The venom of your tongue

It's one week til we move. Not into a new house yet--my folks still have to choose one and then those people need to find somewhere etc. So we'll be moving to a resort. My folks haven't vacationed in years, so they decided to get something more than a dingy apartment for the next two months.

Anyway, there's lots of packing to be done still. I'm going to prep a bunch of "love songs of the day" to auto-post, in case anyone needs a new love theme for their novel! ?? And hopefully I'll be back with proper content once we've settled in.

I'll try to pick some really good songs. ;-)

____LOVE SONGS OF THE DAYS: Sex Month____

Suggested by my brother:

Kiss me till you hurt me, then again until I'm numb
Burn holes in my neck with the venom of your tongue
Remind me again how lucky I am right now
Laugh at my body but then turn off the lights and put out




And we haven't done Madonna yet...


  

Prince. Crowd. Surfed.

So yesterday my buddy Madame Miroir and I rushed to close up shop at exactly 5:30 so I could zip down to the seaplane and hop the 6 PM from Nanaimo to Vancouver. I was off to see Prince!

Beautiful sunny day, could even see into the water at places, see little fishies. My mum met me at the local bar, then we went downtown. Happened to park outside the book store where my brother is night manager. He hadn't started yet, but we left him a note "from Prince." So he'd know we were thinking of him.

Then we stood in line with three nice drunk people, and ended up in sort of the 11th row (5th row, but there was a standing area in the front.) Then we ROCKED OUT!!

Prince is doing this little West Coast tour, in small venues, with a band he put together of three women (one from Montreal). So it was classic 4 piece band rock, and distorted and shreddy and guitar heavy and AWESOME. It was not  "top of the pops" concert, which many reviewers slammed him for; but we knew that going in. Prince is just super entertaining, almost anyone would enjoy him, even if you didn't know the songs. He plays with the audience, he flirts, he dances, he shakes his booty, he does call and response, and then... he crowd surfed!!

Only at our concert (out of the 4 he played.) I never imagined an artist of his stature would crowd surf, cause don't you risk being killed? Anyway, we went nuts, even those of us not in on the action.

It ended at 1:30 and then we sat around talking til 5. Today we drove around White Rock where they film our fave show Psych (pretending it's San Diego).

Here's the version of Let's Go Crazy that he played:

LETSGOCRAZY from Madison Dubé on Vimeo.

___LOVE SONG OF THE DAY: Sex Month____

A new version of "Eye Could Never Take the Place of Ur Man" (the version played at our concert.) A sex song in that it's about turning a woman down because...

I may be qualified 4 a one night stand
But I could never take the place of your man

You need a love that's gonna last

Guess what's on tomorrow's agenda? Woo!

Hot for libraries

I still love these "little libraries" that people put up in communities, or in front of their homes. One of the houses my parents looked at had one!

____LOVE SONG OF THE DAY: Sex Month____

The closest I could find to sex + books.

Still counts!

I got a slight promotion at work. When the supervisor isn't in the store, there's a "lead" who's in charge, and a second lead who's in charge when the lead's on vacation. Our old lead got a new job, he had his last day Saturday. The old "second lead" dude was promoted to lead, and I was given the "second lead" job.

Something I wasn't expecting, but I'm pleased. Our new lead is a great guy whom everyone likes and respects. He's on vacation this week, though, so I'm diving right into the new posish! I'll be in charge all day Monday (though the thrift store coordinator will be there), and I close the store all week.

Those who knew me at my last job won't be surprised that I've already typed up and printed an Excel checklist on how to close the store. ;-)

____LOVE SONGS OF THE DAYS: Sex Month____

I like the Beach Boys version better, but Roth's video is more entertaining.


And since we're on the comical, here's Lonely Island's "I Just Had Sex". I like seeing "cool people" being silly, letting themselves be made fun of. Akon had a mini scandal once because he pulled a girl from the audience to *dance* with--that is to say, to dry hump the sh*t out of her--and she turned out to be under aged. It was hilariously awful and I'm pretty sure the "flop around" line is about that:

So this one's dedicated to them girls  
That let us flop around on top of them 
 If you're near or far, whether short or tall  
We want to thank you all for letting us fuck you

Though my fave line is:

Dude: She put a bag on my head
Akon: Still counts!



Moi: But I'm only second lead
Akon: Still counts!
   

A message for you and your mirror

Today's song has a dual purpose of sex song and encouragement song. And who could be capable of that? Why, Prince of course!

There's a live version (out there somewhere) of Prince singing "Cream" solo with acoustic guitar, and part-way through the song, right after "You're so good, baby there ain't nobody better" he tells the audience: "You know I wrote this while looking in the mirror, right? I'm serious."

Until then I'd only thought of it as a sex song, whether due to the moaning or the video, I don't know. But it actually makes way more sense as an encourage-yourself-to-greatness song. As in: Cream rises to the top. Can't believe I never noticed it before. Only Prince could make self help sound dirty.

So if you need a hit of "I'm awesome" today, then I present for your consideration, the lyrics to "Cream." (Try singing it to yourself in the mirror.)



This is it--it's time for you to go to the wire
You will hit, cause you got the burning desire
It's your time, you got the horn so why don't you blow it?
You are fine, you're filthy cute and baby you know it.

Cream, get on top
Cream, you will cop
Cream, don't you stop
Cream, sh-boogie bop

You're so good, baby there ain't nobody better
So you should never ever go by the letter
You're so cool, everything you do is success
Make the rules--then break 'em all cause you are the best

Cream...

Do your dance, why should you wait any longer?
Take a chance, it could only make you stronger
It's your time--you got the horn so why don't you blow it?
You're so fine, you're filthy cute and baby you know it
    

If it gets you where you wanna go

I've got a non love song for you today. Heard it on the country station last week and it had me scrambling for a pencil and gum package to write down google-able key words. (In the end I lost the gum packet and only remembered seeing "Smith" on the radio's screen. Can you believe it only took five minutes of googling "Smith country artist" before I found the song? Amaaaazing.)

Sort of chirp-you-up song. We'll dedicate it to Skye, who was recently on the road headed for a new life out on the coast!


____LOVE SONG OF THE DAY: SEX MONTH____

Can't have sex month without Aerosmith.

Sexy & Sax

I seem to have completely missed the month of March, in terms of blog reading. Just ran off to Planet Crochet or something. I should soon have an owl pillow to show for it. And a crocheted monkey that started as a hat. Anyway, I'm making my way down the list--made it to Ms JQ. Now must watch my shows. ;-) Hope to see you soon on your pages! And thanks for still being my frog even when I wander off into fields of crocheted flowers.

If anyone's interested, here's the rom com run from Girls that I talked about. Obviously it's better when you know the back story etc., because these two have screwed each other over a lot and I didn't expect them to get back together. And as Billy Mernit points out, it subverts your expectations cause it is not a classic rom com kind of show.

The moment where he clears the couch cracks me up.


(Mernit also has a post about the sex in Girls, which might give you a sense of how the show is the emo version of Sex and the CITY. )


____LOVE SONG OF THE DAYS: SEX MONTH____

Two hilarious old Rod videos. Does anyone even use the word "sexy" in music anymore? Did it go the way of the saxophone? What's interesting about "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" is... it's actually kind of sweet.

Funniest youtube comment: "my 12yrold heard adout him on a talk show and they played this song and now my child lthinks rods the man lol"

STOP RIGHT THERE!!

Yesterday was a bit weird.

I've been finding lately that the depressions is lifting, and I'm more often feeling like Yea Aulde Selfe. But today it came and bited me on the bottom again. I felt very homesick for Fernando and Kittehs.

Earlier this week, when I was feeling good, I'd agreed to go with my parents to the dinner they were invited to. This is something I've resisted since coming here. I'm not crazy about spending time with strangers, my reasoning being: I have so many good, good friends who I don't see enough--if I've got time to socialize, then I'd rather be deepening those relationships. And the rest of the time I like to be at home. Being with others energizes me to some extent (extrovert) but then I still need masses of time to myself (introvert.)

Anyway, I did it for my daddio. But then I woke up under SUCH a cloud, it was awful. Dragged myself through the day, grumplestiltskins. Their friends were lovely, lovely, people, and I hope I got through it without coming off as an asshole. But in the end, this must be one of the reasons we isolate when we're depressed: Cause we don't want to disappoint others. Or snap at them. Or be mean. We don't want to be in situations where failure is a higher statistical probability.

Oh well. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

____LOVE SONG OF THE DAY: SEX MONTH____

Love this whole album. Our parents had this album when we were kids and we thought this was just a baseball game. One of the great sex songs of our time. I can sing every word. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" -- the juxtaposition of heaven and a car has Jim Steinman written all over it. Love that he can write a beautiful line like...

Baby don't you hear my heart?
You've got it drowning out the radio

...alongside monumental cheese:

So open up your eyes I've got a big surprise
It'll feel alright, well I wanna make your motor run!

Skyyy rockets in flight!

I decided a needed some challenges with this Love Song of the Day thing, so this month every song is going to be about sex. ...If "sexy" or "foxy" is in there somewhere, all the better. If there's a saxophone, then it's on like Donkey Kong.

In March I was watching Arrested Development for the first time, and there's a funny episode where our protagonist and his niece sing "Afternoon Delight" in karaoke at the office Christmas party, and it's only as he's singing the song that he realizes what it's about.

So I thought that'd make a good first entry--and the video... well... you don't want to miss it. Or, 15 seconds of it, anyway.

Catch Ups

[Warning to Urthalun: Stuffed animal cat pics.]

Crochet/Sewing: Made new eye for owl pillow, hand stitched eyes to owly while sitting in beautiful spring sun. The weather's been GORGEOUS.

One of the inspirations for my owly.

TV: Continue to make our way through sitcoms. Right now watching Community.

House Selling: Done! My parents accepted an offer, conditional inspection.  But we have to be out in a month! Eep! We've been saying lots of nice things to the house, letting it know we love it, and filling it with happy vibes for its next occupants. --> Ultimately this means I should be able to be cat-habitable sometime this summer. :-)

Buying: Been good about not shopping, except for a new ape for my car... but coworker Madame Miroir bought it for me. Meanwhile Mantis the praying bunny has really been coming through for us! All that 24/7 praying. Even while Morg the cat and I watch TV together, Mantis lays down on her back, her eyes peacefully shut, praying and meditating, and filling up on cuddle energy.

 
 
 

Work: Someone gave notice, so a full-time post is within reach again (the last one I lost to another employee.) And I'm at the 6 month date where I can get my boots reimbursed... more $ to pay down my Prince ticket. Sadly benefits don't kick in until 3 more months. :'-(

Friends: Haven't seen Harvey in ages! But went out with Mme Miroir a couple times, and the part-timer's been around more and she's lots of fun. Spoke to Gilby on the phone.

Food: I've been reintroducing my veganism, but not completely. And seem to have got my dad hooked on Daiya cheese and Tofutti cream cheese.

____LOVE SONGS CATCH UP: Friday, Saturday, Sunday____

Loooove this spare cover of "You Really Got a Hold On You" by Cyndi Lauper. Great album.
I don't want you
But I need you


Remember the song "Joey"?
And if I seem to be confused,
I didn't mean to be with you.
And when you said I scared you,
Well, I guess you scared me too.


I like a lot of Walk Off the Earth's covers, and I like their new original single "Red"... but they look like a cult.

    

I ooonly have eeeyes fooor crocheeeeet

Here's my sewing stuff:

The big under-bed tupperware. I'm not letting myself buy anything that won't fit into the bin. If the bin is full, then no more fabric!

 

Ironing board, step-mommy's travel iron. Computer on floor by sewing table, so I can watch Arrested Development, or Psych, or The IT Crowd...

  

My machine matches my room! I bought little golden table cloths to hide the ugly table and chair (for house selling), and a dollar store box for my "notions."

 

Scarf I'll do... something... with. Fingerless gloves?

Table cloth with cheerful checked pattern. To make... something... with.

Embroidery thread.

This pattern goes into plus sizes! They're recreations of a 1960s pattern set, which they show in the inset.

 Cute eh? And even when I was thinner I had trouble buying real vintage clothes, cause of my height and broad shoulders. But now I can make my own! Well... not now... I have to get better first.

Don't ask me why I had to buy these whale pajamas. No idea what I'm going to do with it.

Pretty border, maybe for Fernando's wallet.

Pretty checked pieces Mme Miroir gave me.

A bag of old furs that Mme Miroir gave me, to make the cats some toys. But I have to figure out how to get the moth smell out first.

Fabric samples Step-mommy gave me.

One of my first crochet attempts. ...It wasn't supposed to be triangular.

____LOVE SONG OF THE DAY____

This was the only only time I felt anything for Buffy and Angel--when they were sort of taken over by two ghost lovers from the past. This song was used to great effect...

 Are the stars out tonight?

I don't know if it's cloudy or bright

I only have eyes for you

   

That hippie chick sh*t

Every Monday we have some clothes on sale for a dollar. I'm trying to not go crazy buying materials, but I can't resist the occasional pattern. And then there's the 99 cent pillow cases!

My last project was this blouse I turned into a little bag.

 

It's hard to see, but I left the row of buttons on it.


And turned the sleeves into little buttoned down handles. (And I put the handles in the right direction!)


I didn't have a pattern--just winged it. Made lots of mistakes, but learned from them all. I even lined it! With other scrap material. Watched back to back episodes of Arrested Development while doing it.


(It's not un-ironed--it's the material that's ruched.)
 

Now I'm working on an owl pillow and an organizer for my car. And thinking up a wallet for Fernando. ...I can't say how at home this sewing and crocheting feels. I don't mean it comes naturally, the way writing does; but the creativity, the freedom to make a design exactly as you want, re-purposing old items... it all feels very Moi. I've always wanted to be that hippie chick who makes her own shit.

____LOVE SONGS OF THE DAYS____

Just noticed I'm short one song. Today here are two Melodramatic Fall Upon the Thorns of Life I Bleed!* songs.

I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through the brain!
Yes I would die for you baby
But you won't do the same


My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing
You cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep keep bleeding love
 

____
* My lit buddies and I thought the Romantics were hilarious:

As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need.
Oh! lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud! I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!
           - Shelley
   

To my pretty young thingies

Sewing Project # Who Knows:

SpiderWomanKnits has this great tutorial for turning a pillow case into a bag. This was my second actual project (before the seat covers) and it was so easy and fun! Except I totally attached the handles in the wrong direction, lol. Looks like a little backpack.

 

Look, it even has corners! ...More evident when it's been ironed.



____LOVE SONGS OF THE DAYS (SUN/MON)

In high school I thought Michael Jackson was crap. But these days I have a solid 15 song playlist I enjoy dancing to while cleaning my room.

Nice cover of "PYT" but... what is a "tenderoni"?


Despite the white socks, undershirt, greasy hair, crotch grabbing, ill-considered sleepovers, and Peter Pan nose... he was a helluva dancer.

Sew in looove

Time to show you my sewing projects!

#1 - Car Lights Reminder - Based on something my mother made back when cars didn't turn the lights on and off automatically, and by law you needed daytime lights. My current car does turn on and off the daytime lights, automatically, but it doesn't do so with the nighttime ones. So to be safe I made this little doo-dad from a scarf. It hangs on the light switch; when I turn on the lights I put one end on my door handle. So if I try to leave the car without turning off the lights, I'll put my hand on the doo-dad and be reminded.
 

#2 - Coat Alterations - This is my crazy cow coat that I got at work, but it was very pear shaped looking on me. So I added shoulder pads, and I removed the pockets which were right on my hips; and now it looks better.

 

____LOVE SONG OF THE DAY____

In honor of my parents' house being back on the market, here's "Love for Sale."

I think this Shirley Horn version is the best--strikes the right note, between seductive and resigned.


But I've always liked this strange ragtime Manhatten Transfer version:


And then there's always...


Best album cover evah...

These foolish games (that the radio plays)

I mentioned yesterday that I keep having to hear the same playlist at work, and it's the only station we can pick up out front.

One song I hear sometimes is "Put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded he plane, touched down in the land of the Delta blues in the middle of the pouring rain." That fucking "Walking in Memphis" song that was on over-constant-super-kill-me-now rotation when I was a student painter. My coworkers never put on any station other than the rock one. Plus I had to listen to their shitty golden oldies hour. When I quit that job I spent the rest of the summer listening to classical music stations.

When I first worked at the large format bookstore, when we were still putting the store together, there was this satellite thing with a million channels, yet somehow every day we were stuck on a Top 40. "You were always the mysterious one with dark eyes and careless hair you were fashionably sensitive yet to cooool to caaare" was the one that almost drove me to swan dive off the second floor.

At work right now there isn't one song giving me suicidal tendencies, but "Someone Like You" is getting there. At first it would just make me sad, but now I'm approaching the point where one draws a shotgun on the stereo system. Or one ends up down at the station with a "your playlist or your life" stand off.

But here's the weirdest thing: This station often plays 80s music, but it's always the same songs. I don't get it. You have 10 years worth of hit music to choose from, why the same 10 songs? Maybe my brother, who used to be in radio, can explain it to me.

Luckily a few of those songs are by Prince, so I literally get a Prince fix every day. But I could like without Corey Hart's "Never Surrender" and Bryan Adams' "Heaven." This week "Heaven" came on and I finally had to vent my feelings at the people I was serving. "Why? Why do I have to hear the same 80s songs every week??"

Oh well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Here's Bryan Adams, and I welcome learning of your top Overplayed Song.

too sleepy to think of a clever title

I'm a little slow on this one--I only heard it on the radio today. In the car, that is. The station at work plays the same 20 songs (and the same 5 '80s songs.) (Seriously, I could list them.)

Best rom com run ever?

Wow, I'm so shocked. The show Girls actually did all-out romance for once. Actually made me tear up with a beautifully done rom com run. Which was completely unexpected because it's a very cynical, often dark show.

[This will now contain spoilers.]

Our heroine, Hannah, got a book deal but only one month to write it, and her editor isn't liking the early pages. So she's having a break-down, OCD behavior, ruptured her ear drum, eating only Cool Whip, and not writing. Her parents won't lend her money to help, the friend she wants to turn to is incommunicado, she's hiding from her other friends (you know... the ones who won't understand how you could so fuck up your life). Finally she calls her ex-boyfriend Adam, whom I wrote about last time.

He's a recovering alcoholic, and when he sees what a mess she is (they're on facetime) he tells her to stay right there, he's coming over. All the while keeping her on the phone, he runs to the subway, and runs to her home, and when she won't get out of bed to answer the door he breaks it down.

It sounds cheesy except his character is so well defined as this intense weirdo, you know he would do something like this. You even know he could break a door down. It's believable that he'd see this as A Moment where she's about to fall over the edge, and he has to jump in and help. It may be my fave rom com run evah.

As usual the music was perfect, but I think it was composed for the show rather than a song I can share with you. So instead, here's my favorite romantic moment from the entire Sex & the City series, scored with this beautiful song "I Love NYE" by Badly Drawn Boy.

(And now I must return to the blouse I'm turning into a bag. The sewing and crochet continue!)


   

Oh amineko you're so fine!

I've been out of the internet loop again. I taught myself to crochet, and have been sewing and crocheting all week, while re-watching Psych and West Wing.

 I am determined to get just good enough to make amigurumi--Japanese knitted or crocheted animals. Specifically, I want to make aminekos. Cats!

(Pics from the amazon page of an amineko book.)

Here are the three love songs for Thu, Fri, Sat. In honor of crochet, the theme is "hook."

Unhook the Stars - Cyndi Lauper


Dr Hook's "When You're in Love With a Beautiful Woman"


And this very strange "Hooked on a Feeling" by The Hoff.

Questionés!

I've been nominated for two bloggy awards! First was from Judy, Judy, Judy...

 

And now this one from Skye.

Thank-you my darlings!

I'm not very good about following the rules of these awards, but I'll answer Skye's questions and we can take that as Telling Us Things About Yourself that both rewards require.

1. If you could go anywhere in the world for a long visit, say three to six months, where would you go? Probably London. Unless I wanted a really novel experience, in which case maybe Botswana! 
2. What's your favorite kind of movie to watch?  Comedies with interesting characters, and I love a romance plot in there somewhere.
3. If money were no object, what kind of home would you have? I like the craftsman home on the show numb3rs. Or something from the 1920s.
4. Have you ever wanted to be in movies or on TV? No.
5. What is your dream job? Writing fiction novels... when not depressed.
6. Do you prefer to wear dresses/skirts or pants? No preference, but pants are more practical.
7. What is your favorite kind of weather? Those first sunny days in spring, or early summer!
8. Do you like to work with your hands? If so, doing what? I'm not good at it, but sometimes enjoy crafts (scrapbooking, collage) and am learning how to sew and crochet. I think it's healthy to do something physical, since I tend toward the intellectual.
9. Do you prefer to drive or be driven? No preference.
10. What's the weirdest thing you've ever done? Have conversations with my stuffed cat? It's hard to reply cause a lot of the things I do, others think are weird, but I think are normal. So I don't notice them.
11. Do you prefer to shop at stores, through catalogs, or over the internet? Depends on the day.

____LOVE SONGS OF THE DAYS (Sunday & Monday) ____

Question songs!

The uncertainty of how the other person feels is the main tension that drives love stories. "A Lover's Question" embodies that, and I like it as a duet. The uncertainty on both sides. Who'll admit their love first?


I was never told about the sorrow


_____
* That is to say, the Bee Gees.