Cuke - Cake

Fatal disease must be cured.

Wow, that was something else. We had 99% partial eclipse here and it was so freaky having it get dark and cool in the mid-afternoon like that. Wonder how Verbal's eclipse watching went.

Here's some coffee, though it's a bit late. Appropriately, I am using a dark roast. For teas, I'll put out sencha (japanese green) and Canadian blueberry (herbal).

And some eclipse music to celebrate today's events. "Sleeping Sun" was written by Nightwish keyboardist-songwriter Tuomas Holopainen for a total eclipse that was visible in their native Finland in 1999.

Marcela Bovio is mostly known for her work in metal bands like Stream of Passion, Ayreon, and Mayan. However, she is a classically trained singer and uses that to great effect in her solo work (e.g. her album Through Your Eyes has her backed by a classical trio). And, occasionally, she does make forays into classical repertoire, like this performance of an aria by English Baroque composer Henry Purcell.

Georgia

Loves me some Eivor.

New cover from Violet Orlandi, my favourite rock alto.

Arabella - Austin

Turkey sits by Black Sea.

Jute - Mute

I kind of fall in between. Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Chinese art, etc. that are not "realist" but are also far from abstract. But of those two respresentative art. Pure abstraction often leaves me cold.

Paint nature or human scenes?

Passchendaele (Canadian movie about a famous WWI battle by writer/actor/director Paul Gross drawing on his grandfather's reminisences of WWI)

Walk This Way - Aerosmith (or Run DMC feat. Aerosmith if you prefer the rap version)

Probably not. I get nervous at high speed* even when I'm not at the wheel.

WYE accept a ride in a military-grade jet?

* by high speed, I mean over about 110km/h, certainly above 120.

Sorry I wasn't around this morning. Busy. Housecleaning and then the wife and I went out for lunch. Stuffed up at a buffet so we don't have to have much for dinner.

Throwing on a pot of PC Gourmet West Coast Dark Roast. Some Earl Grey tea and Sencha (Japanese Green tea) in the teapots. Hot water is ready for other goodies.

Just had a curve thrown at one of the stories I have been pursuing. Apparently the direction I was thinking of going with the plot has been done on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So I do I hunt up that episode both for inspiration and to make sure I don't redo what has already been done better? Change gears, which I can easily do since this one has been on hold while I work on the other one? Just forge ahead and hope I'm not inadvertently reinventing Buffy's wheel?

One of my favourite albums of last year was It's All True by American singer-songwriter-actor Malinda. She also put out a "visual album", i.e. a film, based on it with her as director and star. Now she's back in 2024 with the first song of what I assume will be another fine album. Malinda loves, and is heavily influenced by, Irish music and it shows in this one.

Good morning and happy weekend!!

Throwing on some dark roast coffee for the Saturday crowd. Teas are English Breakfast and Raspberry Royale. Washed the pitchers and put in fresh lemonade and iced tea. Hot water is read for other teas and hot chocolate. Heck, there's even ramen and instant soups if you're a mite peckish.

Oh wow, you really have some stories to tell the younger generations, eh. My family is weirdly low on war stories but it's all date-related plus being in Canada rather than the UK. Grandad (Dad's father) was too young for WWI and by WWII was an ordained minister so his war service was limited to chaplaincy at a training base near his church. My Mom's father was similarly too young in WWI and a teacher by WWII. Parents were both born in the thirties so too young for WWII. I had one great uncle who went to the UK but was a military engineer working on the Mulberry mobile harbours used for D-Day so stayed in the UK.

Depends on mood, I guess. Probably Art these days.

Paintings or sculpture?

Night of the Lepus (about, yes really, killer bunnies)

Vampire Bat (mwahahaha)

Johanna, by the way, is married to Tuomas Holopainen of the band Nightwish which, interestingly, also started in 1997. She has sung on a number of projects over the years and is the vocalist of the band Auri, which the couple started with another Nightwish member, Troy Donockley.

Brace yourselves, folks, Ape has been rocking out to melodic death metal. The band is Insomnium, a Finnish band dating to 1997. This track from their latest album features the wonderful Finnish folk-rock vocalist Johanna Kurkela.

And from 2014's Shadows of a Dying Sun, the album I had on today.

I am actually intrigued by the new Nosferatu from Robert Eggers. The original and the Herzog remake are already two of my favourite vampire movies. Wondering if lightning can strike a third time.

Tenric

Quote by gillianleeza
Se7en

Oops, this was probably meant for the Alphabet Movies thread??

Let The Right One In

I periodically think about it but it would have to be something that really engages me. Drawing of some form would be most likely.

WYE take the long way so you could enjoy the drive?

Canoe. Never felt comfortable in kayaks for some reason.

Drive or be driven?

I am having a good day. Beautiful is a bit of a stretch given the dang weather can't make up its mind.

Rush - Push

Quote by verbal
METS DOUBLE HEADER TODAY.

So two chances to see them lose? 🤣 (Sorry not sorry. Maybe they're good this year?)