Obscure lyric for the week of Oct.27, 2008

Good Monday Morning music fans. Welcome to the last week of October 2008. In a few days Halloween will be here as will November, many birthdays in my family and probably snow. I trust that you had a wonderful weekend. I had a busy weekend which means I got less rest than I planned for. In a few weeks I will be a little older, but it's all attitude right?

Next weekend I am going away with my beloved to an amazing B & B ( check out their website http://www.niagara.com/~jandres/ ) with The Ref and Miss Jenny. We're planning on visiting some old haunts of ours (The Oban Inn and other places) and going over the river to Honey's for pizza and wings as well as doing some tasting at some wineries. I am planning on bbq'ing some Brady's steaks on Friday night and we will do the restaurant thing for the remainder of the weekend. In between all of this, I am hoping to get some rest at Brian and Jane's.

I researched this song along with many other songs and decided to use this one this week. It is rhetorical in nature and yet there is also a direct question that is asked. It was a hit single in 1972 and then was another hit in 1989 when covered by a British band. Here are some of the lyrics.

We've all got our own funny moods

I've got mine, woman you've got yours too

Just trust in me like I trust in you

As long as we've been together it should be so easy to do

As to wines, I like white, my beloved likes red. It is really quite simple, nothing really matters anything will do, nothing really matters to me. Don't be mislead, this is not a queen song. The song is a compilation of feelings(not Morris Albert) that lead to the appropriate question(not 67 and 68).

I am all over the map with this one, you need to be able to chart the right course and determine if you know where I am going with this one. If not, you really don't know me well.

I need to know the following:

The name of the song:

The artist who had the first hit with this song:

The artist who had the second hit with this song:

The writer(s) of the song:

Have an awesome week, yes I know it's cold, but find ways to stay warm and cosy with that someone special. I know you can. Remember that the music will provide inspiration.

Happy birthday to my little brother Peter. May the richest blessings fall upon you as you celebrate another year.

Fall is here

I'm sitting here reading and enjoying some quiet time. I looked out the window to see rain and the leaves being blown about. I guess there is nothing I can do about the onward push of the seasons but to enjoy the positive things about them. For example, I am not outside as the rain and wind are blowing.

Here is my view from my comfy warm chair this Sunday afternoon. While it gives a nice view of my new window, I'm not really sure that it shows what's happening out there. It's just the changing of the season and apparently the snow is coming next week. I don't think it will be much, but I'm not ready for any of it, the snow tires are still sitting at Thomans and need to be installed, even though it appears that the tires they sold me don't have rims to go with them. It's time to talk to Rick about that.

The new bedroom furniture is being ordered this week. It's part of the ongoing renovations that we are doing. Unfortunately, with the change in the dollar, the price has risen about 20%. We will have to eat a few dollars more to purchase the one we want. I will delay the purchase of my new bike due to the American dollar. My beloved really likes this particular bedroom suite and it will be nice to finally have bedside tables instead of tv trays. We have not had a new bedroom set since before the boy arrived in 1987. A friend is helping us out and ordering the set and it should be ordered this Wednesday. We have always wanted a sleigh bed and we will have one soon.

These renovations have taken on a life of their own, I am excited to see what the house will look like when they are done. I think I will finally feel like this is our home, and not the house of Henry and Mrs Henry. This time it will be what we wanted it to look like. It has been six years(as opposed to Bowie's 5 years) and I can't wait. I have set an unreasonable time table where I want the whole thing completed before Christmas, so we will see how much we can complete.

Leafs beat Sens, does life get better?

OK, so life does get better, but you have to agree that the Leafs beating the hated Sens on a Saturday night is pretty awesome. Not only did they beat them with newer, younger and much less experienced team, they beat them with speed and, as always, with class.

The Sens, with the likes of Chris Neil(and the other unnamed neanderthals) swarming around trying to kneecap anyone in blue, has to be an embarrassment to not only the Sens, but also to the league. In my humble opinion, this man is offensive but not in the sense of the word that means scoring goals. He plays to hurt people, you can see it in his approach. When did they allow assault in the game anyway?

My young lad suggests that I spent too much time administrating a minor hockey association and look at the game with those blinders on. I disagree, I (and many think the same as I do) think the purpose of the body check is to separate the player from the puck. The purpose is not to separate him from his fillings and mental capacity. 

Don't get me wrong, I love a good physical hockey game, in fact one of the best "hits" I ever saw was doled out by a minor hockey player whose Dad is a Pastor and good friend of mine. What made me proud of my young friend (Caleb R.) was not the hit (a beautiful clean open ice hit that separated the young player from the puck and his between period gatorades, that was a mess), but rather the thing that impressed me most was that after the young man finally made it to his skates, Caleb skated over to him and patted him on the head as if to say "are you ok?"

Never will you see the likes of Chris Neil or the other idiot Avery go to another player to check on their well being. They can only stay in the game because of their brute nature. Their time in the game will never add up to the time that someone like Luke Schenn should be able to. Their game is to annihilate and dole out pain. There should be no place for intentional pain in this game. It will happen automatically due to the physical nature of the game.   

Is there anything better than a win over the hated Sens? Sure, hockey, plain and simple, is just a game. Life brings many more important things than a win or loss on a Saturday. Life brings love and laughter it brings community and faith and it brings another day to enjoy the simple and complex things that we call family.

Speak Friend and Enter

If you recognize those words, then you know that they are the words that Gandalf spoke at the entrance to Moria at the secret door lit only by moonlight and starlight.

I always say those words when I arrive at the home (which is the office) of my massage therapist. She found places on my body that I didn't know hurt, but they sure hurt now.

Somehow after a massage it feels like all the crap in my body is free floating and I crashed for about an hour. I would do it every week if I could. It's just one way to achieve my goal of getting to the better side of health.

On the other side of things, myself and my beloved were taken out to dinner by the finish carpenter and the bonnet babe tonight as a thank you for cooking their sons wedding rehearsal dinner. We went to the Keg and had the best meal ever, better than any meal we have ever had at the other steak house in town. Which shall remain nameless, but there are three restaurants and one of them is charcoal, oops.Thanks so much, it was an awesome meal, a great visit and we even saw some old friends there too, almost like an episode from cheers except no one knew our name.

 I guess when I see them, I always "speak friend and enter" into their lives, they have been great friends since our boys played hockey together.  They have been there for us for all these years and we likewise have been there for them. We have enjoyed many new years eve celebrations together, especially walking and looking for a black button in the middle of the night.

The big reveal for the week of Oct.20/08

Friday is here again. I am happy to have gotten through another week. The days are decidedly shorter and getting much cooler and actually cold at night. I guess this really is the fall.

Quite a number of you wrote in this week, especially after the hints on Wednesday. One of you in particular has discovered that there may be hints in other posts not entirely unrelated to the trivia question. Some of you have been reading each post very carefully. One person accused me of "toying with us". Well, you are correct, however, I didn't see it as toying, I was just just having some fun. Whatever, it's all semantics (and I'm always up for some antics) get it? As the Bee Gees said, "it's only words and words are all I have..."

Here are your answers:

The name of the song: Life on Mars
The writer of the song: David Bowie
The album it is from: Hunky Dory

Check out this version of the song, it is beautiful. If you can, check out the keyboard player with the charts on a computer monitor, isn't technology awesome, you can see them scroll by if you watch carefully



The winner this week (again) is Steve B. at 11:52 On Oct.20, 2008. I will have to get much tougher in order to beat him in future. Look out, next weeks is a doozy.

Have an awesome weekend, enjoy family, friends and rest. I know that I am planning on visiting, playing cards with my beloved and Waldo and Colleenius and probably experiencing the guys losing to the girls again (as usual). Oh well, it's not about winning, it's about the game (yeah right, we better win this weekend). I am also hoping to get some rest.

I would be remiss if I didn't welcome my Josh to the world of blogging, you can link to his blog at the bottom of this page. And yes, I accepted his apology.

"I can't listen to that much Wagner, I start getting the urge to conquer Poland"

Life on Mars (a second look)

OK so now what am I supposed to say about this show. if I ignore the blatant left wing politics and the shots at the current administration there's little left to observe.

I am in no way in agreement with the abuse, assault or killing of anyone. I subscribe to the belief that states: "thou shalt not kill". So don't get all up in arms thinking I'm in agreement with any kind of bashing. I'm also not in favour of war for multiple reasons.

Episode three started out good but quickly denigrated into what has quietly become tacit acceptance of everything except truth from a Judeo Christian perspective. Try spouting those beliefs and you (I) will be shouted down in most assemblies today (I am referring to meetings, not places of worship).

Why is it that politics has to be part of everything? Why can I not watch a serial show on tv without having to put up with the liberal politico drivel? Can't they just make a show about content and leave the lifestyle out of it. I can't wait to see what type of comments arrive following this post.

The music was drowned out (with the exception of the last song) which for some reason I cannot recall the name. Nothing else stood out, besides the brutal treatment of the accused trio (by the way, whatever happened to the tolerance preached by the lieutenant as he pleaded for the concerns of the victim, but "abused" the accused, how hypocritical, kinda makes me wanna go hmmmmm).

If I waste another hour next Thursday night to watch this garbage, it better be good. Otherwise, I will vote with my index finger and turn the aptly titled "idiot box" off and never watch "Life on Mars" again.

The Tooth Fairy

A little friend of mine (the same one I attended a hockey game with) lost his first tooth yesterday. It is a momentous occasion for any and all when that first tooth finally breaks free (with homage to Freddie Mercury who had lovely big teeth) and there it is waiting to be placed under a pillow in hopes that the tooth fairy might visit. Apparently, the tooth fairy did visit, however I have not yet been advised of the amount that was left for the tooth.

His story reminded me of one time when our daughter wrote a note to the tooth fairy asking for a raise. She's pretty smart, we kept the note for safekeeping and will give it to her when she moves out or maybe when she gets her first "big" job. She won't be shy about asking future employers about salary structure and such.

By the way, yes, she got a raise, I think we increased it to a toonie at that time. Not bad for a natural process such as the loss of a tooth. It's funny how simple events bring big smiles and memories. I am looking forward to a lifetime of memories with my little friend and his sister. I get to relive all the things I experienced with my own children. It is amazing that out of difficulty comes great pleasure if we choose to look for and experience it. If we do not, it is our loss.

Tuesday Musings (#7)

Tuesday is here again, I have so much rattling through my mind/brain. It's difficult to think of one thing that I might muse upon today. I feel like a computer with multiple windows open, all active and with pop ups doing what they do.

I've been doing some life evaluation lately, I like to do this regularly, kinda like a check up, but done by me and without gloves. I like to evaluate the parts of my life and see where I am, where I'm going and where I might be off the path (which apparently is not always clear, but the directions are). Sometimes, I need some help along the way and I am going to visit an old friend who guides me along this path every once in a while. It's good to get some perspective from an objective person now and then.

I'll visit with Jim L. and he will listen and be both gentle and wise which are not mutually exclusive, however when going through the self-assessment I need wisdom and kindness. Much like a gentle shepherd who uses his "rod" to encourage the sheep to follow the correct path. He(the shepherd) doesn't beat the sheep, but uses the rod to correct their path.

I am content in many areas of my life, and there are some areas that I am not and need to make some corrections in direction in order to align my life with my beliefs, values and aspirations. This is not about my wants(big screen tv) but rather about my wishes for the person I want to become. It is not always a pain free experience, the reward at the end is far greater than the minimal pain experienced through change.

I know too many people who are afraid to exchange because of the pain that will be experienced. They would rather stay in their current state and fear the recovery because of the cathartic nature of the growth. Much like a Caterpillar must push through the cocoon to become a butterfly. Oh my, too many Genesis thoughts in that last sentence. From Genesis to Revelation and then some, given that my beloved just came back from "Broadway".

I will push through and challenge myself to complete the transformation, otherwise I might as well stop altogether. "To be or not to be" is not the question, rather to emerge and live is the only choice.

Happy Tuesday everyone.

Obscure Musical Lyric for the week of Oct.20/08

Good morning music fans, I trust you had a wonderful weekend. What gorgeous days we had. I spent the entire weekend with my daughter. My beloved is still in NY, NY and she is having "the time of her life" with one of her closest girlfriends and a bunch of people she doesn't know and one of Alex's teachers. She will be home tonight and I have missed her.

I have not heard this song in a long time. I may have heard parts of it now and then, but cannot recall hearing all of it in years. I actually just watched and listened on "youtube" and will post that version in the big reveal. It is sung by a solo artist who has a band and has worked with numerous famous musicians. I am a fan of some of this person's work. I am particularly enthralled with their voice. The song was released on an album in 1971, yes I know that was a long time ago and the artist still tours. Rick Wakeman (of Yes) played piano on this song and apparently the song is a parody of "My Way" which all of us know was written by Paul Anka and made famous by Frank Sinatra. Interestingly, the lyrics could have been written today.

Look at those caveman go

It's the freakiest show

Take a look at the lawman

Beating up the wrong guy

wonder if they'll ever know

They're in the best selling show

I would like to know the following:

The name of the song:

The writer of the song:

The name of the album it was on:

Have a wonderful week. It looks like the cool days (and cold nights) of fall are here to stay . All things must pass and so must summer pass into fall. I'm looking forward to my beloved returning tonight and hearing all about the "big apple". I will give you some more hints about the song on Wednesday if I remember. Does anybody really know what time it is? Have a great week everyone.

The Musical Box

I have been a fan of the band Genesis for a long time. I have enjoyed their music ever since I first heard the haunting strains of "Watcher of the Skies"and the multiple melodies of "Supper's Ready". I am a fan of their work that included the times when Peter Gabriel was the lead singer/front man and enjoyed one or two albums in the Phil Collins era, however have not purchased any of their music in years. 

There is a tribute band out there called "The Musical Box" who can be found at  www.themusicalbox.net I have seen them perform numerous times and they are now doing a tour based on the Genesis tour following the release of the album "A Trick of the Tail". They are now in Europe, I will try and see them when they return to Canada. They are awesome musicians and I am looking forward to seeing the latest iteration(that's for all my WSIB friends) of the group. Enjoy the following video.

I hope you like it, these are a bunch of Canadians who obviously love the music of Genesis. They have recreated all of the earlier tours including "The Lamb Lies down on Broadway".