Thanks

To all the muses in our lives for giving us the confidence to attempt the ideas that sneak up in the shower or other such mundane venues.

After lunch today, try something you've been thinking about doing--or at least do a little research on the topic.

Finally, thanks to Polyhymnia for coming up with "new" recipes for the holiday.

New Vacation Spot

She's at it again. The Deep Blue Muse has found another location to enjoy her love of watering holes. This one is pretty far away, but transportation is available (or used to be available). 

Now that NASA is as good as over, the Blue Muse can't get to her newest opportunity: water on the moon!  But, "we've been there before," so what's the point now??

Yes, we are being facetious.

Sometimes, it takes 3 muses . . .

Although, we have assigned Polyhymnia to the "foodie" category, it seems  this interesting restaurant has enlisted three muses to manifest a good place to eat, to listen, and to enjoy life in general:  http://www.thethreemuses.com/ 

Paparazzi Update: Katrina Vigil

About 15 well-known paparazzi have surrounded a boarded-up house in Lake Vista in New Orleans. Some expert paparazzi analysts suspect that the muses are having a Katrina vigil; thus, drawing only the most savvy of the camera-bearing crowd. From the curb, there were sounds of a brass band playing long into the night, Friday.

Evidence of The Deep Blue Muse

For those sceptics out there who doubt the presence of The Deep Blue Muse, watch this video and rethink your positions on the subject. For the believers, consider it yet another affirmation.

Bird Talent

Be sure to play through to the end. This bird mimics cameras, car alarms, and chain saws with great skill:

Talent comes in all forms

This deserves a least a WOW. We can't help but admire and respect the complete focus acheived in this feat. Please no female audience members screaming the ubiquitous "whooooos" of early morning "talk" shows.

This is worth your time!

More Ideas for Idle Hands

None of the muses want to take credit for this:

Ideas for Idle Hands?

All the muses want to take credit for inspiring this:

Paparazzi Update

Because of the unusually fashioned high heels and the elaborate organza hat, local Paparazzi believe they have spotted Muse 10 near Hot Springs, Arkansas last week. It is not the norm to spot a hiker in the hills wearing such formal sportswear.

Take a Walk

Don't forget that a walk in the woods benefits creativity, calms the spirit, and--if nothing else--helps time to pass pleasantly. Well, pleasant if everything works out and you don't sprain your ankle or get stung by a wasp or get caught in a sudden downpour that never lets up.

But, get out there and explore.

Euterpe Sends this one out to music lovers

Just sit back and listen:

 

Aubergine, aka Eggplant

Polyhymnia, newly appointed foodie muse, has brought to the MuseForce's attention that eggplant is not only beautiful to look at but also a powerhouse of nutrition. Currently, we are working on a method of cooking the vegetable with as little loss of nutrition as possible. It seems that the skins are quite good for us, and they taste pretty good too. That's a start, but how to boil them without pouring away all their healthful components is still a work in progress. More later . . .

Happy Fourth, America!

Nice to know that some places in Europe celebrate the Fourth of July, if only for the tourists sake. Still nice, though. If you don't have anything planned, at least engage in a long nap with a fan blowing on you and dream the dreams of freedom.

Euterpe Has a Crush!

She saw this guy on youtube.com and just fell in love. She really likes music:  David MeShow: one man band improvisation

Paparazzi Update

Muse 10, acting quite out of character, has been playing sand-court volleyball on Pensacola beach. Of course, she was wearing her very large sunhat, and a caftan. Some say that her serve is treacherous for such a shy muse. She actively supports gulf coast citizens by vacationing publicly. More celebrities should follow suit.

Father's Day Wishes

To Zeus (famous dad of the Muses) and to all fathers who care about and care for their children.

Paparazzi Update

The Deep Blue Muse has been helping with the Gulf cleanup. It is said that there was one female in a hazmat suit wearing blue high heels that closely resemble the Blue Muse Shoe seen earlier in the year. Sources are convinced that it was she.

Public Relations Muse(s)

Wondering who might be assigned as the muse of public relations? All that poetry, music, and dance doesn't seem to support PR talents. I suppose Calliope wins the job by default, or maybe Mnemosyne (famous muse Mom)should hold the title. Thalia (comedy) and Melpomene (tragedy) could collaborate on this. After all, PR work definitely involves a great deal of these two attributes.

Marblesock makes sense

Read the comments from Marblesock that explain why buying BP gas makes sense.

Sometimes Beautiful

Sometimes hot, humid weather is beautiful. When the foliage is lush and the flowers are richly colored because of the natural greenhouse, walking around the neighborhood is worth braving the sticky, sweaty consequences.

Thursday's Rain

Rain on Thursdays causes some to sit and ponder the wonders of nature, and causes others just to sit.

Paparazzi Update

Sightings of The Deep Blue Muse have been reported in Rockport, MA this Memorial Day.  Calm seas, lovely spring temperatures, and a respectable sea breeze give witness to her presence. Welcome. It is suspected that she attended the annual parade to honor the fallen soldiers of past wars.  She is well-known for her respectful appreciation of those who fight for their principles. 

Happy Birthday

Wishing a Happy ninety-sixth birthday to the matriarch of the MuseForce. She designed homes (from the foundation to the roof, and all in between) and worked as a general contractor long before women were accepted in the construction workforce. She learned to use a T-square and a triangle and designed the home.She glued down floors, laid brick floors in herringbone patterns, painted the walls, and sewed the curtains. She gave tours to potential customers and made the final deals on the sales. Move over Calliope!

Kamikaze Cardinals

Watching (and hearing) the regular knocking of a cardinal against a window is painful at first. Naturally, the bird elicits sympathy--at first. With each attack against the unforgiving window pane, the observer cringes. The first time that the agressive cardinal wakes the sleeper from a very needed afternoon nap, the sleeper wakes with concern. After about two or three nap interuptions, the concern hardens to annoyance, and beyond that, thoughts of pellet guns surface.

Paparazzi Update

Muse 10 has been sighted on the corner of St. Charles and Napoleon.

She was alone.

The Deep Blue Muse is back

The muse of the deep weeps quietly over the pollution from the Deepwater Horizon. She knows the power of the sea and awaits its eventual victory over man's bumbling.

Happy Mom's Day, Dearest Mnemosyne

The entire MuseForce sends a flower fit for the mother of the Muses, Mnemosyne. Thanks for showing our ladies how to nurture the great ones.

The Lawn Mower Wins Again

The annual "The Lawn Mower Won't Start Festival" is underway in full force.  Just two weeks ago, most all mowers were purring in the crisp spring air. Fresh green sprouts were mowed evenly covering lawns with the welcome bright green of emerging blades of grass. Homeowners sat on the front porches with proud smiles only a fortnight ago. This week, facing the aggressive trunks of thistle and over-sized weeds, the trusty blades won't turn. Now, when the mower is most needed, it will have to spend 3 weeks in the repair shop while the 12-inch growths increase to 24 inches and set enough seeds to carpet a mountainside.

Paparazzi Update: Euterpe pairs with Terpsichore

The two muses are very busy in southern Louisiana whipping up some sounds and moves for the New Orleans Jazz Festival and this past weekend, at the Festivale Internationale de Lafayette.

A good cause

MuseForce has learned from NPR, that over three million dollars has been donated to lower the national debt. Certainly, an eyebrow-raiser, that one!

To Question or Not?*#$

With limited proof (because the MuseForce hasn't been around as long as muses), we find that asking a variety of questions--some that may appear contradictory--may cause rancor more often than not.  It is ill-advised to shop for a car and ask too many questions, or try to buy anything and ask too many questions.  We think it is because the salespersons feel threatened on a personal level.  For those who do research and consequently learn too much about a product, stand ready to be insulted or at least given the cold shoulder from the not so well-informed sales consultant. This post is a public service sponsored by the MuseForce.

Sweet talking / writing

Grammarians are often accused of being pedantic or too straight-laced, but most well-informed grammarians won't object to a split infinitive or a preposition at the end of a sentence.  After all, writing or talking is all about communicating. What's the point of being off-putting when trying to get a message across?  (See, there's a preposition at the end).  Language changes to suit purposes and to express new ideas. Even Shakespeare came up with his own words to suit his purposes.

Back from Spring Break

Carefully designed Easter Bonnet to parade along with a golden tan: the muse inspired chapeau above.

Marching In

With March winds whistling through the windows' screens, Sunday demands that we hunker down for the last legal gumbo of the year. We can still have gumbo in the summer; it's just not  as legal.

Composting

Few things are as satisfying as harvesting home-made compost. All of the tomato wastes, potato peels, onion skins, autumn leaves, and grass clippings sift through the fingers as rich, moist planting medium.  From that will come potatoes, onions, tomatoes planted with care in the compost. The grass will take care of itself, and so will the leaves.

The muses are livid

We here at the MuseForce are pondering the assignment of a muse to those in charge of the use of money as a stimulus for education--or jobs for that matter.  One district school finds it necessary to fire one regular education teacher and one special education teacher for the next school year.  That's understandable in a staggering economy. 

What doesn't sit right; however, is the fact that each classroom in that school will receive at least one top of the line computer and one Promethean Board setup.  Also included in expenses is a $250,000.00 concession stand for the football field.  Most likely, all of those Promethean Boards easily replace the value of a human teacher.  Without a doubt, the concession stand will raise standardized test scores exponentially.  After all, in the race to the top, the apex is the highest test score.  With only a few teachers left, the attached salary compensations for high student performance should cost very little.

Now why didn't some clever muse come up with this earlier???  (Maybe because they are clever?)

Muse for Money? Apply within . . .

Muses should start modernizing their inspirational repertoire. They may be slacking (and we risk opprobrium from the dainty ladies) in certain areas that need their input. For instance, banking. Banks tend to forget that customers have brains, too. A good number of those brains may wish to be inspired to save their money within a banking institution. We don't refer to offers of loans or credit card rewards or free ice chests for opening an account. What appears to be missing is the inspiration that banks might inspire with highly knowledgeabe sales people (often misnamed "relationship bankers").

You see, one of the MuseForce has been shuffled from office to office over the last 7 months.  Never has the "relationship banker" been the same person. Divorce is far too inevitable in banking relationships it appears. Even with the ephemeral one-day relationship, the "relationship banker" seems to have to make frequent calls to "special services" or the "legal department" before embarking on any activity with the relationshipee (read customer).  Of course, with each new return visit--and new relationship banker--the wheel must be reinvented.

Which muse should shoulder this monumental responsibility??  Anyone???  Didn't the Vikings have some expertise here?

Certified Muse

Whenever muses or people need to get a faucet changed, they must not forget that the plumber submit an insurance certificate with the faucet's owner named and certified as an additional insured.  One muse had to inform someone that homeowner's insurance rarely covers workers providing a service for a fee. So each time the cable guy shows up to adjust something, call for the papers.

The MuseForce is at a loss as to which muse should be assigned the job of informing the public of lurking threats to home and property. Perhaps, Urania. She governs the stars. Yeah, she may win the title.

More on this later.

Erato at work

Erato (quite a busy muse) is working overtime lately after Valentine's Day.  She generally avoids that craziness.  Tonight, she has a slow, but noisy rain going on outside.  For a Friday night, that's pretty nice.  All of the world's lovers are delighted that the work week is over.  She advises: easy dinner (something you don't have to cook), a bottle of red (Zinfandel is nice), and a soft, cozy sofa or bed.  Turn on a movie and enjoy.  In the ancient Greek era, Erato may have recommended a night of star-gazing as opposed to the movie, but that wouldn't have worked at all well with the slow, noisy rain. What did the ancient Greeks do with a slow, noisy rain at night??  Anyone?

Muses in Mourning

It is with deep sadness that the muses express their sorrow over the loss of applause. In spite of their eons of experience and their elevated level of performance, they are deeply saddened that the human community is no longer satisfied with the reverent clapping of palms to express approbation and reverence to those artists who truly deserve that very action.  While watching an early morning network program, Muse 10 broke down into tears (she is often too expressive) with the onslaught of female "whooooooos" delivered at dangerous decibel levels.  The aformentioned "whoooooos" were expressed in response to such mundane performances of "and now it SNOWING in Vermont," or no less mundane: "and everyone in the audience will receive a free recipe for brownies."

Muse 10 restrains herself from pulling out the sacred hair clumps and chasing imaginary dust bunnies from the afternoon sunrays. 

This is no weightless matter here.  It may spell the demise of early morning and early afternoon programming.  No viewer with a mind can possibly overcome the insult, degradation, and appeal to bases as offered by the resounding "whooooooos." 

The MuseForce humbly askes that TV land return to a more restrained expression of appreciation that is in keeping with the event.  Whether it snows in Indiana or it rains in California must not insist that the audience (probably with coercion) respond with exceessive and obviously apocryphal enthusiasm. 

We hear the muses clapping their palms in dignified approval.  Not a "whoooooo" is heard. 

PAPARAZZI UPDATE!

Sources confess spotting Muse 10 and a masked male exiting a well-known New Orleans establishment.  St. Valentine and Cupid busy today.

Magical Muse Shoe

This photo displays the ultimate Muse Shoe inhabited by New Orleans Saints.  Naturally, the muses emit taste and intelligence: this shoe carries Hartley, the kicker for the Saints.  Word in the business is that the muses actually hand made the shoes he wore in the big game.  It is right and good that he is allowed passage on the official shoe from the Krewe of Muses. 

See the photo credits here .  Exceptional photography!  Inspired design! 

Paparazzi Update

All muses have gathered in New Orleans preparing for their annual parade, Thurday night.  Expect the ultimate in creative expression, irreverent humor, and spectacular throws.  Try to catch a sacred shoe.

Ice Cold Inspirations

I think Polyhymnia might take the credit for inspiring Fred & Friends with this creative mashup. 

You can get this for yourself at this location.

Paparazzi Update

The muses are claiming the words dem der as their own, so don't ever use them without sending a check.  How about dem der muses?  Dem der muses are nobody's fools. Dem Der muses continue to inspire dem der fools.

When a Hat is just a hat

Muses love Hats because hats can transform a visage, an attitude, or someone else's attitude. They often decorate their Hats (as they do shoes). A new Hat may signal an achievement or a significant turn of events--either positive or negative. When choosing a Hat, a muse invests time, thought, and attention to detail. Originality, color, and shape are important; however, the most important detail is the hat's ability to showcase the wearer. After all, why would any wearer want to be outshone by an object on his or her head?

But sometimes, a hat is just a hat . . .

Muses involved in a Donnybrook

Muses don't often argue, but each of them (including Muse 10) wants to take credit for inspiring this video animation:

Paparazzi Update

Paprazzi have been unsuccessful getting interviews or photos with any muse or member of the MuseForce. Some muses are likely to be decorating shoes in New Orleans at this time of year. Shoes and muses make for intense situations. Privacy is heavily guarded.

Polyhymnia Keeps on Cooking

Polyhymnia touts her newest recipe: Sliced Strawberry Chocolate Wafers.

Here's how it works: slice strawberries using the Harriet Carter strawberry slicer found at this site. Then dip each slice in melted bittersweet chocolate and lay aside to cool on waxed paper, a Silpat, or parchment. Indulge.

The Deep Blue Muse Giggles

We're not sure if it's the talent or the blue shirt, but the Deep Blue Muse just got silly over this video: 

Chocolate and Beer - warms the body

Polyhymnia surprised MuseForce today with a big, black iron pot full of chili--nice when the weather is frigid.  She made it a most special dish with additions of chocolate and beer.  Sounds weird, but it is mighty tasty!! We are pleased that the muse has expanded her realm of influence.

Lazy muses

After the 25th of December, it is common for the muses (and their force) to plummet into laziness.  With their usual flair and creativity, they perform the lazy concerto.  Paparazzi have been unable to infiltrate their lairs. It is assumed that the muses are resting up before they begin the official twelfth night festivities (and all that follow).  Note:  the muses prefer to spell "twelfth" as twelveth.  That's wrong, of course . . .