Slightly Off the Mark

Smoky Deer is Today's Video

Another video, for my midweek photo blog. Because I'm a rebel.

Most of you are aware Canada is burning, either because you follow the news, or you breath. Forest fires are common in the wilderness areas of Canada, and if they're not near any homes or infrastructure, firefighters usually can't fight them--it being the circle of nature, and all that. They're mostly inaccessible, and the resources to battle that many fires at once just aren't there.

YouTube version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-aHVUO5a70

If the weather is right, the smoke drifts south and you get what we got across the Midwest last week: smoke. It's not even a fun campfire-like scent, because the nature of smoke exposed to sunlight cause changes that give it a nasty, almost factory-like smell.

I'm something of a smoke expert, if I do say so myself (not really, but let's just say I've experienced a lot of smoke). I've been in way worse than this, but it's still not a lot of fun--and it's very unhealthy, of course.

I took this photo during a training fire. Notice everyone has breathing protection.

Emily and I drove to Huntertown Gardens in the smoke, because the doctor told me to eat fresh fruits and veggies or die. It's a tough choice, especially since we had to work our way around three construction areas to get there. But I now have low potassium for some reason, and we were hoping bananas, kale, and potatoes would share their potassium with me.

On the way home, as you'll see in the video, it felt like one of those foggy mornings even though it was early afternoon. That might be why the deer were active: Maybe they thought it was near dusk. We saw two fawn, then a grown up deer ran in front of us on a county road.

The deer responsible for accidents often isn't the first one; it's the second one. So I slowed way down and sure enough, the second ran across the road right in front of us. Have some corn, fellas.

And that's why you get another video on picture day. Between that and the moron in the pickup truck that I posted over the weekend, one has to wonder why Emily and I go out at all. Easy: Otherwise we'd starve. But maybe that whole DoorDash thing isn't such a bad idea, after all.

You can find safer adventures in our books:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=13727646

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

· Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

Remember: You don’t have to go out to read

One Video Proves the Stupidity of Mankind

Okay, so, for this week's photo post I have only one video. I felt guilty at first, but at least the video will grab attention.

Here's the YouTube link, in case it doesn't show up here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKZBV40hryw

Emily took it off our dash cam. You might remember that camera got a really good view of the terror-inducing moment when our car caused a deer to go from 0 to 60 in one second. The deer lived, although it took a few years off of my life.

I cut this video down to 20 seconds, using an editing program (the kids apparently call them apps) that I learned to use in less than five hours, which is a record. In the video Emily is driving east on SR 8, in the area (I think) of around C.R. 700 East. That big bright thing is, yes, the sun.

Now, you'll notice her pass a construction ahead sign. Then a car traveling in front of her activates its left turn signal, on a hill, in an area that is not only no passing, but double yellow--no passing either way. (It was probably the driver who activated the turn signal, but these days who knows?)

There's a pickup truck behind Emily, being driven by a guy who, from this point forward, will be known as the Stupidest Human On the Planet, or SHOP. This is in no way meant to imply that they're stupid while shopping. They may be very good at price comparing, when their truck is sitting still and the little hamster wheel inside their head is allowed to cool down.

Maybe it was a politician.

It could be that Emily's slowing down because of the car turning in front of her got our SHOP pickup driver all butt-hurt about how he wouldn't be able to set a record for the most fuel consumption in a drive to Wal-Mart. I don't know. But the guy (let's face it, and assume it's a guy) felt very strongly that slowing down would interfere with his constitutional rights.

So he passed Emily. On a hill. On a double yellow line.

Then, as you might expect, the person who was turning left turned left. Just as the SHOP passed them.

If I hadn't watched Emily download the video, and reviewed it multiple times myself, I'd think it was AI. I have never in my life seen two objects actually pass through each other without touching. It was that close. Sure, theoretical physicists say it could happen, but in real life you don't expect a turning car and a moron in a pickup truck to actually pass through each other.

"If I can figure this one out, I'm a shoo-in for another Nobel Prize."

I actually called work to find out if they'd received any 911 calls at the time about a hit and run accident, since the truck kept going and the car went on down the side road. No, they hadn't. We had witnessed a moment that proves, beyond doubt, that angels watch over stupid people.

I feel for our left-turning person, who probably had to wipe a big brown stain from their driver's seat. I don't feel for the pickup driver's imbecilic nitwit twit, who probably just laughed, popped open another beer, and took that as proof that all traffic laws are just suggestions.

I do not want the SHOP pinhead to find out the hard way--too much chance that he'll hurt other people. Would a couple of expensive traffic tickets slow them down? Probably not.

We can only hope that if he does get into a crash, it's with another SHOP.

Don't forget, the e-book of Coming Attractions is still free over on Smashwords! Here's the link:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

You can also find adventures in our books:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=13727646

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

· Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

Remember: Read after you drive.

Give This Birthday Boy a Present

I decided at the last minute to do a blog for my birthday, which means you'll have to wait until this weekend to get the extended story of the dumbest driver in Indiana.

Steak, broccoli and potatoes for lunch. For supper? Half an ice cream cake divided by two. No regrets.

There were two reasons (for this post, not dumb drivers). First, I wanted to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday, because odds are I won't be able to thank everyone individually, because the internet's dumb.

Second, I forgot that I wish for the same thing every year, in what some people would call shameless self-promotion, which it is: For people to buy our books and leave reviews ... or at least get a free copy of Coming Attractions on Smashwords.

On my birthday came either the apocalypse or smoke from Canadian wildfires. So my camera caught a bird, or the persona of Death.

I mean, it's my birthday, right? Or, more likely the day after, depending on when you see this. But I did have a pretty good birthday, and the only thing that would make this week better would be a jump in book sales and/or an Amazon or Goodreads review. Or a big, solid block of milk chocolate. Or for the Canadian wildfires to go out.

In any case, thanks again to everyone, and now I'll go back to work editing our 13th book ... which, now that I think of it, should have been reserved for Haunted Noble County, Indiana.