SteveThe Owl

I've been there. Hurts like hell. I know it hurts. Blessings...

Geez... first James Brown, now this.

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. President Gerald Ford, who was swept into office after the Watergate scandal and later pardoned Richard Nixon, died at age 93, according to a statement from his widow on Tuesday.

"My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, has passed away at 93 years of age," Bette Ford said in a statement.

"His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."

Her statement was released by the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, where Ford has been treated.

A former Republican congressman, Ford took office vowing "our long national nightmare is over." He served for 2 1/2 years with a style often mocked as bumbling until he lost the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter.

What a crappy week.

I just got back from the theatre with my folks (a huge tradition with all the Jews on Christmas Eve in Toronto it seems)

Sorry but when I saw your post it brought this to mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf9nwveSU0w

You're probably sick to death of it -- even if you are a Robert Smigel fan -- but they played it again on SNL this past weekend and I'd had it stuck in my head since last year when they first played it.

(It's the ganging up on the Quakers part I find funny... curse my goyishe Anglican heart...)

Funny? Yes, absolutely.

George Carlin's material? No, Bill Maher's.

2007? No, 2006.

I've been buggered over corrected in the past too -- with that alleged John Cleese thing... but we can always wish. (the 'lucky bastards' thing seems timely, but that has been going on for years, too.)

What percentage of stuff on the internet is supposed to be bullsh*t again?

I will be in a similar state in roughly a half hour... maybe an hour... except that I might be watching Wrath of Khan to put me into the mood for Christmas shopping tomorrow.

I can't believe people were brave enough to walk that far out, couldn't a whole section of ice just break away?!?

Yeah -- my first reaction when I first saw the photo was yeeeesh!but then I've really developed a fear of falling from heights over the past couple of years.

Nonetheless, thanx for posting this awesome photo, \/\/illy!

I'm a few days late in getting this posted, but it's not for lack of appreciation -- just resting up and stamping out a few last fires.

This year's Chocolate House was another awesome success -- the turnout was great and we raised over $160 in cash and over 100 lbs.(kg? dunno, not good at metric) of food.

I've got lots of thanks to hand out here (if I miss you, let me know)...

bouche and our friends at jambands.ca for helping us get the word out

The staff of SAW Gallery and Club SAW for letting us use the venue -- it was like a homecoming (more on this later)

Mother Tongue Books for generously providing us with raffle prizes

Nick for helping with the postering (in the pouring rain, natch) and K8 for doing the Webby stuff

Bridgehead Coffee for supplying the hot chocolate

Our pals from Swizzles (or its charred remnants) for tending bar

Chris from Dog & Pony Sound for the great sound and lights

everyone who joined in the open set and made it work

Dave for the awesome show

Brad for taping it for posterity, Steve (a different Steve) and Cathy for the photographic record.

Watch www.dustyowl.com for future events and shenanigans of all kinds...

Found this in my emailbox this evening... anybody in Ottawa busy on 2 January?

Earth*tones

groupe de danse et percussions

Hi everyone,

Here's some info about a jam on January 2, 2007.

It's a celebration for the New Year, and a benefit for the Peace & Environment News.

Acoustic musical instruments are welcome --

bring a djembe or ukulele, a flute or a lute,

a guitar or sitar. Bring a viola or a violin,

a lyra or a mandolin!

Start the New Year on a good note, with some

music and dancing. Hope to see you there.

* When: Tuesday, January 2, 7 - 9:30 pm

* Where: Jack Purcell Community Centre, in the gym. 320 Jack Purcell Lane, Ottawa

* Benefit for: Peace & Environment News

* $5, all ages

Bring your instruments and join the jam.

For more information, contact: helios@ncf.ca .

Best wishes for the holidays, Mike

It just breaks the heart.

But I'm still a Betty man! (And a Wilma man for those fellow Flintstoners!)

Ah, well... at least we still have Schwartz's...

Heartbreaking.

So perhaps a pre-slip stop?

Hell, yes!

(2004)

Oni has been one of my fave Ottawa writers for a while now... she has read for us a couple times, including for our tenth anniversary reading, she has guest-hosted for us... and she set this up for Dusty Owl... oh yeah, and she'll be reading for us next month (next Dusty Owl after Pablo... small world or what).

She is an awesome person and she puts on an amazing show. See you all there!

Note to kitkat: Thanx for being another reason to read Xpress... okay, the best reason to read Xpress . Great work!

Quick! Someone must write a movie script about this! Call Tim Burton!

You have my deepest condolences... my thoughts and prayers are with Marcel's friends and family and with you as you live through this passing.

As long as they don't start making tequila in China, I'm happy.

This is actually good news for me... I live near Queen & Bay in that grey, ugly high-rise (on the sevenrth floor to boot!). I used to listen to shows while I was sitting on my balcony and drinking beer and bouron and wine and tequila soaking up sun. Now I'll be able to again.

Now I can actually take an interest in it again. :thumbup:

Dusty Owl Presents The Third Annual Chocolate House!

Sunday December 17

7pm

SAW Gallery, 67 Nicholas Street (at Daly, behind the Rideau Centre)

No Cover

This December we're bringing back our friend Dave Lauzon for a winter-warming evening of music, chocolate, and help for the hungry of Ottawa.

This year the Owl is extremely happy to host the return of Dave Lauzon, formerly of nero, for an evening of acoustic and electrifying musical stylings.

This is a chance to enjoy the holidays the way you should -– with friends, live music, yummy chocolate treats, and refreshing chocolate drinks while supporting our local community.

This is our third annual fundraiser for The Ottawa Food Bank, so we ask you to bring along canned food, dry goods, toiletries, baby food and cash donations to help others this holiday season. Organic food is preferred but by no means mandatory. A limited edition hand-printed poster by Cathy MacDonald-Zytveld will be available to anyone who brings 10 or more food items.

There will also be door prizes, lovingly supplied by Mother Tongue Books, with proceeds also going to the Food Bank. Hot chocolate is provided courtesy of our friends at Bridgehead Coffee.

Please note: due to repairs at our usual venue, Swizzles, we will be holding this reading at 7:00 at SAW Gallery (with our thanks to them for their hospitality.) See you there!

bradm started another thread about this a few days ago here -- as always, thanx, brad!

take care of your feet and your eyes. good shoes and decent sunglasses will mean that you can walk and see well after many other of your parts have stopped working

That's a good point. But keep in mind that a really expensive pair of pumps can muck up your feet anyways and those expensive shades don't tend to be as effective as the cheap ones... then again, I only buy one pair of combat boots a year for fifty bucks and I absolutely live in them.

They wouldn't do that to glue, would they?

They shoot glue, don't they?

This reminds me of a poetry book called Shoot Low, Sheriff, They’re Riding Shetland Ponies by William Hawkins and Roy MacSkimming. Never read it, but I hope to some day...

BIG thanks to bradm for starting this thread... I was going to post something here in the next day or two but he was (thankfully) way ahead of me. (The fact that we have been scrambling to make these alternate arrangements in the face of Swizzles being temporarily out of commission is the reason why we're a little more behind than usual... apologies and thanks to all involved.)

Check out what we have on the Dusty Owl Current Event page (I think we owe jambands.ca credit for the photo, I'll remind our webmistress). It was put up earlier today (Thursday 7 December) and is already a little out of date. The start time of this event has now bwwn finalized as 7:00 pm. The address of SAW Gallery is 67 Nicholas Street (at Daly, in the Arts Court building) here in Ottawa.

Please also note: The Slip will not be making a surprise guest appearance.

I wonder if Bollywood did anything like this with Twisted Sister...

I'm such a casual fan of theirs that I knew Steven Page was in the next Canada Reads thing on CBC Radio, but I had no idea they had a new album out...

Didn't they play some festivals this past summer? What was the reaction (apart from 'them? a jamband?') to their performances?

I'll check it out... when I have the time...

Unfortunately, as much as I want to, I can't make it... I'm going to be in Montreal for this.

Ladies, if you need some help... I'd recommend Secret Garden Orgasmic Cream

(it's goooooooooood stuff... so they tell me )

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