I can only drink it with flavour. The taste of coffee by itself does not appeal (hence my love of tea).

Plain black tea blend or something fruity (e.g. and Earl Grey or a Lemon tea)?

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic
I haven't died...but I did get a smart TV almost two weeks ago.

We ended up replacing our old TV which was nominally smart but not very and I ended up augmenting with a Chromecast to make up for.its deficiencies. New one is quite nice. Been looking at the Tubi app but Pluto is on my radar, too.

An ape comes in, dancing and whistling a merry tune.

Um, yeah, we're getting an early Spring here so I got a bit carried away.

Anyhow...

Coffee du jour is an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from Fire-Roasted. Teas are Russian Caravan and Assam.

I washed up the pitchers and there's fresh unsweet iced tea and lemonade in the fridge.

Hot chocolate, marshmallows, and other teas are stocked up.

Goooooooooooooood Morning!!!!

pore - port

I've been listening to Laufey quite a bit since her Grammy win. She's got a new single looming on Wednesday. This a collaboration from last Fall, with her joining in on a song by Filipino artist beabadoobee. The video is gorgeous, reminiscent of an old movie musical.

Teeth can break and stain.

As usual, the first Author's Publish of the month is their list of calls for submissions. It's a mixed bag including Nordic Horror, False Memories, Cats (the animal, not the musical), Time Travel horror comics, found fiction (think epistolary or similar fiction where the story purports to be an actual document), and much more.

https://authorspublish.com/34-themed-submission-calls-and-contests-for-march-2024/

Courtesy of Youtube Shorts, I recently got into Aussie intersex influencer/activist Blume. Then I found out they and their partner have a band, Mystic Tea Party. Only three songs out so far and not really my usual, but I'm intrigued enough to keep with it for now.

With my crappy sense of balance? Not a prayer. I'd be terrified.

WYE invest money in a friend or family member's small business/startup?

Without, or at least as little as possible.

Fruit with your cereal or not?

Quote by verbal

We have frikkin BEIGNETS! Plus the usual assortment of coffees and teas.

You ate 17. How many were even left?

I am kind of all over the place these days, including hammering away at a story that just refuses to go away but also doesn't really seem to be coming together. I mean, I like what I've got written but, damn it, there's no meaningful backstory, nothing to say why the characters (two of the leads from Shadows of Tan Maldrin) are where they are.

I'll try to be around more but, honestly, it's getting hard being a cheerleader for a forum site that's this dead. We're running on fumes, I think, and I'm not sure how we change that.

Anyhow, there's a new Author's Publish thread going up if you're looking for markets. Watch for it.

Quote by redwriter
I wish you would stop apologise for your misdemeanours, Jeff.

Quote by verbal
Sorry for apologizing.

Quote by verbal
I finished the Canada story.

Apparently you picked up some bad habits while hitchhiking up here. Sorry for that. 🤣

Good afternoon. Busy workday. Hope all are well. I have a nice new herbal tea called Canadian Blueberry so I'll make a pot for evening drinking.

Doom - Dorm

(What the hell happened to using the last word of the previous sentence????)

Chocolate makes a nice drink.

And hear it is, Sunday morning. There's some Nicaraguan medium roast from the Coffee Chicks (Las Chicas del Cafe) in the coffee pot. Teas are Irish Breakfast and Red Rose. Cold drinks are lookin' good as is our stock of hot chocolate and other teas. Hot water is on standby.

I am writing something new and seeing where it goes. There's a number of possible directions here, just not sure which to take so I'm writing away and letting the story decide for itself.

Weather here remains sunny but cold. I see the branches moving, too, so there must be a bit of a wind.

So this week's list was journals that are relatively new that are looking for authors to help fill their pages. Topics range pretty widely. Deadlines are all over the map and, sadly, some are too soon. Still, knowing the market exists means one can watch for future submission deadlines.

https://authorspublish.com/25-new-literary-journals-seeking-fiction-nonfiction-and-poetry/

Loot - Loom

Nope. I'd freeze up guaranteed (and it looks like I did a This or That up there, eh. Oopsies.)

WYE cook dinner for a large gathering?

I'm more an omelet guy, but over easy of those two.

Tomato sauce or mushroom sauce on pasta?

Quote by verbal
Seize the carp!

There's something a bit fishy about this saying. 😉😀

Been nursing a headache but it seems to be passing now. Still managed to whip up a pot of sauce so we could have spaghetti for dinner (and lots left over for future lunches and dinners).

Good evening!

Not likely but might be fun for one trip or something.

Swim in the ocean or just lounge on the beach?

Lift - Loft

Billy Joel has posted the video of him performing his new song, "Turn the Lights Back On" at the Grammy Awards. His return to original material is welcome, coming 50 years after "Piano Man" launched his amazing career as a top tier singer-songwriter. From what I am hearing, it is still not certain, though, if this is a one-off or the beginning of a new phase in his career. Whatever the future, it's a nice song and fits nicely in his long catalogue.

The cellist seated behind him is Laufey, award-winner for Best Traditional Pop Album. Besides her skills as a singer-songwriter, Laufey plays three instruments; cello, guitar, and piano.

Rockin' out to The Catalyst by Amaranthe. It came out yesterday and is my favourite album so far in 2024 (but that could change given some that I know are coming later). This is the title track and opens the album with a nice, guttural roar.

Both would require me to be tied to my seat🙄. But I have never actually seen a cricket match so maybe it would be worth a try. We did see people playing on a pitch in Grand Cayman when we toured that island on our cruise.

Ice cream or frozen yogurt?

Good morning! It's Saturday and we all know what that means! Actually, what does it mean? I mean, if I was Jewish, it would be Sabbath but otherwise...yeah, it's just a day off, isn't it?

On to coffee. I'll clean up the pots and get some Deathwish dark on. Teas are Original Earl Grey (bergamot + orange instead of just bergamot) and Scottish Breakfast. Pitchers for cold drinks are washed and refilled with unsweet iced tea and lemonade. Hot water is ready for hot chocolate and other teas. Marshmallows and hot chocolate are stocked up and ready.

How's things?

Quote by AnnaMayZing

There are not many choral works that draw me in, but I do love this one.

From the Verdi opera, Nabucco, this is the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves.

I love choral music and in terms of operatic choruses, that's a great one. A favourite of mine actually debuted in the computer game Civilization IV before going on to win the composer a Grammy. This performance has composer Christopher Tin on the podium. The text is the Lord's Prayer in Swahili.

Amaranthe. Their new album drops Friday and I've realized that I have never actually listened to an actual album by them.

From the The Catalyst, the upcoming album:

ape comes in dancing and singing

Good morning! Sunny but chilly in my part of the world. So February.

Putting on some dark roast Nicaraguan coffee. Teas are Yorkshire Gold and Raspberry Royale. Pitchers of iced tea (unsweet) and lemonade are refreshed.

And in celebration of the long weekends happening in much of the US (President's Day) and Canada (Family Day, though some provinces use other names), I picked up a pecan pie.

Oops, Anna forgot to add a new question, so I'll take Gil's as well. Yes. We've even researched the ones that run in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland.

WYE take an around the world cruise/tour?