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  • mistermuse 1:04 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    DANCING IN THE DARK 

    They say all good (and bad?) things must come to an end….although some bad things have a bad habit of seeming to never end. Example: the corruption of power. As Winston Churchill said, The power of man has grown in every sphere, except over himself. Why has this always been a danger? The reason (if not the answer) for our jeopardy resounds in the question/lyrics of a Pete Seeger song: When will we ever learn?

    Is it any wonder that the older I get, the more cynical I become? It’s not because I believe there isn’t a majority of good people in this world. It’s that too many of those good people are too easily led by the nose by the Trumps of the world. Some, it seems, are simply too ignorant to know any better and too intellectually lazy to want to know any better. Others grow up with shallow values, and blindly prioritize their views above integrity and humanity — at least, that’s how I’ve come to see it.

    At my age, I’ve seen too much to hold out hope for (relative) heaven on earth in my lifetime. Our better angels have seen better days (rose-colored though they may have been). At this point, there remains but to face the fading music and dance.

     

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 1:16 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I’m beginning to join you on your path.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:14 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        It’s a long and winding path, Lynette — so winding, it’s hard to see where it leads until near the end (if then).

        Liked by 1 person

    • obbverse 1:23 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      There’s always time for one more roundelay MM.

      Liked by 1 person

    • rawgod 3:31 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Sounds like you need a good dose of happiness, mm. Best eishes to you…

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:18 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks, rg. At this point, I’ll settle for any size dose that comes along.

        Like

        • rawgod 2:13 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink

          I wanted to play you a particular (rock) song, but to get the whole gist of it you would need to listen to the whole album side, and I wssn’t sure if you were up to that. So now I am going to play the song antway, and if you want to hesr the “rest of the story,” that can be your choice.
          I hope you tap your toes…

          Liked by 1 person

        • rawgod 2:15 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink

          The complete story is here:

          Like

        • rawgod 2:16 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 4:11 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink

          Between their British accents and the loudness of the music, I couldn’t make out most of the lyrics, but I liked the toe-tapping beat. It would help if I could see the lyrics in print as I listen to the.song. In any case, I thank you for the thought, because it comes through loud and clear.

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 12:38 am on May 25, 2024 Permalink

          I found the lyrics online and can now better appreciate what I’m tapping my toes to!

          Like

    • Rivergirl 6:37 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Every time I hear Trump speak I wonder how half our country can feel he’s fit to be President. Not even Fred and Ginger can make me feel better about that…
      🥴

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:42 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        You said it, Rg. If I hadn’t lived through it, I wouldn’t have believed that such a pathological liar, narcissist, and con artist could attract tens of millions of followers, become President, and make laughable the idea that no one is above the law.. If Trump wins again, America is lost.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Ashley 11:02 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      It’s not just in the US, MM. Oh & when I saw the title of this post I thought I was going to hear some Tuba Skinney! Not that I mind Fred & Ginger, not at all 🕺💃

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 11:59 am on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        DANCING IN THE DARK (the title of this post) is one of my fav songs, but there’s no clip of Tuba Skinny playing it. This is as close as I could come:

        Liked by 2 people

    • Ashley 12:11 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      My hearing….! It’s an age thing! Dancing in Dark…Kissing in the Dark or Park…that’s the one! You know my favourites! 🕺🥴🤣

      Liked by 1 person

    • Rosaliene Bacchus 3:57 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      No better way to face the music and dance than with Fred Astaire 🙂 I understand your sentiments, Mistermuse. Good people, left behind as the Engine of Progress moved on, have been hurting for several years now. Can we blame them when they grasp at straws?

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 4:25 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      If grasping at straws were the lesser of two evils, I wouldn’t blame them., Rosaliene. But how anyone could see the likes of Trump as anything but a moral and character disaster is beyond me.

      Like

    • magickmermaid 4:47 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I agree entirely!

      Liked by 1 person

    • JosieHolford 11:06 pm on May 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Deep joy @rawgod for Professor Stanley Unwin and much love to misternuse as always.

      Liked by 1 person

    • josephurban 4:43 pm on May 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I hear you. The last 10 years have been a major disappointment. What a way to ride into the sunset. Still, I try to keep up the spirit…. …..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sldgunY3Fw

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 6:08 pm on May 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks, Joseph (and Bob). I’m long past staying forever — or even temporarily — young, but it was (relatively) nice while it lasted.

        Like

  • mistermuse 1:00 am on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS, A QUOTER FOR THEIR THOUGHTS 

    “It often happeth that the very face sheweth the mind walking a pilgrimage, in such wise that other folk sodainly say to them, a peny for your thought.” –Sir Thomas More, 1522

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Lately, the more I thought about what to say in my next (this) post, the more I sensed I’m still a way’s away from putting my two cents worth into writing. So, I thought, why not put to work the words of those who have (mostly) gone before me: quotes I’ve accumulated over untold years on scraps of paper or clipped from various publications (I should also confess an ulterior motive: I’m in the midst of de-cluttering my house before I kick the bucket (it then occurred to me that if I keep no bucket, I’ll have none to kick and may exist forever). Perish the thought.

    Without further ado, then, here (in no particular disorder) are said quotes and names of those who said them. If I have misquoted anyone, don’t blame me — I just live here.

    “People often make the mistake of thinking that “humorous” and “serious” are antonyms. They are wrong. “Humorous” and “solemn” are antonyms. I am never more serious than when I am being humorous.” –Bertrand Russell

    “What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know; it’s what we know that just ain’t so.” –Mark Twain

    “There is nothing so absurd that it cannot be believed if repeated often enough.” –William James

    “No matter how cynical you become, it’s never enough to keep up.” –Lily Tomlin

    “The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile, but that it is indifferent.” –Stanley Kubrick

    “If you want to know someone’s heart, you have to know what breaks it.” –George H. W. Bush

    “Climb mountains, not so that the world can see you, but so you can see the world.” –David McCullough

     

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 2:43 am on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Very true. To all.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:27 am on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        You said it, Lynette….and so does this quote::
        “Truer words were never spoken.” –from Poems by Eucsettof Wehttam, 1840

        Liked by 1 person

    • Rivergirl 6:46 am on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Love the last quote.
      ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ashley 8:04 am on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Apparently, Socrates said: I am wise because I know that I know nothing! I agree because I’m a wise old man too! 🙏

      Liked by 1 person

    • Richard Cahill 12:48 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      De-cluttering before you go? Very responsible of you, Sr. Muse. Even when it looked like I was going to get a chance to visit the Tunnel of Light last year, I never thought of doing that. In fact, Nancy and I have a whole category of things I refer to as “Stuff your kids will have to throw out after we’re both dead.”

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 8:40 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        I’m a ‘stuff saver’ (you never know when you might need it), so de-cluttering doesn’t come easy for me, Ricardo. The only reason I’m doing it is that both of my (adult) kids have lifelong infirmities which would make it physically hard, if not impossible, for them to deal with the situation.

        Liked by 1 person

        • literaryeyes 9:39 pm on May 20, 2024 Permalink

          It’s no fun for the kid or kids even if they are able. I speak from experience. That’s why I’m de-cluttering, so my brother won’t have the task of throwing out the mementos of another’s life.

          Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 12:57 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Great quotes! Your writing is certainly worth more than two cents! You may quote me on this. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • BACK ROADS AND OTHER STORIES 4:05 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      My top picks from this excellent list are Mark Twain, Stanley Kubrick, and David McCullough

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 4:21 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Excellent choices. Kubrick’s is the most chilling and difficult to face because it can’t be dismissed. In the end, we can only hope that the creator of the universe is not indifferent.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Rosaliene Bacchus 4:13 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      All great quotes, Mister Muse. I don’t envy your task of de-cluttering, but it’s good to get a head start 🙂 I hope that your wife is as comfortable as she can be ❤

      Liked by 2 people

    • annieasksyou 4:21 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I was unaware of Bertrand Russell’s penchant for humor (unlike Nipsy Russell or Mark Russell), which is clearly a lapse on my part. The William James quote seems perfect for our times.

      Glad for your presence here, mm, in whatever form it takes.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:23 pm on May 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you for that very kind last sentence, Annie.
        Speaking of Russsells with a penchant for humor, here’s a quote by Rosalind Russell:(though it sounds more like Jane Russell): “Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly.”

        Liked by 2 people

    • josephurban 6:18 pm on May 20, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt… attributed to Sam Clemens, I think…..

      Liked by 1 person

    • Geoff Stamper 2:23 am on May 21, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for passing on the best of the clutter!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Carol A. Hand 10:20 pm on May 22, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      💜

      Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 12:46 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    LONG TIME, NO ME 

    In case you’ve been wondering if I’m still among the living (my last post was March 23), the answer is yes (as of the last time I looked). As for the long time between posts, it’s a long story which I don’t want to re-live (and which, in any case, would be boring to detail). I’ll just say that my wife of 55+ years is now in an extended care facility for the rest of her life, and dealing with all the continuing ramifications has been overwhelming. As a result, posting here will remain infreguent for the foreseeable future.

    I regret that I’ve been unable to reply to comments or follow your blog posts, but I appreciate your understanding and hope to be able to return to a semblance of “the way we were” at some future point.

     

    • BACK ROADS AND OTHER STORIES 12:49 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I am glad to hear that you are among the living still, but so sorry to hear about your wife. Not much else to say other than take care of yourself.

      Liked by 1 person

    • gabychops 12:50 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Take your time, we understand and wish you both the best!

      Joanna

      Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 12:58 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      It’s good to hear from you. I’ve been thinking of both of you and sending healing energy and hope. Take care and may all be well. (Don’t worry about replying.)

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ashley 1:12 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Thinking of you both 🙏

      Liked by 1 person

    • Rivergirl 1:27 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I’m so very sorry to hear this. And no apologies are necessary, we understand and will be here if you need us.
      ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

    • Carmen 1:59 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I am so sorry to read about your wife, mistermuse. It has got to be difficult for you – my heart is hurting for you, sincerely. If we could all go back to ‘the way we were’, eh? Rest assured we have your best interests at heart.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Rosaliene Bacchus 2:31 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      MisterMuse, thanks for the update. Know that you and your wife are in my thoughts daily. May your loving care for each other carry you both through these difficult years. Hugs ❤

      Liked by 2 people

    • Geo. Raymond 2:57 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I am very sorry to hear the news, MM

      Liked by 2 people

    • willedare 3:33 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      That is a HUGE undertaking with all sorts of layers — strategic, emotional, psychological, spiritual… No wonder you have not had time to write (m)any blog posts! I hope that she is doing OK in her new extended care community and that YOU are doing OK with your new (no wife of 55+ years at home with you!) living situation. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 6:05 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Many thanks. Among the many “overwhelming” issues is the insurance company with which we have coverage for my wife’s extended care ( they don’t make it easy to deal with). I finally had to hire professional help to represent us.

        Liked by 2 people

    • colinmcqueen 4:30 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Nothing much to say, just sending my very best wishes to you both.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 4:55 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I’m so sorry to hear this, mistermuse. Thanks for taking the time to update us; I’ve been wondering. Sending my best wishes to you and your wife.

      Liked by 2 people

    • obbverse 5:58 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Take time to look after you too MM.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Mr. Ohh's Sideways View 8:33 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Sad to hear about your wife, but you need to take care of you both now. I’ll be waiting when you come back. See you then 🤣😎🙃

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 12:22 am on May 1, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you kindly. We know nothing lasts forever — still, when when something like this happens, it hits hard. All we can do is make the best of it, which is what it’s all about now.

        Liked by 1 person

    • rawgod 11:58 pm on April 30, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      My partner’s mother ended up in a care facility last February (2023) after falling on some ice. While there she deceloped a reoccuring memory lapse problem. She reverts to a time in her early life without warning, and can return to normal just as quickly. Her doctor has said for now, unless these episodes stop, she cannot live at home anymore either. Gail’s father is now living alone in a great big house, which he is not ready to leave. It is not a good situation.
      I know your situation (not in detail, of course) through him. Everything is topsy-turvy. I wish you an acceptable outcome to your troubles. Take care.

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 12:46 am on May 1, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks, rg. My increasingly frail wife suffered several falls from which she could not get up by herself. At first I could help her, but each time, she became more of a “dead weight”, to the point I could no longer lift her. We are both in our upper 80s, so an extended care facility for her was our only option. At least she receives good care and is happy there, so things could be a lot worse.

        Liked by 1 person

        • rawgod 1:47 am on May 1, 2024 Permalink

          Are you thi king of finding a couple’s facility so you can still be together, with help must a knock away?

          Liked by 2 people

        • mistermuse 8:45 am on May 1, 2024 Permalink

          That is not in the near future because of circumstances beyond my control, but the present facility is just a 7 or 8 minute drive away, so I’m able to visit her every day.. Thanks for your comment.

          Liked by 1 person

    • smbabbitt 9:30 am on May 1, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Best wishes to you both, with hope for whatever comfort can come from puns, crazy old songs, and of course friendship at such a time.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:41 pm on May 1, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you so much!
        Our friendship is long,
        So let’s keep in touch.
        Here’s a crazy old song!

        Liked by 2 people

        • smbabbitt 1:13 pm on May 1, 2024 Permalink

          Thanks for the post. The ukelele song reminded me of some of the heavily period-flavored but not crazy songs by Annette Hanshaw that were used in SITA SINGS THE BLUES.

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 12:40 am on May 2, 2024 Permalink

          Annette Hanshaw was my fav fmale vocalist of the 1920s. I still have some of her records..

          Like

    • mlrover 10:40 am on May 1, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Sending prayers winging your way to help you and your wife through this difficult time.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Bruce@WOTC 6:27 pm on May 2, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I am very sorry to arrive here and hear that news, MM. You will both be in my prayers. It is a blessing you are only a few minutes away. Take care.

      Liked by 1 person

    • josephurban 6:43 pm on May 2, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Sorry to hear of your problems. Keep the faith.

      Liked by 1 person

    • selizabryangmailcom 12:56 pm on May 7, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      In my opinion, insurance companies occupy a level of evil on par with orange ex-presidents we will not name and the corporations that run America. You pay in and pay in and pay in and then it’s like pulling teeth to receive the coverage you’re owed, and in an overwhelmingly emotional experience like yours, that’s criminal in my book. I’m glad you got representation. Hang in there, as well as can be expected.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 2:30 pm on May 7, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you so much. That’s only part of what I’m going through, but I won’t elaborate because everyone (even an orange ex-president) has troubles (though mine aren’t of my own making). As for hanging in there, I may be up to my neck in problems, but at least I’m getting good at keeping my head above water!

        Liked by 2 people

    • selizabryangmailcom 5:25 pm on May 7, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Lol 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Richard Cahill 4:02 pm on May 8, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      My mother has been in assisted living on the opposite coast for 2+ years now, Sr. Muse, so I feel your pain, as a guy from Arkansas once said. Between that and my cancer (14 months in remission as of last Friday) I have not been as communicative as I’d like, either. Good luck to you and yours. It does seem that adulting gets more strenuous as we get older, not less.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 11:56 pm on May 8, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Muchas gracias, Ricardo. Decades ago, a relative (who was about the same age as I am now) said to me, “It’s no fun getting old.” Trying to put a positive spin on the matter, I rather glibly responded, “Doesn’t old age beat the alternative?” She replied, “But who knows what the alternative is?” Now that I’m in her shoes,I apprciate how wise she was.

        Like

    • Carol A. Hand 5:04 am on May 11, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      💜

      Liked by 1 person

    • annieasksyou 6:21 pm on May 12, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I have actually been thinking about you and worrying about you, mm. So very sorry about your wife. I look forward to your posting whenever you choose–no pressure! Best wishes, Annie

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:28 am on May 13, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you for those kind words, Annie. I very much miss posting and following my followers’ blog posts. Unfortunately, it will still be some time before I’m able to pick up where I left off. Meanwhile, I do often think about you and my other blogger friends.

        Take care.

        Liked by 1 person

        • annieasksyou 9:01 am on May 13, 2024 Permalink

          You may appreciate this bit of wit from a friend: “When people talk about the Golden Years, I always think they’re talking about urine.”

          To which I add: It sounds like you are going with the flow, mm. That’s very good. Be kind to yourself as you care for your wife. This has to be a stressful time.

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 11:21 am on May 13, 2024 Permalink

          Annie, I thought I was the prince of puns, but when it comes to holding down the throne while I’m out of action, you’re the man….I mean the queen. Please keep up your end of the royal flush but don’t overdo it, because if you get any punier, you’ll put me to shame!

          Like

  • mistermuse 10:24 am on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    IT’S UGLY OUT THERE 

    “The world is made for people who aren’t cursed with self-awareness.” –Annie Savoy, philosopher

    “Most incompetent people do not know that they are. One reason [is] that the ignorant also tend to be blissfully self-assured.” –Erica Goode, New York Times (after interview with Dr. David Dunning, professor of psychology. Cornell University)

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    As a cursed self-aware person myself, I can very much relate to the above quotes. Some might say I’m self-aware to a fault.

    I witness a world being browbeaten by those who are NOT self-aware, who are “blissfully self-assured,” and whose ‘my way or the highway’ attitude is a moral dead end which does not justify the means. I see an America becoming increasing dominated by a mean-spirited egomaniac named Trump, his Pied Piper cult, and his mindless MAGA (Make America Greedy Again) anarchists. I fear the place humanity is headed ….and humane is not its name. Life is unfair and dirty enough as it is without being awash in hogwash.

    Some of us may be guilty of being self-aware to a fault, but aren’t the NOT self-aware guilty of far worse? To the former, that may be stating the obvious, and to the latter, may be like talking to a brick wall. So, why bother? Well, maybe I have nothing better to do. Or maybe, by some miracle, I can connect with some poor soul looking for less bs and darkness, and more sunlight and facing-the-music. I am just idealistic enough to hope that these passing thoughts may strike a chord and clean a spot on someone’s mirror. Nothing ventured (values-wise), nothing ingrained, I always say (well, once in a Blue Moon).

    But enough about meanies. It’s time for a song.

    ….or two..

     

    • masercot 10:27 am on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      “The unexamined life is not worth living” – Plato
      “But, I’ll give it a shot anyway” – Donald Trump

      Liked by 3 people

      • mistermuse 11:35 am on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Well observed and on the money, my friend.. “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn’t lose any voters.” –Donald Trump, 2016

        Liked by 2 people

    • a bayliss tgrtranslation 11:01 am on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Agree with your hope, Mister Muse. In my opinion, it is not even miraculous to connect with poor souls out there looking for better. We are ALL poor souls out there looking for better, and social connection is not even that hard to create, if one makes a small effort. Experience with the school system in the U.S. has given me the impression that with many notable exceptions for the good teachers and administrators out there, the system has failed many people in our country, leaving them lost and searching, but clueless about where to start and what the facts are. The manipulative people looking for victims found out about this and, unfortunately, many poor souls who are grasping at straws have found the hand of a false prophet. It’s past time for us to get out there and make friends and share the light we have been given. Thank you for your post and good luck.

      Like

    • Lisa R. Palmer 11:05 am on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Love this!

      Liked by 1 person

    • willedare 11:23 am on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I agree. The quotation from the psychologist (“Most incompetent people do not know that they are. One reason [is] that the ignorant also tend to be blissfully self-assured.”) is fascinating… and somewhat horrifying. There are definitely a lot of people who have made a lot of money these days (often by lobbying successfully to have laws changed so that they have fewer feedback loops in the form of regulations and taxes) who are quite confident that they know what needs to be done. And there are also a surprising number of people (who are not obscenely wealthy) who none-the-less identify with the super-rich and their ideas (even when many of those ideas would impact their own lives in very negative ways…) Very mysterious. Thank you for some Bing Crosby to start my day! I also like the “New Sun In The Sky” song from THE BANDWAGON. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

      Liked by 3 people

      • mistermuse 12:04 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        I too have wondered about your point regarding the not-wealthy who identify with the super-rich, even though the latter’s mindsets are against the former’s own self-interest (at least, financially).
        As for the last six words of your comment, I thank you with some more Bing Crosby:

        Liked by 1 person

    • Catherine Haustein 11:35 am on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Here in Iowa, we have people without degrees or experience in education making decisions about the schools.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:25 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        ….but those people have degrees in extremist right-wing ideology, which qualifies them to impose their beliefs on everyone. Thanks, Catherine, for that example of the “my way or the highway” attitude mentioned in my post.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Ashley 11:39 am on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Welcome back MrM hoping you & your better half are on the mend. You certainly “strike a chord” with you sentiments here, so now I’m looking for someone who will clean & shine a spot on my mirror! 🙋‍♂️

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:42 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you, Ashley. As for your mirror, I don’t think you need worry about that very small spot. After all,

        Liked by 2 people

    • magickmermaid 12:48 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      The ‘extreme right’ is clearly wrong! I hope Mrs Muse is feeling better!

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 12:53 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      You’re right, mm!
      As for the Mrs., sorry to say it looks like she’s going to remain in the nursing home for some time.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Rosaliene Bacchus 3:43 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      As a self-aware person myself, I release a long sigh at the state of affairs. We have lost our way. My best wishes to you and your beloved ❤

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 4:07 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Up here we are watching Humpty Trumpty with apprehension. I am dismayed by the extreme right-wing crap that seems to be popping up everywhere (not just U.S.) like that whack-a-mole game. Gays for Trump? Down through history and no matter what you are or where you’re from, there’s no accountability for stupid.

      I see from comments above that Ms Muse is still not feeling well. I hope that situation improves soon.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 5:43 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        My next door neighbor’s favorite saying is “You can’t fix stupid.” Maybe so, but I think willful ignorance is much more concerning (assuming there’s a difference between the two).

        Thanks for you solicitude about my wife. Her condition is not improving, but hope springs eternal.

        Liked by 2 people

    • obbverse 5:17 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      It is no fun, the world having somehow managed to miss the worst of Don’s scatterbrained/gun ‘shoot from the lip’ four years, to see a further four years of knee-jerk easily triggered mayhem being voted in by the none-so-blind MAGA mob. America, from strong democracy to loony dictatorship in eight crazy years is a dis(stink) possibility. Rant over. It must be a fraught time for you on a few levels, so all the best.

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 5:58 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Rant noted and approved!

      Yes, it’s a fraught time for me on several levels, which is why I’ve been unable to keep up with my blogging friends, including yourself. I wish I could say things are getting back to normal, but they’re not, and until I find a new normal, all I can do is hang in there.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ricardo 6:47 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      “And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
      Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 11:35 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        I had to look that one up, Ricardo, to find it in THE SECOND COMING, by Wm. Butler Yeats. In our time, he could have written it with Trump in mind, slunking toward his destiny. to be born and born again the Savior of America.

        Like

    • annieasksyou 7:08 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      So sorry to hear about your wife, mm. Was this also due to covid? Wishing you both an upturn and her return home.

      I truly believe the national tide is turning–for the better. I have a quick post today featuring Illinois Gov Pritzker’s appeal to our better angels.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:51 pm on March 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Love Gov. Pritzker’s “appeal to our better angels.” If I’d known about it before I published this post, I probably would have found a spot for it. What a pity that there aren’t more politicians of his caliber.

        P.S. Yes, my wife had Covid too, and actually got over before me….but her health otherwise is poor, and it doesn’t look like she’s coming home anytime soon, if ever. Thanks for your good wishes.

        Liked by 1 person

        • annieasksyou 11:15 am on March 24, 2024 Permalink

          You and your wife certainly have my continuing good wishes. Take good care of yourself at this most difficult time. Kind regards, Annie

          Liked by 1 person

    • rawgod 5:05 am on March 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Two pertinent lines from a poem I wrote in my 20s. It is apt to self awareness:

      Is thus a CUSED blessing, or
      Is this a blessed curse?

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 11:28 am on March 24, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        To be blessed with a curse seems an oxymoron, but I’ve been wrong before. If I am — CURSES! Foiled again!

        Like

        • rawgod 2:21 pm on March 24, 2024 Permalink

          The original poem, which I have lost track of, was about seeing beauty in everyone. It was written after a conversation I had had with a woman who broke up with me because I treated someone she hated with respect. She looked for the worst in everyone, I found out that day. and she decided it was bad to see beauty in everyone. One of the strangest conversations I ever had.
          My take now is she was probably protecting herself from the world, probably had been a used by someone she loved. Wherever she is now, I hope she learned how to see bauty.
          That dsy in particular, getting dropped by someone I thought I could love, I was shattered.
          Is it wrong to look for beauty?
          Self-awareness is on a similar plane. Not everyone had it. And I run into more people that don’t than do in real life. Sometimes I just get lonely for someone sane to talk to. Which is why I now spend so much time on line. Here I have friends. In real life, very few

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 8:31 pm on March 24, 2024 Permalink

          You can talk to me anytime, Rawgod (even if you’re looking for someone who is sane — ha!).

          Kidding aside, I can relate to the kind of deep thinker you are, just as I find it hard to relate to shallow, materialistic thinkers. As for “Is it wrong to look for beauty?” — no more so than it is wrong to see ugly, IMHO. Both are simply reality, and denying it serves no purpose but to leave one half-blind.

          And with that, I’ll stop before I go off the deep end. .

          Like

    • selizabryangmailcom 2:44 pm on March 27, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I’ve never seen that quote before, about who this world was made for. It’s SO on target. Everything makes sense when you think of it that way. Like: “ignorance is bliss.” It IS bliss. But what kind of existence would that be?
      Also as said above, what continues to amaze me is Trump’s sea of followers, unaware or, worse, uncaring that if he was alone with them in a room, he’d kick them all out and bad mouth them after they left. They mean absolutely nothing to him. But he’s found a super strong foundation on which to continue constructing a building made entirely out of malevolent cunning completely detached from morality or even sanity in many cases.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 4:22 pm on March 27, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        My thoughts exactly, my friend….and expressed so well that you’ve saved me the trouble of adding my two cents worth (which is more than Trump is worth, when all is said and dumb). .

        Like

    • selizabryangmailcom 3:40 pm on March 28, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      My pleasure. On such an unpleasurable topic. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • josephurban 9:26 pm on March 28, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      It’s called the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Mr. Ohh's Sideways View 10:51 pm on March 29, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      This was great🤣😎🙃

      Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 6:48 pm on March 12, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    LO AND BE OLD 

    I am now Covid-free (but old age-embogged), and still dealing with family health issues, including those of my wife/fellow octogenarian. She fell several weeks ago, was hospitalized, and is now is in short term rehab at a local care facility pending transfer to a long term facility. Dealing with the bureaucracy involved with her admission and care while I had Covid brain-fog was a pain in the rear view mirror (and beyond).

    The upshot of these and other issues is that I won’t be able to post, or comment on your posts, with near my pre-Covid frequency. In short, old age and its kismet have caught up with me. But enough about that. I will now turn to my customary selection of “old songs” in keeping with the theme of past post practice.

    .Betty Boop cartoons are passé now, but this one features the timeless jazz of Cab Calloway playing the song (OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN) which is also the cartoon title:

    I’ll close with this classic from SHOWBOAT, sung by one of the greatest singers who ever lived:

     

  • mistermuse 7:40 pm on February 22, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    COVID UPDATE 

    Just a note to thank everyone who responded to my previous post with get-well wishes. Sorry I wasn’t up to replying, but Covid really “knocked me for a loop,” Last night I completed my five-day Paxlovid regimen and am hoping for a negative test result tomorrow, although I’m still feeling somewhat weak and “washed-out.”.

    Thanks again. Take care.

     

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 7:59 pm on February 22, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I hope you feel better soon. 😊

      Liked by 2 people

    • Rosaliene Bacchus 10:01 pm on February 22, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for the update. Take it easy.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Rivergirl 8:47 am on February 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Hoping the medicine helped and you kick that nasty virus to the curb soon.
      💕

      Liked by 1 person

    • GP 8:52 am on February 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Rest up and make certain you don’t develop a relapse!

      Liked by 1 person

    • willedare 11:43 am on February 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Glad that you are done with your Paxlovid. No need to reply to this (or any) comment. Just keep resting and drinking warm liquids (soup! ginger tea!) and recovering your strength.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ashley 1:46 pm on February 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Hoping you’ll be better soon 🍀🙋‍♂️

      Liked by 1 person

    • tubularsock 2:49 pm on February 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      mistermuse, sorry to hear about your covid experience. When all else fails try a couple of straight shots of Wild Turkey whiskey.

      Knocks it right out and YOU too.

      Tubularsock has had Covid twice but it was ivermectin that saved me regardless what THEY say.

      Here’s to your good health. REST, REST, REST!

      Cheers, Tube

      Liked by 1 person

    • Susan Babbitt 1:58 pm on February 25, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Glad the ordeal seems to be coming to an end!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 6:54 pm on February 25, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you, Susan. Unfortunately, I again tested positive for Covid yesterday, so I just want to let you and others know that I still don’t have the energy to follow your blogs or reply to comments (other than this one).

        Take care.

        Like

    • InvisiblyMe 1:42 pm on February 26, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I’m sorry I’ve only just seen your post and I’m sorry you’ve all come down with Covid. It does seem more people are aware of getting it from visiting someone (or large gatherings etc) rather than through touch/surfaces.

      I’m glad you were able to get started straight away on Paxlovid. Fingers crossed you get your negative test in the next couple of days and more importantly, that you start to feel back to your usual self as soon as possible. I hope you’ve been able to rest and recuperate. Even a flu can knock you through a loop and Covid can be a lot worse, so I feel for you. Take good care of yourself and don’t worry about blogging or replying to comments right now if you’re not up to it. Sending my best wishes to you and your family,

      Caz x

      Liked by 1 person

    • Carol A. Hand 9:57 pm on February 26, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      💜

      Liked by 1 person

    • selizabryangmailcom 2:20 am on February 28, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I just found out you’ve contracted Covid. I’m so sorry! Definitely just lay back and get that rest. People say they’re wiped out, like you, after contracting it, and sleeping is the key… Take care!

      Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 8:08 pm on February 17, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    A COVID HIATUS 

    This is just to let you know that my family and I have come down with Covid contracted from a visiting in-law, I’ve started taking Paxlovid, which (if all goes well, should put me back in business in five days. Meantime, I feel like crap, and am taking a “vacation” from blogging for the duration. Sorry, but meanwhilee, I don’t feel up to responding to comments, etc.

    Thanks for your consideration.

    .

     

  • mistermuse 12:05 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    BRIEF ENCOUNTER, UNENDING ENCUMBER 

    “Why, if there’s a God in the sky, Why shouldn’t He grin / High above this dreary twentieth Century din?” –lyric from Twentieth Century Blues by Noel Coward*, British songwriter, playwright, performer, and man-about-world (Dec. 16, 1899/March 26, 1973

    * https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230602-noel-coward-the-dark-side-of-the-quintessential-englishman

    The title of this post comes from pairing the title of one of my all-time favorite films, Noel Coward’s BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945), with the perplexity posed by the quoted Twentieth Century Blues lyric…..in particular, the words “Why shouldn’t He grin.” A better question might be “Why SHOULD He grin?” Is He amused by pain and suffering, “chaos and confusion” (as the lyrics go on to say). Or are the words “if there’s a God in the sky” a bigger-than-religion, larger-than-life question? Believe what you want, but who knows the answer?

    Who, indeed, has escaped those dreary Twentieth Century Blues? Those who died before the Twentieth Century? After? In that sense, isn’t the Twentieth century but a metaphor for every century? When the story of the 21st century (if we survive it) is written, do we really think human nature will have been nurtured by our better angels to new heights? Hard to believe, wouldn’t you say?

    I close with a brief Noel Coward quote:

    “It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty, and how few by deceit.“

     

    • 100 Country Trek 12:13 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks 👍

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ashley 12:41 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      You mention the 21st century like we’re already there! It feels to me that we’ve taken several steps backward, not forward! In fact I believe I’m living in the past!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 1:28 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        I thought we’re already there, but maybe it’s only a dream (or a nightmare, or combination of both).
        😥

        Liked by 1 person

    • Pablo Cúzco 1:01 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Times never change, they only get worse.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 2:15 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Past generations have said the same, but under the illusion that their own generation is above the past. In our time, Trumpism and its like in America and around the world should dispel any such illusions.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Pablo Cúzco 11:53 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink

          These old era movies blow my mind at the prescience they had. John Doe is one that could have been written in the early 21st Century, for its description of politics in the US then and now (in the 00s). Things have gotten so bad since, that I think we’d have to look at Blade Runner as our example, except it’s set in the future, and we’re not a part of that yet.

          Liked by 1 person

    • Catherine Haustein 1:35 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Good quote!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 2:20 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks, Catherine. That ending quote seems even truer today than in Coward’s time (or perhaps ever)..

        Liked by 1 person

    • rawgod 1:40 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I don’t know about other gods, but the Abrahamic god never seems to smile — he is too busy telling everyone how to be miserable. A god that hates for us to even talk about sex is one unhappy god.
      As for the 20th Century, I lived through almost exactly half of it (born November 1949) and I think can quote Charlex Di kens on this one: “It was the best of times, it wS the worst of timex.”
      Good choice, mm.

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 1:51 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks, rg. I lived through almost two-thirds of it, and can attest to this Noel Coward quote: “You will know you’re old when you cease to be amazed.”

        Liked by 1 person

        • rawgod 2:00 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink

          That works too. My problem is: I am not amazed by Trump. Rather, I am amazed it took so long for him to happen.

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 4:59 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink

          You said it, rg….which only goes to show that “Trumpism” has long simmered beneath the American surface — it just took an over-the-top Trump to bring it to a boil.

          Like

        • rawgod 6:29 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink

          This might sound crazy, but out in the open means it can be fought. (If we still lose it will be our own fault.) Being undercover we didn’t know we had to fight it, we thought we were winning. But now we know that is not true, we can rally our “troops.”
          My inspiration comes from John Lennon’s song, Imagine, before it was ever written. His dreams need to be made our reality. Now we know why! The alternative is unacceptable.
          A rallying cry could be, “Awake to being Woke!”
          (My apologies for making your blog political.)

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 2:57 am on February 15, 2024 Permalink

          No apologies necessary, rg. There’s a difference, IMHO, between being political for political purposes, and for ethical or dialectical purposes. I have no problem with the latter.

          Like

    • Rosaliene Bacchus 3:26 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      The Noel Coward quote says it all!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 5:02 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for the link to the BBC piece about Coward. Humour always has a dark underbelly, as the ancient Greeks knew. Unfortunately, we do expect deceit. Maybe that’s why, down through the ages, charlatans such as Trump have at least initially been so successful. We get what we expect to get.

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 5:22 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I can very much relate to Coward’s wit and humor. I think, like him, I see the world through one cynical eye and one wishful eye (the latter of which is very tired and hard to keep open). So now, if you’ll pardon me, I think I’m about to encounter a brief nap.

      P.S. Wake me when it’s over!

      Like

    • magickmermaid 6:15 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Enlightening article about Noel Coward. He was brilliant. His quote is sad but true; and even more true today!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 8:12 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        “even more true today” because, to his followers, whatever Trump says IS truth. That is why they can’t be reasoned with — they won’t even consider anything that doesn’t come out of Trump’s mouth.

        Liked by 1 person

    • obbverse 6:18 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      The humour and tragedy masks in this poor world-as-a-stage play we’re in should now be swapped for horror and tragedy. And definitely changed if things go really sideways in November.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 8:20 pm on February 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        I still have some hope that some event(s) will transpire between now and November to avoid what seems almost inevitable now. We shall see.

        Liked by 1 person

    • masercot 11:29 am on February 15, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      We’re all God’s children and we are blest,
      but, sadly dad didn’t love me the best…

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 3:34 pm on February 15, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Our Father, who art in heaven above,
        Is above it all when it comes to love —
        So “dad” isn’t really picking on you,
        He’s just doing what remote fathers do.

        P.S. BOO HOO. 😥

        Like

    • colinmcqueen 6:04 pm on February 15, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Noel Coward was responsible for one of the most withering critiques of an actress I have ever heard – containing a word I would not repeat here – but I do love self-knowledge: “My reputation is terrible, which comforts me a lot…”

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:47 pm on February 15, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        The problem with self-knowledge is that by the time you get old enough to attain it, you’ve got one foot in the grave. I still have five feet to go, but I fear it won’t be long before I don’t have a leg to stand on. What a downer!

        Liked by 1 person

    • Elene Faulkenbury 6:19 am on February 16, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      Wow, I have to admit, this blog post is really remarkable! The author did a great job of providing well-researched information and presenting it in a clear and compelling way. I found the content to be highly educational and thought-provoking. The writing style is captivating, making it simple to remain interested throughout the whole article.

      Like

  • mistermuse 2:16 am on February 11, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    A NOSE BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL AS — WHO KNOWS? 

    Last year’s last post (12/23/23), which I titled WIT’S IN A NAME because I like witty titles. opened with the Shakespeare quote “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This post opens with a citing of GET A DIFFERENT NAME DAY (2/13/24), apparently created by someone who disagrees with Shakespeare and thinks a rose, a nose, or any other name would smell more (or less) sweet by any other name. So, just for the smell of it, I’m going to run some noses by my readers. If you’re looking for ex-citement, read on. Otherwise, other eyes may wake up and smell the noses.

    I’ll start with a few famous names who were known for their big noses, followed by what I consider an appropriate pseudo name, because either it fits, or yours truly has a rotten sense of humor (or both):

    Bob Hope — Bob Heart (due to having a heart bigger than his nose)
    Pinocchio — George “I cannot tell a lie” Washington Carver (of wooden puppets)
    Nostradamus — Nose Tradamus (this one was easy pickings)
    Jimmy “Schnozzola” Durante — Mr. Calabash (who misses the Mrs. in this tender ‘show-ender’):

    Now I’ll “other name” some living characters known, not for big noses, but for whacky whoppers (big lies):

    Donald Trump — The Big Lie-bowski ad Infant-i-tum
    Marjorie Taylor Greene — The Mean Greene Machine
    George Santos — Will ‘I never met a lie I didn’t like’ Rogers, by George
    Rudy Giuliani — Rudolph the Two-faced Reindeer

    I could go on and on and on, as the GOP echo chamber nose no limits, lacking only a scheme song which lays bare what they bet on, but dare not openly let on….like these two do:

    I leave you with this afterthought:
    “The biggest lie is the lie we tell ourselves in the distorted vision we have of ourselves.” –Kirk Douglas (1916-2020), from his autobiography

     

  • mistermuse 9:24 am on February 2, 2024 Permalink | Reply  

    UP FROM DOWN WHERE TRADE WINDS PLAY, TO DOWN TO EARTH, BENEATH THE CLAY 

    Ashes to ashes, dust to dust….
    Live it up we may, but die we must.
    Who can tell the why or the wherefore,
    Or what the hell on earth we’re there for?

    Sorry if my title and little poem strike you as something of a downer, but we all have our ups and downs. Maybe this will help Sort Of Serve as a picker-upper:

    What the above is leading to: a few up and down Songs Our Souls could use to help make (y)our day — and, by the way, don’t ask me y (I just live here). So….

    Here’s my favorite old (composed in 1930) UP song —
    I think that you’ll dig it, but I could be wrong:

    I’ve heard that what goes up, must descend….
    And so, on that note, we’ve come to the end:

     

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