more animals

"Through long December nights we talk in words of rain or snow
While you, through chattering teeth, reply and curse us as you go
Why not spare a thought this day for those who have no flame
To warm their bones at Christmas time
Say, Jack Frost and the hooded crow

Now as the last broad oak leaf falls, we beg consider this ---
There's some who have no coin to save for turkey, wine or gifts
No children's laughter round the fire, no family left to know
So lend a warm and a helping hand
Say, Jack Frost and the hooded crow

As holly pricks and ivy clings,
Your fate is none too clear
The Lord may find you wanting, let your good fortune disappear
All homely comforts blown away and all that's left to show
Is to share your joy at Christmas time
With Jack Frost and the hooded crow

Through long December nights we talk in words of rain or snow
While you, through chattering teeth, reply and curse us as you go
Why not spare a thought this day for those who have no flame
To warm their bones at Christmas time
Say, Jack Frost and the hooded crow..."

-Jethro Tull, "Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow"

Inexplicable Travel Poster

I mean, what are they advertising here? Come to Lotschberg and see a giant naked man in a cave!

It was really cool to find out (more or less randomly) that the video of Golden Earring's "Twilight Zone" is just as noir-ish as I would have hoped from the song itself, the lyrics of which follow, as they're a bit hard to follow if you haven't heard it a few times:

"Somewhere in a lonely hotel room there's a guy starting to realize that eternal fate has turned its back on him. It's 2AM.

It's 2AM
The fear is gone
I'm sittin' here waiting
The gun's still warm
Thinking my connection is tired of taking chances

Yeah, there's a storm on the loose, sirens in my head
Wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
Cannot decode - my whole life spins into a frenzy

{Refrain}
Help, I'm stepping into the Twilight Zone
The place is a mad-house, feels like being cloned
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far
{Repeat}

Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone

I'm fallin' down a spiral, destination unknown
A double cross messenger, all alone
Can't get no connection, can't get through, where are you

Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind
This far from the border line
And when the hitman comes
He knows damn well he has been cheated
And he says

{Refrain twice} "

more music charts

Wow, four AM...Been a while since I've been up this late/early. In my defense, I just finished off a ten-page section of the novel, so I think I'm justified in sleeping in a bit today.

Okay, too tired to be wholly coherent. Sleep now.

Where do we sign up to go out drinking with Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher, anyway? That would be an absolute riot.

"Do I look like a reasonable chap or a peppermint nightmare?"
"Er...The first one?"
"Wrong."

- Howard Moon and the Hitcher, "The Mighty Boosh" (season three - 'Eels')

Snuff Box - Baby

I laughed so hard I damn near fell off the chair. There is swearing, so don't watch this in the company of nuns, etc.

"An April 2008 poll by SurveyUSA estimated that at least 18 million American adults have been Rickrolled."

And, in an informal poll conducted in my household, an estimated two people agreed that Survey USA should really find something useful to report on.

The New Beast

We. Lucked. Out.

This is my Husqvarna Viking 6440, made in 1975, and after three hours, most of a bottle of Triflow, and the Owlvark's meticulous nature, it is the proverbial well-oiled machine. This model was intended to be permanently self-oiling, "permanently" being the 25 years it was under warranty, and as such is made of sintered metal as far as the moving parts go, so when the machine is warm, the oil expands out of the gaps and onto the places it needs to be. It does, however, dry up eventually, and if the machines aren't used regularly they tend to freeze up solid and can be broken by trying to force them through. We were lucky and the one we got was only stiff, not frozen, and I had been doing my research beforehand so we knew exactly what to do with it. With knowledge gained from the Yahoo Group for pre-1980's Viking sewing machines, which is moderated by a retired Viking repairman, and a .pdf file of the maintenance manual, I took it apart and the Owlvark went to work with the Triflow while I reglued the various bits of the case that had been broken by someone with not enough patience to locate all the screws. After a thorough oiling and hand-turning, the formerly stiff unhappy machine is now running as though it had just been made yesterday. It is a joy to sew on. The gearing ratio is 5 to 1, which lets it power through just about anything you can conceivably think of sewing, it a has a low gear that gives you all the power at a fifth of the speed, to let you do precision work without losing power, and, thanks to an ingenious set of interchangeable cams, it has around two dozen stitches besides straight and zigzag. The reverse is button-controlled and works like a dream. I made one heavy drape this afternoon, which it motored through as though I was asking it to sew butter and not four layers of corduroy and wool, and only stopped because I broke the needle- apparently I still have my childhood habit of unconsciously trying to pull the material through instead of letting the feed dogs do the work. (I'll get over it with a bit more practice.) It turned out to have been for the better; the needle it came with was actually the wrong one. So we made a trip out to Joann Fabrics (which was helpfully having a massive sale on notions) and bought a normal needle assortment (it uses a very standard size, thankfully) some leather needles, some bobbins (there's a company that actually does facsimile bobbins for old Viking, Pfaff, and Bernina machines, respectively) and, since they were having a good sale on cloth, we picked up a few odds and ends for me to practice on. The new needle works great (which it should, considering that it's proper one) and I'm looking forward to finishing off the drapes before the cold weather hits. And all the other interesting projects that will come up for it.