monty python

Jeff and I went to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail at the Paramount last night with Craig, Doug, Scott, and Parki. The Paramount had posted signs all over the place saying they were going to donate $2 from every concession purchase yesterday to the Sept. 11th relief fund. Though I'm sure the intent was good, I have to question the value of the PR of donating on the slowest day of the week, in terms of number of patrons. There were nine people in our theatre last night.


Anyway, it was the first time I had ever seen the entire film. My favourite bits were Castle Anthrax (the scene had a bonus extra twenty seconds, apparently), the repression of the peasants, the witch scene. I dozed off before the end (hey, it was midnight, way past my normal bedtime these days) so had to ask people what happened.


Except for being familiar with certain oft-quoted scenes, I confess I'm pretty Python-ignorant. A long while ago, I had vaguely assumed Monty Python was an actual person rather than the name of the troupe (which consisted of John Cleesse, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Michael Palin). I still don't have all the faces connected with the proper names, except for John Cleese and Michael Palin.


After doing some online research, I learned a bit more:


- Douglas Adams helped with the writing in the fourth series.


- Terry Gilliam was born in Milleapolis.


- All kinds of Monty Python stuff is

available for sale online.


- The Python crew got together after a filming of Do Not Adjust Your Set in 1969.


- The knights who no longer say NI were saying "ecky ecky ecky ecky piítang zoop boing" (I couldn't understand their words in the film, except for the first bit).


Amazing what you can find out online. :-)


Writing Update:


I've applied for two contributing editor positions for online publications and am combing writing/editing job boards and news every day. I know there are other writers out there, so am keeping notes on any interesting tidbits I find in a Writing News Weblog.


Links:


Pythonline.com

The Monty Python FAQ


(Wired) "Dot-Info opens without a trickle". Includes a quote from one of my ex-Xlibris supervisors.


(Wired) Bin Laden smushed in gameland.


(Yahoo) E-mail is 30 years old!


Today's Blatherpics:


- Bryan Fullerton on the weekend. Note the ethereal glow around Bryan's head, which is bizarre considering this photo was taken at 9:30 pm. My personal theory is that his Technonerdboy Karma Energies spilled over into the physical world, thus the impressive aura. Ok, I lied...I took this at brunch at Grapefruit Moon on the weekend. Makes a good story, though, doesn't it? Feel free to circulate rumours about Bryan's aura if you'd like.


Today's Poll: (Suggest a question)



Do you own a DVD player?

word on the street

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my music partner, JODI! And congrats again to Jodi for being highlighted in the Sept. 8 issue of Billboard magazine! (with a photo, even) If you're at all interested in songwriting, you should check out her Muse's Muse songwriting site. And do drop by the annual Urban Tapestry Birthday Party for her and Allison.


Dandelion Wine (consisting of Dave Clement and Tom Jeffers) now has a Web site, thanks to the talents of Beckett Gladney. Beckett says that the site is still under construction, and welcomes feedback and suggestions on how to improve the site. I'll be contributing something to the site soon especially since I notice a few embarrassing photos of me sprinkled here and there, including one of me getting a Northumbrian Smallpipes lesson from Al Thomson of Curraugh (band consisting of Dave, Tom, and Al). :-D


Hey, someone from Canoe interviewed me today about my comic strip, Waiting For Frodo (which is now being regularly updated, by the way). And thanks to TheOneRing.net for including my update news on their main page today (as of 3 pm, the comic strip has received over 1000 visits).





Went to Word on the Street yesterday, after brunch at Grapefruit Moon with our friend Bryan. Without booth obligations, I could wander freely throughout without worrying about time. I did feel a pang when I came to the Writer's Block section, where Inkspot used to be. :-( Ah well, perhaps someday I'll set up another booth, this time marketing my zillions of bestsellers and other publications! It's good to dream, anyway.


Jeff and I got together with our friends Cory Doctorow and Amanda Foubister on Queen Street at the outdoor patio of the Rex Hotel. Cory was carrying an impressive number of tech toys with him than anyone else I know (see above photo). I've added his blog to my link list. Cory's one of those people whose whirlwind energy and enthusiasm affects everything within a certain radius...the very air vibrates, colours are brighter (yes, just like the ad for that bleach ad on television!). And when he leaves, the world seems to pale a bit, and your own life seems dulls by comparison, at least temporarily, until you come to your senses and realize that if you kept up his manic schedule your brain would probably explode.





In the evening, we went to my sister's for dinner. Sara and Annie wore their Hallowe'en costumes to show Jeff and me. Sara is going to be Arwen (as portrayed in the Lord of the Rings trailer); Annie is Ariel (from the Little Mermaid). We watched the trailer for the movie on their computer, and Sara knew Every Single Word.


For the first time in many years, I'm actually going to be in town when Sara and Annie are out trick or treating! Very hyped about this; I'm hoping they'll let me tag along.


Going to see the late show of Monty Python and the Holy Grail with Jeff and some other friends tonight. I've never seen the entire thing before, so it should be an experience if I can keep my eyes open that long. I knew several Monty Python sketches by heart years before I saw the actual sketches. One of my clearest memories is of rooming with Michelle Sagara (who also writes as "Michelle West") at Maplecon years ago. Our Python fanatic friends were next door. Knowing our impatience with their frequent quoting from the show, they stuck a ghetto blaster up against the thin wall separating our rooms (our accomodations were in a college dormitory) and played "The Parrot Sketch" at full blast. As memory serves, the perpetrators included Bruce Macintosh, John Chew, and Jeremy Graham.


Today's Blatherpics:


- Cory Doctorow with his tech toys. The yellow bag has the boingboing.net logo.


- Sara as Arwen (as in the Lord of the Rings movie trailer).


Today's Poll: (Suggest a question)



Are you a Monty Python fan?

ladybugs!

I was in the middle of work yesterday when I noticed odd tiny shadows all over my window. Opening the blinds, I saw ladybugs swarming outside, with a bunch crawling on the window as well. This year has certainly been the year of odd insect visitations in Toronto.


In the afternoon, Jeff and I drove out to visit his mom, Ginny. The renovations on her place look great. As we walked around in the sunshine and fresh air, we both found ourselves nostalgic for the days when we lived out in the country. We'll likely move within the next couple of years, but will stay within the city. Our current location is wonderful, but we're hoping to find another condo unit in the city (not necessarily right downtown) with more access to sunlight throughout the day.


Going to Word on the Street today. It will be strange being a regular attendee rather than having my own booth. Speaking of which, Ruth recently gave me a page from "Toronto Families" magazine this month. Under its Events section, there was a picture of Amanda Foubister and me at the Inkspot booth at last year's WOTS! :-)


Thanks to Allison for telling me about the Lord of the Rings exhibit at Casa Loma in Toronto. Bizarre why Alliance Atlantis chose Toronto for this exhibit, but I'm not complaining. Jeff and I will probably check it out during a weekday. Speaking of Lord of the Rings, here's a rather appealing picture of the hobbits in surf gear. ;-)





Update on my fave online journals


Josh discusses computer-generated music.


Amanda Foubister obsesses over details.


Andrea posts lyrics to her newest song, "Cleaning House".


Reid's wife Luisa tells him to go cut grass.


Luisa talks about Reid's birthday.


Tom Smith snarls.


Wistfully missing Annie's Witterings.


David talks about airport security.


Zander discusses terrorism.


Amanda Snyder has to trade in Sadie.


I've updated online journal links page, for those interested.


Corrections and updates


Yesterday, I said I knew my friend Andrew for ten years. I must have been in some kind of chocolate-deprived delirium when I typed that, because in truth I've known the guy for twenty years (!)


Links


(Wired) The Onion causes controversy by devoting an entire issue to satirizing the Sept. 11 day of tragedy.


(Canoe) According to the ALA, the Harry Potter books were challenged the most often as being inappropriate for schools and libraries.





Today's Blatherpics:


- Mango, Ginny's kitten.


- Ladybugs on my home office window.


- Bowl of driftwood at Ginny's place.


Today's Poll:



Are you looking forward to seeing the Harry Potter movie more than Lord of the Rings? Or rephrased, if you were forced to choose between two movies, would you choose Harry Potter (select "Yes") or Lord of the Rings (select "No")?

still california-bound

First off, a belated birthday to my friend Reid, whose birthday was yesterday. And speaking of birthdays, you're all invited to the annual Urban Tapestry VIRTUAL BIRTHDAY PARTY for Allison and Jodi! We're doing potluck; please do bring something if at all possible. The party will run until the end of this weekend.


Click here to join the party


Only two weeks until my California trip! I had briefly considered cancelling it because of all the uncertainty following the Sept.11 attacks, but I've decided to stick with my original plan unless something develops which constitutes a good reason not to go.


Some reasons I'm still going to California:


- The chances my plane will be highjacked are probably lower than the chances of being me being hit by a car when I'm out walking, or having a helicopter land on my head.


- If the airlines shut down while I'm out on the West Coast, I can always take a train home (i.e. at least I'll be on the same continent, unlike during our Japan trip)


- My California flight was arranged on US Airways points (i.e. a free flight) which I accumulated during my flights between Philadelphia and Toronto. Those who have been following my Blatherings all year know the hell I often went through then with postponed and cancelled flights, plus hating to have to fly back to Philadelphia after visits back home. It would give me great pleasure to turn all those negative vibes into something positive, like this trip.


- It's the first time in a long time that I've taken a trip (more than a day) by myself for the sole purpose of hanging out with friends. No hectic convention schedules or sightseeing goals or trying to fit in visiting with a zillion people into two days. As much as I love conventions, it's difficult to get one-on-one time with people in that environment...gatherings tend to be the "massive crowd tries to fit into a Chinese restaurant" sort, or you talk to people a few seconds at a time between programmed events.


- To hang out with Casey and Riley and their parents. I told Beckett I'm looking forward to smelling their heads (I love the smell of baby heads). Big news, by the way...Riley is cutting his first tooth at the moment (probably at this very moment). By the way, do check out Beckett Gladney's Web site. Beckett is an extremely talented artist and illustrator...I guarantee you'll like what you see. Plus check out her rough sketches for a children's book! Beckett claims that this site is under construction right now, but it looks pretty good to me.


As for Paul, many good wishes to him and Taunya, who are entertaining the folks at FilkContinental in Germany right now! I'm really looking forward to their trip report.


- To hang out with my friend Andrew. I've known Andrew for about twenty years now; he works with Apple in Cupertino. I met him through the poslpeople, a group of friends in university. I'm also hoping to hook up with some other friends from that group who now live in California.


- To hang out with Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff. I got to know Jeff and Maya a bit when I met them a couple times at California conventions, and then when I interviewed Maya for Inkspot, and Jeff for The Dandelion Report. They are massively talented performers, and I have all their albums (and have been bugging Jeff about when their next one is coming out). Even my Jeff (who has never heard Urban Tapestry in live performance) was taking their CD off our shelf and listening to it without me being around. I don't think he's ever done that with any other recording I've brought home from filk conventions.


- And finally, I want to go to California because it would gall me to let fear keep me at home. It would almost be like admitting that the terrorists (and I am going to use the word "terrorist" even if Reuters is squeamish about the term these days) have won.

Other news

- Check out Andrea's new song, "Cleaning House" in her Zen Cappuccino. I'll be staying with Andrea and Tom before and after OVFF...REALLY looking forward to that, and to meeting Nicholas!


- Scott has switched Amanda's online journal to Blogger for easier updating. To follow their new daughter's progress as well as updates in Amanda's and Scott's life, visit Amanda's Musings.


- Several people have pointed out my Tolkien gaffe in yesterday's Blathering...Liv Tyler plays Arwen, not Eowyn. I'm somewhat confused, though, but will refrain from saying why since I don't want to post any potential spoilers.


Today's Blatherpics:


- Talis Kimberley browsing for chocolate at Laura Secord's during a visit earlier this year.


- Jeff, Sara, and Annie watching Dragon Tales.


Today's Poll:



Do you have any food allergies?

Tolkien fever

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Thanks to Seanan, who first alerted me to the new Lord of the Rings trailer on Blatherchat. Jeff downloaded it after a couple of tries (we didn't have the right version of Quicktime) and we watched it after the Enterprise premiere night.


WOW, THIS MOVIE LOOKS AMAZING. If the movie lives up to the trailers, then it should be a box office smash. Heck, even if it sucks, it'll still probably be a box office hit just because of the Tolkien fans. :-) I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to wait until December! Even my nieces, Sara and Annie, are nuts for the trailer. They walked into the room while Ruth was watching it on their computer and were curious. Ruth was worried about the fight scenes scaring them, but both girls seem fixated on Eowyn's character in the trailer. Ruth says Annie's even quoting Eowyn's "Come and claim him" line with all the right intonation. Of course neither Sara nor Annie know the LOTR story, nor have they any interest in seeing the actual movie. They are simply content with watching the trailer over and over again. :-)


I've updated my Waiting For Frodo comic with two new strips, for those interested. Here's the first new strip, and here's the second. I've already received a few e-mails about them. Here's an excerpt from one I particularly liked:



"I hope that you don't mind my writing to you out of the blue, but I

wanted to tell you how very much I enjoy the Waiting for Frodo strip.

I'm a (very geeky) grad student & a Tolkien fan, but the reason that I

love the strip so much is that I have a terrible, terrible crush on

someone who (a) is obsessed with Tolkien & with the upcoming movie and

(b) looks exactly, but exactly, like the fellow in the strip."



I'm also taking a poll about whether Sam (the main character in the strip) should end up with Rosie or Gladys. I confess I'm torn, so am soliciting opinions. If you're interested, you can cast your vote here.


One of the reasons I'm looking forward to the Lord of the Rings movie so much is because movie fare seems to be pretty skimpy these days. I've been dying to see a movie since we came back from Tokyo, but nothing at the Paramount appeals to me right now, despite its many theatres. Jeff and I are probably going to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail this weekend with some friends. Jeff's a big MP fan, and I've never seen the entire movie.


And finally, a writing update: I've made my first post-Inkspot writing sale, woohoo! I'm writing about online harp resources for Harp Column magazine. I also just received my first Cafe press cheque, which means that I must have sold enough t-shirts to warrant one, which is pretty cool. :-) I'll be adding some more t-shirts fairly soon, and -not- just Tolkien-oriented.





* (Click on above image to enlarge) *


Today's Blatherpics:


Shrunken versions of the two new comics. Click on either to see an enlarged version.


Today's Poll:



Are you hoping to see the new Lord of the Rings movie on opening day/night?