A Little Comic Relief

I've spent a lot of time puzzling over philosophy recently.

My friend, Baili (at Baili and I), sent me down this rabbit hole

when she shared a book she had read, Galileo's Error by Philip Goff.

On a whim, I decided to buy it and read it.

Highly unusual for me, because I've avoided philosophy since I finished

my final philosophy exam at Acadia University a long time ago.

I was done with philosophy, amen, full stop, period!

Philosophy made my brain hurt. 

Well, thanks to Baili, I'm not done.  

Now I find philosophy much more interesting, and I plan to read more in the future.

But today my brain is hurting from reading philosophy,

so I decided I needed some comic relief, a whole other rabbit hole!

If a man is in the forest, and he says something, and there’s no woman around to hear him - is he still wrong?

IF THIS POST IS PUBLISHED AND NOBODY READS IT, IS IT REALLY A POST?

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue



On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

 

IF THIS POST IS PUBLISHED AND NOBODY READS IT, IS IT REALLY A POST?

Rabbit Holes

It's good to be home after being away so long, even if away meant O‘ahu, Hawaii.

And it's good to have my computer, iPhone, and other technology items working.

Thankfully, I made it out of technology hell in time for me to co-host

the Insecure Writer's Support Group on the first Wednesday of April.

I struggle with time management, and I know one of the main reasons why.

I can't resist a good rabbit hole,

one that immerses me in an engrossing and time-consuming topic.

Every first Wednesday of the month, I plunge into a number of enticing rabbit holes

dug by the talented and creative members of the IWSG.

Consequently, it takes me a long time to visit around with fellow IWSG members.

Wikimedia

One IWSG member's post in particular dropped me into a rabbit warren of tunnels.

I've been stuck underground since April 6th, 

racing around and exploring all sorts of topics

as a result of visiting PJ Colando's (aka Talk Lady)

interesting and funny post on exclamation points.

Me being me, I somehow found myself in a previous post of hers Somebody vs. Someone  and falling into that damn rabbit warren.

Now you might think that exclamation points and the subtleties of

using somebody vs. someone would not make for interesting and funny posts,

let alone inspire rabbit holes, but you would be wrong.

PJ can make just about any topic she tackles in a post worth your time reading.

The exclamation point is one of her favorite punctuation marks,

and she describes herself as a walking exclamation point 

on the home page of her author's website.

At the upper right of my blog, I state that I live my life in exclamation marks!

Points?  Marks?  Just American and Canadian subtleties.

Talk Lady and I are simpatico!!!

Author Lewis Carroll's Alice

She fell into the original rabbit hole in his children' novel Alice in Wonderland 

Tom Simpson:  flickr ~ license

PJ chose to illustrate her Somebody vs. Someone post with videos

of Queen's Somebody to Love and the Beatles' If I Needed Someone.

I have listened to this Beatles' song hundreds of times during my life,

but I had never heard or seen this video version of Queen's song.

I was spellbound!!!

Freddie Mercury's video of Somebody to Love, recorded at the Montreal Forum 

in 1985, instantly became one of my favorite live performances ever,

and I was tumbling down a rabbit hole, a branching warren filled with everything Queen.

(If you'd like to hear the song, click here:  Somebody to Love.) 

The Rock Group Queen

(with Brian May, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor)

kentarotakizawa:  flickr ~ license

I don't know how many times I've watched this video in the days since IWSG Wednesday.

Mercury is a strutting exclamation mark,

a powerful and intense performer, musician, and singer.

I've been mesmerized watching Queen in multiple videos, 

in documentaries, in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, and in the 1985 Live Aid concert.

Queen's performance at this concert is considered among the greatest in rock history.

Terry and I were among the estimated 40% of the world's population 

that tuned in to watch Live Aid on television on July 13, 1985.

Not yet a year into our marriage, Terry and I had spent the day working on our yard,

mowing grass, trimming bushes, weeding the garden, and dividing irises

that had run amok along a fence that bordered one side of our property.

We had collapsed, exhausted and hot, to tune into the show

that I described in my diary as an "incredible concert

and an incredible concept" (raising money for famine relief in Ethiopia).

Sadly, imho, Somebody to Love was not included in the Live Aid setlist.

But, what are you gonna do when you only have 20 minutes to perform,

and the most beautiful song Freddie Mercury ever wrote is seven minutes long?

And you have so many rousing hits to rock Wembley with?

Freddie Mercury Backstage at the Live Aid Concert

July 13, 1985, Wembley Stadium, London, UK

NicestGuyEver:  flickr ~ license

I won't take you down all the tunnels I've wandered through since I last posted:

~ Freddie Mercury's extra incisors and the fossil hunters seeking 

   the origins of the human lineage in the Afar region of Ethiopia...

~ The bottle of Heineken beer on Freddie Mercury's piano,

   and how a bottle of Heineken changed my life forever...

~ Brian May's earned PhD in Astrophysics from Imperial College London 

   in 2007, Philip Goff's book Galileo's Error, and metaphysics...

~ And, of course, listening to other intense performances 

   that never fail to lift my spirits... Okay, maybe I'll go here...

I have also been listening to these seven songs over and over all week:

  

1.  Radiohead, 15 Step - live with the USC Trojan Marching Band

     at the 2009 Grammys...

     This never fails to give me the shivers.

     Thom York's moves are as intense and iconic as Jagger's and Mercury's.  

     I can lose myself in this song for a long time.  

        (You may have to turn up the volume in the lower right of the video.)

2.  Lady Gaga, Edge of Glory - live on American Idol, May 25, 2011...

     Literally an over-the-top performance by Lady Gaga.

     This was saxophonist Clarence Clemons' last public performance

     before his death a few weeks later.

3.  Bruce Springsteen, Dancing in the Dark - official video, 1984...

     Springsteen looks impossibly young and cute now and so does Clarence Clemons.    

 

4.  Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter - live with Lisa Fischer...

     Who outdoes whom, Fischer or Jagger?

     "I tell you love, sister.  It's just a kiss away.  It's just a kiss away."  

5.  K.D. Lang, Hallelujah - live at the 2005 Juno Awards in Winnipeg... 

     How can you not get shivers listening to the incomparable K.D.

     singing Leonard Cohen's classic song?  

6.  Van Morrison & The Band, Caravan - live in 1976 - The Last Waltz...

     I always smile when I see Morrison cutting loose.

     "Turn it up!  Turn it up!  Little bit higher!  Radio!"

7.  Some people might be offended by this next video, so be forewarned

     (sexually suggestive moves, cross-dressing, semi-nudity).

     But its exuberant, over-the-top performance by Steven Tyler never fails

     to make me laugh and buoys me up when I'm down.

     Aerosmith, Dude Looks Like a Lady - official music video, 1987.

Needless to say, I didn't get much of what I should have been doing done recently.

Good thing Terry is in Vegas with his buds.  

It's all good, though.  

Somebody to Love and other songs can take me right out of

our troubled world and all my Gotta Dos,

and plunk me into an immediate and timeless present where I can lose myself.

Where would I be without music?

Can you resist rabbit holes, or do you tumble into them a lot?

Are you a longtime Queen fan like me?

Are there songs that compel you to listen to them over and over again?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

See you next week!  Stay happy and safe!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue



On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

 

IWSG: Wednesday, April 6, 2022 ~ Looking Forward to Learning About Audiobooks!

 

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.






To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Joylene Nowell Butler, Jemima Pett, Patricia Josephine,  Louise - Fundy Blue, and, Kim Lajevardi!

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.

I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is: 

Have any of your books been made into audio books?

If so, what is the main challenge in producing an audiobook?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy April, Everyone! 

Here comes spring ~ If you live in the northern hemisphere.

I love how the days are getting longer here in Colorado.

Thank you for an easy question to answer this month.

I am wiped out from traveling, world events, and technology hell during the last month.

None of my books have been made into an audiobook.

I don't have books.

I have shorter pieces of fiction and nonfiction, none of which have been recorded.

I have, however, recorded hundreds of books written by elementary children,

primarily in second and third grade.

After I "published" the books, we sometimes recorded them on cassette tapes.

The young authors were usually thrilled to read their books aloud to create a recording.

Their published books and recordings made a fun center

for classmates to spend time in reading and listening to the books.  

While I could share lots about this classroom process, 

I know very little about producing a professional audiobook.

I'm looking forward to learning about the process from all of you! 

I've been home for a week after a long and enjoyable stay in Waikiki.

Now that everything is unpacked and order restored here at home, 

I need to get back into regular life again.

I feel at sea, directionless after the strange interlude of the pandemic

and the uncharted and dangerous waters of world events threatening our future.

I hope writing will help me restore a sense of purpose and direction,

and quickly.

On a lighter note, I think I found the rooster I described in my last IWSG post, 

the one I nicknamed Putin.

Of course I didn't try to catch him and wring his neck.

I chased him around the lawn and bushes by our building with my camera instead.

Toward the end of my stay, I found myself waking up at night

and listening for his ragged crowing to be sure he was alive and okay.

I'm trying to think of a better nickname for him.

He doesn't deserve to be called a name as dark as Putin. 

Putin

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 24, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

And on a serendipitous note, I unexpectedly reconnected with a friend in Honolulu.

I hadn't seen her in over fifty years, but the intervening years vanished

as we caught up.

Poor husbands ~ LOL ~ It's a good thing Terry and Bruce hit it off well.

We spent some wonderful and laugh-filled hours together on two occasions.

Kathy and I Outside Nico's Restaurant

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 22, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Terry, Kathy, and Bruce

Nu'uanu Pali Lookout

O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

March 10, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Congratulations to Alex, our talented IWSG founder,

who released his latest book CassaDark yesterday!

His Cassa series is sooo good, and I can't wait to read this one!

Wishing him every success ~ Check out that Publisher's Weekly comment!

I've spent an inordinate amount of time in recent weeks dealing with technology problems.

I think I've conquered them.

Hopefully, I'll be able to reply to your comments on my post.

Fingers crossed, I'm looking forward to a fun time visiting around!

Take care, and happy writing in April!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be on Friday, April 15, 2022.

Computer Woes

Hi, Everyone!!

I've been having computer issues for over a week.  I can't post answers to comments.  I am tearing my hair out!  Still trying to make things work.  Happy Weekend!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

IWSG: Wednesday, March 2, 2022 ~ Self-Delusion

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.






To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Janet Alcorn, Pat Garcia, Natalie Aguirre, and, Shannon Lawrence! 

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.

I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is: 

Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, yesterday, Tuesday, I thought I could run around all day doing things,

go to happy hour at my favorite Waikiki bar and restaurant, the Hideout at the Laylow,

have two excellent mai tais and an appetizer for dinner,

and return to our apartment at the Royal Kuhio to pound out my IWSG post in short order.

And this after an exhausting Monday night with little sleep. 

Yeah, right ~ I had fallen victim to self-delusion yet again. 

Mai Tai for Me (left) and Longboard beer for Terry (right)

The Hideout at the Laylow

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 24, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

I went to bed early on Monday night, planning on a good sleep to power through Tuesday.

All of a sudden I was awakened by white strobe lights outside my open window

and a loud garbled announcement.

I looked out the window and heard echoing off the nearby high-rises,

"Attention!  May I have your attention?

There is a fire emergency in the building!

Please evacuate the building!"

I couldn't tell which building it was coming from, 

because the announcement filled the space between the buildings.

And I couldn't see or hear any police cars or fire engines.

"Do not use the elevator!

Go to the nearest exit and walk down the stairs!

Attention, May I have ...!"

I ran into our little living room area and told Terry to mute the tv.

"Are you hearing this?"

"Attention, May I have ...!"

We looked out in the hall, saw the strobe lights, 

heard the very loud, repeating message, and realized it was our building.

"Is this real?" we asked each other,

only because we knew that the Royal Kuhio was in the middle

of a month-long renovation of its fire alarm and smoke detector system.

We ran to our balcony and looked down.

Twenty-eight stories is a long way down!

Looking Down Twenty-eight Stories at Royal Hawaiian Avenue

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 24, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

We looked out in the hall again and saw people going to the stairway. 

"Okay, maybe it is real," we said to each other.

I jumped into my clothes,

and we grabbed our money, passports and other identification,

vaccination cards, iPhones, and my computer.

We started down the stairwell, smelling smoke.

It was impossible not to think of the twin towers in New York

or of the brave Ukrainians under fire for the Russians.

Down, down.  Around and around.

Finally, we walked out onto the sidewalk by Kuhio Avenue,

where dozens and dozens of residents were milling around and one fire truck stood.

The Lone Fire Truck and Milling Residents

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

No one knew what was going on, 

except that there was bad smoke somewhere above the 32nd or 33rd floor.

After ten or fifteen minutes the fire truck drove away, and we were given the all clear.

It took a while for well over one hundred residents 

to take the elevators back to their floors.

I fell into bed and sleep quickly.

Suddenly, a loud, raspy, discordant voice jarred me awake.

3:37 am. 

That !@#$%^ rooster!

I want to wring his scrawny neck!

Yes, we are renting an apartment among many apartment/condo/hotel high-rises

in an urban area which has feral chickens.

Feral chickens roam the Hawaiian islands and are becoming more and more numerous.

"Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!" ricocheted over Royal Hawaiian Avenue.

Not a melodious crowing, but a strained, ugly, squawking of a crowing.

This rooster sounded old and battle-worn, 

like the scarred surviver of too many cock fights.

He wants everyone to know he is still here

and sounds off repeatedly every morning around 3:30 am

and continues until dawn arrives and the Honolulu traffic starts up.

He hangs out with his harem in a green space by our building,

but ranges and struts throughout a wide territory,

venturing into other areas and challenging any other rooster to stop him.

I call him Putin.

A Feral Rooster and Hen Outside the Honolulu Zoo

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

I think he may have an inferiority complex.

Kamaʻāina, or locals, tell me that there was a beautiful, golden-breasted rooster

who lived along Kuhio Avenue near our building for years.

Everyone loved him and remembers him fondly.

Then he vanished one day, presumably eaten by something.

A few months ago this rooster showed up.

No one likes him.

No one likes his raucous crowing after blissful silence and peace for months.

I think he senses that people are hoping something eats him.

So he struts around for hours in the predawn taunting,

"I'm still here!  I'm still here!"

He wakes me up, and I want to wring his neck.

But if he goes silent, I listen and worry that he has met a similar fate 

to the legendary, golden-breasted Cock of the Walk on Kuhio Avenue.

I really don't want something to eat this cranky, defiant rooster,

but I'd be totally okay with something slowly devouring the Russian Putin.

  

The Living Area of Our Tiny Apartment

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

The Sleeping Area of Our Tiny Apartment

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

So after a crazy Monday night, a busy Tuesday, and 

two excellent mai tais, and a skimpy dinner late Tuesday afternoon,

I realized I had succumbed to self-delusion, again.

There was no way I could tackle a post on Tuesday evening.

So here I am.  It's almost noon on IWSG Day, and I'm still writing my post.

And I have to FaceTime with my trainer Julie shortly, 

because I have to workout to offset those delicious sweet mai tais.

And the workers are set to arrive to work on on the fire alarm 

and smoke detector system in our apartment at any moment.

Another Glorious Sunset

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 28, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Oh, this month's question.

I'm like a third grader who can't get to this morning's writing prompt

until I tell my teacher about loosing my tooth last night.

Yes, I have been conflicted about writing a scene in my memoir.

It was an event that had a profound effect on my young life

and has haunted me ever since.

It took me a long time to be able to write about being molested 

by a train conductor in a crowded passenger car when I was eleven.

I shared it on my blog here:  The Pervert and the Sandwich Man.

I decided to share it, because I had to share it.

My memoir wouldn't be honest if I omitted it.

I have more difficult issues to address, 

and I will pry the truth out of myself eventually.

Me at the Vue Bar in Vegas

Lemon Drop Martinis in Vegas, Mai Tais in Honolulu

Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

February 23, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine

and to all the people in bordering countries helping the Ukrainian refugees.  

I can't believe this is happening.  I don't recognize our world.

I'm praying for peace.

  

Wishing you love and happiness this month!

I hope each of you has fun visiting around today.

Happy writing to each of you in March!

Note:  I'm going to post this now.  

There may be edit errors, but I'll fix them after my workout.

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be on Friday, March 11.

Terry and I with Friends Jon and Catherine

The Vue Bar

Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

February 23, 2022

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved