Is it a secret if they willingly tell you?

When I went to the library the other day, I asked about the decals on the bookshelf:

• Where does the library pick them up - is it a specific site or store? 
• Are they widely available anywhere else? 

The librarian told me, rather openly, that another person "Google image searches the images, prints them, and then laminates them". I asked about the main sign, and was promptly told "that's done by someone at the main library. In the admin offices, there's a design team who works on all of those posters". The person I was talking to didn't know where the designer got the images to put it all together, as they only knew the posters arrived as you see it. Therefore, insight was limited for the creation of bigger stuff. Small stuff was different - it was all done at this branch. 

I had went on to say how I saw the pictures the other day and was really intrigued, but didn't know, or think to ask, where they came from. I know so many people (including myself) who would love the have the cryptids hanging around as decoration, but couldn't figure out where the pictures were from. The librarian basically / begrudgingly agreed with me, as I think she wanted me gone at that point because I asked her a seemingly weird question. 

I did thank her for her help and told her I appreciated the information. 

There you go; or there I have it: Whenever the library switches over to a new theme on the book case, someone in the facility goes to Google, looks for various images, meticulously cuts them out, and then the images are laminated (and cut again). 

I honestly didn't think it was that easy. Kind of taking the cheap way out, but I also understand why they would do it. It's more economical to find your own photos and tape them up, rather than continuously buy sets of decals you may not want all of (let's say it is a pack of 100 and you only want 5 or 6 images from that pack). 

Plus, depending on your printer situation, you're "only wasting" ink for a dozen or so small images. Packs of card stock or other paper can be on sale a lot too. A laminating machine basically pays for itself after the first few uses, especially if you've got a lot of things you want to put behind a plastic sheet. 

Proof it doesn't hurt to ask and the answer you get may surprise you!

Cheers;

See also (aka ideas to help home crafters):

(links via Amazon)

• Laminating machine
• Laminating sheets
• Paper cutter
• Crafting scissors
• Printer Paper
• Printer (research says any printer can work, just as long as you change the settings to print photos)

"People come and people go"

"Winds that howl and winds that blow

And you, got to let it go.

People come and people go

Winds that howl and winds that blow

And you, got to let it go."

Strangefolk. Lyrics to "Lines and Circles". From the album,"Lore". 1995.

It's been a wild celebrity ride this year, and it's not even September yet. There have been so many deaths, someone, somewhere, is super mad at the hairless apes roaming the world. 

I'm not going to go through what will become the Television Academy's "In Memoriam" page, but I do want to touch upon several "big names" for me, leading to the more recent news this week. I also am going back and forth in months because I am looking them up as I type this.

I read last month that Bud Cort had passed away in February, due to "complications of pneumonia". I don't recall this making major news because I would have remembered hearing about it when it happened; unless outlets were covering it really quickly during working hours and my not watching television. While I've only seen a handful of his movies (most notably, "Harold & Maude"), I didn't know much more of him or that he had been doing a lot various gigs up until 2016 (when IMDB stopped listing his roles). It's been so long since I've seen the other films he's been in, I totally forgot he had a character in them. For example, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", "Pollack", "Coyote Ugly", "But I'm A Cheerleader", "Dogma", "And The Band Played On", "M*A*S*H", and the list goes on. The characters may be briefly shown, but he's still very much credited. 

In March, the news broke about Nicholas Brendon, known primarily for his role of "Xander" on the "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" television series, but also later for "Kevin" on "Criminal Minds". He too, had an array of films and shows, but I think he was more remembered as Xander than anything else. He "died in his sleep due to natural causes" but was notorious for being a bad boy in some later years (including addictions to alcohol and pills, as well as multiple arrests and various charges). It's a shame because he seemed like a good guy and it only shows you how "the industry" can mess you up.

I am not much of a fan of James Van Der Beek, but he had passed away in February, "after a battle with colorectal cancer". He was known for playing the title character, "Dawson", on "Dawson's Creek" in the late 1990s and had some sports related movies during that time ("Varsity Blues"). He was also in the first season of "Pose" several years ago. His shows weren't ones I was regularly watching, and I think maybe I haven't seen a complete season of "Dawson" in my life. If I've seen 5 episodes, I've seen four too many. It wasn't one of those shows I was in to, but is still part of my generation. I watched "Pose" more for it being a Ryan Murphy series, as well as the portrayal of New York's ball culture rise in the 1980s. 

Showing my young age, the next name really shouldn't be on my radar, but neither should Bud Cort be listed here (and what will come later). However, I must add it because I am familiar with their work. 

Robert Duvall, who passed away in February, with nothing posted online as for reasons how (i.e. natural causes, etc). More known for his role in "The Godfather" series, he was a heavy hitter in other major films ("Apocalypse Now", "The Judge", "To Kill A Mockingbird") and television shows (known for working with horror master Alfred Hitchcock and on an episode of the science fiction shows such as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits", although it was short lived episodes for him). More dramas and what feels like historical films than anything else, he is yet another name to add to the "M*A*S*H" movie line up (I'm sensing a theme here with the war film). 

You'd have to be living under a rock, if you didn't know the name "Chuck Norris". A man known for his action and martial arts roles, he passed away in March, after being "hospitalized for a medical emergency". Most people know Mr. Norris as "Walker, Texas Ranger", but he was also known for playing himself in television shows (walk on roles) and philanthropy work (martial arts for kids, various Veterans foundations). Local internet lore constantly churned out memes in his jokingly favor - if you needed help in a fight, Chuck Norris would scare the opponent into submission.

A voice and actress to be reckoned with, Catharine O'Hara died in January, due to a "pulmonary embolism". Known for playing Macauley Culkin's mom in the "Home Alone" movies, Ms. O'Hara was a comedic legend. She not only had a voice over role in "Nightmare Before Christmas" (one of my favorite Tim Burton movies), she starred alongside Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton in "Beetlejuice" (another Burton fave). If you look at her acting credits, it really does look favorable in Tim Burton's cache of films. Later years, she worked on the television series "Schitt's Creek" (something I didn't start) and "The Studio". This woman had such an array of credits to her name, it's amazing to see what she hasn't been in! 

I saw on the "Entertainment Weekly" website that Derry Brownson died on August 13. Derry was the keyboardist and a founding member of the British band, EMF. One of the band's top (known) singles would be "Unbelievable", which is from their 1991 album, "Schubert Dip". This, to some extent, feels like the only hit American airwaves heard from them because it hit Billboard's Hot 100 in the summer of '91. When radio stations weren't playing "Unbelievable" on rotation, parties were playing "Children" and "Lies", which is off of the same album. "Schubert Dip". It seems like that record dropped multiple singles, but the most known is track six, "Unbelievable". 

Fans of "The Sopranos" would be remiss in knowing Vincent Pastore passed away on August first. His character, "Sal 'Big Pussy' Bonpensiero was a mainstay on the first two seasons of the mob show. My mom used to always watch this series, so I am familiar with the actor. His credit listing reads like he does mostly drama / gang (mafia) movies; he found his niche at being typecast as a New York bruiser. "Carlito's Way", "Goodfellas", "New Jack City", and "The Basketball Diaries" are a few other films he starred in. 

Sam Neill, better known for his work in movies such as "Jurassic Park", "Merlin" and "Peaky Blinders passed away July 13. The news reported most of his acting credits, but not once did someone mention "Merlin". It was weird and overall, his death was a shock to a lot of people. The crew of the 1920s Manchester mob show have lost a lot of people the last few years, and it's sad to see how connected to other movies they are (Helen McCrory comes to mind. She played "Aunt Polly" in the series, but she's also better known to "Harry Potter" movie fans as "Narcissa Malfoy"). 

There are way too many names on the list to continue cherry picking them and writing about it. My whole point of making this post is twofold: One to mention Dolly Parton and the other to mention Tim Curry. 

I'm not a huge Dolly fan, but I respect what she's done in her eighty years on this earth. The philanthropy she set in motion, such as libraries and reading materials for children and LGBTQIA etc. acceptance. She was an actress, a writer, a singer - royalty among her genre, but she wasn't afraid to fight for what she thought was right. She was a humanitarian and it seems a contradiction, but she was political in how she used her words in music; never in advertising or online. You just need to listen closely to figure it out. There was no malice or fighting with her when she spoke up or how she spoke up. According to reports, she made you feel like you didn't have to hide anything around her. You could be outspoken and she would not argue back (actually, she would, in her own Southern way) but you didn't feel dumb about it. She played a sort of safe route while trailblazing her way through life, not only for herself, but for others. She lived to help people, not harm them. I read the other day that she could have been a billionaire multiple times over, but due to giving away a lot of her wealth to various charitable organizations, she left this place with several million dollars. All due to her wanting to be better and do better for people. I'll always find it fascinating that she wrote the music to "9 to 5" on her fingernails! That's talent to get the rhythm down like that... seriously.  I'm glad I worked with a person who adored Dolly because I was one of a group of people who chipped in to buy him the last part of Dolly's memoir series, "Star of the Show: My Life on Stage". We all got to write a little passage in the first page of the book for the person and I think we made his holiday season. He has Dolly everything and I know he's probably not doing so well right now. JH, if you're reading this, you're being thought about and I'm so happy we all got you that book. It's a wonderful read about Ms. Parton and you deserve it. 

Tim Curry, on the other hand, is someone I've spoken about before. His acting and musical credits are pages long because he's been on stage and screen since the late 1960s. The last few times I mentioned his name here, I kept toying with the idea of buying his memoir, "Vagabond" and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed reading it because he was insightful yet illusively evasive about his life. He wanted to write about the things he did and saw, but still kept a lot of it private. You could tell there were things he was leaving out, and it did make you want to know what it is, but I respect anything of reason for privacy. With his death on August 25 at age 80, there are rumors swirling on what triggered it, but I'm not posting those here. I will say, they would make sense, given the circumstances. Based on his book and his interviews, I know he's lived a long, hard life and again according to a few interviews he gave this year (because it's the 50th anniversary of "Rocky Horror"), he was given the death question. He said something to the effect of "not fearing it" and he is "trying to avoid it" even though he "would welcome it in the end". Based on the same interviews, I think he was appreciative for what he had in his life because his own father passed away at a young age due to a stroke. Tim was older than his father when he had his own stroke in 2012, so every year he lived past that day, was a good day. Fourteen years later, as my aunt texted me last night, "Do you think Dr. F-N-F has returned to his home planet?", to which I said "Anything is possible!". Long live Nigel Thornberry, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, Rooster Hannigan, Wadsworth, Long John Silver, The Lord of Darkness and Hexxus! 

There have been way too many memes the last 72 hours about Dolly and Tim's death, and unfortunately, some are very much geared to hating on a certain individual. I'm not linking anything here, nor am I going to explain it more. I'm leaving it at "the hairless apes roaming the woods around each continent are doing something to anger higher powers if we keep losing celebrities at a clip, yet others are still standing. Mother nature is very angry with us, given all the heat and humidity it doesn't belong in, the flash flooding, the power outages... we're definitely not on the right track". 

Until we get another list going and we fix our future, be mindful of your surroundings and tell your friends you dig them (or you'll help bury them if needed. Whatever works). Oh, and I just finished reading James Patterson's novel, "Zoo". I watched the television series when it aired, but think the book is way better. Check it out if you can. 

Cheers;

See also:

• Strangefolk "Lines and Circles"  / "Lore" album on Amazon
• Bud Cort page on IMDB
• "Harold and Maude" film via Amazon
• Nicholas Brendon page on IMDB
• "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" series on Amazon
• James Van Der Beek page on IMDB
• "Dawson's Creek" on Amazon
• Robert Duvall page on IMDB
• "The Godfather" series on Amazon
• Chuck Norris page on IMDB
• "Walker, Texas Ranger" series on Amazon
• Catharine O'Hara page on IMDB
• "Home Alone" on Amazon
• EMF's "Schubert Dip" album on Amazon
• "Entertainment Weekly" article about 2026 celebrity deaths
• Vincent Pastore page via IMDB
• The Sopranos series on Amazon
  
• Sam Neill page on IMDB
• "Jurassic Park" franchise via Amazon
• Dolly Parton's 2025 book, "Star of the Show: My Life on Stage" via Amazon
• Dolly Parton on Amazon
• Tim Curry page on IMDB
• Tim Curry's 2025 memoir, "Vagabond" on Amazon
• "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" on Amazon
  
• James Patterson's novel, "Zoo" on Amazon

"Where do you keep them in the off season???"

Had to do a Costco run today with some friends. We weren't paying too much attention to some of the items at the front of the store (entrance) but once we turned the corner from the electronics, right in our sightline, we had two huge Halloween decorations.

I know on the Costco site (over $200), so Amazon having the skeleton for under 50 means it's not the same size. Buyer beware when you're looking for something economical because "size matters" in this case. 

The Frankenstein is listed on the Costco site as "7.5' Animated Monster with LCD Eyes and Sound" but it is not available on the A to Z page. Instead, I found other animated objects for sale. Like I said, the skeleton, listed as "62" Giant Ground Breaking Skeleton with LCD Eyes and Sound" in the warehouse, is not truly the same one as listed on Jeff Bezos' stakeholder site. The crawler varies by price and size. 

I didn't notice the eyes move on the skeleton (maybe the power was off), but holy cow; when we walked down the aisle and past hoodlum Frank, his eyes really did follow us. It was weird and got me singing Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" (the debut album of the same name was released on Motown Records in January of 1984). 

Yes, I said "Hoodlum Frank" because he looks like he's trolling the bad side of town for a quick score of cheap candy. If he wanted the good stuff (you know, the king size bars), he'd be a little more dressed up dapper, in order to go to the posh communities. Plus, he wouldn't be wearing sawed off handcuffs to mansions on the hill. Unless they were made of gold and diamond crusted. 😂

Anyway, when we saw the decorations, one of the friends asked "Where do you keep those things when they're not on your lawn?" and I said "If you're like my friend Shawn, you're using them all year round". 

I explained how Shawn has two giant skeletons in his yard, of which he decorates based on season. During big football games, they're passing the pigskin. During summer, they're wearing pool floaties. It's gotten to the point that he's had them outside for so long, he's found a creator online that can 3D print some of the joint pieces and has had things replaced (because purchasing a new full body would be silly if you know how to just reattach a single piece). When you're that skinny and dislocate a joint, it's easier to pop a new piece back into place than to worry about someone getting jealous of the new kid on the block. That, and the trash men might not appreciate having to squish a Halloween decoration in their truck; depending on how compact it gets, there's potential of someone getting worried the femur is real and police are called to the dump. You never know... since the area could be corrupt (aka mob run) and all.. we both are very well versed with New England mafia lore. 

Ok. I'm going off subject and into territories that could get me in trouble. Back on track.

I did explain to my friends though, in all honesty, that Shawn really keeps the skeletons up all year and decorates them accordingly. My aside was just that.. me going on a squirrel adventure and taking you along. 

My friends thought that keeping the skeletons up year round was interesting and a fun idea because you seriously could do so many different things with these large items and if you have great neighbors, you're apt for some amazing times. But if you're like us, living in condos or small communities where houses are on top of each other, what can you do with the 7.5 foot tall Frankenstein Monster? Houses in Florida don't have attics or basements, so it's hard to stash large items. As it is, people tend to go all out with certain holiday decorations, so blowup stuff is more manageable. All in one / put together plastic or mechanical pieces tend to not find space in a closet because they're clunky. You never know though; someone could be quite smart in how they can pack away their decorations and still have room for more stuff. All the power to that person; I know what it feels like to play Tetris with tote bins. You're not alone!

Speaking of alone, it's Wednesday and I've been at this post long enough, that the History Channel reality show, "Alone" is starting soon and I'd like to go watch it. 

Until next time, stay safe, stay hydrated and stay off the streets during the night. You never know who's following or watching you...

Cheers;

The decision has been confirmed (tech talk)

 I decided to two things: 

One: Go ahead and try the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter again.

Two: Attempt to purchase a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter dongle. 

Both purchases were done through Target instead of Amazon because I happened to be in the Bullseye store for something completely different, on completely separate days.

Conversation about the first purchase...

In store, the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter was ninety-nine cents more than what is currently listed on the A to Z retailer. Target had the adapter for $19.99, where Amazon has it as $19; before tax and potential shipping (if you're ordering online and there's a delivery fee). These prices could change, due to business needs; so don't quote me for a correction in six months. 

While in the store, I did ask the electronics employee if I could open the box and try it out. I wasn't about to go home, have it not work, and then drive back to return the device. Unfortunately, she stated I would have to buy it first, as store policy states that customers can't arbitrarily open boxes to test things or check out what is actually in the box. It is a profit and loss situation; leads to potential thievery, etc. However, if I were to purchase the adapter, stand at the desk with her, try it out, I can immediately return it and get my money back; no re-shelving fee included if it didn't work. 

I thought about it for a minute because it did seem wasteful but it made sense because it was saving me from running back and it was also saving them from having to explain to leadership what was going on. Therefore, I purchased the adapter. I was smart enough to bring a thumb drive with me in the event this were to happen. 

After struggling with the USB end of the adapter for a few minutes, my phone saw the drive. It was the weirdest thing because the Lightning version I had was so much easier - there wasn't any stiffness to the port like this one had. I was worried that it wasn't going to work, as the thumb drive wasn't immediately recognized by my phone. It turns out, I didn't push the drive in far enough into the adapter, so there was no connection between the two pieces. Which is why there was a stiffness - it was as if the USB end of the adapter is made a hair smaller on the inside, making it tough to push the drive all the way in. It does feel like it's connected when you first put it together, but when the phone didn't immediately recognize the drive, something was faulty.

This very well could have been my issue from the original one I purchased a few months ago on Amazon - I didn't get the two things to talk to each other because they weren't fully connected. 

Once I saw my thumb drive and was able to move some files around via the Files app, I immensely thanked the employee for her patience and helping me out, because she too, was in awe of why it originally wasn't working. She had started looking online for answers as I stood there trying to figure out what my next move was, while wiggling everything to make sure there wasn't any short. 

It still works now, and I have actually gone back to Target and bought a second adapter, to keep in another back because I did in fact need it another day and didn't have the first one. 

Win for the first piece of tech!

Now on to the conversation about the second purchase...

This post is not brought to you by Target, but it sure feels like it. 

I was in Target this week for some browsing in various departments and walked through electronics, yet again, just to see what was on clearance. I was actually making my way to the music section because I like trolling through the vinyl.

I started in the headphone section, which is the first part of the department from where I was in the store. Looking at the sales, they've shockingly got Shokz Open Run headphones in Lavender on clearance (No pun intended). The retail price for the headband type is $129.99 and the clearance tag read $64.99.

I'm attaching a picture because when I saw it, I was surprised it was already at a fifty percent discount. I don't know why, and I also can't find the lavender one on Amazon for the initial price tag because it may be a Target exclusive. Scratch that: a quick search says it's potentially a seasonal color, which possibly explains the price reduction and Amazon doesn't have it in stock at the moment.

 

Side quest: My mom took the photo to show to her brother because he had purchased a pair back in January and if his Target had the same deal, he could go and buy another one for himself or for his kids. My uncle wanted me to have a pair because "it's a game changer".  

After many a text back and forth, I had to keep insisting I wasn't interested in it, even for that low price. It does me no good because I still need to stop the audio to speak / listen to someone in front of me. If all I'm doing is making phone calls, I have other headsets that can do the same, for as much the may make me sound like "Mumbles Menino" (IYKYK 😅😆). If it's for safety reasons, it still does me no good due to my hearing challenges anyway. I'm going to have a hard enough time focusing on things if I have to struggle to listen in my one good ear. I'm not out playing in traffic when I'm using the headphones; I'm usually in the gym. When we go travel to Sarasota or if I ever get to go on a plane again, these open ear headphones won't help me since I'll still be able to hear my surroundings. It'll bleed into what I'm listening to and be a major distraction, defeating the purpose of what I'm personally listening to. 

As it is, when the fire alarms (or other big blaring alarms) go off, I need to immediately put my over the ear headphones on and either figure out how to shut the alarm off, or wait until someone else can do it. I can't deal with the noise; it hurts my head, the shrill. Same goes when my mother tries to open her rusting ironing board. The way the pieces rub together, they need to be oiled; it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. If I were to put on these bone conducting headphones, I'm still going to hear the sound that bothers me. I need the full wrapped ear phones in order to block the noise. 

No one understands that and it's not worth the continual conversation. 

As everyone is different, this is my issue, not yours or anyone else's. If you want to invest in safety and precautions and be part of the "in crowd", definitely look into the Shokz bone conducting headphones. My uncle and other people rave about them, and even when my mother tested them in the store, she was completely aghast and amazed due to the high quality of the sounds protruding out of the little speakers. She was ready to buy a few of them, but she doesn't use headphones herself, and I had to cause a small scene in the store to get her to not buy me a pair. 

On to what I really did...

I ended up buying a JLab USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter Dongle, so I can plug my regular headphones in when I need them. 

For $4.99 in Target, they're two cents less than Amazon ($4.97). It's a good deal because Jlab is a big enough brand name, that I trust them. I've got a pair of the Jbuds Air Sport (can also be called Go Sport, it seems) headphones as well as the Jbuddies over the ear headphones. Both have worked great, however, the sports are now at the "they're aging" point: they're losing their charge after 90 minutes. They will charge up to 90% but then once I start using them, the power degrades and by the 120 minute mark, they're down to 20%, sometimes a little less. I've had them for about 6 years or so, so I've definitely got a great worth out of them. I've yet to upgrade to a different Bluetooth in ear set because sometimes if I leave them in for long periods of time, I've got ear / hearing issues that last a day or so. Which is why the over the ear cans work out better for me. 

With the new adapter, I'm thrilled because now I can use my clunky wired headphones again and be able to not have them laying around the house unused. Actually, I use them with my Roku remote because there's a line in for that (I'm using a Roku 3, which is long discontinued now. It's considered a "legacy device" at this point. It's still functional though). 

I haven't made a phone call yet with the adapter (I have wired headphones that are also calling headphones) but when I tried to make a video and spoke over the visuals, it seemed to record fine. Podcasts are playing well through the adapter and I've not had to fiddle with settings as of yet. I'm sure I'll do some changing if I listen to music, but for now, the $4.99 was well worth the investment. Just got to be careful not to lose the cord!

#Winning! 

That's about it for now. Hopefully everything remains good and works. If something happens, I'll do an update, but for now, let's get this thing to remain positive. 

Stay cool and dry this week. It's going to be another scorcher. The Europeans are still baking in the humidity and there was a winter weather warning in a few places in the US the other day. Snow in June??? Da fuq?? Wherever you are, stay vigilant and stay safe!

Cheers;

See also (aka links to Amazon):

• Apple USB-C to USB Adapter
  
• JLab USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter dongle
  
• SHOKZ OpenRun with USB-C Charging,Bone Conduction, Open-Ear Headphones, for Running & Workout - Blue
  
• SHOKZ storefront
  
• JLab Storefront
  

Translation lost, new words found?

I picked up a "new" toilet bowl cleaner at a local Dollar Tree and didn't fully read it until a few days later.

The bottle is bright pink and white, has an angled neck exactly like big name brands, and almost smells like the grapefruit it says it should. The brand is called "Homebright" and the cleaner is "Power Clinging Toilet Bowl Cleaner Gel". I think it's supposed to be like "The Pink Stuff", but I haven't purchased any of those products, so I can't say whether or not they're similar. 

When I was finally ready to use the product, I had read the back in more detail. What had jumped out at me was the (very loosely) translated wording and how the more tough stains needed to be cleaned.

Taken from the back (with no corrections):

"A unique fresh, fruity perfume fills the whole toilet. Its foam cleaning action leaves your toilet sparking clean. The thick cleaning gel clings to the toilet bowl removes limescale when used regularly (3 times per week). Cleans above and below the water line.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE: Direct nozzle under the toilet rim and squeeze bottle to apply liquid. Flush away for a sparkling clean fresh finish. For built-up limescale leave overnight with the toilet seal in an upright position."

It does have a unique fresh and fruity perfume, but I didn't see any foaming action. With the directions stating you can just flush the mess away, it was weird because the gel sticks to the sides of the bowl. You actually need to scrub it a little bit to make sure things go down. What's the point of using a cleaner if it's not going to wash away the dirt? Plus, this is the first part of the translation gaff, or at the very least misinterpretation: "For built-up limescale leave overnight with the toilet seal in an upright position". What does that mean - "leave overnight with the toilet seal in an upright position"?? Maybe leave your toilet seat lid up so the fumes can disperse? 

The next bit of confusion on the label comes from the warning and caution:
"WARNING: Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Keep out of reach of children. Read label before use. Wash contaminated skin thoroughly after handling. Avoid release to the environment. Dispose of contents/container in accordance with local regulations. 

CAUTIONS: Do not mix with other cleaning products. People with sensitive skin should wear gloves when using this product. 

STORAGE: Store upright in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight and do not expose to extreme temperatures."

Uhm, "Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects"??? What in the actual unprocessed hell is in this thing? This is a product that is meant to go down your drain. Depending on where your pipes lead, it'll wind up in other water systems where the "aquatic life" is around. It might not be immediate, but they'll have their opportunity to swim in it soon enough. Also, "contaminated skin"?? Like this is a biohazard product? Where is THAT on the label?

Moving forward, the rest of the bottle contains ingredients and information about the company (address and phone number):

"INGREDIENTS: WATER, CITRIC ACID, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, DECYL GLUCOSIDE, XANTHAM GUN, FRAGRANCE, RED 33, METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE, METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE.

Contains fragrance allergens.

For more ingredient information visit www.rejoice-us.com.

*Plant-based ingredients: Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Decyl Glucoside.

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS? 1-855-345-5575

MANUFACTURED FOR:

REJOICE INTERNATIONAL CORP.

21800 HAGGERTY RD.

NORTHVILLE, MI 48167, USA

MADE IN CHINA"

Okay, there are a lot of things I can't pronounce in the list, let alone wonder if it's the same kind of wording in all languages. Science is science, right? 

Castor Oil being one of the ingredients would probably explain why the gel sticks so good to the bowl and doesn't move, even when you try to brush it away. It seriously sticks to the sides and does take a couple flushes to fully disappear, as this stuff is pink when it comes out of the bottle and pink when it goes in your toilet. 

The rest of the ingredient list, well, good luck with it. I know there are some regulations with the "methyl" products listed, and it has some restrictive use.

I guess this will be the last time I purchase this product and will truly be reading the label better when I am in the store. I know there are cleaning agents out there that are better and some that are worse. Since this is a Dollar Tree product, it's not that widely available outside of that "less expensive" bubble. Which means, if you search for it online, it'll be a lot more money and come from third party vendors on auction sites (like eBay) or big name seller sites (Amazon did have it as a two pack and grossly over prices from some random seller). 

Honestly, it's my fault for not paying attention to things. I was looking for cleaning products while shopping at the Dollar Tree, and when I saw something that looked like another name brand, I thought I'd try it. Little to my knowledge, this would turn out to be something I'm turning into a big deal, without wanting to make it a big deal. 

I mean, it works to an extent. Once you squirt it in the bowl, it's not as easy as the directions state. You just can't flush it away because the gel is too thick and it stays on the sides. Therefore, you have to take a toilet bowl want and smush it around; do your usual cleaning. Then you flush it away, but the color stays for another flush or two. It's not staining my white bowl by any means, if that's what you're wondering. I think I had more of a problem with a slight stain with one of those blue cubes you drop in the tank and it cleans that way, then this get leaving "it's a girl!!" pink marks. The blue stain only happened once, but it's not getting clean, which is a bummer. Those cubes aren't the best and they're a bigger and better brand. I wasn't impressed, truth be told. 

Not that I'm impressed by this Homebright product either. The citrus smell does hit you, but then it goes away after that second flush, which is a good thing. It's as thick in the aroma department as it is in the gel department. For a liquid, it surely clings! 

This is truly not something I would buy again, and although I've not read the label for other products, I am hoping the translations aren't as bad as this one. The descriptions threw me for a loop, so based on that, I wanted to do a post. Share something I've seen and tried, and hopefully let others know to be careful with what they're purchasing and using. Hopefully something will change, regardless of what that "something" is. It's one thing to buy a knock off or pick something up that is less expensive, but it's something different when the wording on the product is warning you of the materials being harmful for the fishies and instructs you to leave something in an upright position when it doesn't really state what that something should be. Read between the lines and choose your own adventure? 

Until I finish this product and don't purchase it again, stay clean, for the most part. Stay out of the radioactive beds of water as well. 

Cheers;

Some Christmas pandering

(Aka "Do something nice for a stranger. It is the holidays, ya know")

My friend Rachael restarted her "Hidden Wings and Bloodlust" podcast recently, after having had a two year break. 

It can be found directly on Podbean as well as other podcatchers (such as Spotify and Apple). She has a Facebook page that she updates as frequently as she can. 

She does such an amazing job at researching ladybirds (or for the Americans, ladybugs) and describes what she finds to such an extent, that you know you could probably name the specific insect if you saw it. Her guests are always nice and willing to talk about their experiences in whatever field they're in, no matter if it's ladybird exact or not. Some are enthusiasts, just like her. 

It's not an easy task because she takes time out of her busy lifestyle to do this. Doing this is almost full time work for her, because she is constantly on the lookout for the Coccinellidae and takes pictures of them to boot. Then she researches what she can and reports back on what she found. It's all unpaid - she gets knowledge of the tiny things in nature that we take for granted. And it's all while she's doing other things in her daily life. 

If you can spend some time listening to her show and drop her a Ko-Fi, I'm sure she would greatly appreciate it. The Ko-Fi is also going towards the goal of buying some ecology of the species books, as well as furthering her studies of the spotted beetle. 

On a similar note, she also has a book out. She's been writing a second novel (a sequel, I think she's mentioned) in whatever spare time she has. This first book isn't about ladybirds, but a bull named Pepelito. His story is about being a victim of a bullfight and escaping the madness of a horrible sport. It's based around actual events, although not one in particular. This novel is to raise awareness of how brutal it is for these poor animals, as it truly is a form of animal cruelty. There are people who love to watch humans engage and enrage the bull, ultimately leading to its death. Rachael insightfully delivers a fictional account of what can and can't happen at these arenas while "Proceeds from this book will go to CAS International to assist the fight against bullfighting and other cruel events". I ask that you please consider helping out with this cause. 

While you're at it, I've got a Ko-Fi as well. It's something I have as part of the promotion of my blog. I know people love my photos and like to see what I'm up to. If you could spare a dime to keep the lights on, it's helpful. 

Okay, enough selfless promotion. Go back to your friends, family and celebrations. If you feel like listening to something new, check out Rachael's podcast and learn a little more about nature. If you want to read something new, check out her book and learn how a "sport" can be terrifyingly bad. 

Until the next round of crazy, take care of yourself.

Cheers;

Night time photography | Did we miss Thanksgiving?

Over the past few days, we've had somewhat clear skies and an almost full moon. As it's been cool enough to keep the windows open, we've also been able to air the house out. The only challenge is that the mosquitos are still in full force. 

However, I was able to take some post-Halloween creepy-esque photos of the cloud coverage over the moon. Why stop being scared on November first? 

All photos were taken on an iPhone 11 and "edited" in Photoshop. I added my name and erased some identifying information (in one of the latter pictures). 

I think the playground photos came out kind of cool, for the moon hiding behind the clouds. I was too lazy to get my Canon out and hook everything up, otherwise I would have gotten some better shots of that lunar satellite when the sky cleared. Therefore, the phone pictures took "night photos" - whatever special filter the iPhone has in the camera to take low light imagery. 

Although, when you're driving past a house where the owner are on the force, you have to be careful when you take your photo.

I saw the Christmas lights from the intersection and decided to go do a drive by. 

Gif found on Tenor
Scene from the 1995 movie, Friday

Little did I realize the owner was outside putting everything up, hence the reason the cruiser is in the street and the other car in the driveway. I didn't want to get arrested for slowing down and taking a picture.

Try explaining that type of reasoning when you're asked to get out of your car and put your hands on the hood.

This is also why I said I edited out pivotal information - the cruiser's plates and car number. 

We just finished with Halloween; we haven't had Veteran's Day. Can we at least celebrate Thanksgiving before the holiday lights go up? 

Gif taken from a user's Pinterest pin (not mine)
From the 1993 movie, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

When I told my mother the transient parcel of the community are already putting their end of year stuff up, she thought that it's a little too early and the master board documents prohibited this from happening. She had asked a friend who lives in another parcel of the community when they're allowed to seasonally decorate, and the friend said that Christmas stuff can't go up until the day after Thanksgiving. Therefore, the houses I saw are jumping the gun. 

I probably could get better pictures once the holiday is in full bloom, because like I said, the owner was currently putting this out and I didn't want to have to answer questions. We're having issues in our community as it is, and when each parcel has a couple houses full of people on the force (or EMT / EMS), you be careful with what you do. I'm sure they don't mind photos, but they don't want themselves or their vehicles shared. So semi blurry and edited photos it is, for a start...?

That's about it for updates for now. Thought I'd share some photos and such before anything else happens. 

Until we get to the next big thing, stay okay!

Cheers;

"'Say your right words,' the goblin said," [-WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE in post-]

- Warning: Use of swears and bad words below, as referenced in movie lines - 

[same scene, a few moments later]

"Goblin: That's not it! Where did she learn that rubbish?! It doesn't even start with [...]"

Okay, so I've quoted a couple different parts of the 1986 Jim Henson movie, Labyrinth because I had a moment in the gym today where I was watching The Silence of the Lambs. With no audio. Just closed captioning. I'll explain my reasoning shortly.

As the movie was being aired on BBC America, in the middle of the day, certain words needed to be censored or corrected for afternoon viewing. 

It's almost like when some movies rated PG-13 and above have specific words "you can't say on television" (thanks, George Carlin). 

The specific things I'm referencing are the regular use of the "f-bomb" and other incidentals ("s-bombs" and so forth). This in turn, make those words into something completely different. 

An example of changing swears into something 'family friendly' would be (#SpoilerAlert) the scene in Silence when Buffalo Bill is yelling at Catharine (forced to be in the well) to: "Put the fucking lotion in the basket!". This is that same scene where Bill tells Catharine she'd "get the hose again" if she didn't "put the lotion on its skin". The censoring took that basket exclamation and had Bill say "Put the freaking lotion in the basket!".

At the very least, that's what I caught in the closed captioning since I had the audio muted and was reading the dialogue on screen. I have been watching random movies while working out and don't have the sound on. The audio I do have, is in my headphones and its been various podcasts. I have changing sound in order to keep my mind from wandering. I also want to watch the television instead of staring at a time clock for over an hour. I am being respectful enough of the fellow gym goers, where they won't have to listen to what I'm watching, while they're doing their own workouts on the other side of the room. I have way too many podcasts in my list to not listen to them when I can, which is why I choose to have them play while I've got spare time.

The other side to the TV being on is when the other TV has on politics and it's rather loud. Like, I can hear reports over my headphones and I'm at least 25 feet away (which isn't much, I know). Sometimes I walk in to the room and both TVs have on politics and no one is watching on the side I'm about to use. Which is why I tend to turn up my headphones and watch what I want. I make the attempt to not bother anyone and most of the time, I'm by myself on one side of the gym (where the treadmill and elliptical are and I'm totaling two hours of machine use). 

If the person doesn't like what I'm watching, they can stay on the other side (where the weights and bikes are). Most people don't care; they'll stop every so often and look at the screen and then keep going on with their workout. It's pretty funny when the people doing free weights are walking the floor and whatever I'm viewing catches their eye. They'll stop for a moment and rather dumbly look at the screen. Then they give up watching and turn around to continue on with their weight walk. If someone does pop up next to me on a machine, they'll either watch the show with me or they'll turn on their phone to watch Netflix (happens a lot). Very seldom does someone use the YouTube app that's built into the new machines we have (Technogym, which is like Nordictrack and Peloton). 

One of the main reasons I am writing this and what got me thinking about how television channels are censoring the movies, is in the beginning of Silence, when Clarice goes to visit Hannibal Lecter, she passes by a side character named Multiple Miggs. 

For those who have not seen the movie, I'm not going to completely spoil this for you, but I do apologize for talking about the scene. 

It's got to be one of the more small but commonly referenced lines in the movie, where Miggs is in his cell and screaming at Clarice as she passes by him. It's at this moment when he says "I can smell your [c-word]". 

I am censoring that specific word, as it's one of the really obscene ones that we have in our language; this also tends to offend a lot of people. There has been conversations about the varying history in relation to the etymology of the phrase, but to be respectful, I am not using it here (even though I've used it in conversation, fully aware of the connotations and context of it). 

So to watch the movie and hear Miggs say the full sentence, the "c-word" gets changed to "scent". Again, I'm watching this with the sound off, so the closed captioning had him say "I can smell your scent", which for this incident, makes sense. When Hannibal Lecter asked Clarice what "Miggs hissed at" her, she repeats to Lecter, "He said - 'I can smell your scent'". However, when the scene does a close up of Clarice speaking, her mouth moves in the shape of the "c-word", so you know she's not repeating Miggs' word of "scent". 

When I was explaining this to my friend Shawn, he gave me an example he know of in The Big Lebowski: 

"In the movie, there's a scene where Walter yells at a kid and his line is 'this is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass' and proceeds to smash a corvette. The censored line is "this is what happens when you find a stranger in the alps'". 

I cannot confirm that particular quote, but I responded that "that's an extreme example of censoring!" (I trust my friend; he's another movie buff). Shawn agreed, and said he has "a book on that movie, and that particular scene had so many weird stories about it". 

He goes on to explain some other "insider information" about the Coen Brothers and John Goodman; how the "Brothers had closed a real neighborhood and Goodman was afraid to wake the neighbors during shooting because he didn't know it was a closed set". Since there are quite the array of books on the subject, I do not know which passage Shawn was quoting from. 

It's a rough one, these random changes. I don't know if my friends and I watch too many "cult" or "popular" movies and know all the lines, or if it's somehow we're a little more attuned to the ways things change in how films air on smaller screens. Sure, my communication major gets the best of me sometimes, and my other commie friends have said they've had similar situations. 

For the most part, I do have trouble watching movies and shows. I keep looking for faults - bad lighting where there shouldn't be (lens flares are the bane of my existence), improper product placement, low audio levels (drops), and an entire array of other crazies. I spend way too much time looking for bad and I don't spend enough time actually enjoying what I'm seeing. 

On another subject of censoring, when it comes in full lines or individual words being changed, it's not just a general foreign language / translation overdub. It's English movies changing English words. When you add closed captioning and it's another beast added to the list of "look what they did now!!".

To cite an example of this, I was watching... oh god.. what was it now? It was last month when I was rewinding back on previous days to "on demand" or "replay" the old horror movies on IFC, AMC, and a few other channels. I am totally blanking out on what film I was watching, but it was part of a series (I don't think it was a Nightmare on Elm Street movie, as it was a little more recent, I think?). 

The captioning threw me through a loop because it was translated into British English, even though it was an American movie. As I'm thinking about the choice of spelling.. was the movie "IT"? No... Crap; I can't recall right now. However, like I said, the translation into the captions was in British English; so "your mom" was "your mum" and when they said "ass" or "asshole", it was "arse" and "arsehole". 

I honestly can't remember what movie it was that had a double take on the transcription offered. I know it wasn't one of the early 1980s movies, but I could be wrong. I did have a chuckle over it because every other "basic" / similar spelt word was fine. It was just the one off small change words that were different. 

I really wish I knew what it was I watched. This is what happens when you just mindlessly stream so many things in a two hour time frame every day. 

I work out at least 6 days a week in the community gym. I'm there for two hours a day, depending on what I've got going on (if I have work or no work). I could be there in the morning, afternoon or evening, so when there's no one watching the screen, I've got control of the remote - I put on what I want. I stay in the same area for the most part, as both the treadmill and elliptical are next to each other.

This gives me opportunity to watch the film or show in its entirety. If I happen to finish it in under 2 hours (due to forwarding through commercials), I'll throw on YouTube to finish my set. Sometimes I end when the movie ends and go to the other side of the room and use the weights. 

It usually becomes a matter of "do I feel like using the dumbbells today, or do I just want to keep the rhythm going with the machine I'm on?". I find myself mainly staying on the machine and watching some random competitive eater or DIY stuff on YouTube. 

Yes, I watch competitive eaters and what new contest they've entered... while jogging on the treadmill. It's interesting to see what ends of the Earth they go to, in order to find a hole in the wall eatery with some sort of food challenge. The challenge usually is "finish this giant plate of food in so many minutes and win a prize!", like big money and your name on the wall (with your picture). Most of the time the restaurant requires payment up front because a lot of people attempt the food challenge and fail. If you win, you might get your money back, and sometimes some extra. It is up to the owner's discretion. Other times, you get a t-shirt and that's it. Very little notoriety for the socials. 

The other shows I've been watching lately have been the people who decide to create roving and roaming tiny homes out of school busses and RVs. Outfit them in a way where the raise the roof (literally and figuratively) and add full size appliances on the inside. There are also mini documentaries I've seen about the history of specific shows and movies or people and their lives. Maybe an abandoned mall is featured because some kids decided to sneak in and film what they saw. I'm all over the board some days and no two videos are alike.. for the most part. 

However, the closed captioning done on Youtube is not immune to chaos. Not only is it sometimes slow to catch up with each scene, but it has various cut offs. Meaning, there will be a description of what's going on and all of a sudden the next sentence will have a few partial words. 

What?

Stay with me on this one. Let me rewind to the last sentence with what I'm talking about. "Meaning, there wi[.] bea descript[ of what's going on andall of a sudden th nxt senence will hv afew partial words". Things like this. It's not exact, but it's something I have noticed on a regular occasion with how the app translates everything. It's weird; I can't make sense of it, unless it's due to the app being not a stock app on the gym smart TVs and someone having to download it. I'm tech savvy to a point, but I'm not that smart when it comes to knowing that type of intricacy. 

So yeah, the closed captioning on YouTube has its own type of strange. As the things I watch on it are real people, odds are, there aren't many swears coming across the screen, so there's less of a worry about any type of dubbing. 

I haven't watched Amazon, Netflix or anything of that streaming ilk in the gym, so I can't make a comment about what they're like. However, given the fact these channels have the real moves with little to no interruption, they are being aired in their original form. You know that R rated moving picture will have some nasty / naughty bits in it and they won't be cleaned up. It's really when they're aired on the television channels that it'll get some sort of PG level pass through. 

Welcome to some sort of new version / update of The Hays Code?

One will never know.

Unless I can figure it all out and report back with some other pieces of hard evidence, keep your eyes moving and your brain working. Stay strong and drink your milk. Gotta get the muscle gain.

Cheers;

See Also

* George Carlin made light of the "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say On Television" and he lays them out in various forms of media, including his live standup and memoir. 

* Stephen King's 1987 book, "IT"

* The 1990 made for TV version of "IT"

* The 2017 theatrical version of "IT"

A little addition to the morning coffee

I need to start off by saying I'm in no way advocating for what I'm about to post. I am not a medical or health professional and I advise you to seek the advice of your doctor or someone with more field knowledge than I. What I did this morning is on me and me only. If you want to try this, please do it with caution and speak to a practitioner, should you decide to go forward and make this a routine thing. 

This morning I decided to add a shot of olive oil to my coffee.

Yes, all that wording in the disclaimer to say "I put olive oil in my coffee". 

I got it in mind to attempt it this morning, after having tried it last year at Starbucks. At the time, it was an expense and not the best, as some of the drinks they were adding the Partanna to, were just weird. Out of the limited options, I found that the "Golden Foam Cold Brew" was the more palatable drink, although I wouldn't have purchased any of them again. The cold brew was smoother and although the oil separated quickly, it left a richer taste in the coffee. The whole experience left me wondering what I did, as it was an unexpected outing into the coffee world. 

Tay had been talking about adding olive oil to drinks for a few months prior to Starbucks rolling out their version. He's a big olive oil enthusiast, putting it on everything, including using it as shampoo (trust me on that. I'm not going deeper into discussing it, but let me just say I know things about him I shouldn't and can't / won't share). He had tried it in his own coffee and I think tea at one point. He thought it was interesting but couldn't legitimize buying it at the big coffee chain. I think he did, at one point, just to see what the fuss was about. I don't remember his reaction, sadly, except he hoped that the chain would try adding it to tea. Obviously that didn't happen. 

As short lived as it was, it's also been forgotten about. There were too many challenges with this. One, it turned into an added expense for people. Two, it was limited to just a handful of drinks. Three, customers were having ill effects from consuming it. Olive oil and coffee are already laxatives in their own right. so adding them both together, you get a war going on in your stomach and the only way to end it is by dropping some bombs in the toilet. 

Which is why it's not something normally advised to do on a daily basis, let alone a single drinking session. 

There's also the added high monounsaturated fats content in the olive oil, so if you're on a specific diet or watching what you eat, this might not be something you want to put in your gut unless you're using it in a salad (so those items can "soak up" the oil and transfer it into something else). Left alone with coffee, you're going to be losing a slight bit of those calories, but for what benefit? Unless you've got an iron stomach and it doesn't effect you, on top of working out, I don't know what it would do long term. I haven't read any studies about it.

That being said, today was a one off adventure. I thought about Tay for a minute and decided to try putting a little bit of "EVOO" in my coffee this morning, just to see what it would be like. I had bought some Death Wish k-cups a couple weeks ago, so I thought I'd try the olive oil in one of those. Spice it up a bit. Adding some Chobani creamer, it was overall okay. The oil did separate as I added it last. It sat on top of the coffee, even after stirring. I couldn't taste the oil in the coffee, so maybe the creamer and coffee was masking any flavor of the oil, or I just used too random of a bottle. Either way, about 45 minutes later, it made its way out. 

TMI, I know. But if you want the truth, there it be. It could have been the snacks I had yesterday, my smoothie prior to the coffee, or it could have been the olive oil. I'm probably not going to be trying it again, as olive oil isn't cheap, so adding it to coffee "for shits" (literally) is not a good idea. Plus, it only lasted one trip in to the bog. I'm feeling fine and I felt fine when it happened. It was just a surge of "gotta gooooooooooo" and it was done. No sickness, no nothing.

To each their own I guess. Again, I'm not advocating for any one thing. I'm just giving an experience I had today and letting you know what went down. 

I really need to shut this down right now. I hate to make it quick and random. It's 4:31pm and the sky is getting black out. There is a ton of lightning and thunder outside and it's getting more frequent. Way to finish out the day, considering I also had to buy a new battery for my car this morning. My car was deader than dead - it absolutely would not turn on. So AAA came to my house, installed a new battery and I'm good for a few more years. 

But more on that another day... I need to get off before we lose power (which has happened before in these storms).

Be safe, be dry and if you're in the path of Erin, be extra careful!

Cheers;

See also (aka some articles about Starbucks coffee)

* Starbucks Oleato (via the Starbucks site)

* CNBC Article: Starbucks discontinuing Oleato olive oil drinks at U.S. cafes

* CNN Article: "Starbucks abandons the olive oil coffee that was the brainchild of its former CEO"

* Amazon link for Partanna Olive Oil in the event someone wants to try to replicate one of the drinks

* Amazon link for Starbucks Espresso Beans with a link for a grinder.

See also (aka "other")

* Amazon link for Death Wish coffee

* Amazon link for Chobani Creamer

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