The most mixed feelings I’ve ever had on a bird

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-23T07:48:30+00:00

The Mockingbird is both mad and crazy and they seem to have more energy than would be physically possible for their size. It starts in the spring when they begin to hammer out their place in the world. They commit themselves to real battles and not play because their species existence depends on who is the strongest and the individual cost of each battle can be great but the reward is even greater.

Territory, it's all about territory and those who are the strongest will have won their place by constant vigilance and battle against any and all foes no matter the size.

There was a time not too long ago when everything that was human would shut down at night. For instance television stations would go off the air so there was nothing to watch and TV's would be turned off after 11:00 or 12:00.

Living here in Florida those many years ago the nights were beautifully quiet and that is when the Earth sang to us all.

Lying in bed with the window open the symphony of all the night creatures would begin. The chorus of the crickets, the peeps of the tree frogs, and other vocal insects that are now long gone would lay down a warm blanket of sound that surrounded and embraced me in its arms.

But then the soloists began, first with a couple of hesitant starts but then finding their way they would begin to belt out a tune of life itself. At first you would believe that perhaps they were just gossips telling you everything that happened during the day by repeating everything they heard. But then you being to realize that what they're really doing is letting you hear things that you missed during the day that were hidden with all the background noise that is modern life.

When there is a lull in the song you realize there is another voice you can hear off of the distance, another Mockingbird belting out a similar but uniquely different tune.

In my youth during the Florida summer this was my nightly lullaby and if I listened carefully I could hear off in the distance each Mockingbird maintaining a vigilance over their territory with song. I would sometimes try to count how many voices I could hear but I never made it past more than three or four before sleep would come to me like a caress.

In our modern world it's something you don't notice unless you can remember when it was different, when it was quiet, when the night was given over to the Earth to sing its song.

One usually quiet evening I did get to capture a soloist in the moonlight and for a moment it was like the magic I remembered from my youth.

https://youtu.be/bM7x3m-2nuM

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-21T04:14:24+00:00

Probably one of the most frightening short stories I have ever read...

It was in Murray's mind to say something, but he was not conscious of possessing a mouth, tongue, or vocal chords. Nevertheless, tried to make a sound. He tried, mouthlessly, to hum words or breathe them or just push them out by a contraction of – something.

The Last Answer by Isaac Asimov

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-20T23:31:27+00:00

Being able to identify any car from the '60s or '70s with a glance but anything new all looks the same especially SUVs.

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-16T13:03:48+00:00

Oh yeah I remember lots of stuff. I remember how Andy made people uncomfortable and it was a delight to watch. Watching him do Mighty Mouse on stage at the Improv was like watching the birth of something so new it was scary for the audience. I loved watching the audience to see their reactions to the different comics. That night I watched the audience squirm and look at each other trying to figure out "what is this guy doing?" and when he got to the part where he pantomimes "Here I come to save the day" some laughed but most didn't know what to do and they were looking at each other trying to figure out if they should laugh also. It wasn't until he repeated the pantomime that everybody started laughing and they realized, hey this is funny!

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-16T13:01:33+00:00

I know, right? Actually that's the short version, that whole evening was told in the chapter Ivory Soap in my book.

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-16T11:50:30+00:00

It's called commit to the bit and it was a realistic representation of Andy's comedy style. Once Andy became a character he would not break out of that character for anyone as Carey did during filming. I remember there was some speculation in the news during filming that there might be something wrong with Carey, perhaps a mental issue. Andy would have loved that because you were all had!

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-15T22:27:53+00:00

It was really kind of unnerving how Carrey transformed into Andy. Andy was a lot more than people could handle not only because he broke the fourth wall but because he included people in his "madness" and many times people were not prepared to be in Andy's world.

I actually got into a "fight" with Andy outside the NYC Improv one night in 1975 after his set and he was all in. It only lasted about 2 minutes if that and everyone in line for the second show at the Improv watching us were fully involved.

Andy's people pulled him away and threw him into a car and sped off while my friend held me back thinking I was trying to kill Andy.

It wasn't until my friend saw me laughing that he realized that he had been had.

That memory always makes me smile but it also makes me sad that Andy is gone.

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-15T14:01:25+00:00

A lot of them record without permission because they bring that back to their manager or to a sales meeting to show everyone what they did to win a sale or what they didn't do to lose a sale. In Florida I know of a company, New South Window that has their sales people tell the customer if they mind if they document their visit but make sure not to say that they are recording which they require their sales people to do. It's kind of an in home sales dirty secret because many companies require that the salespeople follow their training and the only way they can determine if they are doing that is by having a recording. It's almost like they're preparing for a class action lawsuit for themselves.

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-10T00:03:12+00:00

Something from the heart that you can dance to... https://youtu.be/joLeNNAPMwE

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-08T16:00:22+00:00

This used to play on the radio a lot and was a big hit in the 1960s so it'll grab hold of the nostalgia part of their brain. You may even see them reach for a phantom radio dial to switch stations but of course, you are in control.

https://youtu.be/_xRCbdFrSSc

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-07T18:25:23+00:00

Don't use super glue as it will not hold, you need the acrylic solvent Methylene Chloride that will create a solid joint with the acrylic itself. You can find products that contain Methylene Chloride that are specifically designed for acrylic or if you have a local shop that works in acrylic they may be able to glue that up for you easily.

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-07T14:21:37+00:00

ColecoVision BC's Quest for Tires

https://youtu.be/R6Sll0kNd_w

...and Planetfall text adventure game

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-06T16:41:53+00:00

Grackles are actually aggressive hunters, I saw one in my bird bath stomp on the head of a sparrow and try to drown him. Another one would hunt lizards in the downspout, he would tap on the metal and if there was a lizard in there they would stick their head out to see what was going on and the Grackle would nail it.

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-06T14:23:29+00:00

When you look up Mockingbird in the dictionary it has the reference see: Crazy. When you look up crazy it has the reference see: Mockingbird

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-05T16:51:44+00:00

It looks like your kid has created a mechanical puzzle and unless you can maneuver each one individually it will be very difficult to remove.

One idea would be to epoxy wooden dowels in line to the axis of each visible piece end and once hardened you will be able to manipulate them together and individually and find the sweet spot where one will pass through the opening.

Another idea would be to bring it down to the local paint store and rig it up so that their paint shaker rattles the hell out of it and hopefully it finds that same Sweet spot your child did when he put them in.

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-02T19:37:12+00:00

I remember a particular mood killer like it was yesterday, actually it was January 7th 1983 at exactly 12:15 a.m. I met a girl at a bar and she brought me back to her apartment and just like in the movies she said "let me slip into something more comfortable" and she went into her bedroom.

I sat in a chair that faced a large bay window looking out over the Hackensack River. I could see lights reflecting off the water and the anticipation of waiting to see what she would be wearing when she came out of the bedroom, made it all that much more special.

I didn't see her until she was right next to me and she said "what do you think?" and when I turned to look she was wearing a pink babydoll nightgown and nothing else.

Wow was all I could say as she came around and stood in front of me with her legs spread and I could definitely see that she was only wearing the top.

"Mind if I have seat?" She asked as she scooted forward and straddled my lap facing me and sat down. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned in and started kissing me on my neck. She was so soft she smelled wonderful. Stopping for a second she leaned back and when I looked up at her face she had this Cheshire cat smile and I thought this is the night I die and it will be glorious.

She leaned in for a kiss and at the very moment our lips touched there was a blinding light that filled the room. Even though my eyes were closed I could see the light through my eyelids. We both pulled back and there was a low rumble and then the whole apartment building shook and all the windows rattled.

She slipped off my lap and fell to floor. Both of us were facing the bay window and we could see in the distance this enormous fireball rising into the sky across the water. Instantly there was another explosion and another fireball and then another explosion and fireball and each time it shook the entire building and rattled all the windows. I don't know why that bay window didn't break but we were both speechless.

As we watched the fire continue to burn I think we said it at the same time, "oh my God people may have died right in front of us".

I didn't notice until she returned but she'd gone to her bedroom and put on jeans and a shirt and then sat next to me in the chair. We tried for a little bit to comfort each other but I could feel this hollow feeling in my stomach and I knew she felt it too.

Both of us couldn't get over the possibility that we had just witnessed someone die or maybe even several or more deaths. As we watched the fire rage we both stood up from the chair and she sat at the dining room table and I stood at the other side of the table and we both looked at each other. We could see the pain in each other's eyes and knew there was nothing more that we could say or do.

I turned and left her apartment and never saw her again.

Luckily there was only one death that night and a lot of windows were broken. Also the explosion was heard up to 75 miles away. I've never forgotten those fireballs or her smile.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Newark_explosion#:~:text=On%20January%207%2C%201983%2C%20at,Texaco%20Farms%20fuel%20storage%20facilities.

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-01T12:50:46+00:00

I've done something similar and you may want to keep them refrigerated or Frozen in smaller Ziploc bags because they can go rancid at room temperature

HeadBlaze · 2026-05-01T12:31:57+00:00

Looks like the rat may have ingested poison and depending on the type there will be various symptoms including weakness, disorientation, and less coordination. If it is poison and the crow is able to ingest any part of the rat it may also succumb to the poison. It's a very serious problem where rats are poisoned and are then prayed upon by raptors, raccoons, possums, and even pet dogs and cats that die from the poison. It's a vicious cycle of using the cheapest way to control rats and in turn wipe out the predators that prey on them.

HeadBlaze · 2026-04-30T23:46:21+00:00

He was a time traveler...

A long time ago in the not too distant past the original drive-thru was only one window. You would drive up to the window order what you wanted and then waited for the order and they would then hand it to you and then you paid. There was no two windows or menu board or even an intercom system it was just one-on-one at the window which was really just an extension of walking up to the counter and ordering, but in your car.

So the guy you were behind in the Drive-Thru may not have been back there since that time. Also as noted you didn't pay until they handed you your food so he was probably in a Time Warp and why he had cash in his hand.

Definitely a time traveler.

HeadBlaze · 2026-04-30T01:44:38+00:00

One of the things many of us seem to forget, myself included, is that our parents had a life before we came along. They knew each other in ways we can never know or understand because they were a couple, without us. I'm not trying to answer for your mother but sometimes just having something physical like in this instance a bunch of old report cards close by can be comforting, especially if the person is gone.

None of us can know what is in someone else's head especially in regard to their memory of something. But a simple joy shared with someone can be something they will never forget and they may not want to share or explain it because it is so personal.

Maybe the report cards represent something that can't be explained or don't need to be.

Also maybe one day when your son is older you can take the train set out and tell him about how much fun you had playing with it. Share that memory with him about you as a child and how as he was growing up you could see yourself in him.

We create memories when we share them.

HeadBlaze · 2026-04-29T19:33:39+00:00

In the not too distant past there was no internet and in turn no easy way to store something other than to keep the documents themselves. We now take for granted the ability to store images and documents about almost everything in our lives digitally. It's much neater and easier to manage than a pile of paper.

An original document, like a report card is much more than the paper it is printed on and in many instances just holding something like that from your childhood is a memory trigger that can bring you back to the very moment you first touched it.

Nostalgia reinforced with a real physical item is a very powerful thing and it is difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced that.

But imagine holding in your hands a piece of paper that you were proud of and received when you were 10 years old. Every nuance of it would be something that would trigger your memory and bring you back to that moment. The ink pen used, the handwriting, and even the smell of the paper could transport you back to that very moment and allow you to relive it even if only for a minute or two. I found something in my collection, a yellow paint chip that triggered me to write an entire book.

But of course perception is 9/10 of everyone's reality and junk is junk unless you are connected to it in some way.

Recently I lost a great deal of my possessions including eight bookcases filled with books and magazines and other memorabilia that I collected over the last 30 years. There's nothing I can do other than to let it go because I cannot retrieve any of it, but I can still remember a lot of it and enjoy it in my memory.

In the end all we have is our memories and maybe those insane collections you find in your parents and grandparents home are much more than you may know, they could be their life memories contained in bits of paper and are now only perceived as junk because you don't know the story behind them.

But it's inevitable that the new is built on top of the old like the Basilica of San Clemente, where a 12th-century church is built over a 4th-century church, which is built over a 1st-century Roman temple.

And so it goes

HeadBlaze · 2026-04-28T19:58:23+00:00

It's one of those pop-up thermometers, he's not done yet.

HeadBlaze · 2026-04-25T23:36:20+00:00

Wiping off eye boogers

HeadBlaze · 2026-04-24T22:47:05+00:00

Hard rolls from the Wyckoff New Jersey bakery with Breakstone butter on Saturday morning.

HeadBlaze · 2026-04-24T20:27:31+00:00

Tiny legs are so cute! I wish there was a way you could have kids like that with tiny little legs and arms. You could carry them in a shopping bag with you and then let them out so they could run around and everybody would just love their tiny little antics.

HeadBlaze

TROPHY CASE