Andy

Art I’ve Found

Jay Toups

Jay Toups, a.k.a. Jubbish creates stunning adventure art. His photography and videography brings a beauty to the world that will transport you to the wonders of nature.

He travels with his wife in a converted fire rescue truck finding beauty everywhere. 

Check out his art and his story, both are beautiful.

Website
X
YouTube

My Art

In The Air Rising

Sunrise from a plane takes the start of a new day to a different level.

Music I’ve Found

Benson Boone

I saw Benson do a backflip on the Grammy’s and then tear into his hit, “Beautiful Things.” Channeling a mix of Noah Kahan and Freddie Mercury, I found a new, powerful singer.

On YouTube, this song, when I copied the link, had 492,684,781 views. That’s just a few more than my dorky songs. I guess people like him.

My Dorky Song

How to Get People Back in Starbucks

This song doesn’t have quite as many views as Benson Boone’s, “Beautiful Things,” but it does give some advice to a giant corporation on how to get people back in the doors – Bring back the Cookie Butter Bar!

• YouTube

I’ve Written

I’m working on editing three new short stories in the What Ben Didn’t Know… series.

If you haven’t checked them out yet, now is the perfect time to read Ben’s stories!

Author Link on Amazon
Website
Podcast

One More Thing…

Did you ever wonder about zip codes? I mean, in the United States just five digits gets your letter near a destination. Add four more digits and magic happens!

Art I’ve Found

Ritchie Sacramento

Harvey Jones, a.k.a. Ritchie Sacramento, fills my photo feeds with some of the best black and white photography out there. Their color art is just as stunning, but there is something about black and white that can bring a dreamy quality to an image that color just leaves as bland.

Find the art at:
X/Twitter
Foundation Marketplace
Instagram
Website

My Art

Floats Made of Nature

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Rose Parade at the beginning of the month while I was on my little break from my projects. It was right before the fires, and I think about things over there a lot these days.

The floats have one requirement – the outside material must be made of flowers or natural materials. If you get to see them up close you will be amazed with seeds, flowers, crushed herbs, and other materials creating marvelous floats unlike any others you will ever see.

Music I’ve Found

Lord Vinheteiro

The dude is big on the socials, and a very wonderful keyboard player. He has a lot of fun with keyboard music, showing you things you didn’t know you needed to hear like this snippet of The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats played on a harpsichord.

Enjoy!

My Dorky Love Song

Another Year With You

A new year is plowing through, and all I know is that every year with my wife is wonderful!

• YouTube

One More Thing…

Pooping Dog Firework

Ahh, the 12 year old in me couldn’t stop thinking about what I want for the next 4th of July party.

Art I’ve Found

Kyle Wicks

Kyle Wicks is one of my GoPro and photography gurus, stationed mostly in the land of Canada, but venturing far and wide.

He works nearly every angle of photography, using every means possible, from wonderful drone footage, to stunning landscapes, and fantastic work as a GoPro ambassador. Don’t let the image of him here fool you, every other picture of him shows him filled with joy as he captures nature in all its beauty.

Find his art at:
His Website
Instagram
X/Twitter
LinkTree

My Art

Geese Formation

The Canadian Geese have taken over the football field. It’s gonna be a pretty poopy game later when the teams take the field! 💩

Music I’ve Found

Michael Stanley – The College Years

Growing up near Cleveland, Ohio when I did, there was one group that reigned supreme, The Michael Stanley Band, with their leader, Michael Stanley.

Sadly, Michael passed away a few years ago, but his music lives on. Now other bits are coming out, like early recordings from before he made the big time, well, at least became a giant in Cleveland.

My Dorky Song

Christmas Season Thanks

Another Love Song Thursday, and this one brings a Christmas song for my wife!

• YouTube

One More Thing…

The Internet Archive Wayback Machine

My first website, Entertainment Ave!, was started back in 1996. Thanks to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, I can find early iterations of my website.

Maybe I should become retro and get back to reviewing, in its glory days!

Art I’ve Found

Abrahanny

Abrahanny, a.k.a. Anny, is an event photographer extraordinaire who also creates stunning self-portraits depicting conflict, beginnings, and determination among other aspects of human emotion.

Her Luminis series creates a beautiful mix of self-portraits intermixed with light for a wondrous effect.

Check out her art at:
abrahanny.com
Instagram
deca.art

My Art

Not Black and White

This picture is in color. It’s a black sand beach.

Music I’ve Found

Margaret Rizza

I was introduced to the music of Margaret Rizza about a year ago, and find listening to her music calming and meditative.

The latest one I’ve been able to sing along with is titled Officium Divinum, Morning Prayer: No. 4, The Song of Zechariah (Benedictus). It’s a wonderful mix of majesty and grace.

My Dorky Song

Thankful for You and Egg Sandwiches

With Thanksgiving behind us, the thankfulness continues as my wife made me an egg sandwich for me to take to work since I didn’t have time for breakfast at home.

• YouTube

I’ve Written

The Driver

In this short story, Ben’s commute to his downtown office takes an unexpected turn. After a tense train ride, he’s forced to use a ride-sharing service due to unexpected rain and a forgotten umbrella. His driver, Richard, proves to be more than Ben bargained for, filling the journey with uncomfortable conversation and a few close calls on the road. “The Driver” explores the small tensions and unpredictable moments that can turn a simple trip into a memorable experience, for better or worse.

Buy on Amazon
Visit the Website

One More Thing…

Square Watermelon

I did not know there was a thing as a square watermelon, but apparently there is, sort of.

The link to Instagram shows how they grow.

Art I’ve Found

Hiroji Kotegawa

Hiroji Kotegawa creates what is sometimes called complex minimalism. There is exquisite pixel work in their art, and many times the digital works add a motion element that is stunning.

Find Hiroji at:
Website
LinkTree
X/Twitter

My Art

Tree Lighting

A lot of people will start putting up Christmas decorations and lighting them up. Sometimes nature does a better job.

Music I’ve Found

The Prophet’s Song – Queen

I read someone ask the other day what the first album you bought was. This questions immediately took me back to Queen – A Night at the Opera.

I was somewhere around 10-12 years old, and while most people were wearing out Bohemian Rhapsody, my favorite track was always The Prophet’s Song.

When I sold my album collection, it was the only one I saved.

My Dorky Song

A Problem With the Weekend

Why not a Love Song Thursday edition this week?

Yup, I love the weekends, but there is one problem – not enough time to spend with my wife!

• YouTube

I’ve Written

The Driver

Holy cow! It’s short story number three! Coming December 1st.
The Kindle version is ready for pre-order! Paperback will be ready December 1st!

One More Thing…

Lingyan the Panda and Greg

greg is a pretty funny person on X/Twitter, with wonderful dry humor in their posts.

This post spotlights the fact greg thinks Lingyan is just a man in a panda suit. I think it might be a panda just acting like a man.

Find greg on X!

Art I’ve Found

Zigmarillion

Zigmarillion, also known as Zig, is a photographer who loves night photography, making the shadows work with the limited amounts of light to create scenes of beauty.

You will get a feeling of being in the scene, walking streets at night, and wonder might be lurking in the shadows.

Find Zigmarillion’s work at:

Link Cards
Instagram
Twitter/X

My Art

Hanging Bubbles

I was walking past a garbage can in a park, and the garbage bad was stretched out such that the water was evaporating and collecting on the plastic. I just thought it looked pretty cool.

Music I’ve Found

Cowhand Rockstar – John Martin Hunter

A friend I follow on Facebook shared a link to Cowhand Rockstar. I was drawn at first to the A.I. imagery, but then the sound of the music caught me and just had me groovin’ in my seat.

My Dorky Song

The Dashboard Snowflake Blues

My car warned me the roads might be slippery. Yup, there was a snowflake on my dashboard, and it made me sad.

• YouTube

I’ve Written

The Driver

Coming soon to digital and paperback, my third short story!

If you need to check out the others, head to www.whatbendidntknow.com!

One More Thing…

Stanley Legendary Bottle

Yes, you see those giant water bottles everyone is carrying, and they say Stanley on them. Don’t forget that Stanley was a thermos before a thermos was cool.

Keep your stuff hot or cold for two days – get the original!

Art I’ve Found

Lord Truffington

Lord Truffington is a street photographer based out of London but travels the globe.

He loves to capture drastic contrast in his art, many times showing striking lines or silhouettes that create stunning images.

You can find him at:
https://www.lordtruffington.com
https://x.com/LordTruffington

My Art

Rising over Dew

This image is from a sunrise at the Springbrook Prairie in Naperville, Illinois, shot a bunch of years ago when I lived out there.

Music I’ve Found

Mike Posner

You might remember Mike Posner from the song “Cooler Than Me” released back in 2009.

I heard Mike interviewed on the My First Million Podcast and found his story very interesting, I mean the dude started his career from a dorm room and recently walked across America, even getting bitten by a rattlesnake along the way.

He’s got a new song out called “Beautiful Day.” It’s a catchy tune, and might just brighten your day.

My Dorky Song

Going to the Haircut Shop

Someone I know and love made fun of me for saying I was going to the “haircut shop.”

It was rightly deserved, but it also created this little song.

• YouTube

I Program

Make Me Smile App

As this week comes to a close, you might find that you need a reason to smile.

There’s an iPhone app for that called “Make Me Smile.”

It’s free, but if you wanted to “tip” me a few bucks, it’s appreciated.

One More Thing…

Tiny Toad

Nope, it’s not a jumping spider, it’s a tiny toad!

Smaller than your finger nail, I’m always curious how people actually find these things!

Art I’ve Found

Simone Monte

Simone is a wonderful artist whose stunning black and white images will bring you to every scene.

Based out of San Paulo and Rome, her award winning images from the beaches of Rio bring the vibrancy and beauty in black and white glory.

Travel to exotic worlds with Simone at:
Simone’s Website
Instagram
X/Twitter

My Art

All Aliens Dispursed

I’ve always found milkweed to look like some kind of alien pod as they get ready to release their seeds in the autumn.

As fall is coming to a close, the pods have sent out their “alien” seeds to create more “monsters.”

Music I’ve Found

Etta James – Purple Rain

During one of my Peloton post-ride stretches, instructor Sam Yo played Etta James covering Prince’s “Purple Rain.”

It was awesome.

My Dorky Song

Running Late but Don’t Know Why

Ahh, one of those morning when I woke up on time, but everything just seemed to go in slow motion.

• YouTube

I’ve Written

What Ben Didn’t Know…

It’s November, time to hunker down during Novel Quest/Nanowrimo and create more stories!

“The Driver” is scheduled to be released December 1st, so that gives you time to read the first two stories in the series.

Check out www.whatbendidntknow.com to read for free, listen, or buy!

One More Thing…

Leica M Edition 70

Christmas is coming, and if you’re wondering what to get me, may I suggest the Leica M Edition 70 for Christmas.

There are only 250 being sold, so you better act fast. Don’t worry, it won’t set you back too much, just about $23,000.00, and I’ll also get a roll of black and white film in a platinum container.

Art I’ve Found

Simplified as Judz

They say they are from Tokyo, but I don’t know for sure. All I do know is that if you want a nice, inspiring message with a picture of a flower, follow @simpleasjade on X/Twitter.

I hope the weekend was smashing 💖💖
Good night my dear friends ✨🌛✨
Have a lovely evening ⭐️⭐️
a peaceful sleep tonight 💤💤
sweetest dreams 💫🍃💫
and tomorrow comes with a new radiance of hope🌟 and joy ❣️❣️

My Art

All Seeds Gone

Music I’ve Found

Víkingur Ólafsson

In a double-win for me, someone pointed me to Víkingur Ólafsson playing the work of Philip Glass, neither of whom I had know about.

Philip Glass is a composer and pianist, and Víkingur Ólafsson is a pianist from Iceland.

I was directed to Víkingur playing “Opening,” composed by Philip, and it’s a wonderful, rhythmic run that you can just get lost in.

My Dorky Song

No Stop at the Donut Shop

The traffic app took me on a different way to work, and it was driving past my favorite donut shop.

I have no idea how, but I didn’t stop at the donut shop.

• YouTube

One More Thing…

Yankees versus Dodgers

It’s almost Christmas, so it must be time for the World Series!

While I am annoyed that baseball can continue into November, thereby games played in snow, if I were a betting man, judging by the history of the Yankees/Dodgers’ World Series, I would put my money on the Yankees.

Then again, maybe the Dodgers are due to win two times in a row this time?

Art I’ve Found

Kurt Jurgen

Kurt is a drone photographer extraordinaire, and also an engineer extraordinaire. Going by the nickname Topdown King, it’s easy to see his kingdom.

He looks for great perspectives from the air, finds unique places to create his art, and makes me wish I had a drone until I realize that my art would pale in comparison.

Find Kurt at:
Lynkfire
Instagram
X/Twitter
Gallery on The Line

My Art

Looking Up

We are used to looking straight ahead for beauty, but sometimes looking up can be even more beautiful. It can be difficult, though, when you are trying to look up at the beauty of the underside of a flower.

Music I’ve Found

Bright Lights – The Killers

There are times I hear music, and it makes me remember how much I love an artist or band.

Such was the recent case when “Bright Lights” from The Killers hit my playlist.

It reminds me a bit of a Meatloaf/Jim Steinman song, complete with strings in the background, a bombastic sound, and a song that just makes you want to move.

It makes me excited if they could put together more music and launch a new album.

My Dorky Song

I’m Cheugy

I heard some hip kids say something like, “That outfit is cheugy.”

I saw what they were looking at and really hoped it meant, “Cool.”

Then I looked at what “cheugy” meant, and realized I was cheugy.

Guess it’s time to get rid of my cargo shorts.

• YouTube

I’ve Written (and Recorded)

What Ben Didn’t Know Podcast

Yea, I wrote a couple of short stories, but for those of you who dislike reading, I do have them released on the “What Ben Didn’t Know…” podcast.

Save the $.99 and just listen in your car, on the beach, or going to bed!

One More Thing…

“Hollaback Girl” Deconstructed

Seeing Gwen Stefani back on The Voice for some reason had my mind drift to nearly twenty years ago and someone who deconstructed her song, “Hollaback Girl.”

The entire article is a wonderful analysis of a pop song, but in case you want to jump to the chase…

A few times I’ve been around that track
So it’s not just gonna happen like that
Cause I ain’t no hollaback girl
I ain’t no hollaback girl
Gwen is apparently the captain of the cheerleader squad; she is the girl who “hollas” the chants, not one of the girls who simply “hollas” them back. Given that the squad is preparing to beat somebody up on Gwen’s behalf, she’s picked a strange time to remind them that she is their leader and they are her sheep-like followers. Gwen obviously rules her squad with an iron fist.