Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Happy Holidays!
If a blogger doesn't blogYes, I've been very delinquent in my blogging. Just too damn busy and/or distracted with other things.
Can he still a blogger be?
Just wanted to wish you all (...um, if there actually is anyone still reading...) a happy and healthy holiday season, and the very best of everything in the new year.
Cheers!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Modern Times. Modern Tools
I need to revise my opinion of Dylan's "Modern Times" CD. I've been listening to it for the past week or so, and while I still feel some of it is trodding a lot of the same musical turf as his last couple of CDs, revisiting a lot of the same song structures, the new CD has grown on me considerably once I had time to live with it a bit.
The gems that jump out for me are When The Deal Goes Down, Spirit On The Water, Beyond The Horizon and the exquisite Workingman's Blues 2 (begging the question, where's Part 1?). Old Bob has still got it in him to make some compelling music. And I'm not even talking about the lyrics. Stir in the words and these songs arrive like fully formed characters from a movie. Swaggering, bittersweet, nostalgic, funny...full of complexities and nuance.
I've also been able to listen to several episodes of Bob's Theme Time Radio Hour, the show he does on XM Satellite Radio. Great stuff! Lots of old-timey music, blues, country, R&B, jazz mixed in with more contemporary artists, each show built around a theme: Time, Water, Drinking, The Devil, Cars, etc. Bob's delivery is priceless. Kinda sounds to me like he's channeling a bit of Walter Cronkite. Usually he'll preface a song with a bit of background on the artist, or a little anecdote. This is what radio should be.
The reason I've been able to hear his show isn't because I've subscribed to XM Satellite Radio, it's because I've finally got enough room on my computer's hard drive to start downloading large torrent files. And the reason I have more space on my computer is because I went out and got a new computer. My old G3 iMac was starting to really show its age (at the digitally decrepit age of five years), so I got myself a new iMac Intel Core 2 Duo, 20 inch monitor, 2.16Ghz processor, 260GB hard drive (compared to 40GB for my old iMac), 2GB memory.
She's a wonderful machine. It's been hard to pull myself away from her. Got the built-in iSight camera, Photo Booth, Front Row with the remote, and, of course, apps like iDVD, iMovie and, most exciting for me, Garageband. I can't wait to get in there and start fooling around with recording. I really want to try my hand at making podcasts. I've always wanted to put together a radio show, and it looks pretty easy in Garageband. I could make my own Theme Time Radio show.
The built-in camera is fun, as is Photo Booth. Hard to imagine how I got by before I was able to make photos like these:
I wasn't sure if I needed a 20-inch screen. Thought maybe the 17-in would suffice. But, probably a few years down the road, it'll be pretty standard, if it isn't already. It's the same size as my TV. I have to say it's nice to sit back on the couch with the remote and watch movies and movies on the 'puter, cycle through music, etc.
As I said, I've been downloading lots of torrents. Got my hands on some films that are hard to come by. The Beatles "Let It Be", which I've only seen once, in a theatre in Moncton many moons ago, and Dylan's "Eat The Document", capturing the insanity of his 1966 tour of England. In the case of the latter, I can see why it was never released commercially. What a piece of crap. The editing is so annoying. Like something an inept film student might attempt. Apparently it was Dylan and his associate Howard Alk who edited it after D.A. Pennebaker, who shot the footage, submitted his version. Bob should have left well enough alone. Yes, it captures the madness of the tour, but the result is as unwatchable as that life was unliveable. The footage of the performances is good to see, and there are nice scenes of Dylan and Robbie Robertson working on new songs in the hotel room on two acoustic guitars, but the rest of it is ill-considered at best. Pennebaker's version is rumoured to be on the way, titled Something Is Happening. Let's hope so.
Also snagged The Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and "A Day In The Park", the latter documenting their July 1969 free concert in London's Hyde Park, where they introduced new guitarist Mick Taylor just a couple of days after Brian Jones' death. This free concert went over much better than the one documented in "Gimme Shelter", of course, that being the infamous one at the Altamont speedway. Interestingly, the Hell's Angels were hired to provide security at both events. Maybe the British Angels were more polite? Or maybe paying them in beer at Altamont was a mistake?
Lots of other stuff coming down the digital pipeline. Once I get some podcasts made, I'll post them here. Stay tuned.
The gems that jump out for me are When The Deal Goes Down, Spirit On The Water, Beyond The Horizon and the exquisite Workingman's Blues 2 (begging the question, where's Part 1?). Old Bob has still got it in him to make some compelling music. And I'm not even talking about the lyrics. Stir in the words and these songs arrive like fully formed characters from a movie. Swaggering, bittersweet, nostalgic, funny...full of complexities and nuance.
I've also been able to listen to several episodes of Bob's Theme Time Radio Hour, the show he does on XM Satellite Radio. Great stuff! Lots of old-timey music, blues, country, R&B, jazz mixed in with more contemporary artists, each show built around a theme: Time, Water, Drinking, The Devil, Cars, etc. Bob's delivery is priceless. Kinda sounds to me like he's channeling a bit of Walter Cronkite. Usually he'll preface a song with a bit of background on the artist, or a little anecdote. This is what radio should be.
The reason I've been able to hear his show isn't because I've subscribed to XM Satellite Radio, it's because I've finally got enough room on my computer's hard drive to start downloading large torrent files. And the reason I have more space on my computer is because I went out and got a new computer. My old G3 iMac was starting to really show its age (at the digitally decrepit age of five years), so I got myself a new iMac Intel Core 2 Duo, 20 inch monitor, 2.16Ghz processor, 260GB hard drive (compared to 40GB for my old iMac), 2GB memory.
She's a wonderful machine. It's been hard to pull myself away from her. Got the built-in iSight camera, Photo Booth, Front Row with the remote, and, of course, apps like iDVD, iMovie and, most exciting for me, Garageband. I can't wait to get in there and start fooling around with recording. I really want to try my hand at making podcasts. I've always wanted to put together a radio show, and it looks pretty easy in Garageband. I could make my own Theme Time Radio show.
The built-in camera is fun, as is Photo Booth. Hard to imagine how I got by before I was able to make photos like these:
I wasn't sure if I needed a 20-inch screen. Thought maybe the 17-in would suffice. But, probably a few years down the road, it'll be pretty standard, if it isn't already. It's the same size as my TV. I have to say it's nice to sit back on the couch with the remote and watch movies and movies on the 'puter, cycle through music, etc.
As I said, I've been downloading lots of torrents. Got my hands on some films that are hard to come by. The Beatles "Let It Be", which I've only seen once, in a theatre in Moncton many moons ago, and Dylan's "Eat The Document", capturing the insanity of his 1966 tour of England. In the case of the latter, I can see why it was never released commercially. What a piece of crap. The editing is so annoying. Like something an inept film student might attempt. Apparently it was Dylan and his associate Howard Alk who edited it after D.A. Pennebaker, who shot the footage, submitted his version. Bob should have left well enough alone. Yes, it captures the madness of the tour, but the result is as unwatchable as that life was unliveable. The footage of the performances is good to see, and there are nice scenes of Dylan and Robbie Robertson working on new songs in the hotel room on two acoustic guitars, but the rest of it is ill-considered at best. Pennebaker's version is rumoured to be on the way, titled Something Is Happening. Let's hope so.
Also snagged The Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and "A Day In The Park", the latter documenting their July 1969 free concert in London's Hyde Park, where they introduced new guitarist Mick Taylor just a couple of days after Brian Jones' death. This free concert went over much better than the one documented in "Gimme Shelter", of course, that being the infamous one at the Altamont speedway. Interestingly, the Hell's Angels were hired to provide security at both events. Maybe the British Angels were more polite? Or maybe paying them in beer at Altamont was a mistake?
Lots of other stuff coming down the digital pipeline. Once I get some podcasts made, I'll post them here. Stay tuned.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Word
Another installment from the dictionary.com Word of the Day.
Word of the Day for Saturday, October 7, 2006
gambol \GAM-buhl\, intransitive verb:
1. To dance and skip about in play; to frolic.
2. A skipping or leaping about in frolic.
I've been told dolphins like to gambol in the waves in these waters, and that sighting them brings good luck.
-- Barbara Kingsolver, "Where the Map Stopped", New York Times, May 17, 1992
The bad news is that while most of us gambol in the sun, there will be much wringing of hands in environment-hugging circles about global warming and climate change.
-- Derek Brown, "Heatwaves", The Guardian, June 16, 2000
Then they joined hands (it was the stranger who began it by catching Martha and Matilda) and danced the table round, shaking their feet and tossing their arms, the glee ever more uproarious, -- danced until they were breathless, every one of them, save little Sammy, who was not asked to join the gambol, but sat still in his chair, and seemed to expect no invitation.
-- Norman Duncan, "Santa Claus At Lonely Cove", The Atlantic, December 1903
Gambol, earlier gambolde or gambalde, comes from Medieval French gambade, "a leaping or skipping," from Late Latin gamba, "hock (of a horse), leg," from Greek kampe, "a joint or bend."
----
This is one I recall from my high school Shakespeare. Not from that other great tragedy "Kenny Rogers is The Gamboler" ("...know when to walk away/know when to dance...").
Check out the etymology, though. The Late Latin (can't they ever arrive on time?) for a horse's leg. Right away, the light went on in my head: gams; as in "check out the gams on that dame." I don't know much Italian, but is the Italian word for "leg" similar? Maybe that's where that leggy colloquialism comes from.
Oh, to be a linguist. And a cunning one at that.
Word of the Day for Saturday, October 7, 2006
gambol \GAM-buhl\, intransitive verb:
1. To dance and skip about in play; to frolic.
2. A skipping or leaping about in frolic.
I've been told dolphins like to gambol in the waves in these waters, and that sighting them brings good luck.
-- Barbara Kingsolver, "Where the Map Stopped", New York Times, May 17, 1992
The bad news is that while most of us gambol in the sun, there will be much wringing of hands in environment-hugging circles about global warming and climate change.
-- Derek Brown, "Heatwaves", The Guardian, June 16, 2000
Then they joined hands (it was the stranger who began it by catching Martha and Matilda) and danced the table round, shaking their feet and tossing their arms, the glee ever more uproarious, -- danced until they were breathless, every one of them, save little Sammy, who was not asked to join the gambol, but sat still in his chair, and seemed to expect no invitation.
-- Norman Duncan, "Santa Claus At Lonely Cove", The Atlantic, December 1903
Gambol, earlier gambolde or gambalde, comes from Medieval French gambade, "a leaping or skipping," from Late Latin gamba, "hock (of a horse), leg," from Greek kampe, "a joint or bend."
----
This is one I recall from my high school Shakespeare. Not from that other great tragedy "Kenny Rogers is The Gamboler" ("...know when to walk away/know when to dance...").
Check out the etymology, though. The Late Latin (can't they ever arrive on time?) for a horse's leg. Right away, the light went on in my head: gams; as in "check out the gams on that dame." I don't know much Italian, but is the Italian word for "leg" similar? Maybe that's where that leggy colloquialism comes from.
Oh, to be a linguist. And a cunning one at that.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Sunday Stones
I love the fall. It's my favourite season. Today, the first day of October, was a pretty typical autumn Sunday. Started out rather crisp and sunny, but turned rainy by early afternoon. Later on, however, the sun returned and it proved to be a fairly nice day.
So I took a little walk up my street and strolled through the St. John Norway cemetary that starts at the Kingston Road and Woodbine intersection. It's a fairly nice old cemetary; some of the stones and markers go back to the early 20th century. I'm sure there are probably some that are older than that.
A couple of them in particular caught my eye. This first one is one I see every time I pass by on the sidewalk. I imagine it's made from granite, but to me, it seems rather iron-y...
Then there's this one...
I guess that's what they mean by... one Foote in the grave.
Oy. My apologies to the deceased, but I just can't pass up a good pun.
The pastor of the St. John's Norway church is often pretty creative with his signage. None of that doom and gloom, sin-and-salvation stuff. It's usually quite positive and rooted in the here-and-now. The current messages are no exception.
Almost makes you want to pop in for a sermon.
Almost.
So I took a little walk up my street and strolled through the St. John Norway cemetary that starts at the Kingston Road and Woodbine intersection. It's a fairly nice old cemetary; some of the stones and markers go back to the early 20th century. I'm sure there are probably some that are older than that.
A couple of them in particular caught my eye. This first one is one I see every time I pass by on the sidewalk. I imagine it's made from granite, but to me, it seems rather iron-y...
Then there's this one...
I guess that's what they mean by... one Foote in the grave.
Oy. My apologies to the deceased, but I just can't pass up a good pun.
The pastor of the St. John's Norway church is often pretty creative with his signage. None of that doom and gloom, sin-and-salvation stuff. It's usually quite positive and rooted in the here-and-now. The current messages are no exception.
Almost makes you want to pop in for a sermon.
Almost.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Sweet Baby James
Join me in welcoming to the world James Marshall Holland, the first-born to my good friend Joanne and hubby John. James was born at St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto, 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday September 20, weighing in at 9 lbs. 4 oz.
As for the excellent choice of name, the proud parents explain: "James is named after Joanne's father (James) and John's maternal Grandad (Marshall) -- two prominent men in our lives. It is purely coincidental that he shares the same moniker as James Marshall Hendrix, but we think he might be tempted go for the latter explanation when he's old enough to know who Jimi Hendrix is."
Congrats Joanne and John and welcome "little" James!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Helpless?
Wow. Just noticed the "radical" redesign over at Neilyoung.com. Good ol' Neil is still fighting the good fight, only these days he's more feisty than ever. I guess having kids who are backdoor draft age will do that to you.
Check out the videos and documentaries for the LWW songs. Some are free downloads. Lots of other stuff, too. Anti-war editorials. The "Songs of the Times" section, featuring musical submissions on the theme; some known, some unknown.
You can also watch Neil's recent appearance on "The Colbert Report", and some archival footage from the 1986 Crazy Horse tour. This was the tour where they billed themselves as the "world's 3rd greatest garage band," taking the theme literally. The stage was designed as a garage where the band was rehearsing, complete with terrier-sized robotic cockroaches and periodic phone calls from "Mom" telling them to turn it down.
Go Neil!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Watching The Stream Flow
You can listen to a stream of Dylan's new CD "Modern Times" in its entirety here.
Plus, watch the faux-vintage-Super-8-y video for When The Deal Goes Down, featuring the lovely Scarlett Johansson. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. But seriously, it's a nice video. Seems to enhance the song.
I listened to the songs at work today, but I can't say anything made much of an impression. Except the name check on Alicia Keyes in the lead-off track. Musically, it sounds like Bobby's mining the same vein from "Love And Theft"--not that that's a bad thing. But there are many distractions at work (like...work) so it's not fair of me to judge it yet. I'll have to spend some time with it alone. Kind of going through a bit of a Beatles/Lennon revival in my listening life right now, so we'll see if Bob can lure me over to his side of the river of song.
Plus, watch the faux-vintage-Super-8-y video for When The Deal Goes Down, featuring the lovely Scarlett Johansson. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. But seriously, it's a nice video. Seems to enhance the song.
I listened to the songs at work today, but I can't say anything made much of an impression. Except the name check on Alicia Keyes in the lead-off track. Musically, it sounds like Bobby's mining the same vein from "Love And Theft"--not that that's a bad thing. But there are many distractions at work (like...work) so it's not fair of me to judge it yet. I'll have to spend some time with it alone. Kind of going through a bit of a Beatles/Lennon revival in my listening life right now, so we'll see if Bob can lure me over to his side of the river of song.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
A Series Of Dreams
With the upcoming release of Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" CD, Google Video has put together some Dylan footage from over the years.
I've always loved the Jokerman video. And Series of Dreams is quite impressive, too.
Listening again to Political World, from his brilliant 1989 album, "Oh, Mercy", it's hard not to be struck by the incisiveness of those lyrics. I picked these off of his own website. Not sure if the first line of that last verse is a typo or not.
We live in a political world,
Love don't have any place.
We're living in times where men commit crimes
And crime don't have a face
We live in a political world,
Icicles hanging down,
Wedding bells ring and angels sing,
clouds cover up the ground.
We live in a political world,
Wisdom is thrown into jail,
It rots in a cell, is misguided as hell
Leaving no one to pick up a trail.
We live in a political world
Where mercy walks the plank,
Life is in mirrors, death disappears
Up the steps into the nearest bank.
We live in a political world
Where courage is a thing of the past
Houses are haunted, children are unwanted
The next day could be your last.
We live in a political world.
The one we can see and can feel
But there's no one to check, it's all a stacked deck,
We all know for sure that it's real.
We live in a political world
In the cities of lonesome fear,
Little by little you turn in the middle
But you're never why you're here.
We live in a political world
Under the microscope,
You can travel anywhere and hang yourself there
You always got more than enough rope.
We live in a political world
Turning and a'thrashing about,
As soon as you're awake, you're trained to take
What looks like the easy way out.
We live in a political world
Where peace is not welcome at all,
It's turned away from the door to wander some more
Or put up against the wall.
We live in apolitical world
Everything is hers or his,
Climb into the frame and shout God's name
But you're never sure what it is.
Copyright © 1989 Special Rider Music
I've always loved the Jokerman video. And Series of Dreams is quite impressive, too.
Listening again to Political World, from his brilliant 1989 album, "Oh, Mercy", it's hard not to be struck by the incisiveness of those lyrics. I picked these off of his own website. Not sure if the first line of that last verse is a typo or not.
We live in a political world,
Love don't have any place.
We're living in times where men commit crimes
And crime don't have a face
We live in a political world,
Icicles hanging down,
Wedding bells ring and angels sing,
clouds cover up the ground.
We live in a political world,
Wisdom is thrown into jail,
It rots in a cell, is misguided as hell
Leaving no one to pick up a trail.
We live in a political world
Where mercy walks the plank,
Life is in mirrors, death disappears
Up the steps into the nearest bank.
We live in a political world
Where courage is a thing of the past
Houses are haunted, children are unwanted
The next day could be your last.
We live in a political world.
The one we can see and can feel
But there's no one to check, it's all a stacked deck,
We all know for sure that it's real.
We live in a political world
In the cities of lonesome fear,
Little by little you turn in the middle
But you're never why you're here.
We live in a political world
Under the microscope,
You can travel anywhere and hang yourself there
You always got more than enough rope.
We live in a political world
Turning and a'thrashing about,
As soon as you're awake, you're trained to take
What looks like the easy way out.
We live in a political world
Where peace is not welcome at all,
It's turned away from the door to wander some more
Or put up against the wall.
We live in apolitical world
Everything is hers or his,
Climb into the frame and shout God's name
But you're never sure what it is.
Copyright © 1989 Special Rider Music
Monday, August 07, 2006
See The Sites
More gems from WFMU.org's Sites For Sore Eyes.
The Automatic 45 Label Generator. This is cool. I could have all kinds of fun with this.
Then there's the Huggable Urns. I'm not quite sure what to make of these. I've always felt that keeping someone's ashes around your house was a little odd. I mean, would you keep their bones in a box? Still, if it's important to you to hang onto an urn of a loved one's burnt remains, why not make it nice and cuddly? Just pray your pit bull doesn't get ahold of it.
Definitely some interesting efforts in the Top 10 Strangest Monuments. Roof shark?
And, of course, a new installment of the always entertaining Top 10 Worst Album Covers. Check out the comments, and you'll learn that some Queen fans are: A) a little too tightly wound, and B) quite adept at demonstrating the difference between an oxymoron and the normal variety.
But I think I laughed hardest at the Museum of Unfortunate Domain Names. Funny stuff...indeed.
The Automatic 45 Label Generator. This is cool. I could have all kinds of fun with this.
Then there's the Huggable Urns. I'm not quite sure what to make of these. I've always felt that keeping someone's ashes around your house was a little odd. I mean, would you keep their bones in a box? Still, if it's important to you to hang onto an urn of a loved one's burnt remains, why not make it nice and cuddly? Just pray your pit bull doesn't get ahold of it.
Definitely some interesting efforts in the Top 10 Strangest Monuments. Roof shark?
And, of course, a new installment of the always entertaining Top 10 Worst Album Covers. Check out the comments, and you'll learn that some Queen fans are: A) a little too tightly wound, and B) quite adept at demonstrating the difference between an oxymoron and the normal variety.
But I think I laughed hardest at the Museum of Unfortunate Domain Names. Funny stuff...indeed.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
In praise of one-syllable intransitive verbs that offer superb economy
Here's an entertaining article from Slate that, well... doesn't suck.
Although I have been known to rail against the dumbing-down of our language, the author presents a convincing argument. I found this section particularly persuasive:
I'm not a language purist, but neither do I take a laissez faire attitude. I remember being chastized by my first-year university English professor for using the word relate as an intransitive verb, in the sense of to react in response, especially favorably: "I just can't relate to these new fashions" (dictionary.com). Perhaps she was right, in that uptight proper Queen's English kind of way. She was also probably the kind of person who would correct you for ending a sentence with a preposition. (Go here for a denunciation of that school of thought.) But the vast majority of people who use the language understand and accept relate being used in that sense.
Words and their connotations are organic; they evolve over time, as the above article ably demonstrates. I also feel that language is fairly flexible. I've probably committed a few syntactical and grammatical errors in writing this blog entry, but likely nothing (I hope) that is truly unacceptable, unless I was writing for an audience of grammarians and linguists. Or should that be "unless I were writing..."? Whatever.
Where I draw the line is between proper English and correct English. For instance, it drives me up the wall when I hear people failing to make their plural subjects agree with their verbs. There's many instances of this. See? I hear it all the time, even from people who should know better, such as television reporters. It seems to be a growing trend, and it's very annoying. It just seems to stem from laziness. Is this language butchering on its way to becoming naturalized, so that it becomes an acceptable way to speak? God, I hope not. I blame the Internets.
There's aspects of grammar and syntax that shouldn't be messed with!
Or is that with which one shouldn't mess?
And don't get me started on the ubiquity of absolutely. Whatever happened to responses such as of course, definitely and even good ol' yes?
Let's try an experiment. Let's all start using the word indeed where everyone else uses absolutely, and see if we can get it to catch on. If enough people use it in important settings, and if we use it in the company of people who get on the media enough--politicians, actors, police spokespeople, TV journalists--maybe...just maybe...we can replace absolutely with indeed. We can Spock-ify the language! It will be a cultural coup, indeed!
In the meantime, here's a really handy online resource for common errors in English.
Word up.
Although I have been known to rail against the dumbing-down of our language, the author presents a convincing argument. I found this section particularly persuasive:
"When someone says Bill Gates is a geek, do you picture him as a circus performer biting the head off a live chicken? Of course not. The word's root meaning has been replaced with a new connotation. Similarly, when I call Paris Hilton a moron, I don't mean she's mentally retarded, and when I call bungee jumping lame I don't mean it's disabled. What once was offensive is now simply abrasive. Language moves on, and the sucks-haters are living in the past."I might offer a dissenting viewpoint about Paris Hilton, but maybe that's just quibbling. And, as a matter of fact, I have often developed a mental picture of Bill Gates biting the head off...oh, wait, no...that was Ozzy Osbourne. Goshdarnit, I'm forever getting those two mixed up. (Hmm, has anyone ever seen them together in the same room?)
I'm not a language purist, but neither do I take a laissez faire attitude. I remember being chastized by my first-year university English professor for using the word relate as an intransitive verb, in the sense of to react in response, especially favorably: "I just can't relate to these new fashions" (dictionary.com). Perhaps she was right, in that uptight proper Queen's English kind of way. She was also probably the kind of person who would correct you for ending a sentence with a preposition. (Go here for a denunciation of that school of thought.) But the vast majority of people who use the language understand and accept relate being used in that sense.
Words and their connotations are organic; they evolve over time, as the above article ably demonstrates. I also feel that language is fairly flexible. I've probably committed a few syntactical and grammatical errors in writing this blog entry, but likely nothing (I hope) that is truly unacceptable, unless I was writing for an audience of grammarians and linguists. Or should that be "unless I were writing..."? Whatever.
Where I draw the line is between proper English and correct English. For instance, it drives me up the wall when I hear people failing to make their plural subjects agree with their verbs. There's many instances of this. See? I hear it all the time, even from people who should know better, such as television reporters. It seems to be a growing trend, and it's very annoying. It just seems to stem from laziness. Is this language butchering on its way to becoming naturalized, so that it becomes an acceptable way to speak? God, I hope not. I blame the Internets.
There's aspects of grammar and syntax that shouldn't be messed with!
Or is that with which one shouldn't mess?
And don't get me started on the ubiquity of absolutely. Whatever happened to responses such as of course, definitely and even good ol' yes?
Let's try an experiment. Let's all start using the word indeed where everyone else uses absolutely, and see if we can get it to catch on. If enough people use it in important settings, and if we use it in the company of people who get on the media enough--politicians, actors, police spokespeople, TV journalists--maybe...just maybe...we can replace absolutely with indeed. We can Spock-ify the language! It will be a cultural coup, indeed!
In the meantime, here's a really handy online resource for common errors in English.
Word up.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Zebra Cam
Ever want to see Beatle pilgrims and tourists risk their lives for a photo op? Now you can with the Abbey Road Web Cam!
This camera is situated in front of the studio (you can see the white post of the front gate in the lower-right corner), looking south-ish toward the crosswalk, the opposite perspective from the album cover.
It's probably not quite as dangerous as it seems. While cars in London have the unchallangeable right-of-way at most crossings, the only time they're required to give way to pedestrians is at the "zebra" crosswalks, such as the one at the Abbey Road intersection.
Bear in mind: if you're viewing this from North America, London is five hours ahead of the Eastern time zone. Probably best viewed on the weekend during day, local time.
Friday, July 21, 2006
London Snaps
Finally got some of my photos from my trip organized. Uploaded them to Ofoto (Kodak). There are four albums altogether: 3 of London and 1 of Dublin. I still have to organize my Dublin photos and the ones from my last 3-4 days in London. I've added some comments to most of the photos. You can view them by clicking on the arrows, or by viewing it as a slideshow. There are a few of them, so pull up a chair.
Enjoy the first 2 photo albums!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
London Calling
I got back from my trip Tuesday night. I was supposed to be back last Sunday, but had a bit of an unfortunate brain cramp when I was leaving London--I went to the wrong airport! I was supposed to fly out of Gattwick, but instead I went to Stansted airport. Ugh. I'm usually more organized than that when I travel. Guess I was just brain-tired. So I missed my flight, and the airline (Zoom) didn't have any other flights until Wednesday, and they said it was full and just generally weren't very helpful. So I had to scramble to find another way home. Got a flight Tuesday with Northwest that went to Minneapolis, where I changed to Toronto. Paid full fare. Ouch. Oh well, live and learn.
Had an absolutely fantastic trip, though. Best vacation ever!! London is fabulous. Weather was perfect. I actually got a sunburn. I had a blast in Dublin too. How could I not like a place that reveres writers, oozes music and celebrates pub life! Saw a bit of the country too--took a day tour, train to Limerick, then bus through County Clare to the Cliffs of Moher near Galway on the west coast.
I have to say, though it may seem corny, I left there feeling a stronger connection to my Irish-ness. It makes sense that that's where I come from. Five or six generations across time suddenly didn't seem like such a chasm. More like crossing the River Liffey than traversing the Atlantic. I definitely will return for another visit.
I'm just starting to get my 500+ photos organized, and I'll do a proper write-up later, but for now, here are a few snaps to give you the flavour.
Big Ben
A certain road
St. Paul's Cathedral
Guard at The Tower of London
The Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin
One of Dublin's famous doors
The Cliffs of Moher
Kildare train station
Oliver St. John Gogarty's pub in the Temple Bar area in Dublin
Friday, June 23, 2006
Greetings From Across The Pond
London! What an amazing city! So much to do and see! Buildings, monuments, museums, winding little streets, palaces, incredible architecture everywhere, history everywhere, pubs everywhere, traffic, people, parks! Just mind-boggling and impressive at every turn. Had a pint the other day in a tiny, tiny, tiny pub called The Jerusalem, which has been around since the 1700s. Turns out where I'm staying at Sue's is about a 20-minute walk from Abbey Road, in St. John's Wood. I ambled over there yesterday and took some photos of the outside of the studio where the Beatles recorded pretty much all their music, and, of course, the famous cross-walk. Did a Beatles walking tour the other day, through several Beatles-related sites, including Paul McCartney's offices in Soho (MPL Communications), Carnaby Street and 3 Saville Row, the former Apple Records HQ where the concert on the roof for "Let It Be" took place. Neat to see all these places that I'd only read about.
Explored a bit of the south bank of the Thames tonight, walked across Waterloo Bridge. Tomorrow I'll go see the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge and St. Paul's cathedral. Hope to get to see Shakespeare's Globe theatre, the Tate Modern museum and maybe take a trip up in "the Eye". Sunday evening we're doing a "Ripper Walk" in the east end, guided by the foremost Jack the Ripper expert, which is supposed to be quite entertaining.
Weather has been outstanding. Mostly sunny and temps in the low-to-mid-20s. People walking about in t-shirts. I actually have a sunburn! Everyone here can't believe how great the weather's been all week, and it looks like it'll continue through the weekend.
Off to Dublin on Monday for 4 days, then back here for the weekend, then home. It's been the most amazing time I've ever had, and it's not even half over. Dublin awaits!
Will share photos when I get back--I've got a ton of them!
Explored a bit of the south bank of the Thames tonight, walked across Waterloo Bridge. Tomorrow I'll go see the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge and St. Paul's cathedral. Hope to get to see Shakespeare's Globe theatre, the Tate Modern museum and maybe take a trip up in "the Eye". Sunday evening we're doing a "Ripper Walk" in the east end, guided by the foremost Jack the Ripper expert, which is supposed to be quite entertaining.
Weather has been outstanding. Mostly sunny and temps in the low-to-mid-20s. People walking about in t-shirts. I actually have a sunburn! Everyone here can't believe how great the weather's been all week, and it looks like it'll continue through the weekend.
Off to Dublin on Monday for 4 days, then back here for the weekend, then home. It's been the most amazing time I've ever had, and it's not even half over. Dublin awaits!
Will share photos when I get back--I've got a ton of them!
Friday, June 16, 2006
"Leavin' on a jet plane..."
Today was my last day at work before my vacation, and MAAAN, did it drag on. I didn't get out of there until almost nine o'clock. But now...I'm FREE! My flight goes Friday night, so I have the day to get my shit together and maybe even decide to pack at some point. I have to do laundry first, though. I feel that's a sound strategy. Laundry first, then pack, as opposed to the reverse.
But I'm very excited! My flight gets in to London Saturday morning just after 10. I'll spend the first week in London, staying at my friend Sue's place just north of Notting Hill, then I fly to Dublin on the morning of Monday the 26th, returning to London the following Thursday evening. So that gives me a full eight days to explore Londontown, then the better part of 4 days in Dublin, 3 nights accommodation (which suits my budget), then back to London for the last weekend, returning home Sunday July 2, giving me the holiday Monday to recuperate.
Only snag is, while I have the London-Dublin flight booked (70 GBP return, not too bad), I haven't yet secured a place to stay while I'm there. Been doing lots of research on the Web, and have contacted a few places to get rates and availability, so I'm sure I'll get something settled before I leave tomorrow night. They're just waking up there as I type this, so when I get up (I'm about to hit the sack) I should have a few email replies to my inquiries. I think I've narrowed it down to a couple of hotels/guesthouses. One right in the Temple Bar area, a couple on the northside of the Liffey but still in the core, and one off a park near Trinity College. Customer reviews on tripadvisor.com were pretty handy. Some of the places in the Temple Bar area got some pretty bad reviews, but I have a hunch some of that was from people staying there on the weekends when the bars are all rockin', the hotels were packed with partiers and their rooms were noisy. Probably won't be that bad Mon-Thurs. I think the ideal would be to find a place just outside that area but still close to all the city centre attractions. Seems like a lot of places are within easy walking distance.
I may try to get a few blog entries in while I'm over there, so stay tuned.
Toodles.
But I'm very excited! My flight gets in to London Saturday morning just after 10. I'll spend the first week in London, staying at my friend Sue's place just north of Notting Hill, then I fly to Dublin on the morning of Monday the 26th, returning to London the following Thursday evening. So that gives me a full eight days to explore Londontown, then the better part of 4 days in Dublin, 3 nights accommodation (which suits my budget), then back to London for the last weekend, returning home Sunday July 2, giving me the holiday Monday to recuperate.
Only snag is, while I have the London-Dublin flight booked (70 GBP return, not too bad), I haven't yet secured a place to stay while I'm there. Been doing lots of research on the Web, and have contacted a few places to get rates and availability, so I'm sure I'll get something settled before I leave tomorrow night. They're just waking up there as I type this, so when I get up (I'm about to hit the sack) I should have a few email replies to my inquiries. I think I've narrowed it down to a couple of hotels/guesthouses. One right in the Temple Bar area, a couple on the northside of the Liffey but still in the core, and one off a park near Trinity College. Customer reviews on tripadvisor.com were pretty handy. Some of the places in the Temple Bar area got some pretty bad reviews, but I have a hunch some of that was from people staying there on the weekends when the bars are all rockin', the hotels were packed with partiers and their rooms were noisy. Probably won't be that bad Mon-Thurs. I think the ideal would be to find a place just outside that area but still close to all the city centre attractions. Seems like a lot of places are within easy walking distance.
I may try to get a few blog entries in while I'm over there, so stay tuned.
Toodles.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Snap snap wink wink saynamoah
In anticpation of my trip to London-Dublin, I finally went out and got myself a digital camera. That's right, no more disposables and discs for me.
After some research on the Internets, I settled on this one, which also happened to be on sale at Future Shop. The Canon Powershot A620. Seems like a pretty good one. Lots of handy features and settings (including manual), and it does video, too. I didn't want one of those ones that tucks into your pocket. Not ergonomically satisfying. I picked up a 512MB card and some NiMH rechargeable batteries, so I'm good to go.
This past Saturday was a beautiful day, and I had to replenish my coffee supply, so I took a hike down Queen Street, through the beaches, and took the cam with me for a field test.
Sauntering down toward the boardwalk, I spotted this scene and thought the colours might provide some interesting results.
Then I took a series of shots as I walked down the boardwalk itself. Nothing to brag about from a compositional perspectice. Some bad light and shadows.
Then I spotted this kayaker...
And this couple walking with their dog. I like how she's all decked out in bright colours while the four-legged companion stays closer to earth tones...and just closer to the earth, period.
Sign of the times...
Then, when I got home, I took a few pics of objects around the apartment, mostly so I could test the zoom on smaller, close objects
Bottles in my window, against the blinds.
A small skull I've had for ages. It's about the size of a billiard ball. The zoom caused quite a bit of camera shake here, but I kind of like the result. Gives it an ironic sense of motion. I call this one "SpeedSkull".
This is the front of a box I have in my living room. Like most of these shots, I cropped it in iPhoto.
And of course, the obigatory Mini-Gumby and iStick.
Maybe I ain't no Annie Leibowitz, and I doubt if I'll turn jimbuck2 into a photoblog, but I expect to have some fun with it. You can bet yer sweet aperture that you'll be seeing more stunning visual snapshots here in the days and weeks ahead. L'aventure commence.
After some research on the Internets, I settled on this one, which also happened to be on sale at Future Shop. The Canon Powershot A620. Seems like a pretty good one. Lots of handy features and settings (including manual), and it does video, too. I didn't want one of those ones that tucks into your pocket. Not ergonomically satisfying. I picked up a 512MB card and some NiMH rechargeable batteries, so I'm good to go.
This past Saturday was a beautiful day, and I had to replenish my coffee supply, so I took a hike down Queen Street, through the beaches, and took the cam with me for a field test.
Sauntering down toward the boardwalk, I spotted this scene and thought the colours might provide some interesting results.
Then I took a series of shots as I walked down the boardwalk itself. Nothing to brag about from a compositional perspectice. Some bad light and shadows.
Then I spotted this kayaker...
And this couple walking with their dog. I like how she's all decked out in bright colours while the four-legged companion stays closer to earth tones...and just closer to the earth, period.
Sign of the times...
Then, when I got home, I took a few pics of objects around the apartment, mostly so I could test the zoom on smaller, close objects
Bottles in my window, against the blinds.
A small skull I've had for ages. It's about the size of a billiard ball. The zoom caused quite a bit of camera shake here, but I kind of like the result. Gives it an ironic sense of motion. I call this one "SpeedSkull".
This is the front of a box I have in my living room. Like most of these shots, I cropped it in iPhoto.
And of course, the obigatory Mini-Gumby and iStick.
Maybe I ain't no Annie Leibowitz, and I doubt if I'll turn jimbuck2 into a photoblog, but I expect to have some fun with it. You can bet yer sweet aperture that you'll be seeing more stunning visual snapshots here in the days and weeks ahead. L'aventure commence.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
The Good News
Despite the last couple of entries, everything hasn't been Downersville and Bitterberg here in Jimbuck2. Just nearly everything.
The good news is... I've booked vacation time for the last two weeks of June. I'm finally taking an overseas trip! Going to London, and I also plan to take a side-trip to Dublin while I'm there.
This will be my first trip across the pond. I probably wouldn't be able to swing it if it weren't for the fact that I have a friend to stay with in London. Air fares were pretty affordable, too, compared to July, so I pulled the trigger and booked the flight.
The general plan is to spend the first several days seeing the sights of Londontown, then hop over to Dublin for maybe 4 or 5 days, then back to London for a few more days. Flights to Dublin are only about $70 return, so that's pretty good. I was thinking it would be more romantic to take a train to Liverpool, see a few sights there (apparently there was some famous band from said town), then take a ferry across the Irish Sea. But after some research, I discovered that the ferry ride takes about eight hours. That's a waste of prime Guinness-guzzling time.
The only problem is that it's difficult to book any accommodations in Dublin, not knowing exactly which days I'll be heading over there. And that sorta depends on the lay of the land when I get to London. I'm not sure if I'll need to book anything that far ahead. Maybe I can make arrangements once I get to London. Not sure if I want to assume that. More research is needed. Got some websites about Dublin hostels and B&Bs. Got a few recommendation about places to stay in the Temple Bar district. I may also saunter into a travel agency here and enquire about a "possible" trip to Ireland, and pick their brains.
But it's all very exciting. I'm really looking forward to it. I've been dying to go to Dublin for ages. I think it'll be incredible to be in the Mother Country, diggin' my roots, hoisting a pint of Guinness in a Dublin pub. And, of course, lots to see and do in London. Abbey Road, baby! Stone'enge! Piccadilly and all the rest. Should be cool. Should I take some courses before I go over, so I can speak the language?
I may even try to write a few travel articles out of it; maybe start a new career! I've always been told by people who've read certain of my articles that they've "felt like they were there." I love doing that--writing about a place or an event, trying to capture the essence of what it was like to be there: the sounds, the sights, the smells, what it felt like. So maybe my calling is to be a travel writer. I could handle that.
Toodles.
The good news is... I've booked vacation time for the last two weeks of June. I'm finally taking an overseas trip! Going to London, and I also plan to take a side-trip to Dublin while I'm there.
This will be my first trip across the pond. I probably wouldn't be able to swing it if it weren't for the fact that I have a friend to stay with in London. Air fares were pretty affordable, too, compared to July, so I pulled the trigger and booked the flight.
The general plan is to spend the first several days seeing the sights of Londontown, then hop over to Dublin for maybe 4 or 5 days, then back to London for a few more days. Flights to Dublin are only about $70 return, so that's pretty good. I was thinking it would be more romantic to take a train to Liverpool, see a few sights there (apparently there was some famous band from said town), then take a ferry across the Irish Sea. But after some research, I discovered that the ferry ride takes about eight hours. That's a waste of prime Guinness-guzzling time.
The only problem is that it's difficult to book any accommodations in Dublin, not knowing exactly which days I'll be heading over there. And that sorta depends on the lay of the land when I get to London. I'm not sure if I'll need to book anything that far ahead. Maybe I can make arrangements once I get to London. Not sure if I want to assume that. More research is needed. Got some websites about Dublin hostels and B&Bs. Got a few recommendation about places to stay in the Temple Bar district. I may also saunter into a travel agency here and enquire about a "possible" trip to Ireland, and pick their brains.
But it's all very exciting. I'm really looking forward to it. I've been dying to go to Dublin for ages. I think it'll be incredible to be in the Mother Country, diggin' my roots, hoisting a pint of Guinness in a Dublin pub. And, of course, lots to see and do in London. Abbey Road, baby! Stone'enge! Piccadilly and all the rest. Should be cool. Should I take some courses before I go over, so I can speak the language?
I may even try to write a few travel articles out of it; maybe start a new career! I've always been told by people who've read certain of my articles that they've "felt like they were there." I love doing that--writing about a place or an event, trying to capture the essence of what it was like to be there: the sounds, the sights, the smells, what it felt like. So maybe my calling is to be a travel writer. I could handle that.
Toodles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
