Arts blogging

Scott Andrew LePera writes: I was going to write something here about how more indie artists should keep weblogs, but I’ll save that for later. I’ll take that ball. I know of a few musicians (mostly indie, but with a few exceptions) who keep diaries, although only Emm Gryner actually writes in hers regularly. (I can’t speak for the timeliness of Dayna Manning‘s diary, because hers is inside a Flash 6 app that I can’t view.) Lenni Jabour actually keeps two (sort of), and if you’ve read either you’ve gotten a perfect insight into her performances and personality.

For the most part, though, I agree with Scott: more artists–of all kinds–should keep weblogs. My reasons are slightly different, though: they’re completely selfish. These people are interesting, and I want to know more about them; if someone else discovers them because of their online presence, it’s all the better (but it’s really just about me).

Ferinstance. Based on his e-mail, I’d love to read a blog by local playwright and actor Jayson McDonald; his cohort, Jeff Culbert, runs Theatre in London, and I’m sure he’d write a good one himself (and, better yet, be able to host a common blog area on his site). Any or all of the Sirens should, and Pete and Andrea of Double Whammy/Anderson Briefcase, and my sister’s boyfriend Chris (of Lost Relics).

Heck, even people I work with blog, or are thinking about doing so, and I read them too. (We’re not a particularly social company.) I’m probably (probably? ha!) the least interesting of the bunch, what with all of the tech stuff I post here that’s nominally work-related, but at least I make up for it in quantity.

Day of the Dead Frogs

Apparently today is All Saints’ Day. I’ve always known that Hallowe’en was an abbreviation of All Hallows’ Even, but understood the modern version to be essentially All Souls’ Eve, or the night before All Souls’ Day. As it turns out, All Souls’ Day is tomorrow. (My friend Murray Watson, former Reach for the Top teammate and current Catholic priest, would be so disappointed in me.)

How Stuff Works has lots of other interesting facts about this time of the year, although they don’t mention that All Souls’ Day is also known as the Day of the Dead.

An interesting tangent to this is the word calaveras, which refers to poetic living obituaries of jovial or satirical tone… making Calaveras County, California the perfect setting for Mark Twain’s first book.

Leaping off from there (sorry), it’s natural that Angels Camp, CA (aka Frogtown) would host an annual Jumping Frog Jubilee, but why does the local small town of Ailsa Craig, Ontario, have turtle races (and why are there no useful links for the town or the event)?