Quote by rolandlytle
I have moved more towards instrumentals like Tina Guo's.

I love Tina. Have you heard violinist Mia Asano? Similar to Tina in that she's classically trained but leans to rock and metal. Her Viper electric violin has logged a lot of mileage since she graduated from conservatory a few years ago. She's recorded with Tina a couple times already and they will be touring Europe together next year with a project called The Legendary Orchestra that does opening shows for the Swedish metal band Sabaton. It's a new gig for Tina but Mia was on the orchestra's first tour with Sabaton.

Probably not. Never been a distance runner. Even in school, I was a better sprinter than distance runner. I think my son is working up to a half, though.

WYE do a triathlon (I actually had now-retired co-worker who did them)?

Please pass the bread plate.

Xtro

Never Comes The Day - The Moody Blues

Nope. Getting close to the edge of a cliff (or any high place) gives me serious willies. And I'm a terrible swimmer, too.

WYE drag race another driver on a public road?

Quote by Cora
I thought you only listened to metal.

Actually, I am a relatively recent metalhead and have been a obsessed with it because it is new to me. Used to be rather down on metal with a few exceptions (some of Ozzy's solo stuff, some Metallica). Anna here gets some of the credit since she introduced me to Nightwish, the first metal band I got into. In fact, I have a broad range of musical interests and now that metal has joined the list, country is about the only major musical genre I don't listen to (though even there, I did like some of the New Country crowd in the 90s). If there's a real pattern to my musical tastes, it's probably a fondness for female vocalists like Sara. Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Sarah McLachlan, Sara Bareilles, and now many of my favourite metal singers are ladies like Floor Jansen (of the aforementioned Nightwish) and Alissa White-Gluz (Canadian singer who left a band last year and is kind of juggling multiple projects right now).

Quote by Cora
I hope everyone is having a lovely day.

I'm on the brink of a headache. Seems to be a Thursday thing. Last Thursday it got bad enough that I booked off sick halfway through the day. This week, it's tolerable so I'm working.

Disclosure Day looks promising. Aliens coming to Earth is a trope Steven Spielberg has gone to several times in his 50+ year career (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extraterrestrial, 2005 version of War of the Worlds, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). And he has done some pretty good work with that trope (and some that is less so). Early reviews have been positive, too.

Quote by Mendalla
And I've heard nothing about writers and actors, either.

Well, the actors are still up in the air, but it is known that Steven Knight, creator of the highly regarded TV series Peaky Blinders, is working on the script. I guess my worry would be that an acclaimed writer and director aren't necessarily what's needed to make a great Bond movie. It's what they do with the tropes and classic elements that will determine success here. A movie that is excellent in every regard but has nothing to make it feel like a Bond movie isn't what is needed. Villeneuve is apparently a Bond fan so I don't think that will happen, but it is a risk when you throw Oscar-grade talent at what is basically B-movie pulp with a budget.

Ugh

tens - tons

Book a hotel for vacation.

Gooooooooooooooooood morning!! How's things out there. Bit of hot spell in my world but supposed to cool off tomorrow.

Got some nice dark roast coffee going. In the teapots, we've got a Raspberry black tea and Kenyan Kambaa (a current favourite of mine). And I have goodies out.

Tell us about your world.

Floor Jansen, my current favourite singer, is dropping her second solo album this year. After leaning to a pop sound for her first, she's going back to her familiar metal sound for the second. Two songs were debuted live at recent concerts. This is "Run", shot by a fan at her concert in Plzen, Czech Republic.

Cute trivia: The concert in Plzen was one of two she did as support for the Swedish power metal band Sabaton. Why them? Her husband is their drummer.

I might try it. I'm not the most adept wilderness but a break from electronics probably would be a good thing.

WYE do a "round the world" cruise?

Nightwish

Evergrey

Primal Cult

Dark Tranquility

Abandon Agony

Whoa, Roland and Cora both back?!?!? Yippee!! It's been so quiet that I myself kind of drifted away.

Quote by Cora
Tropical Mini Key Lime Pie

drools

I am losing a tooth (too badly messed up to root canal) but, hey, I have plenty more. At the rate I'm going, I won't run out until I am maybe 120 or so. 🤣

Seem to have settled on retiring in 2028, likely July or August so I can collect my bonus for the previous fiscal year.

Writing-wise, I have some projects on the go but the going is slow. One would go here as long as it doesn't get overly long and become another of my gestating novel(la)s.

Quote by Cora
Listening to a lot of music, mainly Chili Peppers.

I listen to music constantly. Mostly metal these days but there's still non-metal favourites that sneak in. New Sara Bareilles coming later this summer for one.

Singer, guitarist, composer, producer, and more Devin Townsend dropped what might be his magnum opus this past week. The Moth is an ambitious, operatic at times, concept album drawing on his 30+ years in metal and prog. He brings along some guests from throughout his career, including an appearance on one track by guitar legend Steve Vai, who Devin worked with early in his career before leaving Vai to start Strapping Young Lad, his first project of his own.

A couple tracks from The Moth.

FYI, Devin is a fellow Canuck, born, raised, and still based in Vancouver, BC.

Good morning. Nice weather here these days. Low-mid 20s Celsius, sun, little to no cloud. On the down side, we are coming up on a week with no rain. Fortunately we had lots the previous week so not getting too dry yet.

Story is stalling as I try to figure why I am obsessed with writing stories about women with pasts on tropical islands encountering weird s&&t. I have like three active drafts for different stories that all have that undercurrent. And I never seem to get past getting the woman to the island and setting up the past. The story that started it all was supposed to be for (redacted) but that's long gone now (like, years ago).

I need to find something else to write while I ruminate on this, I think.

Hi, Gil. Yeah, it's important to take care of ourselves and help our loved ones do the same.

New story is progressing but slowly and it's not going to be a short one, I don't think. There's interesting character stuff happening and I am still working out the secret of the volcanic island they are on. Evil spirit? Monster? Just a strange volcano?

And another singer with a great set of pipes taking on another great ACDC track. This is Finnish rocker Noora Louhimo, who until last year fronted the Finnish heavy metal band Battle Beast, covering "You Shook Me All Night Long" as part of a Finnish TV show she's been appearing on this spring.

And here's the goodie table for the weekend.

"Everybody's working for the weekend," said Loverboy.

Yep, and here we are. Coffee and tea are on. Goodies, too. Got some housework to do and maybe some writing. Took an idea I had for a volcano story (dates back three years to when I visited Iceland) and rejigged it from secondary world fantasy to modern dark fantasy-horror. Or that's the plan. We'll see how it goes.

Someone on another site introduced me to the band Montrose today. Not sure why I haven't heard of them before given they date to my childhood They started in 1973 and their lead singer and rhythm guitarist was none other than Sammy Hagar, later to front Van Halen for a period.

Quote by verbal
What novel are you resding Ape.

Arcanum by Simon Morden. It's an alternate fantasy Europe with no Christianity and wizards called hexmasters. Rome still fell but the Goths had magic as well as force of arms. Story is a thousand years later, so c. 15th century on our timeline, in a German principality in the Alps. Giants and unicorns are involved, too.

More ACDC is never a bad thing. This is The Rock Orchestra with Ukrainian rocker Daria Zaritskaya on vocals and violin soloist Mia Asano with a killer take on "Thunderstruck".

Good morning! Coffee and tea are ready. Goodies are replenished. We are now in back half of a short week in my part of the world. What's up?

I started reading a novel last night. Decided it was time to try getting out of my reading rut, found something that looked kind of interesting and off I went. Am contemplating story ideas but haven't done much writing.

Quote by verbal
except that IT SNOWED this week

Western Canada got some, too. Meanwhile here in the East we weathered a two day heatwave that ended with an absolutely insane storm the other day. Hit right at afternoon rush hour. The rain was so hard that the visibility was worse than some of the snowstorms we had this past winter. The major street I drive for most of my commute was like a creek there was so much water.

I have become fond of Aussie cover band Sing It Live. Good bunch of talented musicians who do terrific versions of pop and rock hits from the past. Being Aussie, it should comes as no surprise that they give lively, energetic performances of songs by that nation's greatest musical export, rockers AC/DC.

It's MONDAY!!!! But here in Canada, it's also a LONG WEEKEND!!!! Happy Victoria Day!!!!

Coffee and tea are ready for those needing a fix. Goodie supply looks, well, good.

And some apropos tuneage by The Bangles, written by Prince back in 1986. He went by the pseudonym Christopher originally, but did release his own version eventually.

Quote by Meagananne1986
Mexico is dangerous.

We had a port stop in Ensenada on our cruise but that's a relatively calm, stable area and we were on shore for all of a couple hours. Visited a nice little, free museum. Lovely place, actually.

New question to reboot the thread:

WYE enter a dance competition assuming you had time to learn the steps and a good partner?