#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1195

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Eleven-Hundred-Ninety-Five:

I believe I have contracted a communicable pathogenic microbe, though I cannot imagine from where, as I have very little contact with anyone beyond the other residents of my domicile. As a result of this malady, I have engaged in repeated, spontaneous, and involuntary sternutation, and this fact has me most perturbed. It is a most disconcerting sensation. I would blame my young compatriot; however, this disorder began with me before migrating to him. Ergo, there is only one possible culprit remaining. My hominid-servant must be responsible for this indignity.

Well, how rude! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!

First World Problems (A Comedy Of Errors)...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I wrote this a couple of months ago about something that happened with my day job and posted it on Facebook, but I thought it might give you a chuckle, so I'm sharing it here too. Enjoy! :-)

The company I work for: We're going to pay to install and maintain a dedicated business internet line to your home.

Me: Sweet! When?

Company: We'll get back to you.

Me: Okay.

Company: ISP X isn't available where you live.

Me: I know. I never said they were. You didn't ask me what ISPs are available where I live, but here's a list anyway.

Company: The installer is coming the Monday after a holiday weekend. Here are some vague instructions and a number to call if you have questions, but no one's going to answer if you do call because it's late the day before a holiday weekend.

Me: Well, okay, I guess we'll figure it out when the guy gets here.

Cable Installer: We can't provide service to this building.

Me: Your website says your service covers this area, and my company confirmed that with your company.

Installer: Oh, we do. But not this building. I'd have to run a line from the pole to the building.

Me: And you can't do that?

Installer: Well, it will take time.

Me: And you don't have time?

Installer: Well, I guess...

Me: *looks at him*

Installer: *sigh* I guess I'll do it.

Me: Okay, thank you.

Installer: *runs cable diagonally across the entire yard to a different apartment, and then back to my apartment.*

Me: *silently in my head* Ooookkaayyy. I guess that's one way to do it. *out loud* Are you going to bury the cable underground?

Installer: *looks at bright orange cable running across the ground of my entire yard and hanging down over my neighbor's door* No. Someone else will come out to bury it. Make sure it doesn't get cut, or they'll charge you $150 to fix it.

Me: Uh-huh. Okay, I guess. Thank you. *in my head* I guess it's possible to keep a cable on the ground from getting damaged for a couple days. not ideal, but hopefully it will be done soon.*

Different installers, two-man crew, a couple days later: We're here to bury your cable. We'll have to disconnect your service for a few minutes.

Me: *while working and using said service*: Okay, please let me know when I can use it again.

Installers: Okay, you're all set!

Me: *working and not going out to look* Awesome! Thank you.

Me: *finally getting around to looking at "buried" cable* What the actual fuck?!? This isn't buried at all! It's just laid on the ground with a little dirt on it in places.

Me: *calls ISP* Hi, your people said they buried this cable, but it's not buried. Can you please send someone out to bury it properly?

ISP: Sure! We'll get someone right out.

Installer: Can you show me where the cable isn't buried?

Me: *points to several places along the length where the bright orange cable is showing through the brown dirt and a couple places where it's sticking up into the air* All along here.

Installer: Well, ma'am, that looks buried to me.

Me: *incredulous* You can see the bright orange cable. It's not buried, and it's just a matter of time before the rain washes away what little dirt there is or some animal pulls it up, and it either gets cut by a lawnmower or chewed up by an animal.

Installer: Well, we never bury cables any deeper than a couple of inches.

Me: Okay, well, first, that's not deep enough, even if it were buried that deep, but it's not even buried that deeply. You can see the cable sticking up and lying just under the surface.

Installer: I can't see the cable. Those are just dirt clods. It's buried.

Me: Okay, I, too, share the ability with very young children, early-stage dementia patients, and our POTUS to pass basic cognitive skills tests. Consequently, I know my colors. The cable is bright orange; the dirt is brown. It's not difficult to tell them apart.

Installer: Well, I'll bury the part that's sticking up into the air, but the rest of it is buried.

Me: No, it's really not. All it's going to take is one good rainstorm, and it will be completely uncovered. And I'm not going to pay for it if it gets damaged.

Installer: I've been doing this for a million years, and that has never happened.

Me: 😑 Right.

Me: *goes out next morning after it rained that night to look at cable* Well, now it's completely unburied. But I'm not dealing with this anymore. I'm going to call my company's IT department and let them argue with the ISP.

Me: *talking to my company's IT department* Hi, yeah, they said it's buried, but it's not buried. It's only a matter of time before it gets damaged, and I'm not paying for it when it does.

IT: *looking at pictures I emailed them* Okay, we'll contact the ISP, and someone will get back to you.

ISP: *dispatcher calling* I don't know what you want us to do, our installer says it's buried.

Me: Do you want me to send you pictures?

ISP: No, we'll get someone out to look at it.

Me: Okay.

Person to look at it: *several days later* They said it's buried.

Me: Does it look buried to you?

Looker: No.

Me: So, then...?

Looker: I don't know. I'll let them know. Someone will contact you.

Me: Okay.

Me: *calls my company's IT department to let them know what's going on*

IT: Okay someone will contact you.

Person who originally "buried" the cable shows up without anyone contacting me to let me know he's coming: I buried it that way because I didn't want to dig across your yard and hit any other buried lines.

Me: So, then, why don't you not dig across my yard? Why don't you just run the cable from the pole directly to my apartment, rather than to the opposite end on the building and all the way back again?

Installer: *mumbles something unintelligible*

Me: Excuse me?

Installer: I guess I can do that.

Me: Thank you.

Installer: *buries new cable but doesn't connect it. leaves internet hooked up through old cable* You'll have to call the company to get someone to switch it over.

Me: *goes out and looks at new cable* Well, at least it looks like it's actually buried now. And it's running to the correct side of the building. I don't know why it was so difficult to do it right in the first place, though.

Me: *sighs and calls ISP and explains situation*

ISP: Well, if you're having trouble with your modem, you'll have to call your company's IT department to troubleshoot it.

Me: *sigh* I'm not having trouble with my modem. The modem is great. It's sitting on my desk, blinking at me as we speak. It says to say hi. The modem is just fine. The problem is your technician buried a cable but didn't connect it to the box on the outside of the building.

ISP: That doesn't make sense.

Me: Tell me something I don't know.

ISP: Why would he do that?

Me: I don't know. Why don't you ask him?

ISP: I don't know how to fix this. I'll have to send it to dispatch.

Me: Okay.

Me: *calls my company's IT department to let them know what's going on*

Dispatch: *calls me* We can't fix this. We have to escalate it. Someone else will call you.

Me: Okay.

Installer shows up, without anyone calling me first, in the middle of a violent thunderstorm: I can't switch the lines in this.

Me: *lightning streaks across the sky and thunder booms so loud I can barely hear him and rain pours down in buckets* Ya think?

Installer: I'll reschedule for tomorrow.

Me: Okay.

Diffferent Installer comes the next morning: I don't know what I'm supposed to do.

Me: *silently in my head* Now, if that doesn't just sum up your entire fucking company *out loud* You need to disconnect the old line and connect the new one. And you need to pull up the old cable and take it with you.

Installer: Well, I can't dig it up out of the ground.

Me: It's not really buried. You can just pull it up.

Installer: No, it's buried.

Me: *rolls eyes* No, it really isn't.

Installer: So I have to do all that?

Me: Yes.

Installer: *grumbles but gets started*

Me: *goes out to inspect when he leaves* Well, he made as much of a mess as he possibly could pulling up the old wire, but at least it's gone. *goes inside to see if work computer will connect to the VPN* And it seems to be hooked up correctly. So *fingers crossed* maybe this is finally done. It only took three weeks. 🙄

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. With everything that has happened this year, with all the noise and distractions, it's hard to remember to focus on the fact that both parties are serving the predatory class to the detriment of the majority. But it's a fact we can't afford to forget, so please take a few minutes to watch this video and remind yourselves of what's really going on. Peace!

Vegetarian Cassoulet In A #CrockPot #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

This is one of my favorite Fall recipes. It takes a little planning, but it always sticks to your ribs and warms you up on a chilly evening. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:
6 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup white wine (your choice)
4 cups breadcrumbs
1lb cannellini beans
1 30oz can crushed tomatoes
3 onions
5 carrots
4 celery ribs
1 fennel bulb chopped
10 cloves garlic
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter melted
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the water, beans, 1 onion cut in half with one clove stuck in each half, 1 carrot cut in half, 1 rib of celery cut in half, 2 cloves of garlic cut in half, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs of thyme, and salt and pepper to taste to the crockpot. Cook on low overnight or cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the beans are tender. Remove and discard all the vegetables, garlic, leaf, and sprigs. Drain the beans and return them to the crockpot.

Chop the remaining onions, celery, and carrots. Finely mince the remaining garlic. Remove the remaining thyme from the sprigs and finely chop or grind the leaves. In a skillet, add half the olive oil, the remaining onions, carrots, celery, 7 cloves of the minced garlic, the fennel, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables soften and start to caramelize and add the contents of the pan to the crockpot. Deglaze the pan with the wine and add it to the crockpot. Add the vegetable stock, remaining bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste to the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Add the tomatoes and stir the crockpot contents. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add additional vegetable stock if it's needed. Cook on low for an additional 4-5 hours.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil, garlic, the butter, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the breadcrumbs and stir or toss until the crumbs are evenly coated. Spread the breadcrumbs out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 7 minutes. Stir the crumbs and continue to bake for approximately 7 more minutes or until crumbs are golden brown.

Remove and discard the bay leaf and serve the beans and vegetables warm in a bowl and sprinkle some of the breadcrumbs over the top just before serving.

Bon appetit!

Fun & Games...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I thought I'd just give you a little something to get the weekend started off right. Enjoy! 😉

Excerpt from Captivated by the Winter King:

With a wave of his hand, Ankou closed the door after the cat and pounced on his mate. "I believe she will recover." Rolling Kate beneath him, he captured her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

Gasping, Kate looked up at her mate. His eyes were glowing black and his incisors had lengthened. She smiled. Her body was already warming for him.

"You're sure?"

She nodded. "Yes, Master."

Rolling off her, he moved to the head of the bed where he kneeled facing her. "I think you know what to do," he echoed her own words back to her.

Licking her lips, Kate got to her hands and knees and crawled to her Anamchara.

Want to find out what happens next? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊

Captivated by the Winter King

 

#APC #Spotlight: Hedge King In Winter: First Tale In The Matter Of Manred By Michael E Dellert!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Michael E. Dellert in my APC spotlight, today! Michael is an active and supportive member of the Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and his sword and sorcery, magical adventure, dark fantasy novel, Hedge King In Winter, looks great!! Here's the description:

The king is crippled. Can his brother hold the kingdom together against the machinations of their rival uncle?

If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1187

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Eleven-Hundred-Eighty-Seven:

My first attempt at encouraging my hominid-servant to pay more attention to my actions has been a dismal failure. In my continuing effort to influence my hominid-servant’s behavior, I have been attempting to adapt the behavior modification technique I successfully used to cause her to change the vessels in which she offers me liquid H2O. The strategy did not work with food, but I had thought it might be successful with regards to convenient perches from which to observe the events that occur outside the portals in the walls of my domicile.

My efforts focused on gaining my hominid-servant’s attention, and then building in her a desire to cause me to alter my behavior. Therefore, I deployed the C.L.A.W.S. and utilized them as a climbing apparatus with which to scale the wall of my domicile. It seemed to me that this would, in turn, cause my hominid-servant to place a more convenient perch near the portal, so as to deter me from damaging the wall with the C.L.A.W.S.

The tactic was successful in that it provoked a response from my hominid-servant; however, the response was not at all what I would have wished. Instead of providing the desired perch, she attacked me with a dispenser of liquid H2O, and not in a convenient container for drinking. She saturated me with the vile substance, and then chased me around my domicile while vocalizing at me at an excessive decibel level.

I will have to rethink this technique and determine if I can find a way to use it to influence my hominid-servant towards desired behaviors and away from undesired behaviors, and not just provoke a random change in behavior that is not at all useful to me. As always, I will report back on any further developments.

Hominids are so difficult to properly train! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!

Time, The Stuff That Life Is Made Of...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy!😊

Excerpt from the third Petri Dish book:
Petri wasn’t worried about her friends in the short-term, but time was still a concern. And she realized that she hadn’t been aware of time while she had been isolated within her shield. Turning back to Vlad, she asked, “How long did it take for me to complete the link to the rainbow?"

The entity in question waved away her concern, “A few moments, only. There has been no significant loss of time, and everyone’s signals are strong and completely intact. But, in the interests of maintaining that status, shall we proceed?”

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. This one is just a reminder of where we are right now in this country, and that neither major political party is doing anything to help regular Americans. We're in a precarious position, all of us. And if controlled, directed change doesn't come soon, the system will collapse and change will come in the form of chaos and violence. I don't want that, and I hope none of you want that either, so we all need to do everything in our power to force the people running our government to start serving the interests of regular people now. Before it's too late. Peace!

Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

This is an easy way to make a version of eggplant parmesan when it's too hot to turn the oven on. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:
1 eggplant cut into rounds
2 tomatoes sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
2 cloves garlic minced fine
1lb mozzarella sliced
2 tbsp parmesan grated
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, whisk together half the olive oil, the parmesan, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Blot the rounds of eggplant dry with a paper towel and dip them into the olive oil mixture, coating both sides. In a skillet, add the remaining olive oil and butter and heat until the butter melts. Place the eggplant rounds in the skillet and cook until browned on one side. Turn the rounds over and place a tomato slice on top of each round. Brush the remaining olive oil mixture over the tomato slices and place a slice of mozzarella on top of each tomato slice. Tent a piece of aluminum foil over the pan and cook until the second side of the eggplant rounds are browned and the mozzarella is melted. Serve warm or chilled with a side of crusty bread.

Buon appetito!

#September2020 #IndieBooksBeSeen #Indie #Author #Books #Monthly #BookReview!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

It's the 18th again, so time for my #IndieBooksBeSeen monthly indie author book review!! Enjoy! :-)


Dragon Thunder (Dragon Dreamer Book 3) by JS Burke:

After the events of Dragon Lightning, Drakor is left trying to lead his people as they adjust to their new circumstances. But, as always, the challenges from without are not nearly as insidious as the challenges from within. Will Drakor find the strength and wisdom to not only lead his people where they need to go, but also to convince them to follow him? You'll have to read to find out!

Once again, I loved, loved, loved this story! This is a book that sucks you into its pages from the beginning and doesn't release you until you've read through to the very last word. Ms. Burke has again crafted a tale that tackles such important and timely issues as the struggle between generational perspectives, the need to be considerate of differing viewpoints, the challenges that come from having to extend resources to support additional people, and the moral imperative that makes the lending such support to those in need a necessity. The interactions between the characters are so well-developed, the reader is able to find parallels in the real world throughout.

Again, there is no age limit for this series' fanbase. The whimsical fantasy elements, vivid descriptions, and sprinkling of scientific facts are enough to entertain and fascinate any age group, and the lessons Ms. Burke's characters learn are lessons our society would greatly benefit from all of us, of any age, learning. This one also earns five stars, and I'd give it more if I could.

#APC #Spotlight: Sigrun (Bandamann Saga Book 1) By Deidre Mapstone!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Deidre Mapstone in my APC spotlight, today! Deidre is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her young adult, family history, Atlantis, fantasy novel, Sigrun, looks great! Here's the description:

The Lundgrens own and operate Sigrun: A family restaurant on the shores of Mount Desert Island, Maine. They are a hard working, every day, American family. But like every family, they have their secrets, some stranger than others. The way these secrets unfold may surprise you.

Their tale begins with a familial ease considered unique to most, but their seemingly perfect relationships are ordinary compared to what hides beneath the surface.

 If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1185

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Eleven-Hundred-Eighty-Five:

I have thus far been unsuccessful in adapting the technique I used to modify my hominid-servant's behavior with regards to the provisioning of liquid H2O to other aspects of her behavior. I attempted to use the same method to induce her to expand the selection of edibles she provides; however, my resolve to refrain from eating waned before my lack of appetite drove her to the same level of concern my refusal to drink did. It seems the efficacy of this behavior modification technique is directly linked to the amount of attention my hominid-servant pays to my avoidance tactics. Thus, I will have to discover a way to encourage her to take a more active interest in my behavior before I will be successful in altering her behavior.

Hominids can be so dense! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!

Hamilton Review

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Today, I wanted to share my review of Hamilton with you. Enjoy!! :-)

Hamilton Review:
Okay, first of all, I need to say this: Hamilton is not so much a musical play as it is a modern interpretation of opera. It's presented entirely in song. Though, unlike most traditional operas, it's in English. Which is a bonus for me, since that's the only language I understand. Anyway, I just needed to get that off my chest. Definitions are important. 😉

I also want to note that there are some historical inaccuracies in the show. Apart from the obvious -- I rather doubt addresses to Congress were made in song and, if they were, it would have most likely have been a style of music other than R&B -- there is some smudging and fudging here and there. But those aspects don't really affect the story much since, as I'll get into later, it's much more a story about people than it is about historical events.

Now that that's out of the way, I thought the gestalt effect of this interpretation of our history was nothing short of brilliant. The talent that went into creating it is breathtaking. Everyone involved, from the writers to the choreographers to the orchestra to the actors, was incredible. And the way that the story was told and simultaneously subtly criticized was both entertaining and clever.

To the details. The story covers several decades of an event-filled period of American history. It's a time that's well worth reading about. If you thought House of Cards was good, you ain't seen nothing until you've read about the real political intrigue that happened throughout history. And this period in American history was full of exciting events and machinations, both political and martial.

Hamilton does demonstrate this in a vague sort of way, but the focus is on the characters, not the events. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and of course, the title character, Alexander Hamilton. Those titans among men, the founders of our nation, whose names we learned as a mantra, in grade school, but somehow never got around to talking about as people.

And they were people, make no mistake, not gods. Not infallible, either, as the story makes plain. Not above the petty vanities, jealousies, and selfishness that plague all of humankind. Not immune to mistakes, self-centered impulses, or ill-considered choices. In our history they may be giants, but in their lives they were only men. What's more, they knew it. That's why the government they created is so amendable. They knew they might not get it right the first time, and they knew that things change over time. But I digress since that's not the focus of the story.

As I said, this story focused on who these men were. How they thought, what they valued, how their perspectives were shaped, and how those perspectives colored their contributions to what we now know as the United States of America. And, overall, I think Hamilton does a really good job of that.

As an author, one thing I haven't done, yet, is try to give life to a character who was an actual person, and about whom so much is written and who wrote so much themselves. How do you mesh the historical figure with the person's own writings in a way to try to create as authentic an image of the person as possible? I'm not sure, and maybe that's why I haven't done it. But the writers in Hamilton did, and I think they did a good job.

Keep in mind, there's a lot of material written both about and by the men who are the focus of this story. Histories both contemporary and later, biographies, personal letters, political documents, essays, etc. Writings by the men. Writings by their peers. Writings by their enemies. Writings by historians with agendas and biases of their own. How do you sift through all that to figure out who they were in reality?

Honestly, I'm not sure it's entirely possible. I mean, take for example a person's own writing. Maybe you'd think that would be the best source of truth regarding who that person was. But I can tell you from my own writing, what and how I write depends largely on a great number of variables. My mood, the context in which I'm writing, the subject I'm addressing, who my intended audience is, hell, even whether I'm hungry or thirsty or feeling sick, or not. And, like all people, my perspective evolves over time.

So how could someone several hundred years from now, untangle all that to figure out who I am as a person? Especially, when you add in the filter of culture and shifting social norms and mores. It's no different from trying to recreate a person's life from a series of unconnected, slightly out of focus, photographs when you can't even tell where they are in the pictures.

As you might be able to tell, I've given this a bit of thought. I've read some of what the founding fathers wrote, and it's interesting reading. But this isn't the first time I've found myself wondering who they really were, what they were really like. Their different personalities, personal codes, and areas of focus come through pretty clearly in their writing, but they weren't two-dimensional characters. They were people. And people are messy, complicated, and sometimes irrational.

Hamilton, as I said, did a pretty good job of showing that multifaceted aspect of the men we've been taught to revere. It shows both their noble aspirations and where and how they fell far short of achieving them. It shows their foibles and their flaws, as well as their achievements and successes. It showed the principles they tried to live their lives by, and how they sometimes betrayed their own values. It even shows how some of them regarded principles as far more malleable concepts than others, and how those differences in thought and perspective affected their relationships with each other.

It humanizes them in a way that I don't think I've seen done quite that well before. And, though it's impossible to know for sure, while it likely gets many of the details wrong, I think it captures each man's overall character and personality fairly accurately. At least, I can see the characters in Hamilton fitting what I've read about the men the characters are based on.

The overall message of Hamilton, or at least what I perceive it to be, is that all of human achievement has been made by people. Just people. Governments are just people. Even wars are just people. People with hopes, dreams, aspirations, plans. People with families, fears, and flaws. People whose own histories and experiences color their judgments and their reactions. All just people. And even the greatest achievements are made just by people.

So, that's my takeaway from it. I think it's a good and timely reminder. I really only have one criticism, and it's that I don't think enough emphasis was put on showing what a moral failure it was to allow slavery to exist in what was supposed to be a free nation. That's something I think should have been given more attention. Though, to be fair, I haven't read the book the opera is based on, so it might have been given more of a focus there. And, on a slightly less serious note, I also am now of the opinion that we should resurrect the practice of solving political disputes with duels. Just think Trump and Biden with pistols at dawn. Hell, let's go with tradition and pick a place in New Jersey for the event. Whatever the outcome, the country would be better for it, right? 😉

Peace!

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. This one is just another reminder of how regular people in the United States are suffering... And how neither of the major party presidential candidates are offering any real solutions for these problems. Why? Because doing so would cost the multinational corporations and rich oligarchs who own our political system money. And I think that's something that we should all keep in mind. Peace!

Peppery Pasta #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

This is an easy pasta recipe that's perfect for a quick meal after work. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:
1lb spaghetti
4 cups cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup fresh basil chopped
2 cups pecorino romano grated
8 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp black pepper
Salt to taste

Drop the spaghetti into salted, boiling water and cook until nearly done. Remove the pasta from the water, drain, and set aside. Reserve two cups of pasta water and set aside.

On a baking sheet, toss the tomatoes, half the olive oil, the garlic, half a teaspoon of black pepper, and salt together until tomatoes are coated evenly. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until tomatoes are soft and shriveled, approximately 15 minutes.

In a deep-sided skillet, heat the remaining olive oil and butter until the butter melts. Add the remaining black pepper, the red pepper flakes (optional), and salt and stir to combine. Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic and stir to combine. Add the pasta water and cheese and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and add the cooked pasta and basil to the skillet. Toss until the basil is evenly distributed and the pasta is evenly coated. Serve warm with a side of crusty bread.

Buon Appetito!

Moments That Matter...

Hey Everyone,

I thought it would be appropriate to post this today. It's something I posted on Facebook a couple of months ago, but it brought to mind something that I think is particularly relevant on the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on US soil in modern US history.

The attack that occurred on 9/11 could have been prevented. Then-President George W. Bush had been warned that there were plans for an attack against the US, but rather than taking appropriate action, he decided to go on vacation, instead. And thousands of Americans died as a result. It was a pivotal decision at a critical moment, and he dropped the ball.

And, now, the US is under attack again. Not by terrorists, but by a hostile, alien entity whose sole mission is to propagate itself at our expense. COVID-19. A virus. An enemy we can't see with the naked eye, but which can still kill us. And, once again, our elected representatives have dropped the ball. Only, this time, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans will die as a result.

The post below addresses one of the bad decisions that led to and helped exacerbate the current catastrophe. It also goes a little bit into how those bad decisions -- by elected representatives in our government, by voters, by everyday citizens, snowball and interweave into a quagmire that is almost impossible to extricate ourselves from. And, also, how what we as a society prioritize affects those decisions. As I said, I thought it would be fitting to share it today.

My Post From Facebook:
You know something? I am utterly mystified as to what Trump thinks he's going to accomplish by forcing schools to reopen. Does he think a bunch of dead children just in time for the holidays are going to endear him to the electorate? I mean, pile those tiny coffins high enough, and even the diehard Trumpsters will have to take some notice.

Hey, now! That's not funny! That's not fair! I agree on both counts. It's not funny or fair. I'm not laughing, I assure you. And fair, or not, it's a reflection of reality. There's not much that's fair about the state of this country, but that doesn't change the fact that the unfairness is also the truth.

US citizens are being abducted off US streets by unidentified jackbooted thugs and held without charges. Totally unfair! And, yes, Trump is to blame for that. You know what else, though? It would have been a HELL of a lot harder for Trump to do it if Obama hadn't suspended habeas corpus and if Democrats didn't keep voting to reauthorize the Patriot Act. Yeah, I know, more unfairness. But still true.

And, yes, Trump is horrible. He's completely unfit to run so much as a popsicle stand, never mind the country. And, yet, the alternative is Biden, who is just as much a monster in his own way. Lots of unfairness to go around.

Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm still the bad guy for saying it out loud. Because, as true as what I say may be, it's still unfair. And a lot of people are more concerned about being fair than being truthful. And that's not funny at all.

Peace-Out.

#APC #Spotlight: We The Moral Majority By Joe Compton!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Joe Compton in my APC spotlight, today! Joe is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and his political, conspiracy, suspense, crime, thriller novel, We the Moral Majority, looks great! Here's the description:

What do you do when you’re a local hero? Why, go into politics of course.

Former LAPD homicide detective golden boy, Charles Street, has been groomed to do exactly that. And by an organization poised to make some noise. The Moral Majority, an evangelical political group, plans on springboarding into a nationally powerful position by getting him elected as Mayor of Los Angeles.

His wife, FBI Special Agent Janelle Pachenko, is assigned as the head of a secret task force investigating local corruption. She can't tell anyone about it, especially not her husband, or the group who is trying to rework her image into the genteel, smiling figure of grace the public expects in the wife of a mayoral candidate.

As they struggle to balance their two worlds, bodies start dropping. Informants scatter. Even the local gangs are running scared, and no one is willing to talk. Politics turn to danger. Danger turns into nightmares in the sequel to 2010's Amongst The Killing.

If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1182

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Eleven-Hundred-Eighty-Two:

My progress, thus far, with my experiment in altering my hominid-servant's behavior is limited but promising. I began by refusing to drink for an entire day, but cried loudly while staring at the bowl of liquid H2O that my hominid-servant leaves out for my consumption, whenever she was close enough to both see and hear me. This resulted in increasing concern on her part throughout the day, until she finally attempted to force me to swallow liquid H2O by using a syringe to deliver it to the back of my throat.

I successfully resisted these attempts by expectorating the liquid H2O into my hominid-servant’s face and twisting free of her grasp. She was not pleased with me, but did alter her efforts to induce me to drink by placing several different bowls containing liquid H2O within easy reach of my location. I made a rather dramatic show of examining each one, and then chose the one with the most extreme dimensions ̶ the smallest one ̶ to drink from. My thought process in this was that it would require the most effort on her part to accommodate my choice.

To start, the smaller the vessel, the more frequently it will need to be filled. Which, in turn, will mean she will need to monitor the contents closely to ensure that it does not become empty. Additionally, since the bowl is of a distinct size, my selection required that my hominid-servant take pains to locate a sufficient number of bowls of the requisite diameter to ensure that a sufficient amount of liquid H2O is available at all times.

As I stated, thus far, the results yielded from this experiment have been promising. My hominid-servant has, indeed, been rather diligent in maintaining the level of H2O in the proffered bowls, and she did, in fact, spend an extended period of time locating several smaller vessels in which to provide said liquid.  Naturally, it is too early to know if this change in behavior will be lasting, never mind if it will be possible to expand it to other things besides the provisioning of liquid H2O. However, I am most pleased, so far, and will continue to report additional findings.

Ah-ha! Success, at last! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!

Levels Of Connection...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy!😊

Excerpt from the third Petri Dish book:
Turning to the friends in question, she asked, “How are you guys doing?”

Chessie looked at Daji and back at Petri. Shrugging, she said, “We’re fine, hun.” Daji nodded his assent, though he refused to look directly at her. Petri wasn’t surprised; she knew he wasn’t ever likely to forgive her for “betraying the galaxy,” which is what he considered her cooperation with the Arcanum.

She wasn’t too worried about her friends in the short term. Unlike her, they had been allowed to connect to the rainbow using regular HD taps, and Petri was grateful that concerns about what effect the taps she was using might have on their minds wasn’t something she was now being distracted by. Surprisingly, it hadn’t taken much persuasion to convince the Arcanum to spare Petri's friends the risk. To be honest, Petri hadn’t even been sure she would be able to form the necessary shield for her mind with the next-generation technology, and she had practice in protecting herself from the rainbow’s energy. But, in her case, she had known there would be no compromise, so she had focused on protecting her friends. The Arcanum wanted Petri to use the new taps they had invented so that she would have the greatest possible access to the rainbow to make the meld.

But, there were no such considerations when it came to Chessie and Daji, and Vlad and the Arcanum had learned through their experiments that most humanoids lacked the mental control to be able to handle the extra bandwidth without damaging their brains. Petri thought Daji might have been able to do it with his Shujaa training, but she wasn’t sure. And even though Chessie had a lot of experience as a diddler, she didn’t have the kind of mental training that Daji did, and Petri was afraid Chessie wouldn’t be able to protect herself. Which meant Petri would have ended up spending a significant portion of her attention on keeping her friends safe.

Vlad had been an unexpected ally in convincing the Arcanum it would be better to allow Petri’s friends to use the established technology. The aliens hadn’t been united about making all of them use the new taps, but there had been some debate within the Collective. But, when Petri and Vlad had argued together that she’d make faster progress in achieving a meld with the rainbow if she wasn’t simultaneously distracted by trying to shield her friends from having their minds burned out, the Arcanum had acquiesced on the matter.

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. I think this is a good and needed reminder. Also, Nina Turner is just awesome. 😊 Peace!

Tasty Sandwich Spread #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

This is an easy-to-make, fill-you-up quick spread for sandwiches. If you use canned beans, you don't even have to cook, which is perfect for those too-hot-to-think-about-standing-over-a-stove summer nights. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:
4 cups chickpeas cooked (drained and rinsed if you use a can)
3 cloves garlic minced fine
2 tbsp dill chopped fine
1 small onion or 2 shallots chopped fine or grated
1 carrot shredded
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise substitute
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the chickpeas in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together until completely mixed and evenly distributed. Serve chilled on toast, bread, or use as a dip for vegetables.

Bon appetit!

#Animal #Rescuer's #Guide To #Staying ( #Relatively ) #Sane! #Free! :-)

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Just a reminder, for those who haven't checked it out yet, I've collected all my animal rescue/care posts together and published them as a small book.  If you'd like, you can download the book for free from Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Kobo, and iTunes.

Amazon

Smashwords

iTunes

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Thanks for stopping in today, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)

#APC #Spotlight: Hunting Vampires With Grandma By Ashley Uzzell!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Ashley Uzzell in my APC spotlight, today! Ashley is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her vampire, comedy, horror, monster-hunter short story, Hunting Vampires with Grandma, looks great! Here's the description:

Age is just a number when killing monsters is your specialty.

When Markie is attacked by a vampire, she finds out that her lovable grandma is more than she appears. A retired vampire hunter, G is forced to get the old gang back together when the very monsters that the ladies thought they had hunted to extinction show up in their town again.

Between knitting needles and fanny packs, psoriasis and holy water, Markie will soon realize that age really is just a number and that a handful of cranky old women can be scarier than any vampire bite.

 If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1180

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Eleven-Hundred-Eighty:

In a, likely futile, effort to ameliorate the deleterious effects of the excessive temperatures ̶ on my psyche, if nothing else ̶ I have decided to, once again, attempt a behavior-modification experiment as part of my continuing efforts to train my hominid-servant in her proper role. I've noticed she's particularly attentive to my consumption of liquid H2O, so I have decided I will see if I can use that as a lever with which to influence her behavior. My hypothesis is that once I have accustomed her to responding to my actions with regard to liquid H2O consumption, it will be easier to expand on that to influence her behavior in other ways. To be honest, even I am dubious as to the efficacy of this strategy; however, as I am in desperate need of a distraction from the weather, I see no reason not to proceed. As always, I will report back on my findings.

Uh-oh! The game is afoot! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!