Fiddler on the roof

Allison conducting her choir last night.


When I was in school, I was way too shy to even consider volunteering for any of the school musicals. I regret that now; I think I would have at least enjoyed being part of the stage crew, or working on the set production. Or maybe I just wasn't lucky enough to have a teacher like Allison to inspire and encourage me.

Jodi and I went to see Allison's school production of "Fiddler On The Roof" last night. Allison has been working very hard on the production since the beginning of the school year. I get a kick out of hearing Allison being called "Mrs. Durno". :-) Allison's husband John was there as the official school videographer.

Congratulations to Allison; the show was great!



Jodi waiting eagerly for the play to begin, an hour early.


SURVEY: I'm curious; were any of you in school plays or musicals? If so, what was your role?

Links:

Lord of the Rings as a musical??

Reid's report about Craig's 40th birthday party: includes several embarrassing photos of yours truly. :-)



Jodi and me.


(This entry was written with ViaVoice, a voice recognition program, which sometimes has its own sense of humor. Please forgive any spelling or grammar quirks which Debbie has missed while editing. Thank you. )

May/2003 comments: Read | Post | LJ

poll: adventurous eating

Photo by Jeff (click image for larger version)


Yay, my friends Peter and Laura say they have the musical episode of Buffy on tape and have offered to lend it to me! I finished season three early this morning. Argh. I want more! Why can't season 4 be available on DVD yet?

Last night, Jeff and I had the kaiseki at Hashimoto's again with our friends John and Mark. Sumptuous details and photographs very soon. Right now, however, I want to talk about adventurous dining.

I like to consider myself an adventurous eater. I will try pretty much anything once, as long as I think it won't hurt me, and especially on the recommendation of someone whose opinion I trust. I love going out to eat at a new place with someone already familiar with the menu and letting them order for me, especially if that person is excited about the restaurant.

One of the reasons I love ordering kaiseki is because the chef makes all the choices. I find that these days, many menus just have way too much choice. Looking through a multi page tome of culinary listings is mentally exhausting sometimes, particularly when I'm just looking for a relaxing evening out.

I do admit that there are times when I just feel like sticking with something familiar. And if I find a particular dish on a menu that I like a lot, then I tend to order it over and over again whenever I eat at the restaurant. Hm. So maybe I'm not all that adventurous an eater after all. On the other hand, I'm willing to eat a bowl of purple sludge if a trusted friend tells me to.

Unless it's moving, that is.

SURVEY: Are you an adventurous eater?

Are you excited about trying foods that you have never tried before? Do you purposely seek out new culinary experiences? Are you willing to try food that looks scary or an appealing just for the heck of it? Would you let someone else order for you at an unfamiliar restaurant?

(This entry was written with ViaVoice, a voice recognition program, which sometimes has its own sense of humor. Please forgive any spelling or grammar quirks which Debbie has missed while editing. Thank you. )

May/2003 comments: Read | Post | LJ

writing

An article of mine in the current issue of Country Connections magazine.
The cartoons are mine as well. (click image for larger version)


Happy birthday, Lyanne!

It took me quite a bit longer to write my column for Writing World for next month than usual, but I did finish it and I sent it on time, yay! I had to cancel the previous two columns because of my tendinitis, but this time I managed to put together the column with the help of ViaVoice macro and AppleScript shortcuts I have set up. Since writing the column is similar to how I write my magazine articles (involving online research and e-mail interviews), I figure I can start sending out article queries again. I just have to be careful about how many I commit to since the process is much slower than usual right now, and I don't want to set unrealistic work goals.

Saw my doctor yesterday for my monthly "keep an eye on things" checkup, and she was pleased to see that things are improving instead of getting worse as they seemed to be last month. She told me that I will make a full recovery, but I just have to be patient; it could be several more months. The most important thing is that I'm not push myself into doing something stupid (she didn't use the word "stupid" but I could tell that's what she meant) that would cause a setback in my recovery.

I only have two episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to go in season three. Does anyone out there have the musical episode on tape?

(This entry was written with ViaVoice, a voice recognition program, which sometimes has its own sense of humor. Please forgive any spelling or grammar quirks which Debbie has missed while editing. Thank you. )

May/2003 comments: Read | Post | LJ

Poll: bookstores

Photo by Jeff. (click image for larger version)


So last week, Nick The Physiotherapist made me ridiculously happy when he told me that I could start some arm strengthening exercises; up to now, my exercises have been for stretching only. Although I still have trouble reading a book for extended periods without my arms getting tired, I can now turn a key in a lock, hold a glass of water in my left hand, and tie my shoes without pain. These may seem like simple tasks to you, but I feel as if I have successfully navigated the first stage of a major Mount Everest climbing expedition. :-)

Today's poll is about bookstores. I adore bookstores. I could spend way too much time wandering through a bookstore, browsing the shelves. Despite the gloomy weather forecast, yesterday was too nice to stay indoors. I took a long walk around our neighborhood, and spent a fair amount of time visiting Pages on Queen Street as well as Chapters. These days, I tend to gravitate towards the poetry, self-help/health, sf/fantasy, kids' and writing reference sections. Before heading home, I lingered over a short non-fat Lactaid Tazo Chai, people-watching and thinking mellow thoughts.



Pages bookstore, one of my favorites in Toronto.

Poll: bookstores

Do you like bookstores? Which ones are your favorites? How often do you visit bookstores? Would you enjoy a visiting a bookstore even if you knew you weren't going to purchase anything? What sections do you tend to browse first?

(This entry was written with ViaVoice, a voice recognition program, which sometimes has its own sense of humor. Please forgive any spelling or grammar quirks which Debbie has missed while editing. Thank you. )

May/2003 comments: Read | Post | LJ

oh ok la

Rand and Adam promo photo for an earlier album. (click image for larger version)
Please note that all Ookla images on this page are copyright © Ookla The Mok
except for the photo by Jim Leonard.


So I've been listening to the new Ookla The Mok CD, "Oh ok LA". Really, really love this album. It consistently combines all my favorite Ookla traits: excellent songwriting and vocal arrangements, great vocals, clever lyrics and a wonderful sense of life.

Rand Bellavia and Adam English have been writing songs together since 1991, became friends much earlier. Both of them live in Buffalo. Rand is head of acquisitions at D'Youville College Library in Buffalo; he also teaches the collection development and cataloging classes for the Masters in Library Science Department of the University of Buffalo. Adam is a professional caricature artist and also also manages the art concessions at Six Flags Darien Lake.

I met the two of them about 10 years ago with Allison and Jodi at an Astronomicon. I was blown away by their performance in open filk as well as by their songwriting skills. I haven't met their drummer yet, Chris Gajewski.



Rand and Adam in open filk at OVFF. Photo by Jim Leonard


Jeff Thomas, formerly of The Frogs and Mightyhead and currently in The Queue, produced the new Ookla The Mok album. While Rand and Adam were happy with Doug White at Watchmen Studios, they felt that they needed a change. Recording was done over a period of four months in both Buffalo and Philadephia (lots of driving was involved), ending Feb/2003. After recording, the album was mixed and mastered overseas in London.

Last year, Rand and Adam sold some music to Disney which became the main theme to a new children's cartoon called Fillmore (the show has been renewed for a second season). Rand and Adam were flown to the west coast, and undoubtedly their experience had an influence on some of the songs in their new album.

One of the things I like about this CD is that although the instrumentals and arrangements are polished and professional-sounding, the songs still sound fresh and original, with the enthusiasm and wistful optimism of their early material. I think that this album will be much more accessible to the mainstream audience than their last project, yet still has more than enough geek/nerd factor to appeal to people like me. :-)

if you're interested in ordering the CD, check out this page on cdbaby.com. The page also has more information about the album as well as sound clips. Or check out the official Ookla The Mok fan page at http://www.otmfan.com/, and you can find out about their upcoming concerts here.



Cover of the album.

Playlist on OH OK LA:

W. W. S. D. ? (What Would Scooby Doo?)

"When you're unsure of your life
Like if you don't know whether to wear your yellow sweater or leave your wife
If your mind's in a fog
Don't think too much, put your trust in dog"

F. People (Famous People)

"Show a little compassion for Michael Jackson
When he turns up on the evening news
Don't judge that man or make fun of his tan
Until you've walked a mile backwards in his sequinned shoes."

P. M. Prima Donna (Pre-Madonna Prima Donna)

A song about Cher. :-)

"Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere
No wonder she chose a nom de guerre"

A. M. Suicide (Another Midget Suicide)

"Sometimes I feel like Gary Coleman
Sad and stout
Out of place with that look on my face
'Whatchu talkin' about?'"

LA (la land)

"It's not so bad to fight the crowd
It's the price you pay for fame
Your mom and dad would be so proud
So proud if you hadn't changed your name."

STS-107

My favorite song on the album. This song was originally titled "Columbia", and was written before the Columbia disaster.

Go On

Very sad, very beautiful.

Ex

An X-Files song.

Mr. W. (Mr. Worf)

"Geordi's visor on the blink
Deanna Troi is on the brink
O'Brien's been reassigned to Deep Space Nine
Barclay's on the Holodeck
Tasha's dead and Ro's a wreck
Garibaldi's not on Star Trek
Who will lead the crew
What are we to do
When the enemy ship comes into view?
Who's to be obeyed when the Borg invade?"

Another promo photo. (click image for larger version)


O Sting

"O Sting, where is thy death?"

Buffalo, CA

Insidiously catchy melody that gets into your head and won't go away.

Hollywood's Ending

One of my favorites on this album.

"Now the story is over
Romantic kiss as the music swells
Not a dry eye
The lights come up as the credits roll
But I don't see my name at all
No curtain call
The curtain falls

From all the people one begins
And one by one they all join in
Soon everyone has risen to applaud
And all the people stand and cheer
But I'm still standing here
No hero, just a member of the crowd"

All images in this entry are copyright © Ookla The Mok except for the photo by Jim Leonard.

(This entry was written with ViaVoice, a voice recognition program, which sometimes has its own sense of humor. Please forgive any spelling or grammar quirks which Debbie has missed while editing. Thank you. )

May/2003 comments: Read | Post | LJ