Jim Flanigan Looks at the World
Turning the Mundane into Fundane Since 2015
Pssst, down here. Wanna buy Jim’s book? Well, you can’t through Monday. He’s giving downloads away for FREE at www.bit.ly/beyondtales. Through Monday only! Get yours now. Then read, enjoy, and leave a rating and/or review on Amazon.
I had planned to shamelessly and incessantly plug my book of humorous and contemplative short stories about the afterlife from the beginning of the year until now. However, I got derailed with this local election race which I surprisingly won. To get back on the promotional track, I’ve decided to make my book available to you, the loyal followers of this blog, for FREE through Monday. Just link to www.bit.ly/beyondtales to download my book for FREE for your reading enjoyment on your Kindle or Kindle app.
There really are no strings attached. Just download. I hope you enjoy it, and I would be most appreciative if you leave a rating or review on Amazon. Read on!
I love being spontaneous. Just this morning, I had errands planned. In this order, I would:
So boring, right? And then, at the very last second, I made a right turn, eschewing the gas station for a spontaneous change of plans. Instead of that boring list of tasks, I drove off to do this:
Continue reading “Spontaneous Spontaneity”
We’re scheduled to head to a wedding in Nebraska in July. Thankfully, not in Florida. Here’s how they plan a reception in Florida. They pick a cool house and just show up. Here’s the story from the AP …
Now that should have been the end. Police arrive and the wedding party leaves, right? Oh no, not in Florida. The wedding couple were not there just for the cool house with bowling alley, pool, hot tub, etc. They were on a mission …
Continue reading “Party On? No! Party Off!”
I dirtied my hands this past weekend, and it felt good. Saturday and Sunday were spent digging in the yard, cutting back dead branches from trees & shrubs, and generally wasting time in an effort to avoid any indoor projects that may require actual skill or thought.
Saturday started off great as I headed out with my radio. I had to turn on the switch for outside power to my pond to listen to my radio, so I got the sounds of running water along with my music, as if I were listening to a concert alongside a babbling brook. I know that my pond doesn’t sound very natural if I have to turn on the power for it. But what if I told you that my pond’s pump is powered by a small wind turbine and solar panel? Pretty cool, right? Well, it’s not. The pump just plugs into a power outlet outside. But the end result still was the sound of running water and some good music, until this happened …
No, my neighbor didn’t propel himself around the neighborhood with his leaf blower. That only happens in Florida, because, well, Floridians. But he did don his jetpack and blow every speck of debris off his lawn while drowning out my music and water sounds.
Fortunately, that didn’t last too long as I puttered and pondered the nature of our very existence.
EDITOR’S WARNING: This idiot is about to wax philosophical. The last Mite Be Funny cartoon was about René Descartes, Cartesian dualism, and of course, dead skin flakes. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Stop reading now. Or, click on through to continue reading at your own risk.
Continue reading “Embracing Mother Nature with Bonus Mulch Ado About Nothing Cartoon”
It was only a matter of time before these two united against their perceived common enemy.
Unfortunately, their perceived enemy happens to be leukemia sufferers and those requiring a lifesaving bone marrow transplant.
Walter Becker of Steely Dan passed away a while back, but take a listen to this new song by the band PREP released in the US in late January and see if you hear Steely Dan in this song …
I know you are asking, “Why would Jim post a YouTube video where nothing visually happens?” Ah, but there are subtle movements in the video that complement the music.
I definitely hear Steely Dan in this song by PREP, and I think this song would fit nicely on the Aja album. The vocals in the high register remind me of Donald Fagen but in the lower register sound more like Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins. And you can’t tell me the chord progression at the 3:44 mark isn’t pure Steely Dan.
Now, if you like this song, I have a special treat for you …
Continue reading “New Music For Old Rockers – Channelling Steely Dan”
I am now fully vaccinated as of this morning. With this card and its slightly altered birth year, I now expect to be able get into any exclusive nightclub or swanky restaurant without reservations or waiting in line.
I do feel some pressure though. Two dear friends were fully vaccinated before me, and had no reaction to the second dose. I feel like they are exercising a power block, and I can’t react. But I’m feeling woozy already just a few hours after the shot. Of course, I was feeling woozy before the shot. And in fairness, I’ve spent much of my life woozy.
I want to feel some reaction to reassure myself that the vaccine is working, although I understand that some people don’t react at all. I know my card shows I got the Pfizer vaccine, but what if they gave me the Placebo vaccine by mistake? I did stump the nurse administering my shot with this question …
Continue reading “Vaccinated & Feeling Woozy”
On Good Friday last week, we took a drive to meet our oldest daughter on Montrose Beach in Chicago on Lake Michigan. It really is a beautiful beach. How can a beach in a city of millions of people be beautiful? I dunno, but take a look for yourself.
On our way there, we passed an interesting and familiar sight. I swore I had seen something similar to this on Twitter …
Continue reading “The Return of Me & Live Music to Chicago or How I Almost Made a Huge Mistake”
That’s the problem with today’s world. I come in 4th place, but I still am considered a winner. It looks like my Third Runner Up finish is good enough to claim to be elected.
I may have been able to do better, but I think I lost some votes during the swimsuit portion of the election.
This is an unexpected win for me, and I know my opponents did not expect it. They were appalled that anyone dare run against them. They make me think of this line I like from Patrick Kane of the Chicago Black Hawks.
To those who may think I don’t deserve to win, am not qualified, didn’t campaign fairly, or maybe even rigged the election, all I can say is, “That’s democracy, baby!”
It’s election night for me, and I find the first return total for me to be quite ominous.
Gulp.
I actually got to see some live music over the weekend which I will tell you about in an upcoming post. But for now, here’s a quad pack of new music for you. You may have heard these already, but maybe one or two will be new for you.
How about some new music FROM an old rocker, specifically an old Beatle? Ringo Starr is 80 and still cranking out new music. He’s dedicated his last couple decades to spreading his message of peace and love, and this song is all about that.
Okay, so there’s no music video and the song is nothing special. But it sounds so comfortably Ringo with Beatlesque overtones, and the dude is 80! Let’s see you spread such an important message about peace and love in such a listenable way at 80. Rock on, Ringo.
Now, how about another new track from a former Beatle that sounds nothing like the Beatles?
Continue reading “New Music For Old Rockers – Fab Four Edition”
When I posted my last weight loss goal a month ago, I really had hoped to ramp up my steps outside in March to drop some of the weight I gained over winter. That did not happen to the magnitude I had hoped. Take a look at this modest increase in steposity.
Yawn. Big deal, right? This local election I’m in kept me behind my computer screen a bit too much, and my exercise activity became very sporadic and erractic. But take a look at this new high water mark in stepitude for me.
Continue reading “Not Weighting for Summer”Isn’t this about the time that Rep. Matt Gaetz decides who he wants to take to the high school prom?
With my local election just 5 days away, I’m pulling out all the stops to gain votes. I added this to my car’s rear window …
I think it may be too subtle. If we learned anything from Trump supporters, it was to go big or go home. Personally, I always hoped they’d go home and stay home. If mine wasn’t a leased vehicle, I would be inclined to go all in with something like this …
Of course, with the Flanigan name rather than Trump on it. But I can’t afford to own a nice truck like that. This would likely be about the best I could pay for …
Continue reading “Election Drive”
I spotted this bombshell from Popular Mechanics …
Big deal. From 2017 through 2020, I swore I was living in an alien world with freaky, heavily-armed creatures wearing red caps walking around spouting unintelligible nonsense. Upon further review, they might be related to this inner Earth alien world that Popular Mechanics references. The Pop Mech article does mention “dense spots.” This country is still full of dense spots walking around, but without as many red caps recently. These days, you can identify them by the masks under their chins rather than over their faces.
That’s right … it’s Apple Scab Season! I’ve been so consumed by campaigning for this upcoming election I’m in, I had almost forgotten about this magical time of the year. Fortunately, I received this reminder …
Oh, the memories I have of years past and the Apple Scab Festival. There’s the crowning of Miss Junior Apple Scab, the apple scab picking and eating contests, and the making of the apple scab pies. I’ll never forget that one year when there was an apple scab on display that was the spitting image of President Benjamin Harrison’s profile. Now that was an Apple Scab Festival I’ll never forget. We missed out on the festivities last year because of the pandemic. With restrictions easing a bit and vaccinations on the rise, maybe we can all get back to normal and enjoy the wonders of an Apple Scab season once again. I wish you good scabs on your apples.
Jim Flanigan Looks at the World 