Presence of food triggers hunger.

Rind - Find

I am stalled/blocked right now but there's more than three weeks to go so definitely will get something in by the deadline. If nothing else, I can polish the first one I started and use it. Just not really happy with it.

New Nightwish song, the second single from the upcoming album Yesterwynde, yesterday but so far no video to go with it and the audio seems to have vanished from YouTube as well now. Maybe the official video is coming soon? Anyhow, it is a very different song for them, even if elements of band songwriter Tuomas Holopainen's usual playbook are definitely there. Arguably, not even metal, with strong 80s-esque synth riffs and some other atypical elements. I have listened multiple times on Spotify and definitely like the piece, but it's seeming disappearance from YouTube (not for the first time) has me wondering what's up. I will add the video if/when it comes. Meanwhile, I will add a link to the track on Spotify for those who can hear it there.

https://open.spotify.com/track/20w340h37XvpPjiO591XCg?si=-aaIbGJiRAKmDBLXWsBt-Q

I really need my muse to strike me with inspiration. Right now, she just seems to be on strike. No poem for the comp yet. Not happy with the two I have but nothing else is coming to me. Depression has set in for reasons i am still unsure of, so that's definitely a factor. I just deleted an unfinished 5000 (so far) word story as well, just feeling it was feeding the mood rather than helping it.

Anyhow, I'll put on some Tobermory Grotto coffee. For teas, let's go with Assam and Raspberry Royale. Washed the pitchers and made fresh iced tea and lemonade, too.

Have a good Friday and weekend, folks!!

Something with a bit of a personal connection. Norwegian folk ensemble Gate recorded a new video in Akershus Castle in Oslo where I just happen to have been when I was in Oslo after my cruise in June. Beautiful old castle well worth the visit. And the room where this was shot is especially gorgeous.

I'm easy. Rhymes can add something but are sometimes kind of clunky if the poet resorts to awkward phrasing or word choices to make the rhyme. But most of what I read is either blank verse or based more on metre than rhyme.

Use VPN or other techniques to sneak a peek at a new song before it hits your time zone on streaming OR (im)patiently wait? (yes, this is relevant to my life right now)

Quote by verbal
I’m just sitting here writing and playing No Man’s Sky.

that could be misread as you writing No Man's Sky. Though I imagine writing for videogames is pretty lucrative. I know the Malaysian-born author Cassandra Khaw does, or at least used to do, that at Ubisoft Montreal. Haven't checked into her latest work so not sure what she's up to. Might be writing fiction fulltime now.

Globalization has even affected music. Here we have Mexican power trio The Warning teaming with Japanese rockers Band-Maid. Damn, this track rocks. The bands have been teasing it for what feels like weeks but the hype was justified.

Quote by gillianleeza
Although 7-11 announced a pumpkin spice slurpee, which I won't be trying.

😒 No sick smiley, so unamused will have to do. Pumpkin spice belongs in pumpkin desserts. Period.

Quote by gillianleeza
I'm making a blueberry cheesecake and a peach blueberry cobbler.

This, on the other hand ... ❤️😊

Outside of family (my son has one of my cars more or less permanently), not likely.

WYE help a family member buy, or buy for them, a big ticket item like a home or vehicle?

Hey, someone got the setup done. notes white hairs on the counter, glances over

It's James! Hello there, amigo! I'm wrestling a bit. Have two poems on the go and neither is really doing it for me even though both are quite on point for the comp. Will keep at it.

takes an Earl and joins the Bear

Oo, another fine female singer I follow dropped a new single. Swiss singer Melissa Bonny has been in four bands so far in her career (five if you count a local cover band where she got started). She also does guest appearances with other bands on a fairly regular basis. This is, however, one of her less common solo releases and leans more into a pop sound vs. the metal that is her usual. Nice song, though, and I wonder if this means we'll be hearing more solo work from Melissa.

St. Vincent is one of those artists who manages to be good a so many things. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and now producer of her latest album, All Born Screaming. This song is from All Born Screaming.

Was out working in the yard this morning. Mowed the lawn, did some weeding and other cleanup, packed up yard waste for pickup later in the week. Now sweaty as all heck. Not too hot today yet but quite muggy still. There's a lingering chance of showers today but nothing yet. Given that we are having water problems in my office (not just the building, my actual office), less rain would be welcome for now. We are certainly getting more than enough to keep things green.

I'll throw on a pot of Deathwish Dark Roast. For tea, let's try Darjeeling and Raspberry Royale.

Later, alligators.

Good morning/afternoon depending on where you are! How's things?

Belated pot of dark roast Costa Rican is on. There's Earl Grey and Buddha's Blend in the teapots. Pitchers are washed and filled up with unsweet iced tea and lemonade.

Working on my comp entry. Poetry can be incredibly easy or like pulling teeth for me. There does not seem to be a middle ground.

Quote by OpheliaTusk

Woo Poetry! I have written two poems already for this theme, the trouble will be deciding which poem will be the contest candidate and which will not.

I have a couple, too, but I think the first one is out. The second one feels better to me. May hold on to the first for a post-comp release.

Lint - Link

Tongue is where we taste.

Hmmm. Probably Poe, though I am fond of both. May be a mood thing, really, Sometimes I want drama in iambic pentameter, sometimes something a bit spooky.

Poe's stories or Poe's poems?

I am waiting for my muse to strike, but maybe this weekend. We're on a long weekend in Canada so I have three days without work interrupting.

(And now I have this weird image of a woman walking into my home office and slapping me, which then results in me bashing out a prize-winning poem. 🤣)

Hughes is a poet I know of moreso than I am familiar with. Very nice piece.

And from Wacken's opening day, here's one of my current faves, Mexican power trio/sister act The Warning. The Villareal sisters are going great guns this year between a new album and a world tour. Dany (guitar, vocals), Pau (drums, vocals) and Ale (bass and backing vocals) are all on fire here.

Anyone else here remember this oldie but goodie? From the 2024 edition of Wacken Open Air, a premier festival for rock and metal, here's The Sweet with their one and only (at least on my side of the planet) hit.

Quote by Cora

Thank you for sharing another poet, Mendalla, as well as providing a couple links to her poems. I have heard of Mary Oliver but only by name. Thank you for sharing info about her writing style and how she impacted your life.

It's a great thread, actually. I think I tried the same concept (favourite poets) years ago but without the poll and not during a poetry comp. Hopefully, yours gets more traction with those.😊

Quote by verbal
I’m sure they are on the internet somewhere.

Here in Canada, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) holds the rights and they are putting everything through their Gem streaming service as well as broadcasting it. Perhaps NBC (do they still have the US rights??) is doing similar? I remember when I did have cable, I would often flip back and forth between CBC and NBC since they were often showing different events.

Mary Oliver, truth be told. She was still alive and publishing when I discovered her and her blending of natural imagery and spiritual themes really drew me in. Helps that Beacon Press, the publishing arm of the Unitarian Universalist Association, was her publisher so that her poems were widely used in UU services when I was active in that faith. A Pulitzer doesn't hurt either.

Poetry Friday: Wild Geese | Mary Oliver – Live Love Simple

“The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver – Words for the Year

Out of that list, though? Need to meditate on it a bit. I like most of them, really.

Quote by verbal
And one for the poets, this time.

Come on, man, give it a whirl. I mean, it's not like you're up against Walt Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe or something.😊