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Okay...if you're a Game of Thrones/Song of Ice And Fire fan....you'll get this...You'll still think it's sick...but you'll get it. ::evil grin::

I was fucking TIRED. Tired and stressed, but eager to go anyway. Due to bad weather and the economy there were a lot of very well loved people who weren't able to make it--that cut back on the fun for me to some extent, because much of the joy of con is seeing old friends you don't see any other time or place.

We got to the Crowne Palaza on time and got our donations to the auction--I donated a Takamine Jasmine guitar that I've had for 4 years and never really enjoyed playing--no point keeping it since I have my Baby Taylor to travel with. Then we---Me, Teri , Roomie and our dear friend Larry Kirby caught up with Blind Lemming Chiffon and headed to Applebees for dinner. It was Right About Then that the nerves started to clobber me. I don't get stage fright ON state--I get it before and after the fact. We got back to the hotel for the Opening Ceremonies, champagne Toast and the singing of Aulde Lang Sine before rushing upstairs to press my gown and get my shit together. I was wearing my Flaming Asshole Red Dress with my Puss n' Boots hat and Teri wore her pyrate garb.

We had some hilarious issues with the mikes--mine kept drooping obscenely and there were lots of "Mike can't keep it up" jokes flying in all directions. In fact it's a good thing this was after 9pm or we'd have been in deep doo-doo for some of the triple entendres---Teri's remark about 'giving the mike a blowjob" nearly made me fall off my chair. Harold Stein did a very, very good professional recording . After hearing it last night I realize I should have pulled the mike in closer but considering how it kept 'going limp' I was kinda scared to mess with it. Teri's voice sounds fantastic, though, and in the video you can see her much better--however, the video is still in Larry's camera--for some reason the download didn't save on my laptop, damn it, and there's nobody to blame but Moi.

Aside from a few clinkers and clams the gig went well--to my shock we actually got a standing ovation from some people that clearly weren't trying to leave for the rest room.

I hurried to get changed ("You like the dress? The Kremlin was redecorating and I bought the drapes on Ebay, so.....") and we hung out in the filk room to hear some terrific music...but my nerves were catching up with me and I kept bouncing back and forth between exhausted and hyperactive...I went to bed before 2am--a first for me at a con--and I did not get more than about 2 hrs sleep.

Saturday was Matt Leger's amazing concert--I missed Seanan McGuire but heard it from outside the ballroom and it sounded wonderful. I filmed Larry's brilliant mini concert---however neither our concert which he filmed or his concert are on my pc due to technical issues.
Larry gifted me and Roomie with tickets for the formal banquet....and all three of us ladies got some kind of stomach distress, probably from the Chicken Alfredo. Teri was hit so bad that she couldn't sing in open filk after the charity auction and I turned in early again.

In the auction I won an ACME backpack--yes, official Warner Brothers merch and I love it to pieces--it is now officially the Bag O' Crap. Teri also gifted me with a stunning formal sari -- she has one to match it and we began singing horrid puns: "Who's Sari Now?" "Sari seems To Be The Hardest Word" and "We're so Sari, Uncle Albert".

By Sat night the weather was menacing us all and we rushed out early to get ahead of the oncoming snow and ice. It was so bad that some of the attendees were stuck until Wed. and many of them had their flights cancelled and wouund up stranded at the airport.

The few reviews I've seen of the concert have been well received---and nobody threw rotten veggies. No pitchforks or screaming lynch mobs either, so we didn't screw up TOO badly. Needless to say, playing with Teri is a joy forever and the audience ROCKED and Rob Wynn honored the hell out of us by inviting us to play. Thank you one and all!!

since "Hero With A Thousand Faces" is being done at GaFilk and going in the GaFilk Songbook, there are a few who've asked about it--For those who haven't seen "Hero" or don't remember and wanted the lyrics--here it is. And yeah, I was also pissed at JK Rowling and George Lucas as well as Arakawa...Cow just was the last straw, so to speak:

( "HERO" AND "SOUL"-THE ALCHEMY SET )

This one buffers a lot...but I laughed my arse off over this!!!!!

Will be heading back to the Sheraton later--got passes, got hotel keys, missed meeting Suz and Rachel--will either see if the security will keep refusing my tries to have it delivered or have their stuff mailed to them.. Programming isn't made of awesome this year. We have a crowd of people so I'm going up with the second load due to my guitar and walker. Wanted to hang a sign on iit that says 'rush vakkey or bust!
'Lost of Black Butler--and a gorgeous HUGHES. No camera tho'--mine died...

Suz--you and Rachel are hitting the road at oh-GOD-AM....so here's a little lullabye for you
I did at AWA last year--now mind--THE CAMERA MIKE GIVES ME A TERRIBLE LISP I DO NOT HAVE IN REAL LIFE--I SWEAR TO GOD.
This YouTube features 2 songs--my niece Gothiphene (

teapriestess 's daughter) singing an original song "A Fangirl's Favorite Things"...and then comes "A Tender, Gentle Lullabye...about Four Sweaty Guys In A Jeep"
Sleep tight, ladies--see you in Atlanta!!

Okay--few points to remember:
Wrong veil on helmet--should be my light mosquito netting
Cape not closed enough
Tie not properly tied--nobody to assist
you cant see my groovy high button shoes or the opal glass head ot the cane
Bronze-finish goggles crooked on helmet--wasn't told
Thankfully...you can hardly see my face...but here it is!!

Firsters--when I stuck my finger up the ass of my Edo Bank what popped out was more than enough to cover my hotel share--which may be higher this time but then I'm sharing with only two of the Very Best People--Tech Ninja A and Gothiphine--none of the craziness we had last year with a young woman who Didn't Know How To Behave. We had originally thought Suz and Rachel were staying with us, but they'll be over in the Waverly. We stay across the street at the Sheraton--fewer crowds, less noise and it's really a lovely hotel. So it's worth every penny and then some.

Need to clean out my car--not my idea of fun. Need to pack electric wok and cooking stuff.
Need to get my dress casual State Alchemist's uniform out, checked and packed up. Found my silver watch last night.
Need to cut walking stick to the right heighth and put a safety tip on it.
Need to buy a men's tie and two yards of illusion veiling.
Need to do laundry--and pray to god it doesn't overflow.
Need to pack my bag.
Need to recharge my iPod, pack my geek bag and all that stuff...

Wish to god my Fibro hadn't flared up again--I was better for several days but right now my whole body is screaming in pain and my guts haven't recovered from the last round of Celebrex...damn it. Cane and walker for sure. Will miss a lot of the con because of this, damn it...

Sometime this afternoon, Comcast was digging near the huge Baptist church and hit a gas line. There was a huge,toxic gas leak and the city told us that we were in the path--we shut down all external air vents outside and were ordered not to leave the building until we got an all-clear--that was three hours....and the smokers were going ape-shit.
My friend Lurch at work and I are both filkers and comedy musicians and silly people...we're both biting our lips...holding it back...and finally...damn it...a voice called over the cubicle wall:

"More BEANS, Mr. Taggert?"

And I replied,

"I'd say you had enough!"

And two Mel Brooks fans spent the rest of the afternoon snickering madly under their breaths...
And no...I won't post THAT scene...but I'll share one of my favorites!

Snagged from FB---brilliant!!

My Very Own Steampunk Guitar Strap!!!
This was hand embroidered in antique gold, silver and copper...and it's AWESOME!!!
Anybody can have Celtic Knotwork...but this 'madgirl' gets GEARS!!!

Just a moment ago the cell phone (which has been glued to me all day) buzzed with a text--Dale is out, awake and doing well---and here's the BEST PART--they decided to try to get in through the side of his head, going through the ear. That means he lost the inner ear and will not recover his hearing on that side--BUT they didn't have to drill big holes in his skull or take the front part of his face off--which is what we originally thought they'd have to do to get it since it was behind the eyesocket. They went in through the side and got the little bastard.
Furious as I am at his wife--and there are no words for that level of anger--hearing from him and knowing it went so well means the world to me!!!!!!!

He went in to the OR at 1:30. His wife was going to post to Facebook via Droid soon as the doctor came out to tell her the surgery was over. There's been no post and she didn't text through his phone either. I know the surgery was supposed to last about 4 hrs, then 2 hrs in recovery and in his room by around 7pm. Lee Ann should have posted hours ago. And he had it set up to send auto-text and I was on the auto-text list.
Getting concerned.....

"Hey!

Here's the plan for tomorrow: Driving up around 9am, checking in at a local hotel and taking their shuttle over to Hopkins. Pre-op stuff from 11:30, surgery begins at 1:30 and he's booked the OR for four hours. Then recovery for 1-2 hours, and then up to a room .

So Lee Ann's gonna update her Facebook page as soon as the Doctor comes out and let's her know how it went. As soon as I'm able, I'll text a list of people, with you on the top of that list.

Thanks for the prayers and concerns.... it is a little scary, but I know I'm in really good hands. I'll text you - hopefully from recovery, if they'll let me - tomorrow evening!

Love ya,
Bro"

::snortle::

...a double batch of double-fudge bacon brownies and 8 hrs of music together??
Larry's Birthday!!
We also raided and pillaged the Friends of the Library giveaway ( I modestly limited myself to one bag only), swam in the pool and played until 3am...and had a blast in spite of the heat.
Here's a partial picture of a few of us tuning up--that's me between the curtains with Jeanne Marie, waiting for my other musical half, Teri, to finish her cigarette and get set up!

Certain singer-songwriters inspire the hell out of me with their genius.
One of them is David Crosby.
I DEVOURED every single track of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young when I discovered them so many years ago. They--and the Indigo Girls--more than anybody influenced my harmony work in Antithesis. When filk legend Juanita Coulson said some very kind things about our vocals and harmonies--my thought was 'thanks, Cros! Thanks, Amy and Emily!"
One of the most gorgeous songs he ever recorded was "Laughing" back in 1971 with Jerry Garcia doing some haunting lead to David's rhythm guitar. I'm a rhythm player myself---and forever I have wanted to crack the code of this damn song. I can sing it--lord, I can sing it...but I can't play it. Well, on youtube I found a lesson that shows Cros' inexplicable tuning--and if you know the secret tuning you can play it!! That's going to be one of my goals for the next few months--to learn this song and be able to sing it AND play it.
It is so simple and gorgeous--let me share because I love it so much...

Ever written so damn much that your arms ache and cramp and your wrists are sore? Guilty!
Problem is, we're playing next Saturday and I've got three new songs to arrange--the Emerald Rose parody "Mundania Stinks" ("Urania Sings"),
the Neil Young parody "Space Mountain" (set to "Sugar Mountain"--it's about the horrors of being dragged onto certain types of theme-park rides), "Hard Drive" (Bob Dylan's "Hard Rain's Gonna Fall") and final polishing on The Brothers Suite: "Hero With A Thousand Faces"(Edward) and "The Soul Within The Steel" (Alphonse). "Hero" went over well at Confluence in Pittsburgh--I want to work out more intricate harmonies on that one.

But all the work on the "HALF LIVES" project---which started as a gift fic for

rueme for some artwork and has become a novella with over five thouand hits---edging up to six thousand now--on its host site---has had me pouring so much energy that I haven't been a good girl and picked up my guitar for days...and I'm too damned sore to practice today and there's a mob of people coming for a farewell party (roomie's daughter is moving with husband and kid to the midwest--better job pickin's) and a house to be cleaned and a feast to prepare and I still need to do laundry and scrub the tub and all that boring crap that must be done--oh, and bake two loaves of bread with my chrome Kitchen Aid bread machine that sounds suspiciously like a TARDIS cranking up....

So pass the anti-inflamatories and the Diet Coke, wouldja???

For the final scene in Chapter 14 I had to find a piece of music that would suit the mood just right. Granted, this was roughly in the late teens, early 1920's in Amestris---Jazz at that time was a bit more syncopated. I decided to take the liberty and use something from a later era--"Moonlight Serenade"

My parents were both jazz and swing lovers--my mom's favorites were Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman. "Moonlight Serenade" is one of Miller's most famous songs--a slow, dreamy instrumental perfect for a slow dance.

For the curious--here it is...and imagine a dark juke joint lit up only by the glow of a vintage jukebox....

Fic: Half Lives, Chapter 13: Brother Against Brother

Author: binaryalchemist

Rating: PG 13 this chapter for profanity and Ed trying to beat the hell out of his little brother--and adult themes

Pairing: Roy/Ed, references to past Roy/Hughes and the ending of Ed and Winry’s marriage. Guest appearances by Ling Yao, Riza Hawkeye, Pinako, Olivier Armstrong

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Yaoi romance.

WARNING: This is yaoi. If you aren’t comfortable, don’t read. Wank will be ignored.

Spoilers: Years have passed since the Father’s Fall (chapter 108) Things in Resembool have not gone well and Ed has the scars to prove it, seeking healing and refuge in his work at Central Command…but Roy Mustang has never been one to calmly stand by and see his friends hurt…

( CHAPTER LINKS HERE (and most chapters are short!) )

CHAPTER SUMMARY: When Alphonse left for Xing years before, Edward gave every impression of being proud and happy for his younger brother….he’d done a first class job of convincing himself that after a lifetime lived for each other, the brothers could simply go their separate ways…and in his vulnerability he blundered into an impulsive marriage that is now collapsing around him in flames. All it took was one phone call…and years of pain and betrayal finally took their toll on the Elric Brothers…

***HALF LIVES has now reached OVER FIVE THOUSAND HITS on FF.Net—thank you so very much, everybody! Feedback gratefully appreciated!!****

As always, for

rueme for her amazing artwork

( The voice was low and defeated. “We were supposed to see the world together. You didn’t want me with you anymore.” Alphonse was sick before. Now something terrible was tearing him apart from the inside—so sharp, so cold and piercing….”Edward….Ed, please…” “ You went away. I was so alone…” Edward turned his face away. He didn’t want to see Al or the tears that were flowing down those sunburnt cheeks )