Well, first off!

The cats around here are seriously hyper today — could this have something to do with it??

From the Cainer Horoscope newsletter this morning:

The sky opens up in a big way this week. Between July 15th and 21st, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Jupiter all move into alignment together.

We're more open to new ideas, more drawn to people and experiences outside our usual circle, and more willing to follow our own instincts instead of someone else's script.

Ambitions come into sharper focus, old talents get a chance to resurface, and you'll find that a little boldness goes a long way.

The invitation this week is simple: stay curious, aim a little higher than usual, and give yourself room to think and live differently.

Interesting, though, right?? We’ll see how this plays out!

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Gorgeous weather again here today, although it’s gonna get HOT by this afternoon.

Which is good, because I only have a ton of fucking errands to run after I see my clients later…. but, you know, at least I’m still alive and it isn’t raining.

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Okay!

Well, since I got a lot of work done yesterday at my desk — and also took a walk, did yoga, etc. — I don’t have a whole lot to post about today.

Although the good news is that, so far, my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn’s hand surgery went very well yesterday! So all of these delays are almost all behind us, and soon we will launch the new artists & writers podcast !! Yay!!

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A short one from James Tabor this morning — taken from the intro to his online course, “Quest for the Historical Paul.”

Does Paul Misread His Two Favorite Bible Verses? (3 mins):

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This one was from a few days ago, but in case you missed it–

The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues | Zane Lowe Interview (1 hr):

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And oddly enough, the only “here’s this’s” I have for today are about the Bad Seeds.

So, here’s this!!

To kill time between the show the other night in Madrid, Spain, and the upcoming show tonight in Nimes, France, Jim Scavulos took in some ruins!

However, Warren Ellis used that time to dash quickly to Cleveland — a trip of approximately 4,350 miles, and which takes about 17 hours each way — just to say hello! Yay! (I was going to dash over to say a quick “hello” back, but Cleveland is a good 2 hours from here and I hadn’t had my coffee yet.)

Anyway.

He also delivered a warning that not all rock icons are willing to make publicly; “Don’t Smoke In Bed”!!

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An interesting photo of Nick Cave in Montreux, with a fan (?):

And onstage in Madrid!

As we already discussed, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Nimes, France, tonight. You can buy tickets here!!

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And aside from all that…

I did get word from another local bookstore yesterday that I could drop off a review copy of my new novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder, anytime this week! I will probably get there on Friday.

That particular store does a ton of promoting for local writers, so maybe it could lead to an instore signing of some sort. We shall see.

Other than that —

Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Okay. Let’s close with this today.

From Warren Ellis’s sage advice while in bed earlier…

Nina Simone’s heart-wrenching, “Don’t Smoke In Bed”. 1958. From her debut album, Little Girl Blue. Enjoy, gang.

“Don’t Smoke In Bed”

I left a note on his dresser
And my old wedding ring
With these few goodbye words
How can I sing
Goodbye old sleepy head
I’m packing you in like I said

Take care of everything
I’m leaving my wedding ring
Don’t look for me
I’ll get ahead
Remember darling
Don’t smoke in bed

Don’t look for me
I’ll get ahead
Remember darling
Don’t smoke in bed

c – 1958 – Willard Robison