What happened on October 31st?

2006 Jack-O-Lantern

Not a lot to say so far this week. Kids are well, Wife and I are getting along, I finally got my Green Belt in TaiKwonDo, so right now all seems good in the world. I missed Heroes last night because we were preparing the house for Halloween. By the way happy Halloween everyone. Hope you don't get sick from all the candy.

Grim Reaper (looks like Death from "the Family Guy") and a Black Cat Hissing.

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Teddy Bears Picnic - Drastic Measures (I have this album! I found it in a delete bin in the mid 80's, Drastic Measures was a late 70's Toronto Pop New Wave Punk ArtRock band that played at the Last Pogo at the Horseshoe.)

(Teddy Bears Picnic composed by John W. Bratton and James B. Kennedy, Note: tune written (as insrumental) 1907; words published 1913)

If you go out in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go out in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for teddy bears,
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today.
Watch them, catch them unawares,
And see them picnic on their holiday.
See them gaily gather 'bout.
They love to play and shout.
They never have any cares.
At six o'clock their mommies and daddies
Will take them home to bed
Because they're tired little teddy bears.

If you go out in the woods today,
You'd better not go alone.
It's lovely out in the woods today,
But safer to stay at home.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

CHORUS

Every teddy bear, that's been good
Is sure of a treat today
There's lots of wonderful things to eat
And wonderful games to play

Beneath the trees, where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

CHORUS

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Cashbox #1 song for the Week ending November 1, 1969, Wedding Bell Blues, 5th Dimension

What happened on October 25th?

Eagle Point, Grand Canyon West

A bookish meme

I grabbed this meme from Paul who was tagged by Charley.

1. Grab the nearest book. If you are currently reading something, that'll be fine too.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your Blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet I know that is what you were thinking!
6. Tag 5 people

{As if on cue, Hisvet stepped lightly down from the afterdeck and hastened to them. "Dear mistress, do you bid me undo the Dirksman his knots?" Frix asked at once, almost as if she wanted to be told to. "I will attend to matters here," Hisvet replied hurriedly. "Go you to the afterdeck, Frix, and harken and watch for my father". }

From Modern Classics of Fantasy, edited by Gardner Dozois, Short Story "Scylla's Daughter", Author Fritz Leiber.

I don't tag, my ego gets beaten up enough. Have fun if you decide to do it.

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Heroes update. I know that the show is not for everyone. Wife can't stand it. No problem. I can't stand Gilmour Girls, some people can. This type of show is for some people and not for others, enjoy it if you can, hate it if you want to. Me, I'm enjoying every minute of it. (by the way they are repeating the Monday show on thursdays on Gobal if you missed it)
Anyway, very cool scene where Nathan Petrelli finally makes use of his powers, not just the power of flight but flight at the speed of sound... cool!. Peter Petrelli, is finally reveiled as (I call it) a leech, he gains the powers of the "hero" that he is closest to. Peter is shown completing a painting for Issac, after being told to go back to Issac's apartment by "future Hiro" and help save the Cheerleader. Do you think she is Sylar's next victim? What is her father doing. Why is he involved with the Blank Man? What/who is DL Hawkins and why is his wife so afraid of him when his son loves him so much. Also they are now starting to integrate the characters. What will the outcome be, and how are they going to stop the bomb? Very cool.

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Cash Box #1 song for the week of Oct. 21 1967 "To Sir With Love" - Lulu

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Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker
recording of 1961 from The Vee Jay Years 1955-1964 (Charly 82333-1754-2) &
Vee Jay No. 2204,
Boom boom boom boom
I'm gonna shoot you right down,
right offa your feet
Take you home with me,
put you in my house
Boom boom boom boom
A-haw haw haw haw
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm
I love to see you
strut
up and down the floor
When you talking to me,
that baby talk
I like it like that
Whoa, yeah!
Talk that talk, walk that walk
When she walk that walk,
and talk that talk,
and whisper in my ear,
tell me that you love me
I love that talk
When you talk like that,
you knocks me out,
right off of my feet
Hoo hoo hoo
Talk that talk, and walk that walk
Oh, yeah!

What happened on October 23rd?

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I went north and closed the cottage, nothing to report other than as I was limbing a downed pine the axe rebounded and hit me in the head (the blunt end by the way)

I have a whole thing on Abbot and Costello to do today, but first a little rant.... Where in hell does a US judge get off exiling a US citizen to Canada, because he has sex with his 15 year student. Okay, I get the message that the guy lives in Fort Erie with his Canadian wife, but he has not taken out Canadian Citizenship so he has no right to be sent here. He is a criminal. The guy is an American and should be put into an American jail. The Canadian Government, (Harper) had better get off its knees and speak up. This is bullshit.

Thanks for letting me rant.

How many of you grew up with the old black and white saturday afternoon movies. Movies by comedy teams like The Three Stooges, Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby and Bob Hopes "Road" movies, Martin and Lewis and my favorite Abbott and Costello. Well I watched these movies if you didn’t, we only got three channels in Bracebridge (so I didn’t have a lot of choice), and in winter unless you were at the rink you watched the Saturday afternoon movies. Last night as we watched "Stuido 60" one of the charcaters mentioned Abbott & Costello's "Who's on First". I have watched a laughed at this skit more times than I can count. I wanted to share it with you .. so after wife went to bed I went to YouTube ...enjoy.



If you don't know a lot about Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, check out this site, someone has gone to a lot of work. Or, if you want to hear some of their radio shows listen in at Radiolovers.com

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Bedouin Soundclash Lyrics for "When The Night Feels My Song"

I'm on the rocky road
Heading down off the mountain slope
And as my steps echo echo,
louder than before
Another day is done,
say goodbye to the setting sun
See what i found,
Turn back to the ground
Just like before

And Hey hey hey hey hey hey
Hey beautiful day, hey beautiful day
Hey hey hey hey
Hey beautiful day, hey beautiful day
When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home

Into the undergrowth,
Twist and turn on a lonely road
In the twighlight
the day turns to night
And i'm alone

And when the light has let
I'm not sure of my every step
Follow the wind that pushes me west
Back to my bed

And Hey hey hey hey hey hey
Hey beautiful day, hey beautiful day
Hey hey hey hey
Hey beautiful day, hey beautiful day

When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home
When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home
When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home

What happened on October 17th?

Middle Jumping


Pulled from the pages of SciFi Weekly
"Heroes Coming Together

Tim Kring, creator and executive producer of NBC's hit series Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that audiences can expect the show's superpowered characters to start joining forces and working as a team in upcoming episodes. "As their destiny starts to sort of become intermingled with one another, yes, they have to form this sort of alliance with one another," Kring said in a conference call with journalists on Oct. 11. "And then, in a sense, join with each other in order to figure out what's going on. Every character has sort of a tiny piece of the puzzle. So the puzzle gets put together by the characters coming together."

Rather than continuing to focus on the individual storylines of the large cast of characters, Kring said that Heroes will gradually integrate the threads into a single overarching story. "If you sort of look at it as kind of a funnel, it starts wide and starts to narrow," he said. "As these characters start to cross paths, you no longer have to tell eight stories. You can tell four stories or three stories. So there is a natural progression that's allowing us to tell less and less scattered stories."

Kring confirmed that the heroes will find a common enemy in the mysterious serial killer known as Sylar, who Kring called the "major villain" of the first season. Though the identity of Sylar hasn't been revealed, he may be someone that viewers have already met. "We're going to leave some of the answers to that vague, because I really want the audience to be surprised when we do introduce the character." Kring said. "I know there is speculation that the character is somebody that is among the characters already, and I'm comfortable with that speculation. And I kind of don't want to give it away." Heroes airs Mondays at 9 p.m. PT/ET. NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM. —Cindy White"

If you took the time to watch Heroes last night and were able to "willingly suspend your disbelief" you got to see future Hiro meeting with Peter on the suspeneded in time subway train.(I can't wait to see the importance of this.) The Heroin addiict soothsayer Mendez sees and paints Claire being stalked, but we see her pick up Football jock and "kill him in a car accident"(wife seemed to really like this part, she was able to suspend her disbielf, that Claire would not die in the accident because of her powers). There is more story lines to follow, you just have to watch, well worth the hour.

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Nirvana, Lyrics for The Man Who Sold the World

We passed upon the stairs,
We spoke of was and when
Although I wasnt there
He said I was his friend
Which came as a surprise
I spoke into his eyes -- I thought you died alone
A long long time ago

Oh no, not me,
We never lost control,
Youre face to face,
With the man who sold the world

I laughed and shook his hand,
I made my way back home,
I searched for form and land,
Years and years I roamed,
I gazed a gazely stare,
We walked a million hills -- I must have died alone,
A long long time ago.

Who knows, not me,
I never lost control,
Youre face, to face,
With the man who sold the world.

What happened on October 13th?

Ontario Place slide ride


I wasn't going to post to today, nothing really going on other than today is Friday the 13th (break a leg everyone!)

It snowed last night and today during lunch. Toronto wasn't anything like southern Ontario, it was just cold with light flurries. Supposedly this is the earliest it has snowed in almost a hundred years. Middle and Youngest were at swimming lessons, some little brat pulled the fire alarm, his parents just sat there and watched him do it! Then when they have to vacate the building they began to complain because their other child had to go out in the cold in their wet bathing suit. Thank goodness the girls were still in their street cloths, they hadn't had a chance to get changed. So we sat there watched and waited while the fire department responded to the false alarm and then gave the all clear to go back into the building.

This is the final weekend for CBGB's, if you don't know what this is/was, it's a bar in New York where most of the US Punk/New Wave scene got it start and where most of the British Punk/New Wave bands played when they first came to North America. The lease is up for CBGB's and after a lengthy court fight, they are going to close the door. It's a shame, but there should be a great party there over the next few days. As I was writing this Blondie's Rapture came on my MP3 player. (its on scramble this was a fluke) some of Blondie's earlist shows were at CBGB's.

****Addendum Monday Oct. 16/06 9:29 am Reading New York Times reporters Jon Pareles's article on the last night of CBGB's .. great way to close the club, give it a read.***

(the last 24 hours seem to have a been a collection of flukes, I was reading about Marc Bolan and T-Rex yesterday in "Rock of Ages, Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll" (yes I am still reading this, it's taking forever), then when I got home the kids were watching MuchMoreMusic with a peice on Marc Bolan, then as I drove the girls to swimming my MP3 player (once again on scramble) played "Bang a Gong (Get it on)" ...coincidence?

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During lunch, Josie on CFNY played a song "Black Betty", don't know who preformed it, but great version. Artists like Ram Jam and (I thought) Leadbelly's original version have been around for over 80 years. It seems that it even predates Leadbelly, (read the link below)

Lyrics for: Black Betty

Whoa Black Betty Rama lam
Whoa Black Betty Rama lam .

Black Betty had a child Rama lam
The damn thing gone wild Rama lam
Said weren't none of mine Rama lam
The damn thing gone blind Rama lam

I said oh Black Betty Rama lam

Whoa Black Betty Rama lam
Whoa Black Betty Rama lam .
Whoa Black Betty Rama lam

She really gets me high Rama lam
You know that's no lie Rama lam
She's so rock steady Rama lam
And she's always ready Rama lam

Whoa Black Betty Rama lam
Whoa Black Betty Rama lam .
Whoa Black Betty Rama lam
Whoa Black Betty Rama lam

She's from Birmingham Rama lam
Way down in Alabama Rama lam
Well she's shakin' that thing Rama lam
Boy she makes me sing Rama lam

Whoa Black Betty Rama lam
Whoa Black Betty Rama lam .

What happened on October 10th?

Aster


Okay, the world is getting to real for me. North Korea has tested THE BOMB and I want to find a escape from reality and I found it.

Heroes was on last night (Monday nights 9pm on Global). What a great show. I escaped in to a great story that flips and turns, intros one character and then stepping around the world to into another persons life. Wife found it hard to follow the plot line, but I'm in awe that a show this good has made it to TV. If you are a SciFi fan you've read John Brunner's "Stand On Zanzibar", In this book Marshall McLuhan's phrase of the Medium is the Massage has been taken to the extreme. Brunner in Stand on Zanzibar can barely stay with a character for a paragraph before introing a new scene and character. All these scenes wind together like a celtic knot until they come together into climatic themes. That is what the creators, writers and director/Producer (Tim Kring) of Heroes have and are doing with this one hour TV show. You travel from New York to Toyko to Vegas to LA in a mater of seconds, you meet a character for a few seconds then your pulled out of the life into another. Your angry that your going to miss out on something but you desperate to find out what will happen next. This is not a show that lets you leave the room, you have to pay attention or your going to miss somthing important.

Multiple story lines exist at this point, a murder (Sylar) who is hunting and cutting open the heads of people with powers so that he/she can harvest the victims brains, a geneticist who wants to understand his fathers research into the "heroes", New York will be hit with the atomic bomb if the heros can't stop it, each hero is discovering their own powers, and they are some how slowly being drawn together.

The characters of this show are everyman, nobodies, mundane people that are given superhuman powers by a act of fate/destiny/crossing of genes.

Isaac Mendez - a artist/herion addict who when high paints the future, but is afraid of what he is creating and even though he tries to believe it but can't. He seems to be the one who is tieing the characters together. (but I am probably wrong)

Hiro Nakamura - A dreamer/scifi fan who can twist time and space. He wants to be a classic comic book hero, even to the point last night of wondering if he needs a secret identity. Hiro is using a comic that Issac has created to lead him (where we don't know yet we have to watch the show!!!)

Peter Petrelli & Nathan Petrelli - Two brothers, One a asshole running for gov't and the other a dreamer .. Nathan can fly but big woppy, he's trying to hide it and Peter's power is still hidden (can he fly or does he use other peoples poweres aka Rogue from X-men)

Mohinder Suresh - son of the geneticist, trying to figure out his fathers work, no powers.

Niki Sanders - nut case who's mirror image (evil/good???) takes over and recks havok. She leads a very complicated life of online porn, raising a genius son and running from crime lords.

Matt Parkman - A LA police office, loser who can't get ahead, starts to hear other peoples thoughts .. very cool until he is in a bar where he can hear everyone, but for one person who is a blank, then he passes out.

D.L. Hawkins - don't know yet, but I think he is the blank mentioned above
Claire Bennet - 16 year old cheer leader who heals from every injury (Logan anyone?). Last night she got a stake through her head when the boy she was with tried to rape her. The last scene of the night was the stake being removed by the coroner, he eyes unglazing, a startled breath and her waking up on the morgue table with her chest cracked open.

If your willing, take a hour and watch the show, go to the website, kick around, learn the characters (they have a online comic), suspend reality for a hour and just enjoy a really good show. Look if you ever read a comic in you life I think this show is for you.

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DAVID BOWIE: HEORES

I
I WISH YOU COULD SWIM
LIKE THE DOLPHINS
LIKE THE DOLPHINS CAN SWIM
THOUGH NOTHING
THOUGH NOTHING WILL KEEP US TOGETHER
WE CAN BEAT THEM
FOR EVER AND EVER
OH WE CAN BE HEROES
JUST FOR ONE DAY

I
I WILL BE KING
AND YOU
YOU WILL BE QUEEN
THOUGH NOTHING
WILL DRIVE THEM AWAY
WE CAN BE HEROES
JUST FOR ONE DAY
WE CAN BE US
JUST FOR ONE DAY

I
I REMEMBER I REMEMBER
STANDING
BY THE WALL BY THE WALL
THE GUNS
SHOT ABOUT OUR HEADS ALL ABOUT OUR HEADS
AND WE KISSED
AS THOUGH
NOTHING COULD FALL NOTHING COULD FALL
AND THE SHAME
WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE
OH WE CAN BEAT THEM
FOR EVER AND EVER
WE CAN BE HEROES
JUST FOR ONE DAY

WE CAN BE HEROES
WE CAN BE HEROES
WE CAN BE HEROES
JUST FOR ONE DAY

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Kristy MacColl, best known for the Pogues "Fairytale of New York" would have been 47 today.

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What happened on October 4th?

I-75, driving south during March Break 2006.

I was going to do a post about the new TV show Heroes, but I'll save it for later.

I don't know what today has been like for you so far, but for my family and I it has sucked. Whether its the weather (we had a horrible thunder/lightning storm here in Toronto this morning. It only lasted between around 5 am to 7 am, but tons of rain fell, lots of thunder and a lot of lighting) or is it because everyone in my family is nuts, I just don't know. This morning in my family no one could get along, Eldest was snapping at everyone (he took everything as criticism), Wife tried to keep her cool (but lost it one me and Eldest in the end), Middle couldn't concentrate and snapped at youngest and me (Dad), Youngest just couldn't sit still and yelled at everyone about undone homework and taking cans to school for a food drive. Me, I lost it on everyone but Youngest. (I'm such a a**hole!!) The only one who is a saint is Nonna, she is making us Gnocchi for dinner.

I wonder how weather can affect a whole family?, can air pressure change personalities? (I need to google this) We were just at each others throats this morning, and no one came out of it happy.

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Rainy Day People, ©1975 by Gordon Lightfoot

Rainy day people always seem to know when it's time to call
Rainy day people don't talk
They just listen til they've heard it all
Rainy day lovers don't lie when they tell you
They've been down like you
Rainy day people don't mind if you're crying a tear or two

If you get lonely, all you really need is that rainy day love
Rainy day people all know there's no sorrow they can't rise above
Rainy day lovers don't love any others, that would not be kind
Rainy day people all know how it hangs on a piece of mind

Rainy day lovers don't lie when they tell you
They've been down there too
Rainy day people don't mind if you're crying a tear or two

Rainy day people always seem to know when you're feeling blue
High stepping strutters who land in the gutter sometime need one too
Take it or leave it, or try to believe it, if you've been down too long
Rainy day lovers don't hide love inside they just pass it on
Rainy day lovers don't hide love inside they just pass it on

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By the way for you music/history freaks like me .. today is the 36th anniversary of Janis Joplin's death.