For Leslie & Editors Everywhere...

Hmmmmmm, Poofreading...sound slightly 17th century

Embedded Video

Blogged with Flock

Blogging with Flock

This is just a bit of a test of some new software. Flock is what they are calling a Social Browser. It includes links to Facebook, YouTube etc as well as built in RSS and Blogging utilities. I can also upload pictures to Flick'r  but not to Picassa (which is what I have been using).

Theoretically I can link to an image like this:

One of L's favorite Demotivators

Guess that works. As well you can poke people right from the browser without going to Facebook or check status etc. It also supports media streams, but since I don't know what that is  I'm not too thrilled yet. You can post to multiple blogs (see here at MacBlaze) either on standard services like blogger or LiveJournal or self hosted one like mine which is totally bonus. It links to del.icio.us and magnolia. It's cross platform as well.

It also has all the latest browser features like tabbed browsing, search capabilities etc. All in all is seems like a real gem.

Blogged with Flock

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 85

Such a sweet and wistful little song. And though we may be cynical now, isn't it comforting to remember simpler days?


**


"A Good Heart" (as recorded by Feargal Sharkey)

I hear a lot of stories
I suppose they could be true
All about love and what it can do to you
High is the risk of striking out, the risk of getting hurt
And still I have so much to learn

I know 'cause I think about it all the time
I know that real love is quite a vice

And a good heart these days is hard to find
True love, the lasting kind
A good heart these days is hard to find
So please be gentle with this heart of mine

My expectations may be high
I blame it on my youth
Soon enough I learned the painful truth
I'll face it like a fighter, then boast of how I've grown
Anything is better than being alone

Well I know 'cause I learn a little every day
I know 'cause I listen when the experts say

That a good heart these days is hard to find
True love, the lasting kind
A good heart these days is hard to find
So please be gentle with this heart of mine

As I reflect on all my childhood dreams
My ideas of love weren't as foolish as they seemed
If I don't start looking now, I'll be left behind
And a good heart these days, it's hard to find

I know it's a dream I'm willing to defend
I know it will all be worth it in the end

And a good heart these days is hard to find
True love, the lasting kind
A good heart these days is hard to find
So please be gentle with this heart of mine

I iz aliving noobz

Yeah. I just am.

L

"If I ever lose my faith in you"

The challenge: Set your digital music player to random/shuffle. Use the title of the next song to play to answer each question.

These are the real answers that came up! It's uncanny — and a little unnerving!

1. If someone says, "Is this okay?" you say?
"It's All Right with Me" (Tom Waits covering Cole Porter)

2. How would you describe yourself?
"Wrong" (Lindsey Buckingham)

3. What do you like in a guy/girl?
"Sexual Healing" (Kate Bush)

4. How do you feel today?
"You Oughta Know" (Alanis Morissette)

5. What is your motto?
"Love Is Love" (urm ... Culture Club)

6. What do your friends think of you?
"Jump Around" (House of Pain)

7. What do you think of your parents?
"Laying Down the Law" (INXS w/Jimmy Barnes)

8. What do you think about very often?
"And So Is Love" (Kate Bush)

9. What is 2 + 2?
"The Crucifixion" (Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack)

10. What do you think of your best friend?
"California" (Sarah Slean)

11. What do you think of the person you like/love?
"Give Peace a Chance" (John Lennon)

12. What is your life's purpose?
"Love Will Find a Way" (Pablo Cruise)

13. What is your life story?
"Waterloo" (ABBA)

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Lucky Me" (Sarah Slean)

15. What do you think of when you see the person you like/love?
"Walk like an Egyptian" (The Bangles)

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?
"Spark" (Tori Amos)

17. What will they play at your funeral?
"I Put a Spell on You" (CCR)

18. What is your hobby/interest?
"Don't Go" (Yaz)

19. What is your biggest fear?
"On My Own" (Les Misérables soundtrack)

20. What is your biggest secret?
"Look What You've Done to Me" (Boz Scaggs)

21. What do you think of your friends?
"Fame" (Irene Cara)

22. What will you post this as?
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" (Sting)


Try it yourself — and be sure to post the results!

L

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 132

Probably one of the strangest Christmas singles ever, and likely also one of the most histrionic — and yet it still gets me every time.

**

"The Power of Love" (as recorded by Frankie Goes to Hollywood)

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door

Feels like fire
I'm so in love with you
Dreams are like angels
They keep bad at bay
Love is the light
Scaring darkness away

I'm so in love with you
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

The power of love
A force from above
Cleaning my soul
Flame on, burn desire
Love with tongues of fire
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door
When the chips are down I'll be around
With my undying, death-defying
Love for you
Envy will hurt itself
Let yourself be beautiful
Sparkling love, flowers
And pearls and pretty girls
Love is like an energy
Rushing inside of me

This time we go sublime
Lovers entwine, divine divine
Love is danger, love is pleasure
Love is pure, the only treasure

I'm so in love with you
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

The power of love
A force from above
Cleaning my soul
The power of love
A force from above
A sky-scraping dove
Flame on, burn desire
Love with tongues of fire
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door

2008

As a post for 2008 (it seems I only get around to one a year or so) I think I will dedicate it to Leslie's teaching, Carmen's studenting and Bruce's stand-around-observingness. The first issue of Enjoy Gardening hit the shelves at Hole's today and will be populating magazine racks across the country in the coming weeks. Not quite a magazine, similar to a book, sort of a journal and not at all a serial, I believe this is a new form of publication that I intend to call a Moosh.

Long live the Moosh and may she fly high and true.

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 123

Contemplate the unity between la belle et la bête. Who doesn't love a bit of drama in his life?

**

"Beauty and the Beast" (as recorded by Stevie Nicks)

You're not a stranger to me
And you are something to see
You don't even know how to please
You say a lot but you're unaware how to leave

My darling lives in a world that is not mine
An old child misunderstood out of time
Timeless is the creature who is wise
And timeless is the prisoner in disguise

Oh who is the beauty ... who the beast
Would you die of grieving when I leave
Two children too blind to see
I would fall in your shadow, I believe

My love is a man who's not been tamed
Oh my love lives in a world of false pleasure and pain
We come from different worlds ... we are the same
I never doubted your beauty ... I've changed

Wondering...

What does the aspect of this line imply about the speaker's imminent actions?

"You have been the one,
You have been the one for me."

Since I first heard this song (by James Blunt), I've been writing its story in my mind, and I'm really puzzled by the tense. Any ideas?

L

Welcome to 2008

Happy New Year! I hope your entry into 2008 was bright and beautiful. Here's wishing us all a joyous, healthy, and satisfying twelve months. Whee!

L

What would you call...?

Whew, it's been a while, huh? I'll try to get back to blogging more regularly in the new year. They say power has its privileges ... one of which is not an abundance of spare time. : )

In the meantime, here's something to think about: What would the title of your biography be? Here are some suggestions:

For Zak: Stuff I would have blown up ... if I'd gotten around to it ...

For me: Stuff I found on the floor of my office

OK, maybe these aren't titles of biographies so much as archeological dissertations. Speaking of which... Back to cleaning up.

Have a marvellous holiday season!

L

Beautiful passages

"My own father, who had great respect for nature, had dropped each of us into the river soon after we were born, before our ties to the amphibians, so he claimed, were cut completely. ... I'd like to think that I would have done it differently. I would have held my son in my arms. I would have told him, Once upon a time you were a fish. A fish? he'd have asked. That's what I'm telling you, a fish. How do you know? Because I was also a fish. You, too? Sure. A long time ago. How long? Long. Anyway, being a fish, you used to know how to swim. You loved the water. Why? What do you mean, why? Why did I love the water? Because it was your life! And as we talked, I would have let him go one finger at a time, until, without his realizing, he'd be floating without me."

Nicole Krauss, The History of Love

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 27

July days, July evenings...

**

"Summer Breeze" (as recorded by Seals and Crofts)

See the curtains hanging in the window
In the evening on a Friday night
A little light shining through the window
Lets me know everything's all right

Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

See the paper laying on the sidewalk
A little music from the house next door
So I walk on up to the doorstep
Through the screen and across the floor

Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune
And I come home from a hard day’s work
And you're waiting there
Not a care in the world

See the smile waiting in the kitchen
Food cooking and the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me
In the evening when the day is through

Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind…

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 38

Simple and sweet, and slightly melancholy. Don't you have those contrary days too?

**

"Hello Goodbye" (as recorded by The Beatles)

You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go, go, go
Oh, no
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello

I say high, you say low
You say why, and I say I don't know
Oh, no
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello

Why, why, why, why, why, why
Do you say good bye
Goodbye, bye, bye, bye, bye

Oh, no
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello
hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye I say hello
Hello

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 69

Maybe you remember Streetheart's cover instead of the original. Either way, it makes a fine singalong on those retro days.

**

"Tin Solider" (as recorded by The Small Faces)

I am a little tin soldier
That wants to jump into your fire
You are a look in your eye
A dream passing by in the sky
I don't understand
And all I need is treat me like a man
'Cause I ain't no child
Take me like I am

I got to know that I belong to you
Do anything that you want to do
Sing any song that you want me to sing to you

I don't need no aggravation
I just got to make you
I just got to make you my occupation

I got to know that I belong to you
Do anything that you want to do
Sing any song that you want me to sing to you

All I need is your whispered hello
Smiles melting the snow
Nothing heard
You eyes are deeper than time
Say a love that won't rhyme without words
So now I've lost my way
I need help to show me things to say
Give me your love before mine fades away

I got to know that I belong to you
Do anything that you want to do
Sing any song that you want me to sing to you

I just want some reaction
Someone to give me satisfaction
All I want to do is stick with you
'Cause I love you

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 94

One of the best songs for remembering sunny summer days.

**

"At the Zoo" (as recorded by Simon and Garfunkel)

Someone told me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true

It's a light and tumble journey
From the East Side to the park
Just a fine and fancy ramble
To the zoo
But you can take the crosstown bus
If it's raining or it's cold
And the animals will love it
If you do, if you do

Something tells me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true

The monkeys stand for honesty
Giraffes are insincere
And the elephants are kindly but they're dumb
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum
Zebras are reactionaries
Antelopes are missionaries
Pigeons plot in secrecy
And hamsters turn on frequently
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo...

Breast cancer versus prostate cancer

October is breast cancer month in Canada. You likely already know this because of the pink ribbons in magazines and newspapers, in stores and businesses, and on various products, or because you're supporting a run to fund breast cancer research.

Did you know September was prostate cancer awareness month?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women, while prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men. In fact, prostate cancer accounts for almost one in three cancer diagnoses among Alberta men.

In 2007, an estimated 22,300 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 4,300 will die of it. In 2007, an estimated 22,300 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,300 will die of it.

These figures mean that, on average, 429 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer every week and 83 Canadian men will die of prostate cancer every week. At the same time, an average of 429 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every week and 102 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week. (In the United States, more black women die of breast cancer than white women do.)

At a local level, an estimated 2,400 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 430 will die of it in Alberta and the Northwest Territories, while an estimated 2,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 440 will die of it in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Breast cancer tends to be a more lethal cancer and tends to develop earlier in life than prostate cancer. One in eight men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime, for most after age sixty. One in 27 will die of it. One in nine women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime, and one in twenty-seven will die of it. (An estimated 170 men are diagnosed each year with breast cancer and 50 will die of it.)

However, breast cancer death rates have declined in all ages combined and in every age group since at least the mid 1990s. Incidence and death rates for breast cancer have declined since 1969 in women aged 20 to 39.

So research does make a difference, and your donations to fight cancer are important. But don't be swayed to buy pretty pink products that you wouldn't otherwise buy, and don't be coerced into donating just because it's October. The pink ribbon is appealing, but advances in all areas of cancer research are needed now.

You can make your money make a difference. Donate directly to organizations that fund cancer research rather than buying products that direct a portion of their profits to funding cancer organizations. Support products and organizations that generate funds and awareness year-round rather than just once a year. Cancer organizations are happy to receive your donation throughout the year, whether it's breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, or general cancer research that you prefer to support, and most donations to registered charitable and nonprofit organizations are tax-creditable.

Cancer is an ugly disease, no matter who gets it. It is tragic when a beautiful woman in her twenties or thirties learns she has cancer, but it is also tragic when a brilliant man in his fifties or sixties learns he has cancer. This month, join the fight to end ALL cancers.

All statistics are from the Canadian Cancer Society, www.cancer.ca.

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 49

A little-known song from the late eighties: sweet, simple, and a tiny bit sad.

**

"I Wish U Heaven" (as recorded by Prince)

Doubts of our conviction
Follow where we go
And when the world's compassion
Ceases still I know
4 your every touch I
Thank U so much
4 your every kiss I...

I wish U love
I wish U heaven
I wish U heaven

If I say 11
U can say it's 7
Still I wish U heaven

I wish U love
I wish U heaven
I wish U heaven...

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 46

Someone somewhere is thinking of you right this minute.

**

"Losing My Religion" (as recorded by R.E.M.)

Life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up

Consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip that brought me
To my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

The vault of lost lyrics, chapter 97

Ideally, this song is playing while you're flying down the highway, headed for happiness...

**

"Magic Carpet Ride" (as recorded by Steppenwolf, 1968!)

I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night
Any place it goes is right
Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here

Well, you don't know what we can find
Why don't you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride
You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes, girl
Look inside, girl
Let the sound take you away

Last night I held Aladdin's lamp
And so I wished that I could stay
Before the thing could answer me
Well, someone came and took the lamp away
I looked around
A lousy candle's all I found

Well, you don't know what we can find
Why don't you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes, girl
Look inside, girl
Let the sound take you away...