New Writing Project

After spending so many years reading, I think it's time I tried something new. So starting today, I'll be working on writing. Of course, I'll be writing here, but I'll also begin some creative writing: fiction, poetry, maybe some short stories. I have things I want to say and this seems to be the best way for me to say those things.

This morning, I was looking for articles to help me learn how to write better. In a moment of serendipity, look what showed up in my Twitter feed: Writing Tip: The Three Act Structure. Exactly what I was looking for.So time to start!

Kentucky Genealogy: Bays

To help document, here's the Bays part of my family.

• Charlene Riley Bays (born 13 September 1937, Jefferson county, Kentucky - died 11 January 2013, Marion county, Indiana) - my mother
• John Riley Bays (born 30 May 1910, Kentucky - died 21 May 1997, Floyd County, Indiana) - My grandfather
• Joseph Walter Bays (born 2 December 1879, Carter county, Kentucky - died 1 May 1968, Rowan county, Kentucky) - John's father
• Newton White Bays (born 11 December 1853, Magoffin county, Kentucky - died 27 January 1922, Carter county, Kentucky), Joseph's father
• Rufus Garland Bays (born 7 June 1816, Tennessee - died July 1865, Carter county, Kentucky), Newton's father
• Joel Bays (born 1782, Scott county, Virginia - died 28 September 1852, Scott county, Virginia), Rufus's father

Where to Find Ohio River Bridges Project Information?

If you live anywhere near, or travel through, Louisville, Kentucky you probably know there's some major construction going on. It's causing major traffic delays and frustrating a lot of people. It's all because we're getting two new bridges in the are. We need them badly.

Random Music: May 25, 2014

Here it is, the last Sunday before Memorial Day. We no longer have Sunday hours at work until the fall, the weather is heating up, and it's time to see what shows up on my Pandora shuffle. Here goes!

1. "Blue Moon" (Marcels: Sweet Soul Music)
2. "Everything is Sound" (Jason Mraz: Love Is a Four Letter Word)
3. "A Day Without Rain" (Enya: A Day Without Rain)
4. "Together Forever" (Rick Astley: Whenever You Need Somebody)
5. "Sentimental Journey" (Doris Day: Golden Girl)
6. "Cold Hearted" (Paula Abdul: Forever Your Girl)
7. "Love Grows" (Edison Lighthouse: Barry Williams Presents: 70s Music Explosion)
8. "Why Should I Mind" (Tom Robinson Band: TRB Two)
9. "Long Long Journey" (Enya: Amarantine)
10. "Father Figure" (George Michael: Faith)

Not as good as yesterday. Pandora seems to be getting a little repetitive. I think I'm only going to do this once a week. Probably on Sundays. What do you think? More often? Less often? Let me know!

Cadillac Black Cologne: Initial Impessions

I'm a bit of a cologne aficionado. I don't spend a lot of money on them, but I do like to find them at a good price. While I was out today, I happened to see a 3.4 oz. bottle of Cadillac Black on sale for $9.99, so I figured I'd give it a try. There's not a lot of information on this cologne, which is a 2009 limited edition, out there. Different sites don't even list the same notes for it. The most common ones seem to be grapefruit, chamomile, tarragon, cinnamon and incense. It's not even listed on my go-to cologne site, Fragrantica.com.

Anyway, here's my first impressions. It's a pleasant scent, not overwhelming. I would definitely classify it as a fougère of some sort. Some people have said it reminds them a lot of Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male, and I tend to agree. That's not a bad thing for me, since I like Le Male very much. Initially, the grapefruit and cinnamon notes seem to be the strongest, but after it settles down, the incense takes over from the grapefruit. I don't know if it's anything really special, but it does make a nice addition to my collection. And the black matte glass bottle is very attractive, and easy to hold. It seems like a lot of cologne bottles these days are made to be interesting, but don't fit the hand very well. I don't know if it will be one of my favorite scents yet. That spot seems to be reserved eternally for CK One Shock. It's a good scent, though, and I think it's well worth what I paid for it. If you see it, give it a try.

First 10 Songs, May 24, 2014

Yet another fascinating installment of random music from my Pandora account. I might switch to iTunes Radio, though.

1. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" (Shania Twain: Come On Over) - One of my favorite songs! A great way to wake up. I love the video!
2. "Blue Bayou" (Linda Ronstadt: Simple Dreams) - Two favorites in a row? This must be my lucky day! Personally, I consider Linda Ronstadt to be the greatest living female vocalist. A wide vocal range, and excellent taste in music.
3. "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" (The Puppini Sisters: Betcha Bottom Dollar) - Yet another favorite. I love the Puppini Sisters. I'm probably one of the few in my area that's even heard of them. And their take on this classic is just too much fun.
4. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell: The Complete Duets) - A love the song, but I'm not familiar with this version. I like it.
5. "Les Vieux" (Jacques Brel: The Olympia - 1964) - A great French language singer and songwriter. Not nearly as widely known in the US as he should be.
6. "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" (Culture Club: Greatest Hits) - I'll admit it: I've always been a fan of Boy George and Culture Club. I love this song!
7. "Opposites Attract" (Paula Abdul: Forever Your Girl) - This is becoming one of the best Pandora shuffles ever. In spite of what's happened to her recently, Paula Abdul remains one of my favorite singers. And this is one of her best songs.
8. "We've Only Just Begun" (The Carpenters: Close to You) - OK. This makes it official. Best Pandora shuffle ever! Karen Carpenter was the first singer I truly enjoyed. Her voice was perfect, and the music she made with her brother Richard was pure pleasure. There will never be another as good.
9. "Up!" (Shania Twain: Up!) - Two Shania Twain songs? Kind of unusual for Pandora, but I like it. I haven't heard this song before, but I like it.
10. "Adiemus" (Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary) - Very classical style music from Karl Jenkins. I really like the Adiemus albums. And this is one of the best.

There you have it: a great Pandora shuffle. What's some of your favorite music? Let me know in the comments.

Currently Reading: Fiction and Nonfiction

Books are pretty important to me. So what am I currently reading? Only two books right now. I'm trying to get to where I only read one book at a time.

First, I'm reading The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries, by Emily Brightwell.  I like genre fiction, and I've been meaning to try this series for quite some time. It's not bad. The story is good, although the writing is not to my taste. The two main characters seem very much of a type: the clueless inspector, in over his head, and his brilliant housekeeper who pretty much leads him by the hand in solving his cases. I'm not sure I like those characters. I hope later books improve. I'm a little over halfway through, and as I usually do with mysteries, I haven't let myself think about who might have done it. I like to be surprised, so I let myself get carried along by the story. This one is easy to read, but not so easy to care about the people in it. I'll finish the book, but I'm not sure I'll read more of the series.

The second book I'm reading, I just started the other day. Marcus Borg's Meetiing Jesus Again for the First Time. This is a good book, very different from the other I'm reading now. It's not easy reading. I'm only about 10 pages into the book, so there's not a lot I can say about it. I'll finish it, and I believe I'll enjoy it. I'm working on a list of books about Postmodern Christianity, and this is the first on my list.I may put the list on this site, just in case anyone else is interested.

So what are you reading right now? Let me know in the comments.

First 10 Songs, May 22, 2014

It's been a while. So to start things of easy, here's the first 10 songs from my Pandora shuffle this morning.

1. "Parallel Woman" (Shonen Knife: Burning Farm) - Not one of my favorites, but it'll do to start the day.
2. "Careless Whisper" (George Michael: TwentyFive) - Still, after all these years, one of my favorite singers.
3. "Distant Early Warning" (Rush: Grace Under Pressure - remastered) - A great band. Great music.
4. "Queen of Argyll" (Emerald Rose: Archives of Ages to Come) - Celtic music, some of the best.
5. "Holy, Holy, Holy" (Avalon: Faith: A Hymns Collection)
6. "It's Magic" (Doris Day: It's Magic) - How can you not like Doris Day?
7. "I Can't Help Myself" (The Four Tops: Essential Collection) - Another great song from long ago.
8. "Red Swing" (Puffy AmiYumi: Nice) - Happy music!
9. "Dogfight" (Move: Boulder) - Not a song or group I've heard before. Not bad, though.
10. "2-4-6-8 Motorway" (Tom Robinson Band: TRB Two) - Great way to end this shuffle! One of my favorite songs, by one of my favorite bands. Look it up!

A good mix. Some new stuff, some old favorites. A great way to start the day.