BlAugust

BOGO

by

Call me old fashioned, but forward thinking as well; a physical book purchase should include a DRM-free digital copy as well. It costs the publishers next to nothing.

Unlimited- For Three Months

by

Amazon was kind enough to offer a three month trial of Kindle Unlimited. So I installed a few books to the Kindle for reading, because, I.Don’t.Have.Enough.To.Read.As.It.Is.

There are a few titles on the waiting list from my libraries but those will take weeks to deliver and borrow. Thankfully Kindle had them so immediately all of this paid off. Time to speed read the previous two books I borrowed. Zoom Zoom.

Also, how great is it that if there is a word I am not sure about, I can long press the screen and a dictionary will pop up with a definition. Love that feature. With a paper book has a word that needs defining, I’ll have to break out the paper dictionary, you know, like our ancestors did.

Another feature that doesn’t get enough credit is the Highlights and Notes options. When I highlight a word or passage, Kindle sends the meta data to my personal database for later reference. Don’t ask me how because I don’t want to explain all of the heavy scripting and API codes I needed to script to make all of that magic happen.

Above: Highlighted text on Kindle. Below: The same highlighted text sent to my personal database

Write Out

by

We all know the benefits of regular exercise for our bodies—strengthening muscles, improving endurance, and boosting overall health. But what about our minds? Just like our bodies need a good workout to stay in shape, our minds crave daily activity to stay sharp and creative. That’s where “Write Out” comes in. Think of it as a mental workout, a daily exercise routine that strengthens your writing muscles, sharpens your thinking, and enhances your creativity. Whether you’re jotting down a few thoughts or crafting a full essay, each day you write is a step toward a healthier, more agile mind.

Writing, as in fitness, benefits from consistency. Even on days I don’t feel like it, I will get out to the gym and do it. Even on days I don’t feel like it, I’ll sit down and crank something out. Not every day, but enough to build habits.

A routine, without being a routine, can be challenging. This month, I committed to writing a post every day for thirty one days.

I feel a need, or have a desire to sit down and write on one of my short stories, or that pesky novel I’ve been stewing on for decades. Typing for 15-30 minutes a day should do it. Crap or no crap, it’ll get done. As Hemingway put it: “Write drunk, edit sober.”

Just as a daily workout builds a stronger body, “Writing Out” could be a path to a more resilient and creative mind. It’s not about perfection or waiting for inspiration to strike; it’s about showing up, putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), and committing to the process.

Perseid Showers

by

4:50am EST:

I am awake in the middle of the night for a nature break and remembered there was supposed to be a celestial show in this morning.

The best time to view these meteor showers is between 8/11 and 8/12 before dawn and look to the northeast from my position down south.

So I laid down in a chaise lounge on the lanai and thankfully the sky was clear. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness and soaked in all the stars and planets. Okay, it’s time for the light show and I didn’t have to wait long because a few streaks of burning rock burned up in our atmosphere.

Jupiter and Mars looking NE
Taurus constellation in SkyView app

Okay, I am tired, but I’ll snap a photo of the glowing planets of Jupiter and Mars. Excuse the crude image. It’s early, my hands are shakily extended over my head and I had to do that for 5 seconds to get a decent exposure in low light.

I’ll be better prepared in December for the Geminids meteor showers. Back to bed for now knowing I caught yet another astronomical event and I am happy.

5:24am EST: Zzz

Soma

by

“People will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.”

— Aldous Huxley

Huxley’s words from 1932 are truer now than when he wrote it. His novel Brave New World deserves a re-read.

Interesado

by

I have way too many interests and for some reason they just keep expanding. The bitch of it is, obviously, always, not enough time.

I am not known for disciplining my personal time and interests, in favor of allowing my free spirit to come and go as it does.

Apparently the need for using a calendar to organize could be of some use.

Right now my intake is overloading my throughput. I am consuming more than I am creating. Need to find a balance here.

TIL 30

by

Things I Learned In 2024 Week 30:

Hoopla– want to stream audiobooks, or movies? Read books and magazines? A perfect companion courtesy of your local library. I was able to find obscure movie titles to stream when everywhere else failed or charged $$ for such as: Metropolis (finally!), Hundreds of Beavers, Nosferatu (finally!) so far. All were silent movies and in the public domain but other streamers wanted a minimum of $6 to rent. Nope!

More frequency illusion, or Rabbits, was a re-occurring theme from the Metropolis movie:

Kleon had the same theme in one of his newsletters last week but it was regarding art. In that if you want to create good art, you need a combination of head, heart and hands.

Rosetta Stone– another service courtesy of the local library. The renowned language learning program is available. I need to polish up my Spanish and maybe take up Italian. They are similar so it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

Hemingway– As if I didn’t have enough to consume lately, I’ve rented a 3-disc video series on E.H. By Ken Burns, as well as downloaded a few of E.H.’s novels courtesy of Gutenberg Press. Thank goodness I opted to get the larger memory chip for my Kindle.

Classical music– Masses, litanies, vespers, psalms, oratorios, cantatas, requiems, operas, concertos, sonata, symphony, string quartets, chamber music, Masonic, divertimentos, serenade, dances, marches, etc etc. Why do the composers have “k” or “v” in their music titles? 173dA? Okay, sure. I’ve always enjoyed classical but never understood the details. Too much to learn and I regret never have taken a class on music theory or appreciation. I am rectifying this now, slowly.

Reading– Adding to my infinite tower of books to devour will be a study of Dante’s Inferno. That’ll take a year, easily. Throw in some Don Quixote, mix it with Hunter S. Thompson as well as C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. Then, read up on how well those last two worked and inspired each other for their fantasies from Middle Earth and Narnia.

Drinks Are On Me

by

I’d like to experiment with a new, unique cocktail as soon as possible. We have a nice bar area in the dining room that needs to be filled. Okay, let’s try this:

Blue Dolphin Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Blue Curacao
  • 1 oz Vodka
  • 1 oz Coconut Cream
  • 2 oz Pineapple Juice
  • Ice
  • Pineapple slice or a cherry for garnish

If vodka doesn’t work out, maybe substitute with clear rum.

Cutty Shark

Ingredients:

  • Cutty Sark scotch whiskey
  • amaretto
  • ice

Cutty Shark Highball

Ingredients:

  • Cutty Sark scotch whiskey
  • sparkling water
  • lemon juice
  • Ice
  • Lemon wedge for garnish

Palm Tree Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • White Rum
  • Coconut Rum
  • Pineapple Juice
  • Orange Juice
  • Blue Curacao
  • Splash of Grenadine
  • Ice
  • Lime wedges around rim for the palms