Moving From Movable Type to Typepad
Welcome to my new blog... yes, I decided to migrate from Movable Type 3.17 running on dreamhost server space, to TypePad, hosted on their server space. Why?
Well, although Movable Type is much more configurable and flexible than TypePad, I'm at a point where:
a) I need some new features. I want to adjust the blog width to the current window size, to create thumbnails of uploaded pictures automatically, and especially, to post to my blog by email), but
b) I just don't have the time to bump up my limited HTML, CSS, and Unix knowledge to add these new features at the moment.
b) I just don't have the time to bump up my limited HTML, CSS, and Unix knowledge to add these new features at the moment.
So I'm taking the thirty day free trial, and redirecting all my domain names to this new blog. I suspect I'll stick with this, but I could also install Movable Type 3.2 over my current 3.17 installation and import all my posts from TypePad (which doesn't solve problems a and b above, though).
We'll see what happens.
My 250 Essential Songs
I wasn't satisfied with my original list of 200, because it left out some artists (no Elton John?), so I extended it to my 250 absolutely essential songs.
Ryan’s Absolutely Essential 250 Songs: Everything from Fanny Brice to Feist, and the Soweto Gospel Choir to the Sex Pistols, with notes as to where, when, who, why, and how they landed up here.
1. A Change Will Do You Good - Sheryl Crow
2. A Little Respect - Erasure
3. A Love That Will Never Grow Old – Emmylou Harris (from the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, the song that should have been nominated for Best Song at the Oscars)
4. Adelaide’s Lament – Vivian Blaine (from the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls, sung by the original “Adelaide”)
5. Afer Ventus - Enya (I find this an exceptionally soothing, meditative song)
6. Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent - Gwen Guthrie (Preach it, sister!)
7. Akanamandla - Fjedur (From my Lutheran youth group days, South African freedom music)
8. All I Ask Of You – Barbra Streisand (a cover of the Phantom Of The Opera tune, but with a COMPLETELY different feel, sunlight where there was darkness. Easily my favourite Barbra Streisand song from her extensive repertoire)
9. All That Matters – Mark Weigle
10. All Things (Just Keeping Getting Better) - Widelife with Simone Denny (The Queer Eye For The Straight Guy TV show theme)
11. All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down – The Mavericks
12. American Triangle – Elton John and Rufus Wainwright
13. And If Venice Is Sinking - Spirit of the West (Part of a trio with the Iris and Drops of Jupiter)
14. Angel - Sarah McLachlan and Josh Groban (from last year’s Live 8 Concert)
15. Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In – The 5th Dimension (an early favourite)
16. As I Lay Me Down - Sophie B. Hawkins (This is just a beautiful song)
17. Bad Timing – Blue Rodeo
18. Beautiful - Christina Aguilera (Now if she could just cut down on the ostinato a little bit)
19. Beautiful Life - Ace of Base (I bought the CD single; the song just makes me so happy)
20. Being Boring – Pet Shop Boys
21. Biggest Part of Me - Take 6 (I’m a total a cappella whore :-)
22. Bop ‘Til You Drop – The Nylons
23. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel (Oh like I *WASN’T* gonna put this one in :-)
24. California Dreaming - The Mamas & The Papas (One of my favourite songs, I listen to it over and over)
25. Can You Feel The Love Tonight? – Elton John
26. Canadian Railway Trilogy – Gordon Lightfoot
27. Caribbean Blue - Enya
28. Carry You - Amy Grant (I would play this on an endless loop on really bad days)
29. ’Cause Cheap Is How I Feel – Cowboy Junkies
30. Collide - Howie Day (Don’t remember how I came across this gem, but it was via the net)
31. Country Road – James Taylor
32. Covered In Punk – Portobella
33. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen (If I had to pick one Queen sone, this catchy tune is it)
34. Crucified – Army of Lovers (via my friend Brian)
35. Cruel Kindness (Italian Reprise) - InsideOut
36. Crush – Jennifer Paige
37. Dance With Me - Orleans (“Dance with me, I want to be your partner” :-)
38. Days Are Numbers (The Traveler) - The Alan Parsons Project (From my brother’s music collection)
39. Days To Dust – Grey Eye Glances (discovered from one of the fanmixes posted to the Wranglers group on LiveJournal)
40. Deacon Blues - Steely Dan (From my brother’s music collection)
41. Don’t Be Cruel – Elvis Presley
42. Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel (The words speak to me in my worst and loneliest moments)
43. Don’t Let Go – Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan (from the soundtrack of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, a recommendation from my sister-in-law)
44. Don’t Tell Me You Do – Rockapella
45. Dos Gardenias – Buena Vista Social Club
46. Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
47. Drops of Jupiter - Train (part of a trio with Venice Is Sinking and Iris)
48. En Fliant Ma Quenouille – Madrigaia
49. Evergreen - Barbra Streisand (Oh like I *WASN’T* gonna put this one in :-)
50. Everybody Hurts - R.E.M. (This is my “everything’s gonna be all right” song)
51. Everyday Is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow (More good advice from Sheryl)
52. Everything Possible - The Rainbow Harmony Project (My chorus performing in a Dec. 2004 concert, of a song I just love)
53. Falling - Julee Cruise (That haunting song from the soundtrack of Twin Peaks)
54. Feel – Robbie Williams (the only song of his I like, but I really like it a lot)
55. Feels So Good – Chuck Mangione
56. Filthy/Gorgeous - Scissor Sisters (I just cannot get enough of this song or this group)
57. Floating - Lorraine Bowen (From the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre and Winnipeg Folk festivals)
58. Footloose – Kenny Loggins
59. Fragile - Sting
60. Friends - Michael W. Smith (This is a classic song from my Lutheran days)
61. Genius - The Murmurs (From the people who lived in Plain Layne’s comment box)
62. Gipsy Woman (She’s Homeless) – Crystal Waters
63. Glory of Love – Peter Cetera
64. God Save The Queen – The Sex Pistols
65. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys (A classic)
66. Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5
67. Harvest Moon - Neil Young (If I had to pick one Neil Young song, this classic is it)
68. Head Over Heels - The Go-Go's (Great 80s, from the soundtrack of the movie 13 Going On 30)
69. Heal The Pain – George Michael
70. Heaven Must Have Sent You – Bonnie Pointer (what can I say? I like the doorbells :-)
71. Hey Jude - The Beatles (Oh like I *WASN’T gonna put this one in :-)
72. Hey Ya! – Outkast
73. High - Lighthouse Family (Introduced to LF’s music by my best friend Brian)
74. Holiday Road - Lindsey Buckingham (from the 1983 Chevy Chase movie Vacation)
75. How Long? - Ace (“Well your friends with their fancy persuasion / Don't admit that it's part of a scheme….”)
76. Hung Up – Madonna
77. Hurt – Johnny Cash
78. I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash
79. I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt
80. I Could Have Danced All Night – Julie Andrews (from the original stage version of My Fair Lady)
81. I Don't Know You Anymore - Savage Garden (“How do you redefine something that never really had a name?”)
82. I Feel Fine - HalfDay (From HalfMoon’s radio.blog)
83. I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye (Classic Motown; of *COURSE* I had to put it in)
84. I Only Want to Be With You - Dusty Springfield (Another classic I had to include)
85. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
86. I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston (Always part of a pair with Never Gonna Give You Up)
87. I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (I was born the week this song hit #1 in America)
88. I Will Be Here for You - Michael W. Smith (This is a classic song from my Lutheran days)
89. I Will Remember You - Amy Grant (This song is now forever associated with my Grandma Elizabeth)
90. I Will Survive (a capella) – Chantay Savage (I first heard this on last.fm and I was so staggered by this woman’s voice and the power of this arrangement that I actually bought the extended CD single via Internet.)
91. I’ll Hear Your Voice – Rockapella (from the album Lucky Seven)
92. Insensitive – Jann Arden
93. Inside And Out - Feist
94. Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall – Ella Fitzgerald and The Inkspots
95. Into the Groove - Madonna (If I had to pick one Madonna track, this is it)
96. Iris - Goo Goo Dolls (Part of a trio with Venice Is Sinking and Drops of Jupiter)
97. It’s My Life – No Doubt
98. I've Been Thinking About You - Londonbeat (I could play this song FOREVER...)
99. Jabula Jesu - The Rainbow Harmony Project (My chorus performing in a Dec. 2004 concert)
100. Jesus To A Child – George Michael
101. Just Another Day - Jon Secada (Catchy little angsty number, what can I say)
102. King Of The Road – Dean Martin
103. Kiss From A Rose - Seal (Great male vocalist, I think)
104. Kiss Me - Sixpence None The Richer (This song charmed the pants off me; NOT literally ;-)
105. Kyrie – Mr. Mister
106. La Bamba - Ritchie Valens (Catchy, catchy, catchy party tune)
107. Lady - Little River Band (Another classic tune)
108. Lean On Me - Bill Withers (Oh like I *WASN’T* gonna put this one in :-)
109. Leaving Las Vegas – Sheryl Crow
110. Lessons to Be Learned - Barbra Streisand (Her CD Higher Ground was a light in a dark period of my life)
111. Let's All Chant - Michael Zager Band (Goofy fun song)
112. Let's Talk About Sex - Palast Orchester mit Max Raabe (This is a MUST-HEAR 1920s-Big-Band-style cover of Salt-N-Pepa;s hit)
113. Let's Talk About Sex - Salt-N-Pepa (“Spinderella cut it up one time...”)
114. Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy (Hey, I *LIVE* in a “northern town”: Winnipeg, Manitoba)
115. Lift every voice and sing - Linda Tillery & Cultural Heritage Choir (You wouldn’t recognize this 1899 hymn!)
116. Lifted - Lighthouse Family (Introduced to LF’s music by my best friend Brian)
117. Loloye - Angélique Kidjo
118. Longer – Dan Fogelberg (another classic)
119. Losing My Religion - R.E.M. (One of my all-time favourite songs ever; as soon as the mandolin starts they've got me)
120. Lost In Love - Air Supply (If I had to pick one Air Supply song, this is it)
121. Love Can Build A Bridge – Cher, Chrissie Hynde, and Neneh Cherry
122. Love Child – Diana Ross and the Supremes
123. Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar (Great 80s, from the soundtrack of the movie 13 Going On 30)
124. Love Of The Common People – Paul Young
125. Make Your Own Kind Of Music - Mama Cass (soundtrack to my favourite scene in the movie, Beautiful Thing)
126. Maniac – Michael Sembello
127. Meet Me In The Dark – Melissa Etheridge
128. Michael – Franz Ferdinand. (something from the Plain Layne days)
129. Minnie The Moocher – Cab Calloway (he first recorded this song in 1930)
130. Missing - Everything but the Girl (One of those haunting songs that you just can’t forget)
131. Monday, Monday - The Mamas & The Papas (This one and California Dreaming are my faves)
132. Moondance - Van Morrison (If I had to pick one Van Morrison song, this is it)
133. Move – Pele Juju
134. Moving On Up – M People
135. Mrs. Worthington – Noel Coward (“Don’t put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington”)
136. My Girl - The Temptations (Another classic)
137. My Immortal - Evanescence (Just had to buy the single for this one, loved it so much)
138. My Sharona – The Knack
139. My Man – Fanny Brice (her signature song, sung on Broadway at the Ziegfield Follies, 1921)
140. Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley (always part of a pair with I Wanna Dance With Somebody)
141. Neutron Dance – The Pointer Sisters
142. Never Let Go - Josh Groban (Another song I hold on to during the bleaker times)
143. Nothing Else Matters – Metallica (the only Metallica song I like)
144. Nothing Wrong With You – Finn Brothers (another great “pick yourself up and keep walking” song, found via a Brokeback Mountain fanmix on Wranglers)
145. O Siem - Susan Aglukark (Canadian Inuit singer, a little more CanCon = Canadian Content :-)
146. O Happy Day - San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (GALA Choruses VIIe Festival, Montreal)
147. Old Park Bench - InsideOut (Based on just 4 a cappella songs, I bought all 5 of their CDs!)
148. On A Saturday Night – Michael Kaeshammer
149. On The Street Where You Live – Leonard Weir (from the stage version of My Fair Lady)
150. Only Time - Enya (I’m a big Enya fan, and I agitated to get her music up on Last.fm)
151. Only Yesterday - Carpenters (laugh if you want, but Karen Carpenter had a GREAT voice)
152. Only You -- Flying Pickets (My friend Larry introduced me to this vocal group)
153. Orinoco Flow - Enya
154. Over The Rainbow – Judy Garland
155. Pata Pata - Miriam Makeba (from Doctor T’s Last.fm profile :-)
156. Peaceful, Easy Feeling - The Eagles (If I had to pick one Eagles tune, this is it)
157. Piano Man – Billy Joel
158. Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore - Céline Dion (I think she sings much better in her native French than she does in English)
159. Prayer of the Children - InsideOut (From my friend Larry, a gift CD included this song; our chorus has performed it and I just love this piece; I went and bought all the CDs put out by this Utah a cappella group. The story behind the writing of this song is just heartbreaking,)
160. Predatory Wasps Of The Palisades Are Out To Get Us – Sufjan Stevens
161. Proud - Heather Small (From the Queer As Folk soundtrack; our choir has performed this)
162. Question Of Faith - Lighthouse Family (Introduced to LF’s music by my best friend Brian)
163. Rainy Day People - Gordon Lightfoot (Introduced to GL’s music by my high school friend Tim)
164. Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood (this song always got me on the dancefloor at those Transcona socials)
165. Return To Pooh Corner – Kenny Loggins and Amy Grant (this is just a beautiful, beautiful song, and Amy Grant singing backup is a bonus)
166. Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac
167. Rock The Casbah – The Clash
168. Save the Best for Last - Vanessa Williams (A great romantic song)
169. School Night – Ani diFranco
170. Search For The Hero – M People
171. Searchin’ My Soul – Vonda Shepard
172. Shambala – Rockapella (a great cover!)
173. Shh – Frou Frou (“darling what are you doing…we don’t have time for this”)
174. Silver Thunderbird - Marc Cohn (My other favourite song from the album Walking In Memphis)
175. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding (Oh like I *WASN’T gonna put this one in :-)
176. Siyahamba - Fjedur (From my Lutheran youth group days, South African freedom music; also a song my chorus has performed onstage)
177. Sleepsong – Secret Garden (the loveliest lullaby I’ve ever heard)
178. Sleeping to Dream – Jason Mraz (another find from a Brokeback Mountain fanmix on Wranglers)
179. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
180. Smooth – Santana feat. Rob Thomas
181. Snow – Grey Eye Glances (another track from my new favourite group, discovered via the Brokeback Mountain fanmixes on Wranglers)
182. Soltarlo – Claudia Gomez (from A Putumayo Blend: Music From The Coffee Lands)
183. Somebody Loves You – Eels (my favourite Eels song, again a song I first discovered through a contact on last.fm)
184. Something Pretty – Patrick Park (“At the most I’m a glare, I’m the hopeless son who’s hardly there. I’m the open sign that’s always busted. I’m the friend you need, but can’t be trusted.”)
185. Something So Strong - Crowded House (Rediscovered this favourite from Doctor T’s last.fm profile)
186. Something to Talk About - Badly Drawn Boy (From the music blog fluxblog)
187. Song For A Winter's Night - Gordon Lightfoot (I was introduced to GL’s music by my high school friend Tim)
188. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin
189. Stand Tall And Be Happy - Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir (Winnipeg Folk Festival)
190. Stumbling Through The Dark - The Jayhawks
191. Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine (In my opinion this is a better version than the one by The Postal Service)
192. Such Great Heights – The Postal Service (But I have to admit this version is catchy)
193. Sunrise - Norah Jones (If I had to pick one Norah Jones track, this is it)
194. Supreme - Palast Orchester mit Max Raabe (WAY better than the Robbie Williams version)
195. Tainted Love – Soft Cell
196. Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair) - Sheena Easton (Forever associated with my friend Patricia Lucki, who was killed by a drunk driver. She gave me this song as a birthday present)
197. Tequila - The Champs (Catchy, catchy, catchy party tune)
198. The Blower’s Daughter – Damien Rice
199. The End of the Innocence - Don Henley (Road music from my summer working for AECL in Pinawa, Manitoba)
200. The Heart of the Matter - Don Henley (I love the message just as much as I love the song)
201. The Lady Is A Tramp – Lena Horne
202. The Last Time I Felt Like This - Johnny Mathis (A Little Something from the Schmaltz Vaults :-)
203. The Logical Song - Supertramp
204. The Prayer – Josh Groban and Charlotte Church
205. The Rainbow Connection – Jim Henson (Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie)
206. The Wings – Gustavo Santaolalla (the Brokeback Mountain theme)
207. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Lucksmiths (a hilariously earnest song from the wonderful blog Trout Fishing in South-Central Wisconsin)
208. These Eyes - The Guess Who (One of Canada’s best bands, and from Winnipeg to boot)
209. Three Ways To Vacuum Your House: Pat I – Madrigaïa (a fun song performed by Manitoba’s seven-member female worldbeat a cappella group, which I first discovered at the Winnipeg Folk Fest; I’m a big fan)
210. This Will Be Our Year - The Beautiful South (a beautiful, hopeful song from the blog Trout Fishing in South-Central Wisconsin)
211. To Where You Are - Josh Groban (This song is now forever associated with my friend Scott, at whose funeral service I first heard this song)
212. Total Eclipse Of The Heart – Bonnie Tyler
213. Trouble Sleeping – The Perishers (from a Brokeback Mountain fanmix posted to Wranglers)
214. Turn a Square - The Shins (from the blog Trout Fishing in South-Central Wisconsin)
215. To Beds and a Coffee Machine - Savage Garden (The lyrics and mood just catch me in the throat: "Another ditch in the road/Keep moving/Another stop sign/Keep moving on/And the years go by so fast/Wonder how I ever made it through")
216. Un Garcon Pas Comme Les Autres (Ziggy) - Celine Dion (A little gay CanCon = Canadian Content ;-)
217. Under The Boardwalk – The Drifters
218. Up The Ladder To The Roof – The Nylons
219. Video Killed The Radio Star - The Buggles (It was 1980, I was 16, and this was *MY* song; I ripped an MP3 straight from my original 45 single :-)
220. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Angélique Kidjo
221. Vuma – Soweto Gospel Choir (another group I first heard on last.fm)
222. Walking in Memphis - Marc Cohn (“Ma’am, I am tonight” :-)
223. Waterloo - ABBA (If I had to pick one ABBA track, this is it; my best friend Brian would KILL me if I didn't include at least one)
224. Walkin’ After Midnight – Patsy Cline
225. Walkin’ On The Sun – Smash Mouth
226. We Rise Again – The Rankin Family
227. Weightlifting - Trashcan Sinatras (from the blog Trout Fishing in South-Central Wisconsin)
228. Welcome to Heartlight - Kenny Loggins (What can I say, his music just pulls me in and hugs me)
229. What A Fool Believes – Doobie Brothers (I love the sound of Michael McDonald’s voice)
230. What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
231. What Beauty Really Is – Jeff Staflund (one amazing song, written and performed by someone whom I know)
232. What I Like About You - Lillix (Great 80s, from the soundtrack of the movie 13 Going On 30)
233. What You Waiting For – Gwen Stefani
234. When Will I See You Again – The Three Degrees (“Are we in love, or just friends? Is this my beginning, or is this the end?”)
235. When You Say Nothing at All - Alison Krauss (My God does this woman have an incredible voice!)
236. When You Wish Upon A Star – Cliff Edwards (Jiminy Cricket in Disney’s Pinocchio)
237. When You’re Gone – Bryan Adams and Mel C
238. Whenever I Call You 'Friend' - Kenny Loggins (Like I said, his music just pulls me in and hugs me)
239. Where Do I Begin? – Jill Sobule (this song describes my life and my housekeeping to a T, folks; found this gem via last.fm)
240. Where The Streets Have No Name – U2
241. Who The Hell Are You – Madison Avenue
242. Wicked Little Town – John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
243. Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler (Yes, I cried at the end of Beaches)
244. You Are - Lionel Richie (Re-heard this classic via Cool Jazz COOLFM99.1)
245. You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins
246. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) – Dead Or Alive
247. You're So Damn Hot - OK Go (From the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy soundtrack)
248. You're The Inspiration - Chicago (If I had to pick one Chicago song, this wonderful song is it)
249. You've Got a Friend - James Taylor (If I had to pick only one James Taylor song, this is it)
250. Your Song – Elton John
Great Quote About Blogs
The blogosphere can attack and dissect an issue faster than a school of piranhas.Scot Petersen, eWeek, December 19/26. 2005, p. 5
Chiron, Parts 1 through 4
Here's a link to the first four parts of the Brokeback Mountain fanfiction I've been writing, called Chiron. You'll have to read all the comments in Part 1 to figure out how it got that name.
This is the first time I have ever submitted fiction I've written to an audience. I've received some very nice compliments, which is great since I'm such a feedback whore ;-) And it's been interesting to actually write a story where the constraints are set in place: a person (Lureen), a place (Savannah), the previous events, etc.
You'll have to read Lori Summers' 24-part Human Interest in order for Chiron to make any sense. Both are based in the alternate-universe (AU) she created, where Jack and Ennis get that "sweet life" Jack had dreamed about: a cow-and-calf operation in Vermont. My story takes off from where hers ended, and follows the character of Lureen Newsome Twist in particular as she moves to a new city and copes with all the tragedies that have befallen her.
True Colours
I'm going to be running around like a chicken with my head cut off the next couple of weeks, but I couldn't be happier. Why? Because our end-of-season concert is on May 6th and 7th at the Winnipeg Art Galery, and I'm freaking out because I haven't learned all my pieces yet. (Then again, I'm hardly alone in this department.) We have several rehearsals coming up between now and then, and I have all my parts on a CD so I can beat the notes into my brain beforehand.
I've been with the chorus since its inception in September 1999, and it's the same drama every year: one mad dash to the finish line, everything coming together like magic at the last minute. I personally believe that if the Rainbow Harmony Project got it all together, say, a week beforehand, it would be an unlucky omen!
I still remember that first end-of-year concert at the old Walker vaudeville-era theatre (now called the Burton Cummings Theater). The thing I remember the best was standing backstage and weeping as our guests the Saskatoon chorus performed Fred Small's Everything Possible and the realization of how much pain I could have avoided if I had only had someone sing that lullaby to me when I badly needed to hear it. It was on overwhelming moment, and I will never forget that instance that proved to me the power of song to make a difference.
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