When the wind picks up, I can always hear it whistling through the gaps and crannies in our flat - it often sounds worse than it is. Not so, today:
(Not my video, but daaaamn.)
I did have to go out, and I passed downed traffic lights, slate roof tiles, and other debris on my way. Brrr.
Tea and blankets and knitting on the sofa, lovely at any time, was extra nice this afternoon.
Showing posts with label videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label videos. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Hogmanay
Happy New Year, blogosphere! Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh are A Thing - a 3 day festival to bring in the new year. We weren't in town for it last year, but decided to take in some of the free stuff this time around. Things kicked off on Dec 30th with a torchlight procession through town, followed by some fireworks and burning stuff. (They do like their fireworks here).
See all the twinkly twinkly lights? Apparently there were 6500 people with torches this year. And nobody got set on fire! Amazing. (At least, not that I heard about...) Led by some dudes dressed like vikings, plus several pipe bands, they processed through town up Calton Hill.
Then there were fireworks and pyrotechnics set up in the monuments on Calton Hill. Okay, so this picture isn't very clear, but you get the idea.
And a bonfire - it started out as a straw sculpture of some dancing figures.
I think I get a kick out of all this celebratory fire because none of it would be allowed where I grew up. Not only are you not allowed to drink in public places there, but thousands of people carrying open flames through the streets? Haha - not likely.
I took some shaky video of bits of it, and have inexpertly spliced them together to make a highlight reel here:
Bring on 2012!
See all the twinkly twinkly lights? Apparently there were 6500 people with torches this year. And nobody got set on fire! Amazing. (At least, not that I heard about...) Led by some dudes dressed like vikings, plus several pipe bands, they processed through town up Calton Hill.
Then there were fireworks and pyrotechnics set up in the monuments on Calton Hill. Okay, so this picture isn't very clear, but you get the idea.
And a bonfire - it started out as a straw sculpture of some dancing figures.
I think I get a kick out of all this celebratory fire because none of it would be allowed where I grew up. Not only are you not allowed to drink in public places there, but thousands of people carrying open flames through the streets? Haha - not likely.
I took some shaky video of bits of it, and have inexpertly spliced them together to make a highlight reel here:
Bring on 2012!
Monday, November 01, 2010
Halloween/Samhuinn in Edinburgh
Let's start this NaBloPoMo with some pyrotechnics! That's what I like to hear.
Last night, the Beltane Fire Society put on a show through the streets of Edinburgh to represent the arrival of winter. As we waited for the parade to come through, I was suprised and bemused to see it preceded by a zombie walk - I'm a little annoyed I didn't have the presence of mind to take some video as a gory zombie walked towards me mumbling "Staaaarbuuuucks" and grabbing at my chai latte. Priceless.
St. Giles' Cathedral looking spooky
The Samhuinn parade itself was impressive. It started on Castle Hill and wound down to the big show at West Parliament Square in the shadow of St. Giles. Body paint, costumes, puppetry, dancing, drumming, and, of course, fire pervaded the scene. Although I'm not very familiar with the mythology of Samhuinn, and I couldn't always follow the story or identify the characters, it was really fun to watch.
Fiery crowns
Apologies for the quality of the photos - they are all screen captures from the mediocre video I took. Here are some of my favourite moments, and you can see all of them here.
A red character accosts my boyfriend with a mysterious note.
The denizens of summer march to the oompa loompa theme
What did you do for Halloween?
Last night, the Beltane Fire Society put on a show through the streets of Edinburgh to represent the arrival of winter. As we waited for the parade to come through, I was suprised and bemused to see it preceded by a zombie walk - I'm a little annoyed I didn't have the presence of mind to take some video as a gory zombie walked towards me mumbling "Staaaarbuuuucks" and grabbing at my chai latte. Priceless.
St. Giles' Cathedral looking spooky
The Samhuinn parade itself was impressive. It started on Castle Hill and wound down to the big show at West Parliament Square in the shadow of St. Giles. Body paint, costumes, puppetry, dancing, drumming, and, of course, fire pervaded the scene. Although I'm not very familiar with the mythology of Samhuinn, and I couldn't always follow the story or identify the characters, it was really fun to watch.
Fiery crowns
Apologies for the quality of the photos - they are all screen captures from the mediocre video I took. Here are some of my favourite moments, and you can see all of them here.
A red character accosts my boyfriend with a mysterious note.
The denizens of summer march to the oompa loompa theme
What did you do for Halloween?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Master at last
Bad blogger. Bad! In my defence, I've been busy. There are a few things I need to photograph before they can feature in posts of their own. But first:
I'm back from Quebec. I'm also back from London, ON - I finally graduated with my MLIS. I'm so glad to be finished this degree. It was really stressful, but hopefully worth it. Convocation was long and boring, as convocations tend to be, but it was also worth it. I had lots of fun catching up with my former classmates - officially qualified librarians, all!
Got hooded in a screechingly bright yellow colour, described in the programme as "lemon." Purple and yellow are fun, though.
(Hey, at least I didn't do an MBA. Their colour has the inspirational name of "drab.")
The procession at the end of the ceremony was totally the best bit, and I have some video to prove it. The university seems rather attached to traditional trappings - we even sang God Save the Queen in addition to O Canada - so I never expected this untraditional musical choice for the procession out.
Brilliant. Made my day.
Back soon with yarny goodness!
I'm back from Quebec. I'm also back from London, ON - I finally graduated with my MLIS. I'm so glad to be finished this degree. It was really stressful, but hopefully worth it. Convocation was long and boring, as convocations tend to be, but it was also worth it. I had lots of fun catching up with my former classmates - officially qualified librarians, all!
Got hooded in a screechingly bright yellow colour, described in the programme as "lemon." Purple and yellow are fun, though.
(Hey, at least I didn't do an MBA. Their colour has the inspirational name of "drab.")
The procession at the end of the ceremony was totally the best bit, and I have some video to prove it. The university seems rather attached to traditional trappings - we even sang God Save the Queen in addition to O Canada - so I never expected this untraditional musical choice for the procession out.
Brilliant. Made my day.
Back soon with yarny goodness!
Monday, March 08, 2010
Musical musings: Watchmen
No knitting content today, but if all goes well I'll have an FO in the coming days!
I just thought I'd share some musings I've had, since ultimately that's what blogs are for. This post is link and video heavy, just to warn you.
I received the soundtrack to Watchmen for my birthday, and I've been listening to it a lot. I don't often find that movie music sticks with me after I watch the film (any score by John Williams is an obvious, if cliche, exception). But when I saw this film, one of the things that struck me was how awesome the soundtrack was--there were many songs I was already familiar with that struck me as completely appropriate for the given scene but mostly for the bleak atmosphere of the film in general. I love that there are three Bob Dylan songs in the official soundtrack, for example, even if two of them are covers. I have no quarrel with Jimi Hendrix's cover of All Along the Watchtower - brilliant. But I sort of wish Desolation Row was the original, rather than a cover by My Chemical Romance. (As a side note, every time I listen to it at a certain point I think my microwave is dinging. But no, it's a guitar. Gets me every time. Anyway). Upon listening to the official soundtrack, however, I noticed that many of the songs I remember from the film aren't on the CD, and I wondered how they chose the 12 that were included.
Then I started thinking about the songs that weren't in the movie, but maybe should have been. It occurred to me that a soundtrack made up of Leonard Cohen songs only would have been quite convincing. There were a few Cohen songs in the movie, but only Hallelujah made it to the CD. (I love Hallelujah, although it's definitely overdone - kd lang's version is awesome, but a bizarre choice for the Olympic opening ceremonies in my opinion...)
Anyway, in the name of procrastination, here's my version of the Watchmen soundtrack with Leonard Cohen songs only.
Note: the following may contain spoilers for Watchmen! You have been warned.
First We Take Manhattan
(Embedding is disabled for the official video on Youtube, but the video is kind of cool in a hilarious 1980s way, so check it out! Lots of people with suitcases on the beach.)
This one is cheating. It was in the movie during the credits, but I think it deserves a more prominent role in the film. It's so brooding. And 1980s. I know, the song itself only came out in 1987 while the film is set in 1985, but whatever. That's no concern of mine.
Democracy
Maybe this goes without saying. The refrain is "Democracy is coming to the USA," and it's ironically hopeful tone adds to the delightful satire. I think it fits the mood and storyline of the film, since most of the action concerns the Cold War and America's own democratic posturing goes right along with that.
Closing Time
Embedding disabled, but this video cracks me up. Ah, backup singers.
While this doesn't come through quite as well in the film, the gritty, grimy, drugged out, and depressed condition of people New York in the graphic novel is clear and pronounced. It reminds me of this song, in some ways, although the song is kind of cheerful about it all. The way love happens in this movie is kind of desperate like this song.
A Thousand Kisses Deep
I think this is a more appropriate song for the sex scene than Hallelujah was, but maybe it's too bleak and depressing.
Alexandra Leaving
Video may not be safe for work since it includes nudes and partial nudes
When Laurie leaves Jon. That's a very literal application of this song, but I think it works, especially because of the line "As someone long prepared for this to happen..." since Dr. Manhattan sees time all at once.
I'm Your Man
Okay, so admittedly the first reason I picked this song is the line "If you want another kind of love / I'll wear a mask for you." Literally and figuratively, since there's a character who at one point *ahem* finds himself impotent (literally) until he dresses up in his superhero costume and has an adventure. A preoccupation with masks and how they affect identity is important to the whole story, though perhaps moreso in the graphic novel than in the movie.
Anthem
Anthem also has a hopeful tone, but I'm not sure if it's ironic or not. "The birds they sang at the break of day / Start again, I heard them say" fits well with the ending of the film.
The Great Event
I think this is one of Cohen's most bizarre songs, although Dear Heather is pretty bizarre. Recited by a computerized voice, it declares that some Great Event is imminent "which will end the horror / which will end the sorrow." Hello, Veidt Enterprises!
That was longer than I'd intended, but I'll stop before I think of more songs to add. There are so many; it helps that most of Leonard Cohen's repertoire is bleak and depressing to begin with. Ack, just thought of The Future, and Everybody Knows. So good...
I just thought I'd share some musings I've had, since ultimately that's what blogs are for. This post is link and video heavy, just to warn you.
I received the soundtrack to Watchmen for my birthday, and I've been listening to it a lot. I don't often find that movie music sticks with me after I watch the film (any score by John Williams is an obvious, if cliche, exception). But when I saw this film, one of the things that struck me was how awesome the soundtrack was--there were many songs I was already familiar with that struck me as completely appropriate for the given scene but mostly for the bleak atmosphere of the film in general. I love that there are three Bob Dylan songs in the official soundtrack, for example, even if two of them are covers. I have no quarrel with Jimi Hendrix's cover of All Along the Watchtower - brilliant. But I sort of wish Desolation Row was the original, rather than a cover by My Chemical Romance. (As a side note, every time I listen to it at a certain point I think my microwave is dinging. But no, it's a guitar. Gets me every time. Anyway). Upon listening to the official soundtrack, however, I noticed that many of the songs I remember from the film aren't on the CD, and I wondered how they chose the 12 that were included.
Then I started thinking about the songs that weren't in the movie, but maybe should have been. It occurred to me that a soundtrack made up of Leonard Cohen songs only would have been quite convincing. There were a few Cohen songs in the movie, but only Hallelujah made it to the CD. (I love Hallelujah, although it's definitely overdone - kd lang's version is awesome, but a bizarre choice for the Olympic opening ceremonies in my opinion...)
Anyway, in the name of procrastination, here's my version of the Watchmen soundtrack with Leonard Cohen songs only.
Note: the following may contain spoilers for Watchmen! You have been warned.
First We Take Manhattan
(Embedding is disabled for the official video on Youtube, but the video is kind of cool in a hilarious 1980s way, so check it out! Lots of people with suitcases on the beach.)
This one is cheating. It was in the movie during the credits, but I think it deserves a more prominent role in the film. It's so brooding. And 1980s. I know, the song itself only came out in 1987 while the film is set in 1985, but whatever. That's no concern of mine.
Democracy
Maybe this goes without saying. The refrain is "Democracy is coming to the USA," and it's ironically hopeful tone adds to the delightful satire. I think it fits the mood and storyline of the film, since most of the action concerns the Cold War and America's own democratic posturing goes right along with that.
Closing Time
Embedding disabled, but this video cracks me up. Ah, backup singers.
While this doesn't come through quite as well in the film, the gritty, grimy, drugged out, and depressed condition of people New York in the graphic novel is clear and pronounced. It reminds me of this song, in some ways, although the song is kind of cheerful about it all. The way love happens in this movie is kind of desperate like this song.
A Thousand Kisses Deep
I think this is a more appropriate song for the sex scene than Hallelujah was, but maybe it's too bleak and depressing.
Alexandra Leaving
Video may not be safe for work since it includes nudes and partial nudes
When Laurie leaves Jon. That's a very literal application of this song, but I think it works, especially because of the line "As someone long prepared for this to happen..." since Dr. Manhattan sees time all at once.
I'm Your Man
Okay, so admittedly the first reason I picked this song is the line "If you want another kind of love / I'll wear a mask for you." Literally and figuratively, since there's a character who at one point *ahem* finds himself impotent (literally) until he dresses up in his superhero costume and has an adventure. A preoccupation with masks and how they affect identity is important to the whole story, though perhaps moreso in the graphic novel than in the movie.
Anthem
Anthem also has a hopeful tone, but I'm not sure if it's ironic or not. "The birds they sang at the break of day / Start again, I heard them say" fits well with the ending of the film.
The Great Event
I think this is one of Cohen's most bizarre songs, although Dear Heather is pretty bizarre. Recited by a computerized voice, it declares that some Great Event is imminent "which will end the horror / which will end the sorrow." Hello, Veidt Enterprises!
That was longer than I'd intended, but I'll stop before I think of more songs to add. There are so many; it helps that most of Leonard Cohen's repertoire is bleak and depressing to begin with. Ack, just thought of The Future, and Everybody Knows. So good...
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
On repeat
Essay time. Ugh. I have such a bad attitude about my studies at the moment. Not sure if I'm prepared to enter the working world in earnest, but I am definitely ready to finish graduate school.
I found this today, and have been listening to it over and over. So fun.
If an angry mob ever tracks me down, I hope they are as cheerful as this one. And I hope there are drumming bears and skeletons involved. Awesome.
I found this today, and have been listening to it over and over. So fun.
If an angry mob ever tracks me down, I hope they are as cheerful as this one. And I hope there are drumming bears and skeletons involved. Awesome.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Why I love octopi
Octopus and coconut video
Best thing ever?
Quite possibly.
It's all over facebook now, but it totally made my day.
My octopus obsession is well-documented. I've had Hansi Singh's octopus queued forever, and one day I'll buy this sinister cephalopod shirt.
However, until this point I had never though of octopi as creatures who scuttle.This video changed my mind. Plus, it also proves octopi can be cute, a dubious notion but something I have always maintained. Bahahaha.
Best thing ever?
Quite possibly.
It's all over facebook now, but it totally made my day.
My octopus obsession is well-documented. I've had Hansi Singh's octopus queued forever, and one day I'll buy this sinister cephalopod shirt.
However, until this point I had never though of octopi as creatures who scuttle.This video changed my mind. Plus, it also proves octopi can be cute, a dubious notion but something I have always maintained. Bahahaha.
Friday, December 11, 2009
oh hello blogosphere
Neglected Keystrokes - this is cracking me up for some reason so I thought I'd share.
Tomorrow: last class of the semester!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
suburban music
I might have posted this before, but I rediscovered it recently and it's so awesome I thought I'd share.
Six musicians break into an apartment while the owners are out and create a musical masterpiece.
Six musicians break into an apartment while the owners are out and create a musical masterpiece.
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