Random Access

Saturday – 01 August 2020
Today begins a new month in a year that has thrown more curveballs than Dwight Gooden.

Let’s see if it will ease off the gas enough to let us catch our collective breath… if only for a few brief moments.

Stray Toasters

• Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation – John Lewis
• Michael Jordan: “I Can No Longer Stay Silent”
• From SDCC @ Home: “Afrofuturism – Black to the Future 3(D): Real A.F
  
• With schools scheduled to reopen soon, here are a couple of relevant items to consider:
  • Some Countries Reopened Schools. What Did They Learn About Kids and COVID?
  • A Risk Reduction Framework for a Safe and Equitable Limited Reopening of Schools

Stay safe.

Saturday – 06 June 2020
On the television show The West Wing, President Bartlet was famous for uttering the phrase “What’s next?” as he moved from challenge to challenge.

A bit of context that might not be readily apparent from this clip: When The President asks his staff “What’s next?” it’s most often not to just shut them up (or down, in some cases). He does it to move forward, as they have discussed the previous matter, come to a decision and course of action, and he is ready to stop wasting time on that topic and is ready to tackle the next one.

Over the past few day, it’s been amazing to watch as people have come together to speak out and protest against the inequality in our society.

But, and of course there has to be a “but…,” what’s next?

It’s easy to throw a black image block on your social media and say “We stand with you,” or to look at someone and tell them “I’m with you,” but what’s next?

Where do we go from here? How do we ensure that, having overcome inertia, momentum is not lost?

One way is to vote. Are you registered? Do you know where your polling places are? Do you know who your representatives are? Not sure? Find out and take action.

Talk with your friends of color. That’s right: TALK. Engage with them. Create new avenues of communication. Find out what they need. Find out what they hope for. Find out what it is they fear. Do what you can to help.

Support minority businesses. Black. Hispanic. Asian. Indigenous Cultures.

Support businesses who have not just given lip service to “We stand with you,” but who have pledged to make actual change within their corporate structures and who are willing to make financial commitments to organizations that help lift up those who have been downtrodden and ignored for years.

These are not the only options, they’re merely ideas, stepping stones, and jumping-off points.

The rest is up to you.

What’s next?

Friday – 05 June 2020
I have been of ill humor most of the day, in fact. Despite this foul mood, I still want to find a way to bring a lesson and some light out of this darkness.

Most weekday mornings, I listen to a local radio station’s morning program. This morning was no exception. The station also has a “listen live” option, as well as studio cameras, so you can watch the on-air personalities. And the morning program even has its own chat room. I often listen to/watch the live stream and interact the people in the chat room. Over the course of the past two or three years, it’s become something like a mini-Cheers.

This morning, like so many others, started the stream and joined the chat. Things proceeded as they usually do: The radio hosts hosted, people in the chat room commented on whatever topic came up or struck off on their on tangents. I was working, so I was distracted from the chat, but tried to follow along with the radio program. Some indeterminate amount of time later, I came back to look at the chat…

…just in time to catch a semi-regular chatter make the following statement:

Bi-racial children are so cute. Like little oreos.

It took a few seconds for my brain to fully comprehend what my eyes had just seen, but when it did, it sent an urgent message to my fingers to be relayed to the others in the chat room:

As a parent – let alone the parent of a couple of bi-racial children: What The Fuck!?

I can’t tell you how absolutely delighted it made me to see others in the room express much the same sentiment.

I also realized that I was mentally “done” at that point – my threshold for ignorance and the stupid things that humans do is threadbare these days. I bade goodbye to everyone, wished them a good weekend, and left the chat. I tuned into an audio-only stream and listened to the rest of the show that way.

A short while later, I pinged a friend (who had remained in the chat) to ask them to forward me some information they’d previously mentioned (link). At the same time, they informed me that the person tried to walk back their comment by saying:

Oh.. shit. Sorry.
I did not mean that to be bad!

…and…

That wasn’t meant to be mean. I apologize.

…and, when asked: “What was it meant to be, insensitive?”

No, I just love oreos. I feel super bad now. I sometimes just shove my foot in my mouth.

I realize that Utah isn’t the most diverse state in the Union, but damn. As my father would say: “That doesn’t even make good crazy people sense…”

Let’s look at a couple of things:

• Utah’s population, as of July 2019, was 3,205,958 people.
• The demographics break down as follows:
  
  • At 1% of the total population, that puts Utah’s Black population at just over 32,000 people. In the ENTIRE STATE.

That doesn’t exactly say much “cultural diversity or sensitivity.” But, it HAS to start somewhere. I truly appreciate that so many people were quick to take this person to task and point out that it was insensitive at best, but was also definitely racist.

Yes, this was a “foot in my mouth” moment, but it could have quickly and easily become a “boot-to-ass” moment had this occurred in a public situation, around someone prone to violence and for whom this was the catalyst they needed to “prove a point.”

But I digress.

Why was I so off-put by a “simple comment?”

First off: My children are a couple of intelligent, beautiful, creative, thoughtful, expressive, and dynamic human beings. Period. Full stop. What they most definitely are NOT are things to be dismissively objectified.

Next: Why do you find the need to qualify children as “bi-racial” to call them cute? Does their special genetic makeup cause them to stand out above other children? I will be the first to admit that I’m biased about how cute my kids are, but to hear someone call them – or any other child of mixed race – “cute” just because of a quirk of their heritage is asinine. It is also patronizing and subtyping.

And WHAT in all the Heavens and Hells does “…like little oreos” even mean? Because, given the inherent lack of diversity around here, I’m pretty sure that we’re not talking about the generally-accepted slang usage of “oreo” here. And if that IS the case? We need to have an entirely different conversation.

Finally, if anything wrote in those last three paragraphs bothers you or makes you uncomfortable…? Perhaps it’s time to take a look at the way you perceive the people around you who don’t necessarily fit into the pigeonholes you expect. If you want to discuss things and learn more? Let’s do it. I’m willing to put in the work to help bring about understanding and empathy.

Alternately, if you see nothing wrong with them, then I think it’s time we part ways. As I’ve said before: I’m tired. And I have neither the time nor energy to carry dead weight.

Sunday – 31 May 2020
This morning, I woke up a little earlier than expected. Nothing was wrong, I was just awake. I went to the kitchen to start coffee a’brewing, opened the blinds, let Evie out of her crate. A pretty typical start to the day.

After taking Evie outside for an uneventful – and non-productive – excursion, I came in, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV. The past few weeks, I might have turned on CBS Sunday Morning, but my heart just wasn’t up for news today. I flipped past NBC’s Meet the Press and wound up letting it play in the background, while I distracted myself with other things.

At 9:00, I turned to Heroes & Icons to watch an episode of Old Man in Tights The Adventures of Superman, because… Superman.

George Reeve in The Adventures of Superman

As the last few episodes that I’ve watched were in color, I was a little shocked to see that it was a black-and-white episode. When the title card came up, it was one that I didn’t recognize: “Superman on Earth.” So, I sat back and took it in…

It was the FIRST episode of the first season, one that I’d never seen in all of the years I’ve watched the show! It went all the way back to just before Krypton’s explosion, as Jor-El tried to explain the ruling council members that they should make preparations for the planet’s demise.

Sidebar: If you have a young, hot-shot scientist – who isn’t given to hyperbole and whose expertise no one has had any reason to doubt, by the way – and he tells you, “We’re on the clock… start building ships, ’cause we need to raise up and roll out,” you might want to listen to him. Just saying.

Anyway, you know the spiel:

• Jor-El tells the old dudes.
• They scoff.
• Jor-El and Lara put their only child in a prototype rocket.
• Planet goes ‘splodey.
• Rocket lands on Earth.

And here’s where things get a little different than what most people currently know about Superman: There’s no Jonathan or Martha Kent.

That’s not to say that there aren’t any Kents, just not the ones modern audiences know. The characters that we’ve come to know as “Jonathan” and “Martha” were originally named “Eben” and “Sarah,” even in the comics. Still farmers. Still in Smallville, Kansas. Just not “Jonathan” and “Martha.”

Man, that would have screwed things up in Batman vs. Superman…

But, I digress.

In the 22 minute episode, not only did we see all of the above, but also:

• a twelve-year-old Clark wondering why he was different than other kids and being consoled by Martha.
• The death of Jonathan.
• Clark’s journey to Metropolis, and
• How Clark met the Daily Planet gang AND scooped Lois on the first appearance of Superman.

All-in-all, I was not only thrilled to see an episode I’d never seen, but I also quite enjoyed how tightly – if dripping in 50’s Sci-Fi cheesiness – it introduced the characters and set up all you needed to know about Superman.

Saturday – 30 May 2020
This has been a trying, frustrating, and mentally taxing week, to put it very mildly.

The fuse is lit…

In the space of less than seven (7) days, we’ve seen:

• A White woman use her perceived privilege to call the police threaten Christian Cooper, a Black man.
  
  
  Picture (c) ABC News
  
  There’s a part of me that wants to grossly oversimplify this and call her “The Ultimate Karen,” but I don’t for two reasons:
  1. I have friends and family members whom I love and respect named “Karen,” and
  2. Her actions show an implicit and smug belief in the misconception that she could rely on her “privilege” to cause harm to a person of color and I don’t want a cute name to gloss over that.

• We’ve also seen the death of an unarmed and handcuffed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a police officer.
  
  Picture (c) The New York Times
  
  (New footage has shown that it was actually three officers, but the number doesn’t really matter.) Additionally, the subject of the investigation basically had a 48-hour free pass before being arrested and charged… with third-degree murder:

…a category of murder defined in the laws of three states in the United States: Florida, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.

Depending on the state, third-degree murder may include felony murder regardless of the underlying felony, felony murder only where the underlying felony is non-violent, or depraved-heart murder. It is punishable by a maximum of 40 years imprisonment in Florida (in the case of a violent career criminal) and Pennsylvania, and 25 years imprisonment in Minnesota.

source: Wikipedia

---

Third degree murder can be defined as homicide committed with the intention of causing bodily harm, but not necessarily death. It can be a killing that results from indifference or negligence or recklessness. Statutes defining third degree murder vary considerably from state to state. In California murders are classified into two- first degree and second degree.

Example of a State statute defining Third degree murder

Minn. Stat. § 609.195 MURDER IN THE THIRD DEGREE

(a) Whoever, without intent to effect the death of any person, causes the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years.

(b) Whoever, without intent to cause death, proximately causes the death of a human being by, directly or indirectly, unlawfully selling, giving away, bartering, delivering, exchanging, distributing, or administering a controlled substance classified in schedule I or II, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $40,000, or both.

source: US Legal

It’s sad, no… that’s not strong enough. It’s disheartening to think – let alone SEE – that after 60 years of progress, this country only seems interested in not even maintaining a “status quo,” but in taking steps backwards. Leaps backwards in some cases.

And I am tired of seeing men, yes Black men in particular – who have not resisted arrest, who have not acted in threatening manner, whose apparent only “crime” in many (but not all) cases was the color of their skin – die at the hands of those sworn to uphold the law… and then be summarily dismissed as “thugs” and “animals.”

The Powder Keg Explodes

Not surprisingly, in the wake of these events, protests have sprung up across the country. Some peaceful, some far less so. But, what are people to do when, for decades, they have been systemically and consistently ignored when they try to work within the channels that are supposed to be the gateways to their voices being heard?

Let me be very clear: I am not advocating violence and/or the destruction of property, but I do understand the emotional eruption and need for some kind of outlet. This is not the first time that we’ve seen this kind of reaction boil over in the wake of injustice. Unfortunately, I am sure that it won’t be the last time, either.

Taking a Deep Breath

What I would like to know is: How we can come together, not as Black or White, Native, Hispanic or Asian, but as Americans? Is that even possible? It that an aspiration that everyone – or anyone, for that matter – still hope to achieve?

I hope so.

…because now, I have to figure out a way to talk about this with my kids. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to, because I love the innocence that being young affords them. By the same token, they need to know – even if at a very basic level – that there are people in the world who would harm them just because of the color of their skin or, due to some misguided notion, simply because they think they can.

As an aside, I had a team meeting yesterday in which the subject of the protests in Minneapolis came up. One of my coworkers – and his family – lives less than five minutes from the area where the protests were happening. He’s not Black, but he is a person of color.

This is not just a news story for him; it’s very real and VERY close.

My team and I, after making sure that he and his family were safe, discussed what was happening and what led to people’s reaction. I appreciated their candor and was able to provide a perspective that none of them had. It may not have been much, in the grand scheme of things, but I like to think that I helped them consider a viewpoint outside their own.

Parting Thoughts as the Smoke Clears

Here are some things (the bold text contains links) I’ve found or been shown over the past few days that I feel are worth seeing/watching:

• Jane Elliott asks a question
• Lance Reddick reads an excerpt from Breaking Rank, a book by Norm Stamper
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
• Trevor Noah: George Floyd and the Dominoes of Racial Injustice
  

Be well. Stay strong. Stay safe.

Friday – 15 May 2020
For the past seven or eight weeks, my manager has held “check-in” meetings with my team. These meetings aren’t so much about day-to-day business; they are more light-hearted and casual – just making sure that we are all maintaining our sanity during quarantine and working remotely.

One of the things that my manager is big on is having our cameras on during meetings. He thinks, and I agree, that it fosters a level of openness, bolsters the sense of community, and helps focus on the people in the meeting rather than just having disembodied voices in your ear.

We – the various IT departments –  have been expanding our use of Microsoft Teams as a collaborative and communication tool over the past year. We are in the middle of actively migrating everyone else over from Skype to Teams. There have been a lot of training sessions that have gone along with this. A LOT.

Our Service Delivery team has also been providing less formal, more conversational sessions, highlighting some of the features of Teams and showing how different departments can make use of Teams to be more efficient and effective. One of the features that seems to be a hit with most users is the ability to either blur your background or to upload your own backgrounds to be used during video calls.

During our last check-in meeting, my manager casually threw out the idea of having us joining today’s meeting using a background that represented us or something we enjoyed. Everyone said, “Okay,” and went about the rest of our day.

Challenge: ACCEPTED

I spent some time over the past few days looking for a specific type of picture. I didn’t find anything that sang to me in the way that I hoped, but I kept looking. I wound up using a background I downloaded a few weeks ago, which still suited my purposes just fine.

And that is how I wound up dressed as Nick Fury – complete with scars, eyepatch, and overcoat – “sitting” in a S.H.I.E.L.D. conference room during today’s meeting.

I regret nothing.

#cosplayatwork #dressforthejobyouwant #LifeInIT #ajobaintnuthinbutwork

Sunday – 26 April 2020
This morning, I got up when Evie started whining. She didn’t want to go out, she just wanted to be out of her crate. No big deal. She stepped out of her crate, stretched, and immediately proceeded to plop down in a chair and doze for the better part of the next hour. I turned on CBS News Sunday Morning and half-watched/half-dozed through the show.

Just before breakfast, while trying to decide when I wanted to get on to the “less fun/more work” part of the day, I flipped to H&I (Heroes and Icons) and found an episode of The Adventures of Superman or “Old Man in Tights,” as Jess used to call it.

George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman

I grew up watching this show, so to say that I have a soft spot for it – cheesy as its 50s standards may be – is something of an understatement. It still makes my inner 5/6 year-old grin like a fiend. I watched a few minutes, before heading to eat. 

I had also noted that a couple of episodes of Batman – yes, the 60s Adam West and Burt Ward series – was airing next. Team DiVa finished breakfast in enough time to watch the last third or so of the first episode. When it finished, Vanessa shouted “Next episode!” Did my geek heart proud, it did. She and Diana watched it. They made no comment as to whether or not they wanted to see other episodes. I won’t push the subject; we’ll see what they decide.

After Batman, there was an episode of Wonder Woman. I watched most of it. Not even remotely ashamed to admit it. Added bonus: Roy Rogers was the guest star.

Lynda Carter and Roy Rogers

I did a little IMDB-digging and found out that this episode, titled “The Bushwackers,” was Rogers’ last appearance on TV or film. The episode also featured Richard Eastham and Henry Darrow, both of whom were television staples of the 60s, 70s, and 80s… as well as a very young, pre-The Young and the Restless Kristoff St. John.

It was a fun start to a Sunday.

Saturday – 14 March 2020

Given the current state of affairs in the world, I’m reasonably sure that many people are just… weary… from the news of the day.

With that, I would like to turn your attention to this article from Comic Book Resources:

What Strange Restriction Did All Superhero Hostess Ads Have to Follow?

It’s light and fluffy.

I mean bite-size!

Wafer thin, even.

All of that to say, it’s a fun look back at a few ads “…from a simpler time,” and the restrictions placed upon the writers who brought them to us.

Enjoy!

Wednesday – 25 December 2019

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

May the peace, love, and joy of the Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa season be with you and may you spend it in the company of family and friends.

Wishing all the best for you and your loved ones for the new year.

Monday – 28 October 2019

Saturday was my 49th birthday.

CAKE!

I would like to thank everyone – and there were a lot of you – who took time out of their day to wish me well as I start another 2?93,000,000 mile trip around the sun. It made the day that much more special to know that people thought enough of me to write or call. So, a very heart-felt “Thank you” to each of you.

As my birthday was on a Saturday, I took Friday off. I even went to the gym. (WHAAAAT!?) Yeah, first time in [REDACTED] that’s happened. Friday night’s soreness spoke to that. Loudly. There was a trip to The Train Shoppe and I took myself out for Chinese food for lunch, as well. Later in the evening, I had dinner with Team DiVa – no SaraRules!, as she had to work – and a few friends.

Saturday included sleeping in, breakfast spaghetti (!), a VERY cool birthday present…

“In brightest day, in blackest night…”

…heading to a hobby shop to pick up more accessories for Action Figure Theatre, and then cake and ice cream with Sara and the ladies.

Sunday started with a dusting of snow (!), once again proving my statement that it usually snows in SLC before November.  There were chores to be done, but we also took a trip to the Clark Planetarium.

Not On My Watch

Any Landing You Can Walk Away From…

Into the Unknown

The night was capped with dinner with Sara’s side of the family, MORE cake and ice cream, and Hallowe’en cookie-decorating.

In all, it was an excellent start to 49. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 07 August 2019
This past weekend (okay, Sunday through Tuesday), Sara, Team DiVa, and my in-laws hit the open road for Idaho. For years, Sara’s family has gone to the Stanley, ID area for vacation and we’ve been passing this tradition along to the next generation.

Sidebar: Back in 2008, Sara first invited me to go on this trip with her and her family. Camping. I’m not really a camping guy. In fact, on a call with a friend from home, when I told him that I was going camping, his first response was laughter. Loud, raucous laughter. Then he asked me what I was really going to be doing. I told him again. Again, he laughed. So, I did what anyone in my position would do: I put Sara on the phone. The exchange went something like this:

Sara: Hey! How’s it going.

[chatter on the other end]

Sara: Yeah, Rob really is going camping with us…

[chatter on the other end]

What I learned after the phone call was that the second bit of chatter was actually this bit of conversation:

“You do realize that Rob’s idea of ‘camping’ is to go to a hotel, open a window, and listen to the crickets, right?”

Which pretty much summed up my concept of “camping” to a tee. And, I’m not going to lie, after that and another camping trip, my opinion didn’t really change. In fact, I told Sara after the second trip that I would be more than happy to accompany her family on the third year’s trip… but that I would be staying in a cabin or the lodge.

Which. Actually.  Happened.  (True story.)

But, I digress…

This year, Sara once again found a lovely little AirBNB for us:

The Cabin

Two bedrooms, one and three-quarters bathrooms, nice kitchen, dining, and living rooms, and a porch with a sling/swing. I was duly impressed. She’s actually three-for-three at finding AirBNBs in an area where I would have otherwise sworn would have had nothing of the kind.

Sunday afternoon, we unpacked the car and headed back into town – I use “town” in the broadest sense, as it is a “population center” with very little population:

Stanley, ID

Yep, you read that right: “Population: Sixty-three.”

Sara and I picked up fishing licenses and then we were off to the races – or the river – to let little girls fish with their new rods. There were fish in the water, but none of them were really biting. Sara managed to get a strike, but couldn’t land the fish. After about 30 or so minutes, impatience wore down the little ladies’ resolve and they decided to try and skip stones on the water. Shortly after that, we headed back to the cabin to wind down from the day.

The next morning began with scones and bacon and Lucky Charms (for DiVa). Then we headed to the Salmon River to give the girls another shot at catching a fish. No such luck, but we did see a bald eagle. And a water snake. Back to the cabin for a bit of lunch and then, off to Redfish Lake for fun in the water.

Some of you may recall that Team DiVa had a lemonade stand on July 4th. They did this to raise money to buy a couple of large floats – a unicorn and a flamingo. This trip saw their maiden voyages.

Back to the cabin for a quick change into dry clothes and then on to the Yankee Fork River for another attempt at fishing and a nature hike. And then, back to Stanley for dinner at Papa Brunee’s Pizza and Subs.

Tuesday morning, we got up, breakfasted, and got ready to return to the hustle and bustle of our regular lives.

I might not be a huge camping and outdoors kind of guy, but it really was nice to get away for a couple of days to unwind and recharge. Here’s to next year’s adventures and the new voyages of the SS Alicorn and HMS Pink Flamingo.

Wednesday – 31 July 2019
Yesterday morning, my Inbox contained an email from Starbuck’s (the coffee shop, not the Viper pilot 🙁 ). It was an ad for their nitro cold brew. One of the tag lines for it was: “Cold, lush and velvety-smooth. ”

Naturally, this almost immediately reparsed in my head as the introduction to a new prime-time PI show:

He’s cold. He’s lush. And, he’s velvety-smooth.

He’s… Nitro Coldbrew.

Coming this Fall to prime-time.

I regret nothing.

Thursday – 25 July 2019
The Lady SaraRules! has made it her current mission to watch all four of the 80s/90s Batman movies:

We watched Batman a few nights ago. While a bit dated, I still enjoy it. Although, I admit that Burton’s concept of a Batman who kills misses the mark a bit. I actually enjoy both Keaton’s Bruce Wayne and his Batman.

We watched Batman Returns last night. I seemed to recall that I thought the movie was “okay,” when I originally saw it, but that it felt a little… “off.” Watching it again, I found that it was not only “not good,” but that it was steeped in sexual… I can’t really call it “innuendo,” because there was absolutely no subtlety to it.

Tonight, we’re watching Batman Forever. I remember enjoying this movie years ago. Even going so far as to defend it against naysayers. I watched it again a few years ago and discovered that nostalgia (and lack of age/sophistication) when I originally saw it colored my opinion. That is to say: “It ain’t a great movie.” I’d daresay that the best part of this movie is its soundtrack. This movie was also the beginning of the end of the Batman franchise for nearly twenty years. Joel Schumaker, who directed both this and its follow-up, has gone on the record as saying that he thought that audiences wanted a campy film, more in the vein of the 60s televsion show. (a Not the case.) And I never really paid attention to some of the musical cues before; there seem to be some call-backs to the way they used music in the 60s show. Holy crap. I forgot that Drew Barrymore was in this!

At some point, Sara wants to watch Batman and Robin (or “Robin II,” as my friend Nizlee calls it). She is on her own for that one. I haven’t watched that movie since seeing in the theatre over 20 years ago… and I don’t really see a reason to break that streak. And the best part of this movie really is its soundtrack.

Maybe I’ll be able to convince Sara to watch Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. I mean for the sake of completion, of course.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) – Kevin Conroy

We shall see…

Saturday – 20 July 2019
Today marks the anniversary of man’s first landing and footsteps on the moon.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Rob (@shadorunr) on Jul 20, 2019 at 8:38am PDT

After being up and down all night – until 4:30 this morning! – with a sick Team DiVa, I think that the worst is behind them. They aren’t back to full steam, but they are far better than they were at this time yesterday.

Of course, Evie decided that since this isn’t Thursday, bad news was just fine. Today’s “bad news” came in the form of a VERY awake puppy at 6:45 AM. A very awake puppy who wanted to get out of her crate and have some human interaction. Therefore, I was up at 6:45, too. Yay. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve learned that Evie can be entertained/distracted by the early morning shows with animals on them. So, that’s what we watched until it was time for her to go outside and take care of her morning run around the yard/go to the bathroom time.

Once Sara and the DiVa were up, things were back to a greatly scaled-back form of normal. Fortunately, we didn’t have anything on the day’s agenda. This is good, as it gives the ladies more recovery time. And, despite tomorrow being National Ice Cream Day, we’re going to have to postpone our annual Ice Cream Social. Again, more recovery time and less chance for possibly spreading contagion… if whatever they had was contagious. *shrug* And, check out these freebies/discounts on ice cream, by way of USA Today:

Pet owners – PetSmart: This ice cream freebie is only for dogs. At stores with PetsHotel facilities, dogs can get a free 4-ounce serving of dog-safe ice cream topped with dog biscuit treats Saturday and Sunday, while supplies last.

It’s a little after 5 PM now. I’m basically awake through sheer willpower and the remnants of this morning’s caffeine infusion still coursing through my veins. I have no illusions that I’m going to crash hard tonigh, most likely while sitting in front of the TV, watching whatever show or movie Sara and I delude ourselves into thinking that we’ll finish in one viewing.

Namaste.

Thursday – 18 July 2019
Just a few things to get your No Bad News Thursday off to a good start:

First up, my friend Jenn posted this yesterday. Not only a good song, but a fun video.

Next, this one’s been playing in my head for a couple of days: Prince. And Muppets. Together.

And since it’s still a work day for many: Jungle – Busy Earning

Okay, get on to the friction of the day. You’ve got this.