Funny how things sometimes coincide. A dear longtime friend and musician, Nancy Barnes, discovered recently that an album she did as part of the band Sands of Time in the 1970s has developed a cult following, especially in Europe. As a result, she was contacted by a podcast host named Anssi in Finland to do an episode of his “Cosmic Turtle” podcast. Nancy did the interview, which included songs from the album and reminiscences about how it came together. The show came out wonderfully, and I would recommend it even if you don’t know Nancy and her music. It can be found on both the Cosmic Turtle website and Soundcloud.

Not long after I heard from Nancy about this project, I got a call from a former student from back in the 80s, Garon Tornell. Garon now has a podcast called “Let’s Hear It” in which he interviews his guests about their life stories. Garon and I got together near the first part of June 2022, and here’s what resulted. [Let’s Hear It on Spotify | Apple Podcasts]

Without them, what would I be?

Anonymous sources have told anonymous news outlets anonymously that the names Ivanka Trump, Hunter Biden, Kim Jong-un and Eddie Haskell have all appeared on the Internet on the very same day that news of the Springfield, Oregon “CardGate” scandal became public. A spokesperson not representing the late Mother Teresa said, “I am shocked”, immediately after touching a live electrical wire while in the bathtub. We will continue to follow this breaking story. If the story becomes completely broken, we will stop following it, because, after all, what’s the point then?

A guy named “Wes” contributed to this story. Well, actually, Wes asked us for spare change, and he looked kind of rough, so we gave him 35 cents. I mean, that’s kind of a contribution, right?

Irrefutably solid evidence of defective card decks has recently been found in the normally peaceful city of Springfield Oregon. Kind, upstanding, sweet human beings have apparently been victimized by this horrendous failure of decks of playing cards to function appropriately.

While those who hosted recent card games appear not to be directly involved in the devious plot, their victims have none the less been deeply emotionally damaged by this sudden outbreak of severely defective playing cards. The victims are certainly worthy of sympathy, and rematches with non-defective decks.

Actual stars are enormous balls of burning gas, and do not have 5 symmetrical points. Since you are reading this on the Internet, it is probably true.

Signed,

Come and get it! Here is the way to do Custom CSS in WordPress.

Straight ahead animation

This stuff was on my “Cool Links” page for awhile, to demonstrate some web hosting things for some friends. I’ve pulled it off after the demo was no longer needed, but I can’t bear to erase it all. Who knows why.

• Garden Variety Music – WordPress, hosted by Andy
• Now See Hear – WordPress, hosted by Andy
• Gracie – a (Free!) Google site. I have not attached a domain name to this site, but it can be done very simply and inexpensively. You can also easily use other parts of your Google account with it.
• neeughams.org – a site for a local disaster prep group I work with
• SomberMoose.com – this site, which I use for fun. Yes, this is how I have fun.
• Tim Goss, a friend of mine, has examples of his artwork at timgosswatercolors.com, and his great cartoons at www.everybodyslarry.com. Both are WordPress sites, hosted by a commercial hosting service.
• There are a number of commercial hosts, including:
  • Amazon Web Services
  • GoDaddy
  • Google
  • Wix
  • WordPress – this is WordPress’s own hosting service.
  • Bluehost

I continue to be amazed by how things have matured in the Internet world over the past few years. This post is being dictated onto my phone, and is being posted to my WordPress site while I am walking around the house.

It’s pretty astonishing to me that this is possible. Only a few years ago, having one’s own website was a miracle enough. Now, I can have the website, and post to it by talking when I’m not even near my regular computer.

Who could have imagined, fourteen months ago, what would unfold in the year to come. We went from familiar day-to-day concerns, living with plans, opportunities and the usual minor daily obstacles. Gradually a new and unfamiliar set of constraints settled onto our daily lives. Things which had been commonplace, like going to a restaurant, a theater or a store, suddenly became impossible, unimaginable. Our friends and relatives were no longer accessible; gatherings of anyone not in our own household were forbidden.

Worst of all, no one seemed to know what was going on, no one seemed to be in charge. Speculation was rampant, but scattered and uncertain. Everything was turned upside down. The future was a fog. Were we destined for a medical and an economic disaster? Would everyone we know lose their jobs and livelihoods? Or their lives?

National leaders downplayed, or seemed to completely ignore, the crisis. “Just look away, folks. Nothing to see here!”. Seemingly sane voices were ignored. There appeared to be no plans beyond “it will go away.”

In Oregon, unprecedented natural disasters in the form of wildfires added unimaginable tragedies on top of the background chaos that was the pandemic. Nothing seemed normal, nothing could be meaningfully planned. One kept waiting for another shoe to drop.

Not all of life is political, but the beginning of a new administration planted seeds of hope. The development of vaccines, and hints that a rational distribution might emerge, allowed one to hope. As time passed, the ability to schedule, and then receive, a vaccine, seemed to open the blinds on what had been a dark world.

And now Spring, actual Spring, arrives with new light, new hope. Never has the Spring sunshine been as bright, never have the early buds and blossoms been as beautiful. For the first time in over a year, Spring brings hope.