The FishBowl

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2006-03-17T15:04:00.000-04:00

Orange and Green

she can clearly remember
One summer at eight
When words such as poverty,
Justice and hate
Were no part of any expression
She could understand

In the schoolyard with Tim
Playing 'Blind Leading Blind'
The Teacher said "Eilie,
He's not of your kind,
Come in from the cold
By the fire, girl
You don't understand"

And all that she was
Was this beautiful girl
With curls in her hair
Not a care in the world
And orange and green
Were just colours
And poor poor was a word

When Eileen wed him
There was no family 'round
They moved to a new home
New county, new town
They've settled five years
They've been raising a babe of their own
They named the girl mary
She's many great friends
With no thought of prejudice
Pride or pretense
And when she weds a man
He'll be welcome in their humble home

And all that she is
Is this beautiful girl
With curls in her hair
Not a care in the world
And orange and green are just colours
And war is a word

Mom called, said
"They're closing the fish factory down,
McMullin's been drinking, O'Brien's left town,
The shipyard is closed, now
There's no call for ships made of wood.
The men, they're all saying
"There's naught we can do,
Be you orange or green,
Be it me, be it you"
And she wished to be back
In the days
When the living was good

When all that she was
Was this beautiful girl
With curls in here hair
Not a care in the world
And orange and green were just colours
And war was a word

Is Your Dog A Laundry Potato?

2006-02-24T13:40:00.000-04:00

"..if I had money, tell you what I'd do, I'd go downtown and buy a Mercury or two..."
Oh, sure, you might think this is cute, the picture of scenic innocence, a bundle of puppyish love finding a niche solely for the purpose of rending your heartstrings, but one must consider the less obvious! Your dog may be a laundry potato! Let your canine continue this passive aggressive behaviour and soon, they will be eating potato chips and swilling beer there, getting grease, crumbs, and spilled booze over all your favourite boy short underwear and “extreme cleavage” bras. This simply will not do!

Consider the "implications". This dog will be 70 pounds someday, and unless I bulk up a lot more, I will not be able to move her. Here she is during a typical “laundry sorting session”. Notice how she cleverly lays across the maximum square yardage, so as to make this task virtually impossible!

Wait a minute, where is my head? If I can’t move the dog, I can’t do the laundry. Someone else will have to do it !

Please disregard the above.

Look

2005-11-23T14:07:00.000-04:00

Don't Give Me That Look

...........

Johnny's bought a bicycle with room for two

but he never had the room for me and you

you and me, we're simple folk

I'm the rim and You're a spoke in an

ever turning wheel of dreams come true

but times have Changed, rearranged

and torn Us all in two

My green pasture's to the West

the hunger's there but be aware

and listen carefully

I know you'll ride the eastern beast

don't give me that look

don't give me those haunted eyes

don't give me that look

that's full of surprize

don't give me that look

don't give me that painful sigh

don't give me that look

it'll be alright

i've done something

the bread and wine I've stolen's not for you

I can't take this hectic pace

it's time to quit the human race

and find myself a ring of Solitude

i'm always There

i pay my share pleasing someone else

I'd given up everything for you

I never took

I never shook any heart but mine

and it's time

for mama's boy

to start out new

...........

Widgets and Whatnots!

2005-10-11T00:33:00.000-03:00

You are pretty much guaranteed to find a helpful little widget here. Wotsa widget? Well sit right down, grab your mouse, and I'll tell you wotta widget is !

Off you go and download Konfabulator, 8.8 MB, a handy dandy runtime engine for windoze or mac that lets you run tons of neat and quirky little apps ! They will sit on your desktop, looking mighty purty (customizable don't ya know) and check kewl things like your weather, stocks, sports scores, pretty much whatever you want from the widget gallery, which is fairly extensive, and you can make your own widget ! Konfabulator is the brainstorm of Arlo Rose and Perry Clarke, and I'd like to thank these guys, I've always wanted to say

I'VE GOT WIDGETS !

Got the T-Shirt!

2005-09-28T00:19:00.000-03:00

Dare I say it? Kiss my moose! I have to tell you, this was such an unexpected t-shirt, I laughed so hard I almost pee'd!

On to the review!

This was a great event for the Atlantic.

What a treat to see the Stones in concert again! I saw the Steel Wheels tour in Vancouver years ago, so of course, I wore that T-shirt to the "Concert on the Hill" in Moncton, New Brunswick this summer, and truly had a blast. 80,000 fans on Magnetic Hill on a breathtaking summer evening - excellent sound and an amazing stage with passionate musicians. Mick Jagger's French was far too polished for French Canadians, how impressed I am with his greeting to the fans. ( New Brunswick is the only officially bi-lingual province in Canada.) The tribute cover to Ray Charles was very touching and well done. Night time Is The Right Time indeed! Rough Justice from the new album was engaging, and myself and whatsisname found ourselves truly listening to the lyric and tapping toes.

I've got to give it a big fins up !

Aerial by Kate Bush

2005-09-18T20:04:00.000-03:00

http://www.katebush.com

My Newfoundland Vacation

2005-09-16T00:49:00.000-03:00

Right! I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but was born in the rocky Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (the island part) - which is truly a wonderous and beautiful, albeit hard place. It's history is liberally laced with sea tragedies, awe inspiring landscapes and quirky, friendly people. You have to experience it to understand it, but I'll whet your appetite, I am sure.

I could have flown for a measly couple of hundred dollars, but that's no fun ! ROADTRIP! WOOHOO! ME AND THE IPOD! I filled my tank with ridiculously expensive gasoline and meandered the highway from Halifax to North Sydney, where I grabbed the Marine Atlantic Ferry to Argentia. The other choice was Port Aux Basques, the other end of the Island, but as I was itching to visit the most beautiful spot in the world, I took the longer option - which I had never done before.. 14 hours at sea is a daunting prospect for people who suffer from seasickness. Yes, I blush, it's true, I prefer a fishbowl to an ocean. The excellent news is that I used this new fangled (well, new to me) seasickness patch, which for the first time enabled me to truly enjoy the ferry! I watched dolphin friskily partner the ship and gazed dreamily into the deep blue waters of the Atlantic, which set a relaxing tone for the entire vacation. Upon arrival I rested, ate, visited, etc.... all the while allowing my anticipation of the main event to build. My favourite place in the world (and about the only places I haven't been are Egypt and Australia) is Cape Spear, the most easterly point in Canada. The tourism site photos do not do it justice, so above are a couple of my own, taken this trip. I neglected to take a photo of what I like to call the "grotto", the interior of an old military battery - which is dank, dark and misty, and a most excellent place to wander into and sing. I usually get one of two reactions from my fellow adventurers. One, she's bonkers but harmless, and two, WOW, that chick can sing, man! Either way it matters not, I am only doing it for myself. I want to tell the lot to bugger off and leave this piece of geographical loveliness to me alone. Alas, this is frowned upon. The great thing about revisiting Newfoundland for me, is the memories of ice pan hopping in Deadman's Bay, (yes, jumping between bits of broken iceberg) having a scoff of freshly caught crab in someone's kitchen while the moderately drunk musicians play jigs and reels, (KITCHEN PARTY, WOOHOO!) and embracing the wild beauty and simple atmosphere.

Gotta love it, bye!

This trip I sang to the humpback whales, whose presence I have always seen whenever in Cape Spear - one of the two songs I gifted them in return for the opportunity to commune with them was -

The Last Of The Great Whales

penned by Andy Barnes

My soul has been torn from me
And I am bleeding
My heart it has been rent
And I am crying
All the beauty around me fades
And I am screaming
I am the last of the great whales
And I am dying

Last night I heard the cry
Of my last companion
The roar of the harpoon gun
And then I was alone
I thought of the days gone by
When we were thousands
But I know that I soon must die
The last leviathan

This morning the sun did rise
Crimson in the north sky
The ice was the colour of blood
And the winds they did sigh
I rose for to take a breath
It was my last one
From a gun came the roar of death
And now I am done

Oh now that we are all gone
There's no more hunting
The big fellow is no more
It's no use lamenting
What race will be next in line?
All for the slaughter
The elephant or the seal
Or your sons and daughters

My soul has been torn from me
And I am bleeding
My heart it has been rent
And I am crying
All the beauty around me fades
And I am screaming
I am the last of the great whales
And I am dying

Whale preservation

Music is a wonderous thing

2005-09-10T04:59:00.000-03:00

Kate Bush finally has a new album coming out. She is one of the very few on my A list - no matter what she puts out, I purchase it. In this day and age of hit and miss bits of albums that are fit to listen to, Ms. Bush epitomizes music as art. You've got to love her or hate her, there is no in between. I am sitting in pleasant anticipation, awaiting the arrival of the single in September, and the album in November!~

Woohoo !

2005-08-06T23:56:00.000-03:00
Oh horse pucky and bull crap, all of you people who think you've got it all figured out - here are a few things you should know about this "Harry Potter" business!~

:o) RAB left a note inside the locket found in book 6, RAB is Regalus Black, Sirrius' brother, and the REAL horcrux is the locket found in Sirrius' house when Harry and the Weasleys et. al. were cleaning out the house under the disapproving gaze of Kreacher, who has likely filched the locket off to his miserable hovel!

:o) Severus Snape is the the Heir to Slytherin! That's why he's been molly coddling Draco from the start - to be able to exert influence over him at this crucial time. Voldemort insists it must be this boy who kills Dumbledore, and that's why Dumbledore begs Snape to do so instead, so Draco will not be irretrievable seduced to the Dark side! Draco can be saved, and that is a big part of Dumbledore's plan. Snape takes a blood oath to protect the boy at the beginning of book 6, but it is easy for him to do so, as Draco is a key element of defeating Voldemort!

:o) Oh Please, Dumbledore is not dead for good. Fawkes mourns in the forest, then creates resplendent fireworks in the shape of a phoenix above the monument to Dumbledore on the day of his funeral. Fawkes sacrifices his immortality to give life to Dumbledore.

:o) Snape is not allied with the Dark Side. Period.

:o) There are fascinating parallels between the "Order of the Phoenix" and "Dumbledore's Army", Harry & Ginny and James & Lily and several other sets of characters! Do read them again, and look more closely people.

:o) I wonder what Draco's mother and Harry's mother did? I bet it was something really interesting !
...more to come...

Bird Poop Update!

2005-07-27T14:58:00.000-03:00

I KNEW I was onto something with those birds.... the city has shut down a local swimming lake because it has been contaminated to unhealthy levels by the bird poop! Those little buggers should have to scoop!

Warning: Scathing sarcastic content!

2005-07-22T11:52:00.000-03:00

Vegas is fond of cheese, and I always have cheese in my kitchen. Cheddar of course, provolone, parmesan, mozzarella and a very nice sliced vegetable medley havarti that is particularly fine on sandwiches. Vegas is a Boxer with a particularly sweet disposition and a charming lack of loyalty to her owners when it comes to food. Just yesterday she tried to break into my house again and her reign of cute must end! I jest, I am openly thrilled that she follows me around and refuses to heed her owners' call when I am hiding cheese in my pockets. There are bylaws in our fair city that restrict her movements, confining her to her own property with fines if her owners don't respect the force field of invisibility that is erected around all properties. I don't disagree with this, on the contrary, it is necessary to protect the citizens. We also have two Rottweilers in the area who roam freely, one of whom attacked and killed a Bichon on an unsupervised evening romp. Let's compare the two situations: Vegas making a beeline for cheese, with her embarrassed owner attempting to lure her back, and a roaming attack dog wandering around an area where many children live with no owner in sight. Again, I support the city bylaws restricting the movement of pets. It's their method that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. There are things that should be done - Sensible regulation, mandatory spaying and neutering for pets if they are not registered for breeding or show purposes, a ban on stores selling animals from unregistered breeders, more money to the animal control office for training, resources to protect animals from neglect and abuse, a program to spay or neuter feral cats, etc etc. Unfortunately none of these provisions is mentioned in the new bylaw. The new bylaw restricts the movement of cats. Well, Damn people, it's about time the city did something about these nasty little kitties, If they don't we'll all be ruined! We've had it with all the nuisances in the city, like those noisy birds chirping me awake in the morning or those infuriatingly furry cats that help control mice in the neighbourhood or those god awful goofy dogs! Sure! Confine all those cats to their houses and while you're at it, can you do something about the birds that keep pooping on my lawn? Yes, telling people that can't have more than 3 pets is great, we NEED more cats and dogs clogging up the shelters! Can't feed the ducks or swans anymore, and thank goodness they have prohibited certain animals unless they're owned for the "purpose of entertaining the public". Brilliant, you can't feed the ducks in the Public Gardens, but it's all right to make a bear pedal a tricycle for your profit! Makes sense. Obviously, these animals dream only of world domination! GEEZ People - take a chill pill, until they develop opposable thumbs, I think we are pretty safe.

Les Meubles

2005-07-04T00:52:00.000-03:00

So, I have new living room furniture, which of course means I MUST paint the walls,
and get a new scarlet rug,
and rearrange the art,
and maybe colour-block the art,
and get new end tables,
and lamps and stuff.
Maybe even some chachkas and thingies!

I was thrilled when the new love seats and chair arrived, but quite upset when I realized the current paint colours matched them just fine, thank you very much. Being female, I did not find this terribly helpful. Obviously I cannot appeal to my cadre of worker bees with a suitably helpless expression, saying "oh, this is horrid, look, nothing matches!~ Can you help me paint?" So what to do?

Then it occurs to me that I have once again forgotten the fundamental difference between men and women. Women coordinate, and men procreate. Forgive me for being simplistic, and allow me to elaborate.

Basically, in my varied roamings of this Great World, I have come to realize that women over think just about everything, for example, we are never, and I mean never direct, so if you are a gentleman, please learn the language, we don't intend to change. It's an estrogen thing. We also ascribe convoluted motives to the simplest statements men make - for example, if a gent says:

"Do you mind if I change the channel"

He may *hear* - "no, by all means go ahead". What is more likely meant is: "Sure, go ahead; drive me bonkers with 3 second snippets of 30 stations while you assert your male dominance with your phallically symbolic remote control - and buddy, I ain't TOUCHING your remote control later!"

Which brings me back to my original conundrum. Today I will borrow a page from the "man's dictionary", and simply say, I want this room painted. I want it painted by Thursday please, and I'll provide the beer.

But I don't intend to change, and you can't make me !

The Birthday Massacre

2005-06-17T01:03:00.000-03:00

Okay, this particular website has the most stunning visual and aural integration I've seen in a long time - The Birthday Massacre - is a band from Toronto, you can see one of their videos, Blue if you'd like. They are kind of Pop Goth, which is not my kind of thing by any stretch of the imagination, but I actually gave them a listen and will return to the website. If they come down east, I may go to see them in hopes they will provide a treat for the eyes (if not the ears).

Tri Martolod

2005-06-10T23:20:00.000-03:00

So I like Kate Bush - hence I tend to accumulate and eventually listen to Kate related stuff, and was rereading the cover notes of her "Sensual World" album which credit Alan Stivell who participated in it's recording. She sang on his album "Again", a track called Kimiad. This guy is intriguing, singing in Breton, Gaelic & French and I had largely forgotten about him; I do recall I quite liked the song "Tri Matolod" (three sailors - trois marins) which I heard originally around 25 years ago. I dug it out and gave it another listen today, and I am inspired to take a course at one of the local Universities here, in gaelic.

Tri martolod yaouank (tra la la, la la la la) .. it's quite stirring