Ron says … What!

[BendtedWreath]

2 hours ago, Ron said:

Unbelievably delicious. Highly recommended!!

I think I've tried those before, and I agree.

[Ron]

For the first time in ten years George Michael's Faith will be released on vinyl -- good news for those who chose to slip-slide backward (as far as I am concerned) in time. Also (Yea!) there will be a CD release, though HiFi+ magazine states there will also be a Blu-Ray release too.

Here's a link to the official George Michael page. And here's a link to the HiFi+ page.

[Ron]

Here is an amusing article from a Boston Globe food critic concerning things people are reluctant to eat:

Globe readers recount food fiascos

[Thirdly]

On 1/14/2026 at 12:52 PM, Ron said:

Here is an amusing article from a Boston Globe food critic concerning things people are reluctant to eat:

Globe readers recount food fiascos

"What are super taste buds, and could I borrow them for special events?" 🤣 And I agree about the raisins in cookies masquerading as chocolate chips. The audacity!

[Ron]

Oh, my goodness. Listening to London Grammar's Hey Now on my system was an extraordinary, brilliant thing to do. I sat back and closed my eyes allowing the music to envelope my room and my senses. It's a thing. A very good thing!

That's not to say that one should be discounting the rest of the album of If You Wait, because that would be a disservice to the entirety of the album, which is an exceptional body of work.

Highly recommended -- whether you listen through headphones or speakers.

Jump in ... you won't be disappointed.

Edited January 23 by Ron

[Ron]

I was minding my own business , rinsing off the dishes and equipment from having reheated a store-bought Tikka Masala (spicy version) which was smothering sautéed, boneless, skinless chicken thighs with the addition of convection baked tater tots on the side. This is after having finished dinner (as one does) when:

"Spider-Man, Spider-Man. Does whatever a spider can! Spins a web any size ... . Look out! Here comes the Sider-man."

This ... people. This is how my mind occasionally works, sometimes. It can be glorious and it could be considered borderland to "Lah Lah Land" (snort). Nevertheless, I'm often curious as to what will pop up next! You might well wonder as well. TBC 

My life! Always an adventure! 

Edited January 25 by Ron

[ReaderPaul]

3 hours ago, Ron said:

"Spider-Man, Spider-Man. Does whatever a spider can! Spins a web any size ... . Look out! Here comes the Sider-man."

My life! Always an adventure! 

Hey, you have invented a new superhero!  Sider-man!  Able to bypass regular barriers by sliding into a parallel universe and then back into ours by his parallel powers!  And since "sider" also means "iron" according to Merriam-Webster, he can also make his body as hard as iron, making it difficult to hurt him.  When will you be writing about Sider-Man?  Looking forward to it!

[Bill W]

1 minute ago, ReaderPaul said:

Hey, you have invented a new superhero!  Sider-man!  Able to bypass regular barriers by sliding into a parallel universe and then back into ours by his parallel powers!  And since "sider" also means "iron" according to Merriam-Webster, he can also make his body as hard as iron, making it difficult to hurt him.  When will you be writing about Sider-Man?  Looking forward to it!

Or could it be Cider Man, the cider guzzling super hero who fights crime in between trips to the bathroom.  

[ReaderPaul]

18 minutes ago, Bill W said:

Or could it be Cider Man, the cider guzzling super hero who fights crime in between trips to the bathroom.  

Oh, come on, @Bill W -- will you next be suggesting Sigh-der-Man, who is able to change emotions in someone else and make them contemplate and sigh so much they change their mind on wrongdoing?  

Edited January 25 by ReaderPaul
Correct spelling error

[Ron]

8 minutes ago, ReaderPaul said:

Oh, come on, @Bill W -- will you next be suggesting Sigh-der-Man, who is able to change emotions in someone else and make them contemplate and sigh so much they change their mind on wrongdoing?  

I so wish that there was a rolls eyes emoji for that one. So, in that vain 

Too funny, man. 

[Ron]

Listening to this at 44.1 kHz/24 bit music through Tidal Audio and further on through my system is sort-of, kind-of a gorgeous experience. Have a listen ... . The entirety of If You Wait is recommended. By me; of course. 

[Ron]

There’s been news that Toronto, Canada has received its biggest snowfall ever. Well, I can tell you that I remember having to shovel snow off of the backside of my townhouse there with a long handled shovel, pushing it to the side each time so it fell where I could shovel it up yet again and dispose of it elsewhere because the snow was so deep. And then having to shovel off the second story deck as well, adding to my horror at the amount of snow that came down. Did Toronto get a record snow? A half an inch here, a half an inch there .

It looks like my neighborhood got around 9.5” of snow overnight. Although … it’s snowing again which may add another 1-3” of snow. Before these tranches of snow we were down 1.5” of precipitation for the year after having been in a moderate drought last year. I don’t like the snow, I certainly don’t like the very low temperatures we’ve been experiencing. I don’t have a car and I must walk everywhere so that’s been tough. Basically, I effing hate winter. I do hope for real spring temperatures and with the ordinary rainfall during that appropriate time capsule, and without jumping straight into summer’s  90* days, which has happened in the last few years. Fingers crossed.

[Mikiesboy]

Yes, i can testify we got a lot of snow. We got about two feet and more to come today. It's been fun. Michael and I shovelled about five times during the storm. 

Not a fan of weather myself, except the week or so we get annually that is neither too cold or too eff'g hot.  Here's a picture for you, not my Husband, but it could be.    

[Ron]

This coming Tuesday (a mere 6 days from now), if one were to go outside (for much needed groceries, let’s say) at precisely 1 pm it will be a predicted 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a small window of time which could likely tilt toward the downside (what with the wind and all), but it’s doable for me. It beats the current high temps in the 20’s and teens. 

Grocery store … Here I come. 

[Ron]

Oh, my my. My life has been topsy and turvy of late.

Firstly I was chastised by our Head Honcho, formally known as @Myr for not being a productive author — yikes (but possibly effective in sticking a stick [snort] up my creative patootie! It doesn’t go downhill from there but there has been some bumps and grinds along the way.

I’ve been busy (not writing unfortunately), but ‘on call’ as it were what with keeping company with my good friend’s father who is nearly twenty years my senior down on Cape Cod in the winter to ‘help out.’ It isn’t an ideal time to be down on the Cape but it’s not “redrum” concerning either.  

Nonetheless, I have a plan. Or, a percentage of a percentage of a plan for a story of epic dimension (if all goes to plan). 
 

Go big or go home — or something like that!

Good Something-or-Other — cross your fingers for me and wish me luck!

[Thirdly]

On 1/14/2026 at 12:52 PM, Ron said:

Here is an amusing article from a Boston Globe food critic concerning things people are reluctant to eat:

Globe readers recount food fiascos

I'm a little late on this, but that article you shared helped create this: https://gayauthors.org/story/thirdly/tastebud-clarity/1

[Jason Rimbaud]

On 11/22/2025 at 4:14 PM, Jason Rimbaud said:

Understood. I'll snooze myself. 👌

So it's been nearly three months, can I come off snooze yet? 

[Ron]

4 hours ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

So it's been nearly three months, can I come off snooze yet? 

Although I'm lazy enough not to want to go back three months to find out why you were snoozed in the first place I suppose its been long enough. 

[Jason Rimbaud]

3 minutes ago, Ron said:

Although I'm lazy enough not to want to go back three months to find out why you were snoozed in the first place I suppose its been long enough. 

Posted November 22, 2025

  On 11/22/2025 at 2:27 PM, Jason Rimbaud said:

I still watch movies from the 30's and 40's

Ugh, I'm just going to 'snooze you' for shooting for the obvious, dude. 

[Ron]

2 minutes ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

Ugh, I'm just going to 'snooze you' for shooting for the obvious, dude. 

Oh, yeah! I do hope you haven't been nursing a bruise over that. If so, my bad. 

[Ron]

I've been using various headphones (Cans) for listening to music, all are over-the-ear models: Sennheiser 650xx (open-backed); Final Sonorous 3 (closed-backed); and HIFIMAN 400xx (open-backed). The xx versions were 'Drop' versions created by the manufactures just for that website. All are very good sounding in different ways.

Just delivered to me are the HIFIMAN Ananda headphones, this is a large open-backed (I won't be wearing them on public transportation) and are a over-the-ear model that originally sold for $999.00, but I snagged this pair for a cool $249.00 on Amazon. The model is being discontinued so that's the reason for the discounted pricing. 

Right out of the box they are very comfortable wearing. I began listening to London Grammar's album If You Wait (on Jan. 26, I recommended Hey Now for a listen) and these headphones sound fantastic. I've found that whether speakers or headphones it takes some time before they settle into themselves and reach peak listenability, and it varies for each transducer. So, I look forward to the likelihood that the sound will only improve over time.

I am very pleased with my purchase.

[Ron]

I survived the (1st?) blizzard of 2026 that hit four days ago while at my home on the North Coast of MA. The power went out at some point during the night. I only know that because the stove and microwave clocks were blinking. We got around eighteen inches of snow that was dealt with pretty quickly by the team my condo complex hired for the job.

Now on Cape Cod it's a different story. Some areas got three feet of snow and winds that gusted at or above seventy mph. My good friend of many years was out there shoveling a long driveway by hand. I'm both impressed and feel sorry for him.

I'm down here on the Cape for the weekend. While the highway system is cleared well the locals are still cleaning up and utility crews are still making repairs to the electrical lines; traffic does get backed up with long lines waiting to pass through areas of utility repair. But the weather is being accommodating with some moderately warmer temperatures and low wind speeds allowing the snow to slowly melt. (We don't want a fast melt and flooding.)

I actually got out and did some shoveling myself to help widen the driveway. I haven't had to do any shoveling in the last few years. Now I remember why. 

Edited February 28 by Ron

[Ron]

Ugh! When coming back up north from a visit to the Cape I discovered that I had left my iPad and PC down there (along with my wallet). But then I realized that I had my 14 Pro-Max iPhone (and charger) and my previous (old) computer at home. For the next few days I am covered by a four-year-old iPhone and fifteen-year-old computer technology (8 gigabits of RAM).

So far. So good.

Edited March 3 by Ron

[Ron]

After having a few days of warm weather the daffodils are poking about three inches out of the ground down here on the Cape. A good sign of spring to come. 

[Ron]

I swear ... cardboard is my nemeses.