Amazingly, it is Stream of Consciousness Saturday and this weeks prompt is “ly.” Yup. You read it right, “ly.” Linda Hill says to use an adverb as a prompt. There are bonus points for beginning and ending the post with an adverb. You now understand why I began the post with “amazingly.” If you would like to join in on this crazy fun simply (see what I did there) visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how. Here is the link https://lindaghill.com/2019/02/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-9-19/
It is Friday again and looks like the country is in for another Polar Vortex. Man those things are nasty. I’m often asked how our weather fares when it gets so cold up North. Although we generally don’t get below 35 degrees, we do feel the temperatures at that level. The good part is the temperatures do not stay at those lows too long. Maybe one or two nights. The daytime under those conditions is in the ’50s. You can bet we have our warm weather gear on when it seems to us to be very chilly.
All n all we are very spoiled when it comes to temperatures. Our climate is such that it seldom gets above 85 degrees, so the summers are not as hot as inland. The only time the temperatures rise is when the Gulf temperature goes into the ’90s. Our air temperatures pretty much match the Gulf.
Well so much for talking about the weather. All else is fine and today’s JohnKu discusses what we talk about when there doesn’t seem to be any news. Have a great weekend.
“Tell me it’s Friday.” “It’s Wednesday.” “Tell me something else.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week we were stunned to witness Cortez’s office call and make an appointment for a visit by none other than Cortez. It is close to three so let’s get over to Larry’s office. This should be interesting.
“Yes hello. He’s here? Okay give me one minute and then send him in.”
“So, what are you going to do, Larry?”
“I guess I’m going to hear what Cortez has to say.”
“I can’t believe he is coming to you. Reminds me of the mountain coming to Mohammed saying.”
“Yeah, kinda gives me the creeps. Let’s just play it cool and hear him out. Wait I hear the officer in the hall.”
“Sir, Mr. Cortez to see you.”
“Thank you, officer. My, what a pleasure Mr. Cortez. Please come in.”
“Thank you, detective. May I sit here.”
“Of course. You remember my associate Andrew Cummings.”
“Good to see you again, Mr. Cummings.”
“You can call me Andrew. Nice seeing you as well.”
“Well then call me Joachim.”
“I’m Larry, Joachim. Would you like a water or coffee?”
“No thank you, Larry. I’m good.”
“So, Andrew and I have been wondering what brings you down here to see us.”
“I think the last time we met, I was a little rude. I simply want to apologize. I was having a bad day, and I think I took it out on you.”
“Please don’t give it a second thought. I know we all have had days where things just seem to go wrong.”
“Thank you for your understanding. I do want to clear up the point about the equipment working when my company received it.”
“That would be great, Joachim.”
“When we got the equipment from Louis, I had my engineer check it over. He told me he didn’t believe it would work.”
“Did he test it.”
“Not at the time. We did put it into a controlled test, and sure enough, it didn’t work. That’s why I refused to pay Louis.”
“Very understandable. May I ask if your engineer did any kind of report?”
“Yes, he did. Here is a copy.”
“Thank you. This is very helpful.”
“I have a question for you, Larry.”
“Go ahead by all means.”
“Why are you so interested in Sandusky’s death?”
“That is a good question. We have reason to believe his death was a murder.”
“And you suspect that I had something to do with it.”
“Well, we have no proof.”
“Let me assure you, detective. I had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Sandusky. As far as I was told he took his own life.”
“That is what was meant to be the message, Joachim. We suspect otherwise.”
“Let’s leave it at this. If I can be of assistance just let me know.”
“There is one thing that might help.”
“Name it.”
“Can we speak to the engineer?”
“I wish you could. Unfortunately, he was killed in a skiing accident last February.”
“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss. That is unfortunate. Is there anyone else who might understand the equipment?”
“I’ll have to think about that, detective. Now if you will excuse me. I have some other appointments in the downtown area.”
“Thank you again for your help. We’ll be in touch should we need more.”
“Anytime, detective. Nice meeting you Andrew.”
“My pleasure, Joachim.”
“The officer will escort you out. Good talking with you.”
“Thank you, detective. Good day to you both.”
“Don’t say anything Andrew he could still be close.”
In Keith’s words. “Using this photo (Below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”
This post continues the Top Ten Things Not to Do with a historical background. On this day in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in his Harvard dormitory room. If you were there or if you intend to time travel there are things that you should not do. Here is a list that will be handy and keep you from making mistakes.
Top Ten Things Not to Do at the Founding of Facebook in 2004.
10 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not ask him to post pictures of your lunch. If you do, at best he’ll see you to the door. At worst, he will recognize that Facebook might not be the intellectual breakthrough he envisioned. (So now you are responsible for Zuckerberg returning to class, Georgio. The world has lost a game-changing innovation. Or not.)
9 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not ask Tiny the WWF champ to give up his lower bunk so you can sit down. If you do, at best you’ll have to sit on the floor. At worst, Tiny who just returned from the student health clinic after his shock therapy might take your request as a threat to his personal space. (It looks like your training for the 100-meter run starts now, Gergely. Good luck on those stairs.)
8 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not IM him with a request that he visit your Facebook page. If you do, at best he will ignore you. At worst, he will attend and leave you a succinct evaluation. (Wow, never thought you were that incompetent did you, German. Maybe those dancing minions were a little over the top.)
7 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not start a Facebook group called “Zuck’s Zombies.” If you do, at best no one will join. At worst, Mark will figure out that you need to be controlled. (Looks like you have been banned for life, Gerred. Too bad since Facebook is only a day old. The good news is you are the poster child for all those banned with no reason given.)
6 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not start stalking everyone who has signed up for the new service. If you do, at best there will be complaints, but no one knows who you are. At worse, you will be discovered as the perpetrator. (You should have thought this through, Gervase. There are only three of you signed up for the service so far.)
5 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not ask Mark for the phone number of that attractive person in Shaw Hall. If you do, at best he will ignore you. At worst, your request will cause a deeper thought on how much information can be collected and then released to others. (Looks like your request set in motion a lot of data mining for the future, Gian You should call yourself Data Mine Alpha.)
4 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not send out that list titled, Ten Reasons to Go Out with Me to your friend list. If you do, at best all will think you are joking. At worst, your friend list will drop by the number sent. (It appears even in the beginning no one likes SPAM, Gilfred. Well maybe you can start over with fresh friends.)
3 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not send out a video of a cat playing the piano. If you do, at best you’ll get some “likes.” At worst, the ASPCA will want to talk to you regarding your treatment of a cat. (Looks like you were not as anonymous as you thought, Gilleasbuig.)
2 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not tag twelve of your friends to name what they are grateful for today and ask them to tag twelve friends. If you do, at best all twelve will be too busy to see the post. At worst, all twelve will see the post but decide they don’t need this kind of work. (All in all, there will be about 3000 folks who will not know how lucky they are to have your original twelve ignore you, Giovani.)
1 If you are in Zuckerberg’s room, do not post a picture of your latest purchase. If you do, at best it is from Target. At worst, you put up an insanely overpriced luxury item from Neiman Marcus. (Well, Girvin you accomplished making everyone gag at your excessive spending behavior. And you thought they would all be happy for you. Isn’t being a narcissist trying at times?)
Of all the treasures in Port Aransas, the Museum has selected eight which have been labeled The Eight Wonders of Port Aransas. I thought it would be fun to take a look at what the museum considers the eight wonders.
Number one is the Lighthouse. Construction started in 1854, and the first light went on in 1857. The beacon could be seen as far out as seven miles into the Gulf. It was an operational lighthouse for Ninety -nine years before decommissioning. (photo courtesy of The Port Aransas Museum)
Number two is the jetties. There are two and were built to stop the erosion of the ship channel. Work was begun in 1862, but it was not until 1910 that the jetties were constructed finally strong enough to withstand the sea force.
The third is the Tarpon Inn. So named after a popular gamefish that is now extinct from the Port Aransas waters. The hotel was built in 1886 just when it was clear that the jetties would be successful in protecting the ship channel from deterioration. The channel meant new visitors and new business opportunity.
I couldn’t get the Tarpon Inn in one shot so here is another
The fourth wonder is the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. Established in 1941 the institute has educated thousands of scientists on how to move marine science forward. Here is a picture of the educational center.
The fifth is the Port Aransas Museum. It is housed in a building that was initially a “kit ” home built in 1914. It has been moved three times around the island. It served as the life-saving station from 1916 to 1925 and then a private residence for seventy-seven years until donated to the museum.
The sixth is the Farley Boat Works. Founded in 1915 the works made boats that could withstand the heavy surf around Port Aransas. They were used primarily as fishing boats. The works continued to make boats until 1970. In 2011 the Farley Boat Works began making crafts once again.
The seventh is the Chapel in the Dunes. It is atop the highest dune in Port Aransas. It was built in 1937 to serve as a devotional place for the Carter family. It also became the center for ice cream socials for the children of Port Aransas held by Arline Carter know as the “Angel Lady.”
Photo courtesy of The Port Aransas Museum
The eighth wonder is the Last Farley Boat. The last boat to leave the boat works. It was a finished hull bought by James Mayfield a local shrimper. He was going to have the shell made into a new shrimp boat. He never got around to it and instead inverted the hull to form a roof on his shop.
I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse of the Eight Wonders of Port Aransas
“Hey, Lucy. It’s Friday. Let’s kick out” “You must be the smallest horse on the planet Little Potato.”
Another Friday has rolled around. The winter vortex is in full force. I’ve been getting reports from the North on terrifying stories about getting stranded in the cold. Reminds us all to take warm outerwear whenever we venture out. It is way too easy to be caught in the elements and then be made to suffer the effects of the cold.
Here in South Texas, we don’t have the kind of cold that is capable of taking life. We start to complain at 70 degrees and whine at 40 but don’t have to worry about a life-threatening situation. I hope everyone stays safe and remembers to toss in some heavy outdoor wear even if you are only going to the store.
Today’s JohnKu discusses the cold. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.
Ah, another Friday which is another word for par-teee. Always nice to see the eve of the weekend. I hope your week was a good one. Gwen Plano and I received our manuscript back from the editor and were both impressed with the quality of work. She did a marvelous job taking our text and helping the story. Of course, Gwen and I tried to write a book all while having surgeries. I would not recommend that profile to anyone.
As we say, all is well that ends well and we are now hopeful of having a book that folks will enjoy reading. We decided to go with a mystery story rather than a thriller.
The title is The Predator a world domination fight to the finish.
Here is a preliminary blurb:
After the death of Brad and Sarah, it is apparent that a force is behind a plot to take over the leadership of the world. The murder of the two becomes only one small piece of a sinister plan to eliminate world leaders and take control.
Governments are infiltrated with the perpetrator’s allies and minions so no one can be trusted.
A small band of Brad and Sarah’s admirer’s vow to stop the evil expansion and eliminate the leader. The group comes under attack, and the question becomes will they survive and stop The Predator before the word is lost?
Today’s JohnKu talks about trying to do too much. I hope you have a great weekend.
“Lucy. I think I see Friday from here.” “Sorry Little Potato that is Wednesday wearing a Friday hat.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again and last week we were there when Andrew and Larry discussed what to do as a result of Larry insulting Cortez to his face. The best Larry could come up with is to “find somebody who really knows what went on.” I think we all did a double take on that one since it would require finding someone who would be willing to rat out the biggest killer on the planet. Let’s get back to Larry since he is walking into Micki’s fortune telling shop.
“Why hello detective. Glad to see you again.”
“Hi, Ms. Lee. I think I need some help again.”
“You can call me Micki. What’s the problem now?”
“Gloria told me to follow the motive and I would find the suspect in the Sandusky murder.”
“So?”
“We think we found the motive.”
“Okay. Who is the “we?’”
“Andrew and me.”
“Oh, that too handsome for his clothes, Andrew?”
“Er. I suppose.”
“We had such a nice cup of tea.”
“Yes, well. I wonder if we can talk to Gloria?”
“I think that could be arranged. Come with me.”
“Thank you.”
“Make yourself comfortable. Close your eyes and I’ll see if Gloria is available.”
“Oh, my goodness, detective. Gloria is on holiday.”
“On holiday? How do you know that?”
“There is a note on her ethereal portal.”
“Ethereal portal? What the heck is an ethereal portal.”
“It is the place where I go to summon a spirit. Each spirit has their own.”
“You say Gloria is on holiday.”
“Yes, she will be gone for two of our weeks.”
“Where the heck did she go for a holiday if she is in heaven?”
“She really didn’t say. I’ll read you the note. Hello all. Thank you for stopping by but I have gone on holiday and will be back next lune day. Love, Gloria.”
“Hello, all. Who is she talking about?”
“I’m sure it is a message for her heavenly friends.”
“Well, that just takes the cake. I may not be alive in two weeks.”
“My goodness, detective. What is the problem?”
“It is a long story, Ms. Lee. I’m sure you have better things to do than hear my troubles.”
“Would it have anything to do with that horrible man Cortez?”
“How on Earth did you know.”
“It’s not Earth where I get my information. I have other sources.”
“So, what am I to do.”
“If it were me, and it is not me, you understand. I would get the goods on one of his closest associates and see if you can get him to turn against Cortez.”
“I had the same idea, and Andrew pooh-poohed it.”
“He’s good looking but not always far-sighted.”
“Okay then. You’ve made me feel a lot better. I think a lot of folks thought I had lost it.”
“You had better work quickly though. I can feel the wrath of Cortez starting to build.”
“He killed Sandusky, right?”
“I’m not that sure. If you can get someone to tell you what went down that night, I think you can make a case. Now, how about a nice hot cup of tea before you leave?”
