Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

August 6, 2021August 5, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 82 Comments

Here it is. Another Friday just waiting to open the door to Saturday. Always happy to see Friday here.

Not too much news to report. I was happy that the city of Lakeway is having some events in support of shark week. The one that I like is another scavenger hunt in the park, which I will report on Sunday’s Views of the Neighborhood.

Friday, August 6 – Thursday, August 12

Shark in the Park Scavenger Hunt

Shark fins are hidden across Lakeway City Park. Can you find them all?

I will not be participating in the contest part. I wouldn’t want to take away an award from a child entering the contest.

I did a feature on Rhythm & Reels; you can go HERE if you want to see it. This week is the third event in the series.

Friday, August 6 Rhythm & Reels Location: Lakeway Swim Center

7:30 PM Free Yard Games and Hot Dogs Live Music by Vision Arcade

8:45 PM Movie – The Meg

Watch the movie from the pool! (Sure you will)

Sunday, August 8

Shark Pool Party at Lakeway Swim Center

Shark-themed games, photo ops, prizes, and RIDE A SHARK from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM!

I hope you’ll join me on Sunday for Views of the Neighborhood. Today’s JohnKu talks about avoiding the news. I hope you have a great weekend.

There comes a time when,

All the news that’s fit to print. . .

Is not worth reading.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

July 30, 2021July 29, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 100 Comments

“Boss. Twiggy keeps running away.”
“Isn’t that what tag is all about?”
“Not when one gets older it isn’t.”
“You’ll be fine. Go get her.”

It is Friday again and the beginning of that period of rest that we all need. I hope your week went well.

We all learned that the CDC issued some revised guidelines for mask-wearing. They advise mask-wearing even if fully vaccinated in public places, indoors in those areas where there is a high and substantial level of Covid transmission rates. This covers about 225 million Americans or about 63% of the population. So if your area has between 50 and 100 new cases per 100,000 population or a positivity testing rate of 8% to 10%, then you are in a substantial to high transmission rate area.

Also, the CDC is recommending those school-age children in grades K through 12 wear masks when they go back to school. This has caused so much confusion in the school districts here in Texas. The governor issued a directive that school districts and communities are not allowed to mandate mask-wearing, so at best, any decision on masks has to be an advisory position. Texas shares the no-mask mandate with Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Montana, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Makes your head spin.

We also learned this week that eating foods high in flavonoids can help beat cognitive decline. To all you youngsters out there, this knowledge has little relevance. To we old codgers, what it means is all the strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, red cabbage, onions, peppers, kale, parsley, black tea, oolong tea, green tea, wine, chocolate, soybeans, and citrus, that we have consumed is keeping our cognitive abilities from diving into the dirt. This was a study done over a 25 year period with 75,000 participants, and results were published in the American Academy of Neurology journal. So keep eating and drinking that stuff, and if you are not eating or drinking it, you should start.

Today’s JohnKu talks about cognitive decline. I hope you have a super weekend.

To protect the brain,

Flavonoids are wonderful . . .

Give me some more wine.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

July 23, 2021July 22, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 97 Comments

Twiggy and Lucy — “Lucy. What are all these people doing out front?”
“I told you yesterday. They are here to install the turf.”
“All that machinery. Going to put a damper on Friday ruckus.”
“Yup.”

Another hooray for Friday. It is nice that we are all on the eve of two days of rest. I’m over at Story Empire today complaining about not working on my manuscript. Come visit if you want to see a grown man cry. Here’s the link.

I always hate to discuss COVID but given the fact that new cases are up 55% across the country makes it hard to ignore. 97% of the new hospitalized infections are occurring in unvaccinated people. Sadly too, 99% of the people who die have not been vaccinated. It looks like a new serge of Covid is on the way due to the Delta variant. Breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated folks still remain at a low level.

We have survived this situation before, and I think it may be time for all of us to take precautions to keep ourselves and our families safe. However, I’m not going to look to the government for this precaution since the whole mask, social distance, and shut down process has become a political morass.

More bad news from the Olympics in Tokyo. The opening ceremony Director Kentaro Kobayashi was fired in response to anti-holocaust statements he made while performing a comedy act in 1998. He was the opening ceremony director since 2019. He is the last in a string of Toyko Olympics officials to be let go for indescretions. The US team has moved from the Olympic village due to COVID concerns. It looks like this Olympic venue is going to have more troubles. I feel badly for the athletes.

Today’s JohnKu talks about the Olympics. I hope you have a great weekend.

Four years to prepare,

A world wide celebration . . .

Of human spirit.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

July 16, 2021July 15, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 86 Comments

Lucy and Twiggy — “How about a game of tag.”
“Sounds good. It’s Friday after all.”
“I’ll give you to the count of three.”
“Make it five and you have a deal.”

Another Friday is in the history book. This has been an unusual week.

We saw space tourists, riots in South Africa and Cuba. Flooding in Germany. More fires in California and a big brouhaha over the wearing of masks when the kids go back to school.

The Surfside Flordia Condo collapse toll rose to 95, and the rescue efforts have turned to recovery. A little prayer for those who lost loved ones.

The Texas State Democratic representatives walked out of the special legislative session and flew to Washington on a chartered airplane. They are attempting to halt election reform legislation. Unfortunately, they have also stopped other bills whose intent is to serve the people of Texas. The only comment I have is that if you are an elected member of the legislative branch, you should be willing to serve and not just bug out when things don’t go your way.

COVID cases are on the rise. 11,000 last week, 25,000 this week. Deaths are still stable but are expected to rise along with the new cases. As long as people refuse to get vaccinated, this will be the norm after every holiday.

The news has not done much with the story, but BLM leadership on their official Twitter account has condemned the US for its economic sanctions against Cuba. It also came out in support of the Communist regime in Cuba even as folks are dying who oppose the government there. Gotta think something is wrong with that stance.

As I mentioned quite a week. Today’s JohnKu talks about the news. I hope you all have a great weekend.

It all can’t be good,

But when bad it is awful. . .

Have to move forward.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

July 9, 2021July 8, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 102 Comments

Friday came just in time for me. I have pushed myself so hard since the 5th of July I need another weekend off. I hope you know that I’m kidding. I think I’ve been reading too many Twitter trending tweets.

I saw an article that stated in June, 100% of the COVID deaths in Maryland were among those who were not vaccinated. So I can imagine that would be some wake-up news for those who are still not there. But, of course, some are opposed to being vaccinated, and maybe the news won’t wake anything.

Our county has reached 70% of the population receiving one shot. Looking forward to the time where 70% of the population has had two shots. I have real fear for those not vaccinated as the new variants are beginning to take hold. Also, it will be interesting to see where the case count goes after the Fourth of July weekend. That will be in another week.

Today’s JohnKu talks about getting vaccinated and why not. I hope you all have a safe and restful weekend.

Is it politics?

Maybe a religious fear . . .

Why not? A puzzle.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

July 2, 2021July 1, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 78 Comments

Before we begin I just want you to know I have a story published on Vocal Media. It is titled The Last Hum – Before the end. If you visit and like the story you can hit “like.” Here is the link https://vocal.media/fiction/the-last-hum

Yes, it is Friday again. Always nice to see it. I think everyone is looking forward to the Fourth of July holiday. Makes for a nice long weekend.

The City of Lakeway has reinstated the Fourth of July parade, so I’ll be there. It is being held on Saturday, so I will bring it to you on Views of the Neighborhood on Sunday. I always enjoy a Fourth of July parade. So I hope you will stop by.

Today’s JohnKu talks about our Country’s birthday. I hope you all enjoy the weekend.

One more year older,

The Democracy cradle . . .

Happy day to you.

Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF

June 25, 2021June 24, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 93 Comments

Photo of Lucy and Twiggy — “I can’t hear you Little One. You are too far away.”
“It’s okay Lucy. I was just saying what a lovely Friday this is. Plenty of shade with a little dappled sun. So peaceful.”
“What?”

Another Friday is upon us, and it does seem like the week passed quickly. Well, I hope that is a good thing for you. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it is nice to get to the weekend. But, on the other hand, at my age, to feel the weeks fly can be disconcerting. Such a condition can be compared to riding in a driverless car’s back seat, watching the speedometer climb past the speed limit. Who do you call?

As we ease COVID restrictions here in the US, some sobering numbers are being registered in the rest of the world. The WHO reported the official worldwide death tool in 2020 of 1,813,188. So far this year, more than 2,000,000 people worldwide have died. These statistics point out a disparity in the ability of vaccines in the poorer countries. In the US, 53% of the population is fully vaccinated. A bit short of the herd immunity goal of 70% but enough to drastically cut the number of cases reported. Also, the number of deaths has declined significantly. Let’s hope the rest of the world can get the vaccines before another outbreak causes more hardship.

Still plugging along on my WIP. My characters just finished a scene with Lucifer (No, he hasn’t changed. Still evil.)and are now in California in 1849 to see what the Gold Rush was all about. I wish them well there since the place is loaded with ruffians. Certainly not like today.

Today’s John Ku talks about the pandemic. I hope you all have a super weekend.

It seems to be over,

For the richest of countries . . .

What about the poor ones?

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

June 18, 2021June 17, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 79 Comments

“So what are we doing today, Little one?”
“Friday? Lovely sunshine? 98 degrees? Absolutely nothing but relax and stay cool..”
“I can handle that.”

Here we are on a Friday again. It is so nice to head into a weekend. I hope your week wasn’t too stressful. If it was, then you are only eight hours until relief.

I went to the dentist today. My teeth had not been cleaned since October of 2019. I was scheduled for one in April of 2020, but we all know what happened. I was rescheduled for September 2020 but canceled. I finally showed up today, and it was fine. The good news was the hygienist and dentist were surprised I hadn’t been cleaned for 21 months—the power of wine.

There has been a lot of talk about employers wanting employees to return to the office. But are employees ready to return?

NBC News has reported, and I quote, “a survey released in April by the American Psychological Association found that 49 percent of adults feel uneasy about returning to in-person interactions once the pandemic is over. Vaccination status did not affect that: 48 percent of those who have already been vaccinated say they, too, feel uncomfortable with in-person interactions.”

So this means folks would like to take more time at home, and hopefully, companies will be able to accommodate them. FlexJobs, which surveyed more than 2,100 people who have been working remotely during the pandemic, found that 58 % would quit if they were forced to return to the office. This has to be a wake-up call for companies.

The suggestion is companies take a slow approach and keep alternatives open for those who aren’t ready to return. How about you? Any desire to return to the office?

Today’s JohnKu talks about a return to the status quo. I hope you have an enjoyable weekend.

Pandemic concerns,

Are in the rearview mirror . . .

What is your normal?

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

June 11, 2021June 10, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 76 Comments

Another Friday and another fast week. I love the refrain, “I just don’t know where the time goes.” It speaks so well for the current situation. But, of course, it is a refrain spoken mostly by the senior members of the population. I have to plead guilty as being included in that body of folks. But, just the same, I would like to have time to slow down a bit.

Our first summer is officially here in Central Texas. We have 90 degree days.

We just finished the Noad’s Ark phase of the seasons in Texas. Here is a chart giving you an idea of all the Texas seasons.

Chart courtesy of Joan Hall

When we move into Hell’s Front Porch, the temps will get into the 100’s. We always look forward to that time of year. Today’s JohnKu talks about talking about the weather. I hope you all have a delightful weekend.

If we have nothing,

Real worthy of discussion . . .

There’s always weather.

FridayJohnKu – AKA – TGIF

May 28, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 70 Comments

Photo of Twiggy and Lucy — “Lucy. Why are you so fuzzy?”
“Cause the Boss hasn’t figured out depth of field yet.”
“Glad it’s not you.”

It is Friday again, and time to be thinking about the weekend. For those who work, it promises to be a long weekend.

Not much to report today. This week seemed pretty slow. Kept the pressure on my WIP. Had to do some research which tends to slow things down a bit. I make a promise it will be out before the turn of the century. (A little writer humor. Very little.)

I was pleased to be informed that Eternal Road – The final stop took a finalist award in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (NGIBA). Always feels good to get recognized for work. I will be putting the award on the sidebar when the artwork is available.

I see more bloggers getting worked up over states passing legislation on the voter process. I hope most of them take the time to really look at the laws passed and not just take someone else’s word that evil is afoot. I wish we all would look more closely at situations before firing off a rant, but that is just me.

Today’s JohnKu talks about rants. I hope you all have a great weekend and thoughtful Memorial Day.

We still owe ourselves,

A disciplined fact checks step. . .

Before writing rants.