Facing Forward, Pursuing Progress
Things that interest me, inspired me, made me laugh, or taught me something.
I’m a fan of much of Danny Elfman’s work. Oingo Boingo and The Nightmare Before Christmas only touch the surface. Reading in Nerdist that he released a new pop song made my morning wonderful. Perfectly creepy vibe for the days before Halloween. Check it out below! (caveat: there are a fair number of NSFW words).
https://youtu.be/y3xKyWemAr0
Also, as tomorrow’s Halloween, check out my “An Atypical Halloween” playlist. You will NOT find Monster Mash there! I try to keep things trope-free.
I discovered Balmorhea a few years ago but only came across “Masollan” recently (earlier this year). I’ve become very fond of it. The instrumentation is exquisite. Electric guitar and bass with drums, violin, cello, and upright bass? I find it delightful. The ethereal way the melody floats above the harmony vibrates within my soul.
Featured image created with Adobe Spark, font: AcuminPro-Thin. I wanted a sepia styled, warm summer’s day vibe. I hope I pulled that off.
In this age of rage and horror, I offer a few counterpoints of kindness and beauty.
she gets excited when it's time to put on her chair pic.twitter.com/UwLDyVWRWr
— Life on Earth (@planetpng) October 13, 2020
Cat Realizes She Has Ears! pic.twitter.com/CAdUFAXdKp
— Life on Earth (@planetpng) October 14, 2020
Giant Whitetail Buck pic.twitter.com/LIWac5tX00
— Life on Earth (@planetpng) October 17, 2020
That video makes me think of this character from Princess Mononoke.
I can SO relate to this xkcd comic right now.
I’ve dealt with this a lot over the years. In 2020 this has seriously challenged me. I do try to make sure my contact list has notes about that, my system is…incomplete.
Being a good networker (which is, really, being a good friend) involves respecting people’s preferences. I have friends who HATE Facebook, or Twitter, or are not on Instagram, or who are only on Instagram, or who loathe email…we can continue on with this. Little notes go a long way with this. But it requires time, which is on the rare side right now.
Looking like it will be a damp and dreary day. A lovely day for ducks, methinks. Which often makes me think of this song by the British electro-pop duo, Lemon Jelly.
I do find the song delightfully charming. I’m deeply grateful to John Richards at KEXP for introducing me to this song, along with so many other great ones.
I just read 64 of the Worst Things Ever Said to a Griever. Yeah, brings out awful memories. My personal worst: after my mom died, and evangelical type told me that if I’d prayed right, she would have been healed. I don’t remember my response, but I doubt it was pretty or polite. However, I expect I was so stunned that I remained silent. Most importantly, I remember this decades later. It deeply tainted my relationship with evangelical Christians.
Reading through the list, I see that most of these “worst” are very self-centered. Stepping out of your ego and seeking compassion are the best ways to be a decent human being.
Fortunately, these bloggers have created 64 of the Best Things Ever Said to a Griever. It’s not hard to be kind.
So, folks, simply be awesome to each other.
I’m a fan of Dr. Admiral Hopper. Funny, with all my years of enjoying Battlestar Galactica and Dr. Hopper, I’m surprised that I never connected “Cobol”, Dr. Hopper and the Lords of Cobol.
So, here’s a bit of fun whipped out in Photoshop.
Below is a brief history of Cobol. A critically important programming language.
For me, this is a famous and well-known quote. However, not everyone spends as much time with martial artists as I do. This came up in conversation today, and my friend hadn’t heard this quote. So, I thought it would be valuable to share.
I think this is particularly relevant today. Our fast-paced, manic, ever-shifting world being fluid and able to adjust is a critical career skill now. Be formless, take the form of wherever life takes you. There’s value in that.
I love xkcd comics! With the recent hurricane, I thought this was rather timely.
Me being me, if I were an inadvertent passenger on a hurricane chaser flight, I expect I’d utilize all the flights barfbags. Yes, that’s where my mind went!
Anyway, you should subscribe to them. Now!
As a long time fan of Star Wars, I delight in my discovery of this video. A fan montage, it really does a great job of taking the “The greatest teacher failure is” phrase of Yoda’s and reinforce it well. It really adds some interesting insights into The Last Jedi.
I appreciate considering the importance of failure, not only in the lives of fictional characters but also in ours.