LMNOP: November 2024.

The Weather

The weather this month will be changing constantly and it will involve several things. The sunny days will be filled with sunny times during several sunny days. But then the rainy times will be rainy and they will be rainy for a while. There will be wind which will be followed by periods of no wind. At times there will be breezes. During the day the temperature will go up and at night it will go down. At different times highs and lows could be in the 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 100s. But at other times temperatures could dip well below zero and rise to over 100 degrees. This constantly changing trend will continue for the entire month. There will be clouds in the sky but they won't always be the same kind of clouds. Sometimes the clouds will be big, puffy and white and at other times they will be thin and wispy. Sometimes the clouds will be different colors. But this is not an indication there is anything wrong because it is normal for things to change colors. The sun will shine during the day but it will stop shining at night. At night the moon will appear but it will quickly disappear the next morning. Storms will pop up and then go away. Hurricanes will come and go. We will occasionally have tornadoes but they too will go away. It will be windy for several windy days when the wind blows. The weather will be stupid at times and surprisingly intelligent at other times. The weather will be kind and the weather will be mean. On some occasions the weather will seem disillusioned and withdrawn. When it is, we need to give it extra support so it will feel better. When the weather is jealous reassure it that there is no weather that is better than it is. The weather will continue being the weather. This month the big news is going to be wind, rain, sun, clouds, temperatures, storms and adorable little kittens romping around everywhere and playing non-stop in their usual ultra-cute sort of way. Kittens are what matter most because they are lovable and they purr. Fortunately kittens will always be there for those who love them. Those with kittens will live rich and rewarding lives. This is the end of the weather report for this month. Next month there will be more weather. [continued below]

Brain Replacement Therapy

Brains are stupid things. We place so much emphasis on the thoughts they produce but those thoughts are the exact things that cause us so much stress and anxiety in our world. In 1747 doctors and scientists began focusing their attention on trying to find a way to replace the brain with something better and more reliable. But for a very long period this was impossible due to the size of the human brain. The average brain originally weighed about two pounds and this was the norm for a very long time. But during the twentieth century human brains began to grow and develop to the point where the average human brain weighed about three pounds. That all changed when the twenty-first century began. Since 2000 brains have been rapidly shrinking in size and volume. So much so that the average human brain now weighs only 1/1000 of an ounce. But the good news is that the extremely small size has made it possible for doctors to remove them and replace them with something more functional. After over two thousand trial surgeries it was finally determined that a mere grain of rice was the answer. Once doctors began removing brains and replacing them with grains of rice they realized that the results were even better than expected. People were not only smarter but they were also much happier. There are no downsides to this story. Our brains ain't no good no more. So we're replacing them with rice. That's it, pure and simple. Do yourself a favor and have your brain removed. It will solve everything. [continued below]

Peanuts Forever.

There's so much stuff produced all the time that it is impossible to keep track of all of it. And at different times some of the best things simply slip through the cracks and never enter our consciousness. Such is the case with a series of books released a few years ago compiling all of Charles Schulz' color Peanuts comic strips that originally appeared in Sunday newspapers. Entitled Peanuts Every Sunday, the books compile all the color Peanuts strips into eight beautiful volumes. When we were young Peanuts was more than a mere form of entertainment. The strip caused us to ponder and reflect as we began to formulate how we would think as adults. It also helped mold our sense of humor. What makes the Peanuts Every Sunday books so important is that this is (apparently) the first time they have appeared in their entirety in color since they were created. The earliest black and white strips from 1950 to 1952 remain our favorites because the characters were often very mean and hateful. It's interesting to see Snoopy evolve from a dog to a more human-like four-legged creature. It seems amazing that Schultz was able to subtly incorporate ideas of futility, humility, frustration, alienation and sarcasm into his comic strips and get away with it. The Peanuts characters were ultimately a vehicle for Charles to express his own personal thoughts and viewpoints in a way that entertained others and made them laugh. If the 1950s saw threads of anger in the characters, Schulz' sarcastic wit became more and more evident in the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, the zip of the strip was unfortunately drying up as Charles seemed to opt for more safe and bland ideas that would not be as challenging for the average person. Long ago we found these strips hilarious. Re-reading them now they are still hilarious but they also now seem even more insightful. Charles Schultz tapped into the strange subconscious desire of people in the 1950s and 1960s to laugh at themselves and realize the ridiculousness of human behavior. [continued below.]

Entertainment & Music News

* The first six High Llamas albums from 1992 to 1996 have been reissued on vinyl. This cool band's music was one of the highlights of the 1990s, so these reissues will hopefully make more people aware of these ultra cool recordings that have stood the test of time. * One website you can always depend on to pick the best of the best in the world of music is Discograffiti. Run by a genuinely inspired fellow named David Gebroe, Discograffiti features interviews with some of the greatest musicians around. Instead of the same old tired famous celebrities, Gebroe selects lesser known bands and artists whose music is genuinely credible and inspired. And that is what makes his website such a refreshing change from so many in 2024. * Rumours are running wild that Kurt Cobain is getting back together in 2025. Fans are waiting with baited breath to see if he can. * It is widely reported that nothing will be happening over the next few months. And this trend is bound to continue for the remainder of the decade and beyond. * The band Trust Fund has just released a nifty new album entitled Has It Been A While? The band is the project created by Ellis Jones, a surprisingly genuine and talented singer/songwriter whose music recalls classic folk/pop artists from the past like Roy Harper, Donovan and Cat Stevens. This twelve song album has been released by the taste-conscious folks at Tapete Records...so you know it's good. * Slaves to Mammals. Professor Marginta Blerindy recently completed a survey studying peoples' devotion to cats and dogs. When the results were categorized they revealed that these animals lead much better lives than the humans who support them. But this is no accident. Cats and dogs have been sharing goals and ideas over the internet for years and have been secretly conspiring to take advantage of their situations. The end result is that over time the average citizen has become a slave to his or her mammal(s). Most people are now more focused on the health of their cats and dogs than the health of their own human family members. This is the way it should be, as cats and dogs are now pulling all the strings. * Readers should take note of a cool Canadian music venue called the Vancouver Improvised Arts Society. The space is located at 1210 Thomas Avenue in Coquitlam, British Columbia. Canada always seems to home to some of the best music on the planet. * Canada-based singer/songwriter Charles Boyd has released a new EP. This independently-released disc features four groovy tracks. * Good Solid Chuckles. If you want some good solid laughs, check out the Whitney Houston & Bobby Brown skits from the wonderfully inventive MadTV program which, sadly, is no more. Debra Wilson and Aries Spears really hit the target with their hilarious satire of two celebrities whose careers went horribly wrong. Equally hilarious are skits with Spears as James Brown and Will Sasso as Kenny Rogers. The cooking skits starring these two are way too funny, as are all the Kenny Rogers skits. For an extra really good time check out Kenny Rogers Psychic Friends Hotline. Outrageous. We have always wished there were more Yvonne Criddle skits featuring the extraordinarily mean character played by Daniele Gaither. Other all-time favorites include Mo Collins and Michael McDonald's Stuart skits (priceless, of course), Alex Borstein's Rosie O'Donnell skits (which apparently resulted in the entire cast being banned from ever appearing on her awful show) and Nicole Sullivan as the Vancome Lady. While you're checking out all that stuff check out ALL the MadTV stuff. It's not surprising that the show never receives as much attention as Saturday Night Live when it is obviously sooooooooo much BETTER. It's probably because MadTV dealt with topics that are now considered inappropriate or off-limits...much like the equally hilarious English show Little Britain. We keep hoping some smart company will have the good sense to release a Complete MadTV Series box set. * Noodles Everywhere. The latest reports are reporting that noodles are all over the place now. Big noodles, little noodles, teenie weenie tiny noodles. Rice noodles and egg noodles. Everyone likes the noodles. But when they are everywhere everyone begins to wonder how much they like them. * We're hearing from some very reliable sources that Brian Jones is getting back together. Our reporters did not state a deadline, but assured us that it will be sooner than anyone expects. * Long Island, New York-based recording artist(s) Andrew Weiss and Friends have released a new album entitled The World's Smallest Violin. The album was recorded in 2022 and features fourteen smart melodic cuts with true staying power. Some of these tracks remind us of the late Scott Miller's iconic band Game Theory. * Too Many Parties. Promotional gatherings are all the rage again and companies are handing out tons of promotional items, free drinks and free food. We're still reeling from five parties we attended last week and we are slated to attend thirty-four more before the year ends. * Cool Reversal. It has been determined that everything that was cool is no longer cool. In direct contrast, everything that was not cool is now very very cool. And so it goes, on and on. On and on and on and on. * Sunset Blvd. Records has released a new album by Iain Matthews titled How Much Is Enough. This thirteen track album features smooth pensive soft pop songs with nice melodies and a warm organic sound. Matthews is probably best known for his work in the band Fairport Convention, but this album makes it perfectly clear that this man continues to hit some real highs with his thoughtful intelligent music. * This just in from the interesting names department... Georgia recording artist Slaw (real name: Scott Colson) has released a new album entitled Here I Come. His music has been compared to artists like Otis Redding and Darius Rucker. The album was produced in Nashville by Shawn Byrne and features eleven moody bluesy pop songs. *