Don’t Ease Me In

The wind cut into his skin and grey skies pressed down on the rotting town, but at least he was home.  The guy had been “all night long coming home”, so he probably did a lot of drinking with his friends and even though he is back home now, he is not ready to end the party.  On September 28, 1939, legendary jazz pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton played ‘Don’t You Leave Me Here’ for Alan Lomax, which is very similar to the Texas Ragtime song ‘Don’t Leave Me Here (Don’t Ease Me In)’ that was recorded by Henry Thomas in 1928.  On several songs, Thomas accompanied himself on guitar and on quills, a folk instrument fabricated from cane reeds.  The instrument is similar in sound to the zampoña, used by musicians in Peru and Bolivia.  His legacy is sustained by four songs. ‘Fishin’ Blues’ which was covered by Taj Mahal and The Lovin’ Spoonful.  ‘Bull Doze Blues’ which was recorded by Canned Heat with new lyrics, and retitled ‘Goin’ Up The Country’ and ‘Honey Won’t You Allow Me One More Chance’ which was covered by Bob Dylan as ‘Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance’.  His song ‘Don’t Ease Me In’ was covered by the Grateful Dead.  Henry Thomas made a series of recordings from 1927 to 1929, before he decided to retire from music.

Tracing the origins of old songs can get confusing and lead to chaos, as in the chorus of the Henry Thomas song, he sings “I’m Alabama bound”, which can be traced back to a 1910 instrumental single by Prince’s Orchestra that was written by John J. Puderer and Robert Hoffman.  Adding to the confusion, Trixie Smith recorded ‘Railroad Blues’ in 1925 and that song contains the lyrics “I’m Alabama bound”.  The song ‘Alabama Bound’ was a hit for Papa Charlie Jackson in the mid 20s, & in different forms found its way into the repertoire of such diverse artists as Jelly Roll Morton & Leadbelly.  In an interview with Alan Lomax, Jelly Roll Morton claimed to have written the song ‘Alabama Bound’ in 1905 which he recorded in 1939 as ‘Don’t You Leave Me Here’ claiming that he made the song up when he was in the Alabama barrel house circuit.  A bar where whiskey is served straight from the barrel is called a barrelhouse.  Add a piano and you’ve got yourself a party.  The barrelhouses of the rural South were rough wooden shacks where the African American laborer community gathered to drink and dance at the edge of small towns and levee camps.  I can’t dance.  No really, I can’t.  Please stop asking.  I am glad we got that settled.

What is this song about, do the lyrics have any significance?  To ease is to make milder or less severe, to relieve or assuage one’s grief or pain.  He “was standing at the corner Talking to Miss Brown” and when he “turned around, She was way cross town”, but she was probably not up to any type of treachery or involved in any conspiracy, she just knew how to jet away.  He is out with a dollar in his hand “looking for a woman”, even though he has one at home that is “sweet and true”.  Some people just can’t be trusted, as when you turn your back and they steal pickles and maybe this guy was the pickle thief from La La Land.  His girl brings him coffee and tea which are both wet and probably quenched his thirst after a long night of drinking.  I am sure that she would have given him a beet, if he asked for that, as they are packed with essential vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, some of which have medicinal properties, but maybe he did not like beets, thinking that they taste like tar.

Don’t ease, don’t ease
Don’t ease me in
I’ve been all night long coming home
Don’t ease me in
I was standing at the corner
Talking to Miss Brown
Well I turned around, sweet moma
She was way cross town
So I’m walking down the street
With a dollar in my hand
I’ve been looking for a woman, sweet moma
Ain’t got no man
The girl I love
She’s sweet and true
You know the dress she wears, sweet moma
It’s pink and blue
She brings me coffee
You know she brings me tea
She brings ‘bout every damn thing
But the jailhouse key

Written for Sheryl’s Daily Word Prompt – Assuage, for Roger Shipp’s Daily Addictions prompt – Beet, for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling prompt – I Can’t Dance. No Really, I Can’t. Please Stop Asking, for the Daily Spur prompt – Significance, for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie First Line Friday hosted by Dylan, for FOWC with Fandango – Conspiracy, for Christine’s Daily Writing Prompt – La La Land, for Linda G. Hill’s ‘Life in progress’ JusJoJan January prompt – Chaos, for January Writing Prompts – The pickle thief, for Ragtag Community – Retire, for Di’s Three Things Challenge prompt words – Wet Tar Jet and for Word of the Day Challenge Prompt – Community.

You Can’t See Me

Twenty four year old Kate was playing with her three year old nice Kelly and she crossed her right arm over her eyes and said, “Na, na, na, na you can’t see me.”  Little Kelly replied, “Aunt Kate, just because you have covered up your eyes, saying that I can’t see you is not a valid point, because I can still see you.  It is not all that complicated, as you would have to cover my eyes for me not to be able to see you.  I don’t see your eyes, but just because you are out of sight, that doesn’t mean that you are out of mind, as I will always think of you and about that night when you were sleepless in the town of Harmony and you told me that you were having a baby and I would have a new cousin.”

Kate said, “Wow that was an impressive answer and I admire your accuracy and I am so proud that you will never be taken advantage of by any riff raff, or disreputable or undesirable people, because you have a functioning brain.  You will know when your glass is half empty and when it is half full, which wheel needs the grease and you will be able to determine which way the wind is blowing and know when there is trouble at the gate.  How about we watch a movie while I comb that scraggly hair of yours, but first we will need to go to Stage Clear and you have to pick up your toys.  While you are doing that, I will get us each some ice for our drinks.  I think I found a movie that we may both enjoy called Robin Hood Turns Over a New Leaf in Sherwood Forest, what do you think, will that work for you?”

Written for Sheryl’s Daily Word Prompt – Accuracy, for Roger Shipp’s Daily Addictions prompt – Gate, for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling prompt – Stage Clear, for the Daily Spur prompt – Wind, for Eugi’s Weekly Prompt – Complicated, for FOWC with Fandango – Valid, for Christine’s Daily Writing Prompt – Grease, for Devereaux Frazier and Beth Amanda of Midwest Fantasy Tuesday Writing Prompt – “twenty four” and “ice”, for Linda G. Hill’s ‘Life in progress’ JusJoJan January prompt – Scraggly, for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie NEKNEERAJ’s Photo Challenge #299, for January Writing Prompts – Sleepless in the town of harmony, for Ragtag Community – Movie, for Di’s Three Things Challenge prompt words – Glass Leaf Robin and for Word of the Day Challenge Prompt – Riff.

Why Do I Hate Rap Music?

As Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said, “Let me count the reasons why”.  The lyrics rhyme, but it is not what I would call music, as I only hear noise while the song goes on blah, blah, blah.  Gang bangers demeaning women calling them bitches and whores, but the kids who walk around with their pants hanging off their butt’s, all like the swearing.  The more times the “F” bomb is dropped, the more popular the song becomes.  The lyrics are pure garbage and even David Peel and the Fugs are able to write better stuff.  Any idiot could write a song using a repetitive bass rhythm while avoiding the use of any real music in it.  The emphasis on rhymes becomes tedious, it’s a drag that gets mechanical and mind numbing for me very quickly.  Just about every rap song has the same beat and they all seem to sound the same to me.  Some of the videos are fun and I do like that song from the Wedding Singer ‘Rappers Delight’.

Written for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling prompt- I only hear noise.

Weird Dream

If all roads lead to Rome, then how did the Romans ever get anywhere?  This must have pissed them off if they started out heading for Athens and they ended up back in Rome and the imponderabilia of this situation which was always a vicious circle would boggle anyone.  I will just let that thought bake in your brain for a while I relate my dream from last night to you about this large brain that I met in the woods.  The brain had no voice, but we were able to communicate through telepathy.  The brain scarred me with twisted tales and torture devices and I was ready to say bye, bye birdie to the brain, when I heard the wind chime ring out and I realized that we were not alone.  I heard laughter and I did a search for the sound which began to scintillate my ears.

The brain started to mirror everything that I was doing and all I could think about was finding an axe and splitting it into two hemispheres.  I don’t normally subscribe to violence, but I knew that I was dreaming and I began to think of the brain as being nothing more than an unnecessary big empty text box that should be deleted, because it was just taking up space in my dream.  It became vital that I beat this brain at his own game.  The game was on like Donkey Kong and we were going to tangle, as I was going to test his metal and then rub his nose in it.  I had to maintain my poise and refrain from being shy, so I could destroy the brain and not leave any traces behind.  This was not the time to be negligent, but all I had was a beach towel and some paper and as daylight was running out, I needed a plan.  No matter how many winters had to pass, I needed to save the human race from this giant brain bug and I remembered that in Starship Troopers, that the brain was more afraid of us than we were of it.

Written for Sheryl’s Daily Word Prompt – Vital, for Roger Shipp’s Daily Addictions prompt – Bake, for the Daily Spur prompt – Test, for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling prompt – Big Empty Text Box, for Eugi’s Weekly Prompt – Laughter, for Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #49 where the image is a large silver brain in a wooded area surrounded by trees, for FOWC with Fandango – Paper, for Christine’s Daily Writing Prompt – Bye Bye Birdie, for Linda G. Hill’s ‘Life in progress’ JusJoJan January prompt – Subscribe, for Randomness Inked Scribbling the Unspoken Let it Bleed Weekly Prompt Challenge 34 prompt – Winters, for January Writing Prompts – Twisted tales and torture devices, for Ragtag Community – Daylight, for Di’s Three Things Challenge prompt words – Beat Towel Shy, for Word of the Day Challenge Prompt – Boggle and for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Wordle 163, hosted by Yves where the prompts are – Rub Tangle Scintillate Search Wind chime Alone Traces Poise Negligent Imponderabilia Mirror Everything.

What All Fifth Graders Know

Most human DNA is packaged in chromosomes within the nucleus; however, mitochondria also have a small amount of their own DNA.  This genetic material is known as mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA.  Mitochondria are structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use.  Each cell contains hundreds to thousands of mitochondria, which are located in the fluid that surrounds the nucleus called the cytoplasm.  I read that sniffing farts might be healthy for you, as this could prevent mitochondria damage.  People that are alive will at some point need to eat, they will breathe, their hearts will beat, they will excrete the food that they digested, discharge liquids as they urinate and they will pass gas out their rectums at times, as these are all normal functions that make us human.

You are a macroscopic eukaryote and virtually all the life we see each day, including plants and animals belongs to the Eukaryota domain.  Endosymbiosis is a hypothesized process by which prokaryotes (microscopic single-celled organisms) gave rise to the first eukaryotic cells (organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within membranes).  The complex eukaryotic cell ushered in a whole new era for life on Earth, because these cells evolved into multicellular organisms.  It is thought that eukaryotic cells are actually the descendants of separate prokaryotic cells that joined together in a symbiotic union.

Fifth grade students learn about the role of mitochondria in a cell’s energy production.  Mitochondria are organelles floating free that act like a digestive system by taking in nutrients, breaking them down, to create energy rich molecules for the cell.  The phrase “powerhouse of the cell” is used to describe the function of mitochondria and it was coined by biologist Philip Siekevitz in the article Powerhouse of the Cell published in 1957.  If a cell feels it is not getting enough energy to survive, more mitochondria can be created.  Sometimes mitochondria can grow larger or combine with other mitochondria, it all depends on the needs of the cell.

Scientists need to be receptive to new ideas and suggestions.  As new evidence is discovered, new ways of interpreting and understanding it may have to be considered.  Mitochondria were considered to be absolutely indispensable components of the eukaryotic cell and for decades, researchers tried to find eukaryotic cells that don’t have mitochondria and then on May 12, 2016, biologist Anna Karnkowska and her team from Charles University in Prague published results of their study which found a eukaryote without a mitochondrial organelle.  The previous definition of eukaryotic cells is that they had to have mitochondria and now that has been dismissed.  The new organism is called monocercomonoides and it was found living in the intestines of chinchilla hosts

Written for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling prompt – Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

Protesting

When I was in High School, I had more detention, than any other student and I was proud to be at the top of the list.  Most of my detention was issued to me for coming to school without wearing socks, but I did break some of the other rules.  There were some really bad kids in my school who did real awful things and I had more detention than all of them.  I thought that it was a stupid rule requiring students to wear socks, so I purposely went to school without wearing socks, just to shake things up.  When graduation rolled around in my senior year, I had compiled a total of 178 days of detention and they told me that I would not be allowed to graduate with the rest of my class, because I did not finish serving all of this detention.

I told my friend Kenny that they were not allowing me to attend the graduation and he said that he would talk to his dad who was on the board of education about my problem.  His dad thought that this sock rule was a joke and he brought it up at the next BOE meeting and after that they stopped checking to see if everyone was wearing socks in homeroom, and now they were going to let me graduate.  I never met Kenny’s dad, but I knew that he was a very serious person, kind of like the opposite of me.  I knew who he was and I was kind of afraid of him, because Kenny and his younger sister Jill who I partied with were both afraid of him.

When I was up on stage to receive my diploma, I saw that Kenny’s dad was handing them out and I wanted to bond with him for helping me, even though I was sure that he had no clue who I was.  He handed me my diploma with his left hand and reached out his right hand to shake mine.  I grabbed the diploma with my left hand, but I slid my right hand past his and grabbed his wrist, because I thought that would be cool.  This is known as the “Spartan”, “Roman”, or the “Civil War” handshake and I did it to try and freak him out.  I thought it was a manly thing to do and he gripped my wrist firmly and shook his arm up and down, not letting go, maybe wanting me to let go first.  It was the longest handshake that I ever had to endure and all of my friends in the audience were cheering me on.

Written for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling prompt – longest handshake.

Keto Diet

Every day I get an email telling me about the wonders of the keto diet and I really have no idea what it is.  Since the Daily Inkling is asking me to respond to the phrase, “But Carrots Are an Important Source of Vitamins and Minerals”, by stating what is a food that you’ve been told is good for you over and over again, but never found a way to enjoy?  Or, is there a food you once hated but learned to enjoy?”, I am going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.  The New York Times says, “A typical ketogenic diet restricts carbs to less than 10 percent of calories and limits protein to 20 percent, while fat makes up the rest.  Proponents say it causes substantial weight loss and can help those with Type 2 diabetes dramatically improve their blood sugar levels, which fall when people avoid carbs.”

Maybe this is just what I need, as I am a Type 2 diabetic and it would be good for me to lose substantial weight.  Let’s start with the word ketosis, which is a metabolic process (normal body function that involves conversion of food to energy, conversion of food/fuel to building blocks and the elimination of wastes) which happens when your body doesn’t have enough carbs to burn for energy.  Instead, it burns fat and makes substances called ketones, which it can use for fuel.

Like the Atkins diet, this keto diet will allow you to get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates.  This is done by cutting back most on the carbs that are easy to digest, like sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread.  Eating less than 50 grams of carbs a day, forces your body to eventually run out of fuel (blood sugar) that it can use quickly.  After 3 to 4 days, you’ll start to break down protein and fat for energy, which can make you lose weight, the essence of ketosis.

The ketogenic diet is a short-term diet that’s focused on weight loss, rather than the pursuit of health benefits, so although this low-carb, high-fat diet can lead to weight loss, scientists debate the long-term effects on health.  The keto diet tries to eliminate most grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, legumes and sweets and replace those calories with fat.  Hey wait, I like eating grains and I always say, “Give me my daily bread”, because I enjoy eating toast, muffins, crescent rolls and bagels for breakfast every day.  I know that I should be eating whole grains, which are grains that contain the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm, but I also eat refined grains because they taste good.  As part of a general healthy diet, consumption of whole grains is associated with lower risk of several diseases.

Food is supposed to be a science and opinions are always given out by a panel of experts, but I am beginning to think that food is more of an experiment than it is a science.  Some experts will tell you to avoid all fat and other experts might tell you not to eat any whole grains, so how am I expected to separate the wheat from the chaff?  Some experts will say that sugar is better for you than artificial sweeteners, because artificial sweeteners tend to confuse your body into not responding properly to the sweet signal that proclaims that you have just received calories, thus your body will no longer distinguish between being hungry and not being hungry and you will eat whenever and whatever you want, leading to weight gain.  Once your body has been fooled enough, it will stop responding, like the people did to the boy who cried wolf and they won’t be fooled again.  The more I look into food, the more complicated it seems to get, but I am not throwing in the towel yet as I need to beat around the mulberry bush a bit more.

Moderation is the key to a healthy life, so you must take in the big-picture, strive for balance and control as much as is possible.  Don’t become preoccupied with food, effective weight loss is a process of do’s and don’ts, where you are supposed to eat this, and not eat that.  You can try every diet that is on the market, but you can’t trust every diet, as everyone’s body responds differently to different foods.  Food keeps on changing and we are still learning how it affects us and although carrots may be an important source of vitamins and minerals and they may also help your body to remove free radicals, (those unstable molecules that can cause cell damage if too many accumulate in the body which will increase the risk of various types of cancer) and they may even help you see in the dark, this high-fiber food is relatively low in sugar, so it is unlikely to trigger a blood sugar spike, making then safe for people with diabetes to eat, you should also be aware that overconsumption of vitamin A can be toxic.

The ketogenic diet (KD) was introduced by modern physicians as a treatment for epilepsy in the 1920s.  Over the past 15 years, there has been an explosion in the use, and scientific interest in this diet, but I don’t think that this is right for me and I wish they would stop spamming me with it.  I have a good idea of how many carbs are in the food that I eat and I test my blood sugar twice a day and this strategy seems to be working for me, although I have been getting some higher readings over the holidays.  I know I should go easy on the stuffing, and not enjoy that slice of pie, but everyone has to die from something and I may as well die happy.

Written for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling food prompt.

The Future is Mine

“This Is a Two-Word Term for The Holiday Where Earth Has Completed a Full Revolution around the Sun…”  Que Sera, Sera whatever will be will be, the future is mine to see, rising up like smoke from this crystal bowl.  I studied hydromancy I studied hydromancy under Nostradamus, who taught me how to receive messages and make predictions, through the movement of water in a bowl.  My divination is done by means of signs derived from the appearance of water and its movements.  I look at the ebb and flow of water, or ripples produced by pebbles dropped in a pool and I can even determine what will happen by looking at water vapor floating in the air.  I will take the bull by the horns, to deal with any difficult situation that comes my way and go for the gusto with vim and vigor, because the vapor has predicted that things are looking up for me.

Written for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling where we are asked to write a post about the New Year, without using any of these words NEW, YEAR, RESOLUTION, DAY, PLANS, JANUARY or FIRST and for Carol J Forrester’s Speculative Fiction Photo Prompt.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I could hear the raindrops tapping softly on my window, telling me to get out of bed.  I was dreaming about my dog who had wondered off and I was franticly searching for her.  I heard her barking and I tried desperately to find the source.  It was one of those dreams, that did not really make a lot of sense, as everything kept constantly changing.  I had her off her leash, but she was wearing her collar and when I got busy talking to these people, she scattered.  I can’t recall what we were talking about, but in my reckoning, it was not about anything important like the recent the Korean rocket test fire, or global warming.

When I did find my dog, she had a cat cornered and I knew that I had to oust her from there, as either one of them could be hurt.  Maybe they were just getting acquainted with each other and there was no reason for me to worry, but like the Gothic Greek giant my dog could be fierce at times and the last thing that I wanted was a lawsuit.  I noticed that the cat was in an agitated state, as the fence next to it began to vibrate, but then again it was old and full of rust and it looked like somebody had used a broom to prop it up.  I was able to grab my dog, put her leash back on and pull her away from the cat, but not before I slipped on the gravel and tore my pants which I was going to wear for the wedding.  At least I was not naked in this dream like the last time.  I was fully awake now and it was raining cats and dogs out there.

Written for Tyler M Deal 5 Words Prompt – Raindrops Scattered Vibrate Gravel Source, for Sheryl’s Daily Word Prompt – Oust, for Roger Shipp’s Daily Addictions prompt – State, for Matthew’s Daily Inkling Prompt – Test fire, for the Daily Spur prompt – Wedding, for FOWC with Fandango – Either, for December Writing Prompts – The Gothic Greek giant, for Ragtag Community – Reckoning, for Di’s Three Things Challenge prompt words – Prop Collar Rust and for Word of the Day Challenge Prompt – Naked.

All Work and no Play

Ever since Jack was a child, he did his devoir, but his parents always demanded more and they never coddled him.  When school ended, he walked home from the bus stop and went directly to his room to study, it was a special place devoid of distractions where he could concentrate on his homework.  He was working on his composition about Olbers’ paradox, an argument that the darkness of the night sky conflicts with the assumption of an infinite and eternal static universe.  He was almost done explaining this, but there was a lacuna preventing him from getting the ending that he desired.  He was scared that he would not get his usual A on this Physics project, that is until he read the Edgar Allan Poe essay Eureka.  He knew that Poe came up with the perfect reason for why the sky was dark, so he tousled his hair and finished his writing.

Next, he opened up his Advanced Placement Calculus book where he was studying the Cantor set, because these strange and interesting mathematical spaces began to stir his imagination.  He was dizzy just thinking how the Cantor set is created by taking away the middle portion of a line segment and repeating that process forever.  He got up in a huff from his plush chair, which made a tiny squeak, as he needed to stretch his legs a bit before diving into Chemistry.  He was getting positive results in his efforts to effectively mix solids and liquids to create the optimal slurry for his homemade peanut brittle.  He was able to earn a lot of money from his candy, once he learned not to ventilate it by forced air and allow it to cool naturally.

Jack saved his favorite subject for last, AP United States History, which covers American history from about the time Native Americans first encountered Europeans to the present day.  He found it interesting that during World War II, pressed soy beans and cardboard were used to manufacture license plates, because they wanted to save all the metal for military needs.  His parents were picking up Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner and as he devoured his meal, he would try not to think about their Zoroastrianism symbolism, where they were seen as a benign spirit that would cluck to herald a turning point in the cosmic struggle between darkness and light.  After dinner he would go down to the jetty to see his girl, but all this studding was making him grey before his time.

Written for Sheryl’s Daily Word Prompt – Ventilate, for Roger Shipp’s Daily Addictions prompt – Scared, for the Daily Spur prompt – Positive, for FOWC with Fandango – Licence, for November Writing Prompts – The perfect reason, for Ragtag Community – Stir, for Di’s Three Things Challenge prompt words – Child Composition Jetty, for Word of the Day Challenge Prompt – Earn and for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Wordle #158 – Grey Huff Squeak Bus Stop Brittle Devoir Slurry Lacuna Tousled Plush Dizzy Cluck.