Garden would be nice, though with my yard layout, more likely on the deck (which is surrounded by beds and trees).

Ereader/tablet or paper book?

Me no like the heat.

Jumpin' Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones

Yeesh, pecan bars were already fantastic. But adding maple and cinnamon to them? That's kind of like making my perfect dessert. scarfs two

Better today. Still a bit fatigued but that's normal after an attack. And losing a couple hours sleep the other night will be a factor, too. I find losing sleep takes a day or so to really hit me.

Weather is getting better, at least. Supposed to be down to the mid-twenties (24-26) by mid-week next week and even this weekend drops to 27 after one last gasp of the 30s today and tomorrow. All Celsius, of course. Mid-twenties Fahrenheit is a whole other issue and we won't get there until at least December.🙄😊

Quote by verbal
I have a jury duty call next week.

My last call was weird. I was going to ask for a deferral (forget why just now) but then it got cancelled. No idea why.

Quote by verbal
I may have to act crazy (MORE crazy) so they won't pick me.

So kind of the courtroom version of Max Klinger? 😀

Author's Publish for this week is a roundup of romance publishers (including many of Harlequin's myriad imprints) that take direct submission of manuscripts. It's a perpetually hot (in more ways than one 😉) genre and just seems to keep growing. Right now, for instance, romantasy (romance fantasy) is massive. I don't know if I have a romance novel in me, but I have certainly written stories with romance elements both for here and other sites.

https://authorspublish.com/50-romance-publishers-open-to-direct-submissions/

On a break from work today. Didn't sleep well and have a migraine looming (or so it feels like). We're into the back half of the year an I haven't burned any sick days so I took one.

Oo, those pecan pie bars look lovely. Pecans are one of my favourite nuts and I love them in baking like pies and tarts.

Quote by Cora
listen to a range of things, but Chili Peppers have been my favorite for about a decade. I saw them in concert.

My music is all over the map these days, even if I tend to come across as a bit of a metalhead at times. Not really a fan of the Chilis music (listenable but not my first choice), but there's some incredible talent in that band (Flea is one of the best bassists alive).

Dragonslayer (great 80s fantasy film that has kind of been forgotten)

Probably flash, though I should get some poems going. I don't write as much of them as I could.

Read a sprawling multipart series or multiple standalone novels?

Quote by Cora
I think I may listen to a lot of music today.

Music is certainly what works for me a lot of the time. Probably not the same music that you listen to (unless you also happen to be a fan of Nightwish and Floor Jansen) but music nonetheless.

Some really yummy looking stuff up there. Raspberry streusel should go well with an afternoon tea (Yorkshire Gold).

Hope your day got better or at least that you got some writing going.

Zero Dark Thirty

Ghost Love Score - Nightwish

Calm seas make best sailing.

Maybe work on a puzzle. I watch enough TV.

Jigsaw with a really nice picture or Jigsaw that's a real challenging one?

Quote by Cora
It differs from poetry, which is what I seem to gravitate towards.

They are different but I think they also interact. Just look at my posts about Leonard Cohen in the poets poll thread. And it is not just him, other songwriters have also been published poets (the late Gord Downie of Canadian alt-rockers The Tragically Hip comes to mind). Most lyrics are poetry in form, but then also need to adapt to the flow of music, which is where the difference comes in. Great lyrics are usually also great poetry, and lyric poetry is a genre for a reason, but the reverse is not necessarily true.

And keep in mind that we often see ancient works as poems that were actually sung in their day. The Psalms come to mind. While there are hymns and other works that are settings of them, we often encounter many of them as readings, in spoken word rather than musical form. Greek lyric poetry is mostly like that, too.

I have contemplated songwriting as well but I am not sure how one writes lyrics without a tune and while I dearly love music, I am terrible at it from a performance standpoint. So I would likely have to take an existing melody and adapt to it unless I found someone more adept at music than I to write me a tune (though I have occasionally had tunes in my head for my poems). Someone else was musing about this in a thread somewhere on here recently as well.

Good morning. We are well-endowed with goodies now that Cora is back. I will put on some Tobermory Grotto coffee to go with those. Maybe some David's Breakfast and Buddha's Blend for teas. Washed the pitchers and made fresh iced tea and lemonade. Sodas are stocked.

How goes it? Still steamy here and isn't improving much in the coming days, either.

Xanadu

Humour helps keep us sane.

Winter, probably. Heat and humidity bothers me more than cold. If it wasn't for shoveling, I would be fine with winter.

Halloween party or Christmas party?

Endless Love - Diana Ross and Lionel Richie

Creep - Radiohead

We are getting close to the release of the third studio album from Laufey. Born in Iceland to Icelandic and Chinese parents, she's been making waves in the music world with her updated version of classic 40s-60s jazz-pop. She is multi-talented, singing, playing three instruments, and writing lyrics for her albums. Her twin sister Junia is along for the ride, not as a musician (though she does play violin) but as "Creative Director" which means, among other things, she directs a lot of Laufey's videos. The latest single is a mournful reflection on the impact of society's focus on the appearance of female artists.

To give you an idea of how big she has become, Laufey's 2025 tour is an arena tour, meaning venues more commonly associated with big name rock bands and the likes of Taylor Swift.

Annalise - Egbert

Earned income comes from jobs.

Seal

Quote by rolandlytle

My statement was a little misleading. After rereading it, I stated, "30 years ago was the Oklahoma City bombing." The bombing took place on 19 April 1995. 30 years ago, is when the bombers were indicted on 10 August 1995. Sorry for the mix-up. My brain wanders between thoughts sometimes. Reading an article about the indictment pushed my brain back to that terrible day in April of that year.

No worries. I knew it was around that time, at least that it happened after I got married in 1993, so I wasn't going to question it.

I am ... waiting for my wife to get home with lunch (she is picking up takeout after playing badminton).

Tough call between the kebabs and key lime tarts but I love key lime so I guess that's where I'll land.

Good morning. Still in a heat warning here. 33C with a humidex (how it feels with humidity factored in) around 40. Supposed to be rainy tomorrow and then cooler.

Toying with stories but progress is slow. Between work and life, writing gets short shrift much as I enjoy doing it.

Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley

Thought vapes were more the thing these days? Though pipes certainly fit the literary hoidy-toidy image better.