filkertom

I haven't posted anything here for almost a year and a half. I'm basically doing so now so that anyone who friended me knows I'm aware of the current phun with LiveJournal, and that I've got several backup spaces -- this IJ, MySpace, the iTom blog. The conversation will continue.

So... who all is here?

From bathtubnz, posting in mst3k, a promo page. Guess we'll find out tonight if I should dig up the songs I was working on years ago....

Today is the birthday of Ed Sullivan, who introduced Elvis and The Beatles to America. Miles beyond The Gong Show and Ted Mack's Amateur Hour, Ed had some of the most talented performers in the world... and some of the weirdest. George Carlin picked up on that:

Well, now, you know, right here on our show... we have Connie Francis, with her tribute to Carmen Basilio... and just before -- is that just before or just after? During... the aerial photographs of Kate Smith... the entire female population of Guadalahara... will run out on stage and shout out their brassiere sizes! Next week, the Bronze Age....

So what kind of weird acts would be on your Ed Sullivan Show?

Not the best of days. I'm trying to fight off a very bad headache. It's at least downgraded from the migraine it was at 5:00 this morning. I've got to get some CDs in the mail, and I have to get ready for ConText in Columbus tomorrow.

I hope your day is going all right...?

I'm getting together a big honkin' podcast post, as well as a podcast resource page for TSO. I've been played a decent amount on Dementia Radio, as well as on various shows in the Podsafe Music Network. And, "An Ecclesiastes For Rose" is being played on this week's WhoCast.

Are there any particular podcasts you really like that we might not have heard about? Or, pimp your own (I'm talkin' to you, devospice). ;)

On this date in 1932.

What of Shel's works do you like best? For me, it's music. I didn't encounter his books until I was an adult, but "A Boy Named Sue" was very influential for me, as was "The Unicorn" (and if you'd told me they were written by the same guy, I don't know if I would've have believed you). "25 Minutes To Go" is also tremendous.

... Okay, okay. Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book and The Giving Tree rock.

He would've been 71 today.

(I wanted to post this this morning. Literally, I saw that it was his birthday, got the Wikipedia page, clicked to post to LJ... and the hotel tried to charge me another $9.95 for internet.)

So, what are your favorite Muppet moments? No chance I'm gonna limit you to one or two or even ten.

I'm packing up to get on the road -- primary plan being avoiding Monday morning Dallas rush-hour -- and I want to take this opportunity to say Thank You So Very Much to the excellent crew at FenCon for a fine, fine time. Tim & Mary Miller, Russ Miller and his wife (I think Leeann, but Mr. Brain is a touch overloaded), Ed Dravecky, the always-fantastic Gerry Tyra sound team, the staff people, the wonderful Connie Willis and equally wonderful Steve Perry, Wm. Mark Simmons, Kathleen Sloan, Margaret Middleton, and damn what a great bunch o' fans. Seriously, this con rocked, and it may take me a couple of years but I will be back.

P.S.: When I do come back, we're gonna find some really good hole-in-the-wall BBQ. Spring Creek was good, but not great, and I have the strong suspicion I'm gonna get me some Interstate when I pass through Memphis on the way home.

So how's your day looking?

Today is the birthday of Bruce Springsteen, John Coltrane, and Ray freakin' Charles.

I'm not even gonna try to put together a list of favorites for this one -- too many, pretty much everything on one level or another -- although you are welcome to supply your own. Just... it's a really good day to drink something tall and cold while diggin' the sounds, y'know?

Great sadness. Legendary mime Marcel Marceau has passed away at the age of 84.

Having a very fine time so far.

Opening Ceremonies were fun, and the guests are great. In particular, Connie Willis, Steve Perry, and Jarrod Davis rock (and of course Kathleen, but I'm biased on that one). I thought last night's set went well enough (and with the great Gerry Tyra doing sound, I'm happy and confident), and I hung out for awhile after, and talked with many nice people (including Auxiliary FuMPer Seamonkey) and sold a little, and then went to the filk panel with billroper, Kathleen Sloan, and Margaret Middleton. The Bedlam Bards are here, and Terri, whom I don't see much of anymore, and numerous others (haven't matched up realspace w/LJ names in many cases, please forgive).

I crapped out on the open filk -- way too tired. I hope to get a nap or two today, in between my autograph session(!) and 5:00 concert and the Cabaret (still dunno what time I'm supposed to go on, but it starts at 9:00. After that, I will be at the open filk for at least awhile.

And, this morning I went out for groceries and breakfast, and found a place called Taco Bueno that was open. Got a few really good tacos, homemade sauce, and some tasty chicken tortilla soup. Nothing fantastic, but good and filling and a little spicy and exactly what I wanted. I suspect BBQ may wait until tomorrow evening, after the con.

So how's your weekend going?

Thanks to joecoustic for reminding us. Many happies to the lovely, talented, and just all-around wonderful Mary!

I'm in Addison, TX, just north of Dallas, for FenCon IV. And already I'm loving it. Haven't yet spoken with anybody from the con, but the bellman delivered a FenCon tote bag with just the greatest swag evar. A glass bottle of Bock (what the hell, I'll try it) and another, old-style design, of Dr. Pepper, and a Don't Mess With Texas bottle opener. A Film Crew button.

And five-and-dime toys in profusion.

A business-card-sized Spirograph. Texas candies. A tin of Play-Doh. A parachute-army-man toy. A Roswell alien. A Forget-Me-Not growing kit. Crayons, a little writing pad, a tracing pad (the old film-and-stylus thing, haven't seen one of those in years and years).

And the coolest of the cool, the beyondest of the beyond, something I didn't even know existed... Mini Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.

I think I'm gonna like it here.

Oh, and, billroper? daisy_knotwise? I'm parked right next to you. ;)

( Here's my schedule for the weekend.... )

So, who all's gonna be here?

ETA: billroper wrote just the nicest bio for me. Thank you, my friend.

On the hypotwit's presser yesterday.

As of yesterday, the NY Times Select firewall, behind which they hid "premium" content, is down. (They're making better money from ad revenue.)

Just in time, Paul Krugman has begun a blog, The Conscience of a Liberal. This immediately goes on the required reading list with Glenn Greenwald, Think Progress, and Digby.

Any blogs you find particularly useful, compelling, or just entertaining? Anything's fine; just, if it's a political blog, mention which way the politics lean. (No recommendations, please, for Coulter, Malkin, Hannity, or Beck. If you find them useful, compelling, or entertaining, how the hell did you find my LJ?)

So, I posted a quick thing to the iTom page this morning.

And Blogger decided re-sending my last fifteen or so posts would be a really good idea.

Sorry for those of you who've got your RSS feeds clogged by that freakin' schizoid software. I may need to move that page to somewhere sane.

Do not cross.

ARRR! It be that grandest time o' th' year, International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Now, it happens that I wrote a song fer the occasion, which the Pirate Guys (Ol' Chumbucket an' Cap'n Slappy) have graciously deemed ta be "the official chanty". This song has been very popular, which I find pleasin' an' gratifyin'. Yer a foine bunch o' scalawags, and so I've decided that this be a good time ta make the song a permanent freebie. So's ye can download it without payin' or nothin'.

And, just ta make things interestin', I also has a ditty called "Hey, It's Can(n)on", which the Harry Potter fans might find ta their tastes.

Have a grand TLAPD, and ARRR!

And, on top of everything else, there is reason to watch Beauty and the Geek this evening. ;)

Third, I'm in the Ann ARRRbor News (on the front page of the dead tree edition, no less). And, as jrtom (a couple of threads ago) and Debbie G. (in e-mail) noted, I'm actually invoked by Reuters.

ARRR! Remember that, as of midnight, the official chanty for Talk Like A Pirate Day will be free, free, gloriously free! Pirate Day will be free, free, gloriously free!