None of my music pursuits are quiet. But I need to get busy on them. So I have to quit writing.
And oops! There’s
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Open your eyes! Oscar the Octopus is out to escape. After observing that tank full of the powerful, eight-limbed, graceful Oscar, a mollusc of the order Octopoda, figures out the escape route over and over. He outsmarts the humans. Every time. He may be too intelligent for his own good, yet he can’t pass up a challenge.
The ocean is full of outstanding animals! But the octopus is over the top!
Mangos seems like it ought to be the plural of eat in many languages. Mmmm! Neh?
Take that those who say I’m behind.
Shōgun by James Clavell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read this way back in the 80s. It was a big, thick paperback. I loved it. Then I watched the movie (or was it a series?) with Richard Chamberlain. Then I was blown away. I was already crazy about Mr. Chamberlain—so much so that, as an early teen, I’d sneak a mirror into the bookshelf in the hall at just the right angle so that even though it was past my bedtime, I could watch Dr. Kildare. I still think I got away with it.
What I loved about every iteration of Shōgun was the passion, history, culture, and language presented. Richard Chamberlain is going to be hard to beat in his portrayal of Anjin-san, especially in the scene where he is committing Seppuku. But in this Audible edition, I felt that passion through the reading by narrator Ralph Lister.
I have gotten used to Mr. Lister’s reading, but I think this book needs separate actors. I absolutely hate hearing a man do a female voice. It always sounds demeaning to women. And all the men sound similar to each other.
Still, since I am taking Japanese on Duolingo I feel I understand more than the last time I read the book. I’m looking forward to book II and the new streaming series.
My Grape Quebec by Laura Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this series! I get to exercise my little bit of Duolingo French and travel with Laura, first to France and then to Montreal, Quebec, the destination of this book. The only bit of Canada I’ve been to was Victoria, BC. And then only a few hours on vacation when I was a child.
The relationship between Laura and Franc develops through cold and scary times.
Ms. Bradbury’s writing pulls the reader in. She knows how to tell her story.
I read this on Kindle. I read it a little at a time on one of my old phones. It was great for those moments when waiting, during commercials, etc. It took a bit, but the story stayed with me, so I never felt I needed to review the last bit I read.
I have already ordered the next book in her series.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: ends with “ound.” Find a word (or words) that ends with “ound” and use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
AND
Since The month of Flounder that word seems in the front of my brain. It obviously fits both and neither of the prompts. So I’ll continue to flounder about in this stream.
It is a real storm outside thunder and lightning giving us a show. But thunder doesn’t fit the prompts. I did unplug electronics and between flashes and noise I’m writing this on my phone.
The sound of the rain hitting our window ranges from pounding to soothing. I am bound to the view, but soon I’ll be found in bed. You know that time when you round up all the stuff to carry to the bedroom.
But the storm has me all wound up. So back to watching out the window.
Of course, K is for knitting!
Just thinking about things can keep you awake at night. Half the time, you justify things done and other times, you go into full-on judgment. Jabberwokies fly or swim with jugglers who jab you in the ribs. All that from the thoughts or books before going to sleep.
At this advanced age, I am learning that I have a bit of control over this potential joyride of the brain. Just as a thought can go all wrong, and that was imagination going negative, jumping the tracks to joyful or boring ideas and letting the imagination make a jolly or juicy bit of fantasy can switch that mindset.
Sometimes, the mind wants to take over, so you must jog it or pull it to a stop with a jerk. A funny dragon, a space voyage, any story to take you away from the current darkness. Something funny or silly joke you tell yourself in the middle of that flow can slow it down. Then, the more you practice this internal journaling, the more you can do it better and better. Write them down if you can. During the day, the darker and come up with ideas to switch it over to something more fun. Sinking into the darkness doesn’t solve the problems. However, using a more positive story can lighten things and bring solutions you might not have reached in the worry world.
That is why I love writing. Imagination is the juice of my mind. By the way, my favorite jolt is to imagine diving into a pool of water and holding my breath, swimming underwater to the other end. I enjoy the quiet of the blue water. I feel the coolness on my skin, the bubbles escaping from my nose or mouth. I swim. I would rather do it in real life, but imagination greatly helps.
Darswords 
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