Unimatrix Two

Sing Along With The Dirty Pair

Many years ago, I took the lyrics from the opening to the 1985 “Dirty Pair” TV series and wrote them into singable English. I recently unearthed and polished them; but given the song’s title, I’ve been waiting to post them for a time when a mass shooting wasn’t a top story in the American news. Included is a video link so you can sing along 

“Russian Roulette” Dirty Pair series OP

Ro-ro-ro-ro-ro – roshi – Rus-si-an!

Come tonight to my casino and I’ll show you a game
It’s a different kind of gamble and the play isn’t tame
Thrill of danger, thrill of vic’try and I’ll make you glad you came, oh baby
You can’t give up your need to feel that ecs-ta-cy…

Rus-si-an! Russian Roulette!
Open up the bank of your heart, buy your chips place your bet!

With a dully shining magnum and an aim that is true
I’m a nervous elfin maiden and my target is you
I’ll take every chance I must until I win what is my due, oh baby
My love is dangerous, it’s Rus-si-an Roulette!

Scary scary danger danger Dance! Dance!
Giddy giddy eager eager Chance! Chance!
Scary scary danger danger Dance! Dance!
Giddy giddy eager eager Chance! Chance!

Ready or not, here I come…

Scary scary danger danger Dance! Dance!
Giddy giddy eager eager Chance! Chance!
Scary scary danger danger Dance! Dance!
Giddy giddy eager eager Chance! Chance!

A Modern TARDIS Traveller

The phrase “modern TARDIS traveller” popped into my head, and about 90 minutes later this followed. I’m not going to apologize to Gilbert and Sullivan: they’re cool.

—

I am the very model of a modern TARDIS traveller,
I am a timey-wimey-wibbly-wobbly plot unraveller,
I know the queens of Venus, and I fight the villains terrible
The Daleks and the Cybermen in battle armor wearable;

I’m very well acquainted, too, with genius spatio-temporal,
With Omega and Rassilon and others far less sensible,
I understand the tricks of navigating ’round the Time Vortex… (erm… erm…)
But still have some confusion ’bout the motives of the fairer sex!

(But still have some confusion ’bout the motives of the fairer sex – but still have some confusion ’bout the motives of the fairer sex – but still have some confusion ’bout the motives of the fairer-fairer sex!)

From Earth I’m pledged to keep marauding nightmares safely far away,
Including massed invasion by the Time Lord planet Gallifrey
And as a timey-wimey-wibbly-wobbly plot unraveller,
I am the very model of a modern TARDIS traveller!

February: A Con Odyssey

Just did Farpoint in Baltimore, and MystiCon in Roanoke back to back. Both cons are five hours away from my home. Pro tip: don’t do this.

Farpoint was the second stop for Luna-C, so as usual I spent most of the weekend preparing for the performance in one way or another. Of course, I simultaneously love live performing from the depths of my soul and it triggers my anxieties as only a job interview can, so it’s both relief and regret when the show is done. Regret must win, though, since I’m always eager for the next show. We premiered my “Lonely Villain” skit which I think is quite funny; and I got to play Scotty again, which has been one of my lifelong dreams.

I also premiered the My Little Pony “Twilight Sparkle” costume at Farpoint, and I must say it was a pretty big hit. I’ve known since the fandom took off that I would need an MLP costume before long, so of course I had to do it in my own special fashion.

(more…)

Back from Shore Leave!

The new car behaved itself well! Much less general wear on a car = much better gas mileage, as I made Baltimore and back on only a tank and a half. Dwight and Dawn were excellent company: among other things, I got to hear a Duran Duran album I hadn't picked up yet. Huyndais handle differently with three people and a trunk of con luggage in them than they do with one, something I'm not yet completely used to.

The Hunt Valley no-longer-Marriott is an interesting hotel. Every year I manage to get lost in their hall layout at least two or three times, and combining that with the eye-searing carpet makes me suspect that it will be a rough place when the stars are right. Also, the room was too darn humid the whole time. Clothing in my still-packed bag felt a bit damp this morning.

The con itself was a lovely time. I picked up a nice Ron Weasley wand replica for the "Warehouse 9 3/4" skit and a replacement UFP patch for my Trek flight jacket. Didn't get to hit the vendor area much, which no doubt was good for my wallet; but I attended an interesting costuming panel and was a panelist on another, got many good costume photos of Kara that I must send her, and of course performed with Luna-C.

I glitched twice during my first skit, though I was assured it was unnoticeable from the audience. Phew! The other three went nice and smooth, and in fact I think the Holmes and Watson podcast skit got more laughs than ever. From a backstage perspective, the skits I wasn't in seemed to work very well, with good comic timing and plenty of laughs. I believe this was one of our strongest performances! (And we got to meet Kate Mulgrew very very briefly backstage beforehand, which I enjoyed!)

Afterwards, I got hit in the head with being 43 years old: I needed a nap. I wanted to watch the Masquerade but my body wasn't into it. We did head down to the Ten-Forward party at 11… the music mostly stank, but I finally got to put a name to Paulette Guillory-Gardner, a lovely lady with whom I've been crossing convention paths often. My Alice costume went over well, and I even got a picture or two with a White Rabbit before it was time to head back up to bed.

In the morning, we headed down for the Luna-C breakfast and wrap-up. Dana Stewart gave me exactly the Doctor Who costume idea I'd been looking for, complete with a bad pun to go with it – win-win. I grabbed a couple more click-base random starships, but I think from now on I might spend the extra couple of bucks and buy the specific ones I want from eBay. I don't like getting duplicates, when I don't have lots of folks interested in trading.

The drive home was too long, frankly. The company was still good, but I just wanted to be home. Still, made it in safe by 7:30, said my goodbyes to Dwight and Dawn, stuffed a sandwich in my mouth and was unconscious by 9:30. All in all: quite the good weekend.

Musical Astralnautics

Sometimes, I’ll put on a song, and a little electric thrill will build inside me and shoot through my skin and scalp unexpectedly. ELO’s “Twilight”, Jeff Wayne’s “Thunderchild”, and Jarre’s “Fourth Rendez-vous” are all repeat offenders. Today, the Eagles’ “Journey of the Sorcerer” in its full-length incarnation grabbed my nervous system that way. I haven’t really listened to it in years outside of a Hitchhiker’s Guide context, and I’d forgotten how it can take me away from everything for just a few seconds.

I have a soul that was built for fantasy trips, it seems.

If you liked it, then you should have rolled Need on it.

Yep, I’m posting a lot of videos and a lot of MMO-related stuff right now. That’s in part because I’m too overwhelmed with life at the moment (sometimes positively, sometimes not) to be very deep.

So: if you’re familiar with the politics of loot distribution in high-level World of Warcraft raiding, you might find this as funny as I did. Otherwise, probably not.

Any Way The Wind Blows

I’m not saying this video is perfect in execution, but it kept on making me crack a smile, and for that I’ll give it points:

Muppet Bohemian Rhapsody

Ahhwoooooo!

Here’s my little bit of happy for the evening, and it goes out to all my lichen lycan friends out there. It’s a WoW video, yes, but I suspect it works pretty well even if one’s not steeped in the lore of Azeroth.

For I Toss And Turn, Can’t Sleep At Night

Oh, wow. Bet you haven’t heard 1981’s “Tainted Love” covered in quite this manner…

I’m hitting iTunes – if this guy has an album, I want it. If only he’d cover “Girls On Film”…

Brief updates

• 10:42 News is that the house contract is almost done and we can overnight it to the sellers in the next couple of days. Please let this all work. #
• 13:14 For the Interstella 5555 fans, a great Daily Costume pic of the Crescendolls: dailycostume.com/archive/greenabsence/ #

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