News

710 is a good husband. 

He buffers me from a lot of news. Now and then he'll ask me if I heard of this or that. It's about 50 / 50 with my answers. Do I know about most anything in detail - no.  Do I want to?  Also no. 

Did I know there was an earthquake in Venezuela?  No.   Did I care?  Also no.  But he was more intrigued by non-Apple phones and the ability for their OS to have the ability to detect the seismology, giving people several minutes notice before the actual event. 

That Apple can't - or wont (?) - include that is amazing. That we don't have it for the U.S. is also somewhat telling. You'd think people in LA or San Fran would want that ability. 

So - that's the kind of news he relates to me. Of course, I had to learn about Venezuela in the process - and now that we "run it", I wonder is it up to us to fix it?  The question is indeed rhetorical. We have to rebuild Iraq for $300 BILLION, so where would we even get the money?  Oh yes - food stamps.  Duh. 

Anyhooo......when 710 does forward me stories, they are ones of interest more than news. 

Case in point - the guy above. Or as he's known in the UK:  the Hot Podium Guy. 

I don't think that's his official job title - but I've been known to be wrong before. 

What he is is the sound engineer who sets up the lectern and mic for the Prime Minster of England. And the NYT has an entire article about him. He has set up this rig for the last five prime minsters to announce they're stepping down or calling an election. Now six. The arrival of Hot Podium Guy is like a precursor to change in Britain. 

Some fave things about the article were this part: 

Almost overnight, he became a social media sensation. Some pointed out his muscular arms, while others said, despite not hearing much from him, that they trusted him over Theresa May to successfully broker Brexit.

and....describing him as...."a cross between “a choirboy and a Chippendale.”

I feel bad for the guy. He didn't ask for this attention, but what are you gonna do. The article says he is in competition with Larry the Cat - who is the feline living at 10 Downing St. 

For me - it's a toss up. 

Song by: Dire Straits 

Daisy

We are way heavy on guest dogs today. 

Daycare has been a bonanza for me this week. 

Daisy. 

I mean, I love most dogs, but I LOVE Daisy - and she me. 

Apparently she is wary of most, but she loves me. Lots of pets for her. The daycare attendant and I think she has some hound in her, and maybe St. Bernard or Great Pyrenees. She's a doll. 

Sydney whom you've seen many a-time here. 

She got between Daisy and myself. 

Oh, those fucking ears!  Adorbs. 

Shep spotting (and barking at) a police horse in the park. 

Pippa in prison. 

Lando. I hadn't see him for a while. Love him. 

And little Lucy below him. 

The man. The legend. 

One day I know I'm gonna have to pay for that dog door. 

Don't know this dude.  But it's gotta be a dude, right? 

Monte. He looks gruff, but he is a love bug. 

Song by: the Stone Temple Pilots

Life to Come

Still not in a creating mood. Or a writing one, I should say - but a day off seems unpossible. 

But I have had this screen shot for a while and was about to delete it and thought.......ehhhhh.....why not?

I don't have any of these things at 62+.  I mean, the only debt we have is the house. Though I have only had three drinks this year, so "almost" no alcohol.  My main courses are healthy, but I still really like white sugar. 

This might be a 'sad but true' meme. 

But at eight, I was a few years away from heavy acne. I still had a purple bike with a sparkly purple banana seat. Who said my dad didn't know I was gay?    ....he didn't........but the man couldn't resist a bargain and I'm sure boy bikes in purple were heavily discounted. 

My friends at eight years old are long gone. 

Not dead. Well, I don't think. After high school, we never talked or saw each other. Or......and there is the possibility that they did and I wasn't included. We not even peripheral FB friends. I'm assuming they're out there......but I couldn't be bothered. 

Eight. It's been a long roll downhill since. 

Song by: the Killers

Anxiety

I got nothing. 

Well, I do have anxiety. Have had it. Do have it. And the last few days have been at a higher level. 

...and man do I have a lot of songs with 'anxiety' in, or as, the title. 

It's just been one of those weeks where things aren't great. And that happens. How I deal with it is what has changed - or maybe how I don't deal with it. 

Running helps, but that is a finite amount of time, as I am not the Six Million Dollar Man. 

I think part of my state is that by occupation I've learned to be a fixer. I jump to the solution process whether asked or not. But that isn't working for me now - outside of work. At least sometimes. Frustration gets added to my already present anxiety which then gets kicked up a few notches by the frustration. 

I know this peaks and ebbs, but I'm not enjoying this peak. I'm unfocused. I'm moody (well.....moodier) and it is exhausting masking the traits when I'm not at home. 

This will pass......or at least lessen. I could call my doc, but I'm seeing him in a week, so right now I'm just riding it out. 

....well, I guess I did have something about which to write - and it had nothing to do with the fucking Reflecting Pool. 

Song by: Jason Isbell + the 400 Unit

Little Bones

There is that old "joke" that says, "if Mama Cass had shared just half her sandwich with Karen Carpenter, they'd both be alive today". 

Yes "joke" is in quotes. 

Besides being factually / historically untrue* it's not all that funny, though back in my late teens I probably snickered when I first heard it. 

You know what's not funny?  Anorexia. 

I know right - you're all thinking it:  why the fuck is Blobby talking about anorexia. Well, I'll tellz ya.....

At the ripe old age of 62.8 years, I saw my first truly anorexic person. 

It. Was. Horrifying. 

710 and I were walking Shep down along a canal towpath. It was the face of the person walking towards us that caught my attention. My first thought was: oh, a trans woman is taking a hike. At first glance the facial features had both feminine and masculine traits and I stupidly made assumptions. 

The glance felt longer than it was though it was low single digit seconds, but I then noticed the body. The lower half. When someone uses the phrase 'skin and bone' almost no one means it literally. 

This was literal. 

Concentration camp pictures are just awful to see, but you're kind of twice removed:  once by time the other by a two dimensional black and white image. You're just desensitized enough. And usually you see that for educational purposes - assuming the schools teach youth anything about the Holocaust these days. 

Even media portrayals on 'medical drama shows' that have storylines on eating disorders don't dare show the actual reality of the situation. They get someone who is just thin enough but still has a good Q rating for television. 

Real life is different. It is shocking. You're immediately saddened. You feel immensely helpless to help someone for something you're with which you're not equipped. And you really can't say anything to someone you don't know. 

I had to get 710's attention to look but by that time he hadn't gotten the same view I had. Clearly he noticed the severity of it all, but not some of the detail. 

And I said I saw lower half of this person. While it was a nice and warm day, This person had on a large and heavy sweater. 

While we did see her again, in a seven second look, I did focus on the face. My previous observation on gender was kind of warranted.  Kind of. 

Skin and bone applied here too. There was no true facial structure. It was skin on cheek bone - or hanging from, to be more accurate. Without forensic training none of us could identify a male head of a skeleton from a female. But we determined the person was female. 

While I'm glad she was out and about I did have a second of - 'why are you out here exercising???'.  I'm guessing getting out and moving around are positive signs - mentally, physically and emotionally. I was, and am, hoping she's on an upward curve. 

The unexpectedness and severity of the encounter shook both 710 and myself. I think it's going to stick with me for a long while. 

Just a note: In almost every post I have some kind of picture or a tweaked version of an image. Not today. There is nothing to be gained from searching for, or using, an image like that. 

*Cass Elliot did not die choking on a ham (or any) sandwich.

Song by: the Tragically Hip

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there!    

I'm never not going to feature a new release from Laurie Anderson. I just love she. 

Anderson, now almost 80 (!!), is still out there doing her art thing - being music, performance art, or painting. She is the artist I think I have seen live more than any other. 

Let X = X Live, isn't really new. It is a new release of course, but all of it is existing material found on other disks. With this outing, she is back by Sexmob, a jazz band. 

Anderson tackles material from her first album (the title track and perennial favourite 'O Superman) in 1982 to her 2024 release, Amelia. 

Each era has something to give, though in all honesty, she's given these amalgamated collections in different forms over the years. We are never going to get another Home of the Brave, and I just have to live with that. 

Sexmob certainly adds a new slant on things, but songs are not completely reformed, it's just the music differs slightly, maybe softens it in some places. 

While the material and performances are good, the recording, to me, seems lackluster. It doesn't seem clean or her very distinct voice is as crisp as it once was. But again.......79. 

But Anderson is a true original and should be experienced. 

My Music Monday

The other day I was wondering: what ever became of the Shins?

The Shins were a 2000-ish band. So far only releasing five albums, the last being almost a decade ago. 

The band is like a number out there: one in name only.  

James Mercer is the only original member. He has had many many variations of the studio band(s) and then tours with different musicians. I liken this to The The or Panic! at the Disco......etc. It's basically just James Mercer and friends. 

The Shins came into "prominence" with their 2004 song "New Slang" which was featured in the indie film Garden State. 

They've had other good songs, but not a lot of cohesion which makes sense with the rotating number of band members. 

Still, I appreciate them, and really like a handful of songs - including today's choice: "Simple Song" from 2014. 

I don't quite know how to describe it. For me, there has always been this underlying '70's vibe that is mostly centered around the vocals - background and lead. 

While there isn't quite an obvious chorus, but the one that quasi-exists I can only keep coming back to the band Sweet. The lead when Mercer sings about "go it alone" and then the "ahhh" backing vocals in other parts of the song. 

I've racked my brain to think if it could be sounding like anything else, but it is not quite coming my way. I just dig the song. Always have. 

I just found out that the Daniels did the video for the song. They won Oscars for Everything Everywhere All at Once. 

As for where is the band?  I can't seem to find out. 

Mayfly

I am 100% sure I've mentioned in this here blog thingy how I despise things en mass:  bees.  ants.  flies. mice. midges. people. 

Mayflies are definitely on that list. And while we just finished midge season, they didn't come too far inland this year. While they were problems on my runs near Lake Erie, they barely made it to our house - with which I'm fine. 

Mayflies are bigger than midges. They're harmless, but again:  MANY of them. Thousands. ....and that's just where we were yesterday. If I were a betting man, I'd say millions. 

It started after my fun and I stopped at the grocery store. This was the car next to me. 

Eeek. What the image doesn't show is the hood, roof and all the doors were covered by hundreds of them. I got in my car and fled.   .....ok, I drove away at the posted rate of speed. 

But then we took Shep out for his afternoon sojourn. 

They. Were. Every. Where. 

On the signs. The post. The trash cans. The trees. There was no a soul on the playground, which was odd. I mean, you had to figure some people made the trek there not knowing.  But the equipment - covered!  Can you imagine going down the slide and having 10,739 dead mayflies squished on your ass?  Not only that, it slows down the ride. 

But it is the title image that creeped me out. 

I didn't have to go, which is good because, I wouldn't have gone in. And while I got the shot for effect, the rest of the building - which included a snack bar ! - had more on them than this, but there was little frame of reference with the white backdrop. 

Now, these things only last for 48-72 hours. In one species females a lot less:  5 minutes.  FIVE!   ....which is about four too long. But each female lays about 400-3000 eggs. I'd die too with that kind of activity. 

So yes, there is another few days of enduring these. I can't quite find if they all hatch at the same time, but a lot around the same time. We might have a few waves over the next few days.........and then they are back in September for another round. 

It seems I will be nose breathing on my run this morning. 

Song by: Paul Weller

Birthday Girl

While Shep is quite clearly the star of Saturday, this week, he might not be the star. That might belong to Bailey this week. 

It's good to mix things up. 

It was Bailey's 7th (!!!) bday. How did that happen? 

Her daycare helped her celebrate. 

Georgia just chillin' in her drive. 

Shep and Dad #2 on a father / son date. He loves the lake. 

Bailey b'day dress-up - #1. 

...that poor, put upon pooch. 

Siggie made the daycare feed - again!  Good for him. 

Baily b'day dress-up #2. 

I like the first hat better. 

Bored with it all.  ....but loving the clouds. 

Pippa!

I had to do something for my niece. Pippa did not hiss at me. Progress. 

More b'day greetings.  

Spoiled she is. 

Song by: Matt Nathanson

Site of the Month

......continuing on with Becky themed posts......

A week or so ago, she sent me what would become my Site of the Month. 

Of course I'd give her credit. Mind you, I'm just sorry I didn't discover this long ago.......not that I know how long it is been out there. 

Down in the Hocking Hills (Southeastern Ohio) they have an annual Bigfoot Conference. While I never attended, I do have a t-shirt with Bigfoot right on the front. 

I don't believe or disbelieve in Bigfoot. I mean - why not? 

I'd like to think with today's technology we could locate him or them........ditto with the Loch Ness Monster. Are you telling me modern day sonar equipment couldn't figure that one out. I'm sure that sub that imploded near the Titanic could just have easily gone to Scotland, no? 

That all said, I've seen dozens of trucks - yes, all pick-ups (if that means anything at all) adorned with stickers with the words "I Believe" and a silhouette of Sasquatch plastered on their vehicle. 

Anyhooo..........Becky's site takes it a step (or 122) further. 

The Bigfoot Map. 

An interactive map with / for Bigfoot sightings. 

There might be a reason Salt Fork State Park has the annual conference - Southern Ohio has the most sightings in the U.S with ~1.7 thousand. 

Sure, it's not a huge number, but for a tall ape man (which could be argued generally lives in Southern Ohio anyways) it's a decent representation. 

Yes, you can spin the globe - since the Earth IS round - and see the minimal sightings elsewhere on the planet. Zero in North Korea, though you'd never expect them to make that public knowledge. Ditto with Vatican City - because that might fuck with evolution. 

There were also none in Tunisia, which is weird. Chewy was there filming all those Star Wars movies. You gotta assume someone would have seen him at the cantina!

You can sort the sightings by: Visual. Tracks. Audible. 

The last two seem............subjective?  I mean, do we know it's a Sasquatch footprint, and if so, how do we know it?   And audible?  c'mon............do I even have to say it?  There is no Duolingo for Yeti.  ....and yes, I know "he" is not a yeti. 

You can also breakdown sightings by time period. If this map is accurate, there were none in the last year in the U.S.  Not many more in the last five years. If all "real time", this map can't be that interactive. 

Since it is interactive, you can submit a sighting via the website.

I didn't do it, but I was curious about what the other pages might look like. 

I started to put in info just to see where it would take me, then I noticed is was NINE pages of info. 

Smell only. It goes along with audible. Again, Southern Ohio, every ape man down there should shower more than they do. This is not indicative of a single thing. 

But I'm all for it. 

What they don't have is a gallery. 

Are we saying in my 60+ years on Earth we only have this picture? 

Something doesn't smell right - and it ain't the guy from Harry and the Hendersons. 

the Reasons I Drink

I was on a FaceTime with Rebecca two days ago and one of her comments to me was: "just looking at you makes me want to have a beer". 

Now, that could be the biggest compliment I've received in a long long while, or the largest insult. 

Naturally, I took it as the former no matter which way she meant it. 

...and either way, it made me laugh.

Anymore, Becky drinks as much as I do. Maybe less. However, there were the days a beer in hand was almost a prerequisite for socialization. Though this is true with almost anyone I knew or with whom I hung out. 

I might have been the lowest common denominator. 

Still, I knew what I think she meant. Some of our most fun, or trying, times centered around sitting, drinking, talking and laughing. 

Sometimes we stood. 

I immediately flashed on the time that she, Morty and I were in Houston drinking Sally Hansen and Pepsi's. 

Now that I "say" that aloud, I'm not sure what we were drinking. I can't imagine it was rum and cokes, but it was an early early happy hour and if the price had been right they just may have been. I just remember whatever we were drinking smelled like nail polish remover - hence the name. 

In our youth, we mostly all stuck to beer - as it was in our budget. It was our budget. Well......mine. As you can see back in 1989 (?) I could only afford Black Label. What I lagged behind in quality I more than made it up by quantity. 

Usually it is wine for me anymore. If I'm with Morty, there is just a LOT of it. But I haven't had that since December 2025. ...and only two beers in 2026. 

Of course, I cannot rule out the possibility that her looking at this mug alcohol free makes her want to drink. She wouldn't be the first to think it.........say it................or do it. 

She won't be the last. 

Song by: Alanis Morissette

Doom

.

I swear it has felt longer than like six days since I've a post with any political bent, but I went back and checked. Yep - six. 

This came up over the weekend.

While I try to limit my social media time, sometimes I fail miserably. Like on Sunday. 

No electricity. No tv. Too dark to read a book. So I scrolled. 

Ugh. I feel dirty afterwards, but I ended up going to bed even earlier than usual. 

But this NPR thing came up - and while we can all hope for the big dirt nap for this guy, the story is meaningless to me. Evil will still go on without this turtle of a man. 

What caught my eye was the top comment. 

I think I literally laughed out loud. 

Then I did a screen shot and sent it my peeps group chat and to my family chat. 

THEN I went to bed. 

Thank you "Jjm May" - you made the doom scroll less doomy. 

Song by: IDLES

Mother Nature's Son

I sit here in a Panera ordering a bagel just to use their "free" wifi. 

A brief, yet powerful, storm rolled though NE Ohio Sunday afternoon - taking down tree after tree and well, the electric lines under them. Over 100k without power. 

As of this drafting, we still have no power, though crews have FINALLY been dispatched. Maybe we will have power late yesterday evening, or not. I couldn't take the chance, which is why I'm at Panera. 

There was no bother on my part to look at news orgs to see what it all was that contributed to the destruction. I don't need a news site and well, I'm not sure it matters retrospectively. 

No one has uttered the words 'tornado' or 'microburst'. I think it was just the 60-70 mph winds that kicked up for about eight minutes. But it was long enough. 

As we walked Shep through the 'hood on Sunday, it was just one tree after another. And two power lines that I had to call into police. 

710 and I discussed that we were glad we took down those three big trees last year. I believe at least one of them would have succumbed to the winds. People two streets over had both their cars crushed by a huge tree that fell from a neighboring yard. Hood chatter says they are none to pleased with their neighbors, as they should have known the tree had weaknesses.  

I don't think anyone will be borrowing cups of sugar anytime soon. 

The title image is from two streets over. 

This has all seemed to happen a lot in the last 6-7 years. But whatta gonna do?

Song by: the Beatles

My Music Monday

Ok, back to not new music. 

I'm going back to 2001-2002 for this one. The split year is because Sloan is a Canadian band and generally many Canadian bands have their music released there prior to anywhere else in the world. So for above the 49th parallel, the album Pretty Together was released in 2001. Elsewhere it was months later. 

Sloan as been putting out music since 1992. I wish I could link one song of theirs that caught my ear. To be specific, the drum track. It was so unique, so good and it was 100% wasted on a very very very mediocre song. 

The reason I can't link it is for the life of me I don't remember the song title - and no amount of scrolling on their wiki-page has helped me jar my memory. 

It wasn't going to be that song anyways, only because how generic the rest of the song was. So I'm going with "the Other Man". 

I think it's got a good hook and great flow. It is kind of great pop / rock. There is an official video, but it's kind of creepy and you'd never buy any member of the band being 'the other man'. If  they were, the woman would have to have super low self-esteem. Or those guys would have to be packing......and it is doubtful. 

Running Down a Dream

I think I can safely say that in this regard (picture to your left), is the only thing in which I'm succeeding this year. 

That might be a slight exaggeration, but only slight....though I still think my initial statement stands. 

Even the title of the challenge is contentious. And let's face it, 2026 isn't doing me any favours. 

My one running app (ok, I have many, but only use one) sets a challenge for their users and it always seems it is 1000 less than the year date. 

So for 2026, MapMyRun has set the goal at 1026 km for the calendar year. For us Americans, that is 637.53 miles. 

As of today, I will meet that goal with 6.5 months left on the clock. Yay me!

Last year I hit the 1025 km goal in mid July....so I guess I'm running more this year, and for the first three months I was running less, just due to weather. There were two months I didn't break 100 miles. 

For the full 2025 goal period, I ran 2066 km (1371 miles), and I'm looking to break that this year. In theory it won't be tough, as I'm training for a fall marathon. 

In reality, I might do it but maybe not by much. 

Right now I have a mental hurdle.I need to get over. There are days here and there I tell myself (every runner probably does) "I don't want to run today".  That's all well and good. Except for this past week it has been every scheduled running day I've said it. 

Mind you, so far I have ignored the voice and I go for my run and usually feel better after the fact. Still, it nags at me. And I feel it affects the actual run. 

Here is hoping it is just a blip and my brain will reset itself. I have a history of being an all or nothing guy (yoga, biking, spinning, weights) and I don't want running to fall into that bucket. 

I don't know I want something else to "work on" in therapy......but I suppose that is why doc is there. 

Song by: Tom Petty

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 194th 12 of 12.

Normally it is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of the month. Since I only post once per day, you get my images the following day. All pictures taken with my iPhone. Click images to enlarge, if you choose.

Created by Chad Darnell and picked up from, what I can tell, any number of random bloggers who then link back to him and vice versa. Chad is no longer doing this, nor is successor coordinating the linking of other 12 of 12'ers anymore

03:59. Blurry. 

It was me at a stop sign. I guess I moved the phone too fast. 

04:10. Furnace Blast x 2. 

Cleveland Cliffs does this to release gas pressure or burn off excess heat. 

04:23. Peloton day. 

04:56, Post-Peloton day. 

06:10. Brekkie. 

08:19. Morning snacks. 

12:38. Walk with the boys. 

Shep was not feeling well the previous night, so 710 and I changed shifts in caring for him. 

I came home and 710 went to the office. 

13:30. Nap. 

Since I was up much of the night with Shep, we both took a 45 minute siesta. We both needed it. 

16:32. Read time. 

New book. Almost 200 pages in so far. Not bad for a day. 

17:50. Wal*Mart Produce. 

Nothing says 'sad' like buying cherries at a Wal*Mart on a late Friday afternoon. 

16:25. Spring Running Club get together. 

My second beer of 2026. This might be a record low. 

16:34. My first concert*

It was on the second date and yes, Kenny Loggins did open. I don't know the poster is actually 'real' or a nicely made-up artifact. 

This was hanging in the venue where we had the running gathering. 

*technically Barry Manilow was my first concert. My mother dragged all the kids, but I refuse to mention this event when anyone asks my first concert. 

Coming Down

I already have a Site of the Month semi-planned in my head, so this is not the one........but consider it a back-up. 

The courts (I haven't read which one(s)), have determined that BLOTUS put his name on the Kennedy Center I'm assuming illegally - and ordered that the name comes down. 

Now, he most certainly will either fight it, defy it, or both. Allegedly there is an imposed deadline. 

The Kennedy Center website has taken down 'his' name and all official documents have reverted to only Kennedy. I'm assuming that refers to George - only because he was great in Airport '75!

"Next month" is the closest there is for a set date for the letters to be removed. 

A resident of the Watergate has turned a webcam from his balcony to the Kennedy Center. This has been with the help of a group called Hands Off the Arts. 

So one way or another, there will be video of that child-fucker's name coming off the building. 

The live link is here. 

Song by: the Weeknd