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UPDATE (WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2003): Now, at Last, here are all the Home Lair entries for 2002 together in one Archive Lair!! Finally (sniff, sniff) a sense of Closure on all o' that Weird Goings-On...AAARRRRGHHH!!!
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JASON WEBLEY UPDATE O' THE WEEK (WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2002): Lord have Mercy! Jason's ghost needs to find a way to block the ever-disgusting porn sites that are Spamming his Guestbook! We'd better keep an eye on ours, as well! Shoot, this is the first I've heard that spammers could hit website guestbooks as well as email accounts; gosh knows I get plenty of junk in my own Inbox. Surely there must be a law regarding such activity; if not, we should Invent one...
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2002: Okay, a few News Items to Divulge:
UPDATE (FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2002): We've just applied for the affiliate programs with Indie-Music.com and Apollo's Axes! We're still waiting for approval from the latter, but we've been accepted by Indie-Music, and have the banners to prove it (also check out the two small ones flanking the "jumping radio" animation below)!!
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2002: ...to the family of Agape Lutheran Chapel's Secretary/Mother Superior, Luann Baker, on the upcoming wedding of Luann and Jim's daughter, Michelle, and Michelle's longtime sweetheart, Ryan, which will be held this coming Saturday, November 30!!
UPDATE (MONDAY, DECEMBER 2): The Big Day for the Bakers was two days ago, and still no sign of Luann at her desk at the Chapel! Must have been one heckuva production!! Uff Da...!!
Likewise, Congratulations to Josh and Cam of Elsewhere.org, on their Newly-Announced Engagement, effective as of Saturday, November 23!! All together, now [Veggie Magic Theater opens]: "Welcome, all true lovers (welcome, welcome)...to the land of love (land of love)..."
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JASON WEBLEY OTHERWORLDLY UPDATE (ALSO WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30): At Long Last, a Jason sighting has come to light, according to a recent entry in Jason's Guestbook!! Apparently the Human Icicle himself paid a visit to some folks up in Everett this past weekend, so at least our Dead Accordion Guy is still ambulatory and able to cross back Through the Veil on Occasion! For the Newly Nostalgic, we'll be keeping the LairLink to the Day of the Dead Concert Review close at hand for a while Yet! The trees are bare, the feathers have flown, yet a solitary block of wax remains, revealing a Question at the heart of the tomato...!!
UPDATE (MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2002): In a typically Ambiguous development, dear Cronies, it now turns out that if you click on the famously Ogreish photo on Jason's Front Page, it LairLinks to this page. Ohhh-kaayyy...so we follow the terse direction on this SideLurk, and...then What?? Whatever. Keep checking back. The Lair will keep you Posted--and Clipped, and Stapled, and Collated, and...
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SPECIAL REPORT (ALSO NOV. 27): Alas, CDNOW.com is shutting down its affiliate program, effective immediately, at least on its site, and transferring willing members over to Amazon.com! This means that all those lovely little banners that have Graced the Lair for lo these many months must be taken down, together with any ID-driven text LairLinks, by Tuesday, December 3!! What to do, what to do?! Not that the Lair ever really made any money on this program, but the decorative banners were such fun!! What shall we replace them with? There really needs to be SOMETHING in those spots; they'd look really funky blank! Perhaps we could transition over to Amazon's special CDNOW-related program, hopefully with new banners provided for decor; but, we figure, everyone and his ex-half-brother-in-law is signed up with Amazon.com!! Well, guess we'll either give that a try, or Link to other Lairs that provide exchange banners, or find another music-related affiliate program with banners--preferably something with somewhat unusual products, that everyone and his monkey's uncle isn't already Affiliated with...
UPDATE (MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2002): Well, Friends and Folkies, we've decided, as a Temporary measure, to plug in BooksOnline.com LairLinks in place of our old CDNOW LairLink graphics, until something more Musical comes along...
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2002: ...Well, as I was telling someone the other day, I'm starting to think a bear or two must have married into my family a few generations back. This time of year, practically all I want to do is SLEEP! Yesterday, I slept till practically noon after getting off my early morning desk shift; last night, I forgot to set my alarm, and didn't wake up till around 11:00. During the past several days, even after forcing myself to get up and get dressed, I've been Dragging around all day like a loose muffler. Only a good stiff cup of High-Octane Starbucks drip seems to wake me up enough to Function! I think I need to do a bit of investigation, and see if my family tree actually includes specimens of Homo sapiens ursinus...zzzz...
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Some info and LairLinks have come our way in the Quest for Recording Project funding!! A sampling of said LairLinks are presented below for your Perusal and our own ease of Access. Now, the challenge is to find a "professional" way of filling out an application for "Seattle folk LairMistress seeks grant to record her first CD of original material, Seeing as how her own resources are practically Nonexistent..." Anyhow, here's what we've found in the way of Arts Funding LairLinks so far this afternoon:
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Seattle Arts Commission (SAC)
SAC Arts Resource Network
Arts Education Link
King County (WA) Arts Commission
Washington State Arts Commission
National Endowment for the Arts
Artist Trust
Art A to Z Grants
ArtsFund Website
Paul G. Allen Foundation
Seattle Foundation
Americans For the Arts
Arts Wire
Northwest Arts
Seattle Public Library/Informed Artist Resource Guide
City of Seattle Website
Washington State Arts Alliance
Theatre Puget Sound
Seattle Performs.com
The Funds For Writers website might be a good SideLurk to check out besides!
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2002: THIS IS IT, CARROT CRONIES!! THE DAY OF THE DEAD IS HERE!! Join us at the Paradox by 6:00 pm At Least, as we wait to join Jason at his Annual End-of-Season Concert, and give him a Rousing Piratical Sendoff for what purports to be his Third Annual Death! Also, bring items of clothing for free Linocut Printings of the "Counterpoint" designs! ARRRGHH!!
Here is the Seattle Times article about the Day of the Dead Concert, and the LairLink to Jason's KUOW-FM Interview on Thursday, Halloween Proper, where the LairMistress and a handful of other Cronies joined Jason and Jherek for an interview/performance plugging the Big Show!! Later that Evening, the LairMistress, inspired by this Intimate On-Air experience, performed her own outdoor Halloween Concert in front of the UW Bookstore; and got lots of tips and positive Spooky feedback! Thanks to all who stopped to Listen on the way to their Halloween Haunts!!
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NEWSFLASH (WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2002): What a Concert and Death Procession we had Saturday night!! For us, it went on until nearly 2 AM! And here is our newly-finished DAY OF THE DEAD CONCERT REVIEW, the manuscript of which took up around eight pages, single-spaced! Trouble is, nobody, to our knowledge, has yet received word from Jason if he survived the night in his cocoon of blankets tied to a tree in subfreezing temperatures (figures he'd pick the coldest night of the season so far to stage his Third Annual Death)!! Jason, we all hope you're okay--please send us out a Ghost Email or something, to let us know you're out of Intensive Care!! We love you!!
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...For the next Big March against the Iraq War Debacle, to Occur this Coming Saturday, October 26, across the country, and hopefully, the World!! Now Dubya's "Administration" is demanding that North Korea scuttle its nuclear weapons program Immediately, without having the slightest inclination to Follow Suit!! Oh, yes, O Mighty Emperor, whatever you say...Anyway, we're keeping the LairLinks collection posted below, while moving the lead article into Archive Lair 1, to give the Home Lair a little more space for new stuff...
Here, also, is a Special addition of Yahoo's Full Coverage of the unfortunate loss of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone and Family.
Be of Good Courage, LairCronies!! The Lair is not the only outfit that holds the views Above! In addition to our IRAQ SANCTIONS LAIRLINKS PAGE and ACTIVIST LAIRLINKS PAGE, we have plenty of Cool resources at our ALTERNATIVE MEDIA LAIRLINKS PAGE, not to mention some new info courtesy of Michael Moore's Homepage, including the opinion piece from the Atlanta Journal Constitution entitled The President's Real Goal in Iraq, by Jay Bookman. Also, check out the Institute for Public Accuracy's Detailed Analysis of Bush's Speech on Iraq, delivered on October 7! Anyway, besides being in this for the Long Haul, we have all the more hard work to do for the foreseeable future.
TOGETHER ACROSS THE WORLD!!
Here are some more Interesting LairLinks to Exciting and Controversial media sources around the world. The Lair does not officially endorse or discourage the views expressed in any of these sites--we just find them Interesting, and are posting LairLinks to these sites for your curiosity and perusal.
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An old friend of the LairMistress, LINDE KNIGHTON, is currently running for the Washington State Senate for the 43rd Legislative District, on the Green Party ticket! The LairLink Above will take you to Linde's campaign website, with all the information on Linde's progressive and educated stands on the important issues facing us, the grassroots folks of Washington. So check out her website today, and consider voting Green for Linde Knighton to fight for all the people of the Fightin' Forty-Third (formerly the Lair's own district, back when the LairMistress still lived in the U-District)! Good Luck and Many Blessings, Linde!!
Also, check out Linde's historical novel, published in July 2001, Before Our Journey's Through!
POST-ELECTION UPDATE (WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6): According to the returns we've seen So Far, Linde has received only about 20 percent of the vote; but it certainly hasn't been for lack of trying! She and a large corps of Green Party volunteers ran a highly effective campaign! Trouble is, voters generally seem to be sticking with the status quo and rejecting initiatives producing substantial changes in this off-year polling, which is no great surprise. Unfortunately, Dubya's GOP minions now effectively control both Houses of Congress by a slim majority, so (as we've said before) we in the regional and national Activist Lairs certainly have our work Cut Out for us!! Anyway, Linde and Cronies, congratulations on a splendid campaign and voter education program!!
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...And that can mean only One Thing: Halloween/Samhain/The Day of the Dead is On the Way!! Stay Tuned, and Come all Cronies, for Jason Webley's Day of the Dead Concert on Saturday, November 2, 8:00 pm at the All-Hallowed Paradox Theatre!! Tickets are $8.00, same as last year, available through Ticketweb.com, and at all local and regional Ticketweb outlets! This concert will likely have a slightly different theme than Jason's past Halloween shows, since he likes a bit of variety when it comes time to kill himself for the Winter. Let's see, now...in 2000 he burned himself in effigy; in 2001 he was Lost at Sea. By which of the Four Elements will he be Dispatched this time: will he be dragged Underground by Ishan disguised as the Fremont Troll, or will he be carried off into the sky by Cronies of the Crow that showed up at his last Paradox gig? Only one way to Find Out...!!
Here is a LairLink to our Samhain/Halloween/Dia de Los Muertos LairLinks Page!
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SPECIAL REPORT (SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2002): Terrible and Shocking news reached us a couple of days ago, as word of the sudden passing of Chieftains harper Derek Bell began sending shock waves across the Internet. Bell, a true genius of the Irish harp, former child prodigy/composer and player of over a dozen instruments, both folk and classical, was in the United States with the Chieftains in celebration of their 40th anniversary as one of Ireland's premier musical exports. According to statements by the Chieftains and their publicist, he had remained in Arizona for minor surgery of some kind and had just been cleared to return home to Ireland when he passed away unexpectedly in Phoenix. Derek Bell performed with the group for 30 years of their history on harp, keyboards and hammered dulcimer, playing on over 30 of their albums and recording nine solo albums on top of that. I especially remember the concert they gave in Seattle at Meany Hall a number of years ago (right after the release of their Christmas album, "The Bells of Dublin"), when Derek performed a harp solo of "O'Carolan's Farewell to Music" to absolutely die for--first playing through the basic melody, and then improvising a good half-dozen variations on the theme. I don't know how the Chieftains will be able to get along without him, but the world of traditional Irish music has just sustained the loss of a true musical genius and cultural treasure who contributed much to our knowledge of Irish harp music--ancient, modern and in-between. Ar dheis Dé anam fíor an Chláirsígh Ghaelaigh!!
Here are some special Tribute LairLinks on Derek Bell from various media sources:
Chieftains Web Page: Derek Bell Bio
Salt Lake Tribune Obituary
Guardian Unlimited (UK) Article
UPI Wire Story
BBC News Online Obituary
Irish Examiner Tribute
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2002: Sincere Condolences and Solidarity go out from the Lair to the families and friends of all the victims of the bombing of the Balinese nightclub at Kuta Beach, Bali on October 12, which has claimed a death toll of over 200 people to date. Let us be one with all who suffer needlessly from war, terrorism, revenge and their aftermaths.
TOGETHER ACROSS THE WORLD!!!
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Jason Webley West Coast Tour 2002: September 13-October 12
This is It, LairFolks!! Figures Jason would kick off the Fall Tour on Friday the 13th, a day sacred to Freyja, Nordic Goddess of Love, not to mention the Italian Lottery! Local Cronies who witnessed the under-21 show at the Paradox Theater last Saturday are Whispering Wildly about a Crow that swooped down on that gig; since I wasn't there, I have no idea what a Crow was doing at Jason's latest Seattle performance. I may find out more about this later, if anyone photographed the Crow. If said Crow was playing fiddle at this show when I wasn't Invited to do so, I will be very Upset!! (LOL) Anyway, Jason is off, driving himself this time (having recently picked up that skill and been duly Licensed), with or without a Crow in tow.
Well, folks, this about wraps up the West Coast tour for this fall; however, a few more dates remain for the Accordion Guy prior to the much-awaited Day of the Dead Concert on November 2 at the Paradox Theater! By the way, I've already got my ticket; they're Available Now at Ticketweb Online, as well as all Ticketweb outlets!!
A bit of Confusion was generated Recently, when Jason originally planned to play with the Reincarnated ensemble of Tchkung! at the Old Fire House in Redmond, WA, and then had to cancel his appearance when the date was moved to Saturday the 19th (today). The Club Calendar at The Stranger reported that he was still playing with them tonight, and rumors began Flying online and off as to whether Jason had canceled or not, despite his mass email and announcement at the Olympia show that his shared appearance with Tchkung! was "no longer happening." Jason finally posted to the Guestbook in a last Desperate attempt to clarify the info. This, apparently, is what Jason is Actually doing Tonight:
October 19 - Vancouver, BC
Blunt Bros.
317 Hasting Street West
w/Acoustichaos
9 pm All Ages - $5.
Here is the Full Events Schedule, Up To and Including the Big Show.
And Here is a MAP OF THE SITE; and a MAP OF THE JOURNEY, traced from Bellingham (courtesy of Yahoo! Maps)! By the Way, Day of the Dead Show tickets are $8.00, same as last year; and the show allegedly starts at 8:00 pm. I don't know any details yet about openers, etc.
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SPECIAL REPORT (FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2002):...And, Unfortunately, the U.S. Congress has caved in to Dubya's need to kill people who Look Different from Us. Among the delegations from Washington State, the Congressional Representatives were more or less evenly divided on the resolution vote; as for our Senators, Patty Murray voted against the President's resolution last night, and Maria Cantwell supported it.
Of course, the activist communities of our area are dismayed by the outcome of these votes; but we are not overly surprised. Our elected officials, and many of their constituents, continue to believe, sight unseen, that Saddam Hussein has a truckload of weapons of mass destruction in the basement of every mosque in Iraq (contrary even to CIA and weapons inspection documentation), and that he will get his slimy hands on nukes within a year, when he will inevitably sell said weapons to Osama Bin Laden. Where is the evidence of such weapons developments and transactions? We're not allowed access to such evidence, if such even exists. Where did Congress and the Senate find such evidence? I intend to find out; if you follow the LairLinks above, you will have easy access to all Representatives' and Senators' homepages, organized by states and surnames. By all reliable information that I HAVE seen, the threatened war with Iraq is NOT about terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, or Saddam being a nasty guy who defies UN Security Council resolutions. Rather, the war movement is about the fact that Saddam is no longer OUR nasty guy, having decided to become an independent, Free-Agent nasty guy upon his decision to invade Kuwait in 1990. The war movement is about installing governments in every Middle Eastern country that suck up to the White House, the CIA, and Big Oil; it is about controlling Middle Eastern oil production and reserves, and about using Iraq as an example of the fate of any country that stands in the way of our government's global dictatorial/imperial aspirations. We are now in the position where we must join with the United Nations and most of its members in standing up to our own government, before it turns into the next Evil Empire, and Prez Dubya morphs into Darth Vader right under our noses.
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Here are some Oscar Wilde Commemorative LairLinks:
Official Website of Oscar Wilde
The World Wilde Web
Yahoo! Directory of Wilde Sites
Wilde: The Movie Homepage
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SPECIAL REPORT (FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2002): Sorry this is such short notice, dear Cronies, but I've been running around trying to cover all possible bases while doubling as a Street Performer and an Anti-Sanctions Activist. Former UNSCOM head Scott Ritter, who gave such an eye-opening lecture/video presentation about a year ago at Keystone Congregational Church, is giving a free lecture Tomorrow, 7:30 pm at the United Methodist Temple here in Seattle's U-District! They're expecting an overflow crowd, so plan to arrive Early (doors open around 6:00 or 6:30)!! From his experiences living in Iraq and the crazy-making responsibility for conducting weapons inspections therein, Scott Ritter now openly campaigns against the Iraq sanctions and Bush's threatened Gulf War Part II against Iraq. Here is a webpage LairLink with all the basic details about this upcoming event. Here, as well, is a downloadable/printable flyer for this event. Print and distribute Widely and Wildly!!
Mass Candlelight Vigil (March), October 9. Details here quoted from a recent INOC email:
Peoples of all faith groups in the Seattle area are invited to participate in a mass candlelight march 7:00 pm Wednesday, October 9, 2002. It is expected to be start at 7:00pm from First United Methodist Church (811 5th Ave at 5th & Marion St.) and will proceed to St. Mark's Cathedral (1245 - 10th Avenue East, Seattle). Should any change in venue be necessary, you will be notified via the INOC/CCPI email list and change will be posted on our website. But currently there are not expectations that this event will change!
UPDATE (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10): Great turnout and awesome singing for our Candlelight Vigil march last night--by various estimates, 3000-4000-plus!! And Senator Patty Murray has signed on with us in opposing the war!! Here are articles on last night's event in the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. We're in this for the Long Haul!!
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Check out our IRAQ SANCTIONS LAIRLINKS PAGE and ALTERNATIVE MEDIA LAIRLINKS PAGE.
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The LairMistress's brother, Leif C. Olsen, is 37 Today. Hopefully he and his fellow citizens of Plano, Texas are not being Bombarded by the winds and rains of Hurricane Lili! Probably his taskmasters at Texas Instruments are not giving him today off; but we hope they'll at least take him out to lunch or something...
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Loving and Sincere Condolences go out from the Lair this week to Liam Clancy and his extended family, on the death of Liam's older brother Bobby (often known as "the Clancy Brother who stayed home", despite his prolific recorded output and near-constant collaborations with his brothers' group, his children's performances, and many others). Bobby passed away on Friday, September 6 while hospitalized, followed by many tributes coming in from the Irish and folk music communities around the world. The Celtica Music website has set up a special memorial page in Bobby's honor where condolences and other messages can be posted. Bobby Clancy joined the Clancy Brothers group as a vocalist and banjoist in 1969 or 1970 following Tommy Makem's departure, and continued to perform and record with the group until quite recently, while also leading a separate ensemble with his son Finbarr and fellow musician Eddie Dillon. Today, Bobby's daughter Aoife Clancy and son Finbarr Clancy are rising stars in the Irish music world in their own right. Our best wishes and thanks to Bobby Clancy for a life in music well spent and generously shared!!
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Likewise, we at the Lair were shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden passing of musician, composer, priestess and conductor Kay Gardner, who died of a heart attack at her home near Bangor, Maine on Wednesday, August 28. Kay was the Creatrix of the magnificent woman-centered life-cycle suite, "Ouroboros: Seasons of Life", still one of the LairMistress's favorite women's music recordings. She is also well-known and highly-regarded for her extensive portfolio of compositions created specifically for musical/spiritual healing and chakra-balancing purposes (also the subject of her book, Sounding the Inner Landscape). The Lair was informed of Kay's passing recently by an email from Ladyslipper, the renowned women's music distributor, recording label and informational resource on women in music. Kay released several albums on the Ladyslipper label in the late 1980's and 90's. I specifically remember corresponding with Kay on a couple of occasions regarding her women's tours to sacred sites associated with ancient goddesses, in Europe and elsewhere. Among other things, we shared the common experience of having visited the megalithic site of Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. Kay is survived by her partner Colleen, her daughters Julie and Jennifer, and her many friends, students, fans, fellow musicians, and fellow Wiccan and Universalist clergy members. Farewell and many thanks, Kay--Blessed Be!!
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Okay, Enough of that!! The LairMistress has Plenty on her own plate as well, and a fairly Palatable mix of stuff it is! Beginning Sunday, Ides of September:
- The Pike Place Market Busker's Festival (1st Annual, as silly as that might sound)
- Renewal of WA State Picture ID Card from the Auto License Department
- Have our 1997 3-song demo DAT burned onto CD's to blast off Online and Elsewhere
- Resume Street Performing and Open Mics, subject to health concerns (I caught a cold the beginning of this week, wouldn't you know, a week before the Busker's Festival!)
- Check out Club Gig Opportunities, again subject to health and throat condition
Well, Something like that. And, of course, we need to listen to a lot of music and relearn old lyrics, network like hell as usual, and pursue other Honest and Musical ways to make a few bucks...
UPDATE (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002): The first two things on the To-Do List are Accomplished!! I've got my order in for a brand-new, CURRENT Picture I.D. card (featuring the most godawful ID photo Ever...!!); and I did indeed play my set with guitar and fiddle-droning at the North Stage of the Busker's Festival yesterday! The sky was overcast the whole time, and we were buzzed twice by F-16 jets flying at a VERY low altitude (turns out they were just taking part in the opening of the Seahawks Stadium), nearly blowing out all the Market's windows; but there was no rain, and plenty of appreciation and tips came our way from Market visitors!
Here are articles about the Busker's Festival from the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
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SPECIAL REPORT (THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2002): Here is a Special Snippet that we only just found in Indie-Music.com's e-Newsletter of September 8:
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON SEPTEMBER 11?
Join the New Yorkers in the September Concert. Wherever you are, however you do, make music. Light a candle. Think about those who lost their lives, and their families, and celebrate the spirit of American people with your music in the candlelight. This will be a new tradition in America.
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Love, Peace and Courage to All!
--The LairMistress
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"Casualties seldom counted
Are the ones the guns invade--
The ones who work the land,
The ones who love the land,
Where dreams of peace are made."
--Holly Near
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My goodness, LairCronies, Bumbershoot has come and gone Already, and so has my birthday which I share with our autobiographical bard Liam Clancy! I was mostly singing over fiddle drones in mornings and evenings at the festival, when I wasn't listening to Jewel, the Mekons, Toshi Reagon and (of course) Jason Webley; I also did several volunteer shifts to round out the busy schedule. And then there was the matter of Jason's would-be "baptism" in the International Fountain--an apparent display of nostalgia for his childhood days of running through said fountain many years ago! Having climbed upon the Fountain dome and laid on his back getting wet for several minutes, he stood up and slid down into the arms of police officers, who cited him for "criminal trespass" and banned him from the Seattle Center for a year, as a bunch of us collected money to help him pay for the citation. I posted an account of this at the Jason Webley Forum; and a special article on the incident also appeared several days later in the Seattle Times!
Anyway, Jason's next WEST COAST TOUR will be starting up Friday the 13th (naturally) in Portland; coverage of the tour plus any reviews that turn up will be reported Right Here in the Home Lair! Once I get over my current cold, my own resumed musical activities (including the Upcoming Busker's Festival at the Pike Place Market) will also be Thoroughly Covered! As always, Stay Tuned!!
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SPECIAL REPORT (FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2002): Five years ago today, August 16, 1997, our beloved Qawwali artist Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan passed away in London; this was also the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's passing. Just after noon today, I performed my annual memorial ceremony in Nusrat's honor at Agape Lutheran Campus Chapel, just after coming up to the U-District after busking for awhile at Pike Place Market. At this time in history, Nusrat's presence, energy and peaceful messages of universal spirituality would be a most welcome change from the state of chronic conflict the world seems to be in at the moment. Alas, as noted previously, our own branch of the WOMAD Festival (my personal idea of Paradise) was needlessly canceled this summer, due to parks-related budget cuts and difficulties that some international musicians had in obtaining visas to visit and perform in the U.S. We hope to reinstate WOMAD USA in 2003; I only wish Nusrat would be returning along with it...
Here is the LairLink to our tribute essay, The Heart and Soul of World Music: Remembering Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, originally published in 2000 as a Themestream article. Here, also, is a LairLink to the website for A Voice From Heaven, Giuseppe Asaro's documentary on Nusrat's life and work.
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Dear Friends, Fellow Pirates, and Cronies All, it is High Time the LairMistress put her first CD together, with all original works that she sings on the pavement as a busker here and there, mostly in the mornings (alas, I recently flushed my Lucky Yen coins down a Metro bus's farebox by accident!! Guess I'll have to Scare Up some new ones...!). Where to get funding for such a Project, I wonder? It will probably require grant funding, winning the Lottery, or a Massive increase in busking tips Very Soon! Does anyone out there have easily-accessible info on grant funding for newbie folk recording projects? If so, please sign our Guestbook, or email the LairMistress at karen@capitolhill.net. Many thanks In Advance...
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Here is a Really Awesome performer-oriented site that we stumbled Across recently, known as Performers.net, which is Chock Full o' tips, tricks and resources for Street Performers and others who, like the LairMistress, are still learning the Honorable Trade offline...Check it out at the LairLink Above or at the new banner Below:
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2002: Never fear, Pirate Cronies, I didn't throw out the Bainbridge Ferry Pirate's Tale! I just needed to update the Home Lair a wee bit; so the full text of the Pirate's Tale can be found at the top of our First Archive Lair as of Today. AAARRRRGHH!!!
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Aaarrrgh!! Here's the LairMistress, Otherwise Known as the fearsome pirate Red Mary Rackham of the Pirates of Puget Sound, speaking of the Great Gathering that occurred this past Sunday, July 21, 2002 on Bainbridge Island, no doubt a haven for Brigands and Buccaneers in days Gone By!! Thence were we led, mateys, by the Captain of this Scurvy Band, one Jason Webley by name, freshly back from plundering, pillaging, drinking and wenching (when he wasn't playing club gigs) in the merry olde city of Moscow. Many's the word and song lyric in Russian that now slips easily off his tongue! But I digress...
As always, I arrived unfashionably early, and was obliged to wait behind a glass barrier between the lobby and the ferry dock once I'd purchased my ticket. Jason was already there, Lurking in a back row of seats, but I didn't see him till I was already through the barrier. I'd thrown together a costume similar to the one I'd worn at the Fremont Solstice Parade in June, only with black slacks instead of the long skirt. I didn't have long to wait before some 200 or so fellow pirates began filing in by the dozens after me, in various degrees of pirate getup and gear, and all growling "Arrgh!" (as they did all that afternoon) as a way to recognize each other. Gradually they also began paying their fares and coming into the waiting room, some with stuffed parrots, a penguin and even a small carrot on their shoulders. Jason was one of the last to come through, after tying an eyepatch and a red scarf around his head and completely unbuttoning his shirt, and he directed us to take over the upper deck of the ferry immediately upon climbing aboard. Having done so, we waited until the ferry had completely taken leave of the dock and the horn sounded before screaming "AARRRGHH!!" in unison and raising terrifying pirate banners over most of the upper deck. Fellow passengers were bewildered and dumbfounded, clutching their children and their purses as we roared out sea chanteys, danced and stomped in a way that could be heard throughout the boat. We were eventually instructed by security to stop the stomping, but none could stop us singing, clapping, shaking noisemaker bottles and yelling "Arrrgh!" at every opportunity through the rest of the voyage. As Bainbridge Island approached in our path, Jason roared out, "Land HO!!", and he and a companion passed out beaded trinkets for us to give to non-pirate passengers while singing, "We row the boat ashore, Hallelujah" in about 200-voice harmonies. The guy staffing the ferry PA system added to his usual disembarking instructions, "...and to all our pirate passengers: Arrrgh!" to the cheers and hilarity of pirates and landlubbers alike. Reports came in later that the ferry crew were more than a little apprehensive at having their boat commandeered by a huge pirate crew; but contrary to the planning-stage anxiety of some, nobody got in trouble with the law, not even when wielding things that looked like swords and daggers on their belts or garters.
The Jamboree really got started after a short walk off the dock and through the forest into a park clearing where a stage and bandshell in the shape of a boat dominated the scenery. Aine (sp?) and Ishan were there to meet us, beating drums in greeting. More of a band were supposed to be there, but were absent due to a death in their family. The first order of business was the raising of the vegetable pirate flag (to be expected at a Webley event), in which a huge tomato with an eyepatch took the place of a skull, and crossed carrots substituted for crossbones. A somewhat subdued set of songs followed, including the drinking song which required spinning around for simulated drunkenness (with Jason counting as high as he could in Russian; he said the folks in Moscow did this song a lot better than we did!). Jason also showed off a new teeshirt, which he claimed that "all the high school girls in Moscow spent weeks working on"; it was a white teeshirt painted with various vegetables, each one labeled in both Russian and English. For some reason, he also had allegedly "lacerated" himself for this event, with some wicked-looking scratches on his left cheek ("I thought you just had a mean cat", remarked one fellow pirate). Then came a highly involved treasure hunt, using multiple maps, each with an instruction on finding the next map somewhere in the park. One instruction almost accidentally led to the map I had attached to my sash with a piece of gold ribbon! As I had rehearsed beforehand, I loudly refused to hand it over. Another one pointed to the inside of one pirate wench's boot; and yet another required us to spin the same wench around bodily in the air twelve times before she spit the next map out of her mouth! Each map made a reference to the Russian term "arbuz" (pronounced ar-BOOS, with the r rrrrolled quite a bit), which most of us didn't know the meaning of. The last instruction was that "arbuz" was hidden between four trees; somebody must have figured out the term, as half a dozen people went behind the boat stage and came back with four huge watermelons on their shoulders. A merry feast of arbuz/watermelon ensued, with one pirate woman being showered with arbuz juice twice over her head ("She's the new captain!" Jason announced afterward). Other people passed around supplies of vegetables, Asian seaweed delicacies, homemade sushi and sprouts, among other things. Jason also distributed seed packets from Russia to those with the best costumes. Finally, the largest watermelon, which was scooped out from one end, was carved in half and fitted with miniature sails, carried down to the water and floated off with a tomato and a carrot for passengers.
As the hour approached 6 pm, pirates began gradually making their way back to the ferry dock; I and a few others stayed and talked to Jason awhile about his Moscow adventure and the fact that we didn't get arrested on the ferry ride out ("Probably because we don't all look Pakistani...", I volunteered). At last, I headed back to the ferry and rode back to Seattle with little clusters of pirates still muttering "Arrrgh!" off and on. Alas, I still lack the courage to run up and hug the Captain farewell. One day, mateys, one day!! Said Captain is scheduled, after all, to reappear in Redmond at the Old Fire House on Wednesday, July 24, at which the LairMistress, Red Mary, surely hopes to be Present! A lovely Jamboree on a gorgeous, hot Sunday afternoon, Captain and Crew!! AAARRRGGHH!!!
Here is a collection of photos taken during the Notorious Ferry Attack (taken by someone who answers to "Gluey")! And here is the Fidius.org Pirate Naming Quiz which Bestowed on me the Pirate Name of Red Mary Rackham! Arrrrghh!!
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NEW FROM THE PASSIONLAIR (WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2002): Work has Begun in the PassionLair SubComplex (after a too-long hiatus) on a Brand New page for Religious Left LairLinks, of which there are Plenty Available on the Net!! It's not even close to being Finished, but we thought you might want to take a Peek into the new PassionLair, regardless! Now, if only the LairMistress didn't have to drag herself home to attend an oh-so-dreary monthly House Meeting this evening (mandatory for all residents; and since I completely overslept after going back to sleep after my desk shift this morning, this shoots a good bit of today! No busking happened this morning, needless to say! 8-( ), plenty more research and editing on this Page would shortly Ensue! Oh, well; like I mentioned Above, there's no Deadline on this stuff...
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Our charming and articulate new Activist friend from Germany (by way of the United Nations), Hans Von Sponeck, is making a return visit to Seattle to speak Once More on the Iraq Sanctions issues, just as our own lovely government spouts off about "regime change", "smart sanctions" and the "axis of evil", while earnestly publishing "secret plans" for an all-out invasion of the already horrifically battered nation of Iraq. Mr. Von Sponeck is scheduled to appear at a town hall discussion/lecture at the U-District's University Temple United Methodist Church on August 13 at 7:30 pm. More details to follow as we get them. Pass it On!!
Here, Once Again, is the LairLink to our Iraq Sanctions Activist LairLinks Page.
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This is a Curious situation, LairCronies, all told! While I was busking one day at the Pike Place Market, some Asian tourists happened to walk by, and one of them tossed a few small coins into my guitar case. I didn't figure out until I picked them up later that they were Japanese yen, in a couple of different denominations! And try as I might, I couldn't get them exchanged for U.S. currency anywhere--it was too small an amount. So, here I was, the proud owner of 203 yen that I couldn't do anything with! So I started tossing them into my case before beginning an outdoor set--a bit of an old trick to attract more currency. And lo and behold, this seems to work pretty well! At least, I seem to be getting paid somewhat better than before! Therefore, I guess I may as well hold onto these little aluminum coins--they've pretty well paid for themselves by now!!
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UPDATE ON BERT SACKS and THE IRAQ ISSUE (FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2002): Bert Sacks is now safely home; and both he and Rev. Randall Mullins of the Center for Contemplation and Nonviolence are under the threat of $10,000 fines for their trip to Iraq in the fall of 1997 with one of several illegal medicine shipments that Seattle activists have organized thus far (as part of the International series of Iraq Sanctions Challenge trips). The Seattle anti-sanctions activist community's newest upcoming project, therefore, is raising $10,000--not to pay anyone's fine (neither Bert nor Randall has the slightest intention of paying the fines)--but to purchase a new shipment of medicine for Iraqi hospitals and clinics. While in DC, Bert gave a press conference and an interview with someone who writes for People Magazine; however, the interview has not appeared in the latest issue as expected. Bah. Hopefully it will be in the next issue. Anyway, that's what I know right now (aside from the arrangements for a Seattle concert by the Iraq National Orchestra sometime this coming fall or winter). Keep checking the Iraq Sanctions LairLinks for further news: among other things, Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize!!
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Here, also, is our IRAQ SANCTIONS LAIRLINKS PAGE, 72 LairLinks Strong, for your reference and perusal!!
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So, what's going on this weekend (July 12-14, 2002)? Well, having arrived home from Jolly Moscow, our Accordion Guy Jason Webley (a/k/a Dzheyson Of Vebli, or Djeysona Uebli, or Something like that...) is next heading down to the Oregon Country Fair for the weekend. At least, that's the plan, per Jason's Events Page. I would go, but I can't afford the ticket prices this time around--next year for sure! It sounds like a wild time! Meanwhile, the LairMistress is busy busking outside and Singing for her Supper much of the time; and this weekend will feature several other outdoor events that we will try to Check Out: the Capitol Hill Block Party; the Zimbabwean Music Festival (or Zimfest 2002) at the Seattle Center; the West Seattle Street Festival; and the Kent Cornucopia Days Festival. Maybe we can even do some Street Performing in at least one of them!!
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THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2002: Just in case some of you have had enough of the Mainstream NewsSpin that leaves us all twisting in the wind, we thought you might enjoy (once again) checking out the Alternative NewsLairs we have linked to on the PassionLair's ALT-MEDIA NEWSLAIR LAIRLINKS PAGE! In the area of Satirical Online NewsLairs, the LairMistress is still Partial to The Onion and The Daily Rotten online NewsLair editions. However, BushCartoon.com and EvilRepublicans.com ain't bad either...
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THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2002: I wrote the above introduction to Kari's Lair exactly one year ago today, upon designing and opening the Home Lair Index Page!! Geez, it almost slipped my mind! And to think, the LairLinks Complex and Song Lyrics Collection STILL aren't finished! But hey, who said anything about a Deadline?!
Anyway, let's Raise a Glass to the Lair's first Birthday, and may there be many More to Come!!
Together Across the World!!
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Our Music Business Site of the Week is John Braheny.com, which we just discovered Yesterday. Some terrific and practical advice on living from one's art Lurks in this author's articles and links pages! Check out this site today, and tell 'em the LairMistress sent you!!
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And By the Way, we've just located a website for an old folksinging pal of ours, Bob Zentz, from the Tidewater Virginia area!
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By the Way, we just discovered that the Stan Rogers Folk Festival 2002 is On for this weekend, July 5-7, in Canso, NS! Wish we were There!!
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SPECIAL ALERT (MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2002): According to this morning's Seattle Post-Intelligencer, my old pal and fellow anti-Iraq Sanctions activist Bert Sacks is now in Washington, DC, speaking on current U.S./U.N. sanctions policy; and the U.S. Treasury Department is threatening him with arrest for violating the sanctions regime, and for refusing to pay a fine the Department levied against him several years ago. This means that all of us in the nationwide Iraq Sanctions activist community may have our freedom on the line; most of our activities and identities have been known to the Treasury Department since many of us signed a statement we addressed to them a couple of years back. Meanwhile, Bert clearly needs whatever support our community can offer him; hopefully he will embarrass the government sufficiently that they will drop the case against him, as the publicity could get bloody inconvenient (Bert is not one to sit down and shut up for long!). Anyway, please send him your good thoughts and prayers; and contact your elected representatives to speak out on the Iraq sanctions issue and keep it Prominently Displayed on the front burner! Thanks in Advance from the Activist PassionLair!!
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SPECIAL VISITOR ALERT: Guess What, LairCronies! Barring any Catastrophe (such as getting Caught with weird-looking wires and stuff in her shoes), my Mom will be spending the weekend with us here in Seattle; and it appears that she is bringing plenty of rain with her! I don't have a LairLink for her at the moment (as she shows no indications of setting up a Home Lair of her own), but perhaps I'll soon find something relevant to include here, such as a link to a special site all about Violas...
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UPCOMING FESTIVAL ALERT: Don't Forget, the annual FREMONT FAIR starts this Saturday, June 22 at 11 am! Especially, we don't want to miss the Major Event of this festival, the FREMONT SOLSTICE PARADE, which starts at N. 35th and 1st Avenue NW, continuing on to Gasworks Park. The LairMistress will also be scoping out the neighborhood to see how street performers fare, and may bring instruments along the next day. I may even play the bodhran to accompany the planned Procession of Goddess Kring, glitter and all!! More Summer Festival info will be Posted when I get the requisite links Collected--as Usual, stay Tuned!
SPECIAL UPDATE OF GODDESSES AND FERTILITY (FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2002): Yep, Friends and Neighbors, you should have been there! Myself and Goddess Kring and about 300 other Merry Fertile Fools playing with the energy of Midsummer this past Saturday!! Shannon and I were technically marching together, but we kept getting separated by various floats...yet we managed to have loads of Lascivious fun Anyway! Wouldn't all my relatives have been Scandalized, watching me chasing naked bicyclists, enticing dancers dressed as spermatozoa, rattling my avocado shaker in blessing over crowds of people and dogs, and getting Really Hot in the process!! But anyway, here is part of what I later posted in Shannon's LiveJournal...
Man, I went totally WILD in that parade--don't think I've ever done anything quite like that before!! It's kind of a big blur right now, but I definitely recall whirling around with my green Egyptian veil, chasing naked bicyclists, "blessing" the crowds with my avocado shaker, and playing totally whacked-out games with practically everybody. Somehow, I really got into this activity! I fully expected to be totally exhausted within half an hour (you [Shannon] seemed to be pacing yourself better than I did), but there was so much vibrant energy coming from both the parade and the crowds watching, that it kept me going for most of the parade route! I still got a bit sunburned in spots, though...But anyway, it was total wild fun to join you in this event; you were a beautiful Paleolithic terracotta Goddess that our ancestors would be proud to give offerings to and invoke for fertility, prosperity and successful hunting and horticulture! I didn't go to the fair on Sunday; I performed in front of the UW bookstore instead; I've heard that the Fremont Fair can get a bit crowded and claustrophobic for good street performing. Still, it was good to do the parade, and look around the neighborhood later and sample the music on the stages etc. Too bad my Mom won't be here till Friday (though she would have been mortified watching me chasing naked bicyclists etc.)--perhaps we'll run into you somewhere anyway...
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SEATTLE PEREGRINE FALCON UPDATE (THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2002): Darned if the four little buggers (now about a month old) haven't started hopping around the ledge already (having totally trashed their nest box with eyass poop), making it increasingly hard to see them on the WAMU tower webcam!! If their health stays steady, they should be due to Fledge (i.e. leave the nest and take their first flights) sometime in the next two to three weeks! Stay Tuned!!
NEW UPDATE (MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2002): The Falcon Webcam is often on the Blitz, but the word from the Field Notes page is that all four little falcon guys and gals have now officially Fledged!! Their parents, experienced and devoted as they are, will still be feeding and looking after them for at least another month as the kids gain flying and hunting experience. But, barring any serious juvenile illnesses, looks like another successful nesting season for Stewart and Belle is heading for its conclusion! Congratulations to Both of you Once Again!!
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THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2002: While running a search on Yahoo! the other day, trying to see if the Lair is actually listed in their fine Directory, what should we Stumble across but a Russian Fansite for Jason Webley, which supposedly has an English-language version "Coming Soon"!! The fansite was created by Bad TaStE Productions of Moscow, which is sponsoring Jason's visit to Russia beginning the end of this month and continuing for a couple of weeks. Not only do they have this fansite and at least half a dozen club dates lined up for Jason beginning June 29, but they have also taken the liberty of producing and releasing a special Webley compilation album called "Drinking Songs" (made up from the three official American releases) for the occasion. At least, that's what I figured out from the Rough translation of the site that I obtained via Altavista's Babelfish Translator. They also wrote up a Russian-language version (more or less) of Seattle Weekly's article about the 2001 Halloween Concert, of which Altavista provided a hilarious English back-translation ("Jason Webley: Music, Which Tears Up Itself at the Part"), most of which I posted at the Jason Webley Forum. The Russian article definitely gained something in Translation! Apparently, if you go to a Jason Webley show in Russia, you can presumably expect to be Flung around by various vegetables and brought crashing down under a barrage of rattles (and other objects/subjects for the extraction of music), as the music onstage disrupts itself at the part (being oriented toward chamber institutions) while Howling and Groaning like Tom Waits. Plus, if you're not careful, you may well be Devastated by the shrill vegetable tango...
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SPECIAL UPDATE (WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2002): Jason's Current Guestbook is up and running again, though everything after the beginning of May was somehow wiped out! Likewise, the front page and Events page have been recently Updated!
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MUSIC NOTE (WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2002): The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has an interesting new feature that they just set up: the Seattle P-I Music Web Page dedicated to the promotion of local musicians and bands. Something to Consider for Local LairLurkers with musical aspirations (such as yours truly)...
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Today, June 13, 2002, is Day 12 of the Current Tour; and Jason, Jherek Bischoff and Mike McQuilken are supposed to be driving all the way up to Eugene, OR, for the next-to-last performance at Sam Bond's Garage! More than likely Mike and Jherek will be too tired to play after all that driving (Jason is a nondriver), and will be staggering around like zombies, with or without the notorious cucumbers stuffed in their mouths! I hope to see them tomorrow evening, at the Olympia World News in hot, steamy Olympia! I threatened to stow away in their trunk, with guitar and bodhran in tow; but I forgot to bring a change of clothes, so I had to scrub that little scheme. Next time, though, for sure!! I definitely want to join a tour with Jason and Co. in the not-too-distant future! Anyway, it will be grand to see the lads again; I plan to check out the club myself, to see if I might play there sometime in the not-too-distant future. I also need to find out from Jason what in blazes happened to his Guestbook, and if he's figured out where he wants to play back east on his next tour! Updates will be Forthcoming!
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We're still puzzling on what has happened to Jason's Guestbook! It seems to have gone into sudden cardiac arrest, and nothing but a blank webpage now shows up on the screen at the old link! If you go into the Guestbook Directory, you can read the old archived Guestbook entries just fine, but the current Guestbook is still nowhere to be found! Has it been hacked or hexed by disgruntled Folklife operatives...?!! At any rate, thank God/dess the Jason Webley Forum, at least, is still Alive and Sprouting!!
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Alas, Seattle will be unable to host the WOMAD Festival this year! Rumors to that effect have been circulating in the local world music and drum circle communities for some time, but it was recently confirmed in the Local Media that King County's budget cutting at the expense of local parks, and visa-related red tape for international performers since September 11, has pretty much curtailed production of our Beloved world music festival at Marymoor Park this summer. Our own special version of the World of Music, Arts and Dance Festival will be deeply missed! We are, however, determined to do our Level Best at returning WOMAD USA to its rightful place in our area in the Summer of 2003!!
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Good Lord, what a time we had at the Northwest Folklife Festival this past Memorial Day weekend! Pity our experience, and the issues it highlighted, was not widely covered in the local media! But that's probably what the powers-that-be prefer in this case. Not to disparage all of Folklife in a blanket sort of fashion, but the LairMistress, in her first time as a Folklife Street Performer, probably learned more about behind-the-scenes festival business and politics than she really wanted to know...!
The issue of the controversy, you see, centers around how performers, officially programmed and otherwise, sell their CD's and other merchandise during the festival, and Folklife's level of enforcement of their policies regarding street performances. Officially, performers are supposed to sell all merchandise through the Folklife store; in this setting, the performers are paid 85 percent of all sales, with the remaining 15 percent going to the Folklife organization as a kind of service fee, or something like that. But a number of street performers object to and regularly attempt to circumvent this policy, because: (1) their listeners have to leave the site of performance to buy a musician's recordings; (2) some performers don't like the idea of taking a 15 percent loss on each CD sale; and (3) some performers (not all, by any means) have had bad experiences with the Folkstore in the past (especially in the matter of being paid for their sales in a less-than-timely fashion, and sometimes not at all); and, well, you know how the word gets around. A number of musicians, therefore, have made a practice of selling their albums on their own, Folklife policy notwithstanding; our Accordion Guy, Jason Webley, for one, prefers doing it this way. This year, however, marked a new level of enforcement of the CD sales policy, to the point of overt harrassment of performers by the various authority figures mentioned in the heading above. A bunch of us stuck with Jason during a good bit of the festival to support and assist him as he was repeatedly harrassed by festival staffers, and driven from pillar to post, while trying to perform and sell albums on his own terms (and, of course, to make as much money as possible to offset upcoming tour expenses). On Sunday around noon, however, his performance was shut down in the Sting Operation which shall live in Infamy; my account of this has been posted at Shannon Kringen's LiveJournal, and at the Jason Webley Forum, so I needn't repeat the whole thing here. The LairMistress, as mentioned in that account, was present during much of this skullduggery and its aftermath. I spent much of Sunday interviewing other street performers about their CD sales experiences, and passing word of the Sting along to other Jason fans attending the festival. On Monday, I had my MC shift at the Northwest Court Stage, and seized the opportunity to speak on this matter to an overflow crowd surrounding the stage. And, after Jason's Seedy Release Party on his birthday, this past June 1st, two young Cronies presented him with one of the hated "NO PERFORMING IN THIS AREA" signs, specially giftwrapped for the occasion! The look on his face as the irony of the gag struck him was worth the price of admission by itself!! I don't know what he plans to do in the future regarding negotiations or attempted resolution of the controversy with Folklife; but, according to him and his website, he's got a busy summer still ahead of him...
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THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2002: Vague and oblique references have come to our attention here at the Lair from time to time, regarding people who consider themselves "Jason-Obsessed", and the people who love them. Something about Jason is often said to "cast a spell", have a "hypnotic effect" on listeners, thereby engendering a substantial crowd of Jason Cronies who consider themselves "seduced, obsessive fans and followers"! Jason himself has even been accused on occasion of being "deranged" and "a dangerous cult leader", much to his mischievous amusement.
Tell me about it. I got healed of depression while listening to him at last year's U-District Street Fair (finally realizing, after glimpsing him playing on numerous street corners for a couple of years, what great music he is capable of producing!), and went on to become thoroughly hooked at last year's Folklife Festival. This, alas, progressed to my developing a massive crush on the guy partway through last summer's concert and Guerrilla Event season (which I'm sure he's experienced and heard about ad nauseam many times before!). You'd think that I, at 37, was a little old for that sort of thing! But though the crush thing (and much of the accompanying nervousness and grasping-style energy) has more or less cooled off by now, I still love him with all my heart, soul and newly-penned sea chanteys; and I love his music, presence, energy and creatively wacky influence! He and his songs have healed me of depression more than once, just as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Makem & Clancy have also done in their turn. He has given me the inspiration and creative jumpstarting to resume songwriting and public performance after a long period of depression-related creative shutdown. Much of my current commitment to my own public musical activities is in fact due to his influence, personal urging and even a hint of haranguing!
I have been longing and dreaming to work with him instrumentally for the past year or so, and hopefully I will soon have opportunities to demonstrate to him that I'm quite capable of handling such instrumentation and the arrangement thereof. However, he has correctly emphasized that my first priority should be to focus on getting my own music out into the world, and promoting my own performing and recording work at every possible opportunity. I greatly appreciate that he has been very supportive and encouraging of these endeavors, and has provided me with some very constructive advice and recommendations.
So, is the "Jason Obsession" an empirical psychological phenomenon, or a projection of some sort of mass delusion? That is to say, does it really exist, or is it a marketing ploy that a few Cronies dreamed up sometime around the first "death experience" on Halloween 2000? Is it a combination of all of these? What I personally experienced (as described above) has certainly felt real enough. Jason and his music can definitely grow on a person over time; something about him connects with people on a very deep level, and can affect a person very strongly in various ways. I've heard more than one person say or write that experiencing his performances has often left them hungry and aching for more of the same. At any rate, I sense that I am communicating with him better these days, at least; and hopefully we will soon share our respective stores of music in one capacity or another!! Love, joy and best wishes to you, Jason; and may the blessings of inspiration, creative energy, prosperity and happiness be showered upon us all!!
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SPECIAL REPORT and APPEAL (WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2002): We were shocked and very concerned recently, upon learning that one of the most colorful characters in the Seattle music scene, Artis the Spoonman, was hospitalized nearly a week ago after suffering a serious heart attack. We only just spotted him at the Market a few days before, drawing a substantial crowd while sharing an animated performance with another local fixture, topical songwriter Jim Page! The latest we've heard is that Artis' condition has been complicated by some sort of infection, which is causing a persistent fever that is not coming down very quickly. The Pike Market Performer's Guild wishes to ease the stress in his life through the creation of a special trust-oriented bank account that can accept donations to help Artis in his time of need. We'll pass on the info on that when it becomes available. Meanwhile, please send our friend Artis your good thoughts, love, prayers and healing vibes. Get well soon, Artis, and keep rattling those spoons and scoops!
UPDATE (THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2002): Here is an Update on Artis from the nice folks at Sounds of Seattle.
NEW (POST-FOLKLIFE) UPDATE (WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2002): Good News! Artis was released from the hospital on Saturday, May 25, and briefly appeared at Folklife to say hello to friends and drop off some of his videos for sale. I was talking to a friend of his near the Alki Room when he came around the corner, and he was of course greeted with joy and excitement by all his friends and acquaintances in the vicinity. He is feeling better but still a bit weak, and was in great spirits during his visits to the festival on Saturday and Sunday. We will post more info on the new Trust Account for Artis, established through Washington Mutual Bank, as soon as we can find it. Meanwhile, Artis, keep getting well and take care! We love you!!
NEWEST UPDATE: Just as promised above, here is new information on efforts to assist Artis in Recovery! Check out this link and help however you can! Thanks in Advance from the Lair!!
SPECIAL REPORT II: With great sadness here at the Lair, we must announce that human remains found at Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC have been positively identified as those of missing Congressional intern Chandra Levy. The investigation of her disappearance practically vanished from the national media in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Now we must discover how this lovely girl met her fate over a year ago.
Here are full coverage pages on Chandra Levy from CNN.com and Yahoo, as well as an Online Memorial for Chandra at Beliefnet.com.
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2002: The University District Street Fair, among the first events of Seattle's Summer Festival Season, was held this past weekend, May 18-19. And, for the First Time, the LairMistress took a very active part in the proceedings! I spent two days busking on Agape Chapel's front porch, negotiating possession of spots with other performers (and listening to them besides), playing bodhran until my hands went numb in a wet and somewhat loosely-arranged Procession, and examining the wares of crafts and food vendors while trying to spend as little money as humanly possible. Oh yes--and watching and listening to Jason Webley in his newest incarnation--including a new brown hat, new (and, he said, rather heavy) accordion, casual veggie teeshirt and corduroys under a beige trenchcoat, outrageous slackjawed Screamer mask, and lovely collar-length haircut neatly combed back from his face (probably the nicest hairstyle I've seen on him to date)! We both made a certain amount of money this weekend (he made more than I did, of course, by engaging the crowd as always--just HOW does he do it?--and offering CD's for sale and flyers for the Seedy Release Party), though we both felt it was a bit slow by street fair/festival standards. I believe I'm finally learning to communicate with him better as well (both verbally and--much to my amazement--nonverbally besides!), and to treat him more like a friend and less like an inaccessible idol (this vibe has not been too pleasant for either party, in any case). Anyway, from here, it's on to The Northwest Folklife Festival, which hopefully will be more lucrative for all Street Performers who dare the crowds this Memorial Day weekend! The Fremont Solstice Festival is coming up in a few weeks besides, offering yet another chance for exposure and a few bucks in our instrument cases!
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The Natural Science community and the Evolution vs. Creationism debate recently lost one of its more colorful figures with the passing of biologist and author Stephen Jay Gould, age 60, who had been battling cancer for many years. Prof. Gould spent a lifetime advancing evolutionary theory, making natural science accessible to laypeople with scientific interests, contributing a long series of articles to Natural History Magazine, and doing his part to piss off the Religious Right. I've been a fan of his writing for quite a few years now, since reading his book Ever Since Darwin as a college sophomore in a Human Origins/Physical Anthropology class at William and Mary. His erudite, accessible and humorous approach to biology, ecology and evolutionary history will be a tough act to follow!
Here is CNN.com's Coverage of Stephen Jay Gould's Passing.
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By the way, it's Nesting Season again, and congratulations are In Order for Stewart and Belle, Seattle's own Peregrine Falcon pair!! Four new eyasses (falcon chicks) were newly hatched and growing rapidly, last time I checked!
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Also, thanks to local musician, photographer and fellow Jason Crony Mike Whybark, I am on my way to developing a new Online addiction: writing four-word movie reviews on The Four Word Film Review website! A fun sort of Distraction. Thanks, Mike (I guess...)!!
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We at the Lair send our sincere condolences to Curtis Williams' family, friends and UW football teammates. We share your shock, sadness and gratitude for Curtis's time among us...and yes, he now has his arms and legs back.
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FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2002: JUNOON & THE OPENING!!: Ingraham High School and Seattle's Pakistani-American community hasn't seen anything quite like this in a while! A high-spirited, late-night performance by the lovely lads of Junoon, opened by a hastily-arranged acoustic set on vocals, guitar and bodhran by The LairMistress herself!! Yes, my LairLurking friends, I've just done my first (more-or-less) pro concert-opening set, hopefully with many more to follow!! And, just as I previously threatened, my set included the newly-composed sea chantey for Jason Webley's reappearance, "Penelope"! This community and I know each other pretty well by now, as I've been going to their events pretty steadily since 1993 or '94; but I think this is the first time I've gotten to sing for a bunch of them at once! As I was setting up, tuning and soundchecking, I kept telling myself, "If I can pull this off, open mics should be a snap from now on!" The band didn't actually arrive until after I was done for the evening, but I remained backstage for most of the show, jamming quietly, hanging out with the guys and their entourage, loaning Salman (the guitarist) my nylon-stringed instrument for their first number, and just generally having a mighty time! And now I have an opening-set experience to add to my resume! Plus, one of their managers gave me a free CD after I surprised him with my recollection of one of Nusrat's well-known compositions! Great job, everybody--and come back soon!!
Here are local articles on the Junoon Concert: the Seattle Times advance article and Seattle Times Preview.
| Junoon's Official Homepage |
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Junoon World Fansite |
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2002: JASON WEBLEY STAGGERS BACK FROM THE DEEP & CRONIES FOLLOW THE ASPARAGUS: Blessed Beltane, my Bold Seedy Cronies!! I've written so much elsewhere about this one (especially in Jason's Guestbook) that I've nearly run out of words. The images, however, are indelible: a long line of young Cronies stretching from the Skansonia's front gate clear to the road, nearly freezing over the course of an hour (Hello?! Did someone forget to tell the local air currents that it's nearly Summer? It freakin' SNOWED in Snohomish County the other night!!). Jason's parents arriving shortly before the doors opened, and getting reintroduced to members of the throng. The bunch of us, 200 or so, packing into a relatively small area of the ferry, greeted by hanged mannequins representing Jason's two previous incarnations, and Pastor Kaleb in a sailor's suit. Kaleb yells, "Back of the Boat! Back of the Boat!", and from the front of the space, it takes me a while to see what he's talking about. Jason staggers in, dripping wet, shivering, teeth audibly chattering, practically naked except for a scant loincloth that doesn't even cover the essentials. His matted reddish-brown hair is now about collar-length. As we form an aisle for him to reach the front, I get caught in front of a bunch of seated folks, and Jason appears bent on colliding with me, but shifts directions at the last second. Ishan and the White Sea Goddess enter with a trunk dangling from a pole between them, and outfit Jason with an orange-and-bronze kimono, a new brown hat, and a small red accordion. They tie ropes from the hanged men about his waist, and he lunges forward while singing, lifting the door to the next room and revealing Mike McQuilken at a drum set, and Jherek Bischoff on a double bass. A host of new songs follow, with Jason eventually reclaiming his full-sized accordion. One song with the chorus line, "We row the boats ashore, Hallelujah" gets the crowd singing along in beautiful multiple harmony lines. Jason and his onstage cronies pass exotic boat-shaped pods with seeds of some species through the crowd, as Jason delivers an achingly moving homily on seeds as new life saying "Yes!" to their own existence. Jason roars out, "I feel a big...seedy...RELEASE coming on!", and out come the Goddess and Ishan with tomato pinatas for us to pound into, showering the room with seed packets, condoms, balloons and small flyers announcing the next event (see below). At last, out comes a huge papier-mache asparagus, carried on several people's shoulders; Jason yells, "Follow that asparagus!" and out we troop after it, down the road and into Gasworks Park, as Jason and his two backups play Morris tunes on accordion and drums. Atop the Kite Hill overlooking Lake Union, we find the pre-dug hole where the asparagus is planted as a Maypole, after the women in the crowd are invited to toss flowers in and around the hole. Scores of ecstatic Cronies are running, leaping and dancing across the top of the Hill, silhouetted against the brilliant city skyline. We gather around the pole in concentric circles, arm-in-arm, singing "The Drinking Song" and a new one with the line, "If you want to eat tomorrow, you'd better sow your seeds tonight!" Some people start removing articles of clothing. We roar out in a climax, raising a massive cone of power toward the Maypole and the sky, and the lot of us feel united, power-filled and alive as we've not felt in ages. As we slowly process down the hill and back up the road, I tell Jason of the sea chantey I've just written for him, and we briefly discuss him doing shows at Folklife. He has to run back to the boat to clean up and get into warmer clothes, and I head back to the U-District to catch a bus back downtown, singing my sea-chantey the whole way. The asparagus is left "for people to wonder about later"; it probably gets blown down in the storm the next day. A beautiful May Day celebration altogether.
Jason's next Seattle appearance is the "Seedy Release Party" at the Paradox Theater on June 1st. All ages, $8.00, 8:00 pm. A two-week West Coast Tour will follow beginning June 2. We'll keep you updated on its progress, right here at the Lair!! With Love and Asparagus...
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2002: Lest we forget, LairDrummers, Seattle's own World Rhythm Festival & Days of Percussion is all of TWO DAYS Away!! Time to grab the bodhran, or whatever portable drum you've got, and head down to the Seattle Center for a weekend of trance-inducing percussionitis! We'll have free workshops, multicultural percussion market, the always-fascinating opening and closing ceremonies, impromptu drum jams breaking out all over the place, and, of course, the Great Northwest Drum Circle, which gets bigger and louder every year (don't forget your earplugs!). Arthur Hull, needless to say, is expected to be presiding over the festivities as Usual! Don't miss it!!
The RhythmFest Opening Ceremonies at the Center House will Go On from 7:00 to 10:00 PM on Friday, April 26! Here is the Official RhythmFest Schedule of Events !!
Here also is the Lair's LairLinks Drumming Page.
JUNOON'S SEATTLE DEBUT: Likewise, on Friday, May 3rd (two days after Jason Webley does his May Day Concert on the prettier of two historic local ferries), there is going to be a new Seattle First when Junoon, a popular and controversial Pakistani Sufi rock band, makes their first local appearance at Ingraham High School Auditorium! I've not yet become familiar with their music, but the two-Pakistani, two-American ensemble is said to create mesmerizing contemporary music out of Sufi poetry; and the Lair has heard reliable accounts of their past performances with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, an apparent inspiration and role model of theirs. In any case, we are very curious about this band, and may get to speak to them at some point about their work. Hopefully we can make it to this performance as well!
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MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2002: Time to Celebrate the Planet that Mothers us all, on this day when I walked the complete distance from my apartment in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood up to Broadway (our Capitol Hill's shopping district), scattering my Gifts of the Lair flyers as I went! Time to thank the trees that made up the flyers, and time to consider putting the flyers online to save the trees as well. Long may the First Mother Live and Prosper!!
| Beliefnet.com's Earth Day Features Page | Earth Day 2002 in Seattle | Yahoo! Earth Day Resources Page |
| Earth Day 2002 Online |
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FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2002: Save the evening of Beltane/May Day, May 1st that is, on your calendars, LairPals, and pay a visit to Jason Webley's front page for all the details!! He who was Lost at Sea has sent out a call for his Cronies to gather at a remodeled ferry known as The Skansonia for some kind of May Day Concert! Will he arrive by rowboat with a Japanese Sea Goddess, just as he left; or will he suddenly rise, soaking wet and garlanded in seaweed, from the depths of Lake Union, terrifying the onsite staff and rousing some repressive Security contingent?! There's only one way to Find Out! Gather at the Skansonia, 2505 North Northlake Way: Doors open at 7:30, Show starts at 8:00. All Ages, $8.00. There's some who say that lifejackets may be needed, but that's just a rumor. Time to Sow the Seeds of Summer. Be There!!
UPDATE (FRIDAY, APRIL 19,2002): According to the Paradox Theater's Official Calendar, Jason is also scheduled to perform there on his birthday/Rebirthday, June 1st, with some Unspecified "Guests"! And I want to play with the band on that one!!! Let's Do It!! I know I Can!! When do they start rehearsing?!! Let all other dreams Come True as well...!!
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Seattle's weekly newspaper The Stranger has just published their 2002 Seattle Music Directory!! There is both a pull-out hard copy edition, and this online edition, which, they say, will be published in its unabridged form in January 2002. As the LairMistress is a huge fan of LairLinks and website surfing, you may not see me for a couple of months--this directory features websites go leor on Seattle musicians, clubs and recording studios!!
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...But St. Patrick's Day weekend in Seattle went on as scheduled, regardless ("Erin Go Brrrr..." wrote someone in the local media)! We had our Mass for Peace and local Parade on Saturday the 16th rather than the 17th, for some reason. But it was just as well, as we got subfreezing temperatures, severe wind gusts, and off and on snow flurries for most of Sunday. As is, we had both rain and snow off and on both before and after the Mass and Parade, and the high school drill teams must have frozen to death in their uniforms and flimsy rain parkas. Pity and pray for the poor bagpipers playing outside before the Mass; they must have gotten hypothermic and been carted off on stretchers! The Irish Wolfhounds and Water Spaniels were the only ones who looked halfway comfortable, and even they got nice and damp on the parade route! In any case, we were pretty much required to wear green on two consecutive days! And in related news...
Liam Clancy's newly-minted autobiography, The Mountain of the Women (Volume 1 of a planned two-volume series; this first installment covers Liam and family from his family background and birth through the group's legendary appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show), has finally been sighted in Seattle! I've glanced at passages of it, but still want my own copy as soon as I can afford one! It's a charming and well-written tome (Liam posted a few excerpts from it on the late, lamented Message Board prior to signing with a publisher); our pal the author has plenty of dirt to dish, but it's mostly on himself. Liam, in fact, just completed a mostly-East Coast book promotion tour; now, if only I can get him to visit out here as well if it ever warms up in these parts!
| The Irish Times | RTE Online | An Phoblacht Republican News | The Irish Echo |
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TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2002: Oh. My. God. The LairMistress has been having a bad hair month of late, as in, noticeable hair loss since sometime in mid-February!! My hair started getting thinner than its childhood texture a good dozen years ago at least, which is bad enough, in these days when the waif-thin supermodel with outrageously big hair has become the standard of female (and to some extent, male) beauty. But at some point after I became seriously ill last month, a degree of diffuse hair loss over much of my upper scalp became distressingly apparent! Now, mind you, I don't have any obvious bald patches; but I need to keep my hair combed in a kind of loose manner to avoid having my scalp peeking through my hair too obtrusively at the moment! After a brief interval of freaking-out hysterics, I hightailed it to my health clinic and got blood tests done to check for possible hormonal imbalances (and I still think I may have either polycystic ovarian syndrome or low thyroid, or both), but they came back in the normal ranges. Other factors, so I've heard and read, that may be contributing to hair loss in my case, include:
At any rate, I'm researching the condition extensively, checking out sites like HairBoutique.com, and hairstyle-related magazines that I normally wouldn't have much interest in. They seem to indicate that I'm doing the right things so far--using hair products with coconut and tea tree oils, taking vitamins with hair/skin-related nutrients and essential fatty acids, getting medical attention and using leave-in treatment for stronger hair structure. I'll keep doing my research, keep everyone posted, and try to treat my hair as gently as possible!
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More Breaking News! The Lair's New Sitemap Is Up At Last!!
Here are the Clipart Links I included in the previous news item about the Sitemap (if I'm not careful, an entire LairLinks page of animated gif links will be up and running shortly!):
| Animation Factory | About.com Clipart Page | Fire Gifs Site | Reallybig.com's Gifart Portal |
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UPDATE (WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2002): Speaking of which, here is the Lair's first authentic Haunted Gallery, a collection of the non-photo images now gracing teeshirts and stuff in the Lair's three eStores (see above)! Hopefully, the one Lair will pique, if not inspire, curiosity about the others!
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2002: Nope, nothing much going on around here, since the Winter Games (see Archive Lair 1) wrapped up on Sunday. The Closing Ceremonies were lots of fun to watch, if a bit overwhelming at times. My health is improving, though I still have one of those pesky bronchitis-producing coughs that acts up practically anytime my throat is exposed to cold outdoor air. At least, I do have plenty of pseudoephedrine and cough drops at the moment. I'm itching to get back to performing outdoors and at indoor open mics again, though...
Today also happens to be the one-year anniversary of the Nisqually Quake (a/k/a the Ash Wednesday Quake of 2001), which I got caught outside in exactly a year ago, while walking nonchalantly from my apartment down to the Westlake Tunnel Station. While strolling past the closed-down site of an old thrift store, I noticed that some of the windows were shaking, but thought at first that somebody was working on the other side of the black plasticwrap-covered windows and shaking them from inside. But then, I looked down across the front of the building, and saw ALL the windows beginning to shake at once; and since I've been through several other earthquakes in this seismically active area, I knew at that point that Something Else Again was up. However, I didn't know that a 6.8 magnitude tremor was approaching! Most of the earthquakes around here during the past ten years have been in the 3.5-5.4 range, and a lot of folks see them mostly as cheap entertainment, even kind of exciting, as long as nobody gets hurt and not too much property damage occurs. This quake, however, was just a bit too intense to be entertaining: I actually had to grab hold of the nearest wall or bus shelter, or something, to make sure I stayed on my feet! The sensation was very much like standing on the deck of a ferry in rather turbulent water! I was not hurt at all; but for months afterwards, I went out of my way to avoid walking past that old thrift store building, lest I see the windows start shaking in front of me again (sort of a post-traumatic reaction, I suppose)! Lately, of course, the local media have been running articles on what it will be like when the BIG ONE comes along--and our quake of a year ago apparently wasn't It! So, LairLurkers, if you're planning a move to Seattle anytime soon, best be prepared to Shake, Rattle and Roll on occasion, as the whole downtown area is right on top of a huge coastal fault complex!
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2002: No, I'm not dead, actually; but there've been times in the past couple of weeks when I felt pretty near zombified! Roughly two weeks ago, I contracted a nasty case of the flu, with two and a half days of the most intense, hellacious fever, and body aches making sleep all but impossible, as the main featured attractions. The really freaky part of this is that I just got a flu shot back in early December; but I somehow managed to catch a strain of the flu anyway! Does that suck or does that suck?!! I didn't know before now that such a thing could happen! And then, on top of that, I caught a case of what they call lobar pneumonia. Apparently, my immune system was totally preoccupied with the first war on bioterrorism, and one day some pneumonia bugs happened to float past and said, "Dude! Wonder if we can ace that one's nostrils?" Straight in they went, like Picabo Street on the Downhill, hollering "YES!! Woah baby!" And my already beleaguered Immune System special forces looked up and said, "Holy S**t!! Here comes another one!" Generalized hell ensued for the better part of ten days (as I dusted my apartment for five hours one day, lounged around, sipped hot tea and watched the Figure Skating Scandal unfold); but with an antibiotic called Biaxin coming in to reinforce the Autoimmune Allies, the overall system began to grow stronger all the time. Anyway, mostly what I've got right now is one of those pesky coughs that hang around quite a while, and my speaking voice kind of comes and goes. Many thanks to all my friends at Dorothy Day House for bringing soup, lozenges, extra meds, hot cider etc. Your support is most appreciated!
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2002: Attention, LairLurkers across the world! Once again, hundreds of young athletes from scores of nations will soon be in the quadrennial global hotseat known as the Olympics or Winter Games! A whirl of agony and ecstasy will unfold for these brave souls who embody the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and the sheer unimaginable terror of knowing you are being watched by a billion or more people around the world simultaneously!! But I digress. The opening ceremonies are on for 7:30 pm PST tomorrow (Friday) evening, and they should be spectacularly fun, if you can get to a TV set at home, at your friends' homes, or at your favorite sports bar. Here are some Media LairLinks to help you keep track of who's who, what's what and who is burning up the skating rink or downhill course when!
Here are some new LairLinks covering them. Five Native American tribes welcomed and danced for the athletes, hundreds of dancers in pioneer dress held the Hoedown to end them all (to the tune of Aaron Copland's "Rodeo"), and the ethereal puppets on iceskates utterly rocked! The Cauldron for the Olympic torch was a terrific new design! And virtually every moment went off without a hitch! AWESOME JOB to everyone who took part!!
| Yahoo's Olympic News Page | CNN.com Opening Night Coverage | Official Website of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games |
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SPECIAL REPORT (TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2002): Light a candle and eat a cream cake in memory of Swedish children's author and juvenist extraordinaire, Astrid Lindgren, mother of my number one childhood role model, Pippi Longstocking! Ms. Lindgren passed away on Monday, January 28 at age 94, after a long, full life of writing and activism for the humane treatment of both children and animals. May her influence ripple long after her time, and may all our free-spirited childselves always burn brightly!
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2002: Good morning, LairLurkers!! The LairMistress is back home in Seattle where she belongs, after a series of flight travel adventures that few speculative novelists could make up! My last action in chilly Tennessee was to visit the Knoxville branch of CompUSA with my folks, where, among other things, I surfed to the Home Lair on one of their model computers, and left it on the screen. Not long after I got home, I discovered a new entry in our little Guestbook, by an individual who apparently runs a FanLair of his own, dedicated to Jerry Lee Lewis! I figured something like that would happen! Anyway, the next morning I arrived at the Knoxville Airport at some ungodly hour (having spent the night at the Hilton next door), and no sooner had we boarded the plane for the connection at Atlanta when we got the word that Atlanta had been hit by the Mother of All Blizzards, and the airport there was virtually shut down--nobody going in or out! So I had to get rebooked, switch airlines from Delta to United, and connect in Chicago-O'Hare instead. To add insult to injury, my new ticket designated me as one of those to be singled out for a full random search!! Lucky me. They dissected my suitcase, purse (I had to toss out my little glasses repair kit with the "too-sharp" tiny screwdriver, which had somehow gotten past security in SeaTac and Atlanta on the trip east!) and carryon bag, and required me to take off my shoes for detailed inspection (as if I know the first thing about putting explosives in shoes!). However, at least O'Hare (an INSANE place to walk through, even without the new Security rules) had decent weather in its surroundings; and I got a fantastic turkey sandwich at the little cafe right next to my departure gate. Everything else went smoothly the rest of the way, even if I did get home at least five hours later than originally planned...
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Fáilte Isteach!! I have just started work on a Irish Language LairLinks Page, and I am astonished at how many resources on Gaeilge there are on the web! This will be a very full page when it's finished!
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Alas, the Message Board has shut down at Liam Clancy's Website! However, there is a new page set up for Email Exchanges by the Message Board community. And just recently, our old pal The Quizzler set up a brand new Message Board that I really must check out more than I have so far. Thanks to Quizzler and Company for sending me emails with the urls for the new site and board!
UPDATE (SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2002): Quizzler, dear, I can't find your New and Improved Board! In fact, your Home Lair seems to be imploding! What on earth has happened since I've been away?!!
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SPECIAL APPEAL: Some time ago, I discovered a marvelous informational resource on Search Engine submission in the form of the Search Engines and Directories In Review website. I have utilized it many times for guidance on submitting this website and my old Themestream article pages for the best exposure on the Web. Now, due to serious injuries, the author of this website is out of work and needs to ask users and fans for financial assistance to keep this wonderful resource up and running. I would happily help out if I had any extra cash to spare; at the moment, I can only request visitors to the site to contact the webmaster at searchminder@hotmail.com, or visit this LairLink to find out how you can help. Thanks in Advance on behalf of blueangels.net!!
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Listen up, folks! I'm still working on them, but several New Lairs will be up and running soon! Having figured out how to upload our little animated gifs properly, I've got most of them reinstated in their proper Lairs, and replaced the "disappeared" ones with new specimens where needed! I'm also making quite a bit of use of the About.com Clipart Page, and have discovered a great new page with Fire Gifs, and a whole new Gifart Portal with links to other animated gif sources! I still think Animation Factory has the best animations, but they keep wiping out some of my favorites, and I don't know where else to locate them!!
Anyway, having found some new HTML code relating to making columns and graphic alignments on webpages, hopefully the Lair's new Site Map will soon be up and looking presentable!
Likewise, and this is a REALLY long story, I've just gotten some of my old photos from Ireland, Switzerland and Wyoming scanned and saved on disk and hard drive, and am preparing the Lair's first Photo Album (still under construction as of 1/12/02)!! I am brand new to scanning, Photoshop, Imaging etc. and will be learning as I go along for some time now, but at least I've made a start!! It's quite exciting to know I don't necessarily need an expensive digital camera to post photos online! I'm now looking for inexpensive gallery sites to post images and thumbnails for all LairLurkers' viewing pleasure! And in related news (and this is also a long story....):
The LairMistress is uploading photos and original images from Paint and Word files to build a Cafepress E-Store!!! It's called Artifacts of the Lair; and though incomplete, it will hopefully soon be the first of a tentatively planned series of LairShops by which we can promote the Lair, original photos, Neolithic-inspired artwork and craft items!! Many thanks to Shannon Kringen for publicizing the Cafepress.com site--I might never have heard of it otherwise! I'm quite new to this sort of business, but we'll just see how it works out. At least it doesn't cost me anything, save for the cost of scanning photos!
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