Monday Musings...

Here we are, the home stretch of this month and the last week Hot enough for 'ya?
That was one helluva hot and sticky weekend outside, wasn't it?
Only place it was tolerable was in the shade...if you didn't move, and only for a few minutes.
Don't know what's worse..really hot weather, or really cold weather.  How 'bout BOTH?
We do get a bit of a break today, and it's a small bit at that.
Our Hoosierland weather today will have us with some early morning showers (so much for lower humidity), with clearing skies and a high of around 88 degrees. That's a break?
Anyway, let's get ourselves a jump on the heat and start hydrating ourselves with our favorite beverage as we see what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the melting pot is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
JULY 25 -
---Today is NATIONAL MERRY-GO-ROUND DAY

(and it coincides with the DNC this week...ironic AND amusing)
---It's also NATIONAL HOT FUDGE SUNDAE DAY

(you had me at "fudge")
---And, it's NATIONAL THREAD THE NEEDLE DAY

(I can't do it without reading glasses AND a magnifying glass)
*** Next,  looks like we're sorta-kinda "crime-free" (so far) around our city, aside from the dead man found in a pickup a couple days ago that doesn't "appear" to be a homicide - we shall see (but not moron-free yet, sad to say), and that means we get to explore some topics that would otherwise reside on the back-burner, as it were.
---First, did you know that reading is GOOD for you?
(well, it certainly helps with making you a damn sight SMARTER in life)
Here's a story from the health page:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/health/How-fiction-improves-empathy-14260089

It's FICTION that improves one's EMPATHY. That can be a loaded statement for a lot of reasons.
You have to agree that fictional characters can (and often do) play on the heart-strings of the reader.
Perhaps it has to do with the manner that the author creates that character. Maybe it's taken from a slice of their own life, or an experience they encountered.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, and books are the vehicle to get us there. We are allowed, by the author,  to see ourselves in someone else, which can be a good thing.
Whatever the case, you can always remember characters YOU read about and how they affected YOU, be they found in fairy tales, classic literature, and modern fiction (and that includes the sci-fi genre).

There is a down side to this when it comes to the "fiction" part of this study.
The democrats claim EMPATHY with the down-trodden and we already know THEIR platform is one based in FICTION, so I suppose this study has some traction to it...LOL.

Yeah, see...you can toss politics into damn near everything...
---Second, another case of blaming someTHING instead of someONE. Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/columns/People--and-their-common-sense----not-Pokemon---are-the-problem-14262744

So, we don't HAVE to blame Pokemon-Go for all the stupidity we're seeing with this latest 'fad".
We can place the blame where it belongs...with PEOPLE.
(that wasn't hard to figure out, was it?)
Kinda OBVIOUS, really. It ALWAYS comes down to people.
*** Next, while Fort Wayne hasn't seen anything like these stories, we do have the potential for something similar, given the nature of the "people" we have in certain areas of town.
---First, a shooting "rampage" in Ft. Myers, FL leaves 2 dead. Here's the story:
https://www.rt.com/usa/353079-nightclub-florida-shooting-clubblu/

Doesn't sound exactly like terrorism, but we'll have to wait and see. Police have 3 in custody.
I'm thinking something else for some odd reason. Any bets on local black males?
---Second, a party near Indy gets out of hand with the typical results. Here's that story:
http://wane.com/2016/07/24/3-wounded-in-shooting-at-indiana-state-park-rental-house/

This took place at the Col. Root house at Harrison State Park. The house can be rented out, and it apparently was for this party at which 150-200 were present. Reports of underage drinking surrounded these shootings.
And to me, that sounds like way too many people at that place. Add alcohol and the subsequent stupidity that ensues...well, you know the rest.
*** Next up, the cat and I are into the THIRD day (of four) of out "aged bachelor" gig, as Wifey drove down to Vincennes to visit her dad for his birthday.

And, the hibiscus are in bloom!

It's real easy to "cook for one"...and you're not constrained by time.
Eat what you want, when you want.
The house always gets "bigger" with the absence of someone.
Don't let anyone tell you different.
*** Next, even in this heat, some squirrels still know "what side of their bread is buttered"

"Junior" stops by

"Squirt" wants peanuts, too.

And, I sit out there, feeding them and taking some pictures, hot as it is.
You gotta take care of business, no matter what conditions arise, right?
*** Last back to the fire-pit...again, we see people at the root cause of damn near anything that goes wrong with society.

But, we don't seem to hear as much about the people who do GOOD. Wonder why?
Sure, we get the obligatory "feel good" story once in a while, and that tends to give us all some hope for humanity, but the overall coverage is about all the BAD people do, as if showing us this on a consistent basis will somehow "cure" all of humankind's ills. Doesn't quite work like that these days.
People cannot (or will not) allow themselves to be SHAMED in the ways they once were.

Maybe they lack conscience. We know they already lack morality and ethics.
And, like a misbehaving child, they never seem to learn that certain things are HOT...even AFTER they get burned.
I'd like to know when it became desirable to ignore conventional wisdom for mediocrity, and why so many people are fine and dandy with that premise. What passes for our neighbors are prime examples in such behavior.
I'd just like to see a cessation to ALL the stupidity, or at least PART of it.
We're hip-deep in this crap, and that can't be good for any of us.
There are days when you have to admit to feeling out of place. It's not the world of our childhood, that's for sure.
Thing is, I see no reason why it had to change in the first place.
Makes me ponder the definition of progress these days.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.