Ron

@Cia I do believe you have somehow achieved time travel. Please tell us how you got to December 2025?

Congratulations! Best warm wishes on your happiness in your new home.

Dang! That strangely beats the bears out there. I'm going to start looking at otters from now on. Question: Do otters have beards, too?

Listening to Masterpieces by (Duke) Ellington (Uncut concert arrangements released Jan 1, 1951) (digitized by Sony 2004) via Tidal through HEOS app on my Marantz AVR. This mono recording is fantastic. If you have the chance, it's well worth a listen on a decently good system. I got my exercise in when dancing around to Tattoo Bride. It may not have been pretty, but it is what it is.

I get what you’re saying. But then you’re basing your feelings on a subjective relationship that you have with the story, the author and what you believe is best for the story. If you feel that your efforts aren’t in keeping with your values, interests, belief system — even belief in the story itself — then you’re within your rights to request that you are not connected to the work, and not cited with the work. Beta-readers provide a valuable resource. I don’t believe anyone would equivocate the need for them. I get, also, that a beta-reader is invested in the author’s work. In the end it’s a choice of making a case for your efforts (if you disagree) and if rebuffed you either bow out or accept that you will be attached to the work. And… thank you for your service. Taking on being a beta-reader is no easy task.

Sorry, James. That's one hell of a way to earn an education, dang!

I think that I may have introduced this album before; it bears repeating. Music for a Sushi Restaurant. Holy crap, what a title for a body of work and the song of the same name is great (imho). The whole album works.

For us old fuddy duddy's ... I present David Gilmour, with the addition of Romany Gilmour, which should offer an update for younglings and present audiophiles to sample (and resample) artists of the past. This album is a brilliant work of artistry for Gilmour. So enjoyable and highly recommended! Edit to add: I clapped my hands at the end of this complete work. It was so good! The eleventh tract just sealed the deal for me... with its harking back to the earlier work of Pink Floyd.

I don't see any beavers cheering on penguins. Why is that?

OMG! Now we have beavers cheering on otters (I mean, Steve)?

But... but... if the spider is just sucked up and put into a bag... won't it just crawl back out again?

@wildone Definitely visit the Getty Museum, both the old and the new. At the new museum is a favorite of mine: Bacchante with an Ape by Hendrick ter Brüggen. In the space this painting occupies the subject just glows, and she invites you in — Won't you have a sip of wine with me? Just remember, although admission is free you do need to reserve a time to visit both of them. As I was leaving the new Getty Museum on my last visit, Robert Englund of A Nightmare on Elm Street fame who played the iconic character Freddy Krueger, and his smallish entourage were arriving in the main lobby. Also, on that trip, as I was coming down from Nichols Canyon after having visited a friend, I was stopped at an intersection at the bottom of the hill leading into West Hollywood... Walking along the crosswalk right in front of my car was Nicolas Cage and someone with him. And... oddly, enough... when my former partner and I sold our townhouse in Toronto (leaving for Boston), none other than a body-double for Mr. Cage bought the place. Coincidence?

I went into my kitchen to get something to drink. Unfortunately, upon the wall by the refrigerator a tiny, medium sized, gargantuan black spider was crawling DOWN the wall (headfirst) thereby defying gravity... I think. It should have been falling! I didn't want to kill it (I didn't!) but I had to. It was in my home!!!

My thoughts... If it isn't repopulated by 'Did you know' — that being a confiscated and repurposed non-important thing from the way-back of internet history. I'm of the opinion that that drivel either chased off or pushed away those considered status updates from members who may have offered something of real interest to know about. Posts from authors and readers dropped off dramatically when the 'Did You Know' material began taking over the status updates section, and it became an infomercial for one individual. But now that Status Updates has been relegated into the backwaters my argument against that nonsense is most likely moot.

Angus and Julia Stone are transcendent and needful for this day. Here is the lead song from the album Down the Way. Just chill and ... Edit to add - You must listen to the whole work to achieve peace and tranquility.