Oh, Pun Says Me

     In case you haven't noticed yet,  I use a lot of puns in my post titles.  Pretty much too many.  I can't help it.  I like writing, and I like games.  Put the two together, and you get quite a few groaners.  Or a rhyming word that begins with 'b.'  Hey, wordplay is my thing.  Before writing today's post, I looked back over all 300+ posts, including a few I hid, to make sure I hadn't used today's title in a previous post.  I hadn't, but I was surprised that I hadn't used such an easy and obvious pun before.  It's funny, for multiple meanings, that I chose to use this pun today.  Frankly, I'm running out of things to write about, so I'm forced to write about what I write about.  Boy, was that a self-referential sentence or what?  I noticed that a rather high percentage of my post have puns in their titles.  On the one hand, puns are an easy way out of coming up with a pertinent title, one with just the tiniest bit of humor to help set the mode of the entire post, even when the post isn't always so funny.  On the other hand, I've been forced to stretch the meaning of a pun so far, that the original source becomes lost.  Take today's title.  It's from 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.'  I'm afraid that some of puns get lost on some people because I take them too far.  Now, some may think that puns should go out very far to help make their point.  Others feel that using too many puns cheapen a work.  This is all accounting to a person's taste level.  Let's take a famous pun, that some literary critics still disagree about, from William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.  Some researchers claim that the pun in question doesn't really exist and that even if it does, it may not be as directly a pun as some say it is.  The line in question is from Act 2.   Scene 5.  Malvolio has just found a letter he believes comes from a woman he is smitten with.  However, it is actually a forgery committed by Malvolio's rivals Sir Andrew and Sir Toby (heh, heh) to get him into trouble.  In lines 89-90, Malvolio comments on certain letters that he feels confirms that the handwriting is that of his female love interest.  When taken together, along with a repeated reference later on, the lines suggest something rather lewd.  Some critics say that the wordplay involved is too convoluted to contribute to something so suggestive, even when other contemporary authors use similar puns.  As Twelfth Night is a comedy, I prefer to think that the wordplay was intentional, at least to some degree.  Now, it might not be as bad as some of the suggestions in The Decameron by Boccaccio, an influence on Shakespeare.  (Just look up the third day, tenth story.  Very funny, but quite lewd, even in most English translations.  Many of the stories are like that, so be warned.) Anyway, I just hope that my little excursions into puns can one day stand up with such great works.  Probably not, but I can dream.

The Game Is a Book

     I was expecting the new version of a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) to come in today, but because of the holiday shipping schedule, it won't be available for pick-up until tomorrow.  If it even comes in.  Now, some may be asking "Why didn't you order it through your book store?"  Good question.  The short answer is that the publisher stopped dealing with my distributor at the start of the year.  The long answer is very complicated and starts back in the mid-90s.  I was still suffering through my major panic attack/anxiety outbreak, when I decided to try new things.  One was an RPG system.  I had heard about it for a few years, and I finally broke down and starting buying some of the books before actually playing with other people (that part still hasn't happened, either in real life or online).  The system was reaching the height of its popularity.  While the individual lines shared the same 'universe,' as it was, the various games didn't always interact precisely.  While the main rules and a few systems were the same, others were not, to the point where the games couldn't really be played together.  Sure, you could try, but something had to suffer so that the games would work, either one game had to change a fundamental rule or an important aspect of the metaplot would have to be ignored.  Not much fun, but it could be done.  One of the reasons I decided to open a book store, when forced to start a business, was so I could get my books easier, and cheaper, than going through my local gaming store.  While they had a fairly good selection back then, they also had a spotty record of remembering all of my orders.  The fact that my main distributor at the start didn't work with that publisher forced some change, but I was still able to use a secondary distributor to get my books.  In 2003, the publisher realized that the games were not going to be able to work together, supplements were starting to just be updates on older material, and the hanging metaplot of overarching destruction needed to be dealt with.  Therefore, they decided to end all of their game lines the following year.  This really affected me, as I found this out a few months after I had lost about 75% of my books in a flood.  While I was able to get most of the core books and a few supplements, the thought of never being able to ever get full replacements weighed heavily on my.  Even the promise of a new, updated system barely helped.  This was also coupled with the publisher being bought out by a Scandinavian video game company (Iceland, I believe).  Well, the new game lines were still carried by my secondary distributor, as well as the new primary distributor I had to switch to when my original one went out of business.  This worked well for a few years, until some shipping hiccups began starting.  It was harder to get any books from my distributors, as well as having not a single order come in from the gaming store.  Turns out that the publisher was getting ready to switch to a print on demand (POD0 model, with the possibility of downloadable PDFs.  They were also sold to another video game company (Iceland, again). Since I didn't own a computer back then, this meant I was no longer able to get any more books.  As such, I basically lost interest in gaming.  I would occasionally look some news up online, but I barely followed such things anymore.  That's why I would miss out on the great deals on special anniversary editions of the original game line, featuring bonus deals on PDFs of older supplements and the possibility of new material as well.  I got my computer just after the last of the first anniversary editions Kickstarters had ended, so I missed out on everything that I would have liked the most to get.  However, I was able to purchase and download the PDFs of the new material.  (I couldn't afford the costs of getting physical copies.). Since then, I have participated in the Kickstarters for some new projects, getting some of the new PDFs as bonuses.  I was even able to get some older material as well for a discount.  Not as much as I would've liked, but a few things I would like.  I also found out that the original company was dissolved when it was purchased by a third Scandinavian video game company (country of origin unknown).  All of this new material was created by a new company created by some of the staff of the original company.  They still had to get permission from the current holders of the intellectual property (IP) though, for each new supplement, as well as the extras featuring older material.  Well, the video game company saw that there was a market for this material. So, they got a European TTRPG company to create a new version of the most popular game line, using the sensibilities that the company could use to cross-promote the IP in other formats.  This RPG company did so, to mixed results.  Many fans were thrilled that there was a new edition coming out, but they were sort of turned off by the many, many changes in the rules, systems, and even plotting.  This confusion was increased when an early version of a supplement was sent out featuring material a little bit too politically incorrect to stand.  Changes were made, but the company would soon loose the license.  Meanwhile, the video game company was forcing changes in some of the new material being made for the anniversary editions for the second company.  The second company would wind up making a few supplements for the new edition, to a much better received following.  However, they were not offered the license to take over the new edition of this game, or any others.  No, the video game company first went with one other RPG publisher, only to go with a second one for various reasons.  Things got a little dicey, when plans for the second game line's new edition got delayed for a different, less popular one.  This new edition sped through very fast.  This is the book I expected to get in today.  Early reviews from those who bought the early PDF suggest that it will not follow the original's basic design at all.  While it's not too bad, I fear it might not be that great either.  At least early criticism got the cover image changed to something a little better.  Anyway, for some reason, the RPG company has stopped doing business with my distributor.  This includes the reprinting of works made by the second company rebranded under the RPG's banner.  At least I was able to get one last supplement before it happened.  Again, reviews suggest that the book fell just a little short of being really good and reflective of what a sizable portion of the fanbase wanted. As such, I was lucky enough to be able to order this book from my local gaming store.  I don't know if they will receive it, but we'll see.  I'm not up to ordering directly from that company just yet, or trying to start having my store deal with them directly either.  Quality issues aside, I'm just glad I get to return to the things that helped me get through some hard times.

The Air That I Freeze

     Almost two weeks ago, my mother's air conditioner finally died, after over thirty years of service, give or take.  It was one of the few things that survived a flood from 2003.  Since that time, it had slowly started to fail.  The dial to the speed control broke, and it was replaced with the fan control dial.  The air quality intake broke, never to be used again.  The original store stopped selling the filters, so hacks were made.  Another dial broke, so the temperature dial would do double duty if something needed to be changed.  The post to the speed control started to act up, so the panel for the controls had to be removed, just so that the dial could be used to turn the thing on.  Finally, two weeks ago, there was a spark when the air conditioner was turned off, or at least a burst of light was seen.  Therefore, the search was begun in earnest for a new one.  The first few days of the search centered on the internet, specifically on sites for local stores.  Some of the best ones for the size and space needed were out of stock.  Considering that it was the weekend didn't help much either, as new shipments would be delayed.  At least there was a brief cold spell coming in, preventing the need for air conditioning for a few days.  Phone calls were made, both to stores and air conditioner professionals, for advice.  Finally, my mother made her choice based on all of the available information.  However, there was one problem.  The store that was settled on didn't have the right model in stock.  It seems that the person she talked to over the phone was mistaken on some points, particularly the price of the right model.  Well, my mother then went to another store, without mentioning to me what she was planning, and purchased a different model without asking me for my input.  She had used my car for the trip and had the new one placed in my trunk for me to remove when I drove her back home.  Yeah.  Now, the box clearly had a picture of having two people lifting it, yet I had to do it all by myself.  Now, I'm not really big, but I'm stronger than I look.  Still, I could just barely lift this thing that was probably around half my body weight and trudge over to the base of the porch steps.  Even with the straps on the box, there was no way I could easily lift that thing up those steps.  I had to place the box on each step between lifts.  Then, I just left it on the porch and scooted it over to the door and over the threshold, further dragging it across the floor to a spot where it was out of the way.  I am fortunate that the only problem I had was a tight, left forearm.  I could have seriously hurt myself.  Now, because it was so late, I was going to wait at least a day to remove the old air conditioner and put in the new one.  Well, my mother tore into the box the next morning to get the manual out to read before setting anything up.  I would have preferred she waited, but I started reading the thing after I got to the store.  Among the details found in the safety measures was a tidbit about how the air conditioner had to be the only device on the dedicated outlet. Now, the old one wasn't and couldn't be done that way, as the only window only had the one outlet and it he to be shared with other devices that also couldn't be moved.  This might explain why there had been some flickering with the lights whenever the old air conditioner was on.  Well, when the man that was going to take the old one away and help put up the new one came the next day, he confirmed that we couldn't put the new air conditioner there on that outlet without moving something, which was impossible.  However, in the clean up that preceded the installation that was now not happening, a second outlet was found.  This second outlet ran on a different wattage.  Neither the original nor the new air conditioner could work on it, but a older model that the man had could work on this second outlet, and he was willing to sell it to my mother for about half the price of the new one.  Well she took the offer, and he helped me lug the new one back to my car's trunk so it could be returned within the proper time frame.  The following, third night, we left work early so that we could meet the man to have his model installed.  My mother enlisted him to help clean the windows after the old one was removed and before the new one installed.  Some parts hadn't been touched since the air conditioner had first been put up.  The new model was put in, although its air filter was so old that it had deteriorated and workaround with a homemade filter was put in.  That first night, the new model worked, although a felt slightly sick at times that night.  Maybe I could detect a bad smell that no one else could.  Anyway, it hadn't been hot enough to try it since, so the long-range use still has to be worked out.  The old one was taken away and disposed of properly.  The cold always makes me feel better anyway.

Keep Running Up That Chart

     Recently, a certain song has been climbing up the music charts, a song from the 1980s.  I'm talking about "Running up That Hill (A Plan with God)" by Kate Bush.  The song's surge in popularity stems from its continued inclusion in the Netflix program Stranger Things.  Not only is the song appropriate to the setting of the show, but it is also seems to be an important plot point on multiple levels.  Now, I don't do most streaming, so I am not entirely familiar with the details of the show.  I know enough to know I might not like it, but I can't be positive. This surge has led the song to return to the charts, even entering the top five.  During the song's original run, it barely cracked the top forty.  I have even heard it a few times on my favorite radio station.  Maybe.  The reception and interference from various sources makes listening to that particular station troublesome.  I have mentioned this numerous times.  I have heard at least part of it just a few days ago on my way into work.  Considering this station frequently plays older songs, it is not that big of stretch to think that it wouldn't play "Running" as well.  I have actually heard the song, or at least a few seconds of it, much more frequently on SongPop lately.  It is a frequent clip on my "Anagrammed Artists" category, where she is listed as 'Skate Hub.'  I always think I'm listening to "Big Love" by Fleetwood Mac.  The two songs came out around the same time and share a similar percussion line.  I'm guessing that one of the reasons for this newfound popularity is that the song doesn't sound dated.  For example, a while back,  a video on TikTok of "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac (again) led the song to get back onto the charts, for about a week or two and only in the mid-teens.  "Dreams" was released in the 70s and sounds like it comes from that time.  "Running" was made int the 80s, but it sounds more contemporary.  It fits right into the current trends for pop/rock.  Whether this is due to many artists taking Kate Bush as an inspiration or to artists wanting a retro feel to the decade in general, I can't be sure.  Many artists have mentioned taking inspiration from the era, some to a greater success than others.  Just look at last year's top song "Levitating" by Dua Lipa.  The song, and the entire album it was on, was influenced by the late years of disco.  I admit, I bought the deluxe version of the album.  I like disco, at times.  Dance music in general.  I'm getting a similar vibe from "About Damn Time" from Lizzo. This song just knocked "Running" down a spot in the charts, and it may have a good chance of reaching number one.  Or at least it did until Drake dropped this year's album last week.  It will probably have a bunch of songs debut in the top ten, just like last year.  And just like last year, most will not have the staying power or crossover radio appeal to make a lasting dent in the yearly charts.   I won't go into my usual tirade about how the charts need to change their metrics in gauging this, but at least this has led to an old song making a comeback.  Now, how to get one of my favorite, older songs back on the charts to higher levels of popularity?

My Name Is His Name Too

     I've been steadily increasing my online presence over the past few years.  I have two active blogs, one of which you are reading now.  But, I hope you already knew that.  If you are reading this post without knowing about this blog, I have no idea how you are doing that.  Please tell me, as that might be a great service to mankind.  I have a YouTube channel.  Someone has actually subscribed to it.  I don't know how legitimate it is, but it happened.  People even commented on it.  Kind of.  It was more about talking to each other than about the clip.  I run my store's website.  It has minor updates every week, and larger ones about once a month.  I manage my store's Facebook page, where I duplicate some of the same content.  Hey, it saves time.  Okay, so I make mistakes.  Just yesterday, I forgot to publish the latest posts on my other blog, but I still included a link in some of my other posts.  In case you missed it, here is the correct link.  I'm going to have to include it on my page later on today just to prove that I did have this week's installment.  The one place where I haven't reached my fullest potential yet is on LinkedIn.  For the past few months, I've been cross-posting my YouTube videos there the day that they debut.  I have occasionally posted links to some of this blog's posts as well.  I keep thinking of posting links to my recent puzzles there as well, or possibly just post them separately, as some of my posts here aren't the best match for that site.  I keep trying to make connections, but so many of their suggestions are just not the best fit.  Well, a few weeks ago, I received a notification about a new invitation, from myself.  Specifically, another Toby Weingarten.  I guess I was a little freaked out, but I sort of knew who this man was.  See, a few years ago, I googled myself in a failed attempt to seek out family members on the side I knew nothing about.  The first results that came back were for this man, at least those for people still living.  I was close behind.  I might even have overtaken him by now with my increasing presence.  To protect his privacy, I won't go into his details, suffice to say, the invitation appeared to come from the same person.  His settings weren't as fully completed as mine; he didn't even have a picture.  However, I still accepted the invite.  A few days ago, he even messaged me, telling me why he sent out the invitation.  It was just a security check-up, to make sure no one was trying to make a fake profile.  He even included some information in case there was a chance we were related.  The odds are very low, unless someone decided to name him after their long-lost son he hadn't seen in a few years.  I believe I'm slightly older than the other Toby, but this is just an educated guess.  I must admit, I have had hopes of finding other family out there.  Not knowing anything about one whole side of my family is depressing, especially this time of year.  Anyway, there hasn't been a response to the last message, yet.  I don't log into LinkedIn as much as I should, and it appears that the other Toby doesn't either.  He does have a very busy schedule, from his job description.  I'm thinking that I may have found a new round of research to look into.

'Tis the Season To Be Sneezing

     Let me be honest right up front.  I have almost no idea what this post will be about.  I usually come up with an idea at least a few days beforehand.  Some really good ideas come about a week or more in advance, like last week's "Peaches" parody or some of my puzzles.  This week, if I did have a good idea at one point, I forgot it.  I tried this morning to come up with something on the fly, but I got nothing.  I heard something on the radio a few minutes before I got into work that would be a great seed for a post, but it is time-sensitive, and I will have to wait at least another week before mentioning it.  So, I am forced to write today's post without much of plan.  One of the reasons that I am having problems are my allergies.  I seem to be afflicted with very bad symptoms this season, and I don't know why.  Many summers, I get some mild symptoms and I think nothing of it.  This year, I am having symptoms somewhat more severe and earlier than normal.  This latest attack started last night, just before a storm died off before it reached home.  My nose felt stuffy.  This is actually a normal feeling for me, as a think that I have abnormal sinuses.  Anyway, I had a slight problem falling asleep.  I woke up in the middle of the night with pressure on one side of my head, as my sinuses had drained to the side I was sleeping on.  This has been happening frequently the past few weeks.  As I mentioned, this is a normal condition for me, just not this common.  I have also been having sneezing fits.  Random fits.  That isn't too bad, except my sneezing fits have always been strange.  I start out with a few small sneezes, like two to three, building up to one huge sneeze that ends the fit.  The fit I had this morning had five or six of these smaller sneezes before the build-up to the last big one.  Fortunately, I was stopped at an intersection when this happened, so my driving wasn't effected.  Even now, over an hour later, I am still snuffy, but breathing quite comfortably.  At least through one nostril.  For some reason, maybe the previously mentioned sinus condition, I usually just breath easily through one nostril at a time.  While this is the average condition for most people, my instance seems to be highly pronounced at times compared to others.  What gets me the most is that I have no idea what the trigger could be.  I was fine for most of the evening, when all of sudden the stuffiness began.  I don't believe anything new has been added to environment lately.  Most pollen would not have gotten inside so late at night, especially with all entries closed.  I can't think of anything else that I haven't been in fairly close contact lately.  Although, if it is some sort of pollen, then a good rain will slow it down until the season ends.  Not soon enough for me, but it will happen soon.

Peaches

     Two years ago, I did a post about "Eggplants" which was basically a synopsis for an adult parody children's picture book.  Back then, I said I was going to have a follow-up.  It has taken me awhile, but I finally have that new synopsis.  It might not be the original topic, but I think this one is still a great idea.  Get ready for the "Peaches."

🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍒

    Peaches are quite amazing.  They are so delicious, with their gentle curves and delicate flesh. The best peaches are of a light orange or tan color, but darker tones are good too.  Don't forget about the blush of darker red as well.  A peach should have some blushing, but not bruising.  A bruised peach is sign or trouble.  In fact, it a disrespectful to deliberately bruise a peach, especially to the point of hurting it.   A little fuzz on a peach is expected, but too much can be off-putting.  A peach should have a defined cleft, one that accentuates the natural curves.  It shouldn't be too deep, as that means there might be less flesh.  Be careful about what's in a peach's center.  That pit is full of things that are very bad.  Once you hit that brown spot, you have probably gotten down too deep.  Now, peaches can be said to be juicy, firm, or even mushy. One's preference to one type over another is hard to figure out, but rest assured that one can find their favorite by looking around and feeling for the right one.  Having a peach that is too much in one quality or another can make for a rough job.  In fact, it might make for ore than a handful.  Now, some people think that the cherry can go with peaches.  The two are quite close to one another.  Working with both at the same time can be hard work, as the two have different needs.  It can be done, just not easily.  One might need help to work with both at the same time.  However, most people prefer one over the other.  I, for one, would greatly want some cherries instead of having to poke around some peaches.  Sometimes, one can never be sure where a peach has been, but one can sure be fairly sure what has happened with a cherry.  While a peach can be admired for what it is, it pales in comparison to what the cherry stands for.  Sure, a peach might feel good, but once you get close enough to it, the thing just smells a bit off.  Even the best-looking ones might not smell good.  Just take off those outer layers, and a peach might not look so good.  Still, you shouldn't fault one over their preferences to peaches over cherries.  Or even apricots, whatever that could mean.  At least there are still melons to be on the lookout for.