Nonsense Verses & Nothing Ever Happens on My Block

Nonsense book of Verses 

by Wallace Tripp, 1973

It's a thin book, not more than 20 pages I'd say. Here are some of my other favorite pages.

There probably is a placed called Crewe, darned if I know where it is though!

You can find more of his books and greeting cards! at his website:  Wally Tripp - illustrator & author

Sympathy From a Robot

 Random Thoughts

How the British say the word Schedule

I don't like the British way of saying the word "schedule." I can't even pronounce it that way! I honestly have no idea why I find it so grating. Some people hate the word "moist" or nails on a chalkboard, but for me, it's a British man saying "schedule." That's weird, right?

AI Bots

When I did a Microsoft Bing search the other day the ChatGPT bot (whose assistance I didn't ask for) responded with, "I'm sorry to hear that. Here's the information about..." and I thought to myself. "I don't need sympathy from a robot!"

Favorite YouTube channels - A Sampling

Lost in the Pond - Laurence is a British fellow who lives in Chicago and likes to entertain his audience with the differences and similarities between the US and UK among other observations. He does so with research making his videos both funny and insightful.

Why American English is Highly Misunderstood

DamiLee - Dami is an Architect that explores the pop culture influence on architecture, or maybe it's the other way around? Another fascinating, fun channel where I learn a lot. 

SolarPunk Cities: Our Last Hope?

PBS Terra

FirstNations, you need to see this one specifically! Maybe we should design rebel patterns to avoid assimilation!

What if Our Clothes Could Disrupt Surveillance Cameras?

Nature on PBS

Vertical gardens in London! Not gonna lie, kinda crushing on Alastair here. Nature is my love language.

Can Vertical Meadows Bring Wildlife Back to the Cities?

Listening and Watching

I love soundtracks especially by Bear McCreary and Ramini Djawadi. We don't have Starz and we were busy with a young child and other stuff so I'm just now discovering the soundtrack and show. The show ran from 2014-2018. Not the best show ever, but it's good! I'm crushing on the terribly naughty Captain Charles Vane and also a prostitute named Max (short for Maxine, who has a thing for softening up independent women for her own pleasure.)

Blue-Eyed Samurai on Netflix (NSFW Trailer)

Very good!

Read/ing

Coyote America: A Natural & Supernatural History By Dan Flores (Finished)

The war on coyotes in this country was and, in some ways, still is deplorable. A fascinating read.

Wheel of Life: A Memoir of Living and Dying By Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (Halfway Through)

In the very first chapter you learn that some men were so threatened by her views and research into death and dying that they burned down her fucking house! I had no idea! It wasn't so much her views really, but the fact that she had intended to adopt children with AIDs during the 1980's AIDs epidemic in an effort to give them a good life for however long they might live it.

Whiteout: A Nick Ventner Adventure By Ashton Macaulay (Finished)

I met the author at an Independent Author's night this summer at a local bookstore. It's a classic pulp style story that includes an abominable snowman and the lost city of Shangri-La. It was a fun read and I sent it off for my stepbrother to enjoy.

I've read a bunch of other stuff too, but I've got a head full of goo and those are the only ones that rose to the surface from the head cold I'm currently suffering.

All Them Witches and BOOKS!

I have a habit of getting really focused on certain topics and then reading about them voraciously. Fortunately, my local library being part of a network that includes a large metropolitan area means I can find many wonderful books for check out. Still, there are always some themes that require extensive note taking, tabbing, underlining and dogearing.

This is my current cache of new books. The four books on the right are from one author, Claude Lecouteux a former professor of medieval literature and civilizations. Upon purchasing these books Amazon wanted to tie me to a post and declare me a witch. I was offered a statue of Hecate, cedar smudges and overpriced culinary herbs in fancy tins. When it comes to the businesses of retail and spiritualism, few people can tell the difference between a hippie and a witch.

I don't call myself a witch. I don't call myself much of anything. I detest labels and regularly defy them. We are all multi-fractal beings. You are free to define yourself as you choose and reveal or hide what you will. I accept people as they present themselves to be, but don't mistake my easygoing nature for stupidity. I will drag things out of the shadows and burn them with candescence if I think them a real threat.

The Dictionary of the Strange, Curious and lovely is all that the title claims to be. A good gift for the word lovers in your life.

Here's a sample just from the "A's"

We are all born altricial (helpless and food dependent.)

Some of us are agerasia (looking noticeably younger than one actually is.)

If we are now longtime friends, you may call me acushla (term of address similar to darling; [Irish a chuisle (O Pulse)]

These books add to my already robust collections of collected myths, legends and folklore.

Some of my favorites include Akutagawa Ryunosuke. In fact, as I read Claude Lecouteux books and mentions of the Christian church's suppression of Pagan beliefs I am reminded of one of my favorite stories, The Faint Smile of the Gods. This story can be found in The Essential Akutagawa.

Kappa is a great story for anyone who appreciates social satire.

 

I am following the threads of our ancient psyches in regard to society, nature and the "otherworld" (the spirit realm.) Is this where I should confess that my gallbladder and appendix aren't the only things missing from this body? Part of my spirit is on the other side too. So, if you accused me of being "Not all here." that would be an accurate assessment that I could not argue otherwise. It has its perks. It makes it easier to talk to dead people.

She's Not There - The Zombies

Back in Europe....

I love The House of Wolfings, but it is hard to find a copy of it and it's written in old English as it was originally published in December 1888. Maybe it will not be such a problem for British folks among us though. I would love to own a small hotel some day and call it "The Wood-Sun Inn."

I've been thinking about the Grimm Brothers and what they would have thought about WWII and the Nazi party's reinvention and propaganda of Germany and its people. As I understand it part of the motivation for the brother's quest to collect regional folklore was an effort of preservation as the country was ruled by France at the time, which they despised. I can't say I blame them. It sounds downright frustrating to have lived in medieval Europe with the constant wars and changing of allegiances to some royal bastard or other, some of which I call ancestors.

And finally, for any of you who love to read books about writing, these are two of my favorites that I like to refer back to from time to time. They are both entertaining to read and with useful bits of information.

Also, yes, one more thing. Youtube recommended this song to me and yes, I like it very much. The band name comes from the movie "Rosemary's Baby" at some point in the movie there is a book on a table titled: All Them Witches. Well, I suppose that's one way to come up with a band name. This video was done when they came to Seattle to perform for KEXP. I love KEXP and I have a friend who works there. They have lots of great music and in studio concerts. Checkout their "Tiny Desk concerts" for more great music. Enjoy!

not my meme, but relatable......