Respite

The heat has temporarily broken; today's forecast high is 91F. We're getting a little rain now, and may even get some thunderstorming today or tomorrow. We desperately need the rain.

Sad to say, we'll be back in the high 90s tomorrow and in triple digits Wednesday, but I'll take what I can get.

Say What?

I just got rooked by Spider Solitaire.

The "No More Moves" dialogue just came up, and it's lying! There is an obvious move available, which leads to another move, which leads to revealing a hidden card!

I wonder how many other of the MS-installed games cheat like that. (I have my suspicions about MS Hearts....)

Sunday Music: Diana Ross, The Best Years of My Life

Album Title: The Best Years of My Life

Why I Bought It: This isn't, technically, an album; it's #4 of a four-disk set which was, supposedly, the complete Diana Ross. It wasn't, even at the time; it has most of the songs Diana sang lead on with the Supremes, but misses at least one. Anyway, I've been a fan of her work since my early teens, and snatched this up when I ran across it.

What I Like (Religious): "Amazing Grace". It's a fairly good rendition of the old spiritual; not much more to say about that.

What I Like (Joyful): "One Shining Moment". A sweet and soft love song, in the same thematic family with "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me". Honorable Mention: "The Best Years of My Life".

What I Like (Melancholy): "Where Did We Go Wrong". Maybe it's the smoky sax in the background, but this has the feel of a lounge act. I find myself visualizing Michelle Pfeiffer slithering around a grand piano.

Overall: This is a pretty mediocre disk, to me. Some of the songs ("Family", "What a Wonderful World", "This House") come off as mawkish, and the crude religiosity of "Force Behind the Power" doesn't appeal to me much either. Still, most of it is at least pleasant to listen to, and it does serve the needs of completism.

Sam Starfall, Inadvertent Hero

It occurred to me tonight that, by hijacking Flo's cryochamber (or whatever it was) and thereby stranding her on Jean, Sam Starfall may have (pending the resolution of the current arc) saved the planet's entire population of robots from being lobotomized. He's a hero, sort of.

Then it occurred to me that, without Flo's intervention, Kornada would probably have died in the hurricane, negating the entire GitD plot before it ever began. So, maybe not....