Your ABCs

As we round the corner on Halloween, what better time to see/hear one of Gorey's best? Not saying there's a bad time, but this time is hard to top.

I give credit to the reader here for finding the right tone, despite her pronunciation errors.

Another tomorrow

If Brian Eno was going to sing a Beatles song, perhaps it's inevitable this would be the one. Either that or "Octopus's Garden." Maybe that one will surface eventually.

From above

They're partying upstairs tonight. There's dance music playing, loud enough for me to hear it where I'm typing now. No one's tackled anyone yet, although I swear to God I've heard something like wrestling matches up there in the past. Still, it's not quiet.

Potentially all of this could be annoying, I suppose. I'd complain, but the fact is I'm tired enough that I don't think they'll be keeping me up. The fact that the nights have gotten so much colder helps as well.

Tomorrow

Now, or at least pretty soon, I lay me down to sleep. Tomorrow I'll try, in whatever modest way, to be better and do better. To do right, at any rate.

Who, me?

Great Grey Owl from iNature on Vimeo.

My hat is off to whoever shot the gorgeous owl footage in this clip. And I love the detail that they don't build nests, but use the nests of other birds of prey.

"Listen, falcon, I hope I'm not putting you out but I need someplace to crash while I'm on this hunt."
"Sigh. Okay. Just make sure to restock the fridge this time."

Where is everyone?

Am I spending too much time alone? In effect, I think I am. My effective social circle has shrunk, for various reasons.

There are a few difficulties in making new friends, or just talking to people. New England has a kind of reserve to begin with, that doesn't encourage talking to strangers. Smartphones and other devices have added fuel to the fire, or whatever the opposite of fire is. On the street or in any public place, the majority of people by themselves just aren't there, and you aren't there for them. A charming extrovert might be able to get through, but that's not exactly me.

Since this is partly a technological problem, I'm applying some sort of technological solutions. Today I emailed an old friend who's been out of state for a few years, and with whom I'd fallen out of touch. Now we're back in touch, which is nice. And in terms of seeing people face to face, I'm in the process of joining more Meetup groups. I'd already been in a writing group. Knock on wood being in touch with more people will help with that too.

Dreaming

A friend of mine gave me a copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep recently. I'd been meaning to read it and I finally am. (Shouldn't take too long.) The previous owner marked it up a lot which I'm mostly ignoring.

One thing I can say: the idea of Rick Deckard being a tough PI type is totally a creation of Blade Runner. In the book he's a futuristic sad sack. Still in his miserable marriage too. Also there's whole new religion - Mercerism - that got left out of the movie. Probably a wise decision, as it's not something audiences would likely catch up with.