Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Somewhere Over the Weekend

Well, my weekend went well for the most part. Much of it failed to happen as planned, but some plans still came together, and things were good.

Saturday I worked as usual, and although it was a tightly booked morning, things went smoothly. Rain was on tap for the morning, so I opted out of berry picking with K. in the afternoon. Yes, I could've still gone, but I didn't want to pick berries in the mud or on wet soil. So instead I went downtown with the family and ended up buying a new shirt and two new pairs of pants which fit me better than most of my pants .. though I think I'll still need a belt. lol

L. picked me up later in the afternoon, and we headed over to Digger's for a Farscape Viewing Party. :) Most of the usual gang was there, along with a table full of treats. Jo brought me a little gift from her adventure in Canada, and we watched most of 4.5, including video from the wrap "party" in 2002 where David Kemper read the TV Guide article by Matt Roush and the Save Farscape (I Am Farscape) TV commercials. In fact, there were interviews with some of the SFS people and interviews with the cast regarding how they found out about the cancellation & their thoughts on the fan campaign. It was a beautiful gesture on their part, to let us in on their thoughts and memories like that. It was nice to hear also that they understood how much we appreciated all their hard work, dedication, and generosity through the years, and that they realized we understood how the show meant family to them and that it wasn't just like any other set to them, that their energy made it special not just for the fans but for those who were there behind the scenes and in front of the cameras every day.

Have I mentioned how happy I am that the miniseries airs in October? *vbg*

That night, L. stayed over. I made popcorn, and we watched episodes of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir until I fell asleep. :P

On Sunday I had a late start. I vegged for longer than usual and watched the DVD we rented - What Dreams May Come. Beautiful movie! As my sister said, each scene was like a painting, and the story worked on several levels. (well done & highly recommended) Then after getting dressed, I caught a late train into Cambridge & headed over to the Central Square World's Fair. I had a great time walking up and down Mass. Ave. and along the side streets, listening to the different styles of music and stopping now and then at the Dance Stage. Local area shops and restaurants sold their wares - jewelry, dresses, etc. There was a variety of food available, too - barbecue, Brazilian, Indian, ice cream, fruit salad, fried dough, chicken, etc.

Vendor in front of The Phoenix Landing (restaurant), 25 July 2004


I got to see the band Rubyhorse perform. I'd never heard of them before, but I liked their sound. They were really good and mentioned an upcoming performance on August 12 at the Hatch Shell which I think I'll make every effort to get to. ;-)

They even played a song for us that they'd recorded for the new Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie. Unfortunately, I forget the name of the song. *g* It was about growing up, and the lead singer invited a woman (and her bubble gun) from the audience to join them onstage. There's a picture of her below .. sort of fit the song's theme, I guess. *bg*




Bubble girl on stage, 25 July 2004

A cropped shot of one of the guitar players is here .. a submission for the Wednesday Snap challenge.

I never made it to see Glen perform (in The Slackers) Sunday night either as originally planned. They wouldn't be going on until 10:30pm, and I just wasn't up to hanging around. At about 8:15pm, I decided to catch the next train home, especially since I had limited cash funds on me at the time and couldn't be certain I'd catch the last train out of town Sunday night if I'd stayed to see the show. *sigh* Some day I'll see a live performance. Hopefully I can make it the next time they play at the Middle East.


Middle East Restaurant and Club, 25 July 2004

If you're interested, my Baker's Dozen for the weekend (also a cropped photo) is here.

For more photos from the Fair, please visit my photoblog, "A Thousand Words" (as in .. a picture is worth .. *g* .. yes, I know, not very original). :P

Monday, July 26, 2004

This Land is Your Land ..

You've seen it on the net. You've seen it on the news. So now I'm posting the link, so you can watch the movie over and over and over .. *g*

http://www.plur.net/thisland.html

.....

p.s. Please go here to watch Brian Henson's thank you to the fans from Comic Con San Diego over the weekend.

Friday, July 23, 2004

The Wonderful World of Blogs

I so enjoy surfing the net and finding beautifully designed sites, insightful blogs, inspiring prose, bits of wisdom, breath taking photography, creative titles, amusing anecdotes and just laugh out loud fun.

So, I'd love to share some of the treasures I've stumbled upon with a click of my mouse. I hope you find them as interesting as I did.

- Weirdsmobile!
- A Girl Named Bob
- They Might Be Giants
- Tulgey Wood
- ever so humble
- Cup and Saucer
- The Fiction Bitch
- Arts & Letters Daily
- My Pet Skeleton
- Flying Shark
- t.h.e.|p.a.r.a.l.l.a.x.
- Billy's Captures
- Burnham Down the House
- BiblioBlog
- Irvin Stafford
- 50word Fiction
- Book Crossing
- Industorious Clock
- Fly Guy
- imagiNation
- Phoons from Around the World
- Pushing Daisies

22! .. hm, well, I guess that about does it for now. lol

-----

And just because .. Captain Gregg's poem to Mrs. Muir from the episode "The Music Maker" (performed by Harry Nilsson):

    If only I could touch your hand,
    The shore bird's call, the sea breeze,
    The sprucewood mast that rises tall --
    I'd happily forget them all,
    If only I could touch your hand.

    If I could link your arm in mine,
    The tropic sun, the emerald surf,
    The fleecy clouds like sugar spun --
    I'd happily forget each one,
    If I could link your arm in mine.

    Of all the things that cannot be,
    There's one alone means most to me --
    It's not the lure of distant shores.
    It's that my lips cannot touch yours.
    My lips cannot touch yours.


... for more on Harry Nilsson, click here. Want to hear a sample of that song (titled "Without Her")? If so, click the link below.


Without Her

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Fwd: The Positive Side of Life

I received this little gem in my email the other day, and instead of doing a mass forwarding to those on my email list, I thought I'd post it here. =)

The Positive Side of Life:

1. Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.

2. How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.

3. Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.

4. Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.

5. Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them?

6. Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

7. If Wal-Mart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?

8. You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

9. Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

10. Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.

11. We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box.


12. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

13. Working for God on earth does not pay much, but His Retirement plan is out of this world.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Mind Hump

I thought I'd participate in today's Mind Hump and post it here. Well, I like the questions posted for July 14, so I've decided to answer those. =)

1. An artist paints your portrait while you are engaging in one of your favorite activities...what would you be doing? What would the title of the portrait be?

If the portrait was painted recently, it would be of me at my laptop, tip-tap typing away. *g* As to the portrait's title .. Modern Woman or A Scaper and Her Mac .. (hee!)

2. You come in a bottle and you have magical properties, what are you? Examples: genie, pancake syrup, etc... What would be on your instruction label?

I am a genie .. in a little pink bikini. (I couldn't resist.)
My label would read: Twirl and dip. For best results, do not shake nor rub the wrong way. Keep away from excessive heat; temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit might melt the genie. If below 50 degrees, please wrap the bottle in a warm, fuzzy blanket to prevent freezing. Keep out of reach of whiners, complainers, heavy drinkers, smokers and dentists. Keep bottle in a safe area surrounded by flowers, books, music, and sweet smelling objects .. like chocolate or strawberries. Do not tip upside down. And whatever you do, please refrain from yelling at or nagging at the genie in the bottle or asking her to micro manage your life, especially your finances, or her magical properties will cease to work for you and you'll run the risk of being turned into something disgustingly lumpy. In the case of accidental misuse, promptly insert assorted blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and one plump, juicy, red strawberry, then place bottle gently on a nice, comfy chair and let sit for awhile.

3. You've just been selected as a poster child for a make-believe organization. What is the organization and why have they specifically chosen you?

Overworked and Underappreciated Women in America
.. you have to ask why? :P

4. "You can fly, you can fly, you can fly"! ...and you are NOT Peter Pan! Who or what are you?

I'm a little fairy. *g*

5. If you had a vanity horn on your vehicle (one which plays a song) what song would your horn blow to announce your arrival?

Tra La La (One Banana, Two Banana) aka The Banana Splits Song
.. or
Sesame Street theme song
.. or
The Monkees theme song
.. or
Daydream Believer

(dramatic pause).. That was fun. :P

Friday, July 16, 2004

Some Interesting Photoblogs

Found on photoblogs.org:

1. Ojorojo (Peru)
2. 35togo - the sites and sounds of Taiwan
3. Misc.Photography (Russian Federation)
4. 35mm.org (Portugal)
5. Charlotte Franklin (New Zealand)
6. Yam.ro (Republic of Moldavia)
7. Still Burning (Ireland)
8. 334pixels.org (Australia)
9. Daily Copenhagen (Denmark)
10. Sensitive Light (United Kingdom)

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Lookie what I just did!

If you peek over at my Links on the right-hand side, I have added a little iTunes link, so you can hear what I'm listening to right now. :D If you scroll to the bottom of all my Links, you'll also notice a "Download iTunes" button which will let you download the iTunes application for Mac or Windows. Very cool.

On another topic, I have seen so far two Sci Fi Channel ads on NBC: Secrets of M. Night Shamalyan (or something like that) and Stargate: Atlantis. Now, if I just saw an ad for Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars, I will be in heaven.

I've added a new photo to my photo blog.

p.s. Do you think I can hold a fundraiser to pay for needed dental work?

Saturday, July 10, 2004

Saturday Blog Maze

So, I decided to participate in another meme this morning. Yes, I should be working. I know that already. I'm here at the office .. isn't that enough?

Yesterday's memes are on my LJ. My answers to Friday's Feast are here and to the Friday Q, here.

Today, I'm tackling the Saturday Blog Maze meme.

Results are as follows:
1. A Typical Female: I love the design of this site and the fact that she is a science fiction fan, or at least a SG-1 fan .. which means she saw the Farscape teaser during the premiere! Also, she has beautiful pictures posted throughout.
2. Woulda Coulda Shoulda: This blog background is crumpled paper which almost gives you the sense that you found a wadded up piece, unraveled it and found all the entries to the blog jotted down right there. 'Tis cool. There are also fun links, and the blogger has a good sense of humor.
3. Paper Napkin: I love the name of this blog (reminds me of the crumbled paper idea above). The photo album is very cool.
4. Blue Poppy: A simple design and a very pretty poppy illustration are the eye pleasing features of this site. I clicked on it because of the name.
5. Super Hero Designs .. which led me to Superhero Journal: Colorful and positive feeling, this journal has *great* Photo Friday pictures!
6. Everyday Matters: The illustrations in the entries and an ink spattered title made me smile. :)

so, that's my Blog Maze!


And urelated to memes, this warm, fuzzy feeling has been brought to you by Revolos55. :D

Sunday, July 04, 2004

Happy Fourth of July!

Another year, another parade ...

I love the town parade each year ... planes flying over head, doing cool maneuvers ... cookout on the Common ... Firecracker 5K road race ... practically every resident in town lining the streets to see the parade which starts at around 5:45pm and lasts until almost 8pm. Rex Trailer made a return visit. (See a picture of him here.) We also had fire trucks and police cars from other towns, army tanks, old & classic automobiles from 1917 to the 1960s, Harleys, horses, marching bands, folclorico dancers, the Ancient Mariners of CT, the Sons of the American Revolution. The Cycling Murrays returned to town as well. I think almost every group that marched in the parade last year, marched again this year.


Norwood's Portuguese Folclorico Dancers

If you'd like to see a few more photos from the parade, please visit my photo blog.

Saturday, July 03, 2004

Assorted July 3 Musings + Photo Friday Answer

Blogging in Klingon? bologh.blogspot.com

hm, I wonder if I can find one in Sebacean .. or Elvish. *g*

***

Photo Friday .. Well, I've decided to accept the Photo Friday challenge, Father. Click here to see my photo. Comments are welcome.

***

Also, I spent the afternoon visiting at my sister's new home. We weren't charged on the way there (but we were on the way back). Their house is cute, a great little starter home, and the baby seems to love it there. :)

One of the best things .. They have raspberries! and blackberries! and (soon) strawberries!

The raspberries haven't been cared for properly. They're just small berries right now but will hopefully get bigger & juicier with sunlight and water and a little love.








There's also a tiny little shed in their yard .. a blue shed .. near the raspberry vines.

'Tis very blue. :P

***

Finally, I ran into L. on our way back. Poor thing was stressing over the usual, but this time it involved a movie with R. & phone calls from Ms.C. Somehow it carried over into phone calls made to both my home and to my uncle's home. I appreciated neither. In fact, it annoyed me to no end, but c'est la vie. L. has to deal with it.

***

M. is mountain climbing. She would say hiking, but really it's mountain climbing. Tomorrow is the parade and the cookout on the common. Monday I have off! :D

Friday, July 02, 2004

Memes

Found some fascinating memes (some banners/badges have been added to my sidebar) .. many of which I'd like to particpate in. Writing excercises are always sought out.

One Word presents you with a quickie challenge. You have 60 seconds to write (whatever you want) on the one word presented to you. The results are sometimes very interesting; it's harder than it sounds.

Weekly DV assigns themes which you use to record a DV short, then submit. This is a very cool idea.

The Writer's Digest offers daily writing "prompts" .. little assignments to get your creative juices flowing.

Daydreaming on Paper provides "random inspirations" for writing.

The Memes List offers a collection of the memes out there on the web.

Q&A: The Photographic Interview is a fascinating concept, and one I'd like to try soon.

The Thursday Threesome is another meme.

Theater Thursday is a new meme of three to four questions related to the movies.

Then there's 3 for Thursday

A one time meme, copy the list of the Top 100 Movies and paste into your blog or journal, highlighting the ones that you have seen.

Lost (and Found) Memes: Birthmonth ..

.. and fairly new (I think) .. Bout Rames ...

And finally, Baker's Dozen .. 12 thoughts and one pic to describe your weekend .. sounds like a cool idea.

Oh, I could go on (lol!), but I won't. Instead I'll end with a little quiz result ..

And the results of one of the blogging personality test thingies: My Bloginality is ISTJ!!!

Thursday, July 01, 2004

Wireless World

I'm completely wireless now. Finally got myself a cell phone with a coolio little ring tone. The wireless router is working, and the airport card is operational. :D

*savors the wireless wonders*

I've discovered, after my little intro. class, that I would need much instruction if I ever chose to pursue Voice Over. I swear the class was fun. Really .. it was. Of course, you'd never have known I felt that way if you'd seen or heard me do my little reading. Laura swears she thought I was going to pass out in the sound booth. lol

Anyway ...

Escapade was successful! The feedback has been extremely positive and everyone has stated repeatedly that they had a blast and are now in Scaper withdrawal. Despite the debt looming over my head (first year is always in the red), I am pleased. More than pleased .. I am considering stepping up to the challenge next year as well. Any of my cohorts wish to join me? *g*

(reminder to self: upload some of the photos I took! :P)

Now, the focus must be on FAROPS and WorldCon. (I promise both a con report and a WorldCon plan of attack are forthcoming!) Well, that and Shades of Gray. I survived con organizing duties. Somehow this gives me confidence that I will be useful on S.G. (no, not StarGate! *g*) and not as a P.A. either. Nope, once I recover some more from Escapade, I will be deep in preproduction research, etc. Hmm .. anyone out there have suggestions for me? I'm especially interested in fundraising ideas .. and fundraising experience(s). Any and all help, no matter how minor, is appreciated. Yes, I may have thought of it already, but there's no harm in reinforcing in my weary mind the avenues available for us. So, yeah, shout out. I'm listening. ;-)

Lastly, I *wish* I had the money right now to go to Comic Con. Sounds like a good time. *sniff* Same for Burbank in the fall. Though, actually, even if I *did* have the cash flow, I probably wouldn't be going anyway .. since both trips require flying. *sigh* Suggestions for traveling quickly, safely, and cheaply across country? lol