Friday, December 20, 2013

Friday 5 for December 20: Pages



Merry Christmas. As usual this one comes from Scrivener's Friday 5 site.

1. What book’s pages seemed to fly by as you read them?

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and LOST MOON by James Lovell - the latter is the true story of the Apollo 13 space flight in 1970.

2. What’s a book you were pretty sure you would dislike but turned out to be great?

Can't think of any since I don't read too many books that I dislike.

3. What book’s main character would you fall in love with if you knew him or her in real life, and why?

Weena from the Eloi in the Time Machine. Naive and vulnerable, her entire race was just fodder for the evil Morlocks. Of course I already had a vision of her since I saw the 1960 movie before I read the book.

4. Who’s the author you’ve read the most books by?

Frank Herbert - 4 of the DUNE books.
Arthur C. Clarke - 3 of the 2001 series books.

5. What’s a really long book you enjoyed?

The original DUNE book by Frank Herbert. Heavy, complex storytelling filled with political intrigue, strange technologies, gigantic creatures, aliens and rebellious people. The spice, the spice, the spice.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Friday 5 for November 29: WHITE

From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog:

sugar

1. What’s the best white food?

Refined WHITE SUGAR because it makes a lot of other foods taste good. However too much SUGAR is not very good for your health. It takes a fine balance between how much good and bad you get out of SUGAR.

2. What’s your favorite white article of clothing?

None. Don't wear that color very often.

3. What are your thoughts on telling little white lies? No opinion on this.

4, What’s an impressive white animal? White Tiger. 

5. What are some songs in your iTunes (or other media player) whose title contains the word white?

The only reason why I am really answering this one is to list my top 10 most played tracks with the word "WHITE" in its title.

1. White Bird - It's a Beautiful Day
2. Black and White - Three Dog Night
3. Billy Bones and the White Bird - Elton John
4. White Lightning and Wine - Heart
5. White Horse - Laid Back
6. Then Came the White Man - The Stampeders
7. White Lies - Book of Love
8. White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
9. White Lies Blue Eyes - Bullet
10. White Sandy Beach - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

And of course I also own THE BEATLES WHITE ALBUM on LP, CD, digital and cassette.












Friday, November 22, 2013

Friday 5 for November 22: BORING



1. What’s the most boring television show?

You see that above? This is what you call a test pattern. TV stations used to show this back in the 1950s through the 1960s and maybe even into the early 1970s. Why? Back in the day most TV stations started their broadcast day at around 6:00 in the morning and ended around midnight or some time after. They  would then go into sign off mode and broadcast a test pattern on most days.

As a kid I would sometime wake up early in the morning to catch weekday cartoons such as "Space Angel" and "Clutch Cargo". Before the shows would start broadcasting, the TV station test pattern such as this would show. Shortly before the scheduled program, the TV ID would show and then some stations would play the "Stars Spangled Banner" or some other patriotic song with images of America. You always knew that would be the start of the day or even end, as the pattern would begin in reverse at the end of the night.

As a child, I was rarely up for those late night sign-offs.

Boring TV? Yes. A TV show? Not really. As a kid my Mom used to watch this soap opera which I found to be utterly boring.




2. What’s a really boring movie?

I know it is based on a classic Ernest Hemingway story, but hell, a guy all alone in a rowboat trying to catch and hold on to a fish???? Boring for "The Old Man and the Sea". Just found out they spent $5 million producing this film in 1958 (what is that in 2013 dollars) and Spencer Tracey was nominated for a best actor Oscar. Still boring as I recall. He spends most of the time talking to the fish.

Duh? Give me Tom Hanks and "Splash!".



3. Whose music is really boring?

Musical artists who contribute greatly to my "yawn factor" include Barry Manilow, Kenny G, Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston and for some reason, Radiohead. The thing is, I have at least one or two recordings by all of them. What's up with that?

And while I love Enya, and the layered, sonic beauty of many of her songs, they can be boring too. That could be because I keep on listening to the same albums over and over and the fact that there are long spells of nothing between her recording more, new, boring music.



4. What used to be interesting but is now boring?

Keeping up with some of my blogs.

5. Who’s the most boring person you know?

I'm kind of boring myself.



Friday, October 25, 2013

Friday 5 for October 25- ID Part 2

Jack's Tesla Model S

1. How familiar are you with the plants and trees in your area?

There aren't many plants and trees in my immediate area since I live mostly around a concrete jungle. What few there are I have photos of them.... like this one....

2. How familiar are you with the wildlife in your area?

We get a variety of wildlife - feral cats, crapping pigeons, mynah birds, rice birds, feral pet birds, cockroaches and other insects and an occasional plover or two.

3. Can you name the makes and models of five of your friends’ cars without looking?

Jack - 2013 Tesla Model S
Sandra - 2002 Acura RSX
Sam - 2005 Saturn Relay
Mike - 2004 Nissan Quest
Moses - 2001 Toyota Sienna

Acura RSX

4. How many of your co-workers’ spouses and kids can you name?

Mike, Spencer, Sid, Petey, Ipulina

5. If you had the radio on whatever station is playing current hits, how would you do at naming the songs and artists you heard?

Great since I keep track of the current hits weekly. KORL 101.1 FM for current hits, KUCD 101.9 FM for current modern rock and many other stations with online streams including iTunes Radio, Pandora and Spotify.

From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog. 

Friday, October 18, 2013

Friday 5 for October 18: Roles

Low Key Saturday Nite

"Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!"

I'm going to apply these to characters on the TV show "Gilligan's Island".

1. Who’s the class clown? Gilligan

2. Who’s the village idiot? The Professor (he is the genius of the bunch)

3. Who’s the helicopter parent? Mrs. Howell

4. Who’s the big man on campus? The Skipper

5. Who’s the queen bee? Ginger

Sorry no answers for Mr. Howell (who is like the child) or Mary Ann.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Firday 5 + 1 for August 23 - You Too?

U2 spy plane

1. Is it getting better, or do you feel the same? (from “One”)

Actually everything is slowly going to hell in a handbasket.

2. Do you shiver when you dream? Is there a pounding in your heart? (from “You’re the Only One that’s Real”)

There better not be pounding in my heart. That could be a sign of a possible cardiac arrest. Death perhaps! See #1.

3. Is the sweetest melody the one we haven’t heard? Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear? (from “I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”)

A tree falls in a forest but do you hear it if you are not there?

4. Do you feel anything at all? (from “Miracle Drug”)

Certainly and it depends on the circumstances.

5. It’s gonna itch and burn and sting; do you want to see what the scratching brings? (from “Staring at the Sun”)

Scratching usually brings on irritation, medication, a band aid and a scar. Burning can bring on severe disfigurement or death.

6. Do you feel loved? (from “Do You Feel Loved?”)

Huh? What's that? See #1.

hell in a handbasket

"Hell in a Handbasket" by Jamelah
Top photo: U2 spyplane by Lockheed Martin.
Bullet the Blue Sky


Friday, August 9, 2013

Friday 5 for August 9: What's It Like (Part 2)

I probably did not answer part 1, but here is part 2. From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog.

1. What’s the outgoing message on your voicemail like?

I don't have an answering machine, nor do I have a cell phone. That means I don't have a voicemail message. Why? Cause I don't like telemarketers and robo calls leaving messages on my voicemail. Junk phone calls, junk faxes and junk emails are the scum of our digital existence. Want to get a hold of me? Send me an email: macpro3000@yahoo.com. Otherwise bug off!

2. What’s the wallpaper on your computer like?


Today's wallpaper looks like this. Standard Mac issue. Tomorrow who knows? I have my Mac's preference panel on a rotating wallpaper mode. It changes every day. And this is just for my main MacBook Pro, a 15 inch model. I have a different wallpaper for my 13 inch MacBook Pro, my G4 Power Mac Quicksilver 700 Tower, my G3 Mac iBook and my Samsung Chromebook. Need I mention my iPod Touch? All of these computers that I mention work... I have a few broken Macs too. And a very old Mac Plus that I occasionally turn on. Here are more wallpaper pictures:

Mac OSX Snow Leopard

Here's the default wallpaper for my 2 MacBook Pros. Yes, I am still using OSX 10.6.8. Haven't bothered upgrading to 10.8... though I plan to upgrade to 10.9 when I buy still another Mac sometime next year.

Power Mac G4 Power Computing

From a few years ago, here is the wallpaper on my G4 Power Mac. In remembrance of my Power Computing clone from 1997. Running Mac OSX 10.4.11.

3. What’s stuck to your fridge door?

An assortment of magnets. Food stuff on the inside of the door.
Sorry no photos.

4. What’s your daily organizer like?

My iPod Touch Home Screen

I'm not showing you my reminders lists, notifications, notebook, calendars, etc... but this is my daily organizer... Apple iPod Touch (screen capture).

5. What’s signature on your personal emails like?

My gmail signature line:

------------------------------------------------
• Mel's Internet Universe http://macpro.freeshell.org
• Mel's Internet Universe | The Hawaii Files http://www.hawaiifiles.com
• Hawaii Radio & Television Guide http://www.hawaiiradiotv.com

The electronic word gets out faster and cheaper than paper.

My Yahoo mail signature line:



Sunday, July 7, 2013

Friday 5 for July 5, 2013 - High School Music

The music that I grew up in during high school and even my elementary school days have proven to be popular today more than 40 years after their initial popularity. I was lucky to have my Dad who had a good friend who used to own a vending machine company. He would get a lot of old records out of jukeboxes from his friend and those are what first exposed me to the great pop and rock music of the time... starting from when I was in grade school.

My love for music carried on into high school and well beyond. And how the answer to the mime questions from Scrivener's Friday 5 of July 5: High School Music.

Jelly's Kakaako

1. What song, album, or artist, disliked by you in high school, now sounds pretty good?

I liked most everything that was popular on the radio and in my record collection during the 1970s. They're all still good and at many times better than anything out today.

2. What specific high-school memory do you have of discovering some song, album, or artist you considered old?

My parents liked Connie Francis back in the day, which I considered old in the 1960 and 70s. Found some old records, played them years later and have grown to like some of her music.

3. What song or album best serves as the soundtrack for your senior year of high school? (bonus challenge: answer this question with a different song or album for each year of high school!)

Let it Be on iTunes

1970 - Let It Be - The Beatles (album and single)

1971 - Naturally - Three Dog Night (singles: "Joy to the World", "Liar", album track "Sunlight")

1971 - Abraxus - Santana - This album came out in late 1970s I believe, but it became huge in 1971. Features the hits "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va". Lots of other great songs.

1972 - Led Zeppelin IV - I got this LP via the Capitol music club back in the day, and of course "Stairway to Heaven" became the most overplayed track even at that early stage. The album actually came out in 1971 but did not take off until early 1972. Great album overall.

1973 - ELTON JOHN - My 2 favorite Elton John albums became popular in 1973 and carried over to 1974 - "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - played my vinyl copies and the cassette duplicates I made from this all the way through my graduation in high school and way beyond. Have bought these in LP form, cassette, and CD... also "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" on 8-track too.

1974 - Band on the Run - Paul McCartney and Wings - the best post-Beatles album ever by anyone who was in The Beatles.

1975 - I graduated this year; the soundtrack album for my senior year with the previous ones still high on my playlist was "That's the Way of the World" by Earth, Wind and Fire... seems like a lot of kids had and played this. After graduation in the summer of 1975, the 2nd Cecilio and Kapono album "Elua" was released and I liked this one better than the first.

The first Fleetwood Mac album that you refer to which feature Buckingham-Nicks for the first time ever came out in late 1975 but I don't consider it a high school album. I was already gone from high school but in early 1976 when "Over My Head" was released as a single, this album gradually grew on me and became on of my favorites with the single of "Rhiannon" being my all time favorite Fleetwood Mac songs ever. And while I really love their next album, Rumours that came out in 1977, in some ways this album is better than that one.

Other albums that were and are still part of my regular soundtrack from 1970 to 1975 include:

Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin (1973)
Ram - Paul & Linda McCartney (1971)
Tapestry - Carole King (1971)
Sound Magazine - The Partridge Family (1971) - yes, bubblegum but to me the best bubblegum album of the 1970s.

ELTON JOHN's albums: Elton John (1970); Tumbleweed Connection (1971); Madman Across the Water (1971); Honkey Chateau (1972); Caribou (1974); Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) - I was a huge EJ fan back then and still like these albums today.

America - America (1972)
Fragile - Yes (1972)
AWB - Average White Band (1974)
Harvest - Neil Young (1972)
Venus & Mars - Paul McCartney & Wings (1975)
Mystery To Me - Fleetwood Mac (1973) - best one with Bob Welch in the band.
No Secrets - Carly Simon (1972)
Talking Book - Stevie Wonder (1972)
One of These Nights - The Eagles (1975)
Countdown to Ecstasy - Steely Dan (1973)
Can't Buy a Thrill - Steely Dan (1972)

Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd (1973) - never clicked with me until later in life.

4. What’s a song, album, or artist from your high-school years you loved then (and might still love) but have great difficulty listening to now, and what’s the reason?

Many songs that were popular on the radio between the summer of 1971 and spring of 1972. It was during this time my sister had a bout with cancer and it killed her. She was two years below me. We both liked a lot of music that came out at this time and several songs bring back some bittersweet memories.

Timotheeeeee!!!!

One World by Rare Earth

5. What song, album, or artist from your high-school years, seemingly forgotten nowadays, do you still listen to with fondness?

The following albums seem to have been forgotten:

Naturally - Three Dog Night (1971)
Harmony - Three Dog Night (1972)
It Ain't Easy - Three Dog Night (1970)
Now and Then - The Carpenters (1973)
Carpenters - The Carpenters (2nd album - 1971)
Down the Road - Stephen Stills & Manassas (1973)
Never a Dull Moment - Rod Stewart (1972)
Venus and Mars - Paul McCartney and Wings (1975)
Living in a Material World - George Harrison (1973)
RINGO - Ringo Starr (1973)
Mind Games - John Lennon (1974)

The following were obscure and still are today.... and I listen to them with some regularity. Visit my LastFM page.

Carryin' On - The Stampeders (1971)
Give Up Your Guns / Timothy (LP) - The Buoys (1971)
Sound Magazine album - The Partridge Family (1971)

One World - Rare Earth (1971) - damn album never made it to digital CD or MP3!!!!!

SINGLE: "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" - Middle of the Road (1971)
SINGLE: "Stop Wait Listen" - Circus (1972)
SINGLE: "Hot Sand" - The Shocking Blue (1970 - B side to "Venus")
SINGLE: "Almost Home" - The Rascals (1971)
SINGLE: "Me Japanese Boy {I Love You} - Liz Damon & the Orient Express (1973)
SINGLE: "Summer Sun" - Jamestown Massacre (1972)
SINGLE: "If That's the Way That You Want It" - Diamond Head (1973)
SINGLE: "We're On Our Way" - Chris Hodge (1972)
SINGLE: "Gotta Get Away" - Cecilio & Kapono (1974)
SINGLE: "Where Evil Grows" - Poppy Family (1971)
SINGLE: "Don't Let Him Touch You" - Joy Flemming (1972)
SINGLE: "Pretty Lady" - Lighthouse (1973)
SINGLE: "Forevermore" - Tokyo Happy Coats (1970)

And there you have it. Below are some audio and video links to some of the music mentioned here.

My Top Albums of All Time







Friday, June 21, 2013

Friday 5 Answers for June (Selected)

This post features answers from the last 2 weeks of the Friday 5.

FRIDAY 5 FOR JUNE 21 - SCATTERGORIES

F

The Letter F! Scrivener's Friday 5 website.

1. What random letter was generated by the online random-letter generator? (this doesn’t really count as one of your five questions)

F

2. What geographical location, whose name begins with the letter, would you most like to visit someday?

Places that I can think of starting with "F" that I may consider visiting:

1. Florida - been there many years ago, maybe go again.
2. Finland - heh... yeah only during the summer when the day is nearly 24 hours long.
3. Fairbanks, Alaska - same condition as Finland... only during summer.

3. What’s a yummy dessert whose name begins with the letter?

Fudge Cake - Chocolate Fudge Cake and Fudge Cicle Ice Cream

4. What’s an annoying or unpleasant task whose name begins with the letter?

Fuck you cards.
Use of the word FUCK and all of its derivatives.

Eating FRUITCAKE comes in a close second - I don't eat it, and try to never possess one.

5. What implement, whose name begins with the letter, would be good to take on a camping trip?

Flashlight!

Fun With Light
Light pattern created with a red filtered flashlight.

Food is also important to take as well as a First Aid kit.

6. Which of your body parts, whose name begins with the letter, needs some attention or maintenance?

Feet



FRIDAY 5 FOR JUNE 14: SUMMER RULES

Waikiki Honolulu 9-5-09

"Ahhhh... summer!"

1. You are the boss of summer time! So what behaviors are not allowed until summer’s end?

Watching daytime TV... actually this should be practiced year round. Daytime TV is nothing but a wasteland. And a lot of prime time is too.

So maybe no TV during the summer.

2. And what is everyone required to talk about until summer’s end?

Movies, upcoming football season, baseball, food, hot dogs, vacations, and anything that is fun.

3. And what songs must be in regular rotation until summer’s end?

Well here is a list of "summer" songs I compiled into an iTunes playlist.

1. Surfin’ U.S.A. - The Beach Boys
2. Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys
3. Surf City - Jan & Dean
4. Summer in the City - The Lovin' Spoonful
5. Theme From The Endless Summer - The Sandals
6. Summer Wine - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
7. Hot Fun In The Summer Time - Sly & The Family Stone
8. In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry
9. Summer Days - Partridge Family
10. Pipeline Sequence - Honk
11. Summer Sun - Jamestown Massacre
12. Summer Lady - Cecilio & Kapono
13. Summer - War
14. A Place In The Sun - Pablo Cruise
15. Volcano - Jimmy Buffett
16. Cruel Summer - Bananarama
17. Windsurfer - Roy Orbison
18. Summer Breeze (Tsuper Tsunami Mix) - Seals & Crofts
19. Summertime Blues - Alan Jackson
20. All Summer Long - Kid Rock



4. And what must be eaten at least once per week until summer’s end?

Ice cream

5. And since you are also the poster child for summer time, what activity will the poster display you engaged in?

Sleeping on a hammock between 2 palm trees listening to my summer tunes on an iPod mini boom box with the ocean and sunset in the background? Generally I don't put myself in photos.


Friday, May 31, 2013

Friday 5 for May 31: Ding!

Ding Donged!

"Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!"

1. When is *ding* a most welcome sound?

End of the cooking cycle from my microwave oven.

2. When is *ding* a most unwelcome sound?

I think if it dinged, it would be when my Mac did not successfully burn a CD or DVD.

3. If a *ding* could be heard only by you to warn you about something in social situations, what might that *ding* alert you to, and how many times do you think you’d have heard it this week?

If someone I did not like were close by so that I could avoid them.

4. A Ding Dong is a hockey-puck-shaped chocolate cake(like) dessert filled with cream and covered with chocolate. Its name is somewhat suggestive to some. What other food items have names that inspire you to think naughty thoughts?

Anything that tastes good that my doctor would not recommend.

5. What’s an item in your possession that recently received a ding, and whose fault was it?

Non-working audio cassette deck that I bought from Craigslist a few years ago. Self inflicted purchase.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Friday 5 for May 10 - A Bit of Knowledge

USS Ronald Reagan + Oahu

From Scrivener's Friday 5 website here are the questions I chose to answer this week.


1. What’s something you know about constellations?

Except for the Big and Little dippers I really can't readily recognize any.

2. What’s something you know about bugs?

They have exoskeletons which make them hard to kill. Especially the American Cockroach. Some bugs go through a complete metamorphosis while others look like their parents at birth.

3. What’s something you know about a car’s engine?

The internal combustion engine needs gasoline, oil and coolant among other things to keep them running.

4. What’s something you know about wine or beer?

Too much of it impairs judgement. Don't drink and drive.

5. What’s something you know about the Pacific Ocean?

It's the biggest ocean in the world and it surrounds the entire state I live in. You see the picture at the top of this post? That is the Pacific Ocean just off the deck of the ship. The island in the background is Oahu, the city is Honolulu. That is where I live.

In July 2010 I was lucky enough to be chosen to take a tour aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. This is one of the many pictures that I shot there. The ocean is large. You don't want to be caught in it on a tiny boat, far away from shore!

Here is another picture. You can see them all by clicking this link.

View of Island of Oahu

Friday, April 5, 2013

Friday 5 for April 5: Yikes!


From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog come these topical questions.



1. How do thunder and lightning make you feel?

I'm missing an opportunity to get a good photo.

2. How do spiders make you feel?
Spider

I have no feelings toward spiders. If they get in the way, they get squashed... otherwise I leave them alone. I took a picture of this spider a few years back.

3. How do recent threats on America by North Korea make you feel?
Atomic Bomb Test

I worry our U.S. President may not be able to take decisive and final action against the nut from North Korea. Otherwise we'll be putting our heads between our legs and kissing are asses goodbye.

4. How concerned are you about having your identity stolen?

I shred sensitive documents and don't do banking transactions on a wireless network.

Identity Theft

5. How cautious are you about food spoilage in your refrigerator?

I don't eat old food, but sometimes my fridge turns into a biological hazard zone and museum of the macabre.

Cheese plate in the Old Port of Montréal

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Friday 5 for February 22: Spinning



1. What’s had you spinning ’round in circles lately?

You see that video on the top. I hate when that actually shows up on my Mac. However it is better than the old system bomb from Mac OS9 and older.

2. When were you last on a bicycle?

Around 1982.

3. Who’s the best storyteller you know?

My friend and former mentor who now lives in Utah had some great stories.

4. How well do you handle carnival rides?

Haven't done those in ages. Too expensive.

5. What do you think of TV gameshow Wheel of Fortune?

It's a classic American TV success story. Huge money making syndication property. Keeps older folks glued to their TVs daily. It is my Mom's favorite show. I watch it with her when I visit. Vanna's cute. Please note that the video shown below is old, and may not be here as this blog ages.



And to go along with this theme of "spinning", a song....

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Friday 5 for Feb. 8, 2013 - Cereal



1. What was your favorite breakfast cereal when you were a kid?

Captain Crunch, though if you left it in the milk for too long, it would still get soggy.

Frosted Mini Spooners

2. What’s your favorite breakfast cereal now?

If I think it is worth buying, then it probably is frosted Mini Spooners.

3. Where does cereal rank on your list of favorite breakfasts?

I'd rank it as "expensive".



4. What serial novels or films have you most recently enjoyed?

More so TV serials, specifically "space opera".... Babylon 5 and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. These two TV series as well as several others unfold like chapters in a book as their stories progressed over the seasons (years). Other TV series in the "serial" genre have included SciFi yarns such as The X Files (with several continuing story arcs), LOST and to a degree Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Other serial series that I have enjoyed over the years include Michael Mann's Crime Story and the British serial Doc Martin.



5. What recently surreal experience have you gone through?

Nothing.

Scrivener's Friday 5.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Friday 5 for January 4: I Do Believe the Worst is Behind Us

E2 Hawkeye Landing

From Scivener's Friday 5: "Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website! This week’s questions are inspired by a certain movie I saw last week. I know I’ve asked #3 before, but it’s one of those questions I like asking every so often. I think the answers say a lot about us in very few words."

1. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done in the past six months?

My last big adventure was in 2010 when I took a trip to nowhere aboard an aircraft carrier. But that was more than 6 months ago. It's been pretty dull since.

2. What recently could qualify as a happy accident?

All accidents I've had are bad - spilling food, stubbing my toe, cutting myself, dropping or breaking something, whatever. Accidents have never brought me an ounce of happiness.

3. When did you last experience Buyer’s Remorse?

Lately I've been having long delayed buyer's remorse after several products with built in batteries have died and I cannot replace the batteries. Thanks Apple for iPods that batteries die and you can't use them again. I hate the concept of non-replaceable built in batteries: Apple is the worst offender. iPods, iPads, newer laptops. I was first victimized with this after my Palm IIIc died around 2008... I think I get my money's worth if a product lasts 10 years or longer. The Palm IIIc was bought in 2001. The iPods are newer.

4. In what way do people keep underestimating you?

Can't think of any.

5. What have you got in your pocket?

On a daily basis, wallet, some money, credit and debit card, driver license, comb, keys on keychain, and occasionally a tiny camera, small iPod player or flashlight.

From Scrivener:

"Thanks for participating, and have a wonderful weekend! Tomorrow’s my birthday, so if you are inclined to wish me a happy one, please include a song lyric from whatever’s your favorite recent song."

One of my current favorites (I list the top 20 every week) is a song called "Clouds" by Zach Sobiech, a teen who has terminal cancer. He wrote this song for his girlfriend and it was recently recorded and released to the usual places... YouTube, iTunes and Amazon. Enjoy "Clouds" and enjoy your lives.

Currently @ #12 on Mel's Weekly Top 20.





Well I fell down, down, down
Into this dark and lonely hole
There was no one there to care about me anymore
And I needed a way to climb and grab a hold of the edge
You were sitting there holding a rope

And we'll go up, up, up
But I'll fly a little higher
We'll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer
Up here my dear
It won't be long now, it won't be long now

When I get back on land
Well I'll never get my chance
Be ready to live and it'll be ripped right out of my hands
Maybe someday we'll take a little ride
We'll go up, up, up and everything will be just fine

And we'll go up, up, up
But I'll fly a little higher
We'll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer
Up here my dear

It won't be long now, it won't be long now
If only I had a little bit more time
If only I had a little bit more time with you

We could go up, up, up
And take that little ride
And sit there holding hands
And everything would be just right
And maybe someday I'll see you again
We'll float up in the clouds and we'll never see the end

And we'll go up, up, up
But I'll fly a little higher
We'll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer
Up here my dear
It won't be long now, it won't be long now