FKO part 4: The Squirrels Are Taking Over

Quit my membership to the local gym yesterday. Over recent months, I decided to test out whether I would still be motivated to work out on my own even in scuzzy weather, and I've decided that I do have the self-discipline even without the option of a gym. Plus now I have my fancypants pedometer to help track my stats.

More highlights from FilKONtario....



Photo by Korak

- Hearing Brooke Lunderville sing along on Starsoul in open filk. And many thanks to Brooke for buying our "Squirrels Are Evil And Taking Over The World" Interfilk package! I'll be adding the lyrics of my two new songs to the UT Songs List eventually, but for now here are the words to my squirrel song:



Photo by Korak

THE SQUIRRELS ARE TAKING OVER
By Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Mar/2008
Performed by Urban Tapestry


When we moved in, we loved the neighbourhood
We couldn't have asked for more
Though I admit I kinda wondered 'bout the
crucifix on each door.



We planted roses, revamped the roof, the
future was looking bright, but then we
started hearing the strangest noises
behind the walls at night...

CHORUS:
The squirrels are takin' over, they've
killed my plants and eaten Rover, my
postman used to think they were cute
but now he's gone (gone gone gone)
They're coming for me now, I think it won't be long.

One morning we saw Mrs. S.
Our next door neighbour, she's sweet!
We waved but I guess she didn't see us
as she ran down the street.

Suddenly we noticed something weird,
a seething mass of black and brown
and then the Evil Squirrel Horde took
Mrs. Scuridopolous down.



CHORUS:
The squirrels are takin' over, they've
killed my plants and eaten Rover, my
neighbour used to think they were cute
but now she's gone (gone gone gone)
They're coming for me now, I think it won't be long.

We boarded up the windows
put garlic on the door
Yet every day we found more scratches
and peanut shells on the floor.

This is stupid," my boyfriend said, "Squirrels are
harmless and that's a fact!
I'm going outside to check things out
stay here...I'LL BE RIGHT BACK."


CHORUS:
The squirrels are takin' over, they've
killed my plants and eaten Rover, my
boyfriend used to think they were cute
but now he's gone (gone gone gone)
They're coming for me now, I think it won't be long
They're coming for me now...

THE END

Speaking of squirrels, thanks to Rob Wynne for sending me this YouTube link to a hilarious parody that is done so well that I thought it was real at first...and as much as I hate squirrels, I admit I was initially horrified when I thought it was a real tv show.

But back to FKO highlights...



- Coming across Interfilk guest Marilyn Miller, playing the piano in the lobby, and soon there were others singing along with her. This sort of thing is what I love about filk conventions; wherever you wander, there's bound to be a nook or cranny filled with music.

- Getting treated to lunch by Michelle Dockrey (thank you, Vixy!).

- Rehearsing Phantom Doll with Dave Clement for the Urban Tapestry concert. His guitar greatly enhanced the song for all of us...and yay, he's going to be at Balticon, too.



- Seeing Marilisa and Allison bond over loom knitting.

- Seeing K. Roper again! That dimpled smile always makes me melt.

- As I mentioned in an earlier Blathering, hearing Michelle Dockrey and Tony Fabris in concert. They were truly fabulous. Great stage presence, nice variety of songs, and they have a great rapport with the audience. I bought a copy of their new CD, Thirteen, as soon as I had a chance. I think I must have listened to it at least a dozen times already, and it just seems to get better with each listening.


Photo by Phil Mills

(Aside: speaking of Phil Mills, I just found out that my friend Scott Murray used to work with Phil years ago. He recognized the name when Jeff took photos of Walter The Seventies Dude to show their gaming friends last night. Apparently they've printed out Phil's photos and put them up on the wall. Heh.)

- Participating in Vixy's and Tony's concert. They had written a parody about Edward Gorey's Gashleycrumb Tinies, and had asked Erin, Allison, Jodi and I to help with props. The timing was tricky but rehearsal helped and it all came together in the concert, yay!

- Heather Dale's concert. She and Ben did a fantastic job. And Heather's going to be Guest Of Honour at next year's FilKONtario! I bought one of Heather's gorgeous silk painting banners to hang up in my office.



- Seeing Kathy Johnson, a friend who came all the way out to the hotel just for our concert. Kathy jumpstarted Urban Tapestry's filk career when she offered us free studio time to record our first album, and has been a supporter of our music ever since.

- Getting an autographed copy of Juliane Honisch's new book, Das Obsidianherz. It's all in German, but I'm going to be able to read it someday, I swear.



- The guests were all excellent. Allison, Jodi and I had briefly met Marilyn Miller ages ago when we performed on the West coast. It was wonderful to hear her lovely voice again.

- Bill Roper also gave a fine concert, and also looks great in a tux. :-) He spent part of the Interfilk auction with his young daughter in his arms (she SO loves her daddy!) and had to explain that no, she wasn't for sale.



- Heather Bruton gave an excellent talk about her art and techniques; I learned quite a bit. She was super-friendly and easy to chat with. I bought some gorgeous bookmarks from her table.

- Speaking of art tables, I had my first art table at a convention. Half a table, rather. Although I didn't sell any of my mini-paintings or pottery, I sold some cards. I was told that the dealers' room was slower than normal, probably because of the weaker U.S. dollar. I also realized that I would likely have sold more art if I had been sitting at the table. FilKONtario, however, wasn't a convention I wanted to spend sitting behind an art table, even if it meant lower sales. Many thanks to Gabi for watching my table for me. I ended up spending more money in the dealers' rooms than I made. :-)



- Like buying fabric. Doreen The Fabric Lady was having a sale, and I couldn't resist since I needed fabric to play with on my new sewing machine. I used my Spiderman Frog fabric for my very first sewing project last night. I'll post pics soon.



- Chocolate from Seattle, a birthday gift from Vixy. Yummm...

- Sitting outside one of the filk rooms and looking at Kathleen Sloan's beaded creations. Holy cow, this woman is talented.

- Vanilla jasmine tea from Colleen Savitsky. Dave Weingart got me hooked on jasmine tea, and the vanilla adds a wonderfully mellow flavour.

FKO highlights continued in an upcoming Blathering...





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