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.😊

Ghosting could be fun, actually, if the person I was writing for had some good ideas. But generally the latter, since I prefer to write with my own agenda and ideas.

Write a bunch of stories or a novel?

"Beyond the Veil" sounds like a wonderful theme. Already stewing it over. Let's get cracking, poets!!

And to help with that, here's some Jamaican Blue Mountain dark roast coffee. Teas are Assam and Mukujima Sencha (green). Cold beverages are looking good.

Yay! Poetry comp!

And I love the theme. Should get some interesting poems coming in.

Quote by verbal
not even the much-maligned opening ceremonies. Heard the backlash though.

It's overblown. I only recognized that tableau because of the controversy. Absent that, I would not even have associated it with the Last Supper. Tempest in a Christian teapot, IMHO. And we got a top heavy metal band playing in an Olympics, so we metalheads (most of whom enjoy a good parody of Christianity to start with) aren't too fussed about it.

The controversy I'm hearing about is that Joe Duplantier, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Gojira, was using a different brand of guitar at the Olympics than the one he has a longstanding relationship with. Is he changing brands? Going dual brand? Inquiring headbangers are demanding to know. 😊

And from the sublime to the loud and heavy, here's a new single from Japanese all-female power metal act Lovebites.

Continuing my exploration of pianist-composer Tigran Hamasyan. This album-length piece was composed by Hamasyan and performed by his ensemble with the Yerevan State Chamber Choir in memory of the Armenian genocide. It's an incredble album, bringing his American jazz background together with his Armenian cultural background in a beautful way.

Sardinia

Quote by Cora
This year I am not watching the Olympics.

I'm following it but not really watching much, just the highlights reels that CBC (Canada's national public broadcaster) posts on their YouTube channel.

Pine - Pint

Now, it is too hot.

Good morning, y'all!

After a rather wet, stormy day yesterday, seems nice here today. Less muggy, though still too hot and steamy for my taste.

Putting on some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe in the coffee pot. In the teapots we have Irish Breakfast and Buddha's Blend. Cleaned up the pitchers and made fresh iced tea and lemonade. Soda stock looks good.

Good day at the Olympics, with Canada's women's rugby 7s picking up silver and US picking up bronze. Cool to see North Americans having some success at a sport that has largely been replaced by American football here. And, of course, the US women's gymnastics squad put on a stellar show to get the gold in the team event, with Simone Biles' return after her problems in Tokyo being the highlight.

Quote by verbal
I got a late birthday present - a drone! - that I may try to put together this week. It’s a little complicated. Looks like Big Fun though.

Just don't fly it near any opposing teams' practice fields (Olympic stuff that I'm a bit salty about).

Quote by verbal
Has anyone heard from Red lately?

I was thinking the same thing.

Good day. I'll put on a late pot of Colombian dark roast coffee along with some Raspberry Royale and Ginger Peach White teas.

6658 (can't stay now, it's gettin' late)

Quote by Cora
David Boreanaz

I really only know him from Buffy, when he originated the character of Angel, who then became the star of a Buffy spinoff.

Been watching some Olympic events, mostly highlight reels after the fact on YouTube, plus my usual YouTube fare.

Icelandic Horse (nice follow-on from Cora's, I think). I got up close to these a couple times when I was in Iceland last year.

Oo, toughie. Maybe ice cream.

Pancakes or Waffles?

Come up here for a visit. Been showering on and off this afternoon. Even a thunderclap.😊

I'll put on some green and herbal teas for the afternoon. Won't keep you up at night. 😀

Dancing around what to write next. I'm sure I'll hit on something that clicks eventually.

Quote by verbal
Thank you for the birthday wishes folks.

Oo, missed that in Cora's post. Glad you had a good one. Ants make good horror. E.g. Them is possibly the best of the 50s atomic mutant giant movies. Just sayin'.

Quote by verbal
We saw Mean Girls the Musical Saturday night. It was really fun.

When I heard that existed, I was a bit baffled. Doesn't seem like material for a stage musical. But then, neither did Les Miserables at the time, I guess. If anything, Les Miz was probably more likely to become an opera prior to Boublil and Schoenberg working their magic.

Today's coffee come from Jamaica, some medium roast from the Blue Mountains.

For tea, we are offering Original Earl Grey and Scottish Breakfast with hot water on hand for other fine teas.

Cold drinks are mixed up fresh and filled to the tippy top.

Have a nice one! Hot and muggy here (groans).

(Cora handed me "G". Do i do the obvious?😉 Or be unexpected and play something else?😋)

Grey Whale

Gojira is not a metal band I have paid much attention to but with them becoming the first metal band to play an Olympics last night, they are now on my radar. Metal and rock fans seem uniformly pleased with their performance and even some mainstream reviews are citing it as a highlight.

Here's an audio of the performance. It's a metal version of a song that goes back to the French revolution.

And one of their own songs, from the 2005 album From Mars To Sirius, which seems to be widely regarded as their best work.

Good day (almost afternoon here)!!

Putting on some dark roast Nicaraguan, fresh ground, in the coffee pot. For teas, we've got Darjeeling and Buddha's Blend. Pitchers are washed and refilled with unsweet iced tea and lemonade. Sodas are stocked up.

Lovely weather here, but that temperature is inching upwards. 30C by Monday with the humidity starting to rise by then, too.

What is it with your family and feet, anyhow? 🙄😕 Hope you both recover.

Good afternoon. Nice day around here again. Starting to heat up again but not too bad yet.

Got company coming over (son and d-i-l) for dinner tonight.

Writing but not for here.

New live video from Tigran Hamasyan and his current ensemble.