https://youtu.be/C3V6EZRYo3U

Starring Dashing Foxie.

Images created in Bing Designer.
Music created in Suno.

Stargazer is an astronomer for a reason. He reflects my avid interest in astronomy.

Today, luck was with me. I had been tracking the weather for my home for the last 10 days, because my home sits just inside the path of totality. Cloud cover looks like it was going to be 50-60% cloud cover.

Then, when I went outside at 1:30 I was greeted by a sky that had cirrus clouds and nothing else. The sun was shining through the cirrus clouds almost unimpeded.

Then, it started at 1:55. Little by little more and more of the sun was covered by the moon. I saw it grow darker. It was weird. It was like wearing sunglasses without the sunglasses.

Then the birds began to sing.

Then the yard lights, which automatically come on at night came on. Looking up through my eclipse glasses, we now had only a small sliver left. You could actually see the light reducing.

Then the sky in the west grew dark and advanced towards my house.

And it happened. The diamond ring. Then, totality, and I could see the corona of the sun, and at least one solar flare.

With my bare eyes.

From my home!!

I was transfixed. For one minute I was transfixed.

Then the diamond ring returned, and it grew lighter.

It was over.

It was over, but it wasn't over. I now have that memory burned in my mind. I will never forget it.

I saw, with my bare eyes, a total eclipse of the sun from my home.

I feel like the luckiest bear in the whole world right now.

https://youtu.be/NO0pcvDcRm4?si=gJbSl0P_hKhmQeiy

Lyrics and music created by Suno.com

Darnell Jackson produces videos for the Funday Pawpet Show.

https://youtu.be/CwFCrOo1zF8?si=qrmwJJx6RprOTrmJ

Lyrics by 2 The Ranting Gryphon

Images by Bing CoPilot Designer

Music by Suno.com

I've been working with a program called suno.ai that can actually create songs with lyrics. I was actually surprised how good it was on occasion. Most of the stuff it makes is not that good, but it does hit an excellent note once in a while.

Now, I'm going to assume that the rules regarding AI pictures also applies to music here. So, I will be linking to them here in journals rather than posting them.

Here is one of my best:

https://app.suno.ai/song/cb148eb9-8.....b-a23f36b8a0c2

Accounts are free but you cannot monetize them. I now have a paid account which will now allow to to create monetizable music.

My apologies to  kdknightstar for misspelling her name.

13 years ago today I put together the first recorded chapter of The Beach Bear. It is now chapter 21: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

I have a question.

If you retire from the military, under what circumstances are you NOT allowed to wear your uniform?

Alternately, are there only special times when you ARE allowed?

I'm in the middle of creating a video where General James Frankel (retired) gives an endorsement of the Borealis / Maxwell ticket, and I'm curious if he would be forbidden from wearing his uniform under those circumstances.

I have the feeling the answer is yes, but I need confirmation.

13 years ago today, I released my recording of Sloop John B.

And The Beach Bears were created.

Again, thanks to  punktiger

I plan to make another video that will be a press conference.

For that, I need some good questions, plus a bunch of people calling out, "Professor!" as if vying for attention.

If you have a good question, post it as a comment.

If you want to be a reporter (You would not actually be seen in the video just like reporters are usually not shown in press conferences) send me a good recording of yourself saying, "Professor!" several times, plus a recording of your question.

Avoid background noise. It makes it VERY difficult to edit then.

Send it to: thebeachbears [at] gmail.com.

So, the Borealis/Maxwell ticket needs some good campaign slogans.

Here's a couple:

Equal Rights For Hybrids!

A Bear Of The People In Blue Genes!

You got any?

To really get the humor in this video, you need to watch some of Dashing Foxie's entries on Tik Tok

https://www.tiktok.com/@dashing.foxie

I wish we had this many fursuits of this quality in the U.S., people with this much talent, and the dedication to make something like this.

Alas, we can't even get poodlers to wear long sleeves and long pants.

I need a list of furs and furry related people who passed away in 2023.

I need this list quickly.