweat as they wait for the bus, but freeze in the schools because the air conditioning will be on full blast. What a way to get sick the first week! The high numbers have not been every single day (to make or break a record), but it's been enough of a notice, that even the normal storms are like "nope. Too hot". We must have had only a week's worth of rain lately. Or so it feels. Normally we have something every day by this point in the year. 

The Saharan Dust is what is keeping a lot of the crazy at bay, so what we're missing in water from the sky, other areas have gotten, and then some. Although the northern border states (next to Canada) are getting inundated with the Canadian wildfire smoke right now. The news keeps showing how the air quality is so bad in places like Chicago, New York City and Boston, that you can't even see in front of you. We have (snowbird) neighbors who are living in North Dakota. They are about an hour from Canada and the woman said to me via text that "it's really bad here". Just because they aren't getting heat and humidity (it's in the 80s though), doesn't mean they're not getting something worse than us. 

This seems to be happening more frequently as the years progress: The fires from Canada enshroud a lot of the United States and it becomes a health hazard to those who have breathing problems. Florida gets stuff too, but when the dust settles (literally) and the haze goes away (it was orange yellow last night, so it's still floating around), we start getting into trouble. 

There are three storm systems in place right now in the Atlantic. National meteorologists are watching them, and luckily, we aren't halfway through the alphabet like the Pacific is. For the Atlantic, the most current name is Dexter, and he is just hanging out in the ocean, doing his thing. He's vibing with the sharks and chillin' with the fishies. Dexter seems to be staying enough off shore, that anything he does, may only affect the tides, not the continent. However, there seems to be two more disturbances behind him. Hopefully they'll follow his lead and stay out in the water and not step on land. We are at that point in the summer where these things start to slowly ramp up and the east coast gets pop after pop of low lying crazy. 

Considering tt's projected that fort Myers is going to be 100% rain the rest of this week (into the weekend), but we'll see. They've been saying for a couple weeks we'd have daily rain and we haven't. We've gotten some thunder and lightning (ooh, there was a quick strobe last night around 1am. I got up to pee and all of a sudden my room flashed like someone was doing a security sweep. There was no thunder with it, though) but that's about it. Bone dry. Which is also why the 105° humidity is so brutal. The moisture in the air isn't enough to make the clouds do anything except help the sun beat on everyone. We're all sweating here and fat kids shouldn't be sweating so profusely. It's gross and feels gross. Trust me - I'm in the fat kid club. It's not a good feeling, although "swamp ass" makes it all worse for everyone - the skinny kids too. 

It's the price you pay to not have snow, I'm told. I'm not amused or sold on the idea. There's something inhumane about the constant "blah. Too hot to do anything". Even Tay would tell me it seems so immoral to be "living in the tropics". If my mother didn't feel like my shoveling 4 feet high snow in the middle of 2010, just for an oil delivery (for an oil delivery), we may still be in Massachusetts. Who knows. I would like to go back though. Permanently. Just need to find work. 

Finding work is hard these days, especially locally. Summer is when things close down in the area. The tourists and snowbirds aren't around, so businesses don't keep a lot of employees. A lot of companies start letting people go "whenever Easter falls" and will then pick up and hire workers "around Halloween, sometimes a little before". 

For summer work, I've been told by numerous hiring managers that "hours depend on business needs" and the amount of projected hours they can give would be 8-15 a week. Nothing more, but maybe less. Everyone they keep for the summer also needs work, although one manager told me that majority of her staff have two or more jobs, so she has a little more freedom to give an extra hour to someone, but that's it (strangely enough). It's because she won't take away an hour or two from a long standing employee, just to give the new kid some extra time. She also knows when people say they can work 15 hours a week, they're working 15 somewhere else. Or they have a family they're dealing with, so they can't work more than that. 

That may work for those people, but I'd like to know that if I'm committing my time, effort and energy to your business, you're going to reciprocate and do the same. I'm not looking to have multiple jobs. It gets too confusing and I won't know if I'm coming or going. If I have "open availability" for one job, then please allow me the benefit of working more than 20 hours a week, every week, but I'd prefer over 32 for insurance purposes. 

It's not fair to expect people to be at a beck and call and able to work whenever, but you only give them 8 hours in five days. I know everyone is different and I'm no better than anyone around me. I don't claim to have special privileges or want to be treated differently. I'd like to just find work where I can hone my skills while learning new ones, experience life and be able to help both myself and the business I work for, grow, all while working 32 to 40 hours a week. It seems simple enough, but it's not. One company said they have a minimum of 4 hour shifts some days, and due to the fact it would take me 30 minutes to get to the business, it might not be fair for me to work there, especially since they too, only offer a maximum of 15 hours a week. That and they weren't hiring when I walked in to inquire. 

I know New England isn't immune for no work due to lousy weather. Winter there can be as bad as summer, but business don't close down so severely that they basically fire 80% of the work force for six months. The only hindrance of "the daily grind" is snow, and I've worked at plenty of places before moving to Florida, where I got stuck at my job for a couple extra hours due to an incoming / ongoing storm. Or, I got delayed at home a little bit when I went to start my day. I know what it's like to commute over an hour on the train in bad weather and the tracks are frozen. I've been there and it caused me an extra hour of time so I'd basically be within 30 seconds of start time, rather than have 30 minutes to collect my thoughts before start time. I'm aware of the differences. But the fact that you can see the snow and touch (shovel) it, is far more of a reality check for "incoming!!!!!! *boom*" than a tropical depression turn storm turn hurricane. Hurricanes are far more powerful than snow, and in a shorter amount of time, once they arrive. Snow is cold and can knock out power so you may freeze in a situation, but there is no excessive water that decides to go swimming in your house and ruin the integrity of the structure. Unless your pipes burst due to freezing over. That's not an every day occurrence though. When I was little, we got flooded on our property a few times, but that was because we were the end of the street with a sewer system that the city didn't admit was there. Luckily, we never got water inside our house, but we did have a lake in our yard. It happened to be in summer and fall when it rained for more than 3 days. The ground was so saturated, the water had no where to go. One year, it was so bad, a quarter of the street was blocked off and we couldn't get out of the driveway for a few days because the water was that night and due to being at the intersection of another street, we watched neighbors try to figure out how to get to their place without riding in the water. It was the oddest thing. We survived though, and I think only one neighbor needed to fix one of their cars because they didn't realize how deep the water was. You live, you learn. 

Nature is cruel and crazy. Much like how I squirreled this post. I'm going to end it here so I don't get any more wild, talking about random things. 

If you live "in the south" and have kids, now is the time to make sure your child has all their back to school stuff ready. Keep an eye out for the storms. If you're anywhere else, especially "in the north", be safe while breathing in that wildfire. Stay indoors and don't do anything stupid. For everyone else, just be kind and do what you need to.

Cheers;

I was thinking...

.. and I could be wrong..

But... 

If you look at all the "aging" (male) rock stars / musicians out there right now, how many have stayed in their genre and stayed with a specific "aesthetic"?

Meaning, the dark horses (metal heads, rock n rollers) like Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, KISS.. they've primarily all had the makeup and long hair, but only kept their facial hair for a brief minute. If you turn to the internet and find their older photos, they've only had a type of mustache or beard for half a season. It never stayed with them, as much as their outfits or ponytails have. We remember them more with eye makeup and long hair, rather than a polo shirt and a goatee.

Yet, the bands known more for their cleaner looks for the most part of their careers - the Beatles, The Beach Boys.. these bands known for positivity - have a good mix of cropped head hair with some sort of facial hair. They've got promotional material where they're either clean shaven or they're with fur on their face. We remember both sides of the conversational picture. 

I could be wrong with this, but I got to thinking today, how those male celebrities that are profiled to be more into the gothic and dark look, have kind of remained clean cut in a way. Yes, they have long hair, but it's not unruly. It's just that they don't keep their face full of scruff. We think that the things they sing about and how they dress make them bad people because they're all in dark clothing, but they also portray some sort of light as well. 

I can't explain it and I know I'm doing a horrible job of trying to get my point across. But the death of Ozzy got me wondering how much of his peers (/ generation / music in general) really aren't as bad as they're made out to be? 

It's all theatrics; a stage show; presence. The Beatles were the same working class lads as Ozzy and Bowie, but I feel like the four Scousers attempted to beef up their pop look a little more with smart ties and later long hair, beards and kaftans (then back to clean for another minute), rather than what the art student from Brixton attempted to do with a soul patch in the 1990s. DB was on his own plane and kept it clean until the drum n bass years (and then went back to clean). He may had had long hair or a mop top during some decades, but he also had a rooster cut and an earring. With the Brummie, he had scruff in the very early 70s for a minute but that was while he was growing his hair out. Cooper's mustache was mid 1970s for an album but didn't last as he went full eye liner instead. We know Jimi Hendrix had his fro and goatee, but his thing was psychedelic. Much like Prince - curls, 'stache and a little patch but he did it with soul and finesse. 

The new school artists.. NIN, Foo Fighters, Van Halen.. all too had some form of facial mix. The front man, the string man or the percussion man.. Only one person was allowed to have something fun on their face at one time, it seems. Not everyone in the band got to look the same at once. If they did, it was again, only for some promotion and didn't stick. 

Again, I could be wrong. I'm also not lumping certain people into this post. I feel that it's within all genres of music, not just metal or rock. It's pop, rap, soul, everything. I'm not name checking all of the artists of the world, but just some I can think of, off the top of my head, without diving into an online image search. It's just one of those things where I'm like "isn't it a bit odd, that we profile certain people for something totally weird, yet, they don't look like they'd fir that stereotype?". For example, if I were to start comparing other genres, what's going on in the rap game, it seems like there's decent mix of tattoos, beards, mustaches, goatees, dreads, fades and sagging pants. Only a handful then would be faded in the head hair and clean in the cheek hair. Country has their jeans, boots, cowboy hat and acoustic guitar. I feel like Willie Nelson may be one of a handful of musicians that has a full beard and long hair. Everyone else keeps things cropped tight. This is real country, not neo country / rap like Shaboozey, Jelly Roll or Post Malone - the crossover guys. Or just plain new country like Morgan Wallen. I feel like the new school guys are trying to appeal to everyone, no matter what station they're singing on.

I'm not trying to be offensive, so I apologize if anything sounds that way. I just felt like there's this weird disconnect on what we think we know of a genre and what we really see. Everyone does their own thing and it just seems so surreal and doesn't fully match what we think the "type" should be. As long as we're not fighting with each other anywhere, does it really matter in the end? Let the music speak for itself and if you learn something new, more power to you. All we hear is stuff to make us think and ask questions about. If you can research what you listen to and see what type of history is involved with it, you've expanded your knowledge base and can share with someone else. 

Which is what I try to do. I listen to as much podcasts as I can and I read a lot of books. If I can share what I see or hear, I do. If it's something that I really can't divulge the secret of, I don't. It's all in a day's experience, no matter how new or old it is. 

So go out and do some digging - either in the grass and plant a tree or in the interwebs and find something new to tell your friends about. Be grateful of what's out there and stay out of the heat if you can. The rain is coming in places and the Saharan Dust is covering others. Take care of yourselves.

Cheers

Another (aging) rock star gets his microphone cut

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Cat texted me "Ozzy Osbourne died 😭" and I immediately looked it up. Sure enough, John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne has passed away at the (young) age of 76. 

I can't say I'm such a diehard fan, that I have posters, replicas, memorabilia or anything else in my room, however, I do have some music on CD. Admittedly, I remember my junior year of college, I had one of those centerfold type posters that came out of one of the imported Brit music magazines. I don't remember what the article or which magazine it was, but the poster happened to be of a young Ozzy, probably around the start of Black Sabbath. It was on my wall with other (more current) artists of the time. I collected a fair share of music posters at that point, and they were all from the likes of Uncut, Mojo, random cut outs from Rolling Stone, Spin and some others (like the unrelated Interview). The imports were how I got to hear some new music and I actually still have all the monthly discs, to this day. It's not an enormous amount, but it's plentiful enough, even though I've thrown out the magazine it came with, a long time ago.

Moving on. 

Some of the things that I am familiar with Ozzy are the more "known" facts: he's from working class Birmingham, England. He was born after World War II and due to his dyslexia, didn't have a great education. Ozzy was an avid Aston Villa fan. 

Due to his rise in fame, recently the city of Birmingham has worked with the family and there is a museum installation where some of his personal effects are - music memorabilia, artwork, sound and vision items, and it's being held for public viewing until September at the local art gallery. I know from listening to the Osbourne family podcast, they were thinking of opening their own museum of sorts, unless this exhibition is what they were talking about. The podcast ended in mid 2024 and the exhibition opened July 2025.  

Honestly, I would say I'm enough of a fan, that I could sing along to some of the Black Sabbath songs (as well as Ozzy's solo stuff). I might not be able to tell you the exact track title or year it came out, but I might know the tune. I know Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy in Black Sabbath, and I went to see the hologram tour of Dio a few years ago (I posted about it in my blog). That was interesting, but I know less about Dio, so most of the songs played were over my head. The graphics shown on the jumbotron were okay, and it was interesting to see some of his original bandmates be the ones to take the lead on the music. My review for that night is a link under "My Back Pages" so that would be another read later on. You just need to find it.

I've seen episodes of the Osbournes television show that aired in the early 2000s on MTV. That show was a mess, but it served as an introduction to and jump off for other reality shows. It spawned a lot of other series and it's amazing how there wasn't much to watch prior to this, regarding celebrities and their families being recorded twenty-four-seven and edited for television. I think there was a podcast episode where this was even referenced - how no one else was doing that type of programming and after the series ended, there was a boom in other shows. Although there were off shoots of family shows being aired prior to the aughts. 

I'm struggling to write more because I don't have enough to say about Ozzy. He and his family have struggled with drugs, alcohol, various types of abuse, and have had a lot of negativity in their lives, but yet, the last concert he did (earlier this month) was back in his hometown and they raised thousands of dollars for various charities (Parkinson's research and local children's hospitals). The concert was over 10 hours long and featured so many bands, that it was a very good show, based on news articles and posted videos. One other thing that came out of that weekend was Ozzy's daughter Kelly got engaged to her partner, Sid Wilson, who is in Slipknot (they have a toddler together as well). 

I know the band Slipknot, kind of. I know their logo, have seen them wearing masks. I've seen the popular image of their self titled 1999 album "Slipknot". One of the singers is a guy named Corey Taylor. I can't tell you what their biggest song is, but the only one I can name would be "Snuff", which is track 11 off their 2008 album, "All Hope Is Gone" (I had to look that information up). This song might be the only individual track I have (downloaded) of the band. 

Ozzy, who is spoken of as "The Godfather of Metal" really has had a trickle down effect on a lot of bands that came after his. You don't realize how many artists are out there, who are lumped in the metal genre or have metal adjacent songs. 

For a man who grew up 100 miles south of "The Four Lads from Liverpool" (and liking them - using them as the catalyst for getting into music), he sure changed the course of his history and what we listen to, as well as allowing the more darker tunes to be more mainstream.

Godspeed, Ozzy. May you finally get the rest you need. 

Cheers;

See also (magazine links via Amazon):

* Mojo Magazine

* Uncut Magazine

* Rolling Stone Magazine

* Spin Magazine

* Interview Magazine

Ozzy (various links via Amazon):

* Ozzy Osbourne

* The Osbournes Podcast

* The Osbournes TV Series

* Black Sabbath

* Dio

* Slipknot

* The Beatles

Feels a little apocalyptic

Past few weeks, whatever is happening in the world, the sunsets have been wild. 

Burst of reds, oranges, purples.. colors so vivid and odd, it really feels like a scene in one of the "end of the world" movies. The type where the undead will come creeping out of a corner if you're not careful because you thought you checked every inch of that abandoned town you've been hiding in. 

But we aren't there... yet. It's still too Hollywood science fiction. 

What we have is something completely different and it's just as weird. 

I think part of the reason the orange is showing up more, is due to the Saharan Dust coming our way. It's lingering a bit longer this summer and won't stop until the end of the month. So they say. It's also why we haven't had an influx of tropical storms turned hurricanes. The sand is prohibiting the Atlantic from doing it's churning and delivering us a big case of "oh damn, get the shutters up". 

The photos and video I'm posting were taken on an iPhone 11. No edits on the photos except my name. There are two with different fonts. Those I put my name on via the photos app in my phone and sent them to friends. The video was edited in Pinnacle Studio, and all I did for that was add my name and stock music (which came with the program). 

When I sent the photos to my friends, Shawn had said that one of them "looks like it could be a postcard, calendar, or something tourists would buy up" and that overall, they are "really cool picture[s]". 

That's why I'm going to do a little housekeeping and say "like what you see? Show some support. I am using a site called Ko-Fi, if you want to drop something there [aka "Buy me a coffee"]. Comments here are welcome as well". It's not easy generating stuff on a weekly or monthly basis and I keep saying I'm working bettering my photo skills. I'm trying to get enough work done where I can swiftly and easily do so much more. Everyone likes my photos and videos, but I know they need work. That's why Ko-Fi and comments are helpful if you're looking at my blog and potentially saving a picture or two (I know it happens. I'm not that naïve). Hence, drop a dime, drop a line. Be nice. 

Anyway, without further ado, the proof or it didn't happen:

Overall, the pictures and video also prove that there is a difference between being able to auto focus in a phone and being able to know your digital camera (or film camera) well enough to focus and manipulate the images before processing. During the film days, there were more blurry photos than still photos in my books and with digital, it may be easier to delete the image, but there's still trial and error. Look at my moon pictures from yesterday. The difference between holding a lightweight machine the length of a brick (but the heft of a small pack of crayons) can take a better image than holding a camera with a heavy lens, and have some shaking going on. Even if you use a tripod, you're probably better using a wired remote to shutter the lens, or you might not get the photo you're looking for. I should have used a tripod yesterday, but I didn't. I used a phone last night. It's literally night and day, even though it was not totally night nor totally day when they were both taken. Just happened to be 14 hours apart. 

I don't know. I'm probably talking nonsense. It's still a valuable lesson and it's a learning experience and experiment. Things happen. 

Much like I was texting Cat and she was telling me about her daughter wanting to go into photography as a job, but "due to AI, photography is dying", so the girl will probably pick a more favorable employment opportunity. I told Cat that her daughter should still check it out - there's still random types of work to do. It's not the best, but she could do the "school picture day" pictures with some sort of roaming portrait studio. If she can get some sort of low level apprenticeship or internship with a local photo studio, she can still learn a lot and gain valuable skills. As long as the drug stores are printing photos on the big plotters, there's a need for photographers. 

I worked for two different photo studios and one of them actually went to Costco for bulk printing. I learned a lot from both companies - talking with the graphic designer and printing tech at the first one, taught me how to use the newer versions of Photoshop and how to use industrial printing machines. I was able to do a lot more corrections and manipulations with speaking with them and watching them, than I was doing on GIMP. I knew enough that each keystroke translated and transferred easily to the Adobe product, but I still was a novice. I still am a novice; I admit that. I also got to know more about processing photos. What it takes to edit the image for proper sizing and printing on big chemical machines like the Fuji photo printer lab contraption we were using. I had dark room experience from college, but this is a whole different ballgame. The other studio I worked at, made me aware that you really need to type out your business materials in a Word document or have someone else read the information before you embed it on a photo in Photoshop. We were printing flyers (business information) that were so misspelled and misaligned, it was a real embarrassment. Yet no one checked for errors because it was one of those in house promotions and there was a need for foot traffic. I learned more of what not to do in a business from this one shop, than anything else, quite honestly. I know that sounds mean and rude, but I learned a lot about how to run a company and what stuck with me was how things were being done from a business standpoint instead of a client standpoint. Flash in the pan easy and quick to get a body in, versus take your time to make sure you get the right person in. If you're doing professional portraits (headshots), you need professional advertising. Don't have half your flyer read like a second grader wrote it. 

Yes, I have my faults. "Don't throw stones at glass houses". My blog is littered with problems and I know that. I also know I'm not an LLC or a proper business. This is something I do as a hobby - share reviews, pictures, opinions. I don't mind talking about things and I hope people read what I type and maybe change their own thought about the topic. I'm not looking to convert anyone. I'm just free writing until my mind says "enough". If it doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense. I tend to ramble and not check my work. Yet here I am, talking smack about a company who didn't check theirs either. I only worked there - I didn't have a major stake in the company, so their advertising was on them. I wasn't part of those meetings or that department; I stayed in a corner working on videos all day. 

It's not a bad thing and it's not a good thing. It was something I learned and can pass on to other people. Which is why I said to Cat her daughter should still think about doing photo stuff. If anything, she will learn some new ways to do everything and if she goes a different job route, so be it. At least she has gained more knowledge on something she likes to do. 

Isn't there some sort of adage where "knowledge is power"? We should be enabling our kids and our friends to seek out things they like to do and encourage them to work / collaborate with others to learn more about whatever it is. Just like I am slowly learning more about my own camera and I try to do things with it, even if the picture comes out horrible, I know what not to do the next time. 

Long story longer, I completely squirreled away from the original idea of this post. 

At any rate, stay glowing and keep your eyes peeled to the sky (and ground. Always look around you)...

Cheers

See Also

* Kind of feeling like "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" by REM (off their "Document" album - track 6 for reference)

So close, yet so far away

No, it's not about the Carole King song, but it's about the moon this morning. 

I had to be up early because I needed to go somewhere. It also happens to be trash day, so I took out extra trash to be picked up.

That's when I saw the moon. 

I really need to work on my picture taking better. I didn't have enough time to set up everything (tripod, camera) so I went back in the house and grabbed my Canon, popped in the battery and SD card, screwed on the 75-300 zoom lens and back outside I went. 

I put the camera on manual mode and played around with the settings a little bit. For giggles, I am adding some bad photos in this post, as a comparison reminder to myself on how I really should learn my camera more. Although, the "bad" photos came out a little weirdly okay (like the way one of the photos looks like I shot into the sun and it's flaring a bit). I know they're a little fuzzy in places and not as clear as they should be, but it's all in the experience and experimenting. I'm no professional by any means.

Part of the reason I need to work on the photos is due to the fact it was 6:25am, not 12 midnight. The sky wasn't as dark as the black background seems to be. It would have been nice to get the blue sky that was popping up as I stood outside with everything. 

The minor editing I did on these was a sharpening and my name in Photoshop. A few of them have been manipulated with auto tone, color and contrast. Another reason that I'm not using ace equipment. My HP laptop is not calibrated to edit photos the way it should be. Especially since the laptop is 12 years old and I'm trying not to kill it. I know I need an updated computer - this one is running Windows 8.1. I'm not good with change and updates on things. I get a little crazy. One day I will update everything. One day... maybe if I ever move....

There's nothing much else to say about what I did and did not do to the pictures. The main garbage bin got emptied around 8:30am and the recycle around 9:15. The city is sending out the pickers early now that it's summer because of the heat and humidity, as well as the random rain we've been getting.

Boy, has it been storming pretty good here. Not like it's been in Texas. That's really awful and it's sad that the flooding happened. The news keeps replaying the same information and you feel bad for everyone there. On top of it, my mom saw on her Facebook yesterday, that the Expressway in Massachusetts was completely closed off by 11am due to flooding. People were getting trapped on their commute and had to turn around because the staties were closing the roads. Comments were wild - main roads, some back roads... places were underwater. All from the storm that hit Texas and moved east and north east. We're getting massive thunder and lightning but haven't had the flooding rains yet. We don't need it, but it'll be inevitable. We're just hoping we don't get hit with a hurricane or two.

Put on your tin foil hat, kids. Randomly, my friend Cat texted me the other day and asked if  I had heard anything about the UFO sighting in Fort Myers from the day prior. I hadn't, but apparently there's some rumbling on whatever social media she follows, saying people are reporting strange (almost nightly) sightings in the air. I honestly haven't heard anything about it, and am not going to try to link anywhere or post to anything. I don't know where she finds the videos, as she didn't tell me how she came across it. I did try to search for it myself, but I came up almost empty handed. There was one video of someone saying they were watching a webcam from a place down on Fort Myers Beach, and they finally saw some lights flickering. The angle of the webcam was facing what used to be the pier and the person zoomed in to the dark sky to show a string of lights or windows or something. It is one of those things where the user stated they know the beach is visited frequently by outer worldly guests, but this was the first time in a long time that the ship was caught on camera. Again, I cannot validate any of this as I have not been following it. 

Had Cat not asked me about it, I wouldn't have tried to look in to it myself. I don't know how real it is, but I also am not saying it's truly faked. I'm not judging and I'm not going to attempt to sell anyone on the idea that there is something going on at the beach. Oddly, it would make sense if there was more going on than what we think, since the area is still trying to build back up from Ian's destruction, but I don't know to what extent this would happen. Maybe that's why things are taking their time to finish? There's some magic in the air prohibiting a rush? It's all part of the southern slowness of "why hurry"? I am not sure and I don't want to jump to any conclusion. I'll gladly share the news, but I'm not going to say exactly what's going on as sometimes you just don't know. Things can be manipulated, hacked, etc. Choose your own path with it and see where it goes. 

Therefore, I think I'm going to cut it here and go to the gym. It's early enough that if I do my ~2hr workout, I can be home in time to take a nap. I didn't sleep well last night and since I had to get up at 5:30 this morning, I'm going to either need a few more cups of coffee  or a major snooze if I expect to not pass out before supper tonight.

Until then, be safe, take care of yourselves and always look to the skies. You never know what you'll see. Listen for alarms as well... you don't want to end up being swept away in anything...

Cheers;

See also:

* Carole King, "So Far Away" off Tapestry (track 2 for reference)

* Amazon Prime Day 2025 ends tonight, July 11, 2025 (as of this posting, there's 16 hours, 50 minutes and change left). Did you buy anything?

Finished the bag...

... but not finished the drink.

Yet.

Finally finished the Teeccino Almond Amaretto Coffee Alternative. Made the last of it as a cold brew and it's been hanging out in the fridge. 

There was probably around 12 tablespoons of the mix left when  I poured it into the cold brew system container. I felt like if I did the same amount as previously done, I'd only be leaving less than a great amount for the next time. Plus, who leaves a little in the bag? Make it stronger by finishing it up.

Honestly, I don't think "make it stronger" really works for this lot. I mean, it's fairly decent with some Aldi brand of coconut creamer (brand is called "Barissimo"), but I wouldn't go out of my way to be like "dude, drop everything and make it just like thisssssss!!". It's good, with the coconut giving it a slightly different flavor profile, and it wasn't super duper strong. 

My mother actually took half a cup of it and added it to her Starbucks Blonde Roast Iced Coffee (with regular half and half). She decided, on a lark, that maybe the Teeccino would "jazz up the Starbucks a bit". She loves her Seattle java, but figured she'd try a little of the non-coffee coffee in what she had. She said it really boosted her drink and she would definitely do it again. 

Guess I shouldn't have made the rest of it and thrown out the empty bag? Or, does this mean we could potentially be buying it again (perhaps in another flavor)?? I don't know. But once we finish this completely, it's back to regular coffee as cold brew. I don't mind it, as long as it's something that doesn't end up tasting like it's been sitting in our cabinet for ten years and we finally decided to get rid of it.

Which has happened before. 

Although, you don't realize how good coffee is, until you're four days into a natural disaster scenario and you're drinking instant coffee from water boiled on a grill. The best part of waking Prior to Ian, the last time I think I had instant coffee was in college and didn't have access to my own coffee maker. So I ended up getting various brands of instant and sneaking down to the cafeteria at all hours, just to get some hot water and get my brew on. I had half and half in my room (dorm fridge), but just needed the juice to make it good. Then I got wise, bought an after market coffee maker and started heating my own H₂O in my room. I didn't have a microwave and I hate nuked coffee as it is. 

The coffee maker was interesting - I made friends quickly with that bit, I'm not going to lie. 

Although, making friends with the facilities guys is better because I got to have some really nice conversations with them and ended up bartering when I needed to. All because they wanted hot water themselves for tea and other incidentals (a couple of the men were from "the old country" - Greece, Hungary. Didn't help they were actually in their late 60s and early 70s at the time). It all worked out in the end and I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

You live, you learn. 

Boiling water in a pot on a grill is new too. Something I can take on another life adventure if I need to. 

Maybe all the reality shows I watch about going out into the wild and fending for yourself can help one of these days. Not that I want something drastic and bad to happen, but at least I know I can do something when needed. 

Right now I'm needed out in the living room to help my mother with something, so I'm going to cut it off here. 

Be safe, be well, go explore your surroundings. Have a banging cup of joe and don't over stimulate yourself.

Cheers

See also (aka limited exclusive):

* Amazon Prime day deals (July 8-11, 2025), the Teeccino Almond Amaretto Chicory Coffee Alternative - 11 Ounce - Ground Herbal Coffee That’s Prebiotic, Caffeine Free & Acid Free, Medium Roast is currently 20% off, making it $11.98 instead of $14.98

* Teeccino is not offering anything special, except they're on the "get 10 dollars off your first order" referral program. I get ten dollars, you get ten dollars (providing you buy something. Remember, it's $59 and over for free shipping).

* Amazon is not offering a Prime Day Deal on the particular Starbucks Blonde Roast this weekend, as the drink sells out of Whole Foods currently. Watch the price because it's $7.79 with a $13.95 delivery charge because it's part of the "Amazon Fresh Products" plan. It's cheaper to buy this in any supermarket, even when it's not on sale. You could buy three bottles for what you'd spend online. Unless this is something that is so much easier to get online because you're shopping for other stuff.. then go for it. #Nojudgement. There are other Prime Day Deals for coffee if you search for it.

* Not a Prime member? Click here. Monthly charge: $14.99, Yearly: $139, Prime for Young Adults: $7.49 a month. Prime Access: $6.99 a month. All after free trial. It's worth it - whatever option you choose. Solely based on better shipping opportunities, video streaming, music streaming, college kids have access to certain discounts, there's a lot you can do. Even though there's a number of people who have negative reviews about the service, it's beneficial to others. 

"Are you sure it's not a worm? LOL"

My mom and I were on the couch attempting to watch some television, but she's on the phone talking to a friend. All of a sudden, she looks outside and says "there's a snake on the wall. You're not going to believe it!". The friend asked how serious she was, and I went to take a look at it. I assured the person on the phone that "there's a pretty big racer snake hanging out in the rain". 

Yes, it was also pouring out, because it's summer and the afternoons bring thunder, lightning and water. 

I quickly grabbed my Canon T7i, 75-300mm zoom lens and took photos. 

Like the last round, I was facing a window screen and now the rain was hindering a quality photo as I was on full zoom. I didn't want to go completely outside because I want to keep my gear as dry as possible. 

I had sent my friend Cat a couple of the photos and she responded "that's the tiniest snake I've ever seen, Are you sure it's not a worm? LOL". I told her that it's indeed a racer snake; it's like the one I took last week. 

Yes, it looks tiny. But it also doesn't help that I was inside and shooting through a lanai screen. I tried to do minor editing but they're not as sharp as I'd like. So the snake looks fuzzy, which is why Cat laughed at it. 

I want to know how it fed and climbed up the wall. There's an obvious food bump in its stomach. It ate something small enough that whatever that roundness is, it's being digested. 

Gross. 

But damn. I'm seeing all sorts of crazy this week. 

This better not be a sign of things to come. Considering there's a tropic system in play right now that could cause some disruption over the weekend. They're watching it closely. However, seeing snakes isn't fun. I saw a plop plop iguana the other day. Animals are coming out of the woodwork and normally when that happens, it's not going to be a fun time had by all soon after. 

Fingers crossed I'm wrong...

Cheers;

I finally tried it...

... but I made it a cold brew. 

I bit the bullet and made the Teeccino Almond Amaretto (Chicory Coffee Alternative) in my Crofton cold brew system yesterday. For as much as the whiff of the amaretto originally turned me off to trying it. We're not using the coffee, so it's going to waste. I figured I might as well make it and forgo any ill notions going through my head about the alcohol content (or lack there of).

Therefore, 11 tablespoons went into the cold brew bottle. Which ended up feeling like overkill because I was only able to put in just under 6 cups of water with the filter in. 

The after effect actually made a rather smooth coffee today. 

I left everything hanging out in the fridge for 18 hours. Once it "cooked", this morning I emptied the filter, added another cup of water, and put the mesh cap on that allows you to pour the drink. Back in the fridge it went until after 1pm.

I have to admit, I did try a sip of it black when I originally took the grounds out. It's okay as it is. I'm not a black coffee drinker. But there wasn't any type of yuck to it - no backwards tang or eye watering gross. That type of face you make if the acidity is too much or there's a bit that doesn't agree with your tongue. 

There was something lacking for sure, but I don't know what it is. It's not something that would turn me into a black coffee drinker, but I wouldn't drink my normal amount of it, if I were to not add anything to it. I'd maybe have half a cup instead of a whole cup. It needs something, and I don't know if it would be sugar, honey or something else. No salt because it wasn't bitter, although the sugar might be too much sweet. 

There wasn't any aftertaste as far as amaretto is concerned. You could still smell it, but I didn't taste it. It's almost like it burned off, but I didn't cook it. It's weird. 

I put the container back in the fridge and took it out a few hours later. In a glass, I took a cup of ice, poured some "Planet Oat 'Sweet & Creamy Oatmilk Creamer'" and topped it off with the cold Teeccino. I have to say, the coffee was still pretty dark with the creamer in the cup. It wasn't a typical light brown liquid that I am used to. Or what you'd be used to in a coffee shop because the java swingers have a certain count they need to do with adding things to your drink. The dark wasn't extreme, as it looked like I had added just a few drops of creamer instead of the suggested serving size.

Either way, it wasn't horrible. It was kind of sweet with nothing in it, but adding the creamer, it was sweeter. Not sugary because again, it was smooth enough from having no acid kick, so this made it was quite palatable. Even my mother tried it and said it was tasty. She hates my creamers, but said if I were to blend it with ice cream, this would be amazing. I wouldn't go that far, but to each their own. I'm sure you could make this in to your own ice cream if you followed any type of home made directions. That, and you'd need to have the machinery to do such. It might work, but I personally wouldn't go that far. 

As far as more taste is concerned, the Teeccino didn't give me any of the coffee breath grossness afterwards. You know how sometimes you feel like you need to brush your teeth or need a mint or gum afterward? Yeah, I didn't feel the need for that. There's no coffee weirdness after drinking the thing.

I think putting my previous concerns aside (regarding the alcohol issue), I would really like to try another flavor. I'm sold but not sold. I'd rather try something else now, but I know we need to finish this one first. I know my mother won't buy the brand again due to the price points (14.99+) and she has her allegiance to other items (k cups) so it wouldn't be worth picking up a bag for the every so often I'd want to make it. 

It's easier to use the thing that burns plastic while heating your drink than it is to store anything extra. It turns into a dust collector.

Plus, when she wants iced coffee, she's been buying big brands when they're on sale (Starbucks Blonde Roast, unsweetened and Califia Farms - Pure Black Blonde Roast). 

I don't know. I'm conflicted. I guess it'll just depend on what the future holds for what we have and what she decides she wants to do next.

Until then, stay energized. 

Cheers;

See also (aka price point comparisons):

* Amazon is selling the "coffee" for $14.98. Prime members score "free Two-Day Shipping on eligible items and free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery on qualifying orders in eligible areas". This is one of those products where two day delivery is free if you order $25 of eligible items. Otherwise there's shipping charges tacked on (I looked in my Prime app - it wanted me to find another 10.02 for free shipping. It could be easy to find something - if you try two flavors of this coffee alternative, there's your delivery charge knocked off. Subscribe and save brings it down to $14.23 and you get it monthly. This is a five per cent discount, so it might be worth it if you add it to other subscribe and save items, if that's your thing. 

* Teeccino website sells it for $14.99 but you must spent "$59 pre tax" to qualify for free shipping. However, new customers can get $10 off their order by using my referral link. I'll get ten bucks off as well. This means you'll have to hit 70 dollars to get free shipping, as the ten dollars will take it down to 69. Subscribe and save brings it down to $12.74 and you get it monthly.

* Subscribing is only worth the saving on the Teeccino site. But you still need to have qualifying purchases to save on shipping. 

Now that I finished it...

... I should have taken a picture. 

And not in the 1999 Filter type of way. 

I had a bit of a rough morning with the gym, some emails, and the gym again. By the time I got to have something of substance (for lunch), it's well past 1pm and I knew if I started making something any later, I wouldn't be hungry for supper. 

So a random spinach salad I made and if I left out a few ingredients, I would have been 100% vegan friendly. 

What did I do?

At this point I have to say I eyeballed everything, so my measurements aren't exact.

In a Dollar Tree six inch glass bowl (yea, I am not afraid to say I bought bowls from the dollar store. I buy a lot of stuff there):

• Roughly a cup and a half of the "Fresh Attitude" brand of baby spinach
• Roughly half a cup of diced "Hatfield" brand "Hardwood Smoked" ham steak (I cut it up myself)
• About a third of a cup of "Cabot" brand "Mac and Cheese" shredded cheese
• A tiny fork prong of "Spice World" brand minced garlic
• About a third of a cup of the "La Choy" brand "Chow Mein" style noodles
• About a third of a cup of some type of salad topper crunch things. This had craisins, edamame and cashews. There was something else in it but I don't remember the name of it.
• A drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• A drizzle of Balsamic Vinaigrette
• A drizzle of Fig Vinaigrette

Seems like an over abundance, but it was rather tasty when you got in to it. I was rather satisfied with it and I know I didn't go overboard with it. My measurements feel rough, but I wasn't going for exact. I was trying to get some fiber and substance in my body without going crazy and snacking on a lot of junk for half an hour. I'd rather keep drinking water with lemon to mask the "gahlick breath" I now have, rather than feel lousy later for overeating. 

Yes, I said "gahlick breath". Every time I use garlic or say the word, I have to say it like like a true Masshole: drop the "r" and add some letters. Plus, it's an inside joke to Tay because we worked with some guys who would razz him about his eating habits. So Tay, if you're reading this, I thought of you for lunch. Call me; we need to talk. 

On another subject, one I keep harping on since "it's season": I got added to a semi weekly email blast newsletter from the State Senator's office. I originally signed my name in support of saving public media and that campaign then gave me the joy of spam various forms of emails from local legislature. One of the more "positive" things from this week's "Notes from Senator Rick Scott" is the "hurricane season is here" and "hurricane preparedness information". 

As much as I hate bringing politics into my blog, I'm doing it. *shakes head in disgrace*

I snipped parts of the email to put in my blog, as there were other bits in it, referencing things he is working on. 

So the snippets are as followed (with the text links):

Hurricane Season Is Here, Get Prepared Today!

Dear Fellow Floridian, Hurricane Season is HERE. Now is the time for every Florida family to make sure you are prepared for whatever this Hurricane Season may bring.  Floridians know better than anybody that hurricanes and severe weather can strike anytime and anywhere. That's why it's important for you to have a plan to keep you and your family safe in case of an emergency.  Throughout my time as Governor and as your United States Senator, I have seen the destruction left behind by devastating hurricanes like Michael, Irma, Hermine, Matthew, Ian, Fiona, Idalia, and most recently, Debby, Helene, and Milton. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Floridians are resilient. Our state and local communities always come together in times of need to work incredibly hard to rebuild and recover. Florida is resilient because we prepare. I cannot stress this enough: preparedness saves lives. We can always rebuild a home, but we can’t rebuild a life. Make a plan TODAY!  Visit my website: https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/hurricane-preparedness or ready.gov for more on how to make a plan and get prepared. See a video of Senator Scott and Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore's 2025 Hurricane Season PSA HERE or below.

The other screen cap is much longer. It has the suggestions for before, during and after a hurricane.

Hurricane Preparedness As Floridians, we know that preparedness saves lives. As the 2025 hurricane season begins on June 1st, the time for Florida families and businesses to make a plan is TODAY. Now is a great opportunity for your family to stock your disaster supply kits with vital supplies like a first aid kit, a radio, flashlights, batteries and other necessities. Your kit should also include 7 days' worth of food and water, prescription medications, and any important documents.

You can find resources and information on creating a personalized emergency plan HERE. Here are a few tips to help you prepare your family and business for this upcoming season:

Before a Storm Prepare an evacuation plan & make sure everyone in your home knows the plan. Stock up on emergency supplies, including: Water – You will need water for drinking, cooking and sanitation purposes. Pack a minimum of 1 gallon daily per person for 7 days. Food – You will need enough food for a minimum of 7 days: Non-perishable packaged or canned food and juices Manual can opener Foods for individuals with dietary restrictions (i.e., infants, elderly, etc.) Snack foods Cooking tools Paper plates and plastic utensils Fuel  Flashlight and Extra Batteries Pillows, Blankets and/or Sleeping Bags Clothing – Include a complete change of clothes suitable for your area's climate. Be sure to include sturdy shoes to protect you from debris or other sharp objects you may encounter outdoors post-storm First Aid Kit, Prescription Medication and Other Medicines Radio – Battery operated and NOAA weather radio Toiletries Cleaning Supplies – Include garbage bags, moisture wipes and other items you may need to sanitize your home or surrounding post-disaster Special Items – Assess all family members' needs. Consider other items needed for infants, elderly and individuals with access and functional needs (i.e., medical items, baby bottles, etc.) Cash – Banks and ATMs may not be open or available for extended periods following a disaster Toys, Books and Games Important Documents – Consider storing all critical documents in a waterproof container, as well as saving them electronically. These items can include, but are not limited to, insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc. Tools Pet Care Items Proper identification/ immunization records Ample supply of food and water Carrier or cage Medications Muzzle and leash Photo of you and your pet(s) – in the event that you are separated from your pet, having an updated photo with your pet will help validate pet ownership If you have been told to evacuate, EVACUATE. Don’t stay behind. We can rebuild a home, but we can’t rebuild a life. —

During a Storm Follow instructions from local law enforcement and emergency management officials. Stay away from windows and seek shelter. —

After a Storm If you were advised to evacuate, do not return home until it is safe to do so. Be mindful of debris and down power lines. Do not drive or walk around outside if you do not have to. —

Hurricane Preparedness Resources Websites FEMA: Visit FEMA for up-to-date information, support, services, and to apply for disaster assistance following a storm. SBA: Visit SBA to learn about low-interest disaster loans to help businesses and homeowners recover from a major disaster FloridaDisaster.org: Visit FloridaDisaster.org for resources and information on creating a personalized emergency plan for your family. HUD: Visit HUD to learn about housing assistance available to homeowners and renters National Hurricane Center: Visit NHC for the latest updates on tropical weather threats. —

Helpful Accounts on X @FLSERT @NHC_Atlantic @MyFDOT @GasBuddy Local Law Enforcement Local Emergency Operations Centers

I'm sure by the end of this season, some of the government websites Senator Scott listed, won't exist, given the state of affairs right now. But it's all good information and we have to remain updated and vigilant regardless of political climate and circumstance. Weather destruction won't change even though agencies do.

All of the items / essentials that Senator Scott mentioned, can be found at local grocery stores (Publix, Aldi, Winn Dixie for example), warehouses (BJs, Costco, Sam's Club for example), hardware stores (Ace, Lowe's, Home Depot for example) or any other mass merchandiser (Walmart, Target for example). If you're really crunched, you can use their websites. If you don't care and want to do one stop shopping online, Amazon can have a decent array of stuff  but they won't have everything. This would be when you would have to venture out and get anything that the AtoZ place doesn't have. Meaning, things like cash, medication (unless you're using Amazon Pharmacy), or any other type of specialty items. 

Florida weather is not one to mess with. These hurricanes are not the ones where you tape a big old X from corner to corner on your window and call it a day. Trust me - that old wives tale only works up north. LOL. 

I know there are Massholes nodding their heads and smiling at me as they read that. IYKYK. If you're going to cheapen out down here, the basic thing is to get plywood over the windows. That covers you better than the masking tape. No, duct tape doesn't help either, even though that's the one thing that fixes everything.

If I could say the one "myth" we brought down here with us for summer storm crazy, it would be the "fill your bathtub up with water and don't touch it until you have to" story. You're going to need that water to do the every day things we take for granted. This would be when and if you lose power (electricity), you lose the ability to flush a toilet (because the pumps aren't working) or you just do a quick spot wipe around places on your body (but don't dip your now dirty cloth into that clean water. Take out some water and put it in the sink. Use that as your dirty water). 

We're actively saving an old case of bottled water to use for toilet shenanigans, honestly. But the tub will still be filled for everything else. 

What else? Next week is July. Where did the month go? I feel like it was just my birthday and that was last month. Nothing really else to note. My neighbor is running his big ass pickup truck right now and it's noisy as ever. He "promised" he was going  to get it checked out, but that was almost a year ago. It sounds like it is in desperate need of a tune up. The sad thing is, we can hear it across the house when he's running the thing. I'm partially deaf and we use a soundbar on our TV.

Oh, speaking of deaf: I started listening to The Osbournes Podcast at the gym this morning and nearly fell off the treadmill while listening to the introductory episode. I know I said I had a day from crazy, but this podcast made me laugh so hard, the gym bros in the room must have thought I was off my rocker. The first episodes are from 2018, so the family dynamic hasn't changed much since they were on MTV. They go round and round with each other, just having a conversation. Memories, life, etc. Buyer beware: they aren't censored. So their swearing is in full force. This isn't for little kids ears. 

Also not censored: I started reading George Carlin's "me m oir" (you'll see why I spelled it out if you read it) Last Words. According to Amazon's synopsis:

"For the last 14 years of his life, the brilliant, caustic, and hilarious George Carlin worked on his autobiography—now, written with bestselling author Tony Hendra and posthumously published, Carlin has proven that even after death, he is still one of the funniest men who ever lived.

One of the undisputed heavyweight champions of American comedy, with nineteen appearances on the Johnny Carson show, thirteen HBO specials, five Grammys, and a critical Supreme Court battle over censorship under his belt, George Carlin saw it all throughout his extraordinary fifty-year career, and made fun of most of it. Last Words is the story of the man behind some of the most seminal comedy of the last half century, blending his signature acerbic humor with never-before-told stories from his own life, including encounters with a Who’s Who of 1970s celebrity—from Lenny Bruce to Hugh Hefner—and the origins of some of his most famous standup routines. Carlin’s early conflicts, his long struggle with substance abuse, his turbulent relationships with his family, and his triumphs over catastrophic setbacks all fueled the unique comedic worldview he brought to the stage. From the heights of stardom to the low points few knew about, Last Words is told with the same razor-sharp wit and unblinking honesty that made Carlin one of the best-loved comedians in American history."

I'm only three chapters in, but the first two are devoted to his parents. His father has chapter one and his mother has chapter two. It's actually insightful of how he came into this world and how his family struggled early on in the 20th Century. I am familiar with some of Mr. Carlin's work, but I didn't realize he was born to a pair of Irish parents, who were in their 40s at the time of his birth, in 1938. Graphic warning: in the first chapter, he writes about his father in detail. There are descriptions of adult behavior (sex, drugs, drinking, abuse) and when his mother went to go have an abortion. On the chapter about his mother, there is a page on how the "Seven Words" monologue came about and how his local church laughed it off and accepted it. His choice of phrasing, or the use of the English language came out of love and respect by his mother. She is from a higher class than his father, and wanted George to be able to articulate in a manner not like his alcohol fueled papa and with fists. 

I told my friend Shawn about the book last night. I hope he has opportunity to pick it up somehow. He may enjoy it.

That's about it for now because I keep squirreling. Best to end it while I can. 

Stay safe, cool, hydrated and be wary of that heat dome circulating the country!

Cheers;

See also:

* The Filter reference is the song "Take A Picture" from their "Title Of Record" album (track 6)

Housekeeping (aka Referral stuff):

* This weekend only (June 27-29, 2025): Teeccino is doing a flash referral sale. Anyone who clicks on my referral link, gets $10 off of a $40 or more order (instead of $5) and I also get $10 in store credit. 

* Plant People offers a $15 discount for both of us when if you use my referral link.

* Barker Wellness Co offers a $5 coupon for both of us via my referral link

* HIT! Balm offers a $5 coupon for both of us via my referral link. As reminder, you must be 21+ for this site

* Native offers us both 20% off an order via my referral link

* OM Mushrooms offers us both 20% an order via my referral link

* Pacha Soap offers $6 off your first order of $20+ via my referral link and I receive $5 in points.

I have a good combination of points for all of the above sites. Poke around, try something new. You might surprise yourself.