COVID Senior Lockdown, Day 48

Feeling better today. Thanks for asking. Some odds and ends from the sticky pile.

Pink sticky: As a professional COVID writer, I am lately confused about how to write my topic’s name. It seems every news organ has developed its own Style Guide treatment of the term. Most seem to be leaning toward Covid. Some even have gone totally lower case with covid. Being a stickler for anything done The Old Way, I’m going to hold onto the ALL CAPS version. I mean, I know it’s not technically an acronym, so I guess it doesn’t have to be all caps. But that’s how the founders spelled it, so I’m taking the originalist view.

Blue sticky: Cat vomits are like deer. If you find one in your path, assume there are more.

Back of Ram’s Head On Stage menu: If you’ve never seen Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes live, check them out. New Jersey rock in the style of Springsteen, Little Steven, Mink Deville, Graham Parker. Not BonJovi. Seeing a band live if you’re not already a fan is always a gamble. The singalong factor is going to be way down. You might end up staring into your beer while the chick what brung you is doing the Frug in front of the speakers. Or, you might end up mesmerized. That was me a few years ago when Mrs. F took me to see Southside in a small club. She had become a believer years ago during her past life in NYC. I had never heard of him.

I think I mentioned a few days ago that he, Bruuuuce, and Steven grew up together and learned life and music together. They share songs and a proclivity for raspy vocals. Steven produced the early Bruce LPs and is still, I think, in the band. Southside cut a few albums in the 70s, also with support from Steven (then known as Miami Steve), and has been relentlessly on tour since. I think he’s better live than on vinyl. The energy is addictive. The music is right up my alley: loud; complex; rock and roll with a tinge of blues, a layer of piano, and a heavy dose of horns. The band is a collection of characters.

The last time we saw him, the missus had a wine-induced vision of a movie, starring The Rock, or maybe Jason Statham, as the brawny sax player, young Brad Pitt as the glamour-guy lead guitar, and a keyboard player in a porkpie hat who is also a missile expert. Together they tour the world, drinking heavily, playing sold out small clubs, and fighting evil.

Yellow sticky on printout: Have you bought into the Smart Appliances movement yet? Not just smart TVs, but fridges, washer/dryers, light bulbs, even toilets that are on your wi-fi. All parts of the growing Internet of Things (IoT). Smart light bulbs can be controlled over the web or from your phone: on, off, scheduled on/off, dimming, feeding the cats. I found this in a technology column. Not a joke:

If you need to reset the software in your GE smart lightbulb, just follow these easy instructions. (Doesn’t seeing software and light bulb in same sentence make your head want to explode?)

  1. Turn on for 8 seconds.

  2. Turn off for 2 seconds.

  3. Turn on for 8 seconds.

  4. Turn off for 2 seconds.

  5. Turn on for 8 seconds.

  6. Turn off for 2 seconds.

  7. Turn on for 8 seconds.

  8. Turn off for 2 seconds.

  9. Turn on for 8 seconds.

  10. Turn off for 2 seconds.

  11. Turn on.

Bulb will flash on and off 3 times if it has been successfully reset. Welcome to Skynet.