Friday Follies...

Yes, it's going to be a HOT one today (according to the weatherfolks).
And, it's going to be hotter tomorrow to boot. Welcome to AUGUST.
(hold on...it's the tail end of June)
Our Hoosierland forecast for today brings us sunny skies, temps reaching to around 94 degrees (and with the heat index in full swing, it'll feel more like 105 degrees). Thankfully, that's ALL on the Fahrenheit scale.
On the up side (you mean there IS one?), anyone at the lakes (or shore) will have a ball, and our saturated soil will have time to dry out.
(sound the trumpets and loose the pigeons).

Now, let's all grab a nice large cup, glass or mug of Friday Fortitude to steel us from the summer onslaught, as we see what else has (and will be) going on...
*** First out of the sauna is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
JUNE 29 -
---It's National Almond Butterscotch Day

(looks good enough to eat)
---It's National Camera Day

(that's every day for me)
---It's National Waffle Iron Day

(when it's this hot, better to go with the frozen waffles)
*** Next, and since the end of the week has arrived, let's see what we can observe over the following 48 hours:
JUNE 30 - 
---Saturday is National Meteor Watch Day

(it's the ones we DON'T see that might get us)
---It's National OOTD Day

(that's "outfit of the day", as if that matters)
---It's Social Media Day

(and the world has NEVER been the same since)
JULY 1 -
---Sunday is National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day

(just K.I.S.S. with the flavors)
---It's National Gingersnap Day

(pass the milk, please)
---It's National Postal Worker Day

(not a day to GO postal...remember that)
---It's National U.S. Postage Stamp Day

(and the price keeps going up
*** Next up, we can't forget that we begin a new month over the weekend, and here are some things to take note of:
JULY is:
National Baked Bean Month

(ahh, the musical fruit...lol)
National Cell Phone Courtesy Month

(LMAO - like people will actually adhere to that)
National Culinary Arts Month

(where's Giada when I need her?)
National Grilling Month

(anyone can grill...ask the "locals" down here)
National Horseradish Month

(best way to open the sinuses)
National Hot Dog Month

(just hold the raw onions and ketchup)
National Ice Cream Month

(eat it before it melts)
National Independent Retailer Month

(small businesses need love, too)
National July Belongs to Blueberries Month

(doesn't it always?)
National Picnic Month

(bring your own ants and yellow jackets)
Unlucky Month for Weddings

(That's why we marry in JUNE)
And there you go...plenty of stuff to observe, as we cross from June into July. Remember to always observe responsibly.
*** Next, a dead male body is found in Weisser Park, and the 3 homicide vics are ID'ed.

Here's the lowdown:                                                
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local-news/2018/06/28/3-dead-in-shootings-near-downtown-fort-wayne-mans-body-found-in-weisser-park/

I'm sure that dead guy was NOT playing tennis at Weisser (which was closed as police investigated the scene).
Could be an OD, or a body dump,  Nothing was said about a "crime" scene per se.
*** Next up, noted science fiction writer Harlan Ellison has passed as the age of 84.

Here is the story:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/harlan-ellison-volatile-legend-of-science-fiction-dies-at-84/ar-AAzj8bW?OCID=ansmsnnews11
And here is his WIKI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison

I grew up reading his work, and got to see most all of his television stories.
The standouts for me were The Outer Limits - "Soldier" (Michael Ansara) and "Demon With a Glass Hand" (Robert Culp).
Elements of "Soldier"  looked an awful like what would become the Terminator series (time travel to wage war)
He also wrote "City On the Edge of Forever", an award winning episode of the original Star Trek series, as well as 2 Babylon 5 episodes. He even wrote an episode of The Flying Nun (read the WIKI).
He was an eccentric and contentious individual, often called hard to work with, but I suppose with genius sometimes comes  eccentricity.

But one thing's for sure...he sure as hell was a good storyteller.
*** Next, looks like something "old" has become "new" once again.
Here's the story about some cool technology (for a change):
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarandipkaur/2017/08/10/airfish-8-this-unique-marine-craft-will-change-the-way-people-travel/#328231e2639d

This is called the Airfish 8, and has a few applications other than what the original (Bartini) Ekranoplans were designed for.
It's a "ground-effects" craft that skims over the water at very low altitude and produces a ride unlike anything else (smooth). And, it does it at speeds well over 100 MPH.

The Ekranoplan was a soviet craft, huge in size, designed to carry troops and missiles at speeds close to 300+ MPH.

It never became a mainstay that the USSR wanted and it was basically scrapped, but the technology behind it worked and has been adopted for commercial use (hotel shuttle, oil spill responder...that kind of stuff). And the Aiifish 8 performs quite well. Not bad for having a Corvette engine.
Maybe it will replace the Staten Island Ferry? Nah...not gonna happen.
*** Next up, time to stop by our "Kitten Corner"...

Dreaming of chasing his sister

The kids got into one of their manic moods yesterday...lots of running around, chasing each other.
As long as nothing gets broken along the way, that's fine. let them burn off that excess energy ME any of it...lol).
(because we know they're not lending

All chased out now

After all is said and done with "the chase", then it's time to nap-out. Nothing wrong with that.
*** Next up, let's check in with "Midnight and Company"...
Our furry twosome were less active with yesterday's heat and humidity...lethargic would be a good description.

I stick my tongue out at hot weather.

But, they were there for their food...and evening "treats" (hand-fed of course).
They keep changing spots to lay down on, and it might because they're looking for a cool spot.

I hate wearing a fur coat in summer.

I can't blame them. We do the same thing in bed when we sleep.
In that, we and the cats have something (else) in common.
*** Last back to the sweatbox...housing is an issue that will be with us for some time.

And here is NO easy fix. You can't deny housing to anyone who wants it, nor can you keep out the idiots who will burn a property to the ground when they fall asleep while cooking.
One thing that NEEDS to be done is some sort of educational process.
And by this, I mean a method whereby people L:EARN what is involved with renting or owning a property, be it a house or apartment.

You have to act in a CIVIL manner (don't annoy the shit out of others because you can).
You are assuming a responsibility when you become a tenant or homeowner, so get used to that.
If you don't want to be responsible,. maybe you should look elsewhere.
Unfortunately, people have forgotten how to act and those interpersonal skills everyone USED to possess have fallen into disfavor.
If we can find a way to address THAT, we just might wind up with a better society
Wouldn't that be a real kick in the pants?
Do have a good weekend.

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