Category: Blog Page 80 of 141

I’ve been pretty quiet lately, but its not that there hasn’t been a lot going on. Some of it hasn’t been good, but I’m not going to talk about that here. Drop me a line if you really want to know about it.

I’m choosing instead to focus on the good stuff. There’s actually a fair bit of it about. In fact, here’s a baker’s dozen really cool things that are going on in my life right now.

My creativity has actually been sparking lately. I’ve now finished more songwriting in 2006 than I did in all of 2005, including some stuff I’m rather proud of. Better yet, I’ve been playing more music than I have in months, which is a sure sign that I’m feeling better about the world. I’m adding new songs to my repertoire, which is helping me keep from being bored with what I’m doing musically, which in turn inspires me to write more. I actually got stuff I’d written recently onto online songbook.. I even went and made a second index page that separates the song by year, which will make it easier for people to find the new stuff, even if it does highlight just how little I’ve written in the last few years.
We had not one but two housefilks in February, and each featured wonderful faraway visitors. The first was the official GaFiA housefilk, and featured such luminary travellers as sdorn, sdelmonte, and batyatoon! The very next weekend, there was a gathering at joyeuse13 and abovenyquist‘s house, in honor of the visiting celticdragonfly! Yay faraway people I don’t see often enough.
In spite of all the cramping our budget has suffered since the middle of last year, as of this moment our bills are all paid up, and we’ve gotten rid of a number of small debts that were being carried on our books. This puts us in excellent shape, if we’re careful and prudent, to reach our goal of paying off *all* our debt by the middle of 2007!
kitanzi is almost done with her physical therapy following her shoulder surgery in December, and is feeling much better and stronger than she had in many many months. Crappy health is definitely one of the things I’m looking forward to putting behind us as we move further into 2006.
Speaking of feeling better, we both have been feeling much better rested in the last week, since we acquired kitanzi’s early birthday present: a mattress pad. The pad is made out of a three-inch thick slab of four pound memory foam, and the difference it has made in the comfort of our sleeping is astounding! Many of our aches and pains have been reduced since we started sleeping on it.
Thanks to klrmn (who I miss terribly since she moved to California, but that’s a different post), we now know where to go for all-you-can-eat made-to-order sushi. Yummmmmmm.
One of my best and oldest friends, Jeff, has finally joined LiveJournal. Jeff has been my writing partner, confidant, and brother-in-arms since we were both in Jr. High school, and I’d love to introduce you all to him. So go say hi to hejira2006,and add him to your friends lists, because honestly, if you are the sort of person who likes me, I think you’re going to like him too. (Just be nice to him — I don’t want him to be scared off. *grin*)
Another of my best and oldest friends, vila_resthal, will be getting married in August. Dan is the editor of Aphelion Webzine, a project he and I have worked together on since its inception ten years ago. (And if you’re inclined to like reading or writing original SF/F fiction, go check it out. It’s a groovy place. We take filk lyrics, too. *grin*) I’m so very happy to see him happy, and I really like his new lady love, and am looking forward to the wedding, which will be held at the same time as ApheliCon 2, the second annual Aphelion writers cookout party.
I now own a Macintosh computer! tarkrai acquired a 17“ G4 iMac, which he gave to me for my very own. He claims that it’s a bit quirky but isn’t sure why, but so far I haven’t actually had any trouble with it. And it’s pretty. And it’s cool. And it’s a Mac. Shiny! Thanks, Smac!
Just in general, I have the best friends in the whole wide world. Yes, I do.
We have tickets to see Great Big Sea in concert in Atlanta in April! I am *very* much looking forward to finally seeing them live, after all the amazing reports we’ve gotten from our friends about their shows.
I’m leaving on a plane tonight to spend the weekend visiting aiela, my girlfriend who lives near Canada. *grin* This will be my first ever trip to Michigan, and I’m hoping to sneak across the border for a day so I can *properly* say I’ve been to Canada, rather than having simply been trapped in a plane on a runway there for 3 hours. 🙂 And I get to meet her fiancé, davehogg, who has become a Friend In His Own Right, much to be delight. I don’t get too see aiela often enough, so I’m very much looking forward to the trip.
Last, but not least, I am still married to the most amazing, beautiful, intelligent, sexy, and all around wonderful person in the entire world. I am absolutely the luckiest person on Earth. And I never, ever forget it.

So, what’s really cool and good in YOUR life right now?

Crossovers That Should Not Be #1432

By autographedcat

On March 7, 2006

In Blog

Amusing conversation just now in #filkhaven:

(10:19:39) *Beige_Work:* I suspect I should keep my hands out of Vargo’s pockets….
(10:21:17) *Hilary:* But what has it got in it’s pocketsesss, Golum?
(10:23:06) *doc:* Cheese, Gollum!
(10:23:15) *Gwen:* It’s the wrong trousers, Gollum! 😉
(10:23:16) *doc:* (Crossovers that Should Not Be #1432)
(10:23:42) *vargo_work:* Cracking ring, Gollum!
(10:24:00) *Gwen:* Oh, bad, bad, bad.
(10:24:02) *Gwen:* BAd.
(10:24:06) *Hilary:* Then where’s the WereRabbit?
(10:24:13) ****vargo_work* wants to see/read Wallace and Gollum now.

Song: Where’s the Filkcircle

By autographedcat

On March 5, 2006

In Blog

I actually got the idea for this song some time ago, but couldn’t figure out where to go with it. Then one golden day, it came to me, and I wrote it down and set it aside to polish later, then lost it. Going through a box yesterday, cleaning out the storage closet, I found it again, and set about giving it the polish I thought it needed. Enjoy!

Where’s the Filkcircle
by Rob Wynne
Music: “Where’s the Orchestra” by Billy Joel
© 2006

Where’s the filkcircle?
Wasn’t this supposed to be an SF con?
Here I am, wandering the halls
How the hell could I have missed rousing guitars?

I liked the masquerade
Even though I had absolutely no idea at all
What was being said in all the panel talks
There’s the big name fan
The leading pro who never left the audience

Where’s the filkcircle?
After all, this is my big weekend from home
My trip to faerie, or the stars to roam
I assumed that a con would have a song
So I was wrong
So I’ll just sit right here
And play my guitar softly in the atrium
Then slowly one or two
Stop to hear a song
Then sit and sing along

And after the con is done
And after the last dog falls
The last note calls
From an open chord
At the filkcircle

By autographedcat

On March 2, 2006

In Blog

Seen in stakebait‘s journal:

The New Orleans Public Library is asking for any and all hardcover and paperback books for people of all ages in an effort to restock the shelves after Katrina. The staff will assess which titles will be designated for its collections. The rest will be distributed to destitute families or sold for library fundraising.

Please send your books to:

Rica A. Trigs, Public Relations
New Orleans Public Library
219 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112

If you tell the post office that they are for the library in New Orleans, they will give you the library rate which is slightly less than the book rate.

Choose Your Own Choose Your Own Adventure Adventure.

By autographedcat

On March 1, 2006

In Blog

When I was a kid, I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books. I had a huge stack of them, and enjoyed seeing how many different ways I could make the story come out.

I never had any of these titles in my collection, but I surely wish I had. (Warning: Not entirely safe for work).

New Song: Your Call Is Very Important To Us…

By autographedcat

On February 27, 2006

In Blog

This one came about in a fit of boredom one afternoon. kitanzi and I traded verses back and forth through e-mail until it came together. A bit of polish, and voila, a new song!

I think many people will be able to relate to this one….

Your Call Is Very Important To Us…
by Rob Wynne & Larissa March
TTTO: “Nessie, Come Up” by Dr. J. Robinson
© 2006

The customer sits by his keyboard
He needs to reach tech support
His coffee goes cold
while he’s waiting on hold
Three hours at the last report
The muzak plays soft in the background
As a voice he no longer believes
Says “Each call will be
Answered momentarily
In the order that it was received”

Thank you for holding on still,
For waiting for us so long,
For being polite and holding all night,
Your hope and your faith are so strong!
We thought that you might, we bet we were right,
We see that we weren’t wrong!
Thank you for waiting so, waiting so, waiting so,
Thank you for waiting so long!

He daydreams of a working computer
As the music his thoughts intertwine
He starts to lose hope
He’ll be able to cope
When a cheerful voice comes on the line
He tells her his problem in detail
And all of his details and specs
“Oh, sorry, sir you
Got into the wrong queue
I’ll transfer you, hold just a sec…”

Thank you for holding on still,
For waiting for us so long,
For being polite and holding all night,
Your hope and your faith are so strong!
We thought that you might, we bet we were right,
We see that we weren’t wrong!
Thank you for waiting so, waiting so, waiting so,
Thank you for waiting so long!

The morning sun shines through the window
As he slumps in his chair, fast asleep
The phone in his lap
He succumbed to a nap
And slowly the hours have creeped
A puzzled technician asks three times
“Hello, is there anyone there?”
Then she shrugs and moves on
As he wakes with a yawn
To hear that same tape loop declare…

Thank you for holding on still,
For waiting for us so long,
For being polite and holding all night,
Your hope and your faith are so strong!
We thought that you might, we bet we were right,
We see that we weren’t wrong!
Thank you for waiting so, waiting so, waiting so,
Thank you for waiting so long!

Valentine’s Day

By autographedcat

On February 15, 2006

In Blog

I came home from work yesterday to find, on my desk, a pair of Hersey’s chocolate kisses and a Valentine’s Day card from kitanzi. Inside the card, she said she was giving me the chocolate kisses (with a hint as to where I could find the rest), along with a pile of “yesses” which I could use to answer any request I could dream up.

We had a very enjoyable evening. 🙂

SONG: Love May Yet Survive This Fall

By autographedcat

On February 14, 2006

In Blog

This isn’t actually a new song, but it’s one that took a long time to be finished. I started writing it in 2001, and intended it to be a birthday present for kitanzi. But it wouldn’t quite come together, and so it got put aside. About a year later, I revisited the lyrics and finished them, but could never quite find a tune to fit them that made me happy. So I started looking around for someone to compose the music, and it finally ended up in the hands of katyhh, who did a wonderful job of it.

The song was debuted during katyhh and shannachie‘s concert at Gafilk — it was the first time I’d heard the tune, and the first that kitanzi was aware the song even existed. Definately one of the highlights of the con for me. 🙂

It seems appropriate to post this today. Happy Valentines Day, my dearest kitanzi.

The breeze is blowing through the grass
The stars are shining bright
Your voice echoes inside my head
From when we talked last night

You told me that you missed me
I wished that you were here
And this moment all I want is
to hold you warm and near

Have you ever seen the rainbow arch
Above the waterfall?
Did you think that it meant something good –
or anything at all?
Have you ever wished upon a star
or called dreams from the sea?
If so, you’ll know why all I want
is to have you here with me.

I’ve camped on sandy beaches and I’ve
walked along the strand
I’ve climbed green mountain paths to find
The highest place to stand

But I never found a single place that
Ever felt so right
As when you took me in your arms
And held me in the night

Have you ever seen the rainbow arch
Above the waterfall?
Did you think that it meant something good –
or anything at all?
Have you ever wished upon a star
or called dreams from the sea?
If so, you’ll know why all I want
is to have you here with me.

(Bridge)
I’ve learned a lot to get this far
And I know this much is true
Whatever path I walk next
Will be one I walk with you
Cause time can bring surprises
No one ever could have seen
And love may yet survive this fall
As winter yields to spring

There’s still a thousand miles that cannot
simply be erased
But we have hope and love and truth
And dreams we haven’t chased

And so until this distance is
A memory of the past
I give to you my heart to hold
And trust that love will last

Have you ever seen the rainbow arch
Above the waterfall?
Did you think that it meant something good –
or anything at all?
Have you ever wished upon a star
or called dreams from the sea?
If so, you’ll know why all I want
is to have you here with me.