Here's a Thought

 Sunday, March 21/21

One day, maybe I will be that guy who goes to brunch and orders an acai smoothie and egg white omelette. Today is not that day. Today it will be French toast with bacon and a Long Island Iced Tea.

Marcus, I am who I am, nothing more, nothing less........

Samantha Garman's Sibby Series

 Tuesday, March 16/21

I've really got to work on my marketing skills so I can start getting compensated for doing book reviews lol

But until such time as I'm not doing these for free, I guess you get the benefit of my voracious reading appetite and learn about some new authors and why I either like or dislike something they've written, in the end, it is up to you to try them for yourself or take a pass, doesn't help or hurt me in the least which path you decide to follow.

I do all my eReading on my iPad using either Books by Apple or Kobo as my platform of choice. The benefit to both is that each offers up some free eBooks and thus is an easy way to find new authors without breaking the bank, and bank is important when you are going through a book on average every 1 to 1 1/2 days. Pretty sure I've mentioned in past blogs that I gave up cable television back in 2019 and haven't really missed it all that much, what with turning once again to books as my primary source of entertainment.

Now onto this little gem of a series by Samantha Garman.

No, I won't give away anything on the first two books in the four-book series that I've read so far other than to say............WOW!!

It isn't often that I can sit down to read a book and know there are going to be parts that just have me laughing out loud without any shame.

The main character is named Sibby and let's just say this about her........I want my own Sibby in my life as I know things would never be dull with her around.......actually I'm sort of hoping the dating Gods take pity on me for my extended dry spell relationship-wise and grant me this one uber super favour and bring me a Sibby.

The one plot twist I'm going to give away is there is a rule in the books called Sibbys Rule. It is a take-off on Murphy's Law and oh so appropriate in oh so many ways, trust me on this one ;-)

The characters are diverse, the plot twists catch you off guard, and in the end, you finish with a smile and anticipation for the next book in the series.

I can honestly say I've only been disappointed with one plot twist, and you know what I'm referring to Samantha, and hope it comes back full circle in the next installments as we both know Sibby is in need of some advice on life.

So if you are looking for a good read that will last more than a book or two I wholeheartedly recommend the Sibby Series from Samantha Graves. It's a romance with more than a dash of humor mixed throughout the pages.

My name is Marcus and while I usually blog about dating, relationships, being a parent or grandparent, current trending topics, and golf, I'm trying to mix things up so as to not get boring, boring is never good.

Today's musical suggestion is Colors by Black Puma.

As always, you can reach me at ooasm2018@gmail.com for a chat or vent/compliment me on something. I prefer the latter but understand the formed happens as well.

Vivaldi, Bridgerton, and Dare I Say A Little Optimistic Hope................

 Monday, March 15/21

I like music, no strike that, I love music, in all its many glorious genres.

There is a genre or artist for whatever mood I might find myself in at any given moment.

I don't always know what I want to experience right off the bat but I do know that something usually presents itself to me and then I'm off like a bird flitting from tree to tree, loving the journey.

Yes, I said experience when referring to my musical moments as the right song literally moves me from the present to somewhere so much better emotionally.

I've had this happen with so many different genres/artists that it's almost now second nature.

When I'm stuck on a project for work I've found some serious release in "Enter Sandman" by Metalica or something by Linkin Park. The words seem to reach deep inside me to let out my angst, to allow me to process things better.

Manchester Orchestra is another one that has me sitting back when I listen to their album "A Black Mile To The Surface" especially the song "The Silence"

I think I could just sit and listen to music and let it take me away without any qualms.

Now combine music with a story, whether it be a movie or a book, and you've got yourself, one happy little blogger, happy like a puppy on a walk, like a fashionista watching models prance down a runway in Milan or Paris.

Sometimes my mood craves something classical and in those times I usually turn to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, The Nut Cracker, or Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Lately, it has been more Four Seasons as I find the pace changes up enough to keep my mind racing, imagining various scenes around me flashing by in a whirl.

I started to watch Netflix's "Bridgerton" to see what all the fuss was about and the opening score had me feeling itchy as if I was missing something before it finally dawned on me, it was a remapped version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons and I could feel my heart swell inside my chest.

The vision that Max Richter had to recompose this classic is stunning, the combination of the original with the introduction of some electronics literally had me sitting up and feel the notes, my heart pounding in my chest, almost as if I was right there part of the scene unfolding in front of me.

Even as I sit at my desk writing this entry I have Richter's album playing in the background and I can feel tears in my eyes as I hear the notes with some inner part of my heart, acknowledging that though I might be alone in the world, that somewhere out there in the greyness that represents all the endless possibilities yet to be experienced that there might just be one more connection for me to make before my time comes to an end.

I've struggled with the whole relationship thing for several years now and have come close to just saying "fuck it" more than once and giving up, resigning myself to facing my future alone, but then something happens and I'm reminded that when we least expect love, it has a way of finding us, not when we want it but more often when we actually need it in our lives.

I think watching Bridgerton is one of those moments for me. It is an interesting story that offers heartache, love unrealized, redemption, and love in all its finest glory. 

Bridgerton and Max Richter's recomposed Four Seasons might just be what saves me from a life of loneliness, at the very least it has given me hope once more to open myself up to what the future might hold for me.

I've been totally in love two times in my life, the kind where there is nothing you wouldn't do to see that person happy, so much that the first time saw me move from Southern California to be with the woman who allowed me to be a father to her daughter and along the way gave me my son as well. The second time came out of the blue when I was fortunate enough to meet Corrine and open myself up to the possibility of love with her. 

Love is fleeting and I know that better than most given my own history, but love can also be something so much more than just a moment in time, it can save a soul, it can offer hope, and yes, it can hurt like a dagger to the heart when it doesn't work out as hoped, but you can't have one side of the coin without the other side as well, so I'm willing to feel that pain once again for the opportunity to have the joys it offers as well.

I was once asked how I'd know I was in love again and this might sound kind of simple but for me, it will be when I imagine taking a holiday with her and where we might go. My free time is precious to me so if I'm at that point where I'm planning a trip with her it means she has my heart as I can't ever see myself going somewhere with someone who hasn't earned a spot in my heart.

My name is Marcus and these are my ongoing adventures in dating, being a father, grandfather, and trying to consistently break 90 in golf while mastering the perfect 8 iron from 135 yards.

My musical suggestion today is "Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons" in conjunction with "Bridgerton" on Netflix. Two treats for the price of one blog reading ;-)

Want to chat or comment about the entry? You can email me at ooasm2018@gmail.com

Covid 19 - The Pandemic One Year Later

 Sunday, March 14/21

So last Thursday, March 11th, was the one-year mark since the world stopped in its tracks with the World Health Organization declaration that we were in a global pandemic and we needed to avoid contact with one another.

Workplaces shut down as people were either furloughed or told to work from home. schools sent pupils to begin the revolving online learning, something some of us had done for a course here or there but never in such numbers and never for so prolonged a period of time. Hospitals cancelled elective surgeries and began placing emphasis on treating the hardest hit. Pharmaceutical companies began the rush to find a vaccine to combat the virus.

The last year has seen a wide range of events come about, not the least include......

• Social unrest develop in the United States around inequalities
• The worlds largest democracy hold an election where mail-in balloting, the safest way to vote, led to the largest voter turnout in history, was disputed by the losing party and faced numerous legal challenges that were all proved to be false.
• The introduction of new terms like "Super-Spreader" and "Karen and Darren". The first used to describe public gatherings were attendees didn't practice safe distancing and/or wear masks to lessen the chances of infecting one another. The later term developed to describe people who act so self-entitled that the only criteria they live by are how something might be infringing on their self-perceived rights versus the safety of those around them. Yes, these are the people who claim the right to go maskless and the hell with anyone they might come into contact with.
• The development and testing of not one, not two, but three vaccines from an assortment of pharmaceutical companies that are even now helping to combat this insidious virus that has killed over 2.6 million people worldwide, over 500K in the U.S., and over 22K here in Canada.
• The majority of countries introducing border restrictions would have been considered extreme but for the fact that they actually did help minimize the transmission of the virus. Island nations like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and to some extent the United Kingdom were able to use these closures to help stall the spread.

The one thing that has stood out for me has been how most people seemed to become more human towards one another, willing to be more understanding, and genuinely caring about those around us.

I know that for myself I can honestly say I've tried to step back and really see how my actions might help or hurt someone and have taken to doing more random acts of kindness as I think they go a long way in helping us see how something so small can mean the world of difference to someone.

We never know what someone is going through and if something as simple as a smile might make a bad better a little bit better, well sign me up today and 3 times on Sunday.

The world is hopefully slowly getting back on track to return to some form of normalcy, whatever that might mean these days, but I earnestly hope we don't lose that small sense of humanity that seemed to come out these past few months as we realized we were all in this together, that working towards a solution was going to take a tremendous team effort, one that we have achieved.

My heart goes out to those who have lost a loved one, knowing that words can never replace that loved one, that only memories now reside where once a person was creating smiles and laughter.

My name is Marcus and my heart aches for what we've had to endure and I hope with everything I have that we never have to experience anything like it again.....

I thought about not adding a musical suggestion to this entry but feel one is probably needed now more than ever so.........

Vivaldi's Four Seasons Symphony feels like the best possible one I can make. As I've been writing this entry I've had a YouTube video running on the second screen from Max Richter. The link is included below for those interested in seeing it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w59suJUvGfc