Ed, Michael and Farrah R.I.P.

I was never a big fan of Michael Jackson's, but I have to give him credit. Not only was he the first African-American entertainer to accumulate a strong crossover following on MTV, but his 1982 Thriller is the world's best-selling record of all time. He's made into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and his contribution to four decades of popular culture cannot be denied.



I was on Twitter when the first rumours were announced. I've only been actively using Twitter for a short time (see my post about 10 Ways Twitter Can Help Writers) but I've already noticed how ANY major (including pop culture) news hits Twitter before mainstream online news venues.

Within a matter of minutes, there were rumours that Michael Jackson was being taken to the hospital, that he had had cardiac arrest, and then he had died. I'm sure media companies, especially those with traditional print newspapers, are paying close attention and trying to figure out how to compete or (wiser) join. If they aren't paying attention, they should be.


Farrah Fawcett didn't get nearly as much Tweet-coverage, but she had a bigger impact on my life than Michael Jackson. Charlie's Angels was one of my favourite shows as a teenager. My favourite Angel was Kate Jackson, but Farrah Fawcett had a bubbly innocence that appealed to me.


I still remember one year in grade school, though, when all the girls (including me) had Farrah hair. We'd use a curling iron to get the flip and then a round brush to pull the curled hair into the shag. Unless you used hairspray, though, you had to keep brushing your hair to pull the curl back. It must have driven the teacher crazy, with all these girls constantly brushing their hair.

Hey, here's Farrah on the Partridge Family:



Anyway, the comic summarizes my general mood yesterday. I didn't know these people personally, nor was I a huge fan of either. But both were part of my childhood while growing up. Losing them means that another tangible piece of my childhood falls from the present into the past, and makes me that much more aware of my own life journey.

Ok, that's enough philosophizing for a Friday morning. :)

Toronto Garbage Strike Begins...

The Toronto municipal workers' strike has begun, and Toronto-types are all crossing their fingers in hopes that a settlement can be reached soon, especially with the upcoming warm weather (see forecast below). I was inspired to doodle the cartoon above after reading a Toronto Star article about how the strike is affecting the operation of kid-friendly venues.



Thanks so much to my dad for taking some our trash out to the suburbs with him...on Father's Day! Now that's true parental love. Cooking with my dad was fun; I'll try to post some pics soon. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads all out there! Especially my own father. :-)

Before you dismiss the video above as just another heavy metal band video, give it a try. I discovered this song by New York hard-rock band Guyz Nite while looking for a Father's Day song to post on my Blip.fm page. It didn't look like my kind of music, but I was amused by the over-the-top opening scene in the video...and discovered that the song was much more entertaining and moving than I expected.



The lead singer's name of the band is Guy Manley, not surprisingly. Heh.

What I also loved about the video: it's clear that these guys are sweet-natured at heart. I must check out their band website and see what else they've done.

"You're my dad
the only one I've had
and if I turn out like you
I'll be glad..."

Looking forward to seeing my own dad later today. We're going to play some music together, cook a meal together, and just hang out.

Meeting Beth (plus a garden rant)

Enjoyed meeting Beth on the weekend; she's a friend of Jeff's gaming buddies whom everyone had met online but not yet in person.



I love it when online friendships make it to in-person contact. Beth's visit was a surprise for most of the guys; it was fun to see people's reactions when they met her and clued into the fact that they had already "met" her through online gaming.



Speaking of gaming, I played Formula 1 for the first time. I was even doing well for a while!



Until I got too enthusiastic and spun out, that is. Ah well.

While showing Beth around our garden, by the way, I noticed that SOMETHING IS EATING MY PLANTS!!


Photo by Walter.

Argggh. Several of my plants had clearly been vandalized.

I'd accuse the squirrels, but do squirrels eat parsley?!?


Photo by Walter.

Library Boy song & lyrics

A while back, I mentioned that I was disappointed that Urban Tapestry hasn't performed Library Boy much since we debuted it for our friend Rand in 2002 because of my sucky tendinitis tendons. Allison already has so much on her plate these days (she's in the midst of writing report cards right now!). Thanks to those who volunteered to learn the song for singing in public -- I'm pretty pleased with the song, and it seems a shame to retire it.

Sadly, I wasn't able to find a taped recording of the song.

Happily, Jodi kindly volunteered to help me put together a recording for people to use as reference. I created a crude accompaniment using a bit of live guitar and a Garageband guitar loop; it's not perfect, but it was enough for her to sing with. Jodi, by the way, is an excellent and reliable voiceover artist, so if you need professional voiceover work done, please do check out Voiceoversandvocals.com.

I may be adding some more instrumentation eventually, but for now you can download the song from the FilkArchive.

Speaking of the FilkArchive, I've also uploaded recorded versions of Waiting For Frodo, Sing With Me, and Heart of the Mountain (by Phil Mills).

I'm hoping to eventually add some other songs that Urban Tapestry doesn't tend to perform live anymore because of my guitar-challenged tendons. Homecoming is one of these songs, but it's available on our live album (Sushi and High Tea) and can also hear it on our MySpace page.

Here are the lyrics/chords:

LIBRARY BOY
By Debbie Ridpath Ohi, performed by Urban Tapestry
(Happy birthday to our friend Rand Bellavia of Ookla the Mok
From Allison, Jodi & Debbie)
April/2002

C F G
I am a civilized girl, I comb my hair, I love my family
C
but I confess my very favourite refuge is my local
F G
library.
F G
The musty bookshelves are so picturesque
F G C C
But most of all I like the guy behind the desk.


CHORUS:
F C
Hey, Mr. Library Boy, please wontcha
F C
show me a little Heinlein or some Leo Tolstoy
F C
You don't know I exist but you have my heart
G
Wontcha stamp my card?

C C

C F G
The way you put away books, the way you always articulate
C
The way you gimme a look when I talk too loud, it makes my poor heart
F G
palpitate
F G
When I go home, the world loses its zest
F G C C
Can't wait 'til I get back to the guy behind the desk.


CHORUS:
F C
Hey, Mr. Library Boy, please wontcha
F C
show me a little Heinlein or some Leo Tolstoy
F C
You don't know I exist but you have my heart
G
Wontcha stamp my card?

C F G
I've got a tendency to keep books 'til they're way overdue
C
I get the notices but it's been six years, where's my special
F G
visit from you?
F G
You smile at me and I can't help but obsess
F G C C
how I'd like to catalog the guy behind the desk.


CHORUS:
F C
Hey, Mr. Library Boy, please wontcha
F C
show me a little Heinlein or some Leo Tolstoy
F C
You don't know I exist but you have my heart
G
Wontcha stamp my card?


BRIDGE/END:
C F C C
Oh Mr. Library Boy, by now you surely know I'm not a newcomer
C F
So baby, let's not be coy, I'd like to get your
C C
Dewey Decimal Number
F G
I try but nothing I do will make me forget
F G C -------
My passion for that special guy behind the desk.



(Jodi: Mr. Library Boy, lemme show ya some
bibliophile joy)