Newsletter

Art I’ve Found

Steve Walasavage

Steve Walasavage creates stunning, outdoor images. His photography brings out a sense of awe about this world we live in, and I’m always amazed of how he captures waterfalls (Check out his Instagram for a bunch of examples).

Find him at:
LinkTree
Instagram

My Art

Through the Clouds

This image is from Big Island, Hawaii.

Gosh, I can’t wait to get back to the islands someday!

Music I’ve Found

Amantes Del Futuro

I was lucky enough to go to a fabulous Mexican restaurant, Mi Tocaya Antojeria, in Chicago.

As we were sitting waiting for our food, some fun music came on, I Shazam-ed it, and discovered it was Amantes del Futuro’s “Cumbia Lenta.”

It’s the kind of music that makes you want to dance and bounce around and also makes you want to eat fast!

They also sometimes sound like the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

I am now a fan of cumbia music!

My Dorky Song

How Long Will That Squirrel Sit?

I saw him there, or maybe it was a her, but decided to watch the squirrel until they decided it was time to go.

In the end, it wasn’t that long.

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I’ve Written

I’m doing my best to get out my next short story, “What Ben Didn’t Know… The Coffee Journey,” next week!

If you haven’t checked out “Just Another Lunchtime Walk,” yet, now is your chance!

E-book links, listen as a podcast, or read it for free!

One More Thing…

Free Bird

Maybe you know the song Free Bird from Lynyrd Skynyrd, but you probably don’t know it played with whistle, violin, and bagpipes.

Enjoy!

Art I’ve Found

MonikasArt

Monika does wonderful, abstract art, most of which you can find in the NFT world.

My mornings are much more colorful when the algorithm decides I should see some art from Monika as I scroll through.

Check out her abstractness at:

Lynkfire: All Things Monika
Foundation
X/Twitter

My Art

Morning Glow Ascension

Music I’ve Found

The Hu

I’m not sure when the song “Shireg Shireg” popped into my music mix, but I’m sure glad it did.

The description The Hu is “a rock band that fuses heavy metal with the traditional Mongolian throat singing of their native land.”

I have to say that there aren’t that many heavy metal bands with flutes and harps in them, either.

“Shireg Shireg” isn’t that heavy metal-ish, but does have some flute and guttural throat singing.

My Dorky Song

Bug On the Ground

I saw a bug on the ground. I thought it was dead. Then it started moving. Nope, not dead!

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I’ve Written

Trifecta Complete!

The trifecta for my short story release, “What Ben Doesn’t Know… Just Another Lunchtime Walk,” is now complete!

There are the print and e-book versions on Amazon and Apple Books.

If you don’t want to risk the $.99, you can read it for free on the website.

Don’t like reading? Listen to it as a podcast! Search for “What Ben Didn’t Know” wherever you get your podcasts like Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Now it’s on to short story number 2!

One More Thing…

If I Were Your Pup

This is just a fun song that might brighten your day, especially if you like dogs!

Art I’ve Found

Cory “Withhears” Staudacher

Cory Staudacher, a.k.a. “Withhearts,” is a photographer in the minimal world. He tends to use a lot of mist, fog, and dreaminess when creating scenes to bring a sense of calm and peacefulness when looking at his art.

If you need a break from the craziness of life, scroll through his Instagram, X, or check out his website.

Find his art at:
Instagram
X/Twitter
Website

My Art

Standing Tall

As bad as some of the news might be about Chicago, it’s still a damn beautiful city. I always love the buildings, reaching for the sky.

Music I’ve Found

Blasterjaxx & Timmy Trumpet
Narco

Somehow my “Discovery Station” started playing a song that was electro house music. Okay, I’m fine with that. Then I started hearing trumpet. Cool. Then I heard a lyric with the word, “underoos, roos, roos, roos.”

Yup, it doesn’t take much to hook me in!

My Dorky Song

The Perfect Day

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I’ve Written

So, yea, my short story is released, and as I progress with my plan for short story domination, I’m also going to offer them for free on the What Ben Didn’t Know… website a few weeks after their official release.

So, if you don’t want to spend the dollar on the Kindle version, or a few more bucks on the paperback, read it free on the website! And, if that isn’t enough, hopefully there will be a podcast release of the stories as they come out as well!

One More Thing…

John Denver sings Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”

There’s a group of musicians called “There I Ruined It” who do odd adaptations of just about any song.

I’m an old fan of John Denver, and kind of wish he were alive to actually do this version.

Alas, technology must be used, and Black Sabbath will never sound the same!

Art I’ve Found

Jessica Cardelucci

Jessica Cardelucci is a photographer whose black and white images bring a sense of wonder to my soul.

I’ve been a fan of her work since I started finding folks in the NFT world, and her art of mustangs, not to mention her other works, is stunning.

Find her at:
Website
X/Twitter
Instagram

I’ve Written

What Ben Didn’t Know… Just Another Lunchtime Walk

My short story is live and available on Amazon! https://a.co/d/46QKFzD

I am really proud of putting this out there. I know many of the things I post can be funny, but this short story touches on serious subject matter so don’t be surprised if you shed a tear rather than chuckle.

If you can help by spreading the word to your friends who like to read fiction, I would be grateful.

My Art

Foul Pole

Music I’ve Found

Lord of the Lost

Most people don’t know that I have an appreciation for what is considered industrial music. A friend of mine suggested I listen to Lord of the Lost, and sure enough, I was hooked.

For those of you who like things on the softer side, you might not want to click the video as it might just frighten you, or have you think, “Andy likes this crap?” Yes, yes I do like it.

My Dorky Song

French Toast Sandwich

If you find yourself making breakfast and have some french toast and some berries, may I suggest you make a sandwich. It’s very tasty!

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One More Thing…

They Will Never Die

For a variety of reasons, the cockroach will probably live forever. One of those reasons is simply that most bug sprays in the United States won’t really do much to kill them according to a study by some University of Florida smart people.

Sure, you can go really, really, really, old school and use diatomaceous earth, letting the fossils slowly kill them by damaging the exoskeleton of the roach, but in the end, we will all be dirt and the roaches will probably still be roaming the earth.

I’ve Written

What Ben Didn’t Know… Just Another Lunchtime Walk

I’m proud to announce my first short story, being released on Amazon on September 1st!

The stories are about human interaction. The main character, Ben, generally has no idea he has an influence on others, i.e, he didn’t know.

You can pre-order on Amazon!

Have it delivered direct to your Kindle, and there will be a paperback version available as well.

My Art

Smoky Mountain Sunset

My wife and I recently had the opportunity to drive around the Carolinas. One of our stops was in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s quite beautiful, and the sunsets are magnificent!

My Dorky Song

I Passed the Test

It took four years. I tried and tried again to pass the test, but I kept failing. I was so happy to be failing, it was awesome, it was a great story.

Now that I passed the test, I’m stuck not being special.

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One More Thing…

Take Things with A Grain of Salt (or add the salt to your steak)

There is a lot of information out there, a lot of studies, and most of the times the headline, and even the study, don’t give all the truth.

Recently there was a study about red meat and diabetes, kind of scary for meat eaters, until you really look at the data.

A doctor out there does a great job explaining how studies aren’t always the results you might think they are.

Art I’ve Found

Giulio Aprin

I love Giulio’s bio, “Storyteller of Deserts.”

You may just think of a desert as a barren wasteland, but Giulio Aprin will show you that, as he explains, “The desert is peace and desolation, a place as dead as it is alive. But the desert is also resilience and perfection. The desert is a woman, with curves so soft and smooth, sensual and delicate….The desert, like all forces of nature, is a mirror of what we are.”

His story is fascinating, so explore the desert through the eyes of Giulio, you will find it a thing of beauty.

Find him on:

X
Instagram
Website

My Art

Kauai From the Air

It might seem scary, but if you ever make it to Kauai, Hawaii, I suggest you splurge on a tour from a helicopter. Just be sure to position yourself by the window!

Music I’ve Found

Tito Puente

I love when people make me reconnect to some of the classics. In this case I was told to revisit Tito Puente, who I wasn’t really familiar with.

If you want a party time, go ahead and fire up a Tito Puente playlist on your favorite music source.

My Dorky Song

Ignore the World

Now that The Olympics are over you might find yourself doom-scrolling and thinking the world is a horrible place.

Take a break, quit the scrolling, at least for a little while. You might feel better.

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One More Thing

Googly Eyes

So you’ve just bought a Tesla Cybertruck, but you want to be a little less conspicuous as you drive your tank down the road.

Give it some personality!

And yes, you can buy giant “googly eyes” on Amazon.

Art I’ve Found

Robert “Intrepid” Downie

Say what you will about Twitter/X, but it has the most interesting art community if you look for it.

Robert is an unbelievable travel photographer whose work spans the globe. What caught my eye this time, though, was a post he reposted from nearly a year ago.

The post began… 
My small family spent two years of our lives essentially stateless, stranded at sea, 18,000km from home, floating on 40ft of fiberglass. ‘Freedom to transact’ literally became a matter of life or death. This is our story.“

The story is a riveting look at resilience and being thrust into weirdness back in the days of lockdowns. You should check out his story, and especially his art on his website, Instagram, and X.

My Art

Looking Scary

I will forever remember the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

It was like being a kid again, giddy seeing the coolest, hot air balloons, even if some were kind of scary.

Music I’ve Found

Mark Knopfler

While not recently found, reading that Mark Knopfler was turning 75 years old had me revisit his music catalog.

Way back when I was never a huge fan of Dire Straits. Sure, I knew “Sultans of Swing” and the MTV song “Money for Nothing,” but it wasn’t until I heard a bar band cover “Espresso Love” that I started to become a fan, loving most things Dire Straits and even more things Mark Knopfler.

It’s great to hear him still making wonderful music.

My Dorky Song

Bats Not in the Belfry

For a while I saw what looked like rodent droppings on our deck. I thought it might be mice, squirrels, or maybe chipmunks. Then I realized it was coming from above, and sure enough, there is at least one bat in the deck of the dwelling above our deck.

Yuck!

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I’ve Written

A new tease built off of last week’s tease.

I’m still shooting for a September 1st release, just hoping my bought with Covid didn’t delay the progress in getting all things prepped and ready. Gonna be a busy end of August while still enjoying the last bits of summer.

One More Thing…

1/16th of an Inch

I never realized things were so measurable in the lobster world!

While your lobster may be getting smaller, as long as the new rules don’t affect my favorite lobster tails, I think I’ll be okay.

Art I’ve Found

André

One day I got a new follow on X/Twitter from André. I rarely dismiss follows without looking at what they post to see if I like what they do.

I looked at his profile and saw fun, digital art that I knew would brighten up my timeline every day.

He describes his art as, for the most part, psychedelic. I find it fun, bright, and if you need something colorful to brighten your day, keep him in your viewing feeds.

Find him and his art:

Website – Linktree
X/Twitter – Instagram

My Art

Summer Lillies

Most people hear “lillies” and think of Easter. There are some stunning summer lilies around if you look for them!

Find My Art…

Music I’ve Found

Pachelbel’s Canon – 4 Flutes

Pachelbel’s Canon is the best song I have ever heard. A girl in high school played it for me on her Walkman, and I never forgot it, even eventually buying the CD.

One night it popped up on my iTunes, I wondered what happened to that girl, and Googled her. I found her on LinkedIn, she accepted my connection request, and then accepted my request to become my wife.

I found this version. It’s kind of cool as the flautist mixed four flutes for the video, and have never seen the wacky flute in the bottom right corner of the video before.

Best. Song. Ever.

My Dorky Song

Better Get to Enjoyin’ Summer

With the beginning of August here, looking at the calendar, it occurred to me that the summer is quickly wrapping up.

It’s crunch time, time to squeeze out every bit of summer while you still can.

Go do it!

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I’ve Written

A tease with a picture of something coming soon, planned right now for September 1st! I’m even surprising myself with this project!

One More Thing…

Pig-Butt Worm

Yes, there is a thing called the “pig-butt worm.” I find it kind of cute.

Find the story on LifeScience.

Art I’ve Found

Tim “TimmboSlice” Burgess

I saw Tim’s stunning aerial photographs and became hooked watching for them in my X feed.

His art gives a perspective of the oceans that will have you see things differently the next time you gaze at the sea.

My Art

Storms a Comin’

I miss Italy. Luckily the storms stayed away while we were hanging out at The Colosseum.

Music I’ve Found

The 502s

When I heard The 502s, after I stopped bouncing at my desk, I thought they were a fun mix of sounds like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones mixed with The Lumineers.

Just a bunch of fun music to put you in a bouncy mood.

My Dorky Love Song

A Walk is Lonely Without You

I was working from home and decided to go for a walk. Walks are so much better when my wife is along!

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One More Thing…

Kassia – Midi Art

I guess there are a few people out there making these videos, but watching the midi notes flow, like an old piano scroll, shows just how talented a piano player like Kassia is.

Art I’ve Found

Cory Babstock

It’s puffin season in Newfoundland, and Cory loves to share all things puffin and more!

Years ago I saw a news story about the puffins, and from then on, I always wanted to see them.

Right now the closest I can get to a puffin is usually through the lens of Cory on X or his Instagram. As he hosts tours at puffin-time, I do hope, someday, to make the trip across the pond to see, and take pictures of, the cute birds, in person.

My Art

The Colors of the Land of Kauai

Right now, with it being summer in the Chicago area, I don’t miss Hawaii that much. Come February, though, the thoughts of moving somewhere warm and beautiful will come creeping back.

Music I’ve Found

David Kushner

I heard the song “Daylight” from David Kushner pop on my playlist and thought, “Hmm, sounds a bit like that Hozier dude, but different.”

As happens these days, David became famous on Tik-Tok first, but don’t hold that against him. He’s got great lyrics and some great songs. There will also be a new album coming out the end of August if you find you enjoy “Daylight.”

My Dorky Song

Anticipation or Vacation

Some people say that the anticipation of vacation can be better than the vacation itself.

I say they are blowing smoke up their behinds or planning lame vacation because, for me, the vacation is the awesome part!

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One More Thing…

World-Wide Labyrinth Locator

Are you wondering if there might be a labyrinth near you?

Who doesn’t?

Maybe you want to do a meditative stroll or just see something, well, labyrinthian.

Have no fear, the Labyrinth Locator website is here!

Yup, maybe you find yourself in Keaau, Hawaii, and have thirty to forty minutes to spare. Go ahead, stroll a replica of the Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth. Better yet, head to France and see the original!