The Next Dark Age
We're in it Now
Night Castle, by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
I believe I mentioned that I had pre-ordered – on CD, no less – the new release from Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It is a 2-disk rock opera called Night Castle. TSO is best known for its Christmas-themed rock operas. You know that commercial with the house and the holiday lights that rock out to music? That was TSO. You know that rock version of “Carol of the Bells”? That was actually in an earlier rock opera called Dead Winter Dead. I believe the song was called “Sarajevo 12/24”, but anyway, that was them, too. Although now that I am thinking about it, that might have been Savatage, Paul O’Neill’s other band.
Whatever. You know what I am talking about and I am too lazy to check my iTunes right now.
So. Night Castle. Just before I started writing, I remembered that I hadn’t finished reading the liner notes yet. They contain the narrative of the story, in addition to the lyrics. Then I decided that the music should stand on its own merits. As if I really know anything about music. A good story? I know something about that. Good music? Not so much.
What has attracted me to TSO has been that they take old, familiar classical tunes and turn them into hard rock so that we hear it in a whole new way. So I guess what they do is more “arranging” than “composing” but I sure don’t care. And I don’t think Beethoven minds, either. In fact, I am pretty sure that Beethoven would appreciate the new audience.
The instrumental arrangements were great, as usual. I thought the vocals were rather hit-or-miss, though.
And also, something about this piece sounded a bit…recycled. TSO absolutely recycles its own stuff, and that’s ok. In fact, I am pretty sure “Sarajevo 12/24” is on one of the Christmas albums. But I still felt like I have heard it all before, particularly with some of the cheesier lyrics. “You are the star that is wished upon” is a good example. I clicked into the reviews at Amazon.com to find out if I am all jaded or insane or just plain wrong. Instead, there was some validation.
Bottom line: not bad. But not Beethoven’s Last Night, either.
I should go finish reading the narrative now.
Volunteers are Cool.
Yesterday was my regular day at the Rescue. My office closed early, so I figured I would take care of one room by myself and leave the others for the rest of the team, which would arrive between 4 and 5pm. I asked the Karen, Volunteer Director how we were staffed for Thanksgiving Day. She said that she would be there with one other person, Brett, who is a regular Thursday volunteer.
Unacceptable.
Back in the old days, two people could manage the daily chores. Sort of. If I remember the math correctly, we figured that one person could feed, water and clean the cages in 7 hours. So two would be there for 3 1/2 hours. Now the place is bigger and there are more birds. I would say three people is really the minimum. Four is decent. Five is good.
Most of the time, though, if one extra person can put in an hour it helps a lot. So I said I could put in an hour. Which generally means I will be there for 1 1/2 hours or maybe two. When I arrived at nine this morning, Karen said that Pat, Jose, Susanna and Bijan were all coming in addition to Brett. Word got around, it seems.
So I opened all of the rooms. Uncovering all of the cages, I now know, takes 20 minutes. The morning meds were already done. I pulled out all of the dirty water dishes, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. I snuggled the killer lovebird in a towel so that Susanna could clean out her cage. At some point I looked up and I had been there 90 minutes. Four of the five other volunteers had arrived and were working at a pretty quick clip.
It’s nice that no one had to be exhausted before hanging out with their families.
Awesome.
Billy has some flash-eye here, and apparently Picasa can’t fix that the same way as it can fix red-eye. But I am putting it up here for two reasons:
1. Proof that Billy stepped up for me. Do you think I could get a grey on that hanging, swinging perch any other way?
2. To show you that awesome swing. $30 at Drs. Foster and Smith. There is another one with an additional tier for $10, but I was afraid it wouldn’t fit in that corner. I was very pleased.
Simon’s Cat
I had never heard of this before, but it was posted in USAToday.com’s Pet section. It might be the funniest thing I have ever seen.
The Bookshelves
Since I had a dangerously high tower of unread books piled on the speaker next to my to-be-read bookcase, and since the Library’s Used Book Sale is in a couple of weeks, I decided to cull. As in Donating Books I Haven’t Even Read Yet.
Who does that?
Well, I do. Since most of the books I buy cost a dollar or two, it isn’t all that much of a waste. And really, I was never going to read that sequel to Pride & Prejudice, anyway. And that biography of Charles Lindbergh? I’m no longer excited by it.
I nearly pulled out that Ellroy novel, because utter_scoundrel informed me that it was the second in a series. I won’t get to it for years. First, I have to find the book that begins the series. In a used book store for two dollars or less. Then I have to decide that I am in the mood for Ellroy. Then six more months will go by before I decide I am in the mood for more Ellroy. Is it worth the space it will be taking up until then? Eh. I’ll ask myself again before the summer sale. There is also a non-fiction about the Lusitania that I nearly pulled out, but then I remembered I actually borrowed it from my friend Eric. Eleven years ago when I was living in the old apartment.
I cheated and pulled out a book on Jefferson and Hamilton. I know I’m not going to read it, but it is lovely older piece – 1926 printing – that I can’t quite give away. I shelved it in my real library and if anyone asks I will say, “I use it for reference purposes”.
I did so well that I think I might have room for three more new books on my seven shelf to-be-read bookcase. Maybe if I did more reading and less blogging about reading….
Holiday Travel
USAToday.com had a good article called, “Ten tips to ease the hassles of holiday flying”. It listed the usual stuff, but won me over with two gems.
First, “If you’re planning to drive, remember that this is one of the busiest times of the year and that the parking facilities hit capacity at some airports. If you drive to the airport and find a full lot, that delay could cause you to miss your flight.”
That could so easily happen to me. While I am fully aware that there will be fools in the security line, I would be totally thrown if I couldn’t park in my usual spot.
And second, “If your flight gets canceled or you miss your connection, the only people that can help get you out of the airport work for the airline. So no matter how frazzled your nerves, smile and be pleasant. Even if you’re sure the airline is at fault, a smile is more likely to fix your problem than snarky comments and a raised voice.”
Seriously, people. When you are disrespectful to the airline staff, you are making everyone miserable. Just don’t do it.
Thanks to Joy, who ran a meeting for me on Monday, I am not travelling on Thanksgiving week for the first time in…several years. I will give you my trick for surviving the travel day. It works for me every time and I am pretty sure that I am a less patient person than you. Are you ready? This is what I tell myself:
“As long as I get there today, I will be just fine.”
I can say this because I have never been stuck in an airport overnight, so I presume that my luck will hold. Once during a delay, I read two books and had to pay retail for a third. I once packed my iPod charger and had to buy a new one to keep my music going. I once had to talk to strangers because I was so bored. Whatever I have to do to get through the day without being part of the problem, I will do.
That’s what Thanksgiving is all about, Charlie Brown. Don’t be part of the problem.
A Thanksgiving Miracle
They had some chewable glucosamine supplements, but they were chewy treats. And Spooky only likes crunchy treats. So I went online and ordered the cat version of the supplement that Shadow takes. And…I hesitate to say it, because it has only been a week. But he seems to like it.
The first time, I put a half-tablet in front of his paws as he was lying in his bed. He turned up his nose. I put some of his own treats with it and left him alone. When I came back a couple of hours later, the cat and the treats were all gone.The second time, he waited for me to leave and when I came back, he had gone back to sleep, but the treats were gone. No way was the dog going to take treats from under the sleeping cat’s nose. He would be dead if he tried.
Third time, I didn’t leave the room. It took about 45 minutes, but he ate it when he thought I wasn’t looking. And tonight, he didn’t wait for me to leave.
It was the first thing I tried!
You cannot possibly understand how happy this makes me.
General Update Post
After four days on the road, I caught an early flight home on Friday. I now have a standard for Friday afternoons off:
- Go get allergy shot
- Have lunch at Meatheads (they are doing serious business at lunchtime)
- Go home and listen to this week’s Live Classroom and prep for quiz on Saturday
I may or may not decide to do the grocery shopping before dinner.
Sad, sad life.
He can do one particularly loud and annoying sound that I believe I have identified as the Brinks Home Security alarm. He’d better quit that or he won’t make it through the holidays at my house.
For the second year in a row, we have decided to have our Thanksgiving catered by the Fresh Market. Meal for 4-6 people for $80. The pick up is on Wednesday, so it does require actually using the stove. It doesn’t include dessert, which is fine because someone always brings dessert. And it doesn’t include green bean casserole, which is also ok because it is very easy to make and my secret recipe (read as: cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom) rocks.
So now I am killing time before the Bears game, which could very well make for a late night. Here’s hoping for a quiet week at work.
One Step too Far
You know that I am in Washington DC a lot. I have stay so regularly at the Holiday Inn that I am fairly certain the room service staff recognizes me. The location is great, but it is a Holiday Inn not a Ritz Carlton and a few years ago there were a couple of instances of bed bugs in the guest rooms. Since then, the hotel has spent a bajillion dollars on renovations, trying to go upscale. The rooms have all been redone. The bathrooms look great (although I am still not entirely satisfied with the plumbing). The lobby has been made over. The linens look lovely. And they are charging my employer $30 more per room night than last year. Which was a good $20 per room night more than the year before. And we are extremely good customers.
Yesterday, when I checked into my room, I looked at the bed and decided they are officially trying too hard.
This pillow is wrapped in a ribbon of fabric. You probably can’t read that little plastic sign, but it says “firm”. There was another pillow with a similar ribbon that said “soft”. They are spending money on these…things…and instructing the housekeeping staff to spend the extra time setting them up…and requiring me to take them off so that I can sleep. So they they can tell me which is the firm pillow?
Seriously?
Dear Holiday Inn: please skip the ribbons and spend the money dropping some Draino down in the shower.Sometimes, There Is Good News
One year ago, a Double Yellow Amazon Parrot named Maxi came to the Rescue with an African Grey named Shadow. They were both in rather small cages and Shadow was something of a feather plucker. This is his intake picture. You wouldn’t recognize him now. He is absolutely beautiful.
I just received an e-mail from Pat, another volunteer, that today… He found a home.
A full year he was with us. A month ago, I would have bet money that a volunteer was going to adopt him before anyone else got the chance. I am glad I was wrong. Shadow has a family and we have an empty cage. For about five minutes.
That is what we call a good day.
The Next Dark Age 