Fred Penner, The Weather & So You Think You Can Dance

Good Morning to everyone out there in Bloggerland! Looks like a wonderful day is shaping up here in the Valley...the weather is....well, let's just leave it at that...the weather IS.

Fortunately, the weather isn't all we depend on for a beautiful day here...if that were the case we'd all have drowned years ago!

Sometimes it rains so much here that when it finally stops, and the sun shows itself at last, we become crazed with giddiness...we don't know what to do first...where to look, which way to go...we become a town full of sunshine deprived, twirling, leaping goons. It's true.

On a sunny day, the whole town comes out of hibernation, blinking rapidly at the bright yellow alien in the sky, walking dogs, riding bikes, walking each other...driving too fast with the hip-hop blaring....when my middle son's first child was born, he used to ride around in his truck on a sunny day with the windows down and Fred Penner's 'The Cat Came Back' at full volume.

Lunatics, that's what we are! 

How many of you watch 'So You Think You Can Dance'?  If you follow this blog at all, you know I love this kind of thing...singing and dancing...to get lost in a piece of music, or a painting...

... or to have the ability to express eternity in movement...to me that is an admirable quality. On that note, check this guy out!                                

 

Just wondering...apropos of the whole mention of Fred Penner....who are some of your childhood favourites, as far as children's entertainers go?
When I was a kid I loved Mr. Dressup...when my kids were all younger I got the opportunity to take them to see Mr. Dressup live! I think I might have been more excited than they were.

He was appearing at our local community theatre. We arrived about 20 minutes early, took our seats with the rest of the audience, that seemed to be made up entirely of mothers and kids, (duh! Who else would go see Mr. Dressup?! Winos and Shoe Salesmen?)....That 20 minutes seemed like at least 20 hours....my boys were getting restless and fidgety, and then, just as my two year old was crawling under his seat for the 15th time...the lights dimmed, the curtains opened....and THERE HE WAS! Mr. Dressup! In the flesh....and right beside him was the Tickle Trunk...(geez, that sounds sort of suspicious, doesn't it?).. he had Casey and Finnegan with him...I don't actually remember the show, just the excitement....
....I also loved the Friendly Giant...but I never got to see him...

On the other end of the spectrum...does anybody else watch those commercials for those chair lifts that can be fitted onto the handrail of your stairs and think, "That's a great idea!" ?
I want one of those and I don't even have stairs! ....I'd just get it fitted to climb up the wall and travel around the perimeter of the ceiling...it would be kind of like flying...especially if it had different speeds!
                                                           

                                                     
At the very least, I one day want one of those scooter dealies...then I can speed down the sidewalk yelling, 'Out of my way young people!'.

Until then, let's all keep dancing...whether we're good or bad, doesn't matter..just do it...and enjoy the weather, whether it's sunny or raining or sleeting or hailing....we share life...and life is good...

                                                   
Peace everyone!

The Avett Brothers, A Good Cry, Trace Adkins

Wish me luck I know you think I'll need it
For all the hardest roads we have to walk alone
And you don't have to tell me that you love me
For all the words I've never understood
I know, I know

The wind that blows from here to California
Never stops to turn and wonder why it goes
And you don't have to tell me when you're leaving
For all the plans I've never understood
I know, I know

Leave now while you can
I'm not your man
I know, I know

To have your things and wait there for a plane ride
No one there to sit and hold your hand in flight
But everyone I know out here is lonely
Even those that have someone to lie beside at night

Leave me with the dawn
It's almost gone
I know, I know
Leave now while you can
I'm not your man
I know, I know

I am in a somewhat pensive state of mind this morning...thinking of chances lost, people gone forever into the sepia toned mists of time..golden opportunities traded for silver plated sure things.

Don't we all get into these mindful, somewhat wallowing states from time to time?

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Any other menopausal sisters out there finding themselves needing a good cry every now and then?

If you're there, I know you know what I mean...we cry sometimes because we NEED to, because it seems to cleanse us...what we don't need is a 'reason' to cry...we need the tears themselves..

...we cry for everything we did, or didn't do, to make the lives of others peaceful and less complicated....we cry because we feel empty, and battered and used and old...sometimes we cry until our noses are stuffed and snotty, our ears are burning and we can't see straight...still, at the end of our 'good cry', we always seem to feel better.

Before sitting down for a deep cleansing cry, it's important to select the most fitting soundtrack.

This Avett Brothers song is always a good choice for a tearful, memory soaked sit down. Not sure if it's the melancholic strumming of the guitar, or the lyrics that could be taken a number of ways...whatever it is, it will benefit your tears.

I know that 'things' (what things exactly, I'm not sure), are better than they seem on the surface...situations change, people come and go, weaving themselves in and out of our lives like Peruvian handicrafts, but the connections we have to family and forever friends remain deep, no matter the situation.

Peace everyone, and have a fantastic weekend, and a good cry if you need it!

Robin Gibb

Yesterday, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees gave up his long and excruciating battle against cancer. I've mentioned him before on this blog, he'd been sick for quite a few months...
...there's no point in lamenting about how quickly someone can be gone. We are all aware of the brevity of existence...in the grand scheme of things, none of us are here for long.
Still, it seems like a bucket of cold water in the face, when the musical heroes of a generation start leaving life in droves.
 Lately it's as if they're pushing and shoving their way into eternity... It reminds us of our own mortality....and of the days we were young and, for the most part, carefree...I kind of wish we knew that at the time.
Robin and his brothers, in my opinion, wrote the soundtrack of the '70's....well, the late '70's anyways...the release of the 'Saturday Night Fever' soundtrack in '78 was the first time in history that a movie soundtrack was just as important as the movie itself, and it was all thanks to Robin and his brothers....in tribute, here is a great, tune by the Bee Gees, with Robin singing lead...his voice was so unique, nobody sounded like Robin Gibb....he will be missed....

                                                          
                                            

More TV, Arsenio's Bad Day, and Watching TV in Pants

Is anyone else out there as addicted to 'American Idol' as I am?! Did anyone see it the other day? I can't believe that America thinks that this guy:....

                                                                      
                                                                           .......is not quite good enough to be their 'Idol', (whatever that's supposed to mean). I've met some Americans and I think that most of them would say he's definitely good enough to sing a couple songs to entertain them, which is what all the 'Idols' do, isn't it? I think that's their job....Holy Crap! If he's not good enough, I can't wait to hear the guy that is!
What is it about this crap tv that compels us to watch? Why do we always mention what crap it is when we're confessing to someone that we watch this stuff?  I think it's out of embarrassment... At first we say that we'll watch it if it's already on when we come in the room...like if the kids have it on, we'll sit down and watch...but we don't admit to turning it on ourselves. Not until we've been watching it on the sly for quite some time.
 I say....stand up and be counted as someone who watches tv talent shows!.. I don't know. I know it's bad for my brain and all that, (is it really?) but I like it....I would definitely buy this kid's C.D....and not only that....where else but a tv talent show would you get to see something like this?:

                                                            
                                                              That is CRAZY! You know you were dying to see it.. 
Some people are so good at really odd things...(and will be paid well to do the odd thing that they're good at, hence all the talk of his 'life changing'...blah blah blah...he's gonna be rich cause he's a human pretzel)....it wouldn't occur to most people to even TRY to do something like that. Maybe we can all do that but we'll never know it cause we've never tried it...What should we try that for? That's what I hear a lot of people saying. You know. Questioning the validity of a talent like getting out of a headlock that you put yourself in.
And some people will say things like,..."Oh, I could do that. But I don't want to." And after they say it they will expect laughter. Reams and reams of belly aching, spine tingling laughter...chortling over the hills and through the town...like the old guys at the deli, who say, when I ask, "Can I help you?"..."Oh, I'm beyond help." 
They think they're being so witty and original. It's kind of cute. At first anyways. After about the 107th time it becomes tedious and annoying...The fact is that about one in three guys respond with that exact line...so if you happen to be one of those guys who says that, thinking that you're bringing a laugh to someone's day, be warned....I guarantee you that the cashier/clerk/waitress/salesperson/teller/car rental agent, or food court employee has already heard it many many times, so don't be disgruntled when they don't laugh like idiots at your humour. It's funny that women never say that.                                                                                                                  

Another reality show I like is 'Celebrity Apprentice'....it's gone on and on and on...and now, in the finale, it's down to a battle to the death between Clay Aiken and Arsenio Hall...I think they each get a switchblade.....or, one of them gets a switchblade and the other gets something stupid....like, something that IS deadly, but of little use in a switchblade fight....like a bottle of poisoned wine!...

                                               
                                                                           .......guess who gets what?...Don't be alarmed...I just made that up, it's nothing like that at all...put your fears aside...it's only the usual conniving, back stabbing, black mailing, way to do business show...
...I love the way they label people in this show...and, when I say 'label', I don't mean some metaphorical label, (usually demeaning and/or brutal in nature) groups of people give each other out of hatred. No. I mean the actual labels that appear on the tv screen below the talking head that is giving some lame assed description of what they think happened in a given situation during the 'game' of the show..
...for instance, Debbie Gibson was 'labeled' as 'Pop-Icon'. Am I missing something? I kind of remember her from the '80's...but is she really an 'icon'? I actually can't even think of one of her songs...
....okay, I tried to grab a video of her singing to insert here, and I did not recognize one song title, so I decided to insert this here instead:

                                                  

Hahaha!....ya gotta love Arsenio Hall....well, I guess you don't 'gotta', but I think he's funny... I hope he wins Apprentice just cause his show in the '80's was super cool.
Well. Mostly it was. I do remember one time when MC Hammer was the guest for the whole hour. Arsenio let him go on and on and on, crying about how he'd lost his fortune...(it (his fortune) was believed to be somewhere in Old Quebec sharing a baguette with a stunner named Jacques...but, I digress.) Why do I remember some crazy stupid episode of a talk show over twenty years ago is the real question!

 At any rate...MC Hammer was super popular for about 18 seconds in the '80's, due mostly to that song that sounded pretty much exactly like that Rick James song. This may have been the exact moment that a lot of things started unravelling for music itself.....here, you tell me:

                                                                  
.....I think when things, (or people) start unravelling is when they get kind of exciting and interesting...(everyone secretly loves it when a guy in line at Taco Bell suddenly has a melt down of unknown origins...or works him/her self into a Jesus based rage)... this Hammer song, (that's right, I said 'Hammer'..) was at the start of another change in the musical weather...whatever it was all about, I know one thing for sure. It was an unfortunate choice in pants.

Is there any difference between pants, trousers and slacks?
Jeans, I think we all know, are expected to be made out of denim, but what about the others?  I don't want to feel ignornant when I go shopping for clothes, and I don't want any of you to feel that way either, so...I will find the answer.

According to the Urban Dictionary:

~ '	Slacks
	noun A pair of full length pants, or trousers. Nice pair of slacks you're wearing today.'

	~ 'pants
	Noun. American, also used in some British dialects. Trousers, a bifurcated outer garment covering the body and each leg from waist to ankle. Until the late 20th century traditionally a male garment.' So, there appears to be no difference in the material that pants, slacks and trousers are made of. Unlike Jeans...these three can be made of anything, linen, wool, old drapes....plastic bags... ...but, what do they mean by pants being traditionally a male garment until the LATE 20th century?!  All my life females have been wearing pants, (slacks and trousers too) and I was born before the late 20th century...(how much before I refuse to say.)..I do remember some older ladies back then saying that they had NEVER worn pants. Can you imagine?! That is insane to me...when I was a teenager, women were still fighting for equal pay for equal work... but we had been wearing pants for a long time already...at least I think we were..imagine having to actually fight for the right to wear some item of clothing! It's ridiculous....I appreciate it though. It was well worth it, so women like me can sit around and watch reality tv in pants.

                   Great Days to all!

P.S. ~ RIP Donna Summer ~  I remember dancing to her songs in the '70's ....every disco I ever went to played Last Dance as the final song of the evening....she was popular back then, but was she an icon, like is now being said? I don't know. Nobody seems to have said that last week. 
It seems that the new trend is to label everyone who had a little popularity a long time ago, an icon...or a legend.
Here she is with an actual legendary human who also recentley died, Dick Clark:

                                            
Peace everyone!
                                                       

                                                    

Tom Shadyac, Life, Remembrance and Mouth & MacNeal

This is the trailer for a movie I've been wanting to see for some time, and finally watched last night:

                                                                   
If you are a person who wants to explore your place in the universe, if you're wondering if there's any connection between human beings, nature, the earth, etc...or, what 'happiness' really entails...I recommend this film.
It's a documentary by director Tom Shadyac. After a biking accident in 2007 he suffered a concussion which led to him questioning his place in the universe and 'what it's all about'.  He ended up doing some serious downsizing after discovering that happiness really doesn't depend on an abundance of material possessions. That being said, there's not a lot of happiness in being homeless, cold and hungry either, and they discuss that in this film.
It turns out that human beings are hard-wired to co-operate, have empathy and be kind to each other...sometimes it's hard to believe that that is the case, with all the holy wars, land wars, terrorist acts, feuds, name calling, bullying, shouting, greed, racism and betrayal that goes on in the world.
I love the story of the man who, looking out over the landscape, noticed the trees, the grass, the birds, even the dust rising up from the road, and said, "It's ALL alive." 
We are connected to every other living thing. We try to separate ourselves from the natural world, but it's in our DNA... I know that's not new news, but it does us good to remember that from time to time...we are here because we belong.

We are also here to enjoy the summer and all of those great summertime tunes! Here's another one I think is a favourite:

                                             
                                          
I don't know whatever happened to Seals and Crofts...they had a few hits back in the '70's, but they're one of the many acts you don't hear anything about anymore. Most of them (us), fade away and eventually no one remembers who they (we) were. Only a select few get to be remembered forever. Like Beethoven. Or Einstein. Or Da Vinci. And I would guess that Lennon and McCartney will be remembered for a long, long time. Most of us will be forgotten, no matter how popular, or 'famous' we were when we were here, connected.

On that note, (as dour as it seems!) here's another summery song that I L.O.V.E.......from more people that have faded away with time. I once heard (a million years ago), that these two were from Holland and didn't really speak English. If that's true, (and even if it's not!) I think they did a great job with this song:

                                        
                  I know that's an oldie, but it's one of those songs I remember from my childhood and get an urge to hear every summer. I don't know what happened to these two either.

Enjoy the day where ever you are!

                                           
                            
           

    

Sunshine, Measurements, Folk Songs and Insects

It's a gorgeous day here in the valley...temperatures hovering in the high teens. For those of you who don't speak Celsius, that's about......well, it's nice and warm! I have a hard time converting the temperature to Fahrenheit. I think America is the only country in the world that still uses the old Imperial system.

                                                              
Here in Canada we are kind of psychotic about how we gage temperature, and the price of produce also, come to think of it.
We converted to the metric system back in the late '70's, and from then till now the temperature of the weather is always relayed in degrees Celsius....however....the temperature readings on our ovens is still in Fahrenheit.
When we shop, the price of fruit, veggies and meat is given in price per kilo AND price per pound! They, (you know, the great and powerful THEY) say it's because the old people are still used to the Imperial system and it's too hard for them to change, even though the present day old people were still fairly young when the conversion took place. Also we are afraid of offending visiting Americans who generally do not speak Metric...and so, using that logic, we have not totally let go of the old system, and it's been over 30 years since the nation was informed that we were switching to metric to keep pace with the rest of the world.
What have we achieved in that time? Now we're all befuddled in the produce section, all because we don't want to offend the old people or Americans. What about old Americans? They'll be doubly offended....
Only in Canada do we work ourselves into a temperature frenzy because we are afraid to offend anyone.... sorry.

                                                   
This beautiful weather brings to mind all those fantastic summertime songs. Do any of you have a favourite tune that reeks of sunshine and coconut oil? The kind of song that you blare when the weather is great, but hardly think about during the rest of the year?
Here's one that I think everyone knows and loves....well okay, maybe everyone doesn't love it...but it is a classic summertime fave:

                                                          
Love that crazy assed, porch sittin', jug blowin', foot stompin', sing-a-long tune! What about those mutton chops eh?!  These guys rock!

The one thing I hate about summer is the insects. They're not too bad here in the Fraser Valley, but years ago when I lived on the prairies, they were awful...horseflies, blackflies, deerflies, houseflies, fruitflies.....and the only reason for them to exist it seems, is to make our lives a living hell...some of them travel in swarms and seek out unsuspecting picnickers and sunbathers...they've been known to get stuck in ones hair, (a fate that I've experienced...I've never danced so fast in my life!)...there's even a town in British Columbia called Horsefly.

        
Of course, it's not to be confused with a real horsefly, that looks like this: 

 They are truly nasty creatures...it's a nightmare when a few of these get in the house. I used to wait for them to settle on the ceiling and then vacuum them up. Of course, sometimes that system was not practical, and insecticide spray was the only thing that counted.

Here is a classic Canadian folk song all about the dreaded blackfly, written by the ultimate Canadian folk song writer, Wade Hemsworth:

                                                 
Here's another Canadian song, by the group Spirit of the West...don't know how well known they are outside of Canada, but it's a catchy tune suitable for your summertime listening pleasure.

                                                   
  Another thing I love about a great day like this, is the smell in the air when spring is turning to summer....yes, I know it's turning slowly...but that is the best, and most fragrant way to turn.
We do have a few days here and there, at this time of year, when the air is filled to overflowing with the reek of manure, which is spread on the fields of the surrounding farms. That's some crazy shit.

And finally, I'll leave you with another Canadian folk song, (sorry, it must be the weather that's compelling me to enjoy folk songs!)...the Log Driver's Waltz....I'm going out to catch some rays and dodge some flies!

                                            
Enjoy your day where ever you are!
                          

Taxes, Purses vs. Pocketbooks and Handbags, Race Horses and The Bee Gees

Good Morning All!

                                                                        

Welcome to the second last day to get your taxes done! That's mostly a reminder to myself.  Since I will not be receiving a refund this year, I kind of forgot about the whole thing, and now it's become kind of an urgent matter. If I was getting a refund I would have had this all done weeks ago...isn't that always the way?  We get stuff done faster if we are promised money in the end....even if it's our own money that they're giving back to us...That's one thing that separates us from the animals.. We love to get money...animals don't care about money...I think it's because they have no pockets! If they did have pockets they'd probably be empty anyways...except for some gum wrappers and an old lint covered mint...just like the rest of us. You'd hear dogs bitching about how much they owe the kibble factory...

                                                                      

Speaking of pockets...how many of you hate to wear pocket-less pants?  Some people can't stand it when they have no pockets because there's no where to put their hands...I usually just leave my hands hanging there out in the open... To me, pants pockets are optional, as long as I have something else to hold stuff in....like a purse.
When you think about it, the way we women are attached to our purses borders on the ridiculous. I understand that we keep valuable items in our purses....like credit cards, money, ID and such...but we also have so much crap in them...and it's crap we seem to feel we can never be without, given the way we take it where ever we go.
When my kids were young my purse was full of  little bags of Cheerios, toy cars and wipes....now it's got a bunch of old receipts all balled up at the bottom, a coin purse I can never seem to fish out of the depths when I need it...and for some reason, some broken crayons (they come in handy whenever I'm asked to sign something!)
I could never understand why some people call a purse a 'pocket book'.....to me, a pocket book is one of those old paper backs....well, I guess it doesn't have to be old, but still, it's an actual book, not a purse. The term 'handbag' is more reasonable, because a purse is, after all, essentially a bag you carry with your hands....
....still, I've always called it a purse, which I know can also mean an amount of money, ie: "That horse won the biggest purse in history". 
Of course that statement is refering to a large amount of money, and not a tremendously big handbag. A racehorse has very little use for a handbag, no matter how big it is...being one of the many hand-less creatures on the planet, how would he carry it?  For that matter, what use would he have for the 'purse' he wins? No pockets!

                                        
Above is a picture of the racehorse 'Ferdinand' who won the Kentucky Derby in 1986 and was proclaimed 'Horse of the Year' in 1987..... these accomplishments (plus many more,and the big 'purses' that came with them) were not enough to help Ferdinand buy his way out of the food chain as he was sent to slaughter in 2002, becoming pet food and horse steaks. No wonder animals have no use for money. It doesn't benefit them the same way it does us. They are probably happy to have no pockets.

On a lighter and happier note, it looks like Robin Gibb is Stayin' Alive! The latest news says that he has not only woken up from his coma, but is sitting up in bed and may be going home in the next week...that's great news, especially for Robin...(who, by the way, must have a very full 'purse')

                                                         
And finally, for today, a different sort of look at the game of horse racing, courtesy of the Marx Brothers....

                      
.........have a great day everyone!