So, I’m going to start this post off with a confession. When I was wandering the streets of New York City, I was (kind of) a hobosexual. I’d sleep with people to get a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and shelter from whatever. I really wanted someone to save me from my dire straits. I did. And I wanted to show that I was capable of doing something good for them, even if it was only companionship and housekeeping.
I was asked this question on Twixter this week, and it’s one I’ve seen people talk about a lot. Or rather, I should say, I have many times seen people argue over certain movies, debating if they are horror films or thrillers. Silence of the Lambs and Psycho are the two most common argued about. I’ve been to many conventions with panels dedicated to “Is it horror?” If you consult Google on the question, you will see most sources giving the same response: “Horror movies are meant to horrify, thrillers are meant to thrill!
In late May 2023, Jason Aldean released his newest single, “Try That in a Small Town”. It hit number 35 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart during the first week of June but fell off the chart within one week. Though Aldean is quite popular, it was looking to be a forgotten song from an aging star. That changed dramatically when the song’s video was released in July. It showed Aldean performing in front of the Columbia, Tennessee courthouse interspersed with clips of violence, rioting, and assorted small town imagery.
Nobody is more obsessed with ratings than chess players. Other sports have ratings, but when it comes to bragging rights they take a back seat to tournaments or championships. The rating is seen for what it is: a statistical measure that’s useful for rankings and pairings, but isn’t the end-all be-all of competition. But in chess the rating is the essence of who you are as a player, even as a person.
Recently while hiking with Mary and our friend Julianne, we spotted this nesting sandhill crane. Julianne, a Yellowstone naturalist, had seen sandhills nesting at this pond in previous years but then they were absent. Nevertheless, her desire to check this pond just in case they had returned paid off. I took this photo from a distance with a telephoto lens so as to not disturb this bird as it incubated eggs.