Ooohh.. I got one of THOSE covers! | I was so excited for the branded tech!

The final season of Good Omens dropped on Amazon Prime a couple weeks ago as a 90 minute movie. There are multiple reasons for having a single movie rather than a series and a particular reason with this series is due to some behind the scenes accusations with the writing staff. I don't want to get into that here, but I am sure some sleuths will be able to figure out the "whys".

~ No Spoilers ~

I was excited to get some sort of continuation with the show, so having a finale movie is okay by me. The staff that stayed on, seemed to wrap up some loose ends in such a way, that it really did make sense by the end of the film. There were some story lines that they were able to tie together from the second season and ultimately included a surprise allowance of some fan fiction shipping. The film took some liberties in the fan department but I think most people are pleasantly pleased by it. Truth be told, it was a classy ending and I honestly wouldn't have asked for a better tribute. 

That doesn't mean they couldn't have done some better things in the bulk of the main hour, but with time restraints, it's understandable. I'm glad they did something with it (in a rushed way) instead of leaving fans hanging. 

To the ones wondering what the show is about, it's based on a late 1980s book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The full title is "Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch—A Humorous Fantasy About Armageddon". It is now one of those novels that is on reprint on demand, thus making it hard to find an original copy. This is, considering, it's a British book that prompted a few conversations of audio form in the UK before landing in America. If you do happen to find a copy of the first printing, it's going to cost a lot more than what the generic Mass Market paperback is (we're talking a range of $30 to over $100 depending on what site you're using. Allegedly people are finding it for under $25 in thrift stores. Keep in mind, this is first pressing or first run, not reproduction). That being said, the reproduction, depending on type (hardcover, paperback, e-reader) is running between $7 and change (mass market) to over $20, because big box retailers need a mark up. 

The book synopsis, on various bookstore websites:

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

The Amazon site review:

Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again. You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...

It's being sold as a more comical version of The Omen due to the heaven and hell, angel and demon, antichrist, The End Is Nigh connections. I can kind of see that, but it's not as ominous as the 1976 Gregory Peck movie is. 

I debated and debated about buying the book, and did do some leg work to see who had a "better deal" on the paperback. I didn't want a repeat of the Elton saga, so I chose to go to Amazon. They had the reprinted book, on paperback, for $10.43; where Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million have it for $18.99. The difference between the two latter stores is Books-A-Million has has a mass market version at $9.99 and B&N doesn't list a that as an option on their website. Conversely, Amazon lists the mass market for $7.19, which is what I used to buy the True Blood (Sookie Stackhouse) series for, back in the day. If you are a member of the retail stores' rewards programs (B&N, BAM), you get free shipping online, but you're paying gas to get to a physical location. It's coming out of your wallet either way. Same goes with Amazon, I know, I know. At least you can add other items to your cart that are not books and have everything shipped together. 

The other thing with the physical stores, is they want you to pay $39.99 a year (B&N) or $25 a year (BAM) for discounts on select merchandise. In order to get the full realm of the annual cost, you need to spend 10x that amount in the 12 months because spending a low amount willy nilly once or twice in 52 weeks for just free shipping isn't worth it. That's just my opinion. 

I realize Amazon yearly rate is much higher ($139/year), but you've got to realize what you receive with Prime: 

• Fast, free delivery
• Unlimited streaming
• Exclusive deals & savings
• Groceries
• Amazon Music with Prime
• Amazon Photos (storage)
• Amazon Prime Fuel Savings
• Grubhub+
• Rx savings

The bookstores don't seem to offer this type of an array, except "deals and savings" and "free delivery".

I think I've made back my Amazon money at this point, as I am the household account owner and bothmy mother and I stream movies (she has her own profile), I've purchased music through the site (vinyl and CD) so I can stream those MP3s when it's offered, my mother has an Echo Dot so she streams music and uses the timer function. We also make several purchases with Amazon and in Whole Foods (when we go to that area of town). I've also utilized the holiday deal sales. I could have used the RX savings with a previous job, but I didn't need any prescriptions at that time. Although, that's one thing I'm a bit leery on - giving Amazon your doctor's information as well as script information. So yeah, I feel like I've made my 139 back, and since Amazon doesn't sell things knowing they're discounted, there's no percentage to double everything up for. 

On another note, regarding versions of the book, I did notice a third party vendor selling a hardcover copy on Amazon, and they were looking for $18.19 plus $3.99 shipping. Therefore, you have to watch what you're clicking.

Which brings me to the next challenge.

The websites are stating "covers may vary" because you don't get a choice in which edition you are purchasing online. It's a William Morris publishing company (merged with Harper Publishing), but there are two different covers: a black sketch of Crowley holding a wine glass filled with red wine (on a white cover) or a white sketch of Aziraphale reading a book (on a black cover). 

image via Amazon

Amazon customer reviews are mixed because most people are buying the book to have the chance of both covers; while others are, like me, wanting to finally read the novel the show is based on. Totally fine; everyone has their reasons to do something. However, what you order and what you receive are two different things. 

People are commenting that the white cover book (Crowley) is coming to them damaged. 

How damaged? The picture of Crowley is completely missing. All you see is a small splash of the red wine. The same is to be said on the book spine as well. Other comments are staying the mass market book isn't bound great; the pages are easily coming out of the spine. Otherwise, it's an awesome story. 

I decided to take my chances and order it anyway. I am having reading issues lately, so I didn't want to go with the smaller print mass market ($7.19 version). I purchased the regular paperback version instead ($10.43). 

Can you guess what cover I received?

 

Yup, the missing Crowley cover. 

The last page in the book also has printing information, which is a bit weird to me. 

I feel like this proves that this version is a Print On Demand copy and was printed when I ordered it. Rather, it was printed and bound the day they shipped it from the Amazon Warehouse. Which may be why other people are saying they are having issues with the copy they received as well. The company isn't allowing things to set correctly.

Or whatever Amazon now does when you order random books.

This also means that the book was sent from an Orlando based publishing company, in order for me to get it the next day; it's local but not local enough to divulge that information.

Similarly, I noticed that when I asked my local library to request Rachael's book - they had found it on their vendor site and since her story is a Print On Demand version anyway, she too had some "Made in [country]" with city and date stamped in it. 

Everything seems to be relative these days and literally "mass produced" to a point. There's some PDF file somewhere and someone is pressing "print". Another person takes that, cuts it, binds it and hands it off to someone else. I honestly don't know the process; I'm just spitting out random guesses at the moment, but it's just sad how you think you're ordering a print of something and there is no quality control over it. No one noticed the cover was off. The more this story gets printed, the less of a chance the book has better value to it because it was a misprint. 

Usually when there is an error in a product, it's fair game for resellers because it's a rare item. However, in the printing world that is becoming more popular right now, "on demand" means "pay no attention; just send it". I think. I don't know; there's a lot to be said without running in circles. Just be mindful on what you're ordering and certainly read reviews because you never know. 

I mean, this type of error could potentially make me go out to the big box stores and pick up the copy I want. Do I then want three copies? I don't know. Maybe, if that means it's also a conversation I can have with my friends. "Hey, look at this; look why brick and mortar stores are going out of business. I big online retailer has taken over and they aren't paying attention to what they're doing. So I went to the outer reaches of the universe to pick up a better copy... at a 10+ dollar price hike". 

It's not a real conversation. I'm just making it up as I go along here. Free writing. But there could be something along the lines of why stores are shuttering and there are more delivery vans on the road these days. People aren't leaving their houses and adventuring out in the world. 

-Shrugs-

With adventuring, I do need to go to another big box retailer this week. I bought something else on Amazon and ended up returning it today because it didn't work as expected. 

When I had the iPhone 6 and 11, I had the lightning digital adapters to go with it.

I had a USB to Lightning dongle that allowed me to transfer files from my phone to my computer and vice versa while using a thumb drive. This came in so handy when I was doing event set up and clients needed to email me their presentation to put on the company laptop. I was able to get the file on my work phone, via email, download it to a thumb drive, then transfer it to the computer. We were off and running in a matter of minutes. 

Of course, it was my adapter and I didn't get reimbursed for it, but it was only offered to those I trusted because a lot of people took advantage of my niceness and help (long story). I wasn't about to gift it to the company when I left, either. I bought this fair and square and they never knew about it. My own personal use for the adapter was when I had to transfer my own files from my phone to my laptop or quickly save a file from an email on a computer to then have it on my phone for whatever reason (text a friend "you're not going to believe THIS one! 👀"). 

I also had an HDMI to Lightning Dongle that allowed me to stream movies on bigger screens (before the video apps shut that shit down and wanted you to watch on your phone screen instead. Something about media rights.. and all I wanted to do was stream a TV series from my phone onto a TV in someone's bedroom). The adapter was amazing - all I had to do was connect the lightning end to my phone, plug in an HDMI in the other end of the adapter, and then the opposite end of the HDMI went to whatever screen I was using. Plenty of times I hooked it up at work and I was able to use a decent size projector screen as my way to "test out the audio system and sight lines in the room". It was a combination platter because there were people who were vocalizing about dead zones in the room - they either couldn't see the screen or hear the audio. If I could do some tinkering on my own time (on the clock), I'd watch a TV show and do some testing. I also used the adapter when traveling, so if I had a TV in the room I was staying in, I could hook my phone up and watching a movie before bed. It got to the point I was carrying a 3 foot cable with me (seems super long but it winds up small). It suited my needs for a long time.  

However, both adapters went by the weigh side when I upgraded to the iPhone 17. Now the phone has a USB-C port instead of a lightning port so I'm stuck with a lot of chargers and a couple adapters that don't work on this new device. 

Back in January, I purchased Apple's Lightning to USB-C adapter, tried it, but that didn't work for me. Somehow using an adapter on an adapter doesn't jive correctly. Even if they're both the same brand's product. I know other people have positive reviews of the product, but I tried on two different iPhone 17s and it didn't work. I must be doing something wrong, but I even tried it on my mother's phone and it didn't work. 

Fast forward to this week when I needed to transfer something from my phone to my laptop. I wasn't connected to Wi-Fi on my computer, so I couldn't get on iCloud. I also didn't have a USB-C to USB-A cable with me, so I couldn't plug my phone into a USB port. I was stuck and couldn't do anything about the files someone needed.

Which led me to order an adapter. 

The Anker USB C to USB Adapter came in the mail yesterday and I was excited to try it.

• Number one, it's a top brand; it's reputable among a lot of technical people.
• Number two, I've got the USB-C to USB charging cables all over my house right now and they work. I even use it in my laptop to transfer files off my phone. I've had no problem with the name. 
• Number three, having a two pack of the adapters allows me to keep one in my backpack and one in another bag. The price was worth it (on sale for $9.56 after tax).

I found out it wasn't so worth it. 

With a case on my phone the adapter doesn't work.  

As it is, my iPhone 17 is sausaged into the case; there's no getting that thing out unless I want to break the seal of the Zagg. 

Just for giggles, I tried it in my mother's 17. She has a thinner case on hers. 

No dice.

The adapter was so loose (on both phones), it wouldn't even make a connection anywhere or anyhow. It was like the thing was waiting to fall out if you looked at it the wrong way. One wrong question and it jumps overboard. 

I don't have the words to describe this part so stick with me.

The USB-C part is shorter than the surrounding holder, and there's no inversion of the holder to make the USB-C part go past a certain point when you have a case on your phone. That's why it was so loose in the port area, because the USB part is shorter than it should be. 

I can get the USB C part into my phone from the charging cable because the housing part is slanted in a way that allows the USB C to go through the case and in the port. 

Also, when I tried plugging my thumb drive into the USB A side, it felt like there was something wrong with it. It was a tight fit so the thumb drive wouldn't fall out, but it also felt like the drive could break in the port as well. It almost felt like it was a tiny bit off from making a solid connection. I was afraid of something breaking internally - whether it was in the adapter or in my thumb drive.

It's so hard to describe this and I hope it's making sense.

I really wish it had worked because I had such faith in it. 

Like I said, there's no way I wanted to take my phone out the the case. I don't want to, nor should I have to, in order to randomly use the adapter. 

Yes, I'm reading it now online, that in order to use it on a phone, you need to take the phone out of the case, but I stupidly and stubbornly wanted to give it a try. All cases are different and you never know. 

Now that I'm back to square one, I am thinking I need to go to a big box retailer and ask them if they have something like this and if I can try it out before purchasing, because I'd be returning it if it doesn't work. 

I know the answer would be "no, you need to buy it first" but it saves everyone a big headache if I take it home and can't use it. There has to be a way to test it before it leaves the store. I'm certainly going to buy it if it works, but they're certainly calling it a loss if I have to return it (and I get stuck with a possible reshelf fee). 

I've tried on over the ear headphones before, and there were no issues about it. I've also asked to look more closely at watch bands and other tech. It's a matter of being polite and asking nicely. If they won't let you, don't fight it. Most of the time, the people are okay with it. Most of the things I've asked to take out of the box, I've bought. A watch band I looked at, didn't fit on my watch and I was able to get it back in the box, in front of the worker, and he put it back on the shelf. It's all about transparency. 

Mind you, I'm not trying to condone any type of shoplifting or raising their profit and loss ratio, but there's a very slim time when situations happen that they can make a decision as to whether or not it's acceptable. I've had those conversations where the employee has said "no" and I've had the ones who say "I don't care". It's really how you explain what's going on. Especially if you honestly do have every intention of purchasing it if it works. If it doesn't, they can tape it back up and put it on the shelf (if you open it carefully). I've seen this happen in other stores when employees are working with people. 

Again, this is not a habit thing. It's not something I suggest everyone do to anger the stores. It's one of those "in a pinch" situations. It saves everyone if it could be done.

Overall, it feels like I really can't win right now with tech. I try, but some things aren't going my way lately. I'm hoping for the better though! 

In the meantime, if I can find something that works, I'll make an update. 

Until things get sorted... do your research and do some (light) reading.

Cheers;

See Also:

• Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch―A Humorous Fantasy About Armageddon - this is the Amazon link with the paperback version
  
• Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (Cover may vary) - this is the Amazon link with the mass market version. 
  
• Sangre De Toro by Rachael Adam - this is my friend Rachael's book.
  
• The Omen - the 1976 Gregory Peck movie
  
• Sookie Stackhouse / True Blood series by Charlaine Harris via Amazon Kindle
  
• Amazon Prime page - information on price and item breakdowns
  
• Apple Lightning to Digital AV Adapter via Amazon
  
• Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter via Amazon
  
• Apple USB-C to Lightning Adapter via Amazon
  
• Anker USB C Adapter (2 Pack), USB C to USB Adapter High-Speed Data Transfer for MacBook Pro 2020, iPad Pro 2020, Samsung Notebook 9, Dell XPS and More Type C Devices
  
• Anker Cable [2 Pack 3ft], USB A to USB C Cable for iPhone 17 Series,Samsung Galaxy S10 S10+, LG V30, Beats Fit Pro and More (Black)
  
• Zagg phone cases on Amazon
  

The math ain't mathin'?

Went to Target the other day to do some general shopping and they had the 40-48oz Starbucks iced coffees on sale. These are the refrigerated bottles of espresso, cold brew, regular coffee, and flavored coffee (pumpkin spice, caramel macchiato, etc). Two for ten dollars, you "save" 99 cents a bottle, as they're typically $5.99 (the ones we got. Prices range for other flavors and types).

As it's a decent enough sale, we ended up getting 4 bottles: two Blonde Roast, Black, Unsweetened for my mother, one Black Unsweetened Espresso and one Oatmilk Brown Sugar Cold Brew for me. I opted for the espresso for morning smoothies and the cold brew for any time. My mom likes the Blonde Roast for whenever.

For sizes, the Blonde Roast bottles are 48 ounces and the Espresso and Cold Brew are 40 ounces. 

I opened the Cold Brew yesterday and started drinking it. It's not bad. It has a very slight nutty / cinnamon flavor to it. It is a little sweet as well. It's weird that I'm picking up a profile not known for what it is supposed to be - oatmilk and brown sugar. It's also a dark drink due to the oatmilk. Creamer / half and half usually lightens up black coffee, but any dairy alternative usually keeps the coffee a more dark brown color. It's not bad, really. I just wouldn't make it a habit to get again.

The interesting part of this is (stay with me): the bottles I chose are 40 ounces and the nutritional facts state that the recommended serving size is 12 ounces. The estimated serving amount per container is "about 3".

I noticed that this morning when I opened the espresso bottle.

Now, if there is 40 ounces in the bottle and a serving size is a 12 ounce glass, 12 x 3 = 36. Where does the other 4 ounces go?  

Yeah, "about 3 servings per container" means you can fudge your cup a little and get more or less than you want, but then why be exact when you have the 48 ounce bottles?

The Blonde Roast is a larger bottle, yes, but also the serving size per container is correct. 12 x 4 = 48.

One comment made by someone I told this to, is "the Espresso is more concentrated, so that's why it's less". My question is "then why the same with the oatmilk one?". The next answer was "I don't know. Maybe it's accounting for ice?", which begs the statement "the Blonde Roast would be iced too". Enter shrug. 

I don't know. I can't math this math and I don't want to attempt it. 

Starbucks bottles don't go "on sale" often, if you're looking for a buy one, get one free deal. Usually they're a "twofer" deal like this Target option, although my mother does run to Publix on the rare chance it's a BOGO. It's so rare, that Publix just does a "twofer", so she usually just gets one bottle. It's not like you're getting an entire savings of a bottle (free), although the grocery store has them for two dollars more on a regular basis. Therefore when it's "2/$10", it's good. 

Especially if you consider Amazon has the bottles marked down currently to $5.54, but you're ordering it with Whole Foods as both the seller and the shopper so they you pay an additional $13.95 and say that's for delivery (on top of other fees). Even as a Prime member, the price goes down to $4.99, but you're still paying the standard delivery fee, which doesn't make this a good deal all around. Realistically, you're better off paying full price at a local box store than trying to buy it online.

On top of that, Amazon is currently sold out of the Blonde Roast and they don't know when they'll get it back in (as of this posting. See here). 

The Medium Roast is in stock, but the they have low quantities (see here). 

I guess overall, this is more of a reason to do research if it's something you want. "A good deal had by all" is not the same as "a good deal across the board", regardless of where you subscribe to and who you pay a premium to. Amazon, regardless of Prime status, isn't economical in this instance, unless you're in an area far away from any type of store. I'm sure that's a factor to some people, but generally speaking, most of the humans who have access to Amazon have access to any type of grocery or other store. Even if it's the boonies and a Dollar General. I've seen some random documentaries about people living so far out in rural areas, that the only option for any type of store is a DG and that's about an hour or more away. Some have no choice but to get their mail at a post office box because the service doesn't go that far out. This too, is a drive for the person. It's sometimes by choice, sometimes by necessity, other times a mix of the two. I can't say which series I've heard this stuff on, as I tend to watch a lot of various videos, both online and with independent media sources, as well as listening to a lot of podcasts explaining cultural and societal differences among populations of the world. "Gotta get the edumacation somehow". 

Oh, speaking of education and podcasts:

I finished Murder Homes the other day.

 Per Amazon synopsis: "The real estate market has never been hotter. Houses sell as soon as they’re listed. Bidding wars lead to all cash deals far above the asking price. But there is one kind of property that often sits on the market for years, no matter how much of a bargain it seems to be. Potential buyers come and go, the price keeps going down, and still the house stands empty. In real estate jargon, it’s called a “stigmatized property” because the home comes with a history. An unfortunate one – a horrible death occurred here. But what few people know is exactly what happened.... or why. Each week, Murder Homes tells the story of a single property. Who lived there? What secrets did they keep, and what did they leave behind? Part history, part murder mystery, this podcast mixes expert interviews, witness accounts, and court records to pull back the curtain on the hidden stories each property has to tell. Would you be able to live somewhere that seems perfect, if it weren’t for the ghosts of its past?"

It's okay. It was slow moving in some episodes and not that scary. I wouldn't say it's a "Zillow gone crazy" type of show, but it does seem a little fictional in places. I don't know what they use as reference material, so I can't say I'd be all into more seasons of this show. Maybe if it was a visual series, it'd be different, but it'd be boring at the same time. Kind of glad I had it as background talk while at the gym. 

I've moved on to something called Strange Air, and it's not what I was expecting. 

It's being distributed by a company called "Fable and Folly Network", which I noticed in their library, Greater Boston was apparently acquired into. I think Greater Boston was in someone else's catalogue when I was listening to it. 

The synopsis for Strange Air per Amazon is:

"Ten years ago, Malcolm Smith was the host of “Strange Air”, a successful radio show about the paranormal. One night, during a live broadcast, Malcolm vanished into thin air. To this day, no one knows what happened. Now his daughter, Chase Smith, is in her last year of film school and she’s making a documentary about her father’s disappearance. (Starring Natalie Lander and Patrick Fabian from Better Call Saul.)"

I'm not impressed. The first couple episodes feel disjointed and overall low budget. It's not horrible, but it's not amazingly good. The synopsis sounds better than it is. I might have to listen to it again when I finish the series because I've got it playing in the gym as background and not totally invested. 

Then again, something as crazy as The Osbournes Podcast had me laughing like a loon some days while on the treadmill. Total bananas, this series, basically because they were honest with each other, even through the oversharing, over talking and generalized cursing. You don't need to see this on their Youtube channel in order to know it's legit. It was good insight to the Osbourne legacy and I'm glad it ended when it did - well before Ozzy passed away. The show was an ADHD nightmare at times, but you learn a lot about the family without needing to know much as it is. 

There are so many more shows on my list and I'm over a year behind in what I was listening to on a regular basis (Into The Fray, Betwixt The Sheets, etc.). I keep hearing ads for other podcasts in between stuff I listen to, so nothing becomes a one off for me. I go down a strange rabbit hole of other networks and find more random things to listen to. Hopefully one of these days I can get back to those series I previously started and let go to gain more episodes. 

Until then, do some homework, listen to new things and drink drink drink your wine, raise your glass high.

Cheers;

See also

* The line "drink drink" comes from the title track of David Bowie's 1976 Station To Station album. 

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

This macro is not edible...

 ... unless you're a bug.

I kept meaning to post these pictures, but I've been squirreled into other things. Once you open up too many tabs on your browser, you keep going into random rabbit holes. 

My mother bought a dozen roses for herself on Valentine's Day, because they were on a flash sale at Publix. She loves randomly buying flowers and putting them out for an extra punch of color in our living room. 

These roses, which I don't have a picture of, are water suckers. Every day my mother has had to add more and more water to the vase, as weirdly enough, the water disappears over night. This routine has lasted long enough, that she cut the stems to a manageable size and has them in a smaller container.

It also has limited how quickly they die off. 

The one who drew the first "time to go!" straw, was a multi colored light magenta and light orange rose. Sounds like an odd color combination, but it was actually really pretty. All the roses have this tie dye effect going on, especially as they're wilting and dying. 

Case in point, the one we noticed go first:

All the photos were taken on an iPhone 11 with the internal zoom feature. 

It's not a macro photo I'd prefer, as I do have kits for my Canon DLSR. 

My mother wanted to move the roses at this point, and get them into another vase. So I couldn't start taking out everything to put together. I had my phone with me and thought it would be easier to try to capture what I could.

Again, they're not wonderful, but they're also not junk. It's blurry in parts I would have wanted clear, clear in parts I would have wanted blurry. It's an experience; a lesson learned that next time I go get my big camera. 

The more I look at them, the more I feel I could have done better. I mean, you can definitely see the little leaf veins in a couple photos, really clearly. I would have hoped the closeness of the phone would have picked up other things within the frame, when I tried to touch focus on another corner. That ended up being a blurry one. Sometimes smart technology thinks it's smarter than you and chooses what to do by itself. 

Or, it's another thing I need to learn to do and work on with cameras. But do I really want to start using my iPhone as my main photo taking contraption? Not really. This is why I still have issues with my Canon. I'm lazy; I don't carry the DSLR everywhere anymore. It was so easy with a point and shoot, because it was small and had a little carrying case. The DSLR has attachments and accessories.. you literally need a diaper bag some days to carry everything. Conversely, our smart devices (phones) are always in our pockets and are quick to take photos on the fly when we need to. So we get accustomed to it. 

If the big directors can shoot an entire movie in 4K on an iPhone, something is okay with it? I don't know; I haven't tested that theory yet. I'm still limiting myself to what I do, as proven with my last round of videos and now these photos. 

Until I can sort it out even further, have a great Sunday! 

Cheers;

Knowing what I know now...

... makes it weird to sing along to the songs. 

But I do because they're embedded in my head. 

As well as the threat from Tay of "keep singing that and I'll force you to learn it on guitar" because he knows the entire discography and history of the group I'm going to talk about. I kept joking with him about one of the songs ("Do You Want To Know A Secret?" track 11 off Please Please Me, for reference) and he'd tell me he'd make me learn it (Tay's an awesome guitar player). He also is the one who told me about the book I'm going to talk about below. 

I have a three month trial of SiriusXM Radio because I got some service done on my car. They have a deal together where you get three months free after completing certain services at the dealership. I ended up taking the offer and have my 2013 radio assigned the freebie until mid April.

Honestly, for me, it's not worth downloading the Sirius app because it's only three months and I don't intend on subscribing due to the fact I have an iPhone 11 and use the stock podcast app to listen to everything. I'm currently halfway through a "Spotify / Parcast original" series called Mythology. It got cancelled a couple years ago, but I'm just finding it. I've delayed way too many shows I usually listen to because I've found way too many other interesting series (you're still on my list, Rach! Trust me!!). 

Squirrel!

On my way to the gym this morning, I had on the Beatles station and the song playing was "Hey Jude" (track 21 off the 1 album, for reference). I started softly singing with the song, fully knowing the windows of my car were down (it's still nice out - no humidity) and this wasn't the real Macca telling Julian to "play it cool". It's a ruse. 

Okay. Rewind a minute. For context. 

Last year I wrote about listening to the audiobook version of the The Memoirs of Billy Shears: The Nine After 9-09 Edition. The informative "let's let as much out on the table as we can; it's almost time" story of the conspiracy theory of Paul really dying in a car crash in September of 1966. This is also the theory that there's been one guy (William "Bill" Shepherd aka Billy Shears) who has been the replacement of Paul all the days since.

The writer - Thomas E. Uharriet (or writers if you believe the single anagram, like someone has stated) with the help of said Billy Shears (not of the anagram but of another name or two) mix a fictional yet factual account of the rumor we all have heard at some point in our lives and they layer on the truths behind this, with information pulled from real sources (i.e. Billy's recollection of everything including lyrics of the Beatles work plus sound comparisons, places to look through the band's history to see where it was a little rough and edgy, etc). 

Both men don't mince words when Billy has to point out that his lawyers strongly advised him not to put all the aces on the table at once, since it jeopardizes more than he wants or cares to get off his chest. So he has to sprinkle some magic dust in the story to make it sound unbelievably fake but believable at the same time. He is still under "contract" to perform as one of the two remaining Liverpudlians. 

Therefore, he has to be very careful how he describes certain circumstances of how he came to be one of the most famous faces and voices in pop music history. 

He makes light of a lot of instances, and throws in some suggestions for those who aren't fans of the Beatles, but fans of music. How vocalists need to train themselves in singing specifics or they ruin their vocal cords. He had gone through that in the early days of being Paul and had to adapt the way he was going about it, as he said he'd have lost his voice before the end of the 1960s. 

"Sing from the diaphragm and not from the throat", he'd say, with context to the way Original Paul would sing (throat) and the way he would sing (diaphragm). Which is true; I remember when I was in middle school chorus, learning that. Tay would mention it as well because he's a musician. Taking that information, I compared it to other artists out there because you wonder how they can reach the levels they can; it's due to how they're pushing air through their body and not just in one section. 

So singing along to tunes in my car, I'm subconsciously cognizant of these things. I'm not any type of the world's best singer, by any means, but I understand the concept (thus going back to singing along to Hey Jude). 

I remember in middle school taking a music class where we had to bring in a song every week and break it down in front of everyone. If you want to know what I chose, I specifically remember bringing in "Kiss From A Rose" by Seal, off the Batman Forever soundtrack [track 4 for reference]. It was on audio cassette to boot. If you must say it, yes, I just aged myself.

Double yes for seeing as much of the Batman movies as I can, up to the most recent Sparkly Vampire 2022 version - I've yet to see that one, but I have tried to see most of live action movies starting with 1989 and going forward. I've seen part of the Adam West series as well. I've got a Joker duckie I call "Cesar Romero" because it's definitely that version's Joker and not the Nicholson or Ledger version. I've also seen some of the outliers - Joker and Suicide Squad [if that counts]. I haven't seen Justice League or Batman vs Superman. It's on my list. 

I guess as far as the movies are concerned, I could be more of a DCEU (DC Extended Universe) fan than an MCU / MCEU (Marvel Comics Universe / Marvel Comics Extended Universe - for the outliers) fan, although I'm not against any MCU stuff. I've read my fair share of X-Men comics (and saw some of the movies) as well as the iterations of the Hulk films (I remember sneaking into the theater to watch the Jennifer Connelly version because I had ended my shift at the time and didn't want to go home. So I stayed for Hulk. I'm a horrible person; haha). I've also seen the Iron Man films and Deadpool movies (including the new Deadpool and Wolverine movie) and at least 2 of the 3 Guardians of the Galaxy movies. I know the Howard the Duck reference in Guardians (spoiler alert) because that was one of the first introductions to the MCEU for me.

Again, I aged myself with that 1986 "gem". 

Squirrel! 

Anyway, we had to explain where certain breaks in the sound come from or what we think the chords are for each instrument, how the melody might shift / change or what the artist's range is. This was before we all had internet at our fingertips or in our homes, so you were really needing to pay attention and figure things out. I'm old enough to remember what it was like before we ran to an internet search bar for these things. 

Maybe this is why I majored in communications and went into radio (and still want to work in audio. I've free if anyone wants to chat! I've certainly shared enough videos.. so you've seen my work)... it evolved from music being on in my house (along with NPR) and taking music classes all through my  school years. 

My, how we grow... and overshare. Haha. 

But yeah, little things we randomly remember and try to piece together to make other connections. This is probably also why I've got too much "pub trivia" because I just ingest way too many "out there" facts. I've said things / made comments / references to people in conversation, and they're like "where in left field did you pull that from?". I don't know; it's something I stumbled on eons ago and kept it locked away in my brain. I can't do math or be on Pop Culture Jeopardy, but I can still kind of follow along to the normal one. It might take me a minute because it's so hidden in my head, but I get it. If I don't, the answer pings something relevant and I'm like "oh yeah. That was also when...". It's weird like that - how we all work in our own ways. 

If this all makes sense, thanks for following along and getting this far. If it doesn't, well, welcome to my blog. Sometimes I get so unfocused with everything, at some point it'll gel. I promise. 

Until the truth comes out in full force, turn the knobs up to 11 and remember "[a]lthough what you are about to see is a work of fiction, it should nonetheless be played at maximum volume".

Cheers;

You been cookin' or smudgin'? Smells earthy in here

Well, we did it. 

This afternoon my mother and I lit the sage bundle.

I walked around the house a few times, saying some stuff that I am really hoping works. 

I know it's not the brand I've linked to on Amazon, because, I don't think it "exists" outside whatever store it got branded to (Five Below?). Therefore, you're not going to find the specific two pack on the A to Z retailer. But they've got a lot of other brands to choose from, if it's something you think you need to pick up. 

It was cold enough today, that we not only dressed for early winter, we were able to open the lanai doors and all the windows. We just couldn't open the front door, due to the critter control, as stated in my previous post. 

Each room got their fair share of smoke, while my hands smelled like I was rolling in the extra curricular "get high" process, after all said and done. My clothes smelled like sage, but my hands said "this is some quality shee-it!". I ended up using some of the Aura Cacia peppermint oil later on and my hands ended up smelling a little nutty due to the coconut oil being the carrier for the peppermint.

I think that's what I've not been liking about that peppermint "cooling" oil. It uses fractionated coconut oil, which is a more processed version of coconut oil (and works in other ways and just as well as regular coconut oil) (according to various websites). 

To me, it's more nutty. Once the peppermint oil is dry on my skin, the peppermint smell goes away and I start smelling some toned down roasted nut something. I don't know exactly what kind of nuts, but if it's the coconut oil, that's got to be it.

I still don't like the Eddie's Leather Jacket soap, so it's not a question about that. 

But going back to the smudging of the house: we cleaned, we said some things, we went about our business. 

Including the fact we went to Sprouts, thinking we'd hit some good sales. 

I edited bits of the receipt, so that's why it looks weird. 

I didn't buy much, except they had two Pacha scents on sale:

Peppermint Twist (I bought three bars)

And 

Farmhouse Cider (which not available on Amazon. If you buy it [or anything else] on the Pacha website, you get $6 off your first purchase of $20 or more and I get $5 in points for the referral. So It's a win for both of us). I bought two bars of this one.

I've not tried the Cider one, so I'm excited to use it. I already put one in my shower, which is why I didn't take multiple photos of it.

As you can tell, it's all "hand made", where none are cut the same. 

They may be the same thickness, but it's not all straightly cut on the top. They are a little janky, and the colors / chips within the specific scent aren't totally distributed either. Which might explain why Pacha boxes up all the left overs / bits (called "Peaces") and sells it separately. It's a sample pack of specific kinds / odds and ends. 

I honestly was surprised to see these two flavors today, especially for $1.75 each. They both listed for $6.99 originally, which is why I picked up 5 of them. If there were other holiday related ones clearanced out, I would have bought those as well (instead of 3 of the peppermint and 2 of the Cider... I would have gotten one of each), but since these were the only ones in the sale corner, I grabbed them. 

I know I'm probably being greedy by buying five, but you don't see them at that price often and I do like the product. I really do feel clean after using them and it's not because I'm trying to persuade anyone into buying these bars. I can go a lot of ways with these, by saying "it doesn't smell processed like another national brand might", but you could say the same thing about this brand. To me, I find it just as clean and nice as a certain "Springs", "bird" or one who also sells dish soap (and collabs with toothpaste.. it's all under one roof). I've used those three brands as well, and actually just finished that mountain one. I

t's all gravy, man. Be wild and choose your own adventure. 

It's also late. I didn't realize what time it was. I started this over an hour ago. It's 10:30pm. I suppose I should go to bed before it gets any later. 

Stay frresh!

Cheers