One More Night, Just One More Night

    I have to be honest here.  I have nothing planned for my blogcast today. Nothing whatsoever. I trying to save better topics for the new year when I have more time to type them out. I've all but finished the inventory.  Mostly, I just have to total everything up. I have taken down almost all of the Christmas decorations at the store.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring over the boxes for the wreaths, so they will have to stay up until Friday. Still, everything else will be down, and the Valentine's Day  decorations can be put up on Saturday. I hope to find the time to create a the store's Upcoming Releases board Friday and Saturday, after cleaning it off this afternoon. I am making plans for my new video, which I should be uploading either Saturday or Monday.  I just need to come up with a theme. I'll be closing only a little earlier than usual today, as most places will be open all day, although I have two stops to make on the way home. Unlike other years, I doubt I'll be staying up much past midnight. There's just not that much to make me stay up that late any more. Well, besides hearing fireworks go off for who knows how long. That can keep me up for almost an hour some years. I find it stupid, but whatever. Anyway, I'll just be waiting on confirmation on my latest comic book order/s.  There's a good chance I'll have to split it between multiple stores. I still haven't heard back from my local one about when they will have them again. 

    Like I mentioned at the start, I've got nothing to say today. I hate to end the year on such an underwhelming post, but I've got a lot to do today.  I need to get on with it. So, Happy New Year!

    See you next week.

Odds and Eves

     In case you never noticed, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve always fall on the same day of the week.  This year, they fall on Wednesday. Wednesday is the day I usually post new material for the blogcast.  On these holidays though, I also close my store early. For Christmas Eve, I usually close the store about two hours earlier than normal. This means that I have a lot less time to do all of my regular Wednesday chores. I have already checked my email and watched my YouTube shows, and I am obviously writing my new post. However, I have a lot of other things I have to do online today, and that isn't counting other tasks at my store.  This doesn't even consider any last minute customers who might come in. Considering that there haven't been that many so far this week, the chances aren't very good.  Regardless, to make sure I get as much done today as possible, I'm going to have to make today's post fairly short. I'm almost halfway through it now. Next week, I'm only planning on closing only an hour or so earlier, so that post won't be as rushed or short. In fact, it is planned to be a close to a 'normal' post as possible. Things could change, of course, but they probably won't.  So, I'm almost finished with this one. I'll get the link up on Facebook, and then play a few games before turning the computer over to someone else as I prep the store for inventory starting Friday. I'll solve a puzzle or two over lunch before playing another game and checking up on an RPG forum for any updates. I have been lurking instead of posting for quite some time now. If I'm lucky, I will be able to have one last check on social media before I close for the holiday. Anything I've missed will be checked up at home this afternoon before I start another gaming session, this time on my phone. It's almost eleven now, so I better finish up. Happy holidays, merry Christmas, and whatnot. See you next week.

Every Letter, Everywhere, All at Once

    In last week's monumental 500th post, I mentioned that I would be discussing its unusual title. Namely, "Quixotic Topics Involving Sheer Luck and Jazziness towards Blogcast Infamy." In case you didn't notice, that unwieldy title is a pangram, a work that features every letter of the alphabet at least once. While it can refer to any work, it is primarily focused on sentences, as much longer works are just naturally pangrams. Coming up with that title took a while, as finding just the right words was tough. I narrowed down on quixotic, blogcast, and infamy immediately. Involving and topics were next. Jazziness, while atypical, came next. Finally, I chose towards over wit, so I could get sheer and luck to finish up the alphabet. 

    As pangrams go, my title isn't too outrageous.  I have seen some that were questionable with many of their decisions.  In fact, many of my posts are pangrams as well. This is mostly not intentional, as I just naturally want to use as many letters as I can. It is a bad habit I have picked up over the years. I have even done such things in assignments. The papers are just long enough that it appears normally and not an affectation. I find it comforting and not crazy at all.

    My favorite pangram sentence is "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." I believe that this was originally a typewriting assessment but I can't be entirely sure. It's only thirty-five letters long, with some obvious repeats, but it shows all the qualities that the best pangrams have. First, it uses common words. the average first grader would know all of these words. Some pangrams resort to the most obscure words possible to use up the letters as possible. I remember seeing a pangram using the words sphinx and quartz. While such words keep the repeats down, it can lead to unusual phrasing.

    Second, actual words are used. I've seen pangrams that resort to abbreviations and acronyms to keep the word count low. While technically correct, the wordplay aspects are tossed out. Sure, use TV and Mr. so you can avoid repeats.  Just don't call it a true pangram.

    Finally, the sentence makes complete sense. One type of canid performs an action around a second canid. Most people would know immediately what was going on. Many shorter pangrams resort to using such unusual words and phrasing, that the sentence has to be "translated" for the reader to understand what exactly is going on. To me, this constitutes an epic fail. If a read can't understand, then the creator tried too hard focussing on the result as opposed to the wordplay.

    I feel that it is the wordplay that is the key to the pangram. Just using the entire alphabet without repeats in a sentence is not enough. A pangram needs to be fun, not just a puzzle to be looked over or solved. A pangram should leave the reader experiencing an acknowledgment that they just read something special, something not seen everyday. A pangram shouldn't have to head someone over the head with its uniqueness, its strangeness. Words should be fun, and pangrams should be an extension of that fun, in its wordplay.

    The next two weeks of posts will be fairly short, due to the holidays and work I have coming up, but they will still be written on time. See you then.

Quixotic Topics Involving Sheer Luck and Jazziness towards Blogcast Infamy

    Today marks the five hundredth post on this blogcast. Yes, I'm still trying to get that become a "real word." I suggest you don't try counting every post, as a few got "lost" over the years. Sometime next spring, I'll hit the official tenth year anniversary, but hitting five hundred isn't too bad either. 

    This wasn't technically my first blog. That would be the original blog for my store, Booknotes. That blog was originally weekly, then monthly, then I pretty much ended it. I just couldn't come up with enough new ideas about the store. Not enough was happening. I still try to post every year or so, but considering that the site's host no longer supports that particular blog app, it's just easier to let it go. Especially since I actually confused the two blogs. That's why a few posts got lost, but I did try to reconstruct them. I also have a literary blog where I post some of my works. This includes the first drafts of two novels/novellas, as well as plenty of poems. I've been trying to start a third novel, but I'm just not into it yet. As it is, it has been a while since I posted there.

    I started this blog as a means for me to start writing again. While I had numerous ideas bobbing around in my head, I wasn't putting anything down. This blog would allow me to put ideas to "paper" as it were, and actually write instead of just thinking about writing. I didn't have a computer back then, so I used one at the recently closed downtown Pikevile branch of the library.  Every Wednesday, I would close the store early, go to the library to check on my emails, and write a post. I chose Blogger as a host, as it already part of my Google suite. Since it was there, it just made things simpler.

    I was fairly aimless during those first few months. Many of those first posts were short, as I didn't have that much time after work to type these things up. So, I tried to come up with simple ideas that I could type up quickly without too much thinking. One of my favorite early posts was about an emu sighting on my way to work. Turns out, there were a pair of emus, both since have gone off somewhere.  Of course, I mentioned the horrible reception I get on the radio at my store. That's been a recurrent topic. Even now, multiple causes are making so much static that I sometimes wonder why I even leave the radio on some days.

    I ultimately decided to focus this blog on a topic that really interested me, puzzles and games. While not becoming the majority of themes I discuss, I dedicate quite a few posts each year to them. Even now, I'm starting to plan the next edition of song title puzzles to start off the new year. The year-end charts were just announced, so I'll have plenty of data to sort through for inspiration. I've discussed puzzle magazines, my early love of RPGs, and a specially made crossword, once.  It is a little harder than I thought to create one on a regular basis. That one took about a month.

    Another related theme that I comment on is humor. If anything, I try to make the readers of this blogcast happy. Humor is an extension of that. Considering all the puns I stick into post titles, this should have been rather obvious. While I try not to get too ribald or risqué, I have been known to push the limits. I dedicated an entire post to "bulges," in light of an Olympic mishap. I've put up two adult parody picture books based on the interpretation of certain food emojis, eggplant and peach. I just wrote a post about holiday confusion in the from of a stand-up comedy routine.

    In the past two years, I've taken up another form of post, a limited run series. The first was about every place I bought comic books from, or could have. The second was about every restaurant I ate from. I've already started to make plans for my next series. This one should focus on something I've barely touched upon before, but it will be a fairly easy guess once I start it.

    Beyond what I've already mentioned, I've got plenty of other new posts in the planning stages. I'll finally make my third adult parody picture book, melons. I will be updating my first two series after the new one.  I've got the idea for a fairly dramatic editorial style post on my longtime desire to coin a new word.  That one is currently leaning a little too political than I normally go. There's also the possibility that I finally start detailing an unusual event that I have been wanting to bring up for many years now, even if it is NSFW. How exactly I'll manage that? I don't have an exact idea, but I'll be trying.  Of course, there is the tenth anniversary coming up next summer as well.

    Next week though, I will be covering a fairly common topic for me involving wordplay. Check this post's title. Spot something a little off about it? I'll explain everything next week.  Until then, prepare to be thwarted.

    

Offline and Not Loving It, Again

    I will be taking a break at some point in writing this post due to an unforeseen problem that occurred last night or perhaps this morning. 

    The early evidence of a problem started last night when I got home. Soon after I turned on the television, I had problems accessing certain stations at certain times. The signal would just cut off, and I had to figure out a workaround just to watch the program I wanted. Now, I get my cable television through the internet. The provider switched things to this way a few years ago. Usually, there are no big problems, unless something happens to the internet. However, last night, there were no problems with the internet. I could surf, stream, and play games without any problems whatsoever. I only had problems switching channels on the television. It was only a few stations, and not every time I changed the channel. It was as if the cable box couldn't find the correct signal to latch onto. It got so bad at one point that I had to turn the cable box off and restart it. After watching the late night news, I turned everything off. 

    As soon as I got up this morning, I knew that there was a problem. One of the lights on the modem wasn't on. That light was the one that indicated that there was wifi signal. As soon as I turned on the television, all I got was a notice that there was no signal. The cable box then switched over to the main screen, which somehow wasn't affected by whatever was happening. I checked both my MacBook and my phone. The wifi was working, but there was no internet to connect to. (In case you are wondering, I have almost no cell signal at home. Barely a bar, at best. So, whenever I use my phone for gaming and such, I just use wifi. While this means I can't call or text on it at home, this has only been an issue only a few times.)

    This meant that I had no way to catch up on the news or weather, and I needed to know about some things to plan out the week. It also meant that I couldn't go online to check social media, but with how the algorithm has been acting up, the posts might be over a month old. The worst part was that I couldn't automatically get my check-in gifts on my game. The gifts occur every four hours. I have scheduled things so that I can get six a day, but only by a small window of minutes. By not having internet this morning, I missed out on my overnight bonus, and my early morning bonus. I'm going to now have to take a break in writing this post to go outside so I can get a better signal just so I can activate my bonus at the right time.

    I'll be back in a few minutes, although it won't matter to those reading.

    And I'm back. I hate to go outside sometimes just to check my phone, but I sometimes can't get a signal inside. At other times, the signal is so slow I can't use the phone for anything but calling.

    Anyway, the provider didn't have a time when the internet would be fixed when we called them. On the landline. (It wasn't affected by the outage.) I'm just hoping it will be back on tonight, or will be in some serious trouble.

Time for a Brief Comic Book Interlude

    Last week, I made my annual pre-Thanksgiving shopping trip to Lexington. It did not start off well. First, I was at least twenty minutes late starting out. Some places were going to be cut. Next, I encountered a wreck that had just happened just before the Magoffin county line, just past that place with all the Bigfoot statues, as well as others. Then there was the eleven mile work zone to fix the last stretch of the Parkway, basically two bridges now. In Lexington, I got distracted and missed an intersection. I had to circle back around. I also had to dodge work areas, including one where I also got hit when a car wouldn't let me merge. Oh, did I mention all of the emergency vehicles popping up everywhere?

    I finally made it to the stores. While I found some books I might order for my store, I didn't find the ones that I was looking for that were out at my distributor. Clothes weren't any better. There was nothing in my color palette and style that caught my eye. To be fair, I had already did some searching online, so I kind of expected not to find anything, but I still had to try. I almost ate at a new place, but I "chickened out" at the last minute and ate at my regular spot. I was just too unsure about liking the special offer, not to mention the higher than expected price. There were some new and interesting stores, but not enough to make me want to buy anything. While I wound up getting some basics, that part of the trip was a washout.

    I had to leave early, because I was finally going to a Lexington comic book store to make up for my missing issues while my local shop continues to rebuild after the February floods. I had my choice of two along my usual route. I chose The Comic Interlude as it was a little closer to my route, and I had made an online purchase with them this summer.  Also, it wasn't near a school like my other option, which could have made problems at that time of day. The store is located in a small shopping center, although some might call it a strip mall due to a lack of a major anchor store. I almost couldn't find the shop, as it is a very narrow space. My local shop, Page-3 Game Zone, is easily twice as wide on its main floor.  I almost didn't want to get my hopes up as I entered. 

    The place was amazing.

    Along the left wall were the check out and numerous display counters. There was a door in the back, but I didn't go near it. The centre of the store had the boxes for older comics, as well as overhead displays. By the front window was a small section for kids' comics. However, it was the wooden shelves along the rear and right walls that really blew me away. While the top shelves were filled with trade paperback, there were dozens of current series filling up the others. The comics were basically divided into Marvel and everybody else, but they were alphabetized. Fortunately, my list was also in alphabetical order. I quickly found eight of my nine main titles, as they had sold out of the ninth one. I tried looking for a few others, but I couldn't find them anywhere. With their subtitles, it was going to be hard to locate them, if they even had them. I should have looked online with them as well. I could have asked the cashier, but he had been talking with a regular since I entered, and I didn't want to be impolite and interrupt. The regular left soon after I got to the checkout. I easily could have stayed another thirty minutes there just looking around, but I had someone waiting out in the car, and it was starting to rain, more than the sprinkles that had held around earlier.

    For some reason, that place just felt special. I felt like I belonged there. It wasn't anything like what I felt at the other new comic book store I went to this year, Superhero Creamery at the Huntington Mall. Although technically small, I felt as if there was way more to explore. Part of it might be that this probably would have been the comic book store I would have gone to while at the University of Kentucky, if my plans hadn't been derailed at the last minute. Sure, it might not have been at the same location at that time, but it would still be the closest one to campus, I think.  I'm still filled with joy, almost a week later.

    The rest of the trip had no big surprises. There were the same work areas and emergency vehicles going out of town, but not problems.  I stopped in Stanton for food and fuel. The Parkway was the same going back. A quick stop in Prestonsburg for groceries, and it was home. The worst of the rain held off until just before home, but I still got back only a little later than if I had gone to work instead. Although I only got a few things, the stop for comic books made my day.

No Chance for Redeeming

    I was never into loyalty programs.  I didn't like the idea of carrying extra cards and such just to get a little extra off of a purchase.  Also, I didn't go to many of the places with such rewards that often back then.  No more than two or three times per year. The store that I went to the most did such discounts automatically, without the need for anything else. I left the cards for my mother who doesn't mind carrying extra junk. Besides, many companies were going to online models.  Since I didn't have a computer or phone back then, I was out of luck anyway.

    Then, a few years ago, I heard a news article about how a company whose products I like, who shall remain nameless, were giving members of their loyalty program a special birthday-themed product on  the member's birthday.  At least that is what I understood them to say. I really wanted that, but I wasn't into loyalty programs. Some time later, I realized that I now had a computer, and I had access to a smartphone. (I would get my own soon after this.) I really wanted that birthday product, so I finally joined. I admit, I had some problems that included having to reset my password shortly after I signed up, but I felt it was worth it to get that special product.

    When my birthday came around a few weeks later, I got an email with extra points to go on my account. That was all. Apparently, that special product was a one-time deal for the company's birthday, or maybe just for that one year.  Who knows? All I know is that I didn't get a special gift. I did however start racking up points. It was a hassle to remember to save my receipts, take pictures of them, and send them in to redeem my points. I would have to send a few multiple times as I clipped a vital part out. I forgot a few times.  Just earlier this month, I had to scramble through a stack of receipts to find my most recent one, only to find it in a bag where I had put it so I wouldn't forget it. I then preceded to forgot for a few days to submit the photo. At least I had finally crossed the 500 point mark with that receipt.  Finally, it was time to redeem.

    See, after all the years I had been doing this, I never once redeemed any of my points. While there were plenty of deals involving low amounts of points, such as coupons or free products, the good stuff required hundreds of, if not over a thousand, points to redeem. Even if I had the points, they were be sold out when I opened the notification email. People must have been grabbing them up the second they showed up. I guess it pays to check your email more than two or three times a day. Anyway, I decided to hoard my points, instead of trying for useless gifts such as movie or gas discounts.

    This Monday, I got an email announcing the discontinuation of the loyalty program, just one week before my next birthday. Receipts would be accepted for a few more weeks. Already purchased merch would still be shipped out. Any points not spent would be lost, and no new programs were planned. I quickly logged in to see the last rewards that would be posted, thinking that a few really great ones would be offered at the end. I was wrong. There were only four rewards, with the discount coupon for athletic wear from a partner had already sold out. Only three rewards were still available, and none of them would be sold out: digital wallpaper, an entry for a contest that I was barely eligible for and might not even need by the time it was awarded, and behind-the-scenes footage from a promotional movie that made a few years ago that I never watched. 

    Unless something is added as a bonus for the holidays, I will be forced to download the wallpaper just so I can say I got something from the program. I probably will never install it, as I don't want to mess up my already glitchy computer with anything else. What's worse? I can only get each reward once, and the wallpaper only costs five points. I could have literally bought it at any time, and it wouldn't have affected my score too much.

    It's the story of my life. Every time I get an opportunity for something, I wind up not getting it, only to regret it ever after. I either don't realize the chance when I first receive it, or I don't think it is the right time, or I don't think I am good/ready enough yet, or someone convinces me that I should wait.  This loyalty program is just another one to add to the list.

Winter Wonderland of Confusion

    So, I had to go to Walmart last week, because sometimes, you just have to go there. Anyway, while walking through the parking lot, I noticed a Jeep with a Christmas wreath attached to the spare tire.  It had dusty pink ornaments and a Santa cap on top.  What could be a better car accessory than small glass balls that can fly off at 60 mph? I'm sure that they won't cause any damage.

    As I got closer, I realized that the Santa cap was actually on the skull of a skeleton being the wreath. The skull had big old alien eye sockets, while the hand was holding a large ornament with a straw attached, as if it was drinking from it. I guess they didn't, or couldn't, take the skeleton down from Halloween, so they just repurposed it. That is what happens with all of those people who put up the giant ten and fifteen foot skeletons in their yards and want to get more mileage from their money. Yet, think of the message this Jeep owner is sending. "Sorry kids, but Santa died last year from drinking and driving. Don't worry though. He will still be delivering your gifts this year, only as an undead minion."

    The confusion of holidays continued into Walmart. I was walking down an aisle in the seasonal section. One side was Halloween candy on clearance, and the other side was being stocked with Christmas candy.  Now, aside from some differences in shape and flavor, most of the candy is exactly the same for the two holidays. The only difference is in the packaging. Black, orange, and purple for Halloween, and red, white, and green for Christmas. Tell that to a kid, though. "I want new candy!" "But we have candy at home, dear." "That candy's old!" "It is from Halloween, just last week." "I want Christmas candy, not that old yucky stuff!" "You were stuffing your face with it just this morning." "I WANT NEW CANDY!" "I don't know why I even married you, sometimes."

    Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas. It's the one time of year that I can walk through the toy department without thinking people will look at me and think I'm a creep. It's more "Oh, look. He's shopping for Christmas presents for his kids." (As I can pass for someone ten to fifteen years younger, at least from a distance. Doubt anyone would say grandchildren, like some people I know.) Instead of, "See how that pathetic man is just wandering about, looking for the nostalgia and lost innocence." At least I'm not actually buying the toys, just looking at them for the nostalgia and lost innocence. I just don't want people thinking that.

    And in all of this holiday confusion, Thanksgiving gets lost. Sure, there is the occasional giant turkey inflatable, but there really isn't much in the way for Thanksgiving decorations. I saw one turkey that had silverware and a bib that said "Let's eat!" on it. Way to promote cannibalism, dude. No, for Thanksgiving, all of the focus is on the food. Maybe some special dinnerware or centerpieces, but that's it. Stores already have their food specials out.  For instance, there are the gallon jugs of cooking oil, for those who want to deep fry their turkeys, or burn their house down. Or both. Walmart also had bags of croutons for sale in the bakery. You have to make sure you have your already stale bread three weeks ahead of schedule for your stuffing. Or dressing.  Or whatever else it can be called.  Choose one word for it already.

    There are also all the new limited-edition food products coming out. For instance, Coke has a new 'Holiday Creamy Vanilla" flavor for Christmas, that is somehow different from their regular vanilla flavor. Now, I hate Coke. Always have. I'm a Dr Pepper fan, ever since I was a kid. Yes, I was the weird kid back then. I still am, and proud of it. However, my mom loves Vanilla Coke, so I can a few bottles to try. Strangely enough, I didn't puke when I tasted it. I instantly could taste the vanilla, but that was about it. I didn't detect any holiday-type extra flavoring. No warming spices. No mint of any kind. No pine needles being shoved down my throat. I also didn't taste anything creamy either. Of course, the label said there wasn't any dairy included, so what type of cream did they mean? For there are a lot of types of cream I don't want near my mouth.

    My mom didn't like it at first, which is typical. If I even barely like something new or different, she won't like it, and vice versa. She slightly turned around after trying some super ice cold, but we will see what happens with a second bottle. Maybe she will end up more confused about the holidays.

    That's all for tonight. Catch me back here next week.

    

Eat in, Eat out, I'm Driving

    In an average month, I eat out about two or three times.  Normally, I wouldn't do it more than that due to a mix of health and money concerns.  However, for October, I had to eat out five times, and it was almost six times. You can add in an additional time at the end of September if you like to up that total.  Still, that was too much for me, but it had to be done.

    The reason goes back many years. When I started weightlifting in the mid-90s, I began to eat more to fuel my workouts. I made sure to eat every two to four hours. This meant that I started eating breakfast every day.  Until then, I only ate breakfast a few times a week, mostly on weekends. Ever since I was a kid, I had problems eating very early in the day. I just didn't feel like eating that early, say before nine. I really couldn't. When I opened my store, I could barely start eating breakfast around eight.  Even now, my breakfast on the days I go to work are a little lighter than they used to be. On those days when I have to be somewhere even earlier, say for appointments or all day shopping trips, I usually just end up having a small protein shake or a small pastry.  My stomach just can't tolerate anything heavier than that early in the day.

    This past October, I had multiple such events. In September, at my regular dental cleaning, a cavity was discovered. Only my second in the last twenty-five years, but the second in under five. I had to schedule a second appointment for early October. I also had to take my mother to the dentist to have multiple fillings over two visits. Oh, she also had an annual doctor's visit. Then there were a few trips to find out what's been making an unusual sound in my car. Some of those got combined with the preceding ones. (At least they finally think they figured out what's wrong. Just waiting for a piece to arrive to see if it can be fixed.) There was also the delayed shopping trip to make up. 

    Anyway, this meant I ate out five times.  Four were takeout, one eat in. Four were fast food restaurants, although I had a takeout order from the one not fast food place. Not too much variety in what I ate, but here they are in order. Dairy Queen, Coal Run:  Surprisingly great chicken tenders. Very crispy. The ranch was a tad sour, but still workable. Hoebert's Pizzeria, P-burg:  Regular Stromboli order. Nothing great, but not horrible. It just needs one little change to take it over the top. Burger King, Huntington Mall, dine in: Standard Whopper and rings. Tried a jalapeño popper. Not too spicy, but not my thing. Got the Halloween crown, but couldn't recognize one of the characters. Long John Silver's, Pikeville:  Regular chicken plank meal ruined when I found blood in the last plank. First time I can remember this happening in a long while. At least I got a wide range of condiments. Wendy's, Pikeville:  Burger too small. Way too many fries. They finally fixed the fountain, so I was able to get my cherry-vanilla Dr Pepper again.  Best part of the meal. It was also the most expensive of the fast food places.

    It has already been suggested that I won't be eating out on the day of the next appointment. However, since that might be on my mother's birthday, she has bee thinking about changing her mind. This is in preparation for the big pre-holiday shopping trip to Lexington, where we usually eat out from three different places in one day, not counting any stops for coffee and a restroom break.  This year, I might not have take out for dinner, even if it will be easier and faster, but plans just keep changing. 

Whose Shopping Center Is It Anyway?

    Well, it is all but official, even without a public release. Pikeville Medical Center has bought the Town and Country shopping center where my bookstore, Booknotes, is located.  However, they will not be the ones involved in day-to-day management. This will go to the utility firm UMG. UMG also handled other duties in Pikeville. So far, everything is supposed to stay the same, but I am still weary. The biggest change is that the Super Dollar Food Center will be closing around the first of the year, as well as the fun center next to it. The employees will get new roles in local Food City markets.  No new replacement stores are forecast, as there really isn't that much new space in the Pikeville/Coal Run area.

    Supposedly, all leases will hold, and new tenants are being looked for the vacant spaces. Already, some beautification and cleaning projects have happened. The outsides of each unit are going to be painted different colors, although the tenants don't have a say about which colors get chosen. I hear there will be a lot of orange and black to reflect the colors of UPike. On the plus side, the rent is technically going down.  However, there will now be a monthly maintenance fee, instead of the yearly one we originally had. This means the monthly total will actually go up a little bit. 

    No one can confirm what the former grocery store will be used for. The main rumor is that it will be a daycare center. Some have speculated that it will be a new warehouse. One thought suggests that the center will become home to a new children's hospital, replacing the two floors it currently resides in on the main campus. A secondary building behind the center is already being torn down, for some reason.  I didn't even think it was unoccupied.

    We are still thinking about moving the store if we can find a new place.  As I mentioned above, there aren't many good places left to find, as the hospital and university have grabbed up most of the better spots.  Those that are left are a little too close to the river to our liking. Prestonsburg is still a possibility, if we can find a spot that still has traffic. For instance, the center where Readmore was is still for rent, as are many other units in that center. Even the Super Dollar there isn't getting much business, from what I can tell.

    Anyway, we are hoping to hold an anniversary/open house event next month, and we have started to place the book orders for it. Hopefully, we will be able to do it without too many problems, but with everything going on, who knows what to expect.

This Is Halloween, Nope It's Christmas

    This past weekend, I went on my annual late-summer shopping trip. Yes, it now mid-autumn. I had to delay the trip due to issues that may or may not be happening with my car. No one seems to know exactly what the problems might be. I am not completely sure if there even is a problem.  Anyway, it was a fairly average trip. I had two separate deer sightings, one of which was a young buck who scrambled up a near vertical hillside upon seeing my car. A card and collectibles show was going on.  There was nothing I wanted to see, and the crowds surrounding the tables were packed. The "up" escalator at one store was broken, so I had to climb it to the second floor, only to find that there was nothing there I particularly was looking for. (The "down" escalator was working fine. Still got more of a workout than I was planning on.) I did buy a few things.  Not as much as other trips, but enough to warrant the ride. I also got to see some new decorated houses I hadn't seen yet. On the way back home, I got to see a house that had already put up some Christmas decorations. Now, it was fairly far away from the road, so I can't be positive about what I saw, but the large green wreaths with red bows and a two-dimensional set of white/silver bells with a red ribbon scream Christmas to me. A second house had an inflatable Grinch and some sort of light green small tree beside of it.

    This was the earliest I think I ever saw someone put up fresh Christmas decorations. Sure, some keep some things up year-round, but these houses were new. Some places are still just now putting things out for Halloween.  I mean, the main reason why I make a late-summer shopping trip in the first place is to get the best selection of decorations and treats for Halloween. By having to go a month late, most of the stuff had sold out. The scant decorations left were on clearance. While there were still plenty of bags of candy for trick-or-treating, almost every other type of treat was gone. Meanwhile, the Christmas decorations were in out in full, and the first of the holiday foods were out. Even locally, 'Little Debbie" holiday snack cakes were already out. The main thrust of Christmas treats probably won't be on shelves until after Halloween, but a few are out early. 

    I guess stores bought some of their stuff early due to tariff confusion, but this seems slightly ridiculous. It's not like I even looking for new Halloween decorations. Most of the stuff I use at my store are old and/or free, like a new orange spiderweb basket someone gave the store as part of a promotion. (We got a few treats in the basket as well.) We don't even hand out candy anymore, not since the pandemic. I was already a germaphobe of sorts. I couldn't handle having to wash my hands any more frequently than I did every few batches of treaters. I just want all the preparations for one holiday to be over with before starting to prepare for the next one. 

    

A Lifetime's Passed Me By

    There is still a lot of conflicting information about the sale of the shopping center where my store is located. Apparently, there is some sort of NDA involved, so no one is getting the full news about how the local hospital is buying out the center, and no one is supposed to say much. Fortunately, I started all of this before that came out, so I think I'm good. There are reports that the grocery store will close by the end of the year. That businesses will be given anywhere from three to six months to move. That some units, like the church, will get to stay.  That rents could go up to force people out. There is even a rumor that some will fight this out in court. Mostly, it is all rumor. I've been trying to look for a place to move to, just to hedge my bets, but nothing seems too great yet. And you want to know what the worst thing about all of this is?

    I never wanted to open a store in the first place.

    It all started in community college. I had to idea that I would go into journalism to support a writing career until that took off. However, there were so many other ideas that I wanted to look into at college, so I wanted to keep my options open. I had everything planned out. Until, my option on off-campus housing fell. I wasn't comfortable to live in a dorm with strangers, and I had lost contact with anyone I knew who might have been going there. I was forced to drop out and apply at the last second to another school.  That school didn't have any sort of journalism/communications program (until the year after I graduated), and the only other option they had was English. I couldn't even take any creative writing classes, as they only had one that corresponded to one I had already taken. The school didn't really have any of the other options that I wanted to explore either. I was miserable.

    By the time I was supposed to graduate, I had no clue about what to do.  I thought about going onto graduate school, so I could postpone any future plans. However, I made that decision about a week before my December graduation with deadlines in late January. By that time, I had already cut ties with the school, making everything much harder. I never made any connections with anyone, not the staff or other students. I especially never connected with my advisor. Not only wasn't I informed about him until the start of my second semester there, I wasn't able to meet him until the end of my first year. He wasn't even in the English department. I couldn't get the application completed before the deadline. 

    I applied to various newspaper jobs, but I had soured on that idea, especially since I didn't have any of the experience needed. Ultimately, my mom forced me to take a job that a connection of hers suggested. I was totally untrained, unprepared, and uninterested in the position, but she forced me to take it. I quit after a month because my employer lied about having to go away for special training. At the start of my final week, I was informed about having to go for a week of special training, something I would not be able to do. So, I finished out the month on shaky ground. How my mother, someone whose job was literally finding the right jobs for people, thought this was going to work out is beyond me. 

    I tried to find other work, but considering how toxic that first place was, I didn't want to work in an office again. Unfortunately, those were the only positions my mother thought I was best for. After my severe panic attack in early 1996 over realizing how bad my life had become, I stopped trying to find work and barely left the house. My mom had had enough of that and forced to open a retail store with her help in 2000, and I never any experience with retail, besides shopping. Still, I got to choose what type of store, books and music. (The latter never getting off the ground.) She picked out the spot, after nixing the first one we picked out, because of the lower rent and ample parking. Both spots were at the same shopping center. 

    I was alone much of the day again, but I began working out of plan to turn my life around. I had narrowed things down to two possibilities. I was going to pick one just after the debut of the fifth "Harry Potter" book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The Tuesday before the book went on sale in June 2003, a flood took my home, and all my plans fell apart. I lost so much that day. In many aspects, I still haven't recovered. I was only able to replace a small fraction of all that I lost, too much. I still am living in a rented apartment, as I have never been able to find somewhere else to go. I've kept up the store, but ever since my mother retired, she has involved herself more with the store. Many of her ideas haven't worked, but I can't convince her otherwise to take more chances.

    If I have to close the store, I don't know what to do. While I don't like all aspects of it, there are so many things I do. I started graduate school, but I haven't taken a class in a few years. I came to the realization that I don't know what I would do with an MA in English if I don't go into teaching, which I will never do. I could almost teach at the collegiate level, but I would need a higher degree for that, one that I don't want. People try to peg me into some sort of intellectual, but I see myself as more of a creator type. That is what I enjoy doing.  I just don't know how to monetize my ideas. Dropping out of society for a few years has just put me so much behind others in my age group. 

    I have put off so many milestones in my life because I wanted to have at least some sort of way to make money before doing them. Now, I'm scared that I waited too long. At my age, I don't think I could start at the bottom in a new job, especially in this market. I needed to ask for better advice decades ago, but I either didn't ask the right people, ignored those who could have most helped me, or went along with the wrong people without asking if it was best for me. I feel like it is too late. It might not be, but it feels like it is. 

    All of this is bringing me down, so I'll stop writing for today. See me next week.

And You're Not Gonna Reach My Internet

    I know I was supposed to talk more about my store's anniversary, but something came up yesterday, so expect more on my store next week. 

    When I arrived home yesterday evening, I did my usual routine. I put away my stuff, turned on the television, and began to play a game on one of my phones. It was the one without a SIM card that I only use for games and storing a few pics and videos. However, when I started to play, I got a notification that there was no internet signal. That's when I noticed that the lights for the internet were not blinking on the modem. Now, I also get cable television and telephone service through the internet as well, but they weren't being affected. In fact, they were working perfectly. I could even use the landline to call someone to see if they had internet service. They did, although it had went off for a while earlier in the day. We also called the provider to see if they had any idea what was happening. All we got was a recorded message saying that there were outages in the area near us. We couldn't contact a living person at that time. 

    We tried to call later on that night. This time, we got a different message, but nothing more about any outages. I was getting suspicious about what was happening. Since we had the other services, we should have had internet as well. Now, I could've tried my iPhone, but I have almost no bars in at home.  It is a cellular dead zone. I tried unplugging the modem, for up to a minute, to see if that would reset anything on my end. Nothing happened, but the television was unaffected. I would later get onto my MacBook to see if there were any nearby wifi spots. Instead of the usual list of mostly letter and numbers,  there were a bunch of names listing wifi spots, some I recognized as neighbors.  This included one under the name of the account for my place.

    And it was close enough to be in the house with me.

    I immediately thought that the provider had somehow installed a new modem for us outside when the put in new lines, or something to that effect. I had seen workers practically everywhere lately installing new equipment. As an experiment, I tried to join the wifi using the old password.  Didn't work. We were going to call one last time before going to bed, but we put it off too long to do so.  I went to bed without being able to go online. Well, for a few minutes. I remembered a shortly thereafter that I forgot to clear the online history, like a normally do every other day or so. I went back to my computer, still without internet, and cleared the history. 

    This morning, the internet was still out, but we still had cable and phone. We waited to eight to call some more people to see if they had any problems. They didn't. So, we phoned the provider again and reached a real person. While I started to get ready for work, someone else stayed on the line. The provider gave them a runaround, moving from servicing to billing to help.  I had to put some clothes back on multiple times to rush back to the phone to help out. (Yes, I was partially naked at times. Try not to picture that.  Unless you really, really want to.  No judging.)  Finally, after almost an hour, we came to a solution.

    When the provider switched over to the new lines, the old modem was renamed after the account and not the device any more. My devices no longer recognized the old modem under the new name, so they couldn't connect with it. We had to come up with a new password for the modem. After typing it in to join the network, everything worked perfectly.  My MacBook and phones connected easily. Of course, I was now an hour behind schedule, and I would open the store a half hour late. At least we didn't have to pay more for a new box or try to schedule an appointment for a worker to com in to install something. I also found out that the modem will work even when not all the lights are on. I just hope that the internet is still working when I get home tonight.

Twenty-Five Years and Stop Counting

    First, the good news.  Next week marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of my store, Booknotes.  Bad news.  It might be the last anniversary the store ever has, at least in its current location. It has all but been confirmed that Pikeville Medical Center has bought out the shopping center where my store is located.  No public announcement has been made, but enough people in the know have been saying things, including some board members.  The sale is still being finalized, it seems, but no one on either side is allowed to say much yet.

    There is much conjecture about why the hospital wants the center.  At first, it was believed that they wanted the space where the Super Dollar Food Center is as a day care center for the staff and patients. That was quickly shot down, as the hospital tried that once before, and it did not go so well.  Another prevailing thought is that it is going to be used as the new warehouse center for the hospital, as the current one is fairly far away from the main campus. If they go this route, they might be taking over the unit of the fun zone next door to the discount food store.

    As to the rest of the shopping center, no one knows. Most of the units, including mine, are being rented on a month-to-month basis. The majority of the tenants here are service oriented, including some that also have a retail side.  The remainder of the tenants have multi-year leases, including the fun zone above who may have renewed their lease while negotiations were going on. There is also a church in the center. (It took over a unit vacated by a dialysis clinic. This center has had an unusual history.) I have no idea about their agreement.  However, the hospital has had some court cases involving churches in the past, mostly about where the property of one encloses in on that of another. 

    The hospital might want the rest of the center to become some sort of off-site medical center. They already have an emergency care center away from the main campus, but who knows what else they could put here. Possibilities include a scrub store, but any such idea is pure rumor.  The only current tenant who would be safe would be the dental office, as they already have connections with the hospital. Considering that the shopping center already has multiple empty units, some going back well over a year, the hospital wouldn't need to buy the entire center to achieve some of these goals.

    Supposedly, the hospital has to give notice about major changes to the current tenants, such as if they want us to leave. I don't have a good guess about the amount of time that could be given, but it seems to range from one to three months, and possibly up to six months. Regardless, I have already been looking for a new location. Because of the flood from earlier this year, there really isn't anything available around Pikeville.  Prestonsburg might be an option, but finding somewhere within my price range for rent and lots of parking (a major sticking point for my mother) isn't easy. Other tenants are looking for new places as well, but the Food Center appears to be going out of business permanently. There doesn't appear to be any place it could move to.

    Things are developing quite rapidly, so I hope to have more information next week.

How Can You Crush Jelly Anyway

    It's the final summary of my Candy Crush compendium.  This time the focus is on Candy Crush Jelly.  Of the three games, it is the one I have really played the least, as it has the most differences between the three games.  First, it only has three modes, although with two versions of each.  There is the normal challenge mode as well as a competitive mode against a computer-controlled character for each of the three. Next, there are much fewer tools available.  Many of the ones I heavily rely on in the other two games are pretty much absent here. Sure, one or two have been available for free, but for the majority of the time, they are locked behind a paywall. Therefore, I have to rely on the boosters that are free each day.

    That is a hallmark of this game.  For every consecutive day you log in, you get one in a cycle of bonuses that last two hours.  On the first day, you get nothing.  By the seventh and last day, you get two bonuses running at the same time.  I try very hard to advance as much as I can on that day.  Then, the cycle repeats. I must admit that I have missed days over the years, due to such things as a three day power outage and the death of my first MacBook. Still, I've managed to maintain my streak for the most part, even when an unexpected refresh has ruined my chances for utilizing these daily power-ups.

    To get the most out of these bonuses, I have developed a unique playing style. First, I log in for the day about the same time each day, so I can make sure the bonuses are steady. This doesn't really matter much on the first day, but it is crucial for the others. Next, I play until I am down to just two lives.  Depending on the difficulty, this can take a little as three tries on one level or beating up to four or more levels at one go. Then, I stop. Each life takes thirty minutes to refresh. I wait the ninety minutes for those lives to come back before I start playing again. I usually have just under thirty minutes left on the bonuses by the time I start back, depending upon how much I have to do in the ninety minute waiting time. This is usually enough time to fully enjoy playing before the daily bonus expires. Sometimes, the lives are used up before the bonus is over.  At other times, the opposite happens, and the bonus ends just before I run out of lives.  While it sucks to have to stop playing early, it also helps me to limit my playing time overall. (On the day without any bonuses, I usually just play one level.  If I lose, I'm done for the day. If I win, I might play one more level, but I usually stop after just one.)

    And that's all for my Candy Crush collection. Next week I'll be talking about something completely different. 

When the Candy Won't Stop Crushing You

    This week, I am continuing the Candy Crush discussion with the original game. As I mentioned last time, I have only played the game through Facebook; never on a mobile device. This has caused me to develop an unusual playing style over the years. When I first started the game, I didn't have my own computer. As such, I couldn't play regularly, and when I did, I needed to get as much out of the game as I possibly could. That's when I discovered a glitch. If I was losing a match, I could simply leave the game before it ended by switching to another page on Facebook.  Usually, it was the home page, but I remember maybe starting a different game instead. I would then return to Candy Crush. For some reason, the game would think I was just starting it for the first time that day. My life total would be full, and the daily bonus for just logging in would trigger again. Since I couldn't play on a daily basis back then, not getting beyond the first day of bonuses didn't matter much.  However, it did allow me to play well more than through five lives without having to worry about waiting for the lives to refresh.

    I continued doing this after I finally got my own computer, as the glitch worked on it as well.  On the down side, it meant that I would never get beyond the first day (or second if I was playing around the reset time, which was around eight back then) of bonuses. On the positive side, I was racking up hundreds of the basic bonus, which was an extra striped and wrapped candy that I could put on the board before the start of a match. I think I wound up with over a thousand of these benefits before the game started to get updated. 

    Most of these updates didn't seem to be much of a big deal, until I realized that the glitch was no longer working.  I almost lost out on a lot of wins before I found out. I began having to use extra bonus pieces for most matches.  At least the game now had winning streak bonuses giving free bonus pieces at the start of a match. I was soon on great winning streaks, as more and more features were added, and as game modes and other bonuses were removed. As this was happening, I missed one subtle change. Originally, the game would list how many of the bonus pieces one had available at the start of a match.  The exact number. In the updated game, the total would still be shown in the inventory screen, but the pre-match screen would only list the exact total if it was under ninety-nine.  Otherwise, it just shows 99+. I wasn't paying attention to these totals for a long time, and my stash of hundreds fell to around seventy-eight before I noticed.

    I started to watch my resources more carefully after that. However, all of the changes began to really hurt my playing style.  I went from almost having to take a break from the game because I had almost caught up to the new levels being released, to barely playing once a day if I was having trouble with a level. What's worse is that some of the newest features only show up if I refresh the game while in the middle of a playing session. This sometimes happens without me doing anything as my browser sometimes refreshes itself for no reason. (My Safari app got messed up in an update last year, and further updates haven't always helped it.) This wouldn't be a problem, except one glitch still remains. If I leave a match before it is over, say to go to a different page on Facebook, my winning streak remains where it was.  This allows me to keep a rather large set of bonuses going at the start of a match, as well as getting other bonuses at set times. If I continue playing though, after one of these resets, the winning streak disappears, but I can now access the newest features. I have to close out the browser now before playing again, or I lose the winning streak bonuses. This is too much work just to play one game for a longer session, so I usually just play once or twice a day now, until I lose or a page refreshes.

    I hate not being able to get as much out of the game as I used to.  I can spend days just trying to beat one level now. I can't win often enough to qualify for special competitions. I miss out on so many special events just so I can keep up bonuses just to play.  It is almost just going through the motions right now instead of being fun. If the right set of bonuses come up though, the game is almost the same again. Just enough so that I can have a little more fun.

When the Candy Starts Crushing You

    Like many people, my first encounter with Candy Crush was on Facebook.  It took me a few tries before I really started to get into it, but it since become a daily fixation between the three games that are currently available. Sure, now that I have a phone, I could start playing on it instead, but I already have a game on my phone that takes up too much time that I don't want another one. Now, there are three Candy Crush games on Facebook, plus two others that are not. These two I could start on my phone, but one is basically a version of solitaire, so that one is a definite no-go. Still unsure about the other. 

    For those who do not know much about the series, the goal is to combine three or more identical pieces of candy to clear them off the board to accomplish one or more goals for the level. These goals have evolved and changed over the years, but the main mechanic of connecting candy pieces remains the same. Candies drop from the 'top' of the board, depending on where the top is. Depending on the goals, one has to clear the candies to get to finish the level. There are special candies and other tools that can help finish a level. In the earlier days of the game, the goals were simply get enough points or finish the game within a certain time limit. However, with each new game and update,  these challenges get more difficult.                 

      In particular, it is the second game in this series, Candy Crush Soda, that has been holding my interest lately. Of the three games, this is the one that has the most different game modes as well as the most unique features not found in the other games. The main mechanic is the soda element found on many levels that allow candies to enter the field in directions other than just straight down. This changes how one would normally play the game. While I originally played this game whenever I could, I got into the habit of playing it first thing in the morning when I opened Facebook. As the game updated, new features and mechanics were added. At first, I enjoyed such things, as they were usually added things for my benefit.

    Then, somehow, the features disappeared. I'm not really sure if it was just the Facebook version of the game the was affected or if it was because they got hidden behind a higher level or paywall type situation or whatever. All I knew was the game became much harder without these extra benefits. It would take me many tries to complete levels now. Just last fall, I was stuck on one level for weeks until I was lucky enough to use the right combination of starting candies to break free. Unfortunately, I spend almost all of my in game resources to do so, leaving just enough special candies in reserve in case I had another level I couldn't easily crack. Still, I was barely playing the game.

    Last month, something happened. I lost the first level I played that morning. Afterwards, I got an offer for either some free bonus candies or unlimited use of a certain candy at the start of match for a certain length of time. I chose the latter, and it made the level a little easier. Anyway, I decided to play Candy Crush Soda Saga again later one that day, as that bonus would still be in effect. I played, and lost, a level, and I got another offer for either free candies or unlimited use at the start. This glitch kept happening to me whenever I started a game session.  I'm thinking I should have only gotten one bonus per day, but I somehow was able to get multiples. I think it has something to do with my messed up Safari web browser. Last year, during an update, the browser got compromised. Safari became unusable. Further updates 'fixed' the problem, but it still takes a few seconds to either start or sign off from and I have to make a run-around to get things to work. It also makes random page updates due to "issues" with power fluctuations. I have lost many games due to such refreshes. Strangely enough, these updates rarely occur when I'm streaming videos or with general web browsing.

    Anyway, I started to make great headway in the game, after flailing for so long. I even somehow got all five possible bonuses going at once for many levels. I would even get offers for a choice between a special breaker tool or in-game gold to buy back a life. I soon had over a hundred for each bonus candy, over a hundred gold bars, and a lease one of each special breaker tool from winning so much. I was milking the game for all it was worth. Then, last week, the bonuses ended. It must have been just a month-long promotion or something. I kept forgetting to check on what was happening on social media. Now, I have to play the game on 'normal' mode again as the last of the multi-day bonuses end later on today. Yes, I managed to rack up over seven days of one bonus before the offers ended, and it was the special candy that was the last of the offers to show up during the start of the cycle.

    I'll probably go back to playing this game only in the mornings again soon, but at I least I was having fun playing it again. I have totally different, but related problems with the other two games, but that is a topic for a later post. Maybe even next week. 

Skeletons Coming out of the Closet

    About two weeks ago, a house I drive by every day put up their new giant skeleton to go along with their Sasquatch silhouette that they have had up since last September. The silhouette has small lights along its outline whose color can change. For Christmas, the lights were red. The silhouette stayed up until this spring, but it was still seen standing against the house. Yes, this house kept a Halloween decoration visible all year long. Now, they also have this giant skeleton that can barely fit in their small yard. First, where do people buy giant skeletons this time of year? It is kind of early for stores to start selling this type a thing.  Or not. Barely a day or two later, I saw Halloween candy and decor out in stores. In late August. That is way too soon for such things. Any chocolate candy could melt if another heat wave pops up. In general, any candy bought now might not survive through October to be handed out on Halloween. Second, why are people putting up Halloween decorations before Labor Day?  

    For the past few years, people have been starting to put up their Halloween decorations earlier and earlier. This house with the giant skeleton hasn't been the only one with their decorations up.  Other houses started putting up theirs about the same time.  Sure, some have just decided to put up basic fall decor, but others have gone all out so very early. I've seen pumpkins, of course, but there are also giant inflatables too. How much power is it going to take to keep these things running for over two months? 

    And those were just the people who just put their stuff out recently. Some have had things up all year long, like that Sasquatch in the first paragraph. I guess if you spend hundreds of dollars on a giant skeleton, you want to get as much use out of it as possible. One house put garlands on their pari of skeletons for Christmas. (They kept those up until quite recently.  The people may have moved in the last few weeks.) This past summer, on a trip to Lexington, I saw a giant skeleton dressed up like the Statue of Liberty for Independence Day. Not to be outdone, one local house that always has a huge tableaux for Halloween, kept a pair of regular skeletons up all year long, sitting on a bench.  They were dressed up as Santa and an elf for Christmas. Since June, they have been in patriotic headgear. There's even a teensy little skeleton hanging out in the garden behind the bench, but it doesn't get dressed up. (This house also has a bevy of mannequins they dress up. This summer, they have had a pair by the front porch since Easter or so.  Just regularly dressed, no particular holiday.)

    As of the day I write this post, I haven't yet put up the fall decorations for my store.  I have taken down the spring/summer decor and brought out all the orange for autumn. This afternoon, I will probably start putting this stuff up. Some of it is technically just for Halloween, but I usually hide those aspects by placing those decorations backwards until October. I want to get the most of my decorations too, after all.

Has It Really Been Two Years?

    It's a little early, but I'm giving my opinions on what the number song of the year could be. Sure, HUNTR/X could pull off a fast one and end up having "Golden" do something spectacular, but I believe that these three songs are the only real contenders. First, there is "Ordinary" by Alex Warren. The song has been number one for the most weeks this year. However, it debuted much later than the other two songs, so it lacks the longevity that most year-end number ones need. Next is "Luther" by Kendrick Lemar and SZA. The song is based on a Luther Vandross song that itself was a cover of another song. In fact, a sample of Vandross is used on the track. It spent many weeks at number one, and it was on the charts for a fairly long time. Finally, there is "Die with a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. It first debuted last August to qualify for the Grammys, where it did wind up winning an award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group. It took a few weeks to reach number one, which it finally did after the holiday song glut broke. In fact, it is still in the top twenty as of this week, a year after it first came out. In my personal opinion, this song has the best chance to take the top spot.

    "Die with a Smile" is not the only song that has been on the charts for a long time.  Two other songs that are older are also still doing quite well. First is "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozy. It debuted in the spring of 2024 and, aside for a few weeks last fall during the Christmas blitz, had been in the top ten until this week. It has been on the charts for so long that only this week has the follow-up, "Good News," has finally overtaken it on the charts. It debuted last summer.

    However, no song has been on the charts as long as "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims.  It debuted all the way back in August 2023. It reached number one in the spring of 2024.  It got knocked off the charts last fall due to various rules.  Specifically, songs that have been on the charts over twenty weeks and would no longer place in the top half of the charts are no longer listed. The Christmas rush pushed the song below the top fifty, removing it from the charts.  However, it got re-listed back in January, where it pushed back into the top ten.  It is still in the top ten now, two years after it first charted! Of course, it easily holds the record for most weeks on the Top 100 chart.

    This is the third time since 2020 that this record has been broken.  First, it was "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd. Then "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals beat it out by a few weeks, only for Swims to take the record this summer. "Lose Control" has been on the charts for so long that it has outlasted not one, but both the follow-ups that came out later. (By the way, I like both "The Door" and "Bad Dreams" a little more than "Lose Control.")  I put the blame on streaming. Back in the days when radio airplay and physical single sales determined the charts, even the best songs rarely spent more than twenty weeks total on the charts on their initial runs. Now, streamed listenings over various platforms are the biggest factors for success. Since there are no limits to how much a song can be streamed, totals can keep adding up. This can make it harder for newer songs to find an audience, but it can keep an older song popular well past its original, natural ending. 

    Personally, I feel that songs will soon be forced off the charts after a certain date. I've never streamed music, and I don't plan on doing it in the near future. Streaming just skews the metrics of popularity too much to have so much power over the charts. Now, if I only could hear "Golden" on local radio.

Pop Goes the Pawpaw

    I have been waiting for two new limited-edition flavors of pop to come out for a while now. About two weeks ago, they both hit the shelves.  However, I have yet to try either one of them.  There are a few reasons why, but they are pretty significant.

    First is the first ever limited-edition flavor from A & W, Ice Cream Sundae. This one was announced late last year.  Why do so that early? No idea, but it is now out. The reviews I've seen online suggest that it is based on root beer. I would have thought that the cream soda flavor would be a better base, but the reviewer could be wrong.  The predominant flavor is chocolate, with at least one reviewer comparing it to a chocolate soda. Another one suggested that there were hints of cherry, but mostly in the background. One reviewer actually added creamer to his drink to get a more traditional sundae flavor.  Now, I'm sorry, but I hate this 'dirty soda' trend of mixing other beverages into your pop. That is the main reason why I hated Pepsi's Wild Cherry and Cream flavor from earlier this year.  Too much of a dairy flavor and not enough vanilla.  While individual bottles are out there, no local store I have visited so far seems to carry them. These first reviews kind of turns me off to try a full carton of twelve, mainly because I don't really like too many chocolate-flavored things.  For instance, I couldn't stand chocolate milk or chocolate ice cream when I was a kid.  Still don't think I'll like it, although I haven't had either one in a very long time. Even a six-pack of larger bottles might be too much of an investment if I don't like them.  Still, I will be searching.

    The second pop is the latest limited-edition flavor from Ale-8-One, a regional beverage company here in Kentucky.  Now, I've never had any of their products, from the original ginger ale through all of their newer varieties--from cherry to their other limited-edition from this year straw(berry-water)melon. However, their current one intrigues me.  It's pawpaw. That's right, America's very own 'exotic' fruit. Almost no one outside of the Appalachians has ever tried this cousin of the tropical custard apple. Oh, there have been attempts to cultivate the fruit tree, but the actual pawpaw is so far too delicate for widespread shipping, especially since in can look disgusting when fully ripe. Somehow, with help from Kentucky State University, Ale-8-One has managed to capture the flavor of a pawpaw in a pop. Unlike most of their products, this one is shipping in cartons of four instead of the typical six.  All glass bottles. While the original ginger ale is sometimes available in plastic bottles, this variety doesn't. I've looked for individuals, but almost no one carries a wide variety of glass bottles. So, I will have to but them buy the carton, if I can still find them.  Almost all of the first batch has sold out, if not completely, by now.

    This is a shame, because I used to love pawpaws when I was a kid. One of my great aunts had a tree in her yard. I would get a selection of them after older relatives had their share. The tree stopped bearing fruit while I was still young, so other relatives and friends would search the woods each fall to help me get my fix on the fruit. However, by my late teens, I had turned off of pawpaws. My picky eating habits didn't like the fact that the fruit had to turn dark brown or black before being ripe. Having people I didn't really like bring them in didn't help either.  Finally, I was starting to get a rash if I peeled my own fruit by hand, a fairly common disturbance. Swallowing the entire whole seed while trying to get all the flesh off didn't help either. At least they aren't poisonous like the seed of the custard apple. It's been so long now that no one who used to hunt pawpaws for me are still around, even if I did want to try one. This Ale-8-One might be my last best chance to relive this part of my childhood. I just have to find a bottle opener.

Updating Updated Updates Again

    This week, I'll be updating a few things that I've been discussing these past few weeks.  Again.  I have to  say, there has been so much going on, that I just have to keep updating things until everything is caught up. 

    First up, my car. I finally took it in for yet another evaluation. This dealership identified the problem almost immediately. My tires have very uneven wear, causing them to bounce and rotate, making the noises I've been hearing.  Considering the local road conditions, it was hard to tell exactly what had been wrong. I mean, I drive over so many roads in need of repaving, as well as very curvy ones, it would be hard to tell what problems came from my car and which were due to the roads. The problem can easily be fixed by replacing them.  While I should have them replaced as soon as possible, I could get a rebate on new tires if I wait until October.  This would put problems on my plans for shopping trips to search for missing comics. Still, I will see what they say when I take my car in for an oil change in two weeks.  We have a theory as to why the previous dealership couldn't determine this simple cause sooner. Like two of my cars, this one came from the waning years of the model before it was discontinued. While not from the very last model year, it was the last one that didn't have the stop-and-go gas-saving feature most new cars now have. (The mechanic said that this feature can now be turned off and on in some newer vehicles.) We were thinking that someone really wanted my old car, and that is why the other dealership was pushing so hard for me to sell my car. So, it looks like I might not need a new car for a while longer.

    [As a corollary to above, I received a free trial for SiriusXM from one of my other recent trips to the first dealership. We tried to activate it Monday by phone call. The person on the other end of the line was so pushy into trying to start a full subscription, as well as having a hard to understand accent. For some reason, the trial wasn't activated. I kept checking for it on the evening drive Monday and the Tuesday morning drive, but nothing. On Tuesday, Sirius emailed us a feedback survey to fill out.  They received a very low rating. They sent out a second email late Tuesday, after they failed to reach us via telephone. (We had used my store's landline for reference.  They called about an hour after it closed for the day.) We finally called back this morning, and the three-month free trial has finally started. I'll now have it until just before the partial trial starts for Thanksgiving.]

    Speaking of comic books, that is the second topic. My latest email was finally read last Wednesday afternoon.  Apparently, the manager doesn't work on weekends.  Or Mondays and Tuesdays, which I was somewhat certain they were open on.  Anyway, the delay caused me to miss out on one of my books for July, but I was able to order the other fifteen. I was expecting them to be delivered this past Saturday, but they didn't arrive until 4:00 pm Monday. I'm not sure why the longer wait this time around, but for brief period of time, I was only down single digits of comic books. As of today, that number has jumped to ten, plus a special I might want that I didn't realize was coming out this week. If I'm lucky, I might be able to get my missing July comic when I go on my late summer shopping trips.  If they aren't delayed too long. One of my older titles will be out in the trade collection later this month, and I've already placed an order for it through my store.  The other two older ones won't be out until November, but I'm ready for them. I'm thinking about placing my first August order from the Lexington store next week, as they seem to go faster.  We'll see. Page 3 Game Zone has still not fully reopened, but their Facebook page suggests that it will be soon. No word on comics yet from them, but I am waiting. Still waiting.

The Mystery of the Disappearing Shopping Center

    When Page 3 Game Zone, my local comic book shop, got devastated by the February floods, I almost volunteered my store as a possible pick-up point for them. I could have set up something for people to pick up their regular orders and possibly have some of other products as well.  If not that, then maybe set up some temporary storefront at my shopping center. We had a lot of empty units, with another one opening up soon after.  I shot this idea down, as I feared it would come off as selfish and greedy. Still, I mentioned that my store could help out in a comment on their Facebook page.  [In some respects, maybe I should have went down in that direction. In the past five months, I have had to go through four different stores, in three different states, just to get all but three of my books up through June. I'm still trying to get the sixteen titles for July through one online store, but I'm having problems contacting them about confirming my order. Hopefully, Page 3 will start their comic book shipments back soon before I have to start ordering too many from my August pull.]

    Strangely enough, no one ever came to rent any units at the shopping center, even though it had some of the few spots available in the area.  What was even stranger is that the center took down all of the 'for rent' signs down sometime, and I never noticed.  I walked by some of them every day, but I guess I just took them for granted and missed when they were taken down. We heard that at least one possible tenant called about renting, but they were told that the units were going to be remodeled. This was odd, as the renters were usually the ones who did the remodeling.  Even when major changes had to be made, such as removing asbestos, it was the renters who did it, not the center. Some people thought that the center was leaving units empty as a tax benefit. The center would get a bigger tax break from empty units, rather than from renting them out. Maybe, but it sounded off. We even asked to take some leftover fixtures that were left behind some of the units, but the center has yet to have someone come to help us out with this. 

    Well, last month, the regional manager for the center came by with a photographer to take pictures of the units. I immediately was against them doing this, but I got overruled. They took pictures of at least a part of each unit.  (They may have bypassed the church, as there was a visitation/funeral going on.  Yes, there is a church in the center.  For those who know, it took over the dialysis clinic's spot.) At least a few people believed/were told it was for 'insurance' purposes. However, one renter knew the photographer from one of the local realty companies. Sure enough, I helped compare pics of him, and it did look like the photographer. Now, an insurance company would most likely use their own people for this sort of task, not a realtor. Something seemed up.

    The rumors had been running for well over a year that the center was going to be put up for sale, most likely to the local hospital or university. There was no clear reason why either would want a shopping center, especially one so far away from downtown where most of their properties were located. Now, the current owner of the center is not the same one who built it. The current owner is the parent company behind Food City.  They bought the center about the same time that Food City took over the Piggly Wiggly that was originally here. The original store was torn down and rebuilt to the current building, now home to the company's discount grocery chain, Food Center Super Dollar (a combination of their original store and a second one they bought out).  While it is unlikely the main store would be sold, nothing else is out of the question, including the church. Both potential buyers have shown that nothing like that would stop them, if they really wanted to go that far.

    This October 7 will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of my store, Booknotes. Now, there is a chance that I will have to move or even close if these rumors turn out to be true. I might not even make it to October, but that is a long shot.  Of course, I could be exaggerating the facts due to a lack of knowledge, but one has to plan for the worse case scenario. I only got this location due to the cheap rent and large amount of parking. I wasn't even planning on keeping the store open for more than a few years, but the 2003 flood messed up all of my plans, and I still haven't been able to fully recover. I hate not knowing enough to know what to do, but something is going to happen soon. I just can't figure out what.

Car Zero Five, Where Are You?

    A few weeks ago, I started noticing a sound coming from my car.  It wasn't constant. It would come and go, get louder and softer, and sometimes blend in with the normal car noises. It would sometimes come with a vibration. I finally had the car taken in for the day at the dealership. While they could hear the noise, they couldn't pinpoint what exactly was causing it, which must have been difficult since I only heard the noise while the car was running and moving while giving it the gas. The best they could do was suggest that a part was slowly deteriorating and would need to be replaced at a certain time. Well, I got into contact with a mechanic friend of my mom's. Turns out, we didn't give them all of the correct information when the car was taken in. The mechanic suggested that something happened when the tires were last rotated, just before I started noticing the sound. We took the car into a tire shop and had the tires rotated back. The sound was still there, only more towards the front of the vehicle instead of the rear. We contacted the dealership again, and they had a slightly different suggestion of what was wrong. Something a little more serious that would be more expensive, almost up to the point where it might be easier to just buy a new car and let someone else deal with my old one. Well, we ultimately called the dealer who initially sold us the car, and he felt that that might not be the problem. We scheduled yet another appointment to check the car a yet another dealership, as we heard some bad things about the tire shop whenever they dealt with non-tire issues. After that appointment next week, we'll see what's up and maybe take it back to the dealership where I first got the car and get a final assessment.

    In the interim, I'm starting to look for a new car in a worst-case scenario.  I have three primary criteria in a new car.  First, it can't be an EV. Now, I'm all for supporting the environment, but electric vehicles just don't have the same output as traditional ones. They are also blocky, bulky, and usually ugly. Also, I really don't have any accessible outdoor electrical outlets at the place I'm renting. Even if I did, I park in a lot across the street.  While there are outlets at the center where my store is, the place is older than me. I would have major compatibility issues. Besides, I might not be staying at either place much longer, but those are topics for future posts.

    Second, no SUVs or trucks. I don't have to transport large numbers of people or heavy loads. The heaviest thing I usually take is myself at around 170 pounds. I don't need all that space or power. Furthermore, my mother is not only a frequent passenger, but she also drives my car at times. I'm over eight inches taller than she is. (I can't tell you how many times that I have bumped my head or knees all because she forgot to move the seat back.) She would have a hard time getting into most SUVs, and an even harder time trying to drive one.  Forget about trucks; they would be even worse on her.

    Finally, I want an American automaker. While foreign models are well-made, they just aren't for me. My mom had ones for well over fifteen years, and I hated it. While it didn't have too many problems in that time, most notably the mouse incident, I never felt right in it either as a passenger or driver. In fact, all four of my previous cars have been a GM. Three Chevrolets and one Oldsmobile. I would love to keep the streak going. Only after these three criteria are met will I start narrowing down the details of what I really want.

    Unfortunately, the only car that any of the GM brands make that fits is the Chevy Corvette. Even if I cold afford one, my mom would never let me have one. The only one that Ford makes is the Mustang, and my mom doesn't like that one either. While I haven't checked too much into the other domestic automakers, things aren't looking that good. Sure, GM has some 'small SUVs' that almost could work, but they are really just redesigned station wagons. I will not compromise in getting a new car, but it looks like that is what I might have to do. I noticed this six years ago when I first started searching for my current car, my second Impala in a row. Trends were moving away from the styles I liked, and into styles that I would never get. I would almost prefer fixing my car, even without the guarantees and warranties that the repairs would last, just so I wouldn't have to get something I hate. It's not fair that the only cars being made for the majority market are from foreign brands or an EV that is practically useless for my lifestyle. These trends might change, but not soon enough for my benefit.

Further Obstacles in My Comic Book Crisis

    Time for another update in my ongoing attempts to find all of the comic book issues I've been missing out on since February, due to my regular comic book store being closed due to the flooding. After cutting my number of missing books in half after ordering from on online store based in Lexington, I began searching for another store to look into. [Note:  If I had had my way, I probably would've gotten all of my books, if not for someone's interference.] The easiest solution was to check out to only store that didn't get affected by the floods.  It wasn't the type of place I wanted to go to, but it was nearby. While they had a lot of comic books, they were mostly very, very old.  The few newer books they had were all from publishers I don't collect. The place was a bust.

    Since previous stores I have gone to wouldn't have gotten the older material back and taking the day off to travel hours to a new store just in case they had what I was looking for wouldn't be feasible, I began searching for online stores to shop from. I limited my search to those in state to make it easier to calculate things like sales tax and shipping costs. I quickly found one in Louisville that looked promising. It had been around for a long time, a large online store, and a secondary location. Between their two locations, I was able to find every issue I was missing, in some form. Some were available in both places, but in different variants. Some were only found at one location, and not in the least expensive form. One issue was only available in a variant over twice as expensive as the regular cover. Still, I went over each store's selection and made out a list. Whenever possible, I would get the cheaper version. While this would mean two separate orders, it would make my total costs slightly lower than just getting almost everything at one spot, with only one or two from the other.

    After double checking my lists, I started the order with the secondary location in Florence. As soon as I clicked the first issue, I was instructed to start an account. No big deal. It took a few tries getting, as my computer kept messing up the password memorization process, but I persevered. I continued my order and went to checkout. Typed in my address and card information, no big deal. I was finishing up when I came to shipping options. I was given the choice of pickup in store, and nothing else. Now, in my research, I confirmed that they did ship throughout the country, but even after I went further into checkout, I wasn't given the option. I logged out, without continuing or even closing out my cart. 

    When reading the welcoming email a little later, I found out the bad news. The stores were moving their inventory to a new online sales portal, so shipping would be halted for the moment. I have the worse timing. Fortunately, the email mentioned the possibility of shipping. I replied to them about my situation and some questions about how to order. They responded somewhat quickly. It turns out that the Louisville location was actually the satellite store, with Florence being the primary one, and that Louisville doesn't really handle shipping. The Florence store does pick up product every few weeks, though.  Since one of my titles was only found there, this was encouraging. All I had to do was send in my list. Easy enough, I just had to include which variants I would find acceptable. Next, my shipping address.  Sure thing, my store as I have to delivery to my place and PO Boxes were a hassle to pick up from, if even acceptable. Finally, I would need the email address associated with my PayPal account.

    Now, I do have a PayPal account. I had to set one up to place some order years ago. However, I never set it up with my bank accounts, just my rechargeable debit card. Part of it is safety reasons, another is laziness. Since my card has only a limited amount of money on it, I would need to now the total costs before giving them that information. I emailed them this, along with my list of comics, with a note about how one was only found at Louisville.  I emailed them again when I realized I forgot my address. The next day, I sent them a final email, with my notes, a final list with one extra title, and my store's address. They haven't responded to my emails yet. Now, they are closed on Sundays and Mondays, (I've found that many comic books stores, and even book stores, are closed on Mondays. Never felt like this was a thing, as none of the places I've been to were ever closed on Mondays. Definitely nothing around here, including my own book store.) so they might need some more time, but I'm getting restless.

    As of right now, I'm prepared to give up on Florence, but I would be unsure of what to do next.  The only other online comic book store I've found in Kentucky so far is in Owensboro. That's a little further away than I was planning on going. I can always try the Lexington store again, but they would only have the most recent books, as I've already gotten the older ones there. I'm thinking about going back to Wise on morning, but that might be another week or two away. Page 3 GameZone is getting closer to opening.  They've already started getting in product, but not comics yet. I can't be sure if they will get back the comics they previously ordered for February and March. (They hadn't had time to order anything for April or beyond before the flood.) They might be able to get those comics back; they might not. The odds are higher for more recent comics that just came out though, so I might have a shot at those. The first trade paperback collections start coming out next month. I hate having to pay so much for just one or two comics I hadn't read yet, plus a bunch I already had, even at the wholesale rates I get for having a store.  I've done it before, though, whenever I missed a comic. I just hope nothing happens to the store before I can get them all. (More on that in the coming weeks.)

    I just wish I knew something. I've got other things I want to buy, and I can't until I can just get one simple email. [An online store has been pestering me that I haven't bought anything lately, and they are running a massive sale this week. Other possible purchases as well.] The waiting is the worst part.