I heard the Beatles tune "Golden Slumbers" on the way to work today, the last line of which is:
And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make
This line reminded me of a concept that I learned in grade school that energy is not created or destroyed, it merely changes forms. I thought that love may be viewed the same way. Think of the love in the world as an energy, all-encompassing and ever-present, and that we're all using it all the time. I find this a comforting thought that however down or lonely one might feel, one can rest assured that all the love one needs is all round - just tap into it and it will take form before you. A smile-worthy thought to start the day.
In an effort to spread a little love - at least a love of entertainment - please check the links below to a few of the acts of Britain's Got Talent that I previously mentioned.
George Sampson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-gk7Cid_cM
Signature: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA2B5X0LhMY&feature=related
Hoop La La: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siJq3rbv_a4
And one for Terry Fator, last season's winner of America's Got Talent. I find this guy's impressions just phenomenal. Look at his related videos to see the range he has.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnVDHzUAj30
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Don't Want to Drive Your Beast of Burden
Andrew may have beaten me to putting up his blog for this past weekend - but because I have waited to put in my entry it will appear on top of his, and therefore be the first one people read. (Gotcha there honey, thought you had outsmarted me! Hahah! - Oh great, I broke a nail!)
Anyhoo - moving on to Saturdays event. I was hired by the event company we both work for to go to Stratford Upon Avon for one of our famous whiskey and cheese samplings. I arrived at the office to pick up my driver and vehicle at 5:30 a.m. I was just in time to watch the sun rise slowly off in the distance. My driver, Steve from Australia, arrived around 6:00 a.m. and we set about getting the vehicle - The Beastie to be precise. Now, if none of you remember, The Beastie is a converted VW van that has been transformed into a leather/fake fur lounge of sorts for the tastings. Although really cool looking it is very much like a Jimmy Choo shoe: Worth lots of money, looks great, but not that great in the 'something to get you there and back' department.
We move the Beastie over to the lauding bay to pack it up and then try to start it up again. And again. And again. Nothing - the think won't start even though we just moved it less than 10 minutes ago. So what do I do? I reach into my trusty purse and pull out my rosary (which I now always carry) and places it over the rear view mirror. The Beastie starts again and we are off.
Until we reach the gas station to fill her up.
We fill up the tank and try to start it up again but no amount of Hail Marys will work.
So I get out of the Beast to see if there is anything I can do (push it, kick it, throw a fit) and notice that there is a VERY large leak happening from the fuel tank.
PANIC!
(Really, a gas leak is not the best thing to have at a gas station - especially with petrol costing as much as it does.)
After several frantic phone calls to the garage and a pile of sand we are told that yes, there is a gas leak in the fuel tank and yes, they knew about it and no, we were't supposed to fill up the tank anymore than halfway.
Two hours later we arrive in Stratford about 2 hours early (Surprising because the Beast does not go over 55 miles per hour and we had ALOT of dirty looks on the highway.) and we walk around a bit seeing as we have 2 hours before any of the shops or museums open up which will mean customers. Stratford is just as cute as I remember it, and all the people I ran into were lovely. I invited the shopkeeps to come out and try abit of the whiskey or cheese if they got a chance and marvelled at where we were set up: directly across from Shakespeares Birth Place. Could you get a better location?
We did the tastings from roughly 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and encountered French tourists (I was the only one of my group that understood & could speak with them), Chinese & Japanese tourists (took lots of pictures of the Beast) and some Canadians too! (I shook hands with each of them, had my photo taken with them and when asked where they were from the majority replied: B.C.)
At 5 Steve & I packed up The Beast and some of the left over cheese and headed off back to London. Not only did we get there and back on one tank of gas (and may I had many more honks and shouts at our speed!) but the rosary also stayed on the rear view mirror the entire trip.
Until we got back to London, unpacked, locked up and I was half way back to the Tube station before I remembered that it was still in the Beast!
Anyhoo - moving on to Saturdays event. I was hired by the event company we both work for to go to Stratford Upon Avon for one of our famous whiskey and cheese samplings. I arrived at the office to pick up my driver and vehicle at 5:30 a.m. I was just in time to watch the sun rise slowly off in the distance. My driver, Steve from Australia, arrived around 6:00 a.m. and we set about getting the vehicle - The Beastie to be precise. Now, if none of you remember, The Beastie is a converted VW van that has been transformed into a leather/fake fur lounge of sorts for the tastings. Although really cool looking it is very much like a Jimmy Choo shoe: Worth lots of money, looks great, but not that great in the 'something to get you there and back' department.
We move the Beastie over to the lauding bay to pack it up and then try to start it up again. And again. And again. Nothing - the think won't start even though we just moved it less than 10 minutes ago. So what do I do? I reach into my trusty purse and pull out my rosary (which I now always carry) and places it over the rear view mirror. The Beastie starts again and we are off.
Until we reach the gas station to fill her up.
We fill up the tank and try to start it up again but no amount of Hail Marys will work.
So I get out of the Beast to see if there is anything I can do (push it, kick it, throw a fit) and notice that there is a VERY large leak happening from the fuel tank.
PANIC!
(Really, a gas leak is not the best thing to have at a gas station - especially with petrol costing as much as it does.)
After several frantic phone calls to the garage and a pile of sand we are told that yes, there is a gas leak in the fuel tank and yes, they knew about it and no, we were't supposed to fill up the tank anymore than halfway.
Two hours later we arrive in Stratford about 2 hours early (Surprising because the Beast does not go over 55 miles per hour and we had ALOT of dirty looks on the highway.) and we walk around a bit seeing as we have 2 hours before any of the shops or museums open up which will mean customers. Stratford is just as cute as I remember it, and all the people I ran into were lovely. I invited the shopkeeps to come out and try abit of the whiskey or cheese if they got a chance and marvelled at where we were set up: directly across from Shakespeares Birth Place. Could you get a better location?
We did the tastings from roughly 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and encountered French tourists (I was the only one of my group that understood & could speak with them), Chinese & Japanese tourists (took lots of pictures of the Beast) and some Canadians too! (I shook hands with each of them, had my photo taken with them and when asked where they were from the majority replied: B.C.)
At 5 Steve & I packed up The Beast and some of the left over cheese and headed off back to London. Not only did we get there and back on one tank of gas (and may I had many more honks and shouts at our speed!) but the rosary also stayed on the rear view mirror the entire trip.
Until we got back to London, unpacked, locked up and I was half way back to the Tube station before I remembered that it was still in the Beast!
Hassling the Hoff
As a salve for the vitriol of the last posting, I offer this charming image: David Hasselhoff singing This is the Moment on national television. I could not make this up if I wanted to. Brianne and I were witness to the finale of last year's edition of America's Got Talent on television a few nights back (that's the 2nd season, they're doing the 3rd season right now), and the Hoff - a regular judge of the competition - graced the stage with his rendition of this schmaltzy anthem from the Broadway show Jekyll & Hyde. I can only describe it as a lounge act on acid. He was oozing with insincere emotion, ridiculously flat in certain parts, incongruously faux-operatic in other parts, and using that clunky style of rubato (singing out of predictable rhythm) that is so much a hallmark of stereotypical musical pomposity. Honestly, he was hammier than Mark Hamill being roasted on a spit for Thanksgiving dinner. I have not dared to search for it on YouTube, I leave you to try at your own peril. After his interminable money-note ending, his fellow judges had to bite their tongues for all they were worth and praise him, however obliquely. The overall experience was horrificly entertaining.
Speaking of the Got Talent series, there have been some excellent acts over the course of the competitions in America and in Britain. Put these names into the YouTube search engine and take a look for your self:
Bianca Ryan - first American winner, 11-year-old with a soul-diva voice, incredible
Paul Potts - first British winner, Joe Schmoe-type with Pavarotti-like pipes
Terry Fator - second American winner, ventriloquist/impressionist/singer, amazing
Cas Haley - second American runner-up, singer/guitarist, great voice with fun songs
George Sampson - second British winner, 15-year-old breakdancer
**look for his routine to a funked-up version of Singing in the Rain, absolutely brilliant
Signature - second British runner-up, dancing pair blending Michael Jackson and Bollywood
Hoop La La - British semi-finalists doing hula-hoop tricks, hilariously campy
Eli Mattson - strong contender for America this season, Harry Connick Jr style singer/pianist
Enjoy.
Speaking of the Got Talent series, there have been some excellent acts over the course of the competitions in America and in Britain. Put these names into the YouTube search engine and take a look for your self:
Bianca Ryan - first American winner, 11-year-old with a soul-diva voice, incredible
Paul Potts - first British winner, Joe Schmoe-type with Pavarotti-like pipes
Terry Fator - second American winner, ventriloquist/impressionist/singer, amazing
Cas Haley - second American runner-up, singer/guitarist, great voice with fun songs
George Sampson - second British winner, 15-year-old breakdancer
**look for his routine to a funked-up version of Singing in the Rain, absolutely brilliant
Signature - second British runner-up, dancing pair blending Michael Jackson and Bollywood
Hoop La La - British semi-finalists doing hula-hoop tricks, hilariously campy
Eli Mattson - strong contender for America this season, Harry Connick Jr style singer/pianist
Enjoy.
Monday, August 18, 2008
HARRY POTTER OUTRAGE
Getting up on the soapbox here. Most all of you know that Brianne and I have a deep and abiding love for the world of Harry Potter, and though some of you may not share or understand it, you have always smiled along with it, and that's all we really ask and we love you for it.
I hope, therefore, you will understand my umbrage that Warner Bros. has just recently decided to push back the latest Potter movie that we have been waiting months for from November 'til July of next year! Let's not mince words: WE ARE PISSED OFF!
And we're not alone. Thousands of signatures have hit online petitions in just a few days, letter-writing campaigns and boycotts are around the corner. B and I feel that it's just disrespectful for a company to push back a release in the hope of making more summer money. The company says it's because of the writer's strike and that fewer movies have been produced for next year as a result. In the same breath they claim to love their fans. We feel severely cheated.
Just wanted to vent this bile. Thanks for receiving it, and if any other Potter fans feel betrayed, rest assured that Brianne and I intend to send some strongly worded letters to WB!
I hope, therefore, you will understand my umbrage that Warner Bros. has just recently decided to push back the latest Potter movie that we have been waiting months for from November 'til July of next year! Let's not mince words: WE ARE PISSED OFF!
And we're not alone. Thousands of signatures have hit online petitions in just a few days, letter-writing campaigns and boycotts are around the corner. B and I feel that it's just disrespectful for a company to push back a release in the hope of making more summer money. The company says it's because of the writer's strike and that fewer movies have been produced for next year as a result. In the same breath they claim to love their fans. We feel severely cheated.
Just wanted to vent this bile. Thanks for receiving it, and if any other Potter fans feel betrayed, rest assured that Brianne and I intend to send some strongly worded letters to WB!
Story Showdown - Entry 1
Knowing full well that the story my darling wife will tell of her Saturday, the best I can hope for is to beat her to the punch in posting time. So here we go.
I worked an AYS gig in the west of London at a museum call the Pitzanger Manor House. It was a civil ceremony for the groom John and the blushing bride . . . Hugh. Yep, two men. Good for them, and God's blessings upon them both. (Social commentary over, moving on.)
The gathering a small drinks-and-canapes affair, a little post-ceremony nosh to facilitate photos in the museum gardens before everyone boarded a chartered coach to the dinner reception. Broad mixture of friends, family and well-wishers - men and women, gay and straight, old and young. All of them happy to be there to cheer on the happy couple.
The groom wore a striking Royal blue suit with white shoes. The "bride" (appropriate term, he was the more effeminate of the two) wore a bold Hunter green suit with silver shoes; handsome and dapper, but I couldn't help thinking of a Keebler elf with a Vegas lounge act. He was very nice, thanked all the staff for doing a great job. They managed to match the drinks glasses to their suits! Nice subtle theme.
Met some interesting people amongst the guests. One was an actress from Montreal, shared a high-five with her for being Canadian artists! The other was a scruffy-haired Anglo hippie-type wearing the classic blazer and jeans ensemble with a FEATHER in his hair! Well, I married into a Metis family, so que sera.
After the gig was finished, I helped the supply van driver navigate his way back to the catering unit. Interesting experience, trying to guide a van around London. The signage here is significantly different that what I'm used to back home, plus the "roundabout" is a common fixture here, plus I had to get used to checking the road surface to check which lane to be in because they often paint it there rather than post a sign! Made it there without major incident. Chilled out the rest of the night watching Jeff Dunham on our computer, as I'd recently downloaded his show call "Spark of Insanity." Dunham is an hilarious ventriloquist with a repertoire of about 5 wildly different puppets, including Walter the cranky old man, Peanut the manic purple creature, Jose the Jalapeno on a Stick, and by far the least PC - Achmed the Dead Terrorist. You can see his stuff on YouTube, and I heartily recommend that you check him out.
I worked an AYS gig in the west of London at a museum call the Pitzanger Manor House. It was a civil ceremony for the groom John and the blushing bride . . . Hugh. Yep, two men. Good for them, and God's blessings upon them both. (Social commentary over, moving on.)
The gathering a small drinks-and-canapes affair, a little post-ceremony nosh to facilitate photos in the museum gardens before everyone boarded a chartered coach to the dinner reception. Broad mixture of friends, family and well-wishers - men and women, gay and straight, old and young. All of them happy to be there to cheer on the happy couple.
The groom wore a striking Royal blue suit with white shoes. The "bride" (appropriate term, he was the more effeminate of the two) wore a bold Hunter green suit with silver shoes; handsome and dapper, but I couldn't help thinking of a Keebler elf with a Vegas lounge act. He was very nice, thanked all the staff for doing a great job. They managed to match the drinks glasses to their suits! Nice subtle theme.
Met some interesting people amongst the guests. One was an actress from Montreal, shared a high-five with her for being Canadian artists! The other was a scruffy-haired Anglo hippie-type wearing the classic blazer and jeans ensemble with a FEATHER in his hair! Well, I married into a Metis family, so que sera.
After the gig was finished, I helped the supply van driver navigate his way back to the catering unit. Interesting experience, trying to guide a van around London. The signage here is significantly different that what I'm used to back home, plus the "roundabout" is a common fixture here, plus I had to get used to checking the road surface to check which lane to be in because they often paint it there rather than post a sign! Made it there without major incident. Chilled out the rest of the night watching Jeff Dunham on our computer, as I'd recently downloaded his show call "Spark of Insanity." Dunham is an hilarious ventriloquist with a repertoire of about 5 wildly different puppets, including Walter the cranky old man, Peanut the manic purple creature, Jose the Jalapeno on a Stick, and by far the least PC - Achmed the Dead Terrorist. You can see his stuff on YouTube, and I heartily recommend that you check him out.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Challenges, Chuckles, and Chugging Along
The gauntlet has been thrown down. Let the competition of blog-writing commence! Fifteen rounds, bare-knuckle typing . . . only one will leave Thunderdome alive! This SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!
Okay, so that was just a little fun babbling. Imagine me with a monster truck announcer voice doing that one. I love reading my wife's writing as much as she loves reading mine, so we'll work together on this little labour love.
Okay, so THAT last line was just to make Brianne gag at the romantic treacle. The antagonism of the first paragraph is so much more interesting than benign co-operation, don't you think? Conflict breeds excitement; that's why producers actually hire psychologists to help them pick reality show contestants who will get along the least.
Anyhoo, we checked out the Science Museum yesterday. It was a brief adventure that involved two separate stops at the gift shop. No buying, just enjoying the diversity of interests and commenting that children should have fun and stimulating toys like those offered there, rather than handheld portable sensory overloaders. We got to the museum just after opening and looked at the farthest wing from the entrance. By the time we got back to the front door the place was crawling with large families and youth groups, so we decided to call it a short day and come back another time. Summer is a BIG time for these museums, and there are about eight different ones all around South Kensington Tube stop, and they're all FREE. Hoowah.
Chuckle-worthy moment - An interactive display which introduces a scientific social issue to a group of players, plays a simple game, and then asks the players to vote on this issue. Topic: Should you be able to choose the gender of your baby? The game involved catching sperm cells Pacman-style to rack up a score of boys or girls. (Don't dwell on that image, it was cartoony and not nearly as icky as it sounds in writing) We were playing the game next to a girl of about 8, and when her mother joined the display the girl announced "Mummy! The last one was all about sex and I had four babies!" We nearly yelped in laughter at the mum's "Steady on there!"
We're happy to discover that our laptop will actually play Region 2 DVDs. Now we can wind down our evenings with a nice film once in a while. We've seen Knocked Up and The Holiday, both good movies I would recommend for an evening of light entertainment.
I've taken to jogging in the mornings. There is so much early daylight in this part of the world, I wanted to take advantage of it. The trick is trying not to disturb Brianne too much when I leave at 6am. The secret: don't TRY to be quiet, otherwise she feels someone/something is sneaking around illicitly. She can just ignore regular-volume noise and go back to sleep. There's a earthen jogging trail which runs from Finsbury Park northwards, passing by our house just about a block away. Convenient and scenic.
Following up on my promo for Vintage Video, here's a link to their website:
http://www.vintagevideocanada.com/
Definitely check it out.
Okay, so that was just a little fun babbling. Imagine me with a monster truck announcer voice doing that one. I love reading my wife's writing as much as she loves reading mine, so we'll work together on this little labour love.
Okay, so THAT last line was just to make Brianne gag at the romantic treacle. The antagonism of the first paragraph is so much more interesting than benign co-operation, don't you think? Conflict breeds excitement; that's why producers actually hire psychologists to help them pick reality show contestants who will get along the least.
Anyhoo, we checked out the Science Museum yesterday. It was a brief adventure that involved two separate stops at the gift shop. No buying, just enjoying the diversity of interests and commenting that children should have fun and stimulating toys like those offered there, rather than handheld portable sensory overloaders. We got to the museum just after opening and looked at the farthest wing from the entrance. By the time we got back to the front door the place was crawling with large families and youth groups, so we decided to call it a short day and come back another time. Summer is a BIG time for these museums, and there are about eight different ones all around South Kensington Tube stop, and they're all FREE. Hoowah.
Chuckle-worthy moment - An interactive display which introduces a scientific social issue to a group of players, plays a simple game, and then asks the players to vote on this issue. Topic: Should you be able to choose the gender of your baby? The game involved catching sperm cells Pacman-style to rack up a score of boys or girls. (Don't dwell on that image, it was cartoony and not nearly as icky as it sounds in writing) We were playing the game next to a girl of about 8, and when her mother joined the display the girl announced "Mummy! The last one was all about sex and I had four babies!" We nearly yelped in laughter at the mum's "Steady on there!"
We're happy to discover that our laptop will actually play Region 2 DVDs. Now we can wind down our evenings with a nice film once in a while. We've seen Knocked Up and The Holiday, both good movies I would recommend for an evening of light entertainment.
I've taken to jogging in the mornings. There is so much early daylight in this part of the world, I wanted to take advantage of it. The trick is trying not to disturb Brianne too much when I leave at 6am. The secret: don't TRY to be quiet, otherwise she feels someone/something is sneaking around illicitly. She can just ignore regular-volume noise and go back to sleep. There's a earthen jogging trail which runs from Finsbury Park northwards, passing by our house just about a block away. Convenient and scenic.
Following up on my promo for Vintage Video, here's a link to their website:
http://www.vintagevideocanada.com/
Definitely check it out.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Pitter Patter of Little Feet
Some people have mentioned that I haven't been doing a lot of the blogging as of recently. All for good reason: Andrew has a better memory than I do and I find his style quiet amusing for even me to read. However, seeing as it has been mentioned I will write a little of my own musings.
As per the title: Most days I go to a tiny cafe by our house that serves tea and sandwiches and which blessedly has free Wi-Fi. I then spend my morning applying to all the posted auditions on various sights and sending off emails to as many people as possible. If I arrive around ten in the morning I am guaranteed at least one and a half hours of quiet before it begins: the wailing.
Everyday for lunch the swarm of ankle bitters descend on the cafe for a near hour of turmoil. The mothers all gather around, ordering cute little lattes and virtually ignoring any distruction that their crew intail. And the screaming...
Yes, it's all very cute that your little monster can make noises, but why do you let them get louder and louder with their screaming? And when one of them starts the rest join in, attempting to out-do eachother in the lungs department. For those of you in search of birth control or trying to stay abstinate, may I recommend visiting the cafe in between 12:15 and 12:45 daily?
That's my morning.
Now for my dirty little secret.
I am addicted to olives and cheese. Being so close to so many famouse cheesemakers makes it cheap over here. And they really are delicious. So, if I have finished all my chores or come home from work wanting a snack - that is what I have. Seeing as I have tried to stop having junk food and shouldn't waste my money on alcohol, I waste it on cheese instead. it's very addictive I warn you.
I am amazed that Andrew hasn't thought of using this as an idea for a picture post, but here goes. European butts.
As per the title: Most days I go to a tiny cafe by our house that serves tea and sandwiches and which blessedly has free Wi-Fi. I then spend my morning applying to all the posted auditions on various sights and sending off emails to as many people as possible. If I arrive around ten in the morning I am guaranteed at least one and a half hours of quiet before it begins: the wailing.
Everyday for lunch the swarm of ankle bitters descend on the cafe for a near hour of turmoil. The mothers all gather around, ordering cute little lattes and virtually ignoring any distruction that their crew intail. And the screaming...
Yes, it's all very cute that your little monster can make noises, but why do you let them get louder and louder with their screaming? And when one of them starts the rest join in, attempting to out-do eachother in the lungs department. For those of you in search of birth control or trying to stay abstinate, may I recommend visiting the cafe in between 12:15 and 12:45 daily?
That's my morning.
Now for my dirty little secret.
I am addicted to olives and cheese. Being so close to so many famouse cheesemakers makes it cheap over here. And they really are delicious. So, if I have finished all my chores or come home from work wanting a snack - that is what I have. Seeing as I have tried to stop having junk food and shouldn't waste my money on alcohol, I waste it on cheese instead. it's very addictive I warn you.
I am amazed that Andrew hasn't thought of using this as an idea for a picture post, but here goes. European butts.
Horse butts.
Yes, I know it wasn't what you were expecting, but look how perfectly they stand in a straight line!
Then Andrew and I tried to determine whether this was a male or female simply by looking at it's behind. We were both wrong. It was a eunich.
Need I say more?
Well, as you can see I am not half as amusing as my husband in the writing department, but I will try to make more of an effort in the future -perhaps commenting on something more eloquent than children screaming.
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