New Bagpipe (Uh..) Music!
Short post tonight as it has been a long day here and I am ready to nip home to some Bengals and I Couch, and a little Tivo action.
Except I have home work. Hmmph. Forgot about that. It seems there is some sort of TEST thing next week, and I am meant to actually know, as in have memorized, something called Chapter One. Doesn't seem fair somehow...(What do French Students who don't have Nathilie to Skype with DO?????)
Kitty is back! I know, we knew this, but it makes me happy to know, and she will be here soon. I have no pictures here for you tonight, but if you nip over to Kitty's Neverwhere Blog she has posted enough pictures for both of us. Lovely shots of the tour, and tales of wonder and excitement.
(SHE got to assist in the Pyro Department. Why don't Paul and I have Pyro in the Pubs?)
No word on the Carrot. No cell phone in it's traveling carton. I will keep you updated once it arrives at the Birdchick's.
Phiala and Paul, whatever you are talking about keep it up.
We have decided that when you get your Night Garden Pieces done, send them to Jess. She is going to keep track of them, as I obviously am not the one for the job. Send them to me too, tho! I want to see them as soon as ever. In the subject line, include something subtle, like HEY DORK! THIS IS A NIGHT GARDEN PIECE. Then I will know...Sigh. (in my defense tho, I do get a LOT of e-mail and am juggling a few too many balls sometimes)
Dan, I wanted to clarify, you are NOT part of the people trying to encode something that would allow us to talk to aliens? As you believe, if they came among us, the global economy would be in big trouble? Whew. That's good, you can tell they haven't as the economy is so very....Oh.
Ok, and now the moment you have all been waiting for! Yes, here it is MORE ULLEANN PIPES! Can you believe I have only been playing one week! Just listen, it's amazing, FOUR notes, played in no particular order!
(Warning: For the faint of heart....It's truly a cacophony. Like some sort of hideous tortured soul. And the long suffering sigh you hear at the end? That's not pipes, that's the Dog Expressing his opinion of the entire project.)
Love and Magic,
Lorraine
posted by FabulousLorraine @ 5:34 PM
70 Comments
70 Comments:
Ok.
For anyone reading this before Dan Guy comes and helps me, obviously, we have a problem.
Anyone who knows how to take an MP3 and post it on my blog, and see this before Dan Guy, drop me a note.
This is more embarrassing than the Pipes are going to be.
Thank you for your patience in this trying hour.
I think I must have read it after Dan-- I got Full Cacophonic Glory! I think it sounded like experimental jazz. And Cabal was clearly sighing with ecstasy. That's what I heard.
Add pyrotechnics and you've got a show worthy of any hole-in-the-wall hosted open-mic night anywhere!
Yes indeedy: send night garden stuff to me-- text or links or whatever-- but, and this is crucial, also to Lorraine so that she sees them. For Lo, I am the Backup Fairy (and of course the Prodding Fairy): with my powers of Click and Drag, I make copies appear when originals get lost in the Towering Pile of Email Doom. That said, if you send something to me but forget to send it to her, I'll make sure she gets it.
So how's this for Freaky Pet action: this afternoon Edie the Cat somehow managed to swallow like half of one of those wiggly-felt-streamer-on-a-stick things while sitting right next to me-- I heard this quiet little "ack" by my feet and looked down to see her gulping the thing down like a strand of Hell Spaghetti. We got it back out, gently, and she seems just fine, but the whole experience was Harrowing. Harrowing and slimy. Eww.
Dan Guy fixed it! He is my Hero. I will be happy when he is ruling the world.
(It should be noted these would not be getting posted if he wasn't doing it. I just stumble along and muck things up, hee-hee)
Oh Jess, been there! I bought Venus and Mim one of those feather on a stick things the other day and darned if they don't carry it EVERYWHERE!
Glad you liked the pipes! Not to brag, but I may well be one of the first people EVER to post the uh, learning process live as it happens.
Thanks for posting your progress! A friend of mine tried to learn, and it took her months before she was aable to do that-so I think you're doing splendidly.
Hi Nadine, we haven't seen you in a while, welcome back! I try and practice a bit when ever I have a few moments. It's going to be a LONG process....
Love the sound, Quiche - I flashed back to a trip to England when you played the siren motif....
Dan Guy - Thanks for the post on the Boss's site - I hadn't seen the Jon Stewart speech since 2001; it was oddly comforting then, and still is. Here in the Midwest we were very on the periphery of the whole even, but I remember those days well.
Off for some vacation for a couple of weeks - when I come back, I'm going to get serious about this Night Garden Stuff...a girl has to do a lot to keep up with the Jones' around here.
I'll miss you all.....
Well, you may not have pyrotechnics but you have had a laser show at least once!
The pipes sound! Hurray! I did hear that old time British siren thing at one point.
It sure sounds like progress to me.
Hang in there good things come to those who persist. :)
A friend of mine a music major by the by, had the same problems when he began. :)
Oh, and another thing (no one ever leaves this blog when they say they do - when I was walking on the treadmill yesterday, reading Writer's Digest, October 2008 issue, on page 69, "Blogging" by M.J. Rose, I came across this:
A blog can work well if you're a fiction writer with a strong voice and an entertaining style and you want to invest the time in blogging. Two fine examples are Jennifer Weiner (jenniferweiner.blogspot.com) and Neil Gaiman (journal.neilgaiman.com). But keep in mind they've both been at it for more than six years."
I love it when I find mentions of Himself in obscure places. Kudos to all involved in the site.
Hi Siri, have a great time! We will want to hear about it when you get back...as far as keeping up with the Jones goes, all that flashed into my mind was "Well, Kitty has been keeping up with the Jonas brothers for 6 weeks now..."
I slay myself!
I rea;;y liked seeing the Jon Stewart but again too. Truly well done.
Aleta! Your are absolutely correct, we had a heck of a laser show one night! We so need to do that again, with the lights way down,, your friend had the best lasers!
Hi Rick, uh, how long did it take him??? Are we talking years here? I am going to bring mine to the gigs this weekend. Way to pull in the crowds!
Thanks Siri! My thoughts exactly. His blog has set the bar really high......He pops up in the oddest places, doesn't he?
What do Venus and Mim think of the pipes?
Whenever I play the recorder or flute Tysie goes berserk - tries to nibble and nudge them.
I've never worked out whether its in ecstasy or desperation to make the noise stop.
She does the same thing when you play around with cell phone tones, but not with the piano or string instruments.
The Bengals have not yet heard the pipes. Not sure what they would do, or if I want to find out...
Cabal was pretty clear tho....
WOW, I'm crabby! I think hearing some pipes (with Cabal singing along) was possibly the only thing that was gonna cheer me up. You always know just what to say (play). :)
I hope everyone sleeps well. Happy Friday!
Oh and, yes Paul it is certainly possible that somewhere in my subconscious mind I was thinking of True Blood when I chose this color for my hair. :) So far the verdict is that it sucks but that is from someone who can't say anything nice about me so we will give it a few days.
Oh,, Gayle, sounds like one of those days! Cheer up little buckeroo, we are with you!
Tho I do worry a bit about how bad it might be that my pipe playing cheered you...
Mim seems unhappy tonight, lots of running on the wheel at a frantic pace, and mewing constantly. I have been playing with her, petting her, giving her treats, and she finally fell asleep, poor kitten.
On a happy note, Cabal wanted food all day, and he got it.
Hey, Gayle, if you want a hug, you can have one. Okay?
Ms. Fabulous, is the tapping in the sound file you keeping the beat with your foot, or is it you pumping the bellows? Hey, at least Cabal doesn't howl when you practice.
Jess, do I need to email "Green Moon Garden" to you?
I have things to say about the previous blog and putting artistic endeavors out for the public, but I'm falling asleep at the keyboard. It will just have to wait. ;)
We want to hear these thoughts when you have time, yes?
It is the irritating metronome on Garage band, I need to figure out how to get it removed....
FOUR notes! Dude! I'm impressed, seriously. :)
You know, if you had not told me that they were pipes, I would've totally bought the story that it was modern, cutting-edge jazz. Like the stuff that comes out on the Cryptogramophone label here in LA. Ooh, I will do an experiment, by sending that to my friend the session musician and seeing if he can figure out what it is... mwahaha! The pipes do sound like saxophones, to me.
I adore your laugh at the end, though. :)
I can't hear them now but if that's like what I've heard yesterday, it is bound to sound like minimalistic acid jazz (mixed with a little Frère Jacques, for some reason...)
Hooray! The note has friends! Even if Cabal thinks they might instead be enemies...
Lorraine, I'm not sure Paul and I know what we're talking about either, but we've clearly demonstrated that both of us know many large intimidating words! (Except that of course he knows all about the genetic part!)
I would be wildly glad it is Friday, if I weren't afraid that I will be working most of the weekend. Bleah.
Science never stops! But I hope you get at least some weekend, Phiala.
Ariandalen - actually, I've got the link to "Green Moon Garden," and I can copy that to a text file. So you don't really need to email it to me unless you want to make changes, or if there's some special formatting that doesn't show up in the blog post.
I think I've got everybody who's sent something in covered so far:
Ariandalen - "Green Moon Garden"
Phiala - untitled poem (and I know you've got plans for a tapestry, too)
Jane Yolen - "In the Night Garden"
Nathalie - the "Fireflies & Stardust" haiga and "Evening Prayer"
Some Hack - "Tinkerbell and the Butterfly Bush"
And I still need Stacy's poem!
... I think that's it so far. Who did I miss?
That's a nice mention in Writer's Digest. Though I'm a little bothered by that sort of sneering, offhand comment at the end: "But keep in mind they've both been at it for more than six years." Well, okay: my current blog has only existed for a month, and I've only invested time in blogging for a couple of years-- but I've been writing seriously for ten, so that puts me in the clear, I guess. But what about writers just finding their feet? Are they supposed to shy away from blogging just because they haven't found their voices yet? Writing practice is writing practice-- as long as you're working at it, why should your level of experience matter? Everybody's got to start somewhere.
Grr. Sorry. You may have gathered that I don't think much of Writer's Digest. :D
Jess, I didn't take it that way. I think the "doing it for six years" bit refers more to the rare longevity of blogs, and that the longer they are around, the more readers they accrete. A month-old blog, no matter how well written, is unlikely to be as successful as a six-year-old blog. I also think that it's harder now to become a successful blogger than it was six years ago simply because there are so many others. Being already-famous also helps!
Yey for four notes! Pretty darn cool! and thank you for blocking off the weekend i have a convention for our next june get-together- and having it in minneapolis would be great fun. a nice quiet rainy day here today, kinda nice! hope everyone has a great Friday!
Yay for new bagpipe music! I am amazed that you can fit in french, bagpipes, and being fabulous into your day.
If you really want pyro in the pubs, Quiche, I can hook you up. Next time I bring some stuff I'll bring my little board, some smoke caps, some single-use flame pipes, hehehehe.
I'm glad people liked the Jon Stewart clip. I woke up yesterday morning knowing that I needed to share it, hoping that it would help other people the way it always helps me, and then the boss sent that email about the children and the earthquake and it just all seemed of a piece.
On 9/11/01, I was working on the 10th story of a building right on the Potomac. We were all crowded into the main conference room, because it was the only one with a TV and we were glued to CNN. The conference room has floor-to-ceiling windows around two sides, looking out over the Pentagon. We didn't feel it, or even hear it. CNN said the Pentagon had been hit and we all turned around and saw the smoke. A couple of us snuck out onto the roof, by climbing on top of a service elevator, to get a closer look. I don't even remember what it looked like anymore.
It is likely I've taken that Writers Digest excerpt far too out of context. Forgive the rant and just ignore me. It's been a bad morning.
That is a great clip, Dan-- I was glad you posted that, too.
Hang on Lorraine-- you have a cat wheel? Where can I get a cat wheel?
I didn't have a chance to watch the Jon Stewart clip until jut now. Thank you Dan. And, more than that, I am glad you were safe that day!
First news: The Carrot has arrived safe in Minneapolis. Sharon was just getting into her car and the postman came running up the street with it!
Calling out "Birdchick! Birdchick! Here is your package!"
Hi Jess, sorry you are having a bad morning. This will cheer you, no time for hyperlinking but go to catwheelcompany.com
They are having a summer sale. Hours of fun and entertainment.
I have to go and save a bird...
I think our friend needs one of those catwheels for his 3 yr old ;) That child never stops moving! (we were just over last night...crazy amount of energy). Our cat just lays around with no desire to run, unless my son comes running after him...then he just runs to another place he can lie down.
LOVE the 4 notes! I'm very impressed!
I have an appt in a few minutes then i have to get ready to leave for tahoe for my sister's bday for the weekend. So i'll be MIA for a couple of days...i'm sure i won't be able to catch up when i get back either!
CHatty cathy's you are!
It may well be a morgue here this weekend, 4 gigs and a concert to go to in three days....
Unless I get pics and vid.....
Hee heee! That's too funny. I needed that. :)
The real question is: do they ever stop running very suddenly, the way hamsters do, hang on, and go all the way round? On purpose?
They do indeed. When we first got it, Mim would run so fat she would go all the way to the top, and come crashing down. She is better at it now.
Venus thinks it sucks. Won't touch it.
I think we need some video of this. :D
We were so meant to do video, with Aleta and a friend of hers who owns a laser pointer company. But haven't gotten around to it yet....
I just found out I am so going to see Bela Fleck on Monday night! Very cool.
Lucky girl!
Truly, I am.
Say, what does it mean on Last FM when you play "Your Library" I thought it meant your I tunes, but it's playing things I have never heard before! Most of which I like.
I think that when you are playing your library, the system will use artists from your library but random tracks, whereas if you are using your playlist, it will only play the songs you have put there. Just a guess, though. I would also guess that the songs you play on Itunes are scrobbled (i.e registeresd as "listened") as if you listen to a CD or a sound file on your computer but not added to your library or a last.fm playlist that you cna play later on.
Bela Fleck is amazing....you have a very enviable concert-going schedule lately!
If you haven't heard it, Mr. Fleck has an album out called Perpetual Motion which is all classical music with various guest artists. It really is something else and no one I've played it for has ever guessed that it's banjo that they hear.
Hmmmm could be. I like what it's playing tho, so I guess it is good. We did nothing in French yesterday. Learned the days of the week. And went hareing off on tangents that had nothing to do with French.
I'm typing WITW for you now, Nathilie.
Haven't heard it yet Arwen, can't wait to tho. I loved what he did on UFO TUFO, I mean, who writes a jazz song for the banjo with three separate musical palindromes ?????? I love seeing him, every time I do, he has a new thing he is doing, new people, new styles.
What?? P&L have No pyro!?
even Danth has a pyro button in his residence, reports are that the baby pushes it early and often.
let's work on getting you kids up to speed.
xoxox
ps Bela Fleck! you so cool, miss fabulous.
Yes, we have no pyro! We have no pyro today!
I keep forgetting I have a show tonight....This could end up being bad for Paul....
Thanks so much....I now have the Muppet "We Have No Bananas" stuck in my head.
Teach me to sneak over to your blog when I'm supposed to be working.
Teach you indeed! Did it on purpose, I am evil!
But in the GOOD way :)
Plus now I'll go home and watch the Muppet Show so all is well.
Muppets are never a bad plan. Can't go wrong with the Muppet show...
I am so brining my pipes and playing my four notes at the gig tonight!!!!!!!!
I wish I could come to the gig to hear the bonus of the pipes!
I wish you could too! You can probably drink enough scotch so that the experience will not be painful...
You are too hard on yourself, Quiche. ;)
Good luck gigging tonight!!
And as for the pipes, who's to say that most of the audience even knows what they are supposed to sound like? They do sound very experimental and modern. Go for it!!
indeed the pipes sound contemporary! have fun at your gig this evening! i could so use a gigantic drink - my day went straight down the toilet, Gayle, hope your day got better! Insurance is not covering some medical stuff, and everything i touched, i broke. i have a texas sized headache, and the dog peed the only rug in the house, and i don't mind living alone but it is seriously too quiet here today. ok :( end of rant. thanks for letting me vent. I really enjoyed the segment on 9/11 dan, i hadn't seen that before. helps gain perspective on what is important.
Ivenotime, hang in there; it sounds like you're indeed having A Day. I know what it's like to live alone and have one of those days where you can't stand the empty place.
Jess, hope your morning improved!
And Gayle, hope your day's going better, too.
We do have quite the support group here now!!
Sue, I hope the day gets better for you. I am sorry to hear about the nasties coming out of the walls there. Gayle, you too. I hope you feel better soon.
Have fun at the gigs, L. I am sure the pipes will be a popular hit... just make sure the pub-goers don't have tomatoes handy beforehand. We don't want it to be a literal 'hit'.
Thanks, Val-- things have settled down as much as they can. We had something of a family emergency and nearly ended up on a plane to the UK. You know-- nothing major. ;)
Does anyone know if Lorraine's still around, or is she well off to gigging? I got your email, Lorraine! Yes, can do.
Lots of long hard days going on here!
I'm not sure Jess's got any better, I've been e-mailing with her, had a HUGE favor to ask...
Ack. Sue....We will try and brighten you up!
Those are interesting thoughts my dears, what if the people didn't know I was not yet perfected at them and thought it WAS contemporary jazz????
I will tell you when I get home tonight, check back after midnight...
I'm here Jess, just leaving in a few minutes tho...
Bagpipe 'em into next week, Fablo!
My day was much better! Thanks for all the goodness.
I am sorry ivenotime! I hope you have a nice evening and a peaceful weekend. Insurance is awful init?
Have a great gig tonight Quiche! Tell Paul hello for me. I tried to get a sitter but no luck. Maybe Sunday. :)
Yay for pipes! You are a music *queen*, Fablo.
Sounds like it was just one of the days . . . Sincere sympathy to Jess for pet problems and Sue for insurance frustrations, breaking things, and lonely. Believe me, I understand the lonely. I have sunk to a bad level today. I screwed up at my job terribly by completely losing my temper at my 9th grade class today (a general education class, not my other special educations classes) and yelling "What the hell are you doing?!" when one of them kicked me in the back of the thigh while trying to show off a cool new dance move (not supposed to be dancing in class of course, but we were getting ready for the bell for lunch and 14 year old boys aren't known for being quiet and still). Sigh. Sometimes, I kind of suck. Please God I will never do that again. Oh, and there was a fight in the upstairs hall and I saw a student I work with, but have never cussed at, lead away in handcuffs. At least I waited until I got to the car, 3 hours later, to cry about that one.
So I have no creative juices to spend on a Night Garden. But I'm so so so glad that others of you do. You take up the slack for me, thankful to say.
Why isn't it June and The Party yet? :(
Thanks for all the well wishes, it's going to be a long night as my project which must go into the kiln tomorrow am has decided to wrestle me every step of the way. sigh - remember the previous discussion about making art and putting the soul on the line? first it has to be made, and boy i am NOT having luck. Jess, hope your family emergency is all ok now - your Mr. Jess is British? Have you been to England - i would love to go across the pond. Thanks too Lorraine, Rubius and Pantagruel -yeah, sometimes living alone is it Not Good for the psyche, too easy to wallow in self pity. So before I go back to the Hell which is the Studio, at least Tank has crawled on my lap and licked my nose. But judging from the odor, i think Rocket has pooped. and judging by her skulking form, i think i am right. :) thank god for merlot...
oh good gayle, glad things are going better - just saw your comment - yes insurance is a NIGHTMARE, i do think its one of the biggest issues of this campaign, but i am not hearing much regarding it.
ouch grace, remember you are only human - try not to be too hard on yourself. you are teaching a difficult age group, and you probably just reacted quickly to getting hit in the leg. The students realize when someone has been pushed too far, and it will probably earn you more respect. No, You Do Not Suck.
i might as well make 4 posts in a row. can anyone tell i do not want to go back to work?
Bulfinche's Aglaia - I am so sorry to hear about your bad day. Kids, at any age, can do that to you. Please remember, you cannot save everyone, you cannot change anyone, you can only try to nudge people in the right direction, give them encouragement, hope, and if they ask for it, maybe you can share your life experience with them, and if you are really lucky they might just listen.
It is easy enough to say 'kids will be kids' but I am sure it doesn't help you very much. Maybe try to think of it this way, you are trying therefore you are part of the solution, even on bad days, even when things fail, even when you lose your temper (and that isn't hard to do with a bunch of rowdy kids at any age).
I have always looked up to my teachers and since I am looking to find a new occupation (my office job is driving me crazy) I keep trying to come up with something I would like to do for a living. My favourite job was working as a counselor at Camp Narnia, but I remember (vividly) swearing to myself after the summer was over that I would NEVER work with children again... yet working with kids comes rather naturally to me (I relate to them really well and I think it is fun and on top of that I kind of want to work with kids because I think it is a noble profession). I keep debating whether I could handle it so when I read your post I felt like saying 'look how brave she is', 'look how honest', 'look at how much of herself she devotes to helping children'... and again I am torn. I don't know how I would handle that situation. I don't know how you do it. What I am saying is be proud of what you do, even when things go wrong, you are a positive force in the end.
And I totally agree with Sue, THAT is not an age group.... and no one likes getting kicked, even if it is by accident.
Bulfinche's Aglaia, I have worked with kids my entire adult life. I just wanted to let you know that your reaction was normal and human and, if you can, try to let it go.
My Baby-Daddy was walking with our (then) three year old son and looking for the car in a VERY large parking lot. My sweet little boy said, "Daddy, where's the fucking car?"
So there you go. We all say things in front of kids that we wish we had not. And they repeat those things. OH WELL! :)
Sometimes you just can't take being kicked, even if it was an accident. It's really OK.
Good luck!
Bulfinch's Aglaia: Everybody is entitled to a bad day. I won't repeat what Sue, Rubius and Gayle have said other than I agree with them. Don't let it get you down.
Ms. Fabulous: My almost seven year old thought that your Uilleann pipe playing was pretty good for a beginner. Then her little sister said she wanted to play the pipes.
WITW?
Ho, I got it! "TYPING" finally tricked my sleepy head into gear.
Although I do hope you are typing LLDLM instead...
Oh, Adriandalen, I am so sorry. Having a chlld who wants to learn bagpipes can't possibly be good...
Agalia, I echo what they said. And wouldn't it be nice if we could be perfect all the time? Having lost it myself any number of times, I can honestly say, I've been there.
isn't it nice tho, to have such a nice place to come, where you can say "Oh, man, I messed up!" And have such friends to say, we love you anyway...
Sounds like it was tough all round, for everyone.
Sue, you make me laugh....
Not sure what Nathilie is talking about tho, and am too tired to go back and figure it out..
Must check the blog, it looks like some went in and did a new post on it!
Y'all are wonderful. More than wonderful. Kind, understanding, supportive, gentle, and really amazing. Thank you, more than I can say. And now to read the creative stuff and try to forget the sad stuff! So, thank you for that as well!
That's what we're here for !!!!!
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