Monkey with a tin cup

This month’s monkey – “Tell us something weird about yourself that involves music.” Ah, where do I begin?
As many monkeyers have confessed, I too find myself tormented by songs that are not necessarily on my top 100, shall we say. For instance, last week’s radio-in-my-brain song was I Think I Love You by the Partridge Family.
But here’s the weird part – not only are these RIMB songs more often than not terrible, terrible songs, they are also incomplete.
I find this particularly annoying because I usually have a really good ear for lyrics, so I can listen to a song once or twice and then sing along loudly- but correctly – each and every time the song is played on the radio (not the brain radio). But the RIMB songs, the ones I don’t actually like, are not songs I’ve really listened to, given that I don’t like them. So last week, for instance, my brain radio played the following:
I think I love you
So what am I so afraid of


da da da, a love there is no cure… for(?)

I think I love you

(repeat)
My other musical confession* is that I like pop and disco. Abba. Blondie. Shania. Now, granted, I’m sure there are plenty of closet pop fans out there – but beat this:
In college, I had a friend who I used to invite over so we could dance. Just the two of us. To Madonna’s Immaculate Collection. Get into the groove, boy.
I knew it was wrong. I even planned our rendezvous around my then-boyfriend’s schedule, to ensure we were never discovered. Oh, the shame.
*Spanish Inquisition – the Musical!

Are you there, God? It’s me, Maggie.

Please get the following out of my head:
I think I love you
So what am I so afraid of?
I’m afraid that I’m not sure of
A love there is no cure for
I think I love you
Isn’t that what life is made of?
Though it worries me to say
I’ve never felt this way

It’s been several days now, and I’m thisclose to getting on ebay to find a David Cassidy poster. Help!

Go !

Athens is not going to be a landmark Olympics for us, but we’re chugging along, with seven medals so far, and more to come.
Perdita Felicien, after running so well in the preliminary and semi-finals, fell in the final of the women’s 100m hurdles. Felicien was expected to win, so the miss is heartbreaking – but the outpouring of support for Perdita is beautiful, and makes me a thousand times more proud than the medal would have.

Back at work (or something like it)

First day of school. Three classes, each the usual first-day abbreviated version. I know, I know, it’s a rough life, but some one has to shape the leaders of tomorrow – or at least their speechwriters.
Highlight of the day: I made everyone in my second-year course explain why they chose this course (Canadian Women Writers). One student said “because everyone said you’re an awesome teacher.”
And everyone must be right – there are 10 students in that class who are with me for the second or third time. So either there is an interestingly high number of masochists in our student body, or they like me, they really like me.
😀

GOLD!

Kyle Shewfelt has just won Canada’s first ever medal in men’s gymnastics.
Update: Montrealer Chantal Petitclerc has also won gold, setting an Olympic record in the 800-metre wheelchair race. The medal doesn’t count toward the Canadian tally, because the race is a demonstration event. But woohoo!! nonetheless!