Today’s featured photo is of the new Toilight I got for Bill as a stocking stuffer. It lights the toilet at night, which we both find very handy… it also makes the water look really cool as it gets flushed. We gotta have our fun wherever we can find it.
Yesterday’s post was surprisingly popular, for my blog, anyway. I think sometimes people love a good rant, even if it’s petty and kind of stupid. I actually had fun writing that post. It gave me a lot to think about. I ended up doing a few edits after the initial posting, because I spotted some things that needed clarification, along with the usual typos. But anyway… I do love it when someone gives me a topic for my blog by way of inspiration.
This morning, I’m somewhat less inspired. Yes, I could write about how Donald Trump’s legal woes are getting worse by the day, and he’s being exposed as the crook that he is. But I don’t feel like writing about that today. The end of the year is looming, and that means it’ll soon be 2023. I realize I’m getting older and certain things just don’t matter the way they used to.
I just started reading Paulina Porizkova’s latest book. So far, it’s kind of a page turner. I liked her when she was on America’s Next Top Model and was annoyed when Tyra Banks fired her from the show. That was about when it became unwatchable for me. I think I hung in there for a couple more “cycles”, but soon gave up on it. I though Paulina was awesome on that show. In fact, I think she should have her own show. She’s very intelligent, and I like how plain spoken she is… but not in an obnoxious, narcissistic way, like Tyra is. Tyra Banks, I’m afraid, went from being a relatively pleasant host to an over-the-top nightmare.
I woke up at about 3:00 AM, thanks to Arran’s need for a potty break and demands for food. Bill took care of that, while I took a bathroom break myself. By the time I got back in the bed, I was wide awake. My stomach was annoying me, too. So, since I wasn’t going back to sleep for at least another hour or so, I opened Paulina’s book and started reading. I predict (but can’t promise) I’ll finish it quickly, and will be ready to review it by the end of the week.
I also got an alert from my favorite backing tracks Web site that Shirley Horn’s luminous version of “Here’s to Life” was available for download. I love that song, and to date, have recorded it three times. I don’t expect people to know it, but I fell in love with it in 2005, just after Hurricane Katrina. The Jordan Family did a very poignant version of the song for a fundraiser. At the time of their performance, they were still missing their father from the storm. I would actually love to record their version of the song– with the same key and arrangement. Shirley Horn’s comes closer to that than either Barbra Streisand’s and Bob Stewart’s versions do. So that’s why I decided to do the song one more time, but in a different manner. I prefer the jazzier style to the more Broadway interpretations I did before.
I couldn’t think of a pressing topic for this morning, So I spent about two hours recording Shirley Horn’s “Here’s to Life” in two different keys. I tried her original key, then went a step up. I think the higher key is better for me, so that’s the one I put on YouTube. I think both turned out pretty well, although it’s kind of a challenge to get the video right. I’m struggling with coughing, a runny nose, and an itch, too… not from a viral illness, but probably more from allergies or my lack of attention to dusting.
When I last sang “Here’s to Life”, I wrote a post about it on this blog. I wrote a bit about who composed the song, as well as some personal philosophies and other assorted stuff. It’s not a super exciting post, because I also wrote about a Facebook argument I had some time back with a cop friend of mine, and Amy Duggar King, who had just given birth at the time. And I wrote about sweet Zane, who had, at that writing, been gone from our lives for a matter of weeks. I was missing him a lot then. I still miss him, especially when I see old pictures and videos that remind me of what a sweet soul he was. I truly do hope the Rainbow Bridge is a real thing, and I can see him again someday after I’ve departed the mortal coil myself. I noticed that I wrote that post on October 10, 2019, which also happened to be the 16th anniversary of the loss of our first rescue beagle mix, CuCullain, who had bright blue eyes. He was a special soul, too. Sometimes, he seems to visit us through Noyzi.

I don’t even have those things to write about today. My dogs are impatiently waiting for me to finish up and take them for a walk. They’ve learned that when I quit doing music, it’s walk time. Usually, I play guitar before we walk, but today it was singing… which I tend to do much better. I did learn to play the rhythm version of “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart yesterday. It was surprisingly easy, with open chords that are fairly easy to tease out, even with fingers as unpracticed as mine are.
I suppose I could write about the cop videos I watched yesterday, which were surprisingly outrageous. I never understand people who get loud and belligerent with cops and expect them to cut them a break. I’ve also noticed that American cops aren’t as professional as German cops appear to be. Here, you can get a huge fine if you cuss at the cops. In the United States, people say whatever… even threaten cops and their families. The lady in yesterday’s video told one cop she hoped his wife got raped. Horrible! And then she moaned and cried because she was in handcuffs and about to be charged with a felony.
The other video involved a very bellicose drunk driver who cussed non-stop. He actually made ME blush… and I cuss like a sailor! I feel sorry for the people in this man’s life. He’s a mess. He’s got a very foul mouth, too… and if I’m saying that, it means something.
But really, I think I just want to walk the dogs before they have a fit… and then maybe go back to reading my latest book. I wish I felt more inspired to write something compelling, but I think recording a song kind of took it out of me. Maybe I’ll be back later… but I probably won’t. So have a happy hump day.
We have a Toilight also and I love that goofy little gadget! I’m at the age where I have to get up multiple times at night to use the bathroom, and if I had to turn on the overhead light by the toilet every time it would wake me up enough that getting back to sleep afterward would not always be so easy. That little light inside the toilet provides just enough light to see what you’re doing, and a little entertainment at the same time…lol
Bwahahahaha! It was a total impulse buy. Does yours change colors? Ours only does the blue light, that I can tell.
Yes, ours changes colors. It has a little tab you can push to one side to have just one color, or push to the other side to get changing colors. Yours may have option also.
I think it’s supposed to. I haven’t figured it out yet. I’ll go check. I like the blue, though.
Okay, I got it to change colors. Took some fiddling. There’s a button that doesn’t always work immediately.
And now the multi-colored fun begins! 😂🤣
It was a total impulse to feature today’s photo. I’m glad it’s generating engagement! I bet I get a lot of hits because of the Toilight. People search for the weirdest things!
I’m trying to steer away from politics as a topic, at least for a while. I did not specialize in political reporting when I studied journalism back when dinosaurs roamed the planet, nor is it a subject I buy books about. For me, it’s not exactly a fun topic, so I only delve into it when I’m really pissed off at something the MAGA movement (including Kari Lake) has done.
That’s probably a good policy. There are so many people talking and writing about politics, and most of them do it better than I ever could.
Right?
When I was a lad of…23, I think it was, I did co-author some unsigned editorials in my role of Opinions Editor at my campus’ student paper, plus some signed columns about what was going on at the college I attended. And I also wrote a few columns, a few years later, about the collapse of Communism at the time the Berlin Wall came down. But I am, deep down, either a slice-of-life memoirist (and a meh one, compared to other bloggers, at least in my opinion) or an entertainment beat writer.
Besides, I have learned that even if I were a skilled political commentator, persuasive writing is not, ahem, terribly effective in swaying the mind of readers whose world view is the opposite of my views. I could be as polished and erudite as George F. Will (I’m not. But bear with me.) and write a great column about why Trumpism is bad, and I know that two things will happen:
1. Opponents of Trumpism will like the piece and leave positive comments
2. MAGA fans? Not so much. They’ll hate the piece – if they even bother to read it past the title – and leave toxic, negative comments
I’d rather not deal with that shit, at least not on a regular basis.
Ah…I’m up and about at a time when I’m usually not up and about. I guess I better watch a documentary and hope that sleep will come, at least for a few hours. Insomnia…it sucks!
Well, if you’re still up in an hour, I’ll have a new post for you to read.
Happily, I managed to doze off some time after we exchanged comments and slept for almost (but not quite) six hours.
I just finished reading your review of Paulina Porizkova’s autobiography. You did a fantastic write-up, and it reminded me of how toxic women can be to other women, especially in that excerpt where Ms. Porizkova reflects on being shamed for not having the same features as Elle McPherson, Cindy Crawford, or Christie Brinkley.
I can’t say that I’m a follower of supermodels, but as a consumer of mass media, and especially as a guy who loves women, I was familiar with all those models, and I thought they were all gorgeous. “Out of my league,” yes, but gorgeous in their own way.
As to Paulina’s interest in “woo woo” stuff, I don’t believe in tarot cards, palm reading, etc., but I don’t think any less of her if she does. Each one of us is a world into ourselves, and if she’s not defrauding people claiming that she can contact our dead loved ones – for a fee, of course – more power to her.
And, for what it’s worth, she is still attractive (based on the photo on the book cover)!
Again, fine review.