SNOW, CONS, KUMQUATS AND SUCH LIKE THUS

I'm inordinately fond of the phrase "and such like thus."

POINT ONE: *Sigh.* A few snowflakes in the air earlier this evening, but nothing that's stuck. I foolishly had hoped we'd seen the last of the snow, though I knew better. In this neck of the country, you're never completely out of the woods r.e. the whitestuff: My mother has told me of a day trip she and my father took to Niagara Falls in the late 1960s in July -- in which, on the way back along the NYS Thruway, they got hit with a freak snowstorm around Batavia. The conditions were localized; when they got back to the Rochester area and told friends about it, nobody believed them. Until reports of said snowstorm appeared on the nightly news. Because you know how it is: Nothing really happens unless it's on TV. *begin eyeroll here*

POINT TWO: It being a week and a half past the convention, I won't attempt to finish the FKO conrep -- I'll just reiterate that it was it was a weekend well spent, with people both talented and personable. I'm tentatively considering my first Marcon this year; if that comes to pass, I may see some of you there.

POINT THREE: Finally found some more kumquats at Wegmans a couple days ago. I likes me those kumquats. Sweet, edible rind encasing the tangy fruity flesh. They don't stock much of them; I'm beginning to suspect I'm their only kumquat customer. In addition to being mighty tasty, it's a fun word to say, like "arugula" or "umlaut" or "indubitably."

POINT FOUR: Uh, that's it. Nothing left to say. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, in my brain. Said the melancholy Dane. Amid amber waves of grain. And pain.

Sounds & Images: Foxtrot (Genesis -- the old-school model with Peter Gabriel and puzzling lyrical content)
State O'Mind: Random

LYIN', CHEATIN', HURTIN'

If you stay on LiveJournal long enough, you begin to see the memes make their way around for the third or fourth time. But this one, seen recently in the pages of guided_by_grace and littlebluedog, is kinda fun. I paraphrase: Access your iPod, Media Player or music storage device of choice, set it to random, and post the opening lyrics to the first 20 songs that come around, then let the friends-list guess the songs and artists. Offer fabulous prizes if do-able; if not, offer virtual pats on the head.

I did this one several months ago; belated virtual pats on the head go to guided_by_grace, peteralway and vixyish who all hazarded guesses. So here we go again. I have, of course, bypassed any songs in which the title is contained in the opening lines (e.g., "Eleanor Rigby"). I've also bypassed any artists that are largely regional in audience (although Lisa Bigwood is getting some interest and airplay in the folk scene outside of the Rochester area, but I still exempted her songs when they came around twice). I did not strictly exempt filk, because half of the friends-list are in the filk orbit (and #12 is pretty much a freebie for anyone who's been in the filk community more than a day or two). So ... here goes. I'll edit to reflect correct guesses as they come in and post the answers next week.

The One Rule: No peekin' at the comments until you've guessed yourself. *smiles*

1. We drink whiskey and get morose and sad.
We drink tequila when we want to feel real bad ...

2. Someday when I'm awfully low,
when the world is cold, I will feel a glow
just thinking of you ... guessed correctly by vixyish and guided_by_grace

3. There is a town in north Ontario
with dream comfort memory to spare ... guessed correctly by phillip2637

4. There's a man working in a field,
sees the rain and it's burning ... guessed correctly by vixyish and guided_by_grace

5. I've spent a lifetime making up my mind to be
more than the measure of what I thought others could see ...

6. Imagine one perfect circle above the stratosphere
where lovers hide away and children cheer ...

7. Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk at our Christmas party;
we were drinking champagne punch and homemade eggnog ... guessed correctly by littlebluedog

8. If it feels like I've been lost in 'let's remember';
if you think I'm feeling older and missing my younger days ... guessed correctly by vixyish

9. Lyin', cheatin', hurtin',
that's all you seem to do ... guessed correctly by phillip2637

10. When the night has come and the land is dark
and the moon is the only light you see ... guessed correctly by phillip2637

11. Tried to save the trees,
bought a plastic bag,
the bottom fell out ... guessed correctly by littlebluedog

12. Well, it's after hours down in Harry's bar and the evening has just begun
and MacIvor is telling all over again how he nearly fell into the sun ... guessed correctly by braider

13. While window shopping through the past
I ran across a looking glass
reflecting moments remaining in a burned out light ... the artist guessed correctly by littlebluedog

14. Crimson flames tied through my ears, rollin' high and mighty traps.
Pounded with fire on flaming roads using ideas as my maps ... guessed correctly by phillip2637

15. Baby born in New York City
wrapped in a blanket all tattered and worn ...guessed correctly by littlebluedog

16. I hear tell you're doing well,
good things have come to you;
I wish I had your happiness ... guessed correctly by phillip2637

17. I ain't lookin' to compete with you,
beat or cheat or mistreat you ... guessed correctly by phillip2637

18. Little sister, don't you worry about a thing today
Take the heat from the sun ...

19. By the time you were born there were four other siblings
with your mother awaiting your daddy in jail ...

20. Long as I remember, the rain been comin' down,
clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground ... guessed correctly by phillip2637