Category Archives: me!

Home to FilKONtario

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FKO

So as you may recall, I posted a while back about Rand and I being invited to be the Filk Waifs (aka toastmasters) at FilKONtario this year. Well, the big event is coming up–very soon! (April 19-21)

I kind of think of FKO as a home convention…because it’s so close, we’re pretty much there every year. I haven’t missed one since Rand first brought me in 2005.

erinuke

If you come, you might get to see me play the ukulele. Here I am playing a chord!

Other exciting things you will see/hear at FKO this year include:

Tim and Annie Walker, all the way from England! They are fantastic people as well as fantastic musicians, and I’m so looking forward to spending more time with them.

Urban Tapestry in concert! (That’s them on stage in the first photo I posted.) Debbie, Allison, and Jodi are among my favorite people in the entire world, and they are always wonderful in concert.

In addition to our concert and other filk waifing duties, I’ll be offering a calligraphy and papercrafting workshop, and Rand will be hosting a found filk circle. (Visit the FKO website by clicking the photo at the top of this post for more info. And if you’re reading this and wondering “what the heck is filk? check out Debbie Ohi’s Filk FAQ. Also, at the end of this post, I included a description I wrote during a particularly awesome filk circle at GAFilk in 2006).

I’m so looking forward to seeing everyone there! 🙂

Yoshimi!!!!!

 

(Rand and I performing “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” in a filk circle at FKO in 2009. Photo by Brooke Lunderville)

Gonna have a good time

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Because I know A LOT of people celebrating a birthday today, many of them related to me, I started today off by sharing this video on Facebook:

Got myself a birthday pedicure (no, I’m not posting new pics), and indulged in some fresh-cut fries at Five Guys.

Later, after Rand gets home, we’ll be going out for Korean bbq (YUM).

I think I’m going to spend a bit of quality time with my birthday present (which yes, I did get early) before then:
my ukulele

(That’s the pic I took in the store, which is better than the one I took at home. Isn’t it pretty?) I’m still mainly practicing the same 3 chords, and trying to work a couple of new ones in. I’m currently not very good at moving my fingers smoothly to or from G. I’m trying to make sure I pick it up and play with it for at least 10-15 minutes every day (more if I feel like it/if my fingers don’t hurt too much). Wish me luck!

 

Meet Seanan

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I know many of you don’t need to be introduced to my dear friend Seanan McGuire, but for those of you who do…I’d like to spend some time telling you how awesome she is.

Seanan threatens to eat me

(Seanan will occasionally try to eat your face. Do not be alarmed.)

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Things I need to do today

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1. Fill out/finish applications for substitute teaching.

 

(at least for now)

2. Do a piece of calligraphy.

3. Do something with the basil and mint I harvested yesterday.

Nope. Oops.

4. Go to the post office.

5. Laundry.

6. DIY pedicure.

I’ll be back later with an update!

 

A few of my favorite posts

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This is something I’ve meant to do for a long time now…a collection of some of my favorite posts from over the years. I’ll include some of my wedding blog posts too!

We are…heartbroken (Nov. 15, 2011)

What’s in a name? (Nov. 28, 2007)

Like a horse and carriage (Feb. 15, 2006)

Friday ponderings (Jan. 21, 2005)

You can learn how to be you in time (Dec. 9, 2004)

That’s it for now…possibly to be amended later.

Things to do

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I wanted to make myself a public list of things I would like to do/accomplish in the next year of my life:

1. Write

At the very least, I owe my good friend Eden a short story. (from that “pay it forward” handmade thing on facebook…she specifically requested a story. hee)

I’d also like to maybe do some songwriting…many, many years ago, I was writing song lyrics. I don’t write music, though, so they just sat there. Oddly enough, I now know someone (well, LOTS of someones, actually, but I LIVE WITH one of them) who does…so, I’m thinking maybe I should revisit that creative outlet!

2. Sing better

I’m not a terrible singer, but yo, I’m sometimes a little pitchy, dawg. I want to work on that, and get more confident. If anyone has any tips or advice, please feel free to share!

3. Learn an instrument?

Uh, yeah. But what? I have no idea. Rand has mentioned the ukelele a couple of times. Now, by no means am I talking about becoming technically proficient at anything, but I think learning a few songs on some instrument might be a reasonable goal.

4. Learn some ASL

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years and years and years. Again, if anyone has suggestions of resources (videos? YouTube?), send ’em my way!

That’s probably enough for now…I thought maybe putting it out there into the world would help. I’ll keep you all updated. 😉

Musical nostalgia

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So, I’ve been feeling all music-nostalgic lately. Every few days, I seem to be buying some new-old music for my collection and adding it to my iPod.

This is my current favorite old-new purchase:

Now that We Found Love

I’ve also picked up:

  • Strike it Up (Black Box)
  • Poison (Bell Biv Devoe)
  • Motownphilly (Boyz II Men)
  • Connected (Stereo MCs)
  • Unbelievable (EMF)
  • Rump Shaker (Wreckz-n-Effect)
  • Inside Out (Eve 6…one of these things is not like the others…)

I also purchased a Salt-n-Pepa greatest hits CD.

Then today, I saw this posted on a friend’s facebook. (sorry, I tried to embed the videos, but they didn’t cooperate…)

I’m going to be indulging my musical nostalgia a bit more in the coming months, as All Things Jennifer has put me in charge of the soundtrack for some of her pre-wedding festivities. YAY! (I’ve already started making a playlist…)

Confession

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Sometimes I think about doing something like Kelly’s “Ask Me Anything,” but Im sort of afraid no one will actually, y’know, ask me anything.

Anyway…just one thing before I sign off, for anyone who didn’t see it on facebook already…it’s my grandpa’s 90th birthday today! Happy birthday, grandpa!

me & grandpa again

(That pic is from his 85th…I can’t believe that was 5 years ago!)

Roaring 20s fashion

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Just fyi, this post is going to be full of images. 

So, in a few weeks, I and the rest of All Things Jennifer’s Ladies in Red will be celebrating her upcoming nuptials at a Roaring 20s themed bridal shower.

This post is going to be mostly about the clothes. Specifically, mine. 😉

I bought this dress on ebay:

Then I bought this hat (can’t seem to grab the image…sorry!) which I thought would be perfect, but I feel like it looks weird on my head. Maybe I’ll post a photo of that for reference later.

And then there’s this one. I love this, but I’m not sure the brown would look right with the dress:

Then I thought I should have a pair of appropriate shoes…I found this shoe, which is something I might actually wear:

The only place I can find it in anywhere near my size is on ebay, and I’m still worried it’s a half-size too big.

Then there are these, from Target:

Cheap and cute…and assuming they fit, something I will definitely wear.

And then, of course, I’ll add some beads and whatnot…I guess I’m looking for opinions on hats and shoes, if you would be so kind as to share them with me.

Happy Friday!

Looking for your face

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in honor of Valentine’s Day, here is my favorite bit of love/mystical poetry:

Looking for Your Face

From the beginning of my life
I have been looking for your face
but today I have seen it

Today I have seen
the charm, the beauty,
the unfathomable grace
of the face
that I was looking for

Today I have found you
and those who laughed
and scorned me yesterday
are sorry that they were not looking
as I did

I am bewildered by the magnificence
of your beauty
and wish to see you
with a hundred eyes

My heart has burned with passion
and has searched forever
for this wondrous beauty
that I now behold

I am ashamed
to call this love human
and afraid of God
to call it divine

Your fragrant breath
like the morning breeze
has come to the stillness of the garden
You have breathed new life into me
I have become your sunshine
and also your shadow

My soul is screaming in ecstasy
Every fiber of my being
is in love with you

Your effulgence
has lit a fire in my heart
for me
the earth and sky

My arrow of love
has arrived at the target
I am in the house of mercy
and my heart
is a place of prayer

-Rumi