Relive some late 1990s and early 2000s youth!

On Sunday, February 8, 2026, I got to some reliving of my high school and college years in the form of pop music.

I know was Super Bowl Sunday, but I had the opportunity to go see the Broadway production, “& Juliet”. Quite honestly, this was a better experience than sitting at home and watching the New England Patriots get their ass handed to them. From what I understand, they lost really, really badly; I walked in well after the halftime show to see a very low score. It was the fourth quarter and the Seahawks were up 19 to 0. At some point the Pats scored a touchdown (I had walked away from the TV after checking when I walked in the door). Unfortunately, New England would not and could not finish on top, in order to beat Seattle at this late stage of the game. Oh well; when I saw the final 29-13 in the morning, I guess the Washington State fans were extremely happy at the results. Seattle kept a good lead for a solid chunk of the time.

“& Juliet” started relatively on time with a mini show of the cast setting the stage. They pretended to do their work along with waving and saying hi to the audience. There was a moment when the woman playing Juliet sat down at the edge of the stage and talked to the people in the Pit. As the actors moved around, they greeted each other with high fives and quick dancing, which was like the 1980s style pop and lock break dancing. They continued to move set pieces and dance with each other while some of bass heavy instrumental music played on. There were no major speaking roles during this action sequence since everyone was doing their own stagehand work and they needed the focus. I know it was all for show, but it seemed a little redundant at the same time.

All of a sudden, we hear “hello!” come from the stage. It wasn’t a microphoned “hello”, as the show wasn’t quite ready to start. One person was holding signs that were used to inform the audience of “no electronics” and other similar requests, followed by a “thank you”. Once they were totally ready, the show began.

The show was kicked off with an enthusiastic “welcome to the stage and first show of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet””, as the cast started singing the first song, “Larger Than Life”.

Uh huh; this would be the first of many Backstreet Boys songs in the show. It was definitely going to be interesting, since I’m not a big BSB fan. Beggars can’t be choosers, but given my druthers, I think I’d still choose New Kids On The Block first (I’m biased), then *NSYNC, then Backstreet Boys. However, I am on the fence with 98°. I wasn’t a totally big fan, but I know some of their hits. Currently, I’ve yet to master the art of K-Pop, quite honestly, so I don’t know much about BTS or whatever their acronym is. On the flip side, I know what you’re thinking; yes, I can still see and attempt most of the dances to all those boy band songs. Don’t get me started because it’s awkward and humiliatingly bad.

Once finished with the opening number, the cast worked in a brief synopsis of the show we all think we know, character flaws and all. This was meant to be the very first show of “Romeo & Juliet”, so there would be a need for updating as the show progressed. From the point the description ended, it became a complete reimagining of what could have happened.

What this means is, the retelling of the original was in case you were not familiar with the story (current students) or needed a refresher (adults). Once they got that out of the way, it was the radio friendly, popular bubblegum music we smile and sing along with, that served to push the dialogue through the couple hours we sat there. It was something that was needed to guide Shakespeare and his wife along while they went toe to toe on why his version may or may not need some re-writes.

The music and dialogue together didn’t really seem strange or weird. It wasn’t like there was a lot of dialogue and all of a sudden they broke into song, or, they had songs that didn’t completely match the scene or dialogue. The show wasn’t meant to have all songs and little dialogue either – like some productions where they don’t match scenes and you have to struggle with following on. In the instance of this show, they used the songs as dialogue and kept it relevant so you knew what was happening. The songs chosen for this musical were already conversational pieces, so the actors were able to utilize that as part of their discussions.

 An example of this would be the song “I Want It That Way” by The Backstreet Boys.

Again, BSB was heavily used in this show (as well as a few Britney Spears). *NSYNC pops up wildly too. Like I stated earlier, this is a late 1990s and early 2000s pop heavy musical. There are some 2010s mixed in, but the show starts off in the 1998-2003 years.

During the scene for “I Want It That Way”, the characters of Shakespeare and his wife, Anne, are focusing on how to write and end “Romeo & Juliet”. Shakespeare is making the comments of it being his show, his writing, his style. This is his baby and he wants the performance to go his way. However, Anne sees it differently. She states how it could be changed just slightly: empower Juliet more and give her a greater voice. Don’t end it with the two lovebirds dying under false pretenses. What if Juliet woke up and restarted her life? What if she did something else? How can we explore her doing something different with her teenage and adult years? Shakespeare fought against those opinions by stating what he wanted even though his wife wanted her way.

This is why the songs were used as a tête-á-tête to match the speaking: as much as these earworms are mindlessly fun, they were used really great in the overall context to move the show forward. Each character stated their facts and reasons, ending with lines from “I want it that way”, including those specific sentences.

As the musical progressed, new characters were introduced and relationships created, per each Shakespeare spouse version. It wasn’t a mirroring of the original per se, but it was one person interjecting their version into the other. It was a flawless telling of a story without being too crazy and jarring - you knew what you were watching because it meshed into the other. They jumped in personally to say “cut the lights!” and the actors froze in place, shrouded in darkness. The Shakespeares were lit up and hashed the scene out together. They wanted it both their ways and one ended up walking off as the loser for that moment, only to say “cue the lights!” and the scene started up again.

There were quite a few moments where they made fun of William Shakespeare – not only as a person, but in his writing and style, as well as how he was one of the more famous people to push gender boundaries. This production did a fairly decent job of keeping things clean as possible, at least to an extent. There were some “bad words” used during the two and a half hours, including the use of Pink’s “Fuckin’ Perfect” song. However, it felt like the show was something you could still see today if you didn’t know it was based off of a 1597 tragedy. It was family friendly enough that it became both a tragedy and a comedy; but again, it added some profanity (it’s not that society isn’t used to hearing any of it, of course, it’s used sparingly enough) and some adult content. I think the music muddled down the main expletives and allowed some innuendos to go over the heads of any kid that was there, because let’s face it; a certain rodent production house has been doing similar things for decades. Honestly, the worst word was “douche” and it was in the context of calling one of the male characters that, as well as it being in relation to another character in the same instance. I don’t want to create major spoilers so that is all I will say for that particular word and scene.

There were some LGBTQ themes and I know that is a hot topic for some people. A side effect to this (and some slight opinion) is that there has to be some understanding that adults may find it inappropriate for little kids, or even themselves. Knowing that this is Shakespeare and Broadway (and in Florida), the two will eventually meet, mingle and create a show. We are in a strange reality where more productions seem to be using “the LGBTQ agenda” and a lot of people are against that, however it’s also become some sort of normal. Again, thinking back to “this being Shakespeare”, what did he do? Put men and women in drag and create shows; which was also touched upon in this production of “& Juliet”. There was at least a ten minute conversation between characters about this subject – how Shakespeare tried to push the boundary limits.

To elaborate a little more about the themes for this particular show, it seems that reviews have been well received, from what I’ve heard, but there have been some complaints because of the non-straight characters. People are finding it against their belief system and don’t find it acceptable for any form of human to see. Two of the reasons for the negative reviews are the fact people are in drag or the character is finding they like other people who are the same gender as themselves. It’s sad that there are people who have to find hate in everything, but things do happen. I would like to stay as neutral as possible on this subject, so please make sure you research the show (or shows) you are could or would like to see, in the event they are not to your liking. Please understand I’m not condoning the hatred because I don’t find it acceptable. I see these shows not because of an overall specific theme, but because it is entertainment and I’m not here to rip something apart based on some “agenda”. As I’ve said before, I’ll say it again: Do your research and if you see something you don’t like, as in this case, a show, you don’t have to see it. If something looks interesting, go for it – show and share the love.

Admittedly, again, I feel that the music kind of covered for any misgivings, to an extent. It is all bubblegum pop - “Roar” and “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry, “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi, “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, and quite the list from Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and a line or two from *NSYNC. This includes a single from Justin Timberlake. They are earworms a lot of people grew up with or are growing up with. The audio was thumping to the point it was rock concert worthy. There were some seriously bass heavy sounds with powerfully strong vocals. I think if I didn’t put my Apple Watch on “Do Not Disturb” and “Theater Mode”, it would have been going off every few minutes for “Loud Environment: Audio is above 90db”. The flashy visuals included the use of the Jumbotron, GOBOs and pyrotechnics, so there was a definite match for the wild music. It got to the point where it was literally a stadium show with random chit chat by the singers. There’s nothing wrong with it by any means, especially if that is something in your wheelhouse. I’m sure a lot of the older people didn’t like the loud noise, but there was plenty of opportunity for the crowd to clap, cry and whoop their way through the show.

Which brings me to another point of negative reviews: Although there were points where the laughter and applause got so loud, the actors had to stop for a minute, just to soak it all in. As much as I hate to be political, there were a few parts that were definitely politically inspired, even for today’s standards. Not to create spoilers, mind you, but I don’t really include the aforementioned “LGBTQ agenda” as part of the heavily political crazy (even though I can see where it might turn into a problem). There was a good amount of people who were enjoying the show and its poking fun of the current society we are living in.

Overall, this was a fairly good show. I had gone with my mother and one of our neighbors, so I did hear them laugh at the scenes and sing along to the songs. At the end, my mother said she “really enjoyed this show” and that she found it to be “the next generation’s “RENT”. I can see that comparison and understand where she’s coming from. I’m glad she enjoyed the show and had something to compare it to, not that you can compare any other show to “RENT”, given its theme, but point taken.

Would I see this show again? I honestly don’t know. It was a great show, don’t get me wrong. I bought a hoodie and I told Emi about it because she’d dig the sound and vision (mostly the vision) aspect of it, since she’s doing full time work at the House of Mouse rival. She would love the way the stage was lit, the random pyrotechnics (even in the first row of the audience), even the confetti bomb at one point. I personally was trying to enjoy the show but still was having some challenges because I was looking for mistakes while secretly doing the band dance to each song. It’s a vicious cycle of crazy some days because I want to enjoy the production at a full 100% but knowing some “industry secrets” from decades ago, I can’t forget those, so I look for them. It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but it was also a great experience to see since now I have something more to talk about and understand why people are positively hyping it up.

Without creating more of a long, spoiler induced post, I am going to stop here and think of the next thing to write. I have another review of a cleaning product I need to work on, so until I can sort out those words, dance like no one is watching and clean the earworms out of your head.

Cheers;

Pictures included below were taken with an iPhone 17, showing where I was located, and just basic set pieces because we couldn't use electronics during the show. 

The beginning of the show when everyone was sitting down, I wish I got a better picture of the stage. I should have walked down and taken a photo, so I'm sorry the pictures aren't as super clear and colorful. The walls with the artwork are the GOBOs and during intermission changed to the purple coloring. That's just a light shone on the walls - the images are on a metal disk in a studio light. The purple was during intermission, which I walked down to talk to someone I know, who was sitting closer to the stage.

The stage during intermission was reset to something else, and this time I did a somewhat better focus, sort of. The "Romeo" was taken at my seat, but I was paying more attention on getting the zoom more clear, but it's still washed out in light.

My mother did marvel at the seating though, as she has seen shows where she sat closer. She made the comment on how "The stage looks bigger when you're more up front". She's used to being 7 or 8 rows back, not 24. She still enjoyed it, and would love to see something else. We'll see, time will tell.

For those interested, Amazon has the soundtrack available to download (as an MP3 album) or purchase (as a CD or on vinyl). If more information is needed, there's an official site where you can preview things and see the trailer. 

I got word...

... that a certain book is on presale right now. 

My friend Rachael has been working diligently on an animal rights book (well, a "we need to end bullfighting" story based on (political) headlines coming out of certain Spanish countries) for a couple years and she has now officially started the process of getting it self published (on Amazon). 

The book is titled Sangre De Toro and the (Amazon) synopsis is:

When Pepelito dramatically escapes certain death in a bullfight, he enrages some and delights others. Taken pity on by Rita Silvera, a caring homicide detective, he soon begins to heal from the physical and psychological torture of the bullring.

But Pepelito's nightmare is not over. Javier Castella is the best matador in Spain - maybe the world. He would kill for a chance to finish his masterpiece - and he's not the only one.

Because, as Rita soon learns, a serial killer is on the loose. And her love of animals might make her the next target...

Rachael has done so much research with this book, that it is being supported by CAS International. CAS International is group that " wants to end bullfighting and other 'cultural' events that cause animal suffering".

As we've been friends for over 20 years and routinely talk about everything going on, I promised Rachael that when the book was ready, I'd promote it on here for her. 

Currently, the Kindle version is listed as a presale only on Amazon, and it's located here, for $8.90 (US, as she's British and working in England). It'll be released April 30, 2024. All other versions will be released sometime in May (trade secrets that I can't post here).

The last time we had a good conversation about it, she stated that the proceeds are going to go to a charity to have bullfighting banned. I hope all her work (literally & figuratively) pays off because from what she's told me, this sport really shouldn't exist. We've all seen some sort of version of bullfighting and think nothing of it, but there's so many things behind the scenes relating to a moment of quick movements, that we don't know how bad it really is for the animal. No one talks about the politicians that support this, the harm (cuts, bruises, death) that comes to the bull... I feel it's quite possibly the equivalent what we commonly hear about the way chickens / cows / pigs are treated on farms in order to get us every day food. We're not eating these bulls after a fight, but they're more disrespected by owners and trainers and everyone else than we actually want to know about. 

So please support my friend Rachael and check her book out. It's a good read (I have previewed it in its early stages) and worth the time and effort. Rachael has done an amazing job in writing Sangre De Toro and I am so so proud of her. 

Cheers;

These little birdies...

... Aren't at my window... 

.. But they are outside.. singing up a storm...

Okay, so I tweaked Bob Marley's Three Little Birds song a bit, and I also got some slightly fuzzy pictures, but at least I made the attempt to capture someone new hanging out on the wall. 

He and his friends have been here for a few days already, but today was the first time I got to capture him in print. Sadly, I obviously didn't do so great as I was using my Canon Zoom Lens and shooting through the kitchen window with the lights on and the fog outside starting to dissipate. 

But at least I got a couple "good" photos. 

Plus the bird hanging on the lamp post in the adjacent parking lot. I think he's waiting for Saturday morning services to begin, even though no one else is there yet.

I started listening to The Scarecast yesterday at work. I think it's produced in what they're calling "3D immersive audio" because you get so wrapped up in the (less than 15 minute) story, when something creepy comes along in the headphones, you think it's right there with you. I know some of Aaron Mahnke's new stuff is being promoted as binaural audio and I've been looking forward to listening to his stuff. I just didn't know it's been going on for a few years, if The Scarecast has been using a similar feature. 

Each episode of the podcast is taken from various social network sites, as it's user generated and the person who created the podcast is the one putting it all together and reading the story. It's not one of those rainbow and lollipop shows - what I've heard so far is not dark, but it's not for an easy day of playing games. As the title alludes to, it's supposed to scare you, so with the random immersive audio, the knock on a door actually feels like it's in the room you are in. I don't want to give too many spoilers away, but the random ones about buying a car on Craigslist were crazy. Who is hyped up on energy at 3 in the morning and answers a post about buying a car? Overall, it's seemingly a decent listen, and again, being 15 minutes or under, it goes by quick. 

Time to get up and get out... so until I can find another topic... take care of things.

Cheers

No acrostics here, but I know someone reading one...

It's true - I know someone (Tay) reading a "memoir" of a musician, where the book is loaded with acrostics. All iterations of the autobiography are apparently loaded with secret messages. If you want to get lost down a rabbit hole, I can cite examples and links to the information I've been given. 

Today (this post) is not that moment where I'm debunking the theories and looking for answers, even though I've been on the same flight of thought for a while. It just took my friend 18 years to own up to sharing both what he knew and that we kind of have similar questions. 

What I've got going on here is an update on the whole Hotwire shenanigans. 

I was able to get in contact (via email) with the launch coordinator for my community. I had asked him some simple questions and received some answers. 

• Is there any way to add my name as a secondary user (to the account) in case I need to call Hotwire on my mother's behalf?
• "Yes, we have the ability to add secondary users onto accounts."

I just needed to supply her PIN number and I would be on the list. 

• I have been using a Roku streaming device on my bedroom TV. I have been able to sign in to specific apps (Fox, History Channel) with my Comcast email address. Now that we do not have a subscription with the company, I can not use those channels on my streaming device without logging in to an existing cable account. Is there a way to fix this and still use the Roku?
• "Hotwire also subscribes to the TV Everywhere platform, which allows cable customers to sign in with their hotwire credentials provided those apps support Hotwire.  History Channel for instance, while we aren't front facing as a cable provider like Xfinity is, the more providers section allows you to search for Hotwire and find us and sign in once you are installed with your Hotwire services"

So there IS the ability to sign in with a username. However, I did ask something relating to usernames:

• When it is set up, do I get my own (separate) username or am I using hers for log in purposes? If I get my own username, does that mean I get my own PIN as well? 
• As far as actual logins/usernames go?  Unlike Xfinity, there is only one per account.  Xfinity provides multiple since they also do email based services but as we don't, it's only one per.

In other words, because Hotwire offers internet but not email services, there's no way to have multiple user on the account and each have their own log in information. The guy added me as a secondary user to be able to make calls, but that's it. I don't have a separate user name or PIN number or any other access besides being able to talk to someone in case of breakage. 

Which means I need my mother's username and password to log in to the activation screens of all my apps. 

When you go to activate the services, you have to go to a specific website (something like the channel name dot com / activate). On the television screen, it tells you the link and the code to enter. You've usually got to select your streaming device, then your cable provider and then enter the code. From there, it goes to a new page to have you log in to that provider's website to validate the app / make sure you have a current subscription. 

I've chose the A&E landing page for this demonstration.

I didn't clip the next page, which would the after the "continue" because I don't have anything loaded right now to be able to activate the app. I made that attempt the other day. 

Yes, I logged in to my mother's account and am using her name to verify all 18 apps. I don't think I should have to, but if people are sharing other services, why should this one be so difficult? I live in the house and am the watcher of the shows. I pay my mother half of the bill. It's what it is. 

Just that Hotwire seems to have half their shit together, to offer people various forms of entertainment. 

It's funny how when the techs were here installing everything, they all said just to go to the Google Play store and download the app. 

Which, by the way, you need a Google account to do any of that - totally presumptuous, isn't it? Way to assume people have an account and are doing downloading that way. Not everyone has an Android just like not everyone has an Apple. TiVo running an Android system and making users log into their Google account to download apps is a giant ask. At least with Comcast, any app you put on the box was via their server on their box and you were logged in to their account. Free or not, at least Comcast kept everything in their environment. 

Anyway, by logging in to Google and downloading the apps, you then watch them on the Fusion / TiVo box because you don't need the Roku or any other streaming device because now everything is on this box. 

Well, having now signed into all the apps on my Roku blows the "you don't need your Roku" comment out of the water, as it's just as important to add that one of the techs who was here to figure out what became the casting issue, said outright that he doesn't trust the devices himself, for personal log in information. He refuses to use these smart boxes because he knows how dysfunctional they are and doesn't want his credentials anywhere inside the box. 

By the way, he's supposed to be a lead tech person for the company, not one of the third party contracted techs. 

Kind of sad when they gripe to you about what they're installing. 

But at the point he said all this, he was way too super frustrated because he didn't know why the box kept freezing and going out. He's so smart, he should have realized it's a main setting issue with mirroring. 

Even after I asked if there was a setting problem, he said no. So he leaves and I went in my damn self and turned off the casting option on all three boxes. It's a deep rooted system setting, but I did it. I figured it out. 

Yet I can't get a tech job. Or any decent job for that matter. 

That's neither here nor there. 

So yeah... for right now, I'm logged in to my Roku under my mother's screen name for all the cable stations. I don't need to use the TiVo box and download any app. 

Yes, in the end, part of my squawking about Hotwire has been accomplished, but it's not all there. I'm still mad we had to go through all these different steps, as well as not having my own username and other issues. There should be a way to split things up and make it less confusing, but according to the social network pages for the community, people are having more challenges as the days go by, and we aren't even a full 3 months into a 10 year contract. 

Someone said we (as a community) should get some sort of lawsuit going about this. I didn't read the whole comment, but a lawsuit was mentioned regarding how we get played by the master board (members who live in this community, to boot). It's too long a detail to go into so I'm not going to try to rehash the suggestions. 

I guess I'll find out later if all this was for nothing, if I go to watch something. 

Until that happens, it's time to get ready for the day.

Cheers;

"It’s good to go to the funeral, but better to continually visit after the funeral is over"

 ... As heard on (I think) NPR a couple weeks ago.

I don't even remember the context, but I stumbled into a conversation that day and thought that quote was interesting. 

Much like I've finally caught up with the Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society podcast and have learned a lot about various pieces of history. Not just sex (okay, maybe a lot of escapades in the bedroom... including the "Santaphilia: Sexual Attraction to Santa" episode where there's such a thing as a sex toy advent calendar... to which my friend Cat says she wants one. 😮 Not surprised), but also about the definition of "Trash" and how each culture views it differently. The history of blues is not what we think, and there's such a thing as getting free plastic surgery if you're in jail. 

Honest - there's a book about it too. It's called Killer Looks: The Forgotten History of Plastic Surgery in Prisons and it's by Zara Stone. The podcast / interview was interesting because it starts off referencing that "hot mug shot guy" and Ms. Stone's book talks about how "the 1920s up to the mid-1990s, half a million prison inmates across America, Canada, and the U.K willingly went under the knife, their tab picked up by the government", among other facts (like the surgery is to help with reducing recidivism).  

If I recall correctly, this might also have been the episode where they talked about an experiment where a percentage of people had their mug shot and photoshopped with all jail type features taken out of it - tattoos, dirt, anger, etc. What took its place was a few pretty filters, color correction.. things that made the photo to look decent, and attached it to a resume. There are countries that require a head shot with your resume, still, and these people were asked to have multiple interviews for the job and said they would be hired based on their photo. The employer didn't know this was a convict applying - all law breaking was left out of the equation. When the employer was given the real photo and told this person was a criminal, the business said "no thank you". But show them the pretty picture and say the person is a felon? Sure, based on looks, they would be asked for an interview. 

Sounds crazy, I know. But apparently there's such a thing for it. It's not all scripted reality shows we see on TV (A&E  and Fox television, I'm looking at you*). 

I swear.. the things I listen to and try to share with people, but not everyone wants to be a part of the Care Bear lesson. 

Those that want to know more, they take it and run. Although the Betwixt podcast comes with a "fair dues" warning for every episode because it can be quite naughty some days (like the episode 'History of Porn' or 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'" and others can be quite gross (like the episode about 'Food, Sin & Shame'). 

Now that I'm caught up with that, it's a matter of catching up with the rest of the things I'm listening to, to be able to start something else (The trailer for 12 Ghosts sounds amazing). 

So grab a pair of headphones (or a good sound bar to hook up to) and enjoy the immersion...

Cheers;

See Also (aka references)

* A&E has a show called 60 Days In

* Fox has a show we all know and secretly loved in the 90s: COPS

Knock hard, like you're ATF or FBI. Not a tweaker.

 Picture this:

It's 7 o'clock in the morning. 

It's a weekday (it actually was this past Tuesday, the 29th). 

You're just wrapping up the making of breakfast (smoothie and a coffee) so you can check emails and you've got the blender in the sink, washing it out.

All of a sudden, you hear bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang!!!!!!!!!! 

Like, what the actual hell... it's only 7:05 in the morning. Why's someone knocking on the front door like there's a fire in their apartment and I'm the only one on the street with a Dixie Cup of water? 

I get to the front room and look out the window.

The surfer bro that lives in the next block of units, is standing outside, waving at me like he's some sort of special.

I open the door, and poke my head out.

He's obviously cold, as he has on a decently heavy letterman jacket, but he's not cold enough, where there's no shirt on under it and he also is wearing shorts with no shoes. 

At least his curly blond hair is not wild and his door knocker nose ring is straight. 

And it wasn't that chilly out. Maybe mid 60s, but then again, I hate the Florida climate. Cold is good.

As this was the first ever conversation I've had with him, in the 11 years I've been here, I was quite surprised how polite he was trying to be. 

I asked him what's up, and he says "I hope I didn't wake you", acting all innocent. 

Bro, you just almost banged a hole in my front door, and it's not yet 7:15. You might have woken the neighbors across the road with your pounding. 

I said he didn't wake me.

"Okay, okay. Good", he says, smiling. His hands are already wringing themselves. 

He goes on to ask me if I checked my mail yesterday and I say yes (side note: for every 2 blocks of units, they share a common bank of lockable mailboxes).

He asked me if I'm sure, and I again say yes.

I don't even know his name, by the way. 

He's mulling over how he wants to ask me about the mail. You could tell, especially the way he kept constantly rubbing his hands inside each other.

He asks if I'm number 104, and I say yes. He says "good. Good. I'm 104 in the next section. You said you got your mail yesterday?"

"Yes"

"Well, I'm not accusing you of stealing or anything", he says, now his hands are out, as if he's trying to defend himself, "but I am missing my mail".

Uh... we have lock box mailboxes. Each slot has it's own special key to open. I can't get into his mailbox, much like he can't get into mine.

I said "oh?" and raised my eyebrows.

"Yes. Like I said, I'm not trying to accuse you of stealing, but I am missing a package. I got an email saying my jewelry was delivered at 1:34 yesterday afternoon and it's not there. So I need you to go to your mailbox right now and check your box".

I reiterated we checked our mail and we don't have anything.

He kept doing a slight shift in front of me. Almost like the pee pee dance, but more nervous. 

He said that he really needed me to go check again, because he is sure I have it in my mailbox, even though he's not saying I'm a thief. 

I assured him we checked our mail in the afternoon and didn't get it. Maybe it was delivered to another 104 , because that does happen a lot. 

He didn't want to listen. He was pressuring me to get my mailbox key and take him to the box. 

It was nerve wracking for me because I don't know him from anything. I've seen him around walking his two dogs, but we've never had a conversation, and now he's tweaking out at my front door. 

After 5 minutes of going back and forth, I said to him to wait a minute. 

I shut the door, locked it, and went to get my mother. I explained what was happening. He obviously wasn't leaving. 

So she gets to the front door, unlocks it, and asks him what's going on. 

He explains how he got "an email from Etsy saying the jewelry was delivered on or in the mailbox. Which doesn't make sense - why would you put it on the box? It wasn't in mine". 

My mother says we never got his mail. He asks her if she's sure, because the email said it was delivered at 1:34pm. She said she went to the box after 2:30 and we had nothing.

He was dancing around some more through all this and asked again if she's sure it was after 2. She said yes.

He said he trusted us, but still needed to make sure, so my mother said she would get our keys. He said it's not a problem, he believes her.

She asked him if he had asked any other neighbor and he said no. She said that maybe if they put the actual block numbers on the houses, people would get their packages because other neighbors report missing stuff too. We see it on the social media apps. 

He said it would make sense to have numbers on the doors, but he really needs his jewelry he ordered, right now. 

We said we didn't have it, and my mother suggested he put a note in his mailbox for the postal worker. That an email came saying a package was delivered and it's not there. See what happens. 

He said he would do that. 

He thanked us and walked away. 

It took 10 minutes and felt so much longer. It was weird and awkward and he's lucky I didn't have a gun or call the cops. I know people who would have done both, and actually have heard a story from a neighbor who has a conceal to carry card and he had an incident when we first moved here. It was 3am and two tweakers came to our neighbor's house for a drug deal and when they saw the pistol, they knew they were at the wrong door. All because who knocks at 3am unless you're emergency services??

So that night, we had some company and were walking them out with Surfer Tweaker Bro rides past us on his longboard. It's pitch black out and he's got one of the dogs with him. Again, no shirt, no shoes, any maybe just a little brain service. 

He sees us and stops in the middle of the road. My mother saw him stop and asks him if he found anything out. 

Sure enough, he did. He called the post office and talked to someone on our route. Come to find out, it was mis-delivered and then re-delivered to his unit. So he did in fact have the necklace he ordered, in his possession and it all worked out okay. 

My mother said that that is good and she's glad he took care of it. He agreed and off he skated. 

So in the end, positive things do happen, but if you're a dumb dumb over it, you might not be so lucky. Again, we could have easily called the police due to the way he was acting and accusing us (but not accusing us) of stealing, not truly listening to our "sorry, we don't have it" and the insistence we go with him 👏 rightnow .

I'd say "smoke em if you got em", but even the most powerful stuff can't calm you down after that mess. Unless you find something good and care to share, but still... don't do what surfer bro did and act a fool. 

Until my nerves become unbound, rest easy.

Cheers! 

See also (aka "what's for breakfast")

Smoothie:

• Orgain Organic Protein + Superfoods Powder, Vanilla Bean
  
• Coconut Water

Options in smoothie:

• Nut butter
  
• Turmeric Powder
  
• Frozen Fruit & Veggies (it acts as ice, or get fresh bananas - cut and freeze. It makes like an ice cream base)
  
• Fresh (whole) cranberries

Don't forget the blender.

Expand your mind...

... and the words do follow.

I started reading Harold and Maude on Monday, after finishing Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing Up in Polygamy by Dorothy Allred Solomon. For a 352 page book, it sure as hell took me long enough to finish. I think I was working on that thing for 4 months, yet it feels like a year. It doesn't help that I wasn't reading it every day, so that's probably why I feel it was taking a decade to get through.

But with the Harold and Maude book, where "it's only" 137 pages", I am currently on page 43. Yes, I started it Monday and I should be further in to it because today is Friday, but I also have to work. It's funny how it's quite literally the transcript to the movie, as if Hal Ashby couldn't be bothered to try to work out anything from the book and make his own adaptation. The only thing that's been left out, it seems, is the private thoughts of everyone within the pages. Example being Harold's mother talking to her self (in her head) about one of the parties or Harold mansplaining something to himself. Plus the introduction of Maude's house. There's more depth to where she lives (in the book) and she has neighbors apparently. Unless I totally missed that part in the movie. This is all the more reason I should be deeper into reading it, but again, work calls. 

I'm hoping I'll have more time this weekend to dive in to it. I know the #spoileralert for the ending, but it'd be nice to see how they write in all the music to this, or even if it's talked about, seeing how Cat Stevens specifically wrote songs for the movie soundtrack. Can't quote lyrics if it doesn't exist yet. Since I haven't gotten to the part in the book where the duo start singing, it's going to be interesting.

Speaking of interesting, it's almost 6:30 in the morning and I've got to start my day. Showers beckon and work will call soon....

So go watch the movie. Then read the book. Or vice versa. 

Cheers;

“We’re drinking, my friend...”

“To the end of a brief episode

Make it one for my baby

And one more for the road”

Frank Sinatra

One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

1940

I forgot to mention yesterday that I’m using my phone for the post, along with my Logitech mouse and Apple keyboard. I’m using the same set up today.

My friend Rachael, the one with the ladybug podcast, has switched donation sites. I don’t know if she’s still on Patreon, but she was promoting Ko-Fi the last couple episodes of her insect show. 

I thought I’d help her out by promoting her various links.

* Twitter: @hwabpodcast

* Instagram: @365.ladybird

* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiddenwingsandbloodlust

* Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/G2G63KMOK

She has been having quite the few interviews lately, including a “low level government official” out of Baltimore, MD. Rodney C Burris, who also is a “professional development coach and speaker” according to the show notes, and his interview. He has a few Books on Amazon, which seem like the usual suspects of motivational readings. There’s nothing wrong with it, and quite honestly, Mr. Burris seems like he would be amazing to have a few conversations with, just hanging out and chatting. No pressure or anything; purely based on his interaction with Rachael. However, the professional that he is, who knows how real it was. I always take self esteem speakers with a grain of salt. 

Much like when Ray Higdon spoke at the hotel I worked at, and I had to run his lighting for him. The only thing I liked about that event was the fact we got to use different lighting backgrounds (walls and such) and my work went up the corporate ladder to the SWFL area manager, who called me out to other locations... he was impressed on what I had done. 

Too bad that AV job didn’t amount to much in the end, due to lack of events in the area... my boss wanted me to grow within the lighting world and “become one of the few females within the company who can do proper event lighting” and possibly invest in the travel part of the business. 

*shrugs*

Anyway, go check out my friend Rachael. This May marks 20 years I’ve known her... she’s a keeper, apparently! LOL.

Cheers;

Shamrockin' the shirt

 Every time I wear my Celtic FC shirt, I start singing Rod the Mod's You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim). Moreover, the line You're Celtic, United, but baby I've decided / You're the best team I've ever seen goes on repeat for a couple hours before I have to start ignoring the voices in my head and attempt to do some work. 

Oddly enough, it hasn't happened when I wear my Boston Irish shirt. Although, I do tend to wear that solely on St. Paddy's Day, I am wearing the Celtic shirt today because it was surprisingly cold when I woke up this morning. 

I'm 142 episodes into a podcast called Into The Fray, and there was an interview on episode 141 with a couple of Florida authors (Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz). They've been on the show a few times already, and this episode (from 2018) was promoting their book Freaky Florida. They do a lot of research all over the state and not only write about weird things happening, Kari draws some stuff as well as photographs being added to help bring everything together. 

One of the things they talked about, which I've heard before in another podcast, is how some of the cities got their names. As Florida had been a highly Native American part of the country, most names here are Native American related (Tallahassee, Lake Okeechobee [aka "Lake O" since no one wants to pronounce it or spell it], Calusa /   Caloosahatchee River, Seminole, Apalachee, etc). 

The one thing that I've heard before is how Kissimmee got its name. According to this podcast (I'm going to try to get as much of the context in this quote as I can, as I am re-listening to the episode), a contact the writers have in the Seminole Tribe says, "A lot of people assume the name 'Kissimmee', was named for some Indian word that was forgotten. It was known as the Kissimmee River originally." 

The contact that the writers have, also stated that he [contact] plus other tribes and their members did some more research over the terms that people are using, especially since the city is one of those words "people assumed it was a name that has been forgotten". 

What the people found out, was part of a darker past. "Apparently after the Second Seminole War, they were trying to relocate everybody to the Reservations passed the Mississippi. When they were moving people out, a lot of tribes didn't want to go. They were going to be forced to live next to other tribes they were at war with. It was easier to try to hide and stay in the state... deep in the swamps and stuff. As the land was expanding, settlers were moving in. The settlers were given carte blanche to do whatever they wanted to, to the tribes. Kill the men, do whatever to the women and children. One Indian maid saw / heard what had happened in a nearby town, where they had raped all the women and killed all the men. The Indian / Seminole language at this point had no word for 'rape' so when they [settlers] came to drive the Indians off their land, this woman tried to offer herself up to them. Having no word for rape, she was trying to use the English word 'kiss me'... 'kissimmee'". 

The statements the podcast host makes after hearing this, is it sounds like the woman was trying to "distract" the settlers, "or appease them", and the question the hosts asks, is if there's another part of the story - "do we know the the story exactly what happened during that time". The authors stated that they don't know because "this is an oral history that has been passed down over time", and their contact is actually further trying to research this information. The only thing they know is from what stories people already saying about this.

As I have heard the exact reference before, which might even have been aired on another episode of this podcast, I thought it was interesting how, being originally from Massachusetts, there are other stories behind how the rest of the country got its' language and terms. Considering it's a yearly rite of passage for Massachusetts school children to go visit Plymouth Plantation during their studies, as well as the legal age children (21+ year olds) to visit a couple adult theme parks (casinos) in Connecticut, you really don't know what the rest of the world had for tribes until you visit the state or do more research. 

There's an interesting mini-series that aired a few years ago, called Saints & Strangers and it's about the arrival of the English to Massachusetts and how there was a tense battle between the tribes that were already there and the English coming to make a new home. It's one of those "Thanksgiving" movies that show a little more history and slight perspective on how we all got here. 

Loads of stuff to think about today. Pretty heavy things too. It's light and dark mind expansion and if we can learn something every day, I think we can be in a better place. Pass on to others what you learn and they can probably tell you something they might know about the same subject. Read. Listen. Talk to people. 

Behave and take care of yourself.

Cheers;

Someone drank the conspiracy kool aid?

July 12th is upon us! Amazon Prime Day has officially begun, with deals every few minutes to hours. Some are great, some are ok, and the rest that are in between, can be a hit or miss. Just depends on what you're looking for.

I happened to have found a book the other day, that I've started, called The President's Vampire. It's book two in a 3 book series* by Christopher Farnsworth. I happened to pick it up, not knowing it was the second title in the series (this is what happens when you shop after market stores). I am about halfway done with it, and truth be told, this book can stand out on its own. There are little hints from the first book, Blood Oath, but not enough to make you stop reading.

I just think it's funny, because the way this book is written, it feels like Mr. Farnsworth drank the conspiracy flavored kool aid. As in, he is on the same Reptilian Agenda road that a certain grey haired Brit and his pals want society believing in and against. Add a vampire that has a shred of President Lincoln's blood in him, and you have yourself over 300 pages of "this shit can't be real... can it?".

The "exact" synopsis (courtesy of Amazon):
For 140 years, vampire Nathaniel Cade has been bound to protect and serve the United States of America. When an ancient evil is resurrected, the President's Vampire and his human handler, Zach Barrows, must track down its source. The prime suspect is a shady private defense contractor who may be dealing with powers far deadlier than any mortal weapon. So it's up to Cade and Zach to drag the forces of darkness into the light..

I like conspiracies, I like science fiction, I like vampire hunting. Who doesn't? Sometimes, there are some nutso theorem that are so outlandish, it falls right into the sci-fi lap and people eat it up. Based on all the reviews of this series, I can see why. Farnsworth writes well, and has made some great fictional accounts on how the American Government needs to continue handling their business with the War On Terror. Leave it to a bloodsucker to get the job done, and you got yourself a deal.

I may seriously be buying the other books by the end of the day, just to play it safe and be able to see what I'm missing.

The only problem becomes...  if Jimmy Hoffa gets found, we're all in trouble. We're going to Hell in a hand basket if he's found alive.

By the way: I've got some extra tin foil, for those who need new hats...



Cheers;



* Four books, as there's a 52 page shorty called The Burning Men.

A view of a skylight

Good books tend to last me a week, once I start reading them. Those kind of paperbacks that just pull you right in and make you not get up until you read the very last punctuated sentence on the very last page.

That is how it was for me and Room by Emma Donoghue. Although it took me about six days from start to finish (I had to work, unfortunately), I couldn't put it down.

Quick research, the author stated she did some heavy research of her own - drawing inspiration from national headlines and other stories based on the subject (see here). The premise of the book is a young (26 year old) woman, held captive for seven years in an 11 by 11 square foot room. After two years alone, she bore a son, Jack. Jack is the narrator of the story, and ultimately Ma's hero. Living his whole life in this tiny space, Jack doesn't know any different. He can't go out and play, he doesn't have friends (except those he makes on the TV - Dora and Diego, among others, including real life Ma), he knows little of "Outside" and thinks it's Outer Space. This doesn't mean he's being raised stupid. Ma gets books for him once a week, if she asks right, from the man who captured her, Old Nick. Old Nick is one of those sleezeball tricksters, who was able to kidnap Ma at the right moment in time. When he's not sexually abusing her at night, he is leaving them alone during the day. What he doesn't bring in reading materials, he brings in real basic necessities - food, drink, clothes, hygiene materials (soap, toothpaste, brushes, etc). Unfortunately, Old Nick likes to keep them hidden, so the only way little Jack knows about the world is through a skylight and what he sees via bunny ears on the television. Ma tells him things about how life used to be for her, but she sugar coats it. In the end, the pair survive a harrowing ordeal that puts both of them in danger,but ends up putting Old Nick away. Having enough of Jack and his questions, Old Nick's abuse, Ma sorts out a plan to escape. With Jack being the spry one to pull it off, they get out, and Jack learns about the real world. Story ends on happier terms than it should be, although you do find yourself rooting for the pair the whole time through.

While reading Room, I really could imagine this happening. We're taught from a young age about strangers with vans or walking... offering candy or help finding their lost puppy. Unfortunately, it happens all too often in life, and with Room being fiction, Donoghue really hit the nail on the head in making the characters feel like it's true. Using pop culture references, sure, it can happen in the early 2000s, but how prevalent is it in any generation? I remember growing up in the 1980s, hearing stories, being told "don't talk to strangers", "always find a policeman", etc. I think this novel really deserves the accolades it has gotten, and will get. A must read, for sure, and book to not pass up.

Cheers;








See also:

That... was interesting

Just finished City of the Snakes, and I must say, it came together nicely, however, it was surprising. One of the most surprising parts: when Shan brought together his two pivotal characters (Raimi from book one, and Jeery from the second), each man had his own narrative towards the end. To distinguish between the two, Shan used different fonts. I can't tell which type it was, but it was noticeable. At first, the change in letters was confusing, but once I read on, I figured out who was saying what. My only real concern was the fact it revolved a little heavy on the Jeery character, rather wrap the first two books together, nicely. True, this one did elaborate a lot more in to Jeery's history and why the people he's known to trust, seem to have screwed him over, but like the second book, they kept Raimi a lot out of the picture. It seemed rushed in places, to make the two stories mesh in the third, but beggars can't be choosers. Each character's history did end up being explained... rather hastily in some points, but done in taste in others.

In all, this series was great. It kept you interested in reading about "history" and what corrupted power can do to you. I compare it to what we fictitiously know about some big mob figure head, straight out of New York, ruling the state and taking no prisoners. There are talks in the series where this Raimi needs to talk over the rest of the world, so attribute the New Yorker to take over Jersey, all of New England and then the rest of the United States. Stupid comparison, I know. But like I've said before, Darren Shan has written a trilogy that keeps you second guessing and wanting to delve deeper into some gangster's underbelly world, praying you come out alive.

If you make it out of New York, aim for Vegas. Make it out of Vegas and you rule the world.


I'm excited to read more of Mr. Shan's work!


Cheers;





Further reading:

Darren Shan on Amazon

...And book two shall set the trilogy...

As mentioned in my last post, Ah yoo a nahc?, I've started the adult series Darren Shan wrote.

With the first book originally titled "Ayuamarca", (and later titled Procession of the Dead) The City devours you. Capac Raimi and his quest for answers, be damned! Hell's Horizon (book two) is on the prowl!

Ah yoo a nahc?

No... erm... I nicked that line from The Heat. But it's really Ayuamarca.

Having just read book one of "The City" trilogy by Darren Shan, Procession of the Dead: 1 (The City trilogy) I felt like I needed an update into my blog. The story brings you quickly in to a fictitious underbelly of gangster ruling. Just like any other mob books. But this has "history"....not of New York or Jersey. Shan built this adult novel around Inca ideas and thoughts. Having stated in the beginning, he uses months and names as the titles for his chapters. Some of his characters also deal with their pre Columbia American roots (aka parts of modern day South America).

The focus is a new underling, Capac Raimi. The story starts by Raimi stepping off a train to meet his uncle Theo, and as his time progresses in The City, the story finishes in a whirlwind of sex, questions (both answered and unanswered), drugs, booze, killings, and a quick rise to the top of an elevator shaft. Not ruining it for those who like to delve deep into suspense, murder and mob rules, Shan did the adult fans justice by writing this novel.

I was already a fan of him, as it was, because he happened to write a book series for young adults. The series was of vampires who don't sparkle. Instead, they joined a tent show (among other things). I've yet to read the other YA books he writes, but I do have to give Mr. Shan credit. His stories are addicting and very well thought out. Number one best sellers for quite the few of them. I look forward to snagging other editions.

Therefore, I'm about to start volume two, Hell's Horizon (The City), so I'll let you know in a few days how great this is (then it's off to the last of the series, City of the Snakes).



Cheers;



See more:

Darren Shan's Amazon page with Bio

Procession of the Dead (The City trilogy Book 1)

Hell's Horizon (The City trilogy Book 2)

City of the Snakes (The City trilogy Book 3)