The place where lost socks go...

Some things are just too big to be kept from the world. One of those things makes its public debut now! Gentle readers, I give you.....

The Silly Cheese Song Project!

The SCSP grew out of humble origins. Some of you may know that my beloved tawneypup and I have so many esoteric things in common that we have taken to referring to ourselves as the Good Twin and the Evil Twin[**]. One of these commonalities is that, in both of our homes, the saying "Cheese is love" has been a household phrase for some time. For me, I use it to explain to cheshcat why there is more cheese than she wanted on her food. After all, if I love her, how could I not give her bountiful cheese? I am not sure of the origin of this phrase for tawneypup and plasmonicgrid, but I am assured that it has been in use for quite some time.

In any case, if cheese is love then love is cheese. And, during tawneypup's recent visit to Merry Olde England, I realised that this could revolutionise the way that we listen to music. Just substitute cheese for love in a given song, and see how much better[***] it gets!

Well, this idea could not be kept to ourselves, so we let cheshcat in on it the very next day. Indeed, this led to a long cuddle-and-giggle session at the Flat With No Name that was gangs of fun! A few days later, my darling bunnypip was introduced to the concept. And now, it is ready for THE WORLD!!![****]

Below are just a few examples of how the SCSP improves music[*****]:

• The Beatles:
  All you need is cheese,
  All you need is cheese,
  All you need is cheese, cheese, cheese is all you need.
  
  
• Foreigner:
  I want to know what cheese is
  I want you to show me
  I want to feel what cheese is
  I know you can show me
  
  
• Heart:
  What about cheese?
  Don't you want someone to care about you?
  What about cheese?
  Dont let it slip away
  What about cheese?
  I only want to share it with you
  You might need it someday
  
  
• Meatloaf:
  I would do anything for cheese
  Yes, I would do anything for cheese
  I would do anything for cheese...
  but I won't do that. Oh no, I won't do that.
  
  
• Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes:
  Cheese lifts us up where we belong.
  
  
• Whitney Houston:
  The greatest cheese of all is happening to me.
  I found the greatest cheese of all inside of me.
  
  
• Pat Benetar:
  We are young, heartache to heartache we stand
  No promises, no demands
  Both of us knowing: Cheese is a battlefield
  
  
• The Supremes:
  You can't hurry cheese
  No, you just have to wait
  She said cheese don't come easy
  It's a game of give and take
  
  
• Belinda Carlisle:
  Ooh, Baby, do you know what that's worth?
  Oooh, heaven is a place on Earth.
  They say in heaven, cheese comes first
  We'll make heaven a place on earth.
  
  
• Jackie DeShannon:
  Think of your fellow man
  Lend him a helping hand
  Put a little cheese in your heart
  
  You see it's getting late
  Oh please don't hesitate
  Put a little cheese in your heart
  
  
• Air Supply:
  I don't know how to leave you
  And I'll never let you fall
  And I don't know how you do it,
  Making cheese out of nothing at all
  
  
• White Snake:
  Is this cheese that I'm feeling?
  Is this the cheese that I've been searching for?
  Is this cheese or am I dreaming?
  This must be cheese
  
  And, to conclude, one of my favourites:
  
  
• The B-52s:
  If you see a faded sign by the side of the road that says
  Fifteen miles to the... Cheeeeeese Shack! Cheese Shack yeah
  I'm headin' down the Atlanta highway,
  Lookin' for the cheese getaway
  Heading for the cheese getaway
  I got me a car, it's as big as a whale
  And we're headin' on down
  To the Cheese Shack
  I got me a Chrysler, it seats about 20
  So hurry up and bring your jukebox money
  
  The Cheese Shack is a little old place
  Where we can get together
  Cheese Shack baby, Cheese Shack bay-bee.
  Cheese baby, that's where it's at,
  Ooo cheese baby, that's where it's at
  
  Sign says.. Woo... stay away fools,
  'cause cheese rules at the Che-e-ese Shack!

There are some of the best that I've heard so far -- but they are far from the only good ones out there. Get into the Silly Cheese Song Project... and you will never listen to music in quite the same way again! Got any good cheese songs that you want to share? Post them as a comment and I shall award fifty points for each one that makes me laugh!

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[*] And what's wrong with that?

[**] Somehow I ended up as the Evil Twin! Go figure!

[***] Or at least funnier.

[****] Cue maniacal laughter!

[*****] I present these without credit to the person that thought of them, as several have been independently suggested by more than one person.

Greetings, Gentle Readers!

As many of you know, I have been nicknamed the Knave of (K)Numbers! Indeed, it is even my honour to serve as such in the unofficial [and purely ephemeral] Tarot deck of the Super Sekrit Pagan Gathering^TM! Thus, it will likely come as a surprise to none to learn that I have noticed that this is my 999^th LiveJournal entry!

In and of itself, that is not terrible significant. However, it is a harbinger of doom my one thousandth post. And that, Dear Friends, is not something that I could let pass without pomp and circumstance! Nosiree, Bob!

Long-time readers of this journal may recall the special edition that was released for the five hundredth issue of Anarchist Nomad! Copies of this rare collectors' edition can be found here! That epic tome revealed the previously untold secret origin of the Anarchist Nomad!

For issue #1000, something even more amazing, more spectacular, more sensational[*] was required! So uncanny and incredible, in fact, that I could not do it alone! No, Gentle Readers, your assistance is required to bring forth the most mighty and invincible issue of Anarchist Nomad ever!

To that end, I ask you to leave a comment in this, the penultimate chapter in our countdown, providing me with some choice words. Twenty-five of them, in fact! But not just any words, mind you! Each word needs to be a very special type. So special that I have prepared a guide to help you in helping me!

( The Guide! (Da da DA dum!) )

Please leave your words as a comment -- the best answers shall both feature in the milestone 1000^th entry and win one hundred points! Good luck!

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[*] And more web of.

Writing this entry from the Oxford Tube. Brain is fried from a three hour group meeting. Have about two hours to regenerate said brain before the next meeting begins. Whee!

It seems odd to relish the commute home as my time to relax. However, today has been ridiculously hectic -- albeit somewhat productive -- making this the first chance I have had all day to do something fun.

Which means I'm not going to talk about anything physics related. Nope. I'm on break. Instead, I am going to talk about theatre!!

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So, as I have already chronicled within these [virtual] pages, last week cheshcat and I went to see Chess. Leaving the show, I realised that what I wanted, more than anything in the world[**] was greens, greens, nothing but greens was the soundtrack to Chess. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be an "Original London Cast" recording. And I am sure not going to be bothered with the farce that passes for the Broadway version. What I would love is a copy of the version recorded at the Royal Albert Hall last year. However, that will not be released until Spring so, for now, I have to make do with the concept album.

Said album was acquired the next day. One week later, I am not quite sure how many times I have listened to it... but I am well on my way to having the entire score memorised.[***] Good stuff![****]

Since I ice skate on Mondays and ring bells on Tuesdays & Thursdays, Wednesday night is the best opportunity for theatre. Yesterday was a Wednesday, and it did not break the mould. cheshcat and I went to go see the Creation Theatre company perform a version of Hans Christian Anderson's tales in the Mirror Tent. These are the people responsible for giving me hypothermia back in August. Since it is now December, they have wisely stopped doing outdoor theatre for the year. The Mirror Tent is a very spiffy venue for performances. It is one hundred years old and normally lives in Holland[*****]. Creation brings it to Oxford each December to use; last year, we saw them do a production of The Brothers Grimm in it! Fun times!

Finally, I owe an enormous:

THANK YOU

to one of the wonderful Dr. Jens on my f-list[******] -- the ever-amazing ever-adorable jeneralist. She recently brought it to my attention that Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan will be starring together in a production of Waiting for Godot that will be touring in the UK next year. Without her intervention, this may have slipped entirely beneath my radar. However, due to her considerate e-nudging me in the right direction, cheshcat and I now have tickets to see this Dynamic Duo perform in Milton Keynes on March 21^st. I suspect that more than one person on my f-list would enjoy seeing Magneto and Professor X waiting around for Godot, so I am passing the favour along. There are many seats left -- if you are a fan of Beckett, Stewart, or McKellan then get thee to a [virtual] ticket booth!

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[*] Because I am feeling generous, I will award one hundred points to the first person who correctly identifies where the title of this post came from.

[**] Not really... but I will award another hundred points to the first person who correctly identifies where this line comes from. Note that I even gave y'all a hint!

[***] Does that make me the Arbiter? (One hundred points to the first person who correctly explains why this is a pun)

[****] Note to squeektoy42: By mentioning Chess again, I am affording you another opportunity to join in on the musical theatre discussion. You were conspicuously absent from said discussion last week, my dear. I will forgive it this once, given that you were away eating dead birds and whatnot. Please don't make the same mistake twice, oh Queen of Musical Theatre!

[*****] I don't know what it is about Holland that produces such spifftacular things! One of the highlights of last weekend, where we went to see Oxford's Winter Light event, was a brass band from Holland -- called Decibel -- that was much fun! They had forward-facing euphoniums and a sousaphone stuffed with a chicken... and they played songs like Eye of the Tiger and YMCA. They also take requests shouted out of a window across the street and one story up by a bloke wearing nothing but a bathrobe!

[******] Yes, there are more than one.

Gentle readers! I have just learned that today is "Bohemian Rhapsody Day"!

Apparently, the appropriate way to celebrate this holiday is to listen to the Bohemian Rhapsody twelve times!

Won't you all join me in the remembrance of this joyous occasion? I will award five hundred points to anyone who comments letting me know that you, too, have honoured this most venerable of holidays![*]

ETA: A bonus hundred points can be won by anyone who posts about this in their own journal and spreads awareness of this important occasion! I first offered these extra points only to lunarbitch, but it seemed unfair so I now make them available to all!

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[*] Honour system here, people. Don't profane Bohemian Rhapsody Day by lying about this. I know the points are valuable, but still...

Friday / Saturday: Thanksgiving Party
Friday evening, cheshcat and I hopped into Peter, our trusty steed, and drove to SouthEast London to visit with our friends D&J. D&J are fellow Yanks -- brother and sister-in-law to the breathtakingly beautiful pomoloco -- who moved to London just three months before we moved to Oxford. Although we didn't know each other well when we all lived in Lawn Guyland, pomoloco wisely put the four of us in touch soon after we moved.

Since then, it has become tradition for D&J to host a Thanksgiving party each November, on one of the two Saturdays closest to the actual holiday[**], and to invite all of their expatriate friends. This year was the third in the tradition[***]. We went out on Friday to remove the stress of travelling out from Oxford on the day of the party... and also to get a little extra time with D&J, who we had not seen since their housewarming party back in September.

The party was good fun: We got to see people that we don't often spend time with, I have an invitation to go boating down the Thames next Spring with the St. Pancras harbormaster, and the food was excellent! In total, there were twelve of us there -- nine expatriated US-ians and three Brits who came along as partners of the expats. Given the demographics, D&J's flat became a temporarily extension of US soil. In particular, somebody decided to forbid the use of British English -- anyone using "top up" or "queue" or "zed" or "bloody" would be penalized by having to take a drink. It was an amusing suggestion... though I am not certain that it is directly responsible for most people ending the evening quite tipsy!


Sunday:
Sunday was a busy day, filled with a variety of activity -- some social, some productive, some fun! Just the sort of day that I like!

We stayed over at D&J's placeon Saturday night as well and had a nice lay in on Sunday. As if making an enormous Thanksgiving dinner wasn't enough, J prepared a lovely breakfast spread on Sunday at around noon -- fruit, pancakes (with real maple syrup), bacon (for the meat eaters), cheese, scrambled eggs, tea, juice! Yum!

After breakfast, cheshcat and I headed out. Before leaving London, we swung by Imperial College and I showed her the building and office where I now work. Then it was back into London traffic as we made our return to Oxford.

Upon returning to Oxford, I headed to St. Giles Church and rang bells for Sunday evening services. Nothing terribly noteworthy here.

When services ended, I met up with cheshcat at Skullcrusher Mountain. On Tuesday, we had moved the last of our belongings into the [as yet unnamed] new flat. However, before leaving SCM for good, we wanted to do a thorough cleaning and perform ritual to release any of our energy -- or that of our kitties -- that still lingered. It took a couple of hours, but we managed to accomplish this. When we left SCM, it was for the final time. Interestingly enough, I think that this is the first time cheshcat and I have moved house without any help from anyone else or a moving van! We did it all ourselves, using Peter as the only transport vehicle. Admittedly, we moved from a furnished flat to another furnished flat, but still...

Next, I dropped cheshcat (and our cleaning supplies) off at home, picked up my new ice skates, and made my way out to the evening session at the Oxford Ice Rink. There, I debuted my new skates. I learned two things: (1) The blades are so obviously superior to anything that I have previously skated on, and (2) The new skates hurt. A lot. My feet were killing me, and it was all I could do to do some basic forward skating all the way around the rink without stopping! I am not entirely surprised -- the lovely danaeris once warned me that new skates feel like that until you break them in. Still... ouch! It was a bit disappointing to not be able to do much on the ice; still the only way to break them in is to wear the things!

When I got home from the rink, cheshcat and I got takeaway Chinese food for dinner. I walked five minutes to pick it up -- I do enjoy living in a much more active area than we previously did!

Finally, it was getting late so I tucked cheshcat into bed, then wound down my own evening with a phone date with the adorable livetbd. It is always nice to hear her voice and it was good to catch up on each others' lives. We made plans to see each other when I am in the States next month; I am definitely looking forward to spending time with her again in the not too distant future! We also need to find a way to see a Broadway musical together, as we are both huge theatre geeks![****]

As I said -- the sort of active and varied Sunday that I like! When my head finally hit the pillow, I was thoroughly ready for it... and asleep almost immediately!

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[*] One hundred points to the first person that identifies the source of my subject line!

[**] As none of us actually get Thanksgiving Day off here!

[***] Interestingly enough, each year they are living in a different flat from the previous November!

[****] Unless you compare to the spectacular squeektoy42, who is the Queen of Musical Theatre. Even if she cannot identify Into The Woods quotes.

Hurm. I have been informed by Secret LJ Gnomes^TM that it has been too long since I posted an entry to journal my life. Well, gentle readers, I'm afraid that you all know what this means! That's right -- it's the Return Of The Return Of The Week In Review Post! In fact, it has been so long since I made a proper journal entry that this becomes the Extended Edition of the RotRotWiRP!

( So what has your Friendly Neighborhood Nomad has been up to? )

cheshcat and I have four cats[*]. The two girls -- Stumpy and Chirp -- live near Chicago, at the Event Horizon, with their uncle gyades. The other two -- The Boy and Giles -- live with us at Skullcrusher Mountain in Oxford. The Boy was imported from the States in 2006, whereas Giles (see icon) is a born and bred British cat.

He proved his heritage yesterday. cheshcat left a cup of tea momentarily unattended in the living room. When we turned around, Giles was helping himself -- happily lapping the tea up out of the mug. Oi!

While I am ruminating on contrasts between the two sides of the pond, can somebody please explain to me the difference between "while" and "whilst"? Stateside, I don't know anybody who uses "whilst". Here, however, I see both in fairly common usage. When is one appropriate and when is the other? One hundred points to the person who gives me the best explanation!

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[*] Not counting Nona, who lives with polymorphism in Nebraska now.

Posed by cheshcat whilst we had music playing:

Who listened to Baltimora's Tarzan Boy and said "Yes! We want this for a Listerine commercial!"??

One hundred points will be awarded for each of the three best answers...

In just under an hour, we will be at the Autumnal Equinox[*]. We are moving into what will be my third Autumn living in England, so by now I know a bit of what to expect. As a season, I do like Autumn, with its crisp cool air and the changing leaves. The weather has been surprisingly nice of late; when I walk down the street the Autumn smells remind me of years gone by, of starting school again after a long Summer vacation.

Autumn also brings with it the Super Sekrit Pagan Festival[**] in upstate New York -- the one that I have attended without fail for nearly twelve years now. The site of that gathering, just a couple of weeks away now, is also the physical location of my spiritual home. It is a stunningly beautiful wooded site with a gorgeous lake and a waterfall. Since the gathering is held in October, the trees are usually brilliant in their colours during the festival.

Autumn also brings with it the coming of the Dark. We stand now at the Equinox -- the time when the day and night are nearly equal[***]. Here in Oxford, there are three more days where the Light exceeds the Dark. However, the light is moving away at a rate of nearly four minutes per day. Starting on Thursday -- Sep 25^th -- the Dark period begins. At first, of course, it will barely be noticeable. Only after we change the clocks at the end of October will it truly be Dark in earnest. Still, having been raised in New York City -- over eleven degrees of latitude to the South -- the extra intensity of the Dark here is quite pronounced. So, amongst other things, the Equinox is also the time to start preparing for the Dark, enjoying the light here as much as I can whilst I still can.

This has been a year of many changes, and I do not expect that to stop this Autumn. Next week, I begin my new position working on a new experiment. There are wonderful new relationships in my life that are each growing and evolving into something unique and special. And there is a adorable new kitten in our home, who is bouncing about energetically -- occasionally stopping to attack my leg -- as I type this.

Also, for those of you in the South, I wish you all a very Happy Spring!

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[*] Actually, I have cheated slightly by setting the timestamp of this entry to the time of the actual equinox.

[**] The festival is a private gathering and, as such, should not be mentioned in a public forum such as LiveJournal. It really is not so secret as I make it out to be -- that is just for fun -- and I am both able and happy to discuss it in direct personal communication.

[***] It is a common misconception that the time from sunrise to sunset (called "day") is precisely equal to the time from sunset to sunrise (called "night") on the Equinoxes. In actual fact, the day is always longer than the night on an Equinox. One hundred points to the first person that can correctly tell me why. Fifty points to anyone who can incorrectly tell me why in a way that makes me laugh.

You know it! You love it! You've been waiting three hundred and sixty five days for it! And here it is! It is now Talk Like A Pirate Day! Arrrrrrrr!

Enjoy it whilst it lasts, mateys! For we all know that Talk Like A Pirate Day comes but once a year![*]

Personally, I am hatching plots to make an official holiday called Talk Like A Ninja Day. Preferably on March 19^th[**].

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[*] Sort of like Christmas and Physics Didn't Destroy The Earth Day!

[**] Fifty points to the first person who can tell me why I chose that date.