Depends what i am doing. Sandals around the house (except in the main living area where we go barefoot). Trainers for walking outdoors.

R-rated or PG-13 (movie/TV)?

Congratulations to the Thespian and the Bear. Good stories both. And all were terrific reads. That was a wonderful idea. And now I have 100 coins of my own. Hmmmmm.

6615 (out my window, lots of green)

(The) Quiet Earth (very nice, low budget 80s s-f movie from New Zealand or Australia, forget which)

Warmish around here but better than when we got back from Europe. More usual July weather rather than extreme heat.

Still, even on the hottest days, some need their coffee and tea. So I've got some Nicaraguan Dark Roast in the coffee pot. Teas are Raspberry Royale and Darjeeling. Cold drinks are mixed up. Sodas are stocked.

And I was slinging the pancakes this morning. Both table syrup and maple syrup available.

Newman. He had a style about him that appeals to me. Haven't seen many of McQueen's flicks, to be honest.

Glasses/contacts or get your eyes lasered and do away with them?

Quote by gillianleeza
I can't imagine spending the amount some have on a concert ticket

I find the price of concert tickets slightly insane these days to start with. Big tickets like her and Beyonce just exacerbate that. I looked at going to jazz-pop singer Laufey's most recent concert in Toronto in the spring and even she was going for around $100 for the cheap seats and she's nowhere near to being in Swift's league (in fact, she's an admitted Swiftie herself). It was sold out by the time I got there anyhow so I would have had to pay a scalper to go.

Also out today is Pirates II : Armada from Visions of Atlantis. It's after Order of Fear on my listening list but here's the last single from earlier this week.

I have been hearing the name "Orden Ogan" for a while but with their new album out today, decided to finally give them a listen. Good listenable German power metal. Not really exceptional in any way, but quite a good listen. This is the title track, which also happens to be the translation of the band's name ("Orden" is German for "Order", "Ogan" is an old Celtic word for "Fear").

Woo hoo! It is Friday.

In the coffee pot we have Fire-Roasted Fireside.

Teas are English Breakfast and Assam.

Hot water is on for other hot beverages.

Cold drinks are looking good.

What's up?

Orca

Hitchcock. Craven was definitely good and had some great ideas but not quite in Hitch's league.

Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees?

6610 (write with a pen)

Dutch singer Floor Jansen has some solo dates happening right now. Tonight she was at the Royal Park in Baarn and then she has a double header in Bloemendaal on Saturday. Fan vids from today are already up and she was in fine form. This is actually a song from Nightwish, the band that is her "day job", but I know it's one that is meaningful to her so it is the only NW song still in her solo sets.

And from her solo album Paragon.

Quote by verbal

5.5 hours without power and counting

Eek. Hang in there. Wish I could send you some hydro, but vibes will have to do.

Mighty Joe Young (hey, I'm an ape, I like ape movies)

Hmm. Seventies folk-pop eh. I like both about the same, but probably Carly in a pinch.

Creepy, spooky ghost story or brutal, gory "splatter" horror?

Quote by gillianleeza
I have COVID-19 again

Oh crap, how many times is this now? Hope you get through it okay this round. Take care and enjoy your holiday.

And I kind of forgot to wish our American friends a Happy July 4th this morning. Have a great holiday, y'all!!!!

Up to a dozen by my count. This is ticking along nicely. As Kis said, "More." But being Canadian and therefore extraordinarily polite, I'll add a "please." 😇

(Canadian muggers say, "Hand me your wallet, please." They still beat the crap out of you if you refuse, but apologize afterwards.)

Kong : Skull Island

I actually use a stationary bike right now at home but of those, I'd use a treadmill. I've tried ellipticals in gyms while on vacation and never quite got the hang of them. Wife likes them, though.

Rock/pop concert: Arena/stadium show or festival?

It's MORNING!!! Time for COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFEE!!!

So we've got some Deathwish Dark Roast brewing.

For the tea crowd, there's Scottish Breakfast and Cream of Earl Grey.

Cold drinks are ready and waiting in the fridge. Hot water is on standby.

How's it going??

I've been realizing that I have two stories fermenting that are basically the same story. One is a sequel to Night of the Wind and one is a sequel to Spirits of Tan Maldrin, so one in each of my fantasy worlds. This happens from time to time and is basically a good sign that I have a good idea, just need to decide which of my casts of characters get to live it. I think I can tweak the latter to make it different enough so right now, looks like it will be the former, though I'm also changing the direction of it a bit.

I have also realized that Niomi Shen, from Night..., is evolving to be a bit too much like Nalia in Spirits... as I move her into the protagonist role in the sequel . Still not sure how I'll deal with that. Both priestesses, both with magical elements, both involved or potentially involved with soldiers. Niomi is older and more experienced with some tragedy in her backstory (home village destroyed in a war) so that might become the differentiator.

(The) Iron Giant

I think it's more the specific candy than the type for me. I have both hard and soft that I like. I do like sucking on a hard candy sometimes, though. Lasts longer than soft.

Running/walking or biking for exercise?

Oo, nice. Both holidays in one yummy bundle. takes an "eh" maple leaf and a star

Gorgo (the British answer to Godzilla)

Quote by verbal
Buying burgers and brats today for a small cookout tomorrow

Brats can be a problem but cooking them seems like a desperate solution. 😲

😉

Okay, I know you mean bratwursts or something like that but it was too good to pass up.

First week of a new month, so time for the themed calls list. And there's the usual eclectic mix. We got demagogues (timely, eh), mafia horror, pirate horror, holidays as a parent, false memories, and more. At the end are some themed comps, too. Have a look and see what might work for your stories.

» 35 Themed Submissions Calls and Contests for July 2024 (authorspublish.com)

My thoughts? I admire her savvy and success. The way she stuck it to Scooter Braun after the fight over the masters of her early albums was nothing short of brilliant. Short version: She wanted them, he was fighting hard to make her pay through the nose. Then Taylor realized that she owned the rights to the songs, just not the recordings, so she just re-recorded them all, appending "Taylor's Version" to the titles. And the re-recorded versions were hits all over again, even as she was also putting out new material in parallel with them.

But her music? Not my cuppa. I've tried. Thought her "folklore" acoustic album might be the ticket but even it did not quite click. And she's a great performer on stage but her voice is kind of average for a modern pop singer, certainly not in the same league as any of my favourites. Solid songwriter, though, and I might yet come to appreciate her music from that standpoint.

Started in country but now mainly a pop artist, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is easily the biggest thing to hit music this century. She is now on the Forbes list of billionaires and the film of her current tour is a popular stream on Disney+ even as the tour grinds on. Her relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce gets more attention than his work on the field sometimes. She's got multiple Grammies and seems to drop new or remixed albums annually or more.

So what do you think of this musical juggernaut? Fan? Hater? Indifferent?