My Life In A Nutshell updated

Veryvery busy today, hence this short Blathering. Thanks to Allison for the heads-up about the cancelled LOTR Musical shows; what a bummer it must be for ticket-holders at those early performances. Jeff and I are going with our nieces in a couple of weeks.

Thanks to Beckett and Casey and Riley for the surprise package! Details and photos next week.

Have a great weekend, everyone. :-)

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James Frey exhaustion, a plug for Inkygirl

Explanation of above comic:
If you've missed the whole James Frey controversy, go here. I scribbled this morning's cartoon out of frustration, having had to plow (yet again) through a zillion pages of articles and editorials about James Frey to find publishing news for my Market Watch column.

It's true that the controversy has had an impact on the publishing world (particularly publishers and authors of memoirs), but I'm hoping the current obsession passes soon.

I've been catching up on various writing and publishing blogs lately for Inkygirl; holy cow, are there a lot of them! I just discovered some excellent ones, like Miss Snark: The Literary Agent (thanks to Sal Towse for pointing me to this one), the blog of an "anonymous" NYC agent. Highly opinionated, snarky, funny, informative.

Speaking of Inkygirl, I haven't put in a plug for my blog for writers in ages, so figured it's about time. Sal just pointed out to me that I've been writing it for three years. Yikes, I had no idea it was that long.

Anyway, Inkygirl includes listings of telecommuting jobs for writers, cartoons and photos, mini-reviews and editorials from yours truly, pointers to various interesting and/or useful resources for writers. There are also links to my Market Watch column and Will Write For Chocolate comics. If you have any interest in freelance writing, please do check it out.

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Will Write For Chocolate updated

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated with a strip and accompanying blog entry: "Dealing With Rejection: Tips For Writers." Mimi, of course, is the cousin of Rosie from my Waiting For Frodo strip, though I'm not sure if this will ever be explicitly stated in the comic. Rosie was always my favourite character in WFF.

In yesterday's Blathering, I announced that Urban Tapestry and Franklin were doing a joint concert at FilKONtario and toyed with various joint group names like "Urban Franklin" and "Franklin Tapestry." I like other people's suggestions better:

From Merle: "Urban Gunkelmann"

From Eva Wiest: "Rural Tapestry" (since Franklin apparently lives in a rural area)

From Phillip: "FrankenTapestry" (Katy helpfully points out that "Franken" is also an area in Germany, and that Franklin does come from that area...)

From Judith: "Or the Erb Girls and a Guy: Angelica, Juniper, Dilly and... Frankincense? Fennel? Fenugreek?" (Debbie's note: In the past, Urban Tapestry has sometimes been nicknamed 'The Urb/Erb Girls' :-))

Recently read:

Artemis Fowl: I admit I wasn't expecting to like this; the blurb didn't make it sound like my kind of book. I was curious, however, and I liked the name. Anyway, I enjoyed this more than I expected. Some clever writing, and the premise is intriguing...Guess I'll have to pick up the second book. :-)

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Urban Tapestry and Franklin concert at FilKONtario!

(Above: Franklin, Allison, Jodi and me at Filkcontinental in Germany, with chocolate.)

Just found out it's okay to announce this: Urban Tapestry is going to be performing at FilKONtario in Toronto (Mar.31-Apr.2nd) in a joint concert with Frank ("Franklin") Gunkelmann, woohoo! This is our only confirmed public performance this year, and we're SO looking forward to it.

We had much fun in Germany with Franklin; see Allison's LJ entry. Our FKO concert will be partly Franklin, partly Urban Tapestry, and partly Urban Franklin (Franklin Tapestry? Other suggestions for our joint group name welcome!).

Thanks to the FilKONtario convention committee for this fun opportunity. Do consider coming to FKO if you haven't already, else you'll miss some great fun and music. AND a great line-up of guests:

Photo from Chris's site.	CHRIS CONWAY. I raved about him in a past Blathering. Unbelieveably talented, Chris is a full-time musician living in the UK and plays more instruments (and plays them WELL) than anyone else I know. He has recorded over 30 CDs. Urban Tapestry did some back-up on his "Alien Salad Abduction" CD. More info and soundclips on his Web site.
	TANYA HUFF. Author of numerous sf/fantasy novels including Smoke and Mirrors (came out from DAW last year), The Novels of Crystal series, Blood series, Keeper's Chronicles series, Quarters series, others. Tanya is now hooked on filking (yay!). I love her Pervy Hobbit song.
Photo by Rob Wynne	JUDI MILLER. Judi's signing has enhanced many filk performances in the past (both funny and serious); I was delighted to hear she was going to be an Interfilk guest at FKO! Judi is a teacher of the deaf in Columbus, OH.

You can find out more about the convention at the official FilKONtario Web site.

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babies and nMC and tunes

Congrats to Amanda and Scott Snyder on the birth of their son last night, William Arthur! As Scott posted in his LJ: "The Snyder family - now with 25 percent Canadian content!" (The Snyders used to live in the U.S. :-))

I've been having some good writing days. I can still write on bad writing days, but it's always more of an effort. On good writing days, the words just pour out and it's agony to have to take my regular arm breaks (but I still do since I don't want another tendinitis flare-up) because I hate interrupting the flow.

Heard back from the media company that bought my thyme cartoon; they're actively looking for cartoons on other topics, so I'm going to send them some more.



I'm also working on a fundraising t-shirt for FilKONtario and Interfilk; months ago, I was asked to do a cartoon portrait of 13 n'Early Music Consort members to put on a t-shirt that will be sold to help raise the money to get them to Toronto in 2007 for FKO. I've been having the darndest time trying to get headshot photos of some members of the group, however. To you UK filkers out there: if anyone has good, clear headshot pictures of the following n'MC members, pleasePLEASE let me know:

URGENT:
DJ Bass (Update: Thanks to Keris for pointing me to some photos!)
Simon Fairbourn (Update: Thanks to Katy for pointing me to a recent Simon photo I can use!)

WOULD BE NICE (newer members -- I don't have to add them to the t-shirt but would like to if possible):
Anna Raftery (Update: Thanks to Keris for pointing me to some photos!)
Elizabeth Fosbrooke-Brown
Tricia Williams

Another update: Yay, thanks to Rafe Culpin for the photos of DJ, Simon and Anna!

I really don't want to have to do this at the last minute, especially if it might interfere with my paying work or cause problems with my tendinitis (in which case I won't be able to do it at all). Thanks kindly.



Photos today are of snacks I bought in Pacific Mall a short while back. The green mushrooms and Feel Safari snacks were disappointing - not nearly as interesting as their packages made them out to be. The tiny fish, however, have been a favourite snack of mine since childhood. I used to pretend to be a giant, crunching their tiny little heads...yes, I know, what a horrible child.

Learned "Will You Come Home With Me" on my whistle. I updated my "tunes I've memorized" list, and have discovered that I've learned about 40 tunes in the past year, 46 in total. Some I can play without hearing the first few notes, some I play quickly and well, some very badly and slowly. I'm posting the list below, fyi. The odd combinations of letters and numbers is a highly mutated form of abc notation, to remind me of how each tune starts. The page numbers refer to various collections of mine, in case I need to look up the music.

I've been practising the tunes on this list as well as learning more from Mary's filk tune list and the Tranzac list.

DEBBIE'S LIST OF TUNES
(updated Jan.29/2006)

Apples In Winter - Miscp4
- dc BEE dEE BAG FEF
Austin Barrett's (Dusty Windowsills) - Miscp4
- A2B cBA eAB cBA
Ballydesmond #1 (polka) - Miscp1
- AB c2B2 A2GA Bded g2ed
Ballydesmond #2 (polka) - Miscp1
- EAAB cdef# G
Bank of Ireland (reel)
- cA AGA BGAG | EGDG EGDG
Boyne Hunt (reel)
- D F#A DA F#G | D F#A BE EDE |
Butcher's March - Miscp29 (follows Paidin O'Fairfearta)
- B ded BAB dBA A2B
Butterfly, The - Miscp3
- B2E G2E F3
Connaughtman's Rambles, The - Miscp5
- A | F#AA dAA | BAB dAA
Cooley's Reel (reel) - McCullp6
- EBBA B2Ba | B2BcdBAG |
Cow That Ate The Blanket - Miscp37
- A | B2A BGE | GAG GBd |
Denis Murphy (polka) - Miscp38
- f#gf#ed3b | ADF#A
Donegal Reel (reel) - MCullp5
- D2DE F#2F#A | BF#EF# BF#AF#
Drowsy Maggie (reel) - McCullp7
- E2BE dEBD | E2BE AF#DF#
Dunmore Lassies (reel) - Mcullp7
- EDEF# GF#GA | Be ede Be ede |
Dusty Miller #2 - Miscp5
- B2cd2bA2g | E2aA2BcBA
Earl's Chair (reel)
- B dBBDF#D | B dBBAF#B |
Egan's Polka (polka) - Miscp1
- fABA fABA d2ef medba
Fermoy Lassies (reel) - McCull p9
- BA | GE EDE BE EDE | GE EDE B2 BA |
Galway Rambler (reel)
- G2dG EGDG | G2dG AGEF# |
Ger the Rigger (polka) - Sull(2)p8
- e2A2 e2A2 | ef#ed C#2A# | d4 deF#g | a'2e2f#2e2
Green Fields of America (reel) - Miscp9
- c2ecB2dB | AGABAGEF | G2GEDEGd | AGABAGEG
Green Groves of Erin (reel)
- A2BA eABA | G2Bd gedB |
Harvest Home (reel) - Miscp11
- A | DAF#A DAF#A | def#e dc#BA | eAf#A gAf#A
John Ryan's (polka) - Miscp38
- d d Bc#dB | A F# E D | d d Bc#dB | D F# E2
Kesh, The - Miscp6
G3 GAB | ABA ABd | edd gdd | edB dBA
Maggie in the Woods - Miscp2
- G2D2G3A B2d2 E3
Maid in the Meadow (jig) - Miscp7
- cecBdB | AGABGE | DEGAGA | BdBAGE
Munster Buttermilk - Paddy Haverty's (jig) Miscp7
- d | gfgage | d2BBAB | d2BBAB | d2BBAB
Ms McLeod's Reel (reel) - McCull p7
- G2BG dGBA | G2BA BcBA
My Darling Asleep (jig) - McCullp27
- f#dd c#AA | BGB A2G | F#AA def# | gF#g e2g
Out on the Ocean - Miscp7
- E | DBBBAG | BdBABA | GEDG2A | BdBAGE
Peeler's Jacket (reel) - Miscp27 (followed by Red-Haired Lass)
- G2 BGDGBGFGABc
Paidin O'Raifearta's (jig) - Miscp8 (followed by Butcher's March)
- D GAB D2E GAB AGE
Rakes of Mallow - Miscp2
- D G2B2 G2B2 cBAG
Redhaired Lass - Miscp27 (follows Peeler's) - GE DGGFG2BG
- GE | DGGF# G2BG | G2BG AGEG |
Si Beag, Si Mhor - Miscp14
- de | f#3ed | d3ed | B4A | F##
Sixpenny Money - Miscp29
- f#AA F#AA | BAG F#GE | D3 AF#A | DF#D E2D
Sligo Maid (reel) - Miscp11
- D2BA Bdef# | gedB AGEF# |
St Mary's Polka (polka) / Paige's Polka
- GB A BA | Gg ef#ge
Sunny Banks (reel) - Misc40
- B | AF#F#2 d2c#A | Bc#dAF G B |
Swallowtail (reel)
- gf# | eA AGA eA AGA | Bcd ef# gedb
Thrush in the Straw (jig) - Miscp8
- d efg edB cBA
Tobin's (jig) - Miscp39
- DF# | DF#A dc#d | ec#A c#de |
Tripping Up The Stairs (jig) - McCullp37, Sull(1)p10
- F#AA GBB FAd FED
Will You Come Home With Me (jig) - Misc p40
- dge f#dc | BdB cAF | G3 AcA | G3

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