Saturday, 7 September 2024
My NIL is nil. Well (duh), I’m not a college sports figure, so of course it’s nil.
This topic and the terminology springs from reading Joe Drape’s and Allison McCann’s article “In College Sports’ Big Money Era, Here’s Where the Dollars Go” in the NYTimes, dated 31, Aug—although I just found it today. BTW, NIL stands for name, image and likeness, if the acronym isn’t in your everyday vocab.
Wednesday, 4 September 2024
Today I’m opting to shift my time-space. This flower photo is from a year ago, and was taken in the UP.
This notion builds from today’s news from Winder and Ukraine, the Mideast, etc., and from finishing “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig (2020).
Sunday, 1 September 2024
We’re currently binging “L‘Agence,” with the much longer English title “The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties,” about a family of real estate agents based in Paris. Truth, not fiction. The family is charming (mostly); the views are lovely; the French is sometimes oddly translated in the subtitles; and the properties are wayyyyy out of our price range. The most interesting character, IMHO, is the grandmother, Majo.
Oh, and the photo? Nothing to do with Paris, and not a UFO.
Friday, 30 August 2024
I’m not a particular fan of diplomats, although I greatly appreciate all the work they do, which is frequently behind the scenes. I’m not sure why TV series writers recently have seized on a diplomat as the lead in stories, but we’ve watched both the Keri Russell version and the British one, binging the latter most recently. They’re very different. I think I enjoyed the British version, set in Barcelona, more. Confession: it was not merely to opportunity to hear Catalan dialogue that made it more interesting.
Thursday, 29 August 2024
I see, at minimum, DQ and St__bux are both already vending pumpkin-flavored beverages. These used to be timed with October, even late October, leveraging Halloween symbolism. No longer.
Here’s another tidbit…in the last two weeks, The Hubby received six (SIX!) anti-Kamala oversized postcards. Me: nothing. We’re both registered voters, both with very gendered first names. I’m going with clear gender bias.
Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Should you wish to drive from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Florida, here are general directions. First, cross the Big Bridge. Poufy clouds today….
Then, head south. You’re looking for a sign that reads: State Line…however many miles. Good. Go through Okolona; this is the top of the silos of the huge grain elevators. Okolona is surrounded by maize and soybean fields, with a few patches of woodland, so they can keep a mill very busy during harvest season. Now, head south and look for the Maumee River; it’s substantial, so you won’t miss it. Presto: Florida is where the bridge is. Really.
Saturday, 24 August 2024
I saw this grey above and thought “lowering sky.” Where did I get that?…as in, that’s an uncommon adjective, no?
Elsewhere…I came across this definition: Fishing—precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.—observation by character Henry Standing Bear in “Land of Wolves” (2019) by Craig Johnson.
Saturday, 17 August 2024
Here’s a sample of recent finds along our beach. What you don’t see is beer bottle frags and plastic trash—too boring to curate. The rusty metal at the rear of the display is a piece of a wood stove that once had some decorative curlicues that now are ghostly remnants on the surface. At one time, this stretch of the bluff must have been the household dump for at least one residence, and now the trash has moved downhill.
Thursday, 15 August 2024
The wall sign reads “THE GREEN BEAN OUT BACK,” and there’s another sign with the same words facing the road, here obscured by vegetation.
My guess: “out back” indicates “behind” a building to the left (not shown), and on the corner of two locally busy roads. The “green bean” part I have no suggestion…after all, it’s on a yellow wall. And, as to the use of the building…informal club?
