rants and ramblings of utter randomness

Sharing here and elsewhere because I like sharing and also because getting this converted from streaming media to mpeg took all fecking morning and about twelve attempts with a bunch of different programs (FYI: EO Video seems to be able to convert anydamnthing). I was going to go back to bed. Grr.


Paul talks about Wilby Wonderful.

Contained herein is the word "cardiothoracic." I. Can't. Even.

Yes, I will tell y'all about Maya Angelou and how amazing she was, when I'm not so sleepy. Because it was glorious, and I don't want to leave stuff out.

I woke up early this morning, which is odd, because usually it's afternoon before I'm out of bed unless I have to be.

Today is i_am_a_hannah's birthday (yay!), and I've been thinking a lot about what it was like to be her age, with this whole...universe opening up in front of me. I was married at her age, and isn't that weird?

So anyway, she's up at school this weekend, and this morning it hit me that wow, she's the same age as a lot of the people who were killed at Virginia Tech. And ever since yesterday, every time I think of them, think about all those universes taken away and especially the ones left behind, I keep hearing the same song in my head like it's on repeat loop. So, I'm posting it here because it's a beautiful, triumphant song and maybe I'm supposed to share it and because I really think if the guy who wrote it were asked to give some words of encouragement, this might just be what he'd offer. And it's really for everyone, because like Neil says, there are no Other People. It's all us.

Stan Rogers - The Mary Ellen Carter

And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
with smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
and like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.

Sometimes in the middle of a bad day, the universe comes through.

Trojan Horse preview clip

*geeks out*

topaz7 linked to this story about the death of one of the last veterans of the Great War, and it reminded me of this song. I linked it in her comments, so I thought I'd post it here.

Cheryl Wheeler - 75 Septembers

Cheryl wrote it for her dad for his 75th birthday, but it applies to any older person looking back on life. It's always reminded me of my stepdad:



Mr. Clemett lived before the airplane and after the internet. Amazing, long life.

Here is a link to an NPR interview with US WWI vets. The World War I Living History Project is a lovely idea. Their site has interviews and videos with some of the last living US Vets (The first random picture I clicked on happened to be someone from Rhode Island). I hope other countries have sites like this, too. There aren't many of these guys left, and unlike my fourth grade history lessons taught me, WWI began in 1914, not 1917 (no, really. For years I though the war began in 1917 and ended in 1918).

I actually went looking similar projects in other countries, but got completely off-track because there's nothing like a geek with ADD for getting lost in a subject. There's sites featuring writers and propaganda posters (I want to get copies of some of these and frame them) and ones that give the German perspective (I'll have to wait for mr_t00by to help me read this one, but I can get a little of it).

I got completely lost in this site featuring music of the era.

And erm. Yeah. I was only going to post the Cheryl Wheeler song. Now I'm gonna go do laundry.

I'm linking these files from songdog's computer so I can download them to Cuthbert when I get home.
She's got a kickass bunch of music, so every time I visit I try to grab some. Take any or all of em, you guys. Knock yourselves out.

I started out using yousendit, but it went FUBAR on me, so I switched to Sendspace, which I like better, anyway.

Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
Alanis Morissette - Hand In My Pocket
The Archies - Sugar, Sugar

Barry Manilow - Bandstand Boogie
Barry Manilow - Daybreak
Barry Manilow - Jump Shout Boogie

Beach Boys - Sail On Sailor
Bee Gees - Words
Blues Image - Ride Captain Ride
Blues Traveler - Runaround

Bobby Sherman - Easy Come, Easy Go
Bobby Sherman - Hey Mister Sun
Bobby Sherman - La La La (If I Had You)
Bobby Sherman - Little Woman

Brian Setzer - Jump, Jive And Wail
Brotherhood of Man - United We Stand
Dave Matthews Band - Big Eyed Fish
Ink Spots - That Cat Is High

Jackson Browne - Jamaica Say You Will
Jackson Browne - The Pretender

Also, I'm going to respond with meme answers to everyone who asked me, never fear. :)

Also #2, Mediafire is going to be deleting all uploaded files over 100 mb. on 12 Feb. at noon. I have a couple sitting up there, so I thought I'd offer them here in case anyone wants them. It seems a shame not to. Now I need to find another program that will let me upload really big files. *sigh*

Buried on Sunday

IMDB info here. I've uploaded this before, but I can't remember which fileshare program I used. :/

Due South Pilot

No, I'm not posting this one specifically to entice topaz7 over to the Dark Side. Whyever would anyone think that? *beatific smile*

ETA: scriggle and spikesloveslave, I got your packages! Yay! Thank you so much, m'dears. :)

I was so impressed with this that I printed it out at work and showed it to the staff. Some were less impressed than I was, but for the most part the response was "that's a really, really good idea", with the added caveat of "not that it would ever be even close to legal here".

They're right, of course. But really, which is better? spending zillions chasing after drug dealers/makers/users/ and only catching a tiny fraction of them (and hello, going after users isn't going to make them stop using, y'know?), or using the money wisely and providing users with a safe place to use with clean needles and medical supervision? Which scenario is more likely to make addicts think that the system might be a place to go to for help?

And there's PROOF it works:

"The study...found that drug users who visited the site at least once a week were more willing to enter detoxification programs". Makes a whole lot of sense to me. There are health professionals on site. Willing to help and not judge, y'know? And you really can catch more flies with honey than you can with prison.

"The researchers also found that all users in the area, including those with HIV, have been sharing syringes less since the start of the injection site, which is the first of its kind in North America. They have also engaged in other safe injection practices like using sterile water to formulate their drugs and swabbing alcohol on their skin.

Users were less likely to overdose when they used the facility at least once a week, the study found."

The way I look at it is that if you want to to help addicts (or more important, get them to want help), it's not gonna happen if you're judgemental and persecutory. How about being supportive and nurturing, treating them like people with illnesses, which, um, is what they are (HUGE emphasis on "people", here)?

So anyway, go Vancouver. Maybe some of our people will take the example and start pushing for similar facilities in the States. I hope the site gets the funding it deserves. Things don't look too rosy right now, according to the article, anyway. The federal government seems to have its head up its arse and is refusing to provide the funding that would keep the site open past the end of next year. Yay for craniorectal inversion.

From everything I've been reading, I'm quickly reaching the opinion that Stephen Harper is a creep. Dubya probably likes him. At least he probably knows his name, which if true would be novel for him (I'd really like to meet PM Poutine. We could do lunch. Although his cholesterol level is probably through the roof). Oh, and, another thing: if I ever get the chance to meet Rick Mercer I might just snog him senseless. :)

In other news, here's my Repeat Loop Song of the Moment:

Dispatch - The General. Lyrics here.

I love this song: its acoustic-y goodness, the extra words shoved into lines that they really don't fit but somehow they work, and the perfect, perfect lyrics, and perfect, oh-so-very-right theme of soldiers (and their general) as people. Because, um. They are, y0.

Oh, and the Best. Chorus. Ever.:

He said: I have seen the others
And I have discovered
That this fight is not worth fighting
And I have seen their mothers
And I will no other to follow me where I'm going


So,

Take a shower, shine your shoes
You got no time to lose
You are young and you must be living so
Take a shower, shine your shoes
You got no time to lose
You are young and you must be living
Go now you are forgiven

i_am_a_hannah introduced me to this song. I adore it. And her, of course. *hugs her*

And now I have writing to finish. I'll most likely be up forever doing it, so expect random spams. Feel free to ignore them.

And send me Vecchio drabbles. I'm running against a deadline and need to stay in the Gestalt of Vecchio.

John Lennon - Remember

Also, Saddam gets death by hanging.

Headline quote: 'Bush calls verdict "a major achievement for Iraq's young democracy"'. Jesus.

Song and article not related at all, despite line about hanging. Saddam's no hero, that's for sure.

But really, WHO WOULD JESUS HANG?

A few months ago, songdog played this song for me. It took me a bit to get who was singing it because I wasn't even thinking in that direction, but when I figured it out, I did my best impression of a human flycatcher. Because oh, my, if this isn't a little miracle:

Elton John - Bridge Over Troubled Water

It sounds like a demo, with strings that may or may not be Paul Buckmaster's. eltonroo, do you know where and when this was recorded? It sounds old, very old, which means it was recorded by baby!Elton.



( another, cooler two words meme )

Now I shall go to bed because I'm going to Block Island and I'm already going to be running on not enough sleep. *waves*

Dear Paul Gross,

Please stop.

You're allowed to be pretty and smart. I'll give you that.

You're also allowed to record music that's pleasant and catchy. Got a nice tune and I can dance to it, I give it a 75.
Nice but nothing out of the ordinary.

But please don't write or (gods forbid) record any more songs that are so gorgeous and intense and breathtaking that I can feel them all the way down to the tips of my fingers.

Because it really isn't fair, all that not being able to breathe and everything.

On second thought, forget I said anything.

No, really, forget it.

Carry on.

I'll be over here in a heap on the floor next to the speaker.

Until next time, so long and thanks for all the consonants,

Me


I mean, holy shit.

Keeley and Gross - Family Matters

I blame stormymouse for this, and I mean that in the nicest way. &hearts

Commentary on the Kinetic Aesthetics of One S.R. Kowalski, CPD, and, By Association, Callum Keith Rennie:


Y'know, you can't tell me that this scene wasn't choreographed, because if Callum can do that without the music, then he's not just talented, he's some kind of alien moving thing (the jury is actually still deliberating on this idea).

Which means it must have been rehearsed and rehearsed, with the music. Which is probably why it's so, um. Well, just LOOK at it. Because some things just connect.


This has been a PSA brought to you by CKR, Hugh Dillon, and my own weird, overactive brain. No actual Real People were harmed in the making of this flight of fantasy.

P.S. For those of you who've never heard the music as a whole lovely thing, here you go:

The Headstones - Cubically Contained

Gorgeous thing, so it is.

This song (from the tiny snippet in the scene) was my intro to the band, and to the sheer poetry of Hugh Dillon.
My inner music!geek was all, FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS AND WHO RECORDED IT.

NOW, KID.

I always listen to my inner music!geek. She is far wiser than I.

As for Hugh, I heart him. With BIG GIANT FLUFFY RED HEARTS THAT HE'D HATE.