I'm a little behind in writing. There's several posts in the works, including the write up from my penultimate weekend at PARF. Right now, however, there are 2 quick bits that I posted on my Tumblr. They are cute and funny and you should got there right now and show my tumblr some love. ;>
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
2 bits, minus the shave & haircut
A completely non-NeidFyre related post for y'all...
I should have posted this yesterday, but I got distracted. I hope everyone had a grand day, avoided scurvy, and enjoyed some rum!
10 years ago today, Firefly premiered. 10 years... damn. I wonder, how many of you are Browncoats? :D
I should have posted this yesterday, but I got distracted. I hope everyone had a grand day, avoided scurvy, and enjoyed some rum!
10 years ago today, Firefly premiered. 10 years... damn. I wonder, how many of you are Browncoats? :D
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
PARF: Pirate Weekend (wknd 7)
Arrrrr, me hearties, this be Pirate Weekend!
OK, I'll stop talking like a pirate now. Although, since it's after midnight and it's September 19, today is the official "Talk like a Pirate Day". Technically, I should talk like a pirate, ye scurvy dogs!
Yeah, I'll stop now.
So, Pirate Weekend. This was only a few days ago, so I have a much better recollection of this weekend. First, let me tell you about the weather. The weather was PERFECT. Low-to-mid 70's. No rain. Warm in the sun, pleasantly cool in the shade. Perfect.Faire.Weather. I would love for the rest of the season at PARF to be like this (or cooler!).
Second, let me tell you about my migraines. There were none. Yeah, you read that right. For the first time all season I didn't have a migraine during the course of the weekend. It was crazy awesome.
Third, let me tell you about my fiddle. Jimmy is quite the old-man fiddle, and I can't see that all the out-door playing is doing him any good. He's officially (for me) retired to in-door only play Thus, there was a new-to-me fiddle that I had to break in. The new fiddle is a blondie (which is odd). The fiddle is decidedly male, and to quote my friend Duglas, "it's a teen-age boy". I'm not sure of the new fiddle's name, but "Thistle" seems prominent. I'll try to get some pics posted by next weekend.
Fourth, let me tell you about pretentious cheese. Pretentious cheese is one of my favourite parts of the day. It's held every weekend (both days) at Up Your Kilt/As You Like It. There is fruit. There are veggies. There is bread. There are pickles. There is (pretentious) cheese. Lordy, is there cheese. This particular weekend, there was also cake, as it was the Mistress of the Shop's birthday. So.Much.Cake. So.Much.Cheese. This particular weekend was highly amusing, as my sweet daughter trundled into Up Your Kilt/As You Like It at the end of the day with her Papa and said to the Master of the shop, "Is this pretentious cheese?" Yeah, that's my daughter!
Speaking of my child, she visited me at the Pubsing. I have so much fun playing on stage and watching her. All she wanted to do was come up on the stage with me and the rest of the musicians, but did not. She danced around, sang, and waved at me. She was adorable. Of course, I am hugely biased.
Going back to the weekend, it really was grand. The shows on the Rose Stage went well, as did my sets at the Gazebo. It felt like the patrons were really drawn to the music this weekend. I can't count the number of children who came up to me, transfixed. There were adults as well, who seemed to be touched by the music. It was quite magical.
The fiddle performed well. I had a grand and impromptu fiddle set with Tim, the "fill in fiddler" from Empty Hats. We've known each other for a year, and this was the first we'd ever played tunes together (not in a group, like the morning Gazebo jam or the Pub sing). It was glorious fun. Tim is a fabu fiddler. He's got great Irish fiddle technique with his bowing and ornamentation. I'm hoping we'll get to play a bit more over the next 2 weekends.
So there you go, a quick recap of the past 3 weekends. This coming weekend is Scottish Weekend. I'm reviewing all my sheep & haggis jokes now.
OK, I'll stop talking like a pirate now. Although, since it's after midnight and it's September 19, today is the official "Talk like a Pirate Day". Technically, I should talk like a pirate, ye scurvy dogs!
Yeah, I'll stop now.
So, Pirate Weekend. This was only a few days ago, so I have a much better recollection of this weekend. First, let me tell you about the weather. The weather was PERFECT. Low-to-mid 70's. No rain. Warm in the sun, pleasantly cool in the shade. Perfect.Faire.Weather. I would love for the rest of the season at PARF to be like this (or cooler!).
Second, let me tell you about my migraines. There were none. Yeah, you read that right. For the first time all season I didn't have a migraine during the course of the weekend. It was crazy awesome.
Third, let me tell you about my fiddle. Jimmy is quite the old-man fiddle, and I can't see that all the out-door playing is doing him any good. He's officially (for me) retired to in-door only play Thus, there was a new-to-me fiddle that I had to break in. The new fiddle is a blondie (which is odd). The fiddle is decidedly male, and to quote my friend Duglas, "it's a teen-age boy". I'm not sure of the new fiddle's name, but "Thistle" seems prominent. I'll try to get some pics posted by next weekend.
Fourth, let me tell you about pretentious cheese. Pretentious cheese is one of my favourite parts of the day. It's held every weekend (both days) at Up Your Kilt/As You Like It. There is fruit. There are veggies. There is bread. There are pickles. There is (pretentious) cheese. Lordy, is there cheese. This particular weekend, there was also cake, as it was the Mistress of the Shop's birthday. So.Much.Cake. So.Much.Cheese. This particular weekend was highly amusing, as my sweet daughter trundled into Up Your Kilt/As You Like It at the end of the day with her Papa and said to the Master of the shop, "Is this pretentious cheese?" Yeah, that's my daughter!
Speaking of my child, she visited me at the Pubsing. I have so much fun playing on stage and watching her. All she wanted to do was come up on the stage with me and the rest of the musicians, but did not. She danced around, sang, and waved at me. She was adorable. Of course, I am hugely biased.
Going back to the weekend, it really was grand. The shows on the Rose Stage went well, as did my sets at the Gazebo. It felt like the patrons were really drawn to the music this weekend. I can't count the number of children who came up to me, transfixed. There were adults as well, who seemed to be touched by the music. It was quite magical.
The fiddle performed well. I had a grand and impromptu fiddle set with Tim, the "fill in fiddler" from Empty Hats. We've known each other for a year, and this was the first we'd ever played tunes together (not in a group, like the morning Gazebo jam or the Pub sing). It was glorious fun. Tim is a fabu fiddler. He's got great Irish fiddle technique with his bowing and ornamentation. I'm hoping we'll get to play a bit more over the next 2 weekends.
So there you go, a quick recap of the past 3 weekends. This coming weekend is Scottish Weekend. I'm reviewing all my sheep & haggis jokes now.
My girl on Pirate Weekend with her Papa
(Note the Mustache)
PARF: Hero's of the Realm (wknd 6)
Hero's of the Realm weekend. That was several weeks ago. *sigh* Details will be scarce. Hopefully I'll remember more than "It was wet". :grin:
One of the big changes this weekend was my only playing at the Rose instead of playing there and at the Ball & Chain. I really like playing up at the Ball & Chain, but it was a bit odd being the only non-bawdy act on that stage. It's not like I could even do a bawdy show, because my show was not "asterik'd". I bet you dollars to donuts that if I did anything remotely off colour there would have been fall-out. I know that most of the audiences I had there understood that I couldn't do a dirty show, and for the most part the audiences seemed to appreciate my humour and the music.
I love the Rose stage. It's a small stage, and makes for a very intimate (but not dirty!) show. It made me really glad that most of the folks who came to my Ball & Chain show came to my 2p show at the Rose.
For those of you who aren't familiar with PARF, there are quite a few stages. The larger ones are Swashbuckler, Boar's Head & the Globe. I consider the Ball & Chain, Endgame and O'Malley's the medium size stages, and Jacob's Garden and The Rose the small stages. There are also different platforms around the grounds, like at the Rusty Scupper, and of course the Gazebo at the front gate. None of the small stages are amplified, which has its pros and cons. While I really like this fact, and have heard nothing but good things from patrons about this, it's a little hard to compete with the medium size stages which are amplified. I bring this up only because at my 2p show I happen to be going head-to-head with the wonderful pipe/drum band Tartanic.
I love Tartanic. They're my neighbors at AZRF. The band members are sweet and fun. I have nothing bad to say about them at all. Really. There is one thing about Tartanic, and that's the fact that they are loud. It's pipes and drums, so it's not like this is a surprise. However, when we have head-to-head shows it's a little hard to hear little ol' me. :grin: After a couple of conversations with the band, I came up with a grand solution to this "problem". I have yet to employ this solution, so I can't write about it in detail. I wouldn't want to give it away. ;> Suffice to say, come Scottish Weekend (wknd 8) my plans will come to fruition! Are you curious? Yeah? Come to the 2p show at the Rose! :grin:
I know there were migraines during this weekend. Unhappy, angry, ouchy migraines.
This was the last weekend I played Jimmy, the crotchety old-man fiddle I'd been borrowing from a friend.
So, umm.... yeah... Wknd 6: there was weather, there were migraines, there was a change in stages, and a fantastic idea about how to "compete" with bagpipes & drums. Onto weekend 7!
One of the big changes this weekend was my only playing at the Rose instead of playing there and at the Ball & Chain. I really like playing up at the Ball & Chain, but it was a bit odd being the only non-bawdy act on that stage. It's not like I could even do a bawdy show, because my show was not "asterik'd". I bet you dollars to donuts that if I did anything remotely off colour there would have been fall-out. I know that most of the audiences I had there understood that I couldn't do a dirty show, and for the most part the audiences seemed to appreciate my humour and the music.
I love the Rose stage. It's a small stage, and makes for a very intimate (but not dirty!) show. It made me really glad that most of the folks who came to my Ball & Chain show came to my 2p show at the Rose.
For those of you who aren't familiar with PARF, there are quite a few stages. The larger ones are Swashbuckler, Boar's Head & the Globe. I consider the Ball & Chain, Endgame and O'Malley's the medium size stages, and Jacob's Garden and The Rose the small stages. There are also different platforms around the grounds, like at the Rusty Scupper, and of course the Gazebo at the front gate. None of the small stages are amplified, which has its pros and cons. While I really like this fact, and have heard nothing but good things from patrons about this, it's a little hard to compete with the medium size stages which are amplified. I bring this up only because at my 2p show I happen to be going head-to-head with the wonderful pipe/drum band Tartanic.
I love Tartanic. They're my neighbors at AZRF. The band members are sweet and fun. I have nothing bad to say about them at all. Really. There is one thing about Tartanic, and that's the fact that they are loud. It's pipes and drums, so it's not like this is a surprise. However, when we have head-to-head shows it's a little hard to hear little ol' me. :grin: After a couple of conversations with the band, I came up with a grand solution to this "problem". I have yet to employ this solution, so I can't write about it in detail. I wouldn't want to give it away. ;> Suffice to say, come Scottish Weekend (wknd 8) my plans will come to fruition! Are you curious? Yeah? Come to the 2p show at the Rose! :grin:
I know there were migraines during this weekend. Unhappy, angry, ouchy migraines.
This was the last weekend I played Jimmy, the crotchety old-man fiddle I'd been borrowing from a friend.
So, umm.... yeah... Wknd 6: there was weather, there were migraines, there was a change in stages, and a fantastic idea about how to "compete" with bagpipes & drums. Onto weekend 7!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
PARF: Children's Fantasy Weekend (wknd 5)
I'm trying to remember back to the beginning of September.
- It was Children's Fantasy Weekend.
- It was wet.
- Children's Fantasy Weekend is always, and unintentionally, the "bluest" of the themed weekends. I think it's because we all have to be so family friendly that the bawdy just rises to the surface. Mind you, the bawdy is usually in hushed tones and not directed at the patrons, but it's still there. I know I always find the dirtiest jokes to tell on this weekend, and have to bite my tongue so I don't say them out loud.
- It was wet. (See, now if you're like me you're reading this in a different light. :D )
So yes, Children's Fantasy Weekend. It was wet. There was music. There was merriment. Onto weekend 6!
Musical bullets
Lots of musical things jumble tumbling in my brain.
- I've 3 weekends to catch up on from PARF, and my short-term memory is completely collapsing in terms of the details.
- There was a huge kerfuffle involving Amanda F. Palmer and "free" musicians.
- I have new (to me) music books, all involving Gypsy fiddle tunes.
- Jimmy, the crotchety old man fiddle I've been borrowing for the better part of a year is going to go back to his owner, so I'm breaking in a new, as yet un-named fiddle. All I know about this fiddle is that it's a boy. To be specific, and to quote my friend Duglas, it's a young teen-age boy.
- I've only got 2 more weekends at PARF before heading to CRF.
- Did I mention the packing & cleaning that needs to get done?
Places where I say things
I keep directing y'all to my Fiddlemama blog at Tumblr., but I also have a tumblr. for things not related to NeidFyre. That place is Free Range Fiddler. Thus ends my shameless self-promotion for the evening. :)
Friday, September 14, 2012
TGIF?
Oh, the blur of time & space. Or the blur of a week filled with ADD moments. This week was a bit of both. Today is Friday. Not just Friday, but OMG IT'S FRIDAY!!! Today is the get ready to travel to PARF for the weekend day. I'm tired & a little cranky & so no ready to travel yet.
My head feels stuffed, which is not a great feeling. (Stuffed with things to do, not stuffed with sickness.) I'm getting back into the swing of things, and being mostly migraine free this week was a huge help, but the ADD triggers are firing on all cylinders. CRF is just around the corner and boy is there a lot to do before we leave. UFYH has been a huge help.
Maybe I can catch up on blog posts this weekend... You know, in all my spare time....
Speaking of this weekend, it's Pirate Weekend at PARF! I'll be sure to look for all the Capt'n Jack Sparrows and give a head count at the end of the weekend. If you're going to PARF please come by my shows and say hi. :) I'll be tearing it up at the Rose Stage at 2p and 4:30, having fun at opening Gazebo and Pubsing (5:30 at O'Malley's Pour House) and playing in the lanes.
OK, time to pull up my stripey socks (did I mention Pirate weekend?), drink some more coffee & get my tuchas in gear. Go Team Me!
My head feels stuffed, which is not a great feeling. (Stuffed with things to do, not stuffed with sickness.) I'm getting back into the swing of things, and being mostly migraine free this week was a huge help, but the ADD triggers are firing on all cylinders. CRF is just around the corner and boy is there a lot to do before we leave. UFYH has been a huge help.
Maybe I can catch up on blog posts this weekend... You know, in all my spare time....
Speaking of this weekend, it's Pirate Weekend at PARF! I'll be sure to look for all the Capt'n Jack Sparrows and give a head count at the end of the weekend. If you're going to PARF please come by my shows and say hi. :) I'll be tearing it up at the Rose Stage at 2p and 4:30, having fun at opening Gazebo and Pubsing (5:30 at O'Malley's Pour House) and playing in the lanes.
OK, time to pull up my stripey socks (did I mention Pirate weekend?), drink some more coffee & get my tuchas in gear. Go Team Me!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tumble jumble
Lots floating in my brain, including the last 2 weekends at PARF.
We lost a wonderful man from the Ren community last week, and while I didn't know him very well I'm all jumbled about it.
Hug the ones you love. If they're too far to reach, then write or call them. Let them know you're thinking of them. Play some music. Drink something delicious. Remember that you are loved.
Health to the Company (additional lyrics by Owain Phyfe)
Here's a health to the company
and one to my lass.
Let us drink and be merry
all out of one glass.
Let us drink and be merry
all grief to refrain;
for we may or might never
all meet here again.
Kind friends and companions
come join in my rhyme;
and lift up your voices
in chorus with mine.
Let us drink and be merry
all grief to refrain;
for we may or might never
all meet here again.
Our ship lies at harbor;
she's ready to dock.
I wish her safe landing
without any shock.
And if ever we meet again
on land or on sea,
I will always remember
your kindness to me.
My footsteps may falter
my wit, it might fail.
My course may be challenged
by November gale.
E'er fortune shall prove
to be friend or be foe,
you will always be with me
wherever I go.
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