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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Lyric Assistance - Now With Link!

This music meme has got me thinking . . . there are a lot of people out there who know song lyrics. And I have been trying to figure out the name of both the song and this artist for a particular song for years. Maybe one of you can help me.

I think it's from the early 80s (ummmm . . . Arbitrista? You seem to have a comprehensive collection), maybe the late 70s. The chorus goes (yes, I am singing it in my head while I write this):

Monday, April 28, 2008

On A Lighter Note

New info in green!!!!!
Here is a fabulous music meme. Because Luckybuzz always does the coolest things.

The rules:

Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike through when someone gets them right
Step 5: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is cheating.

*I skipped the three Christmas songs that came up because I meant to dump that file - it's taking up too much space on my iPod. and one was a rehearsal track for the Christmas piece we performed in December. Also skipped - the one in Gaelic (because I don't know how to spell in Gaelic!) and the one instrumental (which was from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons")*

  1. I hold on so nervously to me and my drink / I wish it was cooling me Paralyzer - Finger Eleven (Firefly 1234)
  2. They broke off the locks and they opened the doors / Fixed up the windows and painted the floors Canadian band, I have seen them many times. From Toronto. It Could Happen To You - Blue Rodeo (Legal Eagle)
  3. You're the silent type /And you caught my eye Canadian singer. Has had hits with theme song from several movies (and has another entry on this list) One Night Love Affair - Bryan Adams
  4. I know that every morning you go thumbing / Through the personal want ads Dark haired country singer Single White Female - Chely Wright (Legal Eagle)
  5. I know I may be young / But I've got feelings too Lots of media attention for this young woman Slave 4 U - Britney Spears
  6. Well I'm not sure if this'll come out right / I've been playing it over and over in my mind Canadian country guy Sure Enough - Chris Cummings
  7. You held my hand and walked me home / I know Canadian chick from small town Ontario Don't Tell Me - Avril Lavigne
  8. I wanna run I want to hide / I wanna tear down the walls that hold me inside Where the Streets Have No Name - U2 (Luckybuzz)
  9. When I cry, I close my eyes / And every tear falls down inside Canadian woman from out West When I Cry - Jann Arden
  10. She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati / On a snow white Christmas Eve An Idol Jesus Take the Wheel - Carrie Underwood (Legal Eagle)
  11. I can tell by your eyes that you've prob'ly been cryin' forever / And the stars in the sky don't mean nothin' to you they're a mirror Two versions of this song, this is my second favourite (although both are on my iPod). This one is from a female duo, and was used on a soundtrack I Don't Wanna Talk About It - Indigo Girls (the other version is by Everything But the Girl)
  12. Der holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen / Tod und Verzweiflung Think Salzburg. And one of opera's best known arias. The Queen of the Night's Aria (from Mozart's Magic Flute) - Diana Damrau
  13. I, I can't read the future / But I still want to hold you close This Cuban-born singer went to university at the same place I did my Master's (unfortunately, not at the same time!) Angel - Jon Secada
  14. I saw you there, just standing there / And I thought I was only dreaming, yeah 80s band, double named song title, but not a double named band. This wasn't their biggest hit. Doctor, Doctor - Thompson Twins
  15. Since you've been gone / I shut my eyes and I fantasize that you're here with me 80s solo British guy Come Back and Stay - Paul Young
  16. Unite and unite, oh let us all unite / For summer is a'coming today Canadian East Coast family group Padstow (May Morning Song) - The Rankin Family (Legal Eagle)
  17. What a dream I had / Pressed in organdy Probably one of the best know duos of all time. One also had a big solo career (the one with better hair) For Emily (Wherever I May Find Her) - Simon & Garfunkel
  18. I got my first real six string / Bought it at the five and dime Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams (Luckybuzz)
  19. I fooled around and fell in love / I must have lost my head, what was I thinkin' of?From the early 90s. by a Canadian band Head Over Heels - Frozen Ghost
  20. What if I were you and you were me / Still can't see the forest fire beyond the trees Unbelieveably hot, incredibly talented Canadian guy. Former lead singer of Moist. Is a friend of mine on Facebook :) Forestfire - David Usher
  21. Un bel di vedremo / Levarsi un fil di fumo What I'm singing in June. It's a very well know aria. In Italian. From a dramatic opera. On which Miss Saigon was based. Un Bel Di (from Puccini's Madama Butterfly) - Dorothy Kirsten
  22. She'll let you in her house / If you come knockin' late at night From Jerry McGuire soundtrack. By an American music icon Secret Garden - Bruce Springsteen (Legal Eagle)
  23. Here I am / Lost in the light of the moon that comes through my window I saw them last summer, with their new lead singer (who is Canadian, but the rest of the band are from the Southern hemisphere) Afterglow - INXS (Legal Eagle)
  24. Midnight, gettin' uptight / Where are you? 80s song, her biggest hit was even more rock and roll I Hate Myself For Lovin' You - Joan Jett
  25. The woods behind your house / Are in love with talking river Indie artist from New England, currently in the group Mad Agnes. Everyone should buy her album because it is just amazing - vocals, guitar, writing. She's fabulous! Talking River - Adrienne Jones

I find the high level of Canadian content rather amusing . . . and completely unintentional!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Who Knew I Was This Pissed Off?

It's been a while since I've had a decent update post. It has just been a little busy with work and other work (not to mention decorating work, which seems to be getting busier). I'll try and organize my thoughts into something cohesive (but I warn you, it may not happen)

The new car took longer to arrive than I would have liked. Actually, it arrived at the dealership on April 15th, but weren't able to pick it up until April 22. What the hell can take so long? Whatever, it's here. I returned the Ford Freestyle, and my dad drove me over to the Subaru dealership. I drove away in our sporty little Forester with the radio cranked up. My in-laws haven't seen it yet but my sister-in-law, Kat, has. She came over on Tuesday to check it out. She's always liked the look of the Forester, but never been in one so Hubby and the kids took her for a ride. The hilarious thing is that my in-laws always have to have something to talk about, and had been saying to Kat that they had no idea why we would get such a big car. Hello, it's TWO FEET shorter than the Freestyle!!! When Kat told me this, I checked dimensions against their Toyota Corolla, just for fun. Seems they're the ones with the big car - theirs is two inches longer and one inch wider than ours. Which I will ever-so-sweetly point out if they mention size to me :) Oh, Corwin is beyond excited that he is out of his booster seat (because he is over 80 pounds!). I have known for ages that this would happen before their eighth birthday, and have been preparing Clara accordingly. She knows that she's out as of October 2, and not one minute sooner. On a last car-related note, we should start a pool as to when I'm going to get my first speeding ticket - this car has some pep. I looked down and thought "oh, maybe I should slow down a bit" - I was doing 135 km/hr (speed limit is 100 km/hr). Oops.

The bear making place of employment is still fun. I did my first solo birthday party last Saturday, and it (thankfully!) went really well. It's unfortunate that my overall rating for the day was a big fat zero. We have to complete these sheets for every shift, rating ourselves in several areas (arrive on time? in proper dress? greet all customers with a smile? use open-ended questions to determine whether they want sounds in their bear? show them the survey number on the receipt? etc etc ). There are about 25 different things, and ratings are 0-5. If you miss any one of these, you will drop down to a 2. The minimum expectation is a 3, with 4 exceeding expectations, and 5 means you've done something amazing. Well, I didn't realize I had to do this one thing. It's not on the sheet, and I was asked to do it one Saturday, but I thought it was just for that day. I was supposed to turn over the sheet and write S and NS on the back, for sounds and no sounds and check off accordingly when I am at the stuffing machine (basically, trying to sell sounds to put inside the bear). And when I am in the clothing for the bears area, S and NS means shoes and no shoes. I did it the day I was asked to, but thought it was just for that day, that they were tracking something that weekend. I didn't do it the next day, and no one said anything. Considering I had been working there for 2 months when I was asked to do this, it wasn't surprising I thought it was a one time thing. Anyway, last Sat, I had a great party, and was well on my way to earning a 4 (plus I had to fill out this motivational BINGO card as well, and the place was packed, and I feel weird stopping between customers to write stuff down when there is a huge queue at the stuffer and I'm the only one filling bears). SO after a shift, you have to review the sheet with a manager/asst manager and get it signed (they keep them all in a binder, I guess to review performance). I was with one of the assistant managers, the one I feel the least comfortable with (after one other tiny little thing - a few weeks ago, we had just closed on a Sunday at 6. I was scheduled until 6, and they are usually sticklers about signing out and getting out as soon as your shift is over. Well, the asst manager asked me to sweep, and I knew Hubby and the kids were waiting for me, and he was probably getting pissed off because I told him I'd be out by 6:10. Anyway, I was trying to hurry and knocked over something and said "shit". Not loud, not yelled, and I was 3/4 of the way back in the store. The asst manager says "I heard that" and I laughed and said "we're closed, there aren't any kids here." And she starts with "what if a child was walking by and heard you? Yada yada yada" and I felt like saying "fuck off, I'm ten years older than you, not some little high school student!" . . . but I didn't). And she looks at the back of my sheet and says I get a zero because I didn't do the thing. And I told her that I hadn't realized that we were supposed to, was this an all the time thing, was it new, because I was only asked to do it that one time and hadn't been told any differently. And she said "all the time", and kept it a zero. Well, thank you very fucking much. On Sunday, I got a 3. On Wed I did my second party, which I was rated well on, and also got a 4 on the other sheet. I find this whole thing kind of weird - I've worked quite a bit of retail, including managing a scuba shop, and I've never worked for a place that is so driven by percentages and sales goals (we check hourly. HOURLY. To see if we're selling enough per guest - $ and items, plus percentages for shoes and sounds).

Allergy season is here. Corwin and Clara are both stuffy and have the post-nasal drip cough. Corwin's started last Friday, and I started giving him his Aerius. Clara's kicked in on Monday, and I think she has a bit of a cold, too. And Hubby's have started. By Wednesday, I was basically threatening divorce unless he got some allergy medication and started (not to mention continued) taking it because I can't deal with his itchy, sneezy grumpiness anymore!!! You'll be happy to know that he got himself some Aerius that night.

Flute choir is going well. We played in the Kiwanis Festival, but in a non-competitive class. There was one other flute choir in the class, and the adjudicator gave us both very good comments and feedback. Waverley (our conductor) told us afterwards that she thought we played much better than the other group, and that the comment about watching our tuning in the first piece was just so the adjudicator had something to say, because we were bang on. I'm not so sure she isn't a bit biased, but I think we had an awesome performance. The most interesting thing is that I didn't feel like I was going to throw up, and also wasn't tremendously nervous during. I didn't even start shaking, which is a first. Maybe I'm conquering the performance anxiety? Or maybe because there are eight players, I feel less exposed? Whatever it is, I'll take it!

Choir is overall going well, with a few little moments. Most notably is that a woman who used to be in the choir returned (she was before my time), and she is a second soprano. Gordon wanted her next to me, with Raindrop on her other side. When I asked where he was going to put Annie (very long story, but she ended up being between Raindrop and I for the concerts because Gordon needed Raindrop more in the middle since another strong second was away for the concerts. Annie gets frustrated easily, bitches about stuff during rehearsal, and often doesn't sing. She is on my right, with no one on my left. This is not so easy). Anyway, Gordon said to put Annie on the end, because she couldn't even bother coming to rehearsals. Fine. That was two weeks ago, and Annie hadn't come to practice or church since Easter. She showed up that Sunday, and got all huffy when I said she had moved to my left, and wouldn't stand there. I told her to talk to Gordon. Well, guess who got to stay where she wanted because otherwise there would have been a big fucking tantrum? Not me, that's for sure. The interesting thing is that since I was playing the flute for the communion motet at the back of the church, Annie ended up on the end. And she hissy fitted about that and went to stand at the other end because she doesn't like standing too close to one of the basses because "he creeps her out" (nevermind that he is in his late 50's at least, extremely round, walks with a cane, and has wicked asthma/emphysema - what the hell? Does she think he's going to attack her or something?). Last Thursday, Gordon was away, but Annie didn't come to rehearsal (keep in mind, the only time we've seen her since Easter was that Sunday), and I was away on Sunday (she wasn't there then, either). Well, she showed up last night. So there is me, on the end, with Annie to my right, then the returning woman, then Raindrop, and two others. The first sopranos were in front, but clumped together to the right, starting in front of Raindrop. So . . . I couldn't hear ANYTHING but basses, and occasionally Bugle Boy (which is nice, but since he's a tenor, not so helpful). I actually got teary at one point and had to disguise it a a sneeze, because I was so ridiculously frustrated. And then Annie starts freaking out about two of the pieces ("We're going too fast. I've never seen them before. How am I supposed to do this? I can't do this." Etc Etc Etc). So she's not fucking singing. And I am on my own, singing my ass off in this one really wicked piece that I LOVE because even though I'm a second, we have our own line in it, and it's not just about being the harmony to the firsts. And I have worked really hard on it, but have no one and I mean NO ONE to blend with because I CAN'T FUCKING HEAR ANYTHING!!!!!!! Yeah, I'm a little frustrated. I can deal with it for the next five weeks, because then choir is out for the summer, but Gordon needs to do something about it for the fall. Oh, and to add insult to injury, the seconds have to sing the stupid alto line in one of the pieces (that I know very well). I don't mind the divisi at one part, because it helps the altos a bit, and the split could go either way. But the last three bars? It's clearly alto and I'm really not happy. (side note to say to Beck that if you comment here about how you'd love to be an alto and I'm just complaining, I may have to kill you! :)

Wow, I think I may have a little bit of anger that I haven't been expressing very well - I'm actually shaking at the moment. Now I'm off to register Corwin and Clara for a week of day camp for July, and then I'm going to get my hair cut. Unfortunately, my stylist didn't have time for a cut and colour, so I guess I'll have to do some home colour myself.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Belated Blogiversary

Wow, time flies. I have been blogging since March 6, 2006. Happy blogiversary to me!!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Overwhelmed!

So currently my house is a complete disaster. I need to rearrange the living room to the warm weather configuration, which allows better views outside and also allows the window to be opened more easily. The front entrance gets piles of grit and sand on a daily basis - I spend all my time sweeping and vacuuming. I want to switch to the sisal area rug but am worried that the wet and muddy portion of spring is still to come. The family room furniture needs the slipcovers changed, but I have yet to wash them (I hate washing them in the winter because they have to hang to dry and I hate having them hanging all over the place!). And the laundry . . . . oh the laundry. There are piles that need to be folded, and a couple more loads to do. I got backlogged a few weeks ago when the washing machine needed a minor repair (it wasn't agitating properly, but at least it was spinning and draining). I had almost gotten caught up when fuck if the dryer didn't go on the fritz! Thankfully it was a minor part (a fuse), but still - an $18 part that cost $130 by the time the labour was added in - highway robbery!

The worst is that I worked 11-5 yesterday, and we had in-law brunch today to celebrate my MIL's birthday. And I am working 2-6 today. How much laundry folding am I going to have the energy for this evening? Not much. Tomorrow is dentist for Corwin, Clara and me, and Tuesday is new car day (yay!!!!!). I'm just tired. I want a vacation. Or a spa day - that could work. Well, better go get changed into my bear building clothing and go make some kids happy.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

And My Door Really Is Red




What Your Front Door Says



You are bold, brave, and easily excited.

You are passionate about what you believe.

And you're never afraid to tell people exactly what you think.

You're picky and particular. It's sometimes hard to meet your standards.



As seen at Maggie May's

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Sounds Like I Had A Good Time!!!

Haiku2 for just-jump-in
really couldn't
put on pants and really
couldn't put on pants
@
Created by Grahame

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Ummm . . . Maybe Because I AM Canadian?

What American accent do you have?
Your Result: North Central
 

"North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.

The West
 
Boston
 
The Midland
 
The Inland North
 
The Northeast
 
Philadelphia
 
The South
 
What American accent do you have?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz


Stolen from Luckybuzz, as usual.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

It's the last before the big 4-0, so a celebration is in order. As I have been AWOL for almost a month, a few RBOC to catch up . . .
  • The three concert plus many rehearsal schedule for the Requiem was gruelling, but I made it through. The highlight (for me) was the descant that the second sopranos had in one movement, which basically was Raindrop and I singing it loud enough to be heard.
  • After the Friday night concert (it was Good Friday), a whole bunch of us went to what is now known as "The Church Bar". Newfie Postdoc (NP for short) brought her boyfriend so we got to check him out. (BTW, NP is the new soprano who started in the fall - you know, the first soprano! I got over the pout).
  • In the middle of the night, I woke up with a very swollen gland on the right side of my throat and a bit of a sore throat. Water and Advil helped.
  • I was really tired the next day. I had to pick my parents up at the airport at 9. They were tired and tanned. They dropped me off at home and we were back to being a one car family. We had a big gathering at Aunt Kit's boyfriend's house for a late lunch/early dinner. There were 15 of us. It was really nice, but I was really tired. And then I had Easter vigil at 7:30.
  • Easter Vigil was quiet, but this year the incense was really smoky and the smoke lingered in the choir stalls. Afterwards, I took Diva grocery shopping and we had fun chatting about men and various recipe ideas. My throat was pretty swollen, all glands seemed to be up.
  • The Easter bunny made it to our house. Due to the snow, he hid the eggs inside :) The hunt occurred at 6:58 am. Church was good, then we went to my in-laws for lunch. We came home and changed, the kids played a bit, then we went to my parents' place for dinner (I had to take stuff out of the freezer on the Thurs so it could thaw in time - my mom is ridiculously organized!!!). I went to bed early.
  • I finally admitted to myself that I was getting a bit sick. I liberally used Vick's and seriously wondered if I was getting pneumonia. Finally got my inhaler prescription refilled and started feeling better. Although I also had a bit of laryngitis.
  • Car shopping continued. Hubby? Cannot play the game. He gets all stressed out and acts miserable. So . . . I went by myself last Monday to get final prices on the Toyota Rav4 (the Matrix is awesome, but my guitar will not fit in the back without the seats down - it would be an ideal second car) and the Subaru Forester. The Forester won - better price, both overall and insurance-wise. No heated seats (bummer!!), and the only thing it doesn't have that I really wanted is an auxilliary outlet for my iPod. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to use my FM transmitter. We even got the colour we wanted, and it should arrive next week sometime.
  • Corwin and Clara had their first communion and confirmation yesterday (in the Catholic church). Eeeesh. The religion classes were all done at school - it is a grade two thing in Catholic school. Some kids don't do the sacrament because they don't go to Catholic church, and some do it at their own parish if they go somewhere different than the one affiliated with the school. Corwin was really annoyed last year that he didn't get to have "the bread" during mass at school, when he gets to at our church. Welcome to the confusion between Anglican and Catholic - two religions that are pretty much the same. So . . . they did the sacrament, and we will continue going to St John's (because really, catholics don't sing - even Corwin thinks that the music is much better at St John's with Gordon and the organ and harp, etc, rather than the one guy with the guitar!)
  • Now I am waiting for the cable/phone guy - they came on Sat to install Rogers homephone, but he didn't screw the jack into the wall properly so my phone crackles. I hope he gets here soon - my parents are picking me up to go for lunch to celebrate my Dad's and my birthdays - I was the non-returnable gift!!!