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Sunday, May 20, 2012

Eurovision Song Contest Grand Finals

The Grand Finals of this Year’s Eurovision Song Contest are fast approaching. Be sure to show your support for Engelbert in any way you can.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Rejection Isn't Always A Bad Thing

Daily Science Fiction rejected “Snowball The Wonder Cat.” That wasn’t really a surprise, but I just thought I’d try.

However, the rejection gave me the impetus to show the story to my writing group. A couple of members gave me suggestions that have proved very helpful. So, I’m now working on developing the story. It’s already twice as long as it was and considerably deeper. Developing Cassie’s personality and the relationship between her and Snowball. It’s going well and I’m excited about it.

...and all because of a rejection.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Maybe not much, but something

Started working on a new song today, “Come to Me”. The timing, that is to say the note values, isn’t quite right in the last couple measures, but it’s definitely coming along nicely.

I’ve also been working on more Engelbert quizzes for Fun Trivia. (To see my existing quizzes, follow the “My Quizzes” link in the sidebar.) Not only do I very much enjoy researching and putting together these quizzes, but this is a great time to be promoting Enge, now that he has been named as the UK entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. As one of my friends said, “Engelbert Mania has begun!” I’m not sure I’d go that far. But, at the very least, people are going to be looking for info and trivia about him. And your humble Cat is well positioned to fill that need.

I’ve also been forging ahead with my Hadley course on Punctuation. This stuff is harder than it looks! I express myself pretty well, but the finer points of punctuation, including italicization and capitalization, have always eluded me. That’s what comes of reading with audio rather than direct from a print or braille text. But now I’m discovering that some of the things I thought I knew – things I’ve been doing for years – are not according to Hoyle, or at least not according to this course. *sigh* Live and learn, I guess.

Anyway, I haven’t been accomplishing a whole lot lately. On the other hand, I haven’t been accomplishing nothing either, and I suppose that’s the main thing.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Maybe not much, but something

Started working on a new song today, “Come to Me”. The timing, that is to say the note values, isn’t quite right in the last couple measures, but it’s definitely coming along nicely.




I’ve also been working on more Engelbert quizzes for Fun Trivia. (To see my existing quizzes, follow the “My Quizzes” link in the sidebar.) Not only do I very much enjoy researching and putting together these quizzes, but this is a great time to be promoting Enge, now that he has been named as the UK entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. As one of my friends said, “Engelbert Mania has begun!” I’m not sure I’d go that far. But, at the very least, people are going to be looking for info and trivia about him. And your humble Cat is well positioned to fill that need.

I’ve also been forging ahead with my Hadley course on Punctuation. This stuff is harder than it looks! I express myself pretty well, but the finer points of punctuation, including italicization and capitalization, have always eluded me. That’s what comes of reading with audio rather than direct from a print or braille text. But now I’m discovering that some of the things I thought I knew – things I’ve been doing for years – are not according to Hoyle, or at least not according to this course. * sigh * Live and learn, I guess.

Anyway, I haven’t been accomplishing a whole lot lately. On the other hand, I haven’t been accomplishing nothing either, and I suppose that’s the main thing.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Bleak House

Currently I’m rereading Bleak House by Charles Dickens for the empteenth time – I really have lost count. Other than The Lord of the Rings, it’s my favorite book of all time. How it came to be so is rather curious.

It was assigned for a Dickens course I was taking, taught by Prof. Clement, my favorite professor. He loves Dickens and Bleak House in particular. I don’t know if I ever saw him as animated as during the classes devoted to this novel. “Connections,” he used to say, leaning forward intently and waving his hands, “it’s all about connections!”

I’d already read Little Dorritt a couple of times through the years and had at least a passing familiarity with most of the other books assigned for the course, but had never before read Bleak House. I read it before the start of the course...and hated it! It was tedious and confusing and made no sense to me whatsoever. In class, though, it was obvious that Prof. Clement loved the wretched book. There must be some merit in it somewhere.

When the semester was over, I doggedly began the book again, determined to find out what was so special about it and again, like Lady Deadlock, was bored to death. I like to consider myself a reasonably intelligent person; so, it puzzled and downright exasperated me that I couldn’t see what my professor – someone I admired – saw in the novel. So, I started it again! I didn’t keep a journal and don’t remember at what point the penny finally dropped, the book finally clicked in my mind and I saw, well, the light. But it did. The plot, with all its myriad of interwoven tributaries of minor characters and subplots is dazzling. But it’s the language that gets me every time, the sheer lyricism and descriptive power, particularly in the chapters with the third person, omniscient narrator. How I ever could have disliked the book is completely beyond me. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Quiz Me A Quiz

My new quiz has been up for a while. Come join the fun and see how much you know about Engelbert's music.

Engelbert and Friends II

And don't forget to play and rate my two other quizzes on Engelbert and his music.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Nominate Engelbert for an Honour


A move is afoot to nominate Engelbert Humperdinck for one of the British national honours, such as a knighthood, an OBE etc. Join this grassroots effort by sending in your nomination today.

Nominating someone for an honour

I am advised that for his address it "should do" to put Great Glen, Leicester.

Here's to Sir Engelbert!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Midweek

Here it is the middle of the week, and what have I done? Not much.

Got a package off to a friend

Uploaded a song to YouTube, “A Chance to Be a Hero” by Engelbert from a concert recording. It has proved popular, which is most gratifying.



Dashed off a quickie poem. The moderator of my Engelbert discussion list usually includes an original poem in her daily message to all members. Today the title sparked an idea and in response I produced the following:

Don’t Tear Our Love Apart

Can't remember when you kissed me
I Don't know when last we touched.
Though you're sleeping here beside me,
I miss you o so much.

It's like you cannot see me.
Is ambition all to blame,
The drive to make more money?
I thought not. What's her name?

Don't tear our love apart.
You already broke my heart.
So let me keep the memory
of days that used to be.

It's over now. You're leaving,
Your eyes as hard as stone.
And I am left here grieving,
Forsaken and alone.

Don't tear our love apart.
You already broke my heart.
So let me keep the memory
of days that used to be.

Don't tear my heart apart.
You broke it, so we'll part.
But let me keep the memory
Of days when you once loved me.

Actually, I think that last line should be:

Of when you once loved me.

Not great poetry, certainly, but not bad for an off-the-top-of-the-head effort. And even writing bad poetry exercises the brain. The rapidity and ease with which I produced that surprised me.

Still, gotta get my act together for the remainder of the week.

Have Lesson 2 of Punctuation to do. Also, need to redo Lesson 5 of Abacus 2. And I was so pleased with myself on that one. Guess being pleased with a result is a bad sign. Much else to do as well. Got to find the motivation somewhere. I don’t want this year to slip by, as so many years before it have done, with nothing to show. I guess discipline is the word. But, oh, how I hate discipline!