Episode #271: When Research Fails To Connect

Random picture from the mountain that makes one yearn for the sanity of Father Nature this Spring.

As most of you know, I enjoy supporting my local public library by shopping at their internal bookstore for gently used books/cd's/dvd's at three times a month.* I find it's an economical way to pump up my respective collections of media.

*my public library has two book fairs for all of the donated media they receive year round and what doesn't sell there, goes into the bookstore. They also cull the collection and sell those items in the store too. All monies raised goes towards various programs that are not covered under their general budget.

For example, my haul for the past month featured music by: Tower of Power; EmmyLou Harris; Jethro Tull; Annie Lenox; G.E. Smith; Barenaked Ladies;18th century popular music; Chevelle and early 19th century folk/ballad music. Books include a bio of a seafaring Victorian lady and a look at the London underworld from pre-medieval days to the present (late 90's/early 2000's).

Today's post is about the creator of the early 19th century folk/ballad music. The official title of the c.d. is "The Battle of Plattsbugh: Music from the war of 1812", and the artist in question was Connecticut native Stan Ransom aka The Connecticut Peddler.

Now as I'm want to do whenever I come across an old (in this case 24 years) c.d. is to see what kind of current info I can find on the artist/musician in question. So I went to his website listed on the back to see what I can see. Found a lot of stuff that was grossly out of date: the website was last updated some 13 years (it had Adobe flash player, so yeah...) ago, a defunct like button to a FB page and the last release listed was maybe in the early 2000's.

So off we went to go a-Googlin', and while we had some initial success by finding a newspaper article from the 2010's about the gentleman in question, any further dive would require spending money on a subscription to a paper that I neither wanted nor had any compunction to read. So off we went a-Googlin', this time for an obit.

Now you may think that searching for an obit is a bit strange, but in the bio link on his apparently defunct website, he was born in 1928, so a good assumption on anyone's part would be that he is no longer residing among the living. Alas, I found some obits, but not for the gentleman in question. In fact, the last thing I found for the gentlemen was a LinkedIn entry from 2020 thanking everyone for their birthday wishes.

Ultimately, this is where we decided to end our research. If I want to search out for any of his remaining c.d.'s, I would probably have to try my luck on Ebay. It's a rare occurrence for me when my research doesn't pan out in any meaningful way. In fact, I think this is the only time I wound up shooting a total cap gun with my research, as every other time I've done similar media research, I've always had a conclusion, good or bad, that I could live with.

I always want to be successful whenever I perform a personal research project, and this one felt like a complete failure to launch for me. 

So my question to you, my drive-by reader, is this: have you ever done a research project, personal or otherwise, that became a complete total bust/total zero when all was said and done?

{c} 2025 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #268: To Use What You Were Given Sometimes Takes Guts

"My dude has fallen over in shock and he can't sit up!"

Reality is that I have very bad balance and I happened to bump into my c.d. rack, thus the new resting position. But, after reading my post, you may agree with his response.

Today's post is probably going to be a bit of a sticky wicket, so to speak, so I'm going to do my very best to keep it sensible. I would like to also note that I will also try not to deviate too much by covering certain facets that have already been discussed in greater detail elsewhere.

Personally, this particular topic has been a steady part of my writing for the past dozen years or so, which is directly due to me creating super strong female characters that would use everything in their arsenal to accomplish their goals.

The topic in question is weaponizing sex, or as Pat Benatar eloquently stated in a song that was ahead of its time: "Sex As A Weapon". Even though this topic is geared to both sexes, this post will concentrate more on women than on men.

What prompted me to write this post was a particular YouTube music channel that I subscribe to that features a very talented female Japanese guitarist based out of South Korea. It seems like from day one, she initially attracted subscribers using what God had graced her with (with some very creative cosplay costuming that always (barely) stayed within YouTube's ToS) and kept them with her exceptional musical talent. 

So I got to thinking about how this particular issue often plays out in other venues/avenues, sometimes voluntarily: e.g. concerts, cosplaying (of all types, including what's mentioned above) and involuntarily: e.g. pro wrestling, track & field and other sporting events. And fiction, which is a separate category of its own.

note: I am not touching on the topic of adult entertainment, simply because that's an extremely volatile issue that I do not wish to engage in.

Now I'm old enough (reluctantly knocking on the front door of 60) to remember the before of the involuntary weaponization of sex, where the athletic uniforms for track & field weren't so blatantly provocative as they are now. Ditto goes for professional wrestling, where the clothing attire for women was in the vein of one piece leotards (similar to what gymnasts wear). I'm pretty sure that the after of the involuntary is something that most everyone reading this has seen the aftereffects: exceptionally tiny uniforms for track & field, and booty-shorts and tinier than normal sports-bras, along with some....enhancements for female wrestlers (if you think I'm kidding, check out any video/t.v. program/facebook page that involves ladies professional wrestling for confirmation).

For those of you who have partaken of today's music scene, or even going back at least a decade, you have seen performers dress in ways that emphasizes what they got, sometimes modestly, sometimes not. Even though they may draw you in with their talent, sometimes it's that weaponization that keeps you hooked, like a double edge sword.

Whether it's voluntary or not, it still involves making a highly personal decision about how each performer wants to use what they got in order to make money. Some people are very comfortable in their own skin, and thus have no problem in using what they got to get what they want. Others may be comfortable in their own skin, but simply do not want to cross that particular line in the sand.

Now I mentioned that fiction is its own separate category. The reason why I believe this is that every writer often injects their own morals/mores into their stories, because more often than not, a given character in a given story is an extension of some type of the writer.

In my particular case, using sex as a weapon in my stories was always thing, no matter what level of weaponization was being applied to a given story. This was basically showcased in my fantasy series "Sister v Sister" where, for example, the Queen of the Pod Planet was forced to weaponize what the deities had graced her with in order to get what she needed to effectively rule the planet. It wasn't pretty and it was quite humiliating at times, but I tried to make it so that everyone in the Queen's inner circle knew how bad it was, so they tried to help mitigate the degradation she was forced to endure as much as possible.

I think what it boils down to, at least in the real world, on how much is a woman willing to compromise their personal beliefs in order to have the career that they'd decided to pursue. The fictional world is far more nuanced, in my personal opinion, since no matter what the medium may be, it's the writer that builds that character and decides how much of themselves do they want to be injected into their characters.

For me personally, I do not question how a person, male or female, wants to use what the deities of their religion had graced them with in order to have a fulfilling life. As my very opinionated/well-informed daughter is often fond of saying, "my body, my choice.", and that is a mantra that I try to abide by (which is why, for example, tattoos do not bother me whatsoever, and even if some did, my opinion does not matter).

So my friends, what's your opinion about women using sex as a weapon, either voluntarily or involuntarily? Please keep in mind, I'm not touching upon the industry that is exclusively for adults whatsoever. I'm only touching upon what the general public, ages 15 and up, sees on a daily/weekly basis.

{c} 2025 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #258: I Always Enjoy The Music Around Me

No matter how crappy your week might get, it's the little things that keep you chugging along.

I've mentioned over the years that I have a very modest (compared to others) music collection that is mostly vinyl and c.d.s, with the vinyl split between LP and 45 then further split between new and used.

I rarely buy new vinyl because it's a prohibitively expensive 100% money grab (average price for a single LP is about the cost of one half to one third of tank of gas depending on where you live), and I rarely buy used vinyl, because there's no used record stores near me or the what GoodWill/Salvation Army/Savers carries is not conducive for listening if you're under the age of 60 and your music tastes have not been permanently stunted.

Over the years, my little brother (four years younger than moi) has always been on the lookout for vinyl for me. He often collects it from clients (he's a handyman/super), garage sales and even once found some by the curbside, and I often receive them as b'day gifts or Christmas presents. 

Because I'm not one to turn down free vinyl of any sort, I now possess music in all kinds of genres: 30's-70's pop, 80's rock, 90's indie rock, soul, jazz, comedy and everything else in between. I should mention that what my brother gifts me is nearly all original issues, with almost zero being reissues. Trust me, it's pretty easy to tell if you got an original, especially if you know the basic history of a particular artist. With that being said, I would like to share some examples, split between LP and 45, of what my brother has gifted me over the years. Please note that these examples are all original releases and some of the 45s come with the original sleeve.

1. Steve Lawrence- "In Time/My Claire De Lune": Most people know Steve Lawrence from his various comedic appearances on shows like The Carol Burnett Show or Johnny Carson, but he was a very accomplished singer in his own right. A United Artists release from the 60's.
2. Inez Foxx- "Mockingbird/Jaybirds: If you've listened to the golden oldies radio format, you're very familiar with the A side. What's interesting about 45, is that the previous owner had put little yellow dots noting the year (1963) and the length of the end fade (:04). A Symbol Records release.
3. Don McLean- "American Pie"- promo radio version in mono: I have both the reissue long version and I believe the original long version on 45. A United Artists release.
4. Wilton Place Street Band- "I Love Lucy Theme/You Don't Even Know Who We Are": Not familiar with this band, although a lot of minimally known bands/artists often became one hit wonders for their theme songs. This was released on an Island Records subsidiary called Disco Lucy in 1978. Make of that what you will.
5. Journey- "Open Arms" promo 45: We all know of Journey, that late 70's/early 80's arena rock band that is currently being ossified on classic rock radio. This particular release is strictly a radio station copy, as both A & B sides are the same song. A Columbia Records release.
6. Billy Stewart- "I Do Love You/Keep Loving": If you're not familiar with Billy Stewart, he had that monster hit called "Summertime", a cover version from a featured song in the play "Porgy and Bess". This was also a radio promo copy with the first song listed being the plug. A Chess Record release.

As I've stated earlier, these are all original releases, with the majority of them being promo records given to radio stations. Now let's move on to a sampling of LPs, most of which are original releases.

1. John Lennon- "Mind Games": A great musician but a mediocre human being, he put out some fantastic music during his solo career. This is a Capitol Records reissue that I'm guessing came out after his untimely passing.
2. Bruce Springsteen- "Born In The U.S.A.": I was a fan of Bruce Springsteen once, until he turned into one of those money grubbing people that he used to rail about. Now he just rails about the people who dare not to vote his way, who used to make up the majority of his fan base. Have to give him props for producing an album that featured at least six top 25 hits. A Columbia Records original release.
3. Andy Gibbs- "After Dark": An often overlooked artist who sadly flamed out after his massive hit "Shadow Dancing", which this album does not contain. An original RSO Records release.
4. The Mamas & Papas- "If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears": An excellent folk rock band from the late 60's. I already have an original version (#2 I believe) of this release. The reason why I say 'number two', is if you remember how puritanical the entertainment industry was in the 60's, the original cover photo of this album made everyone clutch their pearls, as it originally showed the group, fully clothed in a bathtub with a toilet in full view. The cover was quickly redone and in some versions, the toilet was mostly blocked out, leaving only the handle showing and in other versions, I believe everything was blacked out save for the band members. An original ABC/Dunhill Records release.
   
5. The Rolling Stones- "Aftermath": What can I say about the Rolling Stones other than in my personal opinion they jumped the shark in the mid 90's and been on a fast downhill slide to money-grubbing irrelevance. Still, this early original album features such dinosaur classics as "Paint It; Black", "Lady Jane", and "Under My Thumb". Original stereo London Records release.

This is just a very tiny sampling of the type of music that my brother has graciously gifted to me over the years (I was also gifted such interesting items like full orchestral 45 e.p.s), to which I am forever grateful. I have just recently acquired a portable record player and I'm slowly starting to get back into the swing of listening to my vinyl once again (for example, I recently listened to an original Simon & Garfunkel album that featured "I Am A Rock" and "Richard Corey").

I truly enjoy exploring the vast Mariana Trench that is music, and that exploration has led me to a diverse group of artists like Samantha Fish (blues), The Pretty Reckless (hard rock), Band Maid (Japanese hard rock), and Sammy Kershaw (country-pop) and genres like country-pop, easy listening, rock, jazz and even 18th century classical/ballads. 

Explore your horizons today, you just might find something that is so out of the ordinary that it will tickle your fancy enough to dig that deep rabbit hole.

{c} 2025 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #251: Cover Me Softly To Better Music Quality

This was taken on one of my few full scale (for me) hikes in Cedar Mountain this year. Legs are to the point where going up an incline greater than 1% causes great pain, but the peace and tranquility I do get in the aftermath is well worth the aggravation.

This week's post was inspired by a mediocre e-zine article that I had via the M$N news aggregate that listed their version of a top 20 cover song list, and one of the covers mentioned was "Boys of Summer" done by a mediocre alt-rock band called The Ataris.

Now I've listened to that cover and that mediocre version is the only standout of the mediocre collection surrounding that song. 

Stating my opinion about a mediocre cover song by a mediocre band perfectly segues into my personal opinion that cover songs fall into three distinct categories: versions done by quality indie bands/artists that exceed the original; versions done by known bands that equal the original, even when they put an unusual twist; and versions done by known bands that sound like they were phoned in or done to make a quick buck.

Four artists that immediately come to mind that fall into the first grouping are Post Modern Jukebox, Violet Orlandi, Frog Leap Studios and Broken Peach. They managed to harness the power of YouTube and parlay that exposure into live stream concerts, higher quality videos, original songs, original full length c.d.s (the former has 10 c.d.s out, two have released/are releasing their debut and Frog Leap has released about 80+/- full length downloadables) and tours. I highly recommend checking them out as all four are fantastic artists.

The second grouping, known artists that have done covers that have equaled/surpassed the originals, are the ones that I will truly rave about, because their covers show that they actual care about the final product. Some examples are as follows:

1. I Fought The Law by the Dead Kennedys: This particular song actually got me hooked on the DKs back in the early 2000's. It's a skewered version that features the events surrounding the deaths of activist Harvey Milk and S.F. mayor George Moscone.
2. In Bloom by Sturgill Simpson: This is one of the few cover versions of a Nirvana song that absolutely knocks it out of the park. It's moody, dark and in my personal opinion, is how the song should've been played originally.
3. Boys Of Summer by The Hooters: This is the song that triggered me to write this post. This cover by The Hooters, is performed in the way that I believe does this song justice: lightly dark, foreboding, melancholy for what was illicit for a brief moment in time. In my personal opinion, the song should've never been presented with an upbeat tempo.
4. Black Betty by Ram Jam: This was the best rework cover of a song that the artist never received a writer's credit for. The original was done by bluesman Leadbelly, so it was a down tempo bluesy kind of number. And for an added twist, Australian band Spider Bait did a very cool cover of the cover.

Now to present some examples of those who basically do covers to either phone it in or to make a quick buck. Sadly, these few examples are ones that get played a lot on commercial rock radio. There are a lot to choose from, since it seems that every well known band has done covers, with the majority of them being just average/mediocre. Note: there will be no links as I don't want to add any more to the seven I already have.

1. Whiskey In The Jar by Metallica: For me, this cover only stays true to the original lyrics and nothing else. Having grown up on Roger Whittaker (my father had odd tastes in music when I was a child), the original version of this song was a lively Irish folk tale, almost like a jig. The version by Metallica was something that just hurt my ears to listen to. Turning a song into a metal song doesn't instantly make it good...but it does give it the potential for it to be a money-maker/way for a metal band to keep their name in the public eye.
2. Everlasting Love by U2: This was strictly a cash grab/keep the name out there between releases. The original is an uptempo sub-three minute song that makes you want to sing along to. This bleechy cover does nothing for the listener, as it's bombastic arena rock at its absolute worst.
3. Last Kiss by Pearl Jam: Strictly a cash grab that offers no variation to the original. They turned a decent "teen death song" (a sub-genre in the late 50's that featured songs like this one and "Tell Laura I Love Her") into something that a no-talent person like myself could play blindfolded. The insipid drum beat sounds like it came straight from a recording studio from the same time period. Just. No.
4. I'm Down by Adrian Belew: This was, in my opinion, an uninspired version of the Beatles classic. It just really didn't do anything for me, and it was definitely suited as a "B" side to the "A" side of "Oh Daddy!" (Billboard 100 chart). I kind of put it up there with the uninspiring bootleg version performed by the Beastie Boys.

It's sad that one can remember the bad versions of well known songs more than the original versions of the same song. There are a lot of cover songs that I've heard over the decades, courtesy of college radio and internet radio stations like SomaFM and believe that at least 70% of them are really good, and this includes all genres that I've been exposed to over the decades. It's the remaining 30% that bothers me to the point of being exceptionally unbent, because it's often those 30% that get the most airplay.

So I hope you've enjoyed my pleasant little diatribe about cover songs, and if cover songs are your jam, please check out SomaFM. SomaFM is another link in the chain of the only good thing to come out of California: music. They have a channel that is called "Covers", which plays nothing but in all possible genres.

Happy Monday!

{c} 2024 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #246: Free-Formin' To A Free-Fallin' Monday

Barking at the...sun? 

Today's post was actually inspired by a FB post from my FB friend Lynn, in which she made a funny comment about Mondays. I seriously almost went to town with a song lyric/title montage in her comment section about Mondays, but since discretion is the better part of my humor these days, I chose to save it for a blog post.

Thus, today's blog post is, as the title suggests, a satirical take on song titles/lyrics associated with our least favorite day of the week. Now, I want to make clear right off the bat is that this post will not, repeat. will not become one monster link-fest to that wonderfully annoying video platform called YouTube. Instead, I will add a list at the end of all the bands that performed the songs referenced in this fun filled blog post, in chronological order of course.

So, sit back and enjoy this wonderfully tiny little blog post by your friend, G.B. Miller.

~~~~~~~~

We find Ted staring rather morosely outside his cubicle window at the chaotically wet scene unfolding in front of him. Sighing in disgust, he says, "Man, why is this Monday ringing so Blue today? I can't get any work done with this depressing shade of angry blue. It's just not that inspiring to me."

"Ted! Hey Ted! Have you got that monthly petty cash report finished for me?"

"Bob, what an unexpected surprise to my dull morning. What are you babbling on about now?"

"Dull? It's not dull by any means! It's a very Happy Monday today! It's a great day to be alive and working like a busy beaver. Speaking of which, did you get that power point report completed?"

"No Bob, I didn't get your power point report completed. This Rainy Day Monday is simply not doing it for me. How can you be so full of life on such a crappy Monday?"

"Ted, Ted, Ted. How can you be so glum on such a beautiful Monday. Monday is my favorite day of the week. Don't you like Mondays?"

"No Bob, I Don't Like Mondays. In fact, I like Mondays just about as much as I like shampooing my pet guinea pig. So, what else do you need besides that stupid power point presentation?"

Bob fell silent as he tried to come up with a witty retort to Ted's dour answer. Suddenly the answer him like an Acme Anvil. "I got it! My favorite group has the perfect Monday morning anthem for you! It's a great song called Life Sucks (Then You Die). Let me pull it up on my YouTube playlist."

"What kind of Monday morning anthem celebrates Murphy's Law? That's really offensive you know. I have half a mind to report you to H.R."

"It'll be ignored, you do know that, right?"

"Bob....isn't it about time you start bothering Carol and Alice? I mean, they are your work wives, right?"

"We're in the middle of a nasty divorce. If they prevail, they get my office suite, my personal assistant and you. Can't let them win Ted."

That bit of news definitely brightened Ted's state of mind, since he would absolutely love to be part of a super intelligent dynamic duo like Carol and Alice. Bob noticed Ted's new and improved mood, and said, "I knew my Monday morning anthem would do the trick for you. So, I'll expect that power point report from you sooner than later?"

"Absotively Posilutely my friend!"

"That's the cubicle spirit!" said Bob as he flounced back to his office suite to contemplate the true meaning of a menace a trois.

The list: Fats Domino; power pop group The Happy Mondays; The Carpenters; The Mamas & The Papas; The Boomtown Rats; and finally, The Fools. The Fools had a cult hit in the late 80's actually called "Life Sucks (Then You Die)" which turned into a Monday Morning anthem on rock radio. A wickedly funny take on Murphy's Law.

{c} 2024 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #232: Changing Musical Tastes? Maybe, Maybe Not

The legend that is Oreo the Chihuahua. Absolutely no fear, and sometimes, doesn't fully apply his brain cells. But we love him just the same.

As I've gotten older, I've often wondered from time to time, if my musical tastes had really changed in the past 47+ years of my existence {the starting point would be 1976}.

Like the majority of people, I was initially exposed to what my parents were listening to, which in this case was 50's rock, late 60's folk and early 70's country. All of which at the time, I really didn't like much. I also would listen to the 70's pop when it was actually fresh, and not super stale like it is now. And most importantly for this post, I had my first real exposure to both classical and 40's pop, courtesy of that well known animation company of our childhood: Warner Bros.

In the preceding decades, I've grown to appreciate classical music, to the point where I would often tune into it on the car radio and in one memorable instance three straight weeks on YouTube. I've also revisited a portion of the music from my childhood {60's folk and 70's}, and subsequently acquired a deeper appreciation of those genres. But, one might ask, did your musical tastes actually change in your later years? I believe it has radically changed, and for the better.

During the 25+ years spent working for the state of Connecticut, I was exposed to the endless wonders of college/independent radio. We have three very good college stations near where I live {Univ of Hartford, Trinity College and Wesleyan Univ} and subsequently I was exposed to genres that I never really thought too much about or even knew existed.

Under the rock genre, I was exposed to the 50's rock that was either high on the regional charts or near the absolute bottom of the national charts; I was soon exposed to the heavy metal genre {mostly through film and book at first} and the sub-genres, which was quickly followed by punk music of the late 70's/early 80's {e.g. Dead Kennedys and Sex Pistols}; under the "oddities" classification, I was exposed to all forms of jazz music {note, I really detest the heavy brass versions of jazz}; all types of Bluegrass, cartoon music and a newish genre called Americana {note: this is still one my favorite songs from that later genre, Happy Boy}

Again, all of this took place after the age of 30, so as you can see, I came in way late to the musical exposure game. However, that isn't to say that I went hog wild with the other types not previously mentioned. There are a few that I have either developed an overall dislike that has mellowed over the years to the point where I will sample it from time to time {e.g. rap, electronica, pop and country pop}, or just simply an intense dislike that will never change {e.g. today's R&B and death metal}.

So to answer the question, has my musical tastes really changed all that much? Perhaps. I mean, in an indirect way, college radio had/has both opened and reopened my musical horizons. When I say "opened", it has allowed me to explore other types of genres at my own pace and at my own speed {for example, jazz is a genre that you really do need to explore at your own pace}; and when I say "reopened", it has allowed me to revisit and reexamine the music from my youth, and actually gain a level of appreciation that I still enjoy to this day.

Also in an indirect way, my children have showed me how to look at their music with a slightly less critical eye than previously. I still don't quite understand/like huge swathes of their music, but now I'm a shade more open minded about listening to it {occasionally being trapped in a car will often force you to confront music that otherwise wouldn't be on your radar}.

There are still certain types/eras of music that I absolutely will not listen to unless I am truly desperate, like classic rock from the Rollicking Stone/Fred Zeppelin era to the Glam Metal era {that's mid 1960's thru the late 1980's}, the 1st/2nd wave of Alternative {1990 thru early 2000's} and roughly 97% of today's country pop {mid 2000's to the present}. 

There is, however, one particular type of music that has spurred me on to explore different genres: cover songs. College radio, and to a lesser extent, a particular channel {Covers} on the Internet station SomaFM, have played cover songs that go above and beyond what you would tiredly hear on commercial radio {ex: I heard a cover of "I Fought The Law" by the Dead Kennedys that prompted me to explore their music}. Most of the artists that performed those covers would often prompt me to explore that artist's catalog, with very good results.

I think I will stick with my answer of "Perhaps". I still listen to most of the same music from my youth, but I have accentuated/enhanced that music with other types that in turn has made me a more well rounded, musically that is, individual. And isn't that what we all strive for in our lives?

{c} 2024 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #220: Wasting My Hard Earned Money On Bad Music

I often find strange items during my weekend walks. The weekend of 4/20 was no exception. The only thing I can say about this tree is that the homeowner did an absolutely sensational job with his creativity.

For the longest time, I did not have the same affinity for used c.d.'s as I did for used vinyl. I'm not really sure as to why that was, but in the mid 2010's, that philosophy had pretty much changed. One major reason for the change was that my public library started having daily sales of all of used c.d.'s that they didn't sell during their semi-annual used book fair, and being the devotee of my public library at the time, what better way to help out my library (and boost up my collection) than to purchase c.d.s that were priced from $1 to $3. 

The other major reason why, was that I was growing increasingly irritated on dropping major dollars on a new c.d. on an artist that I had a passing familiarity with due to their one "known" song, only to have that c.d. not live up to the hype of that one "known" song. So I figured that it would make more sense to drop a $1 on a used c.d. on that same artist to see if anything else of theirs would click for me.

This particular philosophy has worked quite well for me in the preceding 10+ years, especially when I started pairing YouTube with that same philosophy to my music purchases. YouTube has allowed me the luxury of sampling an artist's body of work w/o going broke before deciding to dive headlong into their back catalog (examples being Band Maid {Japanese hard rock}, Jinjer {thrash metal}, Samantha Fish {blues}, Sammy Kershaw {country pop} and The Pretty Reckless {hard rock}).

But man, it was such a very expensive journey that I had to undergo before I could reach that particular philosophical goal. In this particular case, "expensive" means dropping good money on bad music and in quite a few instances, dropping pocket change on bad music. 

Let me give you a few examples of the former. The first one was the debut c.d. of one of those hybrid rap/rock (think Linkin Park, only with less talent) called Hollywood Undead. I had first heard of the song "Undead" from their debut c.d. first on radio (heavily censored) and the video maybe on Vimeo. I was intrigued enough to drop $15 (this was back in 2008) on this c.d., and let me tell you, while the initial song was decent, the rest of the c.d. was so bad, so juvenile that I gave up after five songs. The impression I got was that the "group" sounded like a bunch of wannabe suburbanites pretending to be thugs, and in fact it was one of the few times that I actually left a two star review on Amazon about it (before Amazon tightened up their rules on reviews).

This next one, while it technically didn't cost me any money, only a Border's gift card, was a great example of not reading the liner notes on the c.d. case. I had found a 3 c.d. set called "Best of Bluegrass Gospel", and I thought, 'cool this would be a fantastic listening adventure', since I was starting to get into other genres of music. Sadly, this turned out to be simply one of the compilations where all the songs were played by one band, much like those Pickwick Record compilations of the 60's & 70's.

Now, a few examples of dropping pocket change on bad music. To be honest, these don't bother me as much, because I'm of the mindset that my money is going to a very good cause (supporting my public library). Sort of the equivalent of buying a candy bar due to the hype, but ultimately having a "meh" reaction afterwards.

One example of this was a Russian pop duo called t.A.T.u. that were all the rage in 2000/'01 before flaming out (I think). I was intrigued enough to purchase this c.d. and suffice to say, even though I'm open to trying most genres at least once in my lifetime, this was not a good representation of what passed for the pop genre at the time. I think they could be classified as all show (the cover artwork really confirms this) and no substance. Very slickly produced and in a head-to-head battle with Milli Vanilli would come out on top, barely. So, this one cost me the equivalent of a instant lottery ticket with the exact same payout.

Another example of dropping pocket change on bad music, was on a "super group" punk band called Me First & the Gimme Gimmes (original, I know). Now, I had first heard about this band from a former co-worker way back in the late 90's who absolutely raved about them. So I filed this little snippet of info in my memory bank and moved on.

Fast forward about two and a half decades and I found a copy of a c.d. called "Take A Break" by the aforementioned band. So I dropped my hard earned, yet very worn out one dollar bill to buy this c.d. Suffice to say, I only got a few tracks in before giving up. While I'm all for listening to new cover versions of old songs, listening to punk versions of old songs was a whole other level of noise. There are times when certain genres aren't meant to inflict ear noise on old songs from other genres, and this was one of those times. To me, it was very irritating ear noise, because in my opinion, they were inadequate in their execution. I should note that this "band" is still around, sporadically playing gigs throughout the years.

In general, I have a very high threshold when it comes to music and books, and I often try to find the good in whatever book I'm reading/band I'm listening to, especially if it's something that I've got only a passing familiarity with. But there are times when something absolutely doesn't live up to the hype, and you ultimately lament the amount of money that you spent on a mediocre product.

So give my philosophy a shot. Buy used books and c.d.'s, especially from your local public library's semi-annual book fair. It's the best way to check out a writer or artist without breaking the bank, while supporting a worthwhile cause at the same time. And if it doesn't work out, you can take comfort in the knowledge that your money is supporting a cherished institution.

{c} 2024 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #219: I Found A Little Music Walking Under An Eclipse

The locally famous plateau on Cedar Mountain, looking across the town towards New Britain CT.

I had a most enjoyable walk during the solar eclipse of 2024. It was a gorgeously sunny day with temps in the high 60's/lo 70's, and I came across a multitude of people that I hadn't seen since year one of the pandemic (the mountain was an extremely popular site to practice socialized distancing w/o feeling guilty).

Apparently, this plateau, plus an area in front of the Hartford Regional Center was deemed to be above average places to watch the solar event of the year. As I walked by, I wished everyone good luck and much success with their viewing and (hopefully) their photography.

As for me, the only effect that I got from the eclipse was becoming very cold while walking through the shadow of the eclipse. However, there was a small positive to be had during that very long walk: music.

I came across a recycling bin that was not picked up by the recyclers (odd that they would want to enforce their rules about what you can recycle. :/s), that had a bunch of DVDs and CDs left behind. Being the enterprise older lad that I was, I perused the remains and made a selection of almost one dozen c.d.s of various genres to take home with me.

I would like to point out that, as I've gotten older, I've been exposed to more genres of music than I ever was in my youth. In my youth it was 70's pop, 60's/70's country, 60's folk and 50's doowop/rock. As a teen, I completely missed what is now disgustingly called "classic rock" and instead concentrated on the aforementioned genres. I really didn't come out of my shell until I was introduced to the world of college radio in the mid 90's during my time as a state worker drone.

Humorous aside: I once made a request of an AOR station (album oriented rock) to hear an Eddie Rabbit song. I'm sure I was the butt of jokes for quite a while at the station.

So after bringing my haul home and having to dispose of four empty cases, I was left with seven very intriguing c.d.s to listen to at my leisure. Fortunately for me, I was hip deep in transcribing three chapters, so I really needed something to keep me occupied.

Ultimately, I managed to listen to four in their entirety. What follows is my opinion on those four, along with my observations on the other three. 

1. Fun.: They were a pop/rock band out of NYC from the very early 2010's. They produced two very well received c.d.'s, of which Aim And Fire is the one that came into my possession, before going on "hiatus" to do other projects. The c.d. had that power/pop vibe going for it, and I really found myself grooving to it.
2. David Guetta: Is a French producer/DJ who is very well known and successful on the club scene circuit. This particular c.d., called Listen, was very enjoyable to listen to, as it featured guest vocalists such as Sia, John Legend and Nicki Minaj.
3. Lindsay Stirling: An accomplished violinist, who apparently has fantastic stage shows featuring all kinds of dance, while playing. The music absolutely blew me away (being that I've had long time exposure to classical music, I can really appreciate the tonal quality of the instruments used) and for those who are fascinated by intriguing musical pairings, the title song, Shatter Me, features Lizzy Hale of Halestorm on vocals.
4. Of Monsters And Men: Icelandic folk/pop/rock band that theoretically burst onto the alternative scene with their c.d. My Head Is An Animal, which spawned two radio friendly hits, Mountain Sound and Little Talks, I was able to listen to about half of this c.d., which created a very good personal vibe for me. Tightly crafted and the lead singers have the kind of voices that never quite match up with the actual image of the singer as opposed to the image you've created while listening. Highly recommend.
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers: No real need to point out the obvious, but this particular c.d., Californication, in my personal opinion, is where the band really peaked creatively and commercially. Three monster radio hits, plus other assorted tracks that flew under the radar. It's a decent c.d. that is now...GASP!....25 years old.
6. Capital Cities: I have not listened to In A Tidal Wave Mystery yet. The best I can tell is that they're a pop duo that has released exactly two full c.d.s and two e.p.s since 2011. On a personal note, I have always been leery of listening to modern pop music, since to me, it basically sounds the same, no matter what kind of tweaks you make to the music. But, I am willing to keep an open mind about this (someday I will tell you about the absolute worst dollars spent on a c.d.).
7. Neon Trees: I haven't listened to Pop Psychology yet. The best I can tell is that they're a combo of new wave/synth pop/dance/rock. Like the previous entry, I will keep an open mind about this one as well.

In general, I think I made a good haul with these c.d.s., as I'm always on the look out to expand my musical horizons. I'm always of the mindset that buying used c.d.s is the best way to explore different genres, because honestly, I'm not a fan of buying a c.d. just for one song that I've heard on the radio somewhere. I have made exceptions to that rule over the years, and for the most part, I haven't been disappointed in my expensive ($15-$25) choices. There have been misses over the years, but have been few and far between.

Have a fantastic week everyone, and if you want to explore your musical horizons, check out college radio. You'll be happy that you did.

{c} 2024 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #200: Did I Actually Listen To That?

Yes, this is the legendary late kitty of mine, Holly, who tripped across the rainbow bridge during the pandemic year of 2020.

The other day, I was perusing my socialized media platform of choice, YouTube, when I noticed in the comment section of a cover band that I follow {Broken Peach} that someone mentioned that the band was in their 2023 YT music recap. I didn't think much of it until a FB friend happened to mention/post her top ten Spotify list, then presto, blog post topic.

I've been commenting on YouTube for the past five years, simply because out of all the socialized media platforms that I'm familiar with, this one seems to be the most stable of the bunch. In short, because of the variety of the channels that I subscribe to {57 and counting}, 99% of the commenters I come across are the type that don't engage in flame wars or any of the kind of trolling that permeates those other platforms.

Normally I do not bother with the yearly music recap, because I really don't care to review what I listen to. I listen to what intrigues me the most. However, because I needed something to blog about and because Little Brother is a trade-off when your digital life is controlled by the Alphabet Company, it was a match made in Purgatory.

~~~~~~~

So to start things off, according to YouTube, I listened to 1,456 minutes of music, contained in 297 different songs that were performed by 129 different artists. For genres, this breaks down to 23% Rock; 16% Indie; 9% Heavy Metal; 7% Pop and 4% Country, with the remaining 41% classified as Other. 

I'm like, "Okay....", like, apparently listening to Classical or any other now predominately niche genres like RPG/Fantasy didn't register on the YT Algorithm Scale? Whatever. How about we look at what the top 5 songs where that piqued my interest that were played?

1} South Side by Moby;

2} Life Is A Rock by Reunion;

3} Bad by Royal Deluxe;

4} What Would You Do With A Bernie Sanders by The Cog Is Dead;

5} Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy) by Big & Rich.

Ummm....Okay? Like, I really can't believe that those were my top 5 tracks listened to for 2023. Granted, they were good, but "South Side"? Really? I'm sure there were a lot of other tracks that got heavy play that should've made this list.

Well, how 'bout my top five artists? That should be a good one, right? Right?

1} Leo Moracchioli aka Frog Leap Studios;

2} Broken Peach;

3} Violet Orlandi;

4} Ami Kim;

5} Moby.

Okay, I get the first four listed, as they are prolific cover artists whose videos are a must watch, and who are now branching out into original music, but Moby? Moby? Really? There are so many other artists that I have watched on YouTube that are so much more worthy, like Sina, whose drum covers are spot on and who is branching out into original music as well.

Sigh.

Well, let's try to see what my particular music mood was. Uplifting was 25%; Upbeat was 24%; Energizing was 22%; Dramatic was 15% and Happy was 11%. Who knows what the remaining 3% was. And I have no idea on how to even remotely interpret this particular glob of info. Does it mean that all the music that I had decided to listen to was just one big fat Venn Diagram for positivity? I find that very odd indeed.

It looks like that overall, the stats that YouTube came up with were woefully short of meatiness, but overflowing on vapid empty calories. If anything, it just solidifies my belief that ignoring my yearly YouTube music recap was a very good move on my part, and that paying attention to it this time was an exercise in bewilderment. Like the commercial where the waiter brings out prawn for a customer who clearly states that he has a shellfish allergy.

To sum it up, for 2023 I listened to, allegedly, 24 1/4 hours of music that was collectively produced by 129 different artists who created 297 different songs. To be honest, I have to disagree with the total amount of time spent listening to music, because I'm almost certain that I'd listened to more than 24 1/4 hours of YouTube music. But what do I know, I'm only the actual user of the product, so my opinion means as much to YouTube as a politician who swings right or centrist with their opinions.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little weird breakdown of my YouTube music listening endeavors, because this is what you have to look forward to if you spent even a scintilla doing the exact same thing. And please check out those artists links, they really have put out some outstanding quality music videos on their channels throughout 2023.

{c} 2023 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #180: I Gots The Music In Me Still

A flashback pic to give you the warm fuzzies, which fits perfectly with the link in this post, which is also a flashback to when I was slightly popular in the blog world.

I went tripping through my Cedar's Mountain blog archives, because why not, trying to come up with a suitable topic that, a} haven't worked to death and b} a topic that I actually like.

So, I found an old link to a favorite topic that meets my two basic requirements: minimal linkage and what links are there, actually work. So the blog post in question, from October 2010 (yes, I've been blogging for that long), meets those two basic requirements.

The topic in question is music. Now granted, I have not listened to a boatload of music this year for a few legitimate reasons: a} when I do drive, I'm usually listening to a podcast; b} when I'm walking I'm usually listening to a podcast or c} swap out podcast and substitute MLB (I pay for the audio portion of the app, so I'm gonna get my money's wroth). So that basically leaves transcribing on the computer.

And even then, I'm kind of limited with my choices, in that the one piece record player is broken (plug connection needs to be fixed) so...NO VINYL FOR ME!, which leaves my c.d. player (lots of c.d.'s) and YouTube. Now, I know you're speaking to the screen and saying, "wait, wut?!", but hear me out.

Just like the link to the blog post below, I also have a hankerin' for acoustic string instruments. In this particular case, it's classical guitar and RPG influenced fantasy music. This is basically an offshoot of the classical music that I had written about a few years ago when I was doing some hardcore editing/writing in the dining room, where I had relocated my den to after the basement flood. At that time I think I listened to about 50+ hours of all kinds of instrumentals, including all kinds of classical, folk and movie soundtracks.

So as I've gotten older, my musical palette has expanded to include some genres that the average person would go, "ewww." if they were exposed to it. But for me, when it comes to writing on my computer, it works for me. So without further hubris, please check out this post from my blog archives that touches upon this very topic, and see just how my musical tastes have evolved over the past thirteen years.

From the Cedar's Mountain blog archives dated October 25, 2010, called "What I Am Is What I Like"

{c} 2023 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #171: I'm Still Entertaining Myself Weakly

On a road to somewhere. Humane Society, or towards the plateau? Only my swiss cheese memory really knows.

In my post from a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I subscribed to over 50 podcasts, all of which I listen to on a one-to-two-week schedule. Today's post will cover the amount of YouTube channels that I subscribe to, which currently hovers at 55 active channels.

Now I would like to note that all of them post on a consistent schedule ranging from one to five times per day up to once per month, and every other schedule you can think of in between.

And because I'm such a nerdy stats guy, I decided to break down the types of channel content I subscribe to.

Short fiction, Reddit, general knowledge, true crime, motor vehicle (dash cam auto, go-pro motorcycle), personal v-logs, humor, music and food.

Now with the first two, the comment section can often be just as, if not more than, enlightening than the videos. With the former, it's really interesting reading someone's eloquent missive about why doing something is impossible to do in the real world, only to read a response reiterating that the story is a work of formulaic, albeit very interesting, fiction, and everyone knows that what happens in the story doesn't happen that way in the real world.

I don't comment much on the channels beyond the first two, the nine music channels and maybe the legal one. The rest of the channels that I follow, I rarely comment on, simply because they're quite popular (my definition of popular is 1 million or more subscribers) and on the popular channels you really can't get into any kind of discussion on the topics being presented and more often than note, your comment is lost in the vast sea of comments (some of the popular channels rage from 2k to 5k comments). So I just simply enjoy the content.

I have curated my channel list over the past few years, usually due to changing tastes, but sometimes the format that the content creator originally had got changed to something that suits them better, but the change is something I don't agree with. And yes, I follow the adage of nobody is forcing me to watch it, so you can change the channel, so I do. The change that I'm none too thrilled about, but understand it's a way for the content creator to make money, is livestreams. I'm not a fan of watching someone perform/play something live on YT for one to three hours, but I do understand the need. You want to make money from your content, and livestreaming is one of four ways to do it (the other three are click/views, a merchandise store, and sponsorships)

While I do have eclectic tastes in what I like to watch on YT, I do have problems with the insidious censorship that YT does, mostly over language/images. This is a major pet peeve of mine that deserves its own post, but in short, if you're using certain words that are deemed no longer acceptable by the mainstream media or tech companies (Google, YT, Insta, FB, etc) or even countries, you can get a strike or demonetization to your video. Only exceptions are the regular national corporations that have products that we use.

But, be that as it may, I really do enjoy all the channels that I subscribe to. You can find a channel for just any topic/subject/issue that you like on YouTube. Some of the oddest channels I've come across, and actually watched, featured topics/people like Audie Murphy, cattle hoof trimming, podiatry, audiology, rug cleaning, landscaping, make-up and even writing.

I would like to recommend one channel though, if you like very clean humor: Steven He. He's an absolute legend as a comedic actor and the only person that I can think of that turned one of his video shorts into a major meme called "Emotional Damage".

Have a great week everybody.

{c} 2023 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #170: Entertaining Myself Weakly

I actually spotted this near entrance #3 to Cedar Mountain on my walk in the mountain yesterday. People have way too much free time on their hands. This was about a hundred feet or so from another sign that said, ironically enough, Shoulder Closed {at a bend in the path}.

My audio listening is often cyclical these days. For example, the last time that I had actually listened to an audio-book, was back in the early 90's, when books-on-tapes were a major thing and CD's were but a dream on the library horizon. To be frank, I only got into that particular audio-book format was one, they were great to listen to on my days off from working the overnight, and two, my attention span wasn't as short then as it is now.

Eventually we moved out of that audio format and moved into the listening of the different music formats that I've lived through: radio, vinyl, cassettes, c.d.'s, music apps, sports apps and finally, podcasts. Today, after roughly 5 years of living with a smartie phone, my top three preferred formats are: podcasts, c.d.'s, and sports app. Radio, music apps and vinyl (once I have my record player functioning again), are now dragging up the rear. Sports app is a seasonal thing, since the only one I own is MLB, and that's to listen to the local broadcasts of my particular team (if you like baseball, MLB app is the way to go. Prices start at only $2.99 + tax per month).

Music streaming has (I use Tune-In) dropped so far off my radar that I actually had to log back in after they did a bunch of app upgrades. I have about 15 channels for my listening pleasure, the bulk being specific genre based (e.g., rock, soft rock, bluegrass) and the other being good public/college radio stations (three local collages and two community based in Wyoming and Idaho). So now, the only time that I listen to music is either when I'm doing transcription on the computer or I need a small change of pace on my twice daily walks

Podcasts are now my audio of choice when I do my twice daily walks (unless there's an early afternoon ball game to listen to, and even when I go on long drives to run errands or visit family. If you think about it, we are kind of revisiting the audio-book genre, as I managed to expand. through hard work and determination, my wicked short attention span to something that is respectable (to me, respectable is being able to tolerate episodic podcasts to a maximum of 75 minutes).

My tastes in podcasts, just like in books, is quite the eclectic mix. Without doing a deep title dive of the 35+ podcasts I listen to on a weekly-to-semi-weekly basis, here are the genres that I listen to.

General knowledge: 29%; History: 50%; Nature: 7%; True Crime: 14%.

Now this will fluctuate from time to time, whenever I find other interesting multi-season series to listen to or when I find interesting limited run podcasts that have piqued my curiosity (e.g. Dolly Parton, Fred Rogers, the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and currently John Quincy Adams) over the past five years. But basically it has stayed at 35+ level since 2019. 

I really enjoy listening to podcasts these days, mostly on my twice a day walks and long drives, as they're the closest thing to the actual audio-book format that I can tolerate. But, I haven't completely abandoned music though. I have a list of roughly 35 titles split between three artists that I'm slowly acquiring from Amazon. Two of them will be expensive to buy, since one is from Japan (fantastic rock music from that country in all genres) and one is a punk rock band from the states fronted by an actress who was on the show "Gossip Girl" and the Jim Carey version of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" as Cindy Lou Who. The other is a country artist whose back catalog, starting in 1991, can be had very cheaply on Amazon.

Plus, while I find listening to podcasts while transcribing is a serious distraction, listening to music or baseball is not, so that will always be my saving grace. Cyclical can be fun sometimes, but it can also be a major pain in the butt, since sometimes the various stops can last a lot longer than normal, and before you know it, half a decade has gone by and you're asking yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"

I got to here by exploring You Tube. Enjoy this song by the punk rock band The Pretty Reckless.

{c} 2023 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #130: Dad Is Willing To Elaborate On His Life

Happy 4th of July to everyone and hopefully you're having a fantastic holiday weekend this year just like I am.

Today's topic will be very much on the lighter side than last week's, since this time I will be talking about some newer aspects of my life, which pulls inspiration from a calendar quote for the month of July.

Do More Things That Make You Forget About Your Phone.

Now this has been pretty much a no-brainer for me. Unlike the rest of the world, I had to be kicking and screaming into the modern phone era, specifically a peppy letter from ye carrier of old, Sprint, saying that the first of the new year (2019), your old flipped-phone would become obsolete.

While I ultimately get a new primary phone by the end of 2018, in mid 2018 I got a smartie phone as a secondary play phone. 

Currently, the extent of my usage is comparatively microscopic to everybody else. I simply use my phone for the following: reading news on two apps, sports on two apps, music on two apps (including Chrome) and podcasts on two apps. That's it. No hardcore social media beyond YT as a commenter on the phone, non-existent friend circle, so I'm really not tied to my phone like the average person is.

So really, I do do things that 97% of the time makes me forget about my phone. Obviously, 3% comes in when I do my twice daily M-F, Sun walks/one daily on Sat, and I need to listen to podcasts/music/baseball to keep my brain engaged. It really is the only time that I enjoy multi-tasking. What I listen to sometimes becomes my background noise in that I can tune in and out at will if the topic that I'm listening to is dryer than dirt. Otherwise, as an REM song says, "Your feet are going to be on the ground, your head is there to move you around."

Another thing that makes me forget about my phone is writing. Or blogging. Or reading. Either way, the written word turns me on and helps me disconnect.

As most of you know, I've gotten back on what has been an almost 1 1/2 year non stop writing spree. Part of the reason, at least initially, was to tidy up a previously published book. But by this point last year, I managed to find two previously completed manuscripts that needed a copious amount of re-work to make them viable, of which one needed to be completely gutted and re-written.

Those I managed to finish late 2021, and after moving my den back into my den, organized my slush pile and started working on a half completed manuscript that once again, needed that left turn to Albuquerque in order to make it somewhat viable. Which, by the time you read this post, we'll be executing actual original writing and no re-writing whatsoever.

So if you think about it, it has also made me consider my phone, beyond using it to follow the text version of the various games of the NY Mets, as an afterthought.

So there are a lot of things that I do that make me forget about my phone, which, after giving a lot of thought, I decided that the primary reason as to why I forget about my phone a great deal, is that I'm not firmly and unequivocally, attached to my phone like a bad feeding tube. As I stated earlier, I had to be pulled kicking and screaming into the modern era of technology. I'm still not overly thrilled about it, but like other things in my life that I'm not thrilled about, I've learned to accept and move on to something else.

And that is why I can actually not hyperventilate if I don't use my phone for longer than forty-five seconds.

{c} 2022 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #122: Dad's Allergies Are Better, So This Update Isn't Stuffy

Summertime....and the living is sooooo much easier when you have a routine of sleep, eat. walk, eat, vegetate, walk, vegetate, eat, run errands, vegetate listening to MLB. Wash, rinse and repeat.

Yeeeeaaaaaah. No. Let's call this, Take 3!

Summer is almost upon us, and as such, we're gearing up for some mini-mountain exploration. And the occasional picture taking. And some serious note taking. And a computer switch.

To expand a bit further, we shall tackle each bullet point contained within that paragraph.

1} Mini-mountain exploring: The weather has gotten a bit more like late Spring than late Winter, so I've started my usual short day hike on the typical mountain trail. Last Saturday {4/30} went up by the MDC water tower to the plateau overlook, before going back down the mountain the long invasive way. Fortunately for me, I did recognize a few trees that told me I was on the right downhill path. Well that, and the mountain stream was on my left as well.

2} Started taking random pics on my mini hikes, mostly from an old foundation of sorts that doubles as a rest area. I can still see the street from there, since the trees are presently about 20% in bloom, but that view should go away in about a month.

3} The note taking will commence shortly after I carve out some time to go through an 80+ page manuscript of gobbledy-gook. Said gobbledy-gook features a human/semi-human pairing, servants, bad English-to-Spanish translations, magic and other assorted....things. And this was ascertained from a two minute page flip/skim while I was printing out missing parts (props to my trusty file folder on my trusty USB drive). Should be a barrel of laughs while I'm pulling a muscle ion my brain as I'm trying to understand what I'd written. This will, undoubtedly, give my muse boundless fits of mirth and giggles, because as you all know, the muse performs on paper whatever interpretation you choose to execute with the information that she graces you with.

4} The computer switch will commence Memorial Day weekend, as my current Chromebook will cease getting new updates in June. Fortunately for the new one, support is good through early 2027. Yes, unlike M$, where each OS last about as long as a politician keeping their promises, Chrome OS usually has a lifespan between 5 and 8 years, depending on model and make of computer.

So basically, the only concrete parts of this plan are points #1 & #2, since that will be a summer thing. There will be a #2a for times that I will go out my comfort zone and walk in other parts of town (found a couple that due to unforeseen issues were not trodden upon in 2021), while the others are fleeting-to-minimal at best.

And now, a little e-mail, albeit G-rated, humor. Enjoy!

Grandma's Boyfriend

A five year old boy went to visit his grandmother one day. Playing with his toys in her bedroom while grandma was dusting, he looked up and said, "Grandma, how come you don't have a boyfriend now that Grandpa went to heaven?"

Grandma replied, "Honey, my TV is my boyfriend. I can sit in my bedroom and watch it all day long. The religious programs make me feel good and the comedies make me laugh. I'm happy with my TV as my boyfriend."

Grandma turned on the TV, and the reception was terrible. She started adjusting the knobs, trying to get the picture in focus. Frustrated, she started hitting the backside of the TV hoping to fix the problem. The little boy heard the doorbell ring, so he hurried to open the door, and there stood Grandma's minister.

The minister said, "Hello, son, is your Grandma home?"

The little boy replied, "Yeah, she's in the bedroom bangin' her boyfriend."

The minister fainted.

And on that wholesome note, we bid you a berry happy Monday and may your week be filled with memes to break the monotony of the day.

{c} 2022 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #117: Home Is Where Your House Is

Decide to finally start my Spring/Summer weekend walking regime this past Saturday {4/2} with a walk around Mill Pond Park as well as checking to see if the public library is finally open, which it is. As you can see, these are our ever loathed Canadian Geese, who I was able to get very close to for this pic. Overall I saw less than 10 geese and ducks that day.

I thought for a radical change of pace, I would give something of a update about the various parts of my life that have been prudently, as well as judiciously, not been touched up for two weeks' worth of Sundays.

1. The den. This I have briefly touched upon a few weeks ago, but here's where we stand overall. While I did managed to spend about two to three hours boxing my c.d.s as well as hauling the three towers and shelving unit down to the basement, it also took me about a week and a half to sort, reconstruct shelving units, create master lists and put all 663 c.d.s away, with three individual shelves left over. Fun times.
2. The den, again. While the basement overall is roughly 3%, the truly fun part of decluttering the remaining 97% is now upon us. At the same time I started working on the c.d.'s, I want to Micheal's and bought 9 wooden crates and marked down construction paper so as to properly store my 45s. I also went to Homeless Depot and bought 3 paneling slats and 6 pre-cut two by four/sixes to use as support and bases, respectively. But in order to actually put that stuff away, I have to move out everything from that corner so that I can properly house the 45s. Even more fun times
3. The den, yet again. In no real particular order of importance, I also have to do the following: empty out three huge tote bins of albums, store said albums in the opposite corner, sort out what I have for used computers, printers, my various manuscripts, repurpose a fifteen foot long toy chest for more storage, sort out all of my personal copies of books, some books for personal use, all of my manuscripts, etc. etc. etc. Have a house play stupid games and force onto you stupid prizes.

Ultimate, I'm giving myself a deadline of the first week of June to get all of this crap done, and I may resurrect my picture blog just to document the before and after of this transition to a mini-man cave.

And now for something completely different (yes, I actually have a two volume set of the complete Monty Python's Flying Circus t.v. series scripts in book form. bought from B&N back when it was a good bookstore chain). Come this October, I are to be a grandfather. I'm quite excited to be one, and I find it interesting that I will be one at the ripe old age of 57.

Man, I is way too young to be a grandparent. But, then again, my oldest and his wife will be in the general area of 30 when they become 1st time parents, which is roughly when we became 1st time parents (27 & 30 respectively, with 2nd time being 36 & 39 respectively). Either way, we is very happy campers.

And finally, we shall address our health. Our health is still maintaining something, just not the status quo. When you have a permanent disease that subtly and gradually over the years, reduces your quality of life, you play the hand dealt to you as best, if not better, as you can. And yes, despite two genetic tests being performed over the past six years, I still have the same M.D. diagnosis {C-M-T} that was given to me originally about 16 years ago. I walk a bit slower now, my balance is a little more off than normal now, and my dexterity has dipped as well {hence now the pen and paper method for writing}.

But, I am still living my life to the fullest that I can. And that, my friends, is the best that one can absolutely hope for. 

Peace out and have a great Monday as well as the rest of your week.

{c} 2022 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #114: Manuscript, Musings And Music

I know everyone is just completely over with Winter, but this is from the last snowstorm we had on 3/9, when I'd decided to gut it out for my morning walk. This was the best I could get at that time.

So early this morning, I'd finished transcribing the final 6 handwritten pages for my novel with the working tongue-in-cheek title Average American Novel. What's interesting about this novel is that it took me almost 5 months to complete the first draft, which clocks in at 56,010 words with about 59.3% being handwritten.

The reason why 5 months to complete is interesting is that I forced myself to meet an artificial deadline. What deadline, you may ask?

The deadline of needing to recreate and finish moving into my den. Roughly 90% of my stuff is still outside of my den (holding court in my basement), and I'd promised myself as soon as I finished the first draft and one round of pen-editing, I would concentrate moving back into my den on April 1st. I'm about two weeks ahead of schedule, so three cheers and a Eyeore for me accomplishing that goal.

So, to elaborate just a bit on the manuscript. It actually has no title beyond the tongue-in-cheek title that I've given to it on my blog. I'm still trying to figure out the minor nuances to the story, so as to have a better idea on what I'm dealing with beyond two drug organizations vying for power with tragic outcomes for everyone involved.

Like I've previously stated about handwriting/transcribing, using pen and paper has allowed me to slow down my process and plan things out more carefully while looking at the overall picture. It has also allowed me to really concentrate on my writing, which has led to the occasional bout of being severely startled.

Now, when it comes to transcribing, I mostly march to the beat of an out of tune snare drum. I hate music when I'm doing original writing, and this novel qualifies as original, but I have no problem in listening to it while I'm transcribing/editing, as was the case for my last two projects when I'd devoured some 100+ hours of classical/medieval/RPG/compilations of most genres/YT concerts.

Such was the case here, in which I whipped out the handy dandy c.d. player (remember those?) and started playing a boatload of c.d.s, both store bought and homemade. So, to give you a taste of what I was listening to while transcribing 9 chapters to the computer (that's the 59.3% previously mentioned), here is my list of 13 c.d.s listened top, plus short comments.

1} Oasis: (What's The Story) Morning Glory? This c.d. was their most successfully commercial release yet. A few Grammy nominations and about a half dozen FM radio staples. Rock/Brit Pop;

2} The Nields: Gotta Get Over Greta. Regional Folk/rock band that is now down to a duo/trio;

3} Steve Winwood: Back In The High Life. Comeback c.d. so to speak. Brit-Pop/Rock/Semi-Easy Listening;

4} Squeeze: East Side Story: Got this for their one monster hit. Brit-Rock;

5} The Seekers: Compilations: 60's folk at its finest;

6, 7 & 8} Samantha Fish: Chills & Fever, Kill Or Be Kind, Faster. Great blues guitarist;

9 & 10} John Mellencamp: Big Daddy & American Fool. Great Midwestern R&R;

11}McGuinn, Clark & Hillman: McGuinn, Clark & Hillman. Great rock with a country-folk flair to it;

12} Stray Cats: Built For Speed. Good rockabilly.

As you can see, it's quite an eclectic mish-mash of music that I've listened to while transcribing stuff. And this isn't counting about half dozen radio stations as well. Music does make the world go 'round, and in my case, makes the sluggish 12 w.p.m. not be that sluggish.

{c} 2022 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

Episode #96: If You Don't Open Your Mind, Then How Can You Grow?

And a very lazy {I'm hoping} Sunday afternoon to one and all. I sincerely hope the weather is treating you very well, no matter where you might be reading this post.

It's been a brutally hot/humid week here in Connecticut and there have been days in which I was like that guy in Airplane! who became completely drenched taking over the piloting duties on the plane.

But I've managed to keep my sanity on a even keel by taking once-a-day trips into the mountain in order to cool off and cool down.

But, the other part of keeping my sanity, besides listening to different types of classical and ye olden folk music, is working on a writing project, which in this particular case, is re-writing a previously published novella/novelette.

At this point, I have completed the rewrite, which bottomed out to just a smidgen over 22k words.  And, in addition to completing the rewrite, I've also completed the first round of edits as well, so I'm happy about that. It's currently sitting off to the side, patiently waiting for me come back to it, but right now, I'm just letting it sit for a lengthy marination. This in turn will allow me to think/meditate/mull over about what the titled of the rewrite should be. I wasn't overly thrilled about the original title, since I don't think it really fitted with what the overall theme of the story was/is {I'm leaning towards failed plan of revenge/karma/redemption}.

Once I get that properly decided on, then I can also mull over what the cover should look like, and a few other things as well.

In the mean time, I'll keep tuning in to the strange genres that I've seen to settled into for writing, since it's become the perfect background noise for the daily grind to what is my life these days.

Talk to ya later!

{c} 2021 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved