Borrowed Lyrics and References

Friday night, while my husband was cooking dinner, we were watching an Oasis DVD. My husband began by selecting my favourite Oasis song...Don't Look Back in Anger.

I was debating whether I would ever see Oasis live, having missed the Virgin Festival from last year. I was saying that seeing them sing DLBIA live would be worth it...until the crowd was doing most of the singing in the chorus. I figured I wouldn't want to pay a lot of money to go listen to a crowd sing. But I was quite enjoying seeing them perform.

Being the multi-tasker that I am, while watching the DVD, I was also checking Twitter for any interesting tidbits when I saw someone mention that Oasis will never be the same. They were breaking up. I tried to go to their site (to confirm) - should I really trust Twitter with news? - but I couldn't log on to their site. I googled Oasis news and read an article quoting Liam's wife saying that they would never break up. So I let the matter go, until the next morning, when I saw in the news that Noel did confirm on their website that he had left the group.

So in honour of Oasis...I figured it was a good time to reveal my list of borrowed lyrics because two of my favourites are borrowed from Oasis. When I say "borrowed", sometimes it's intended and other times not.

What's the story morning glory
I feel so low and worthless
(It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry by Glasvegas
borrowed from (What's The Story) Morning Glory by Oasis)

The radio is playing all the usual
What's a Wonderwall anyway?
(Writing to Reach You by Travis
borrowed from Wonderwall by Oasis)

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
(The Saints are Coming by Green Day and U2 (cover of The Skids' song)
borrowed from House of the Rising Sun by The Animals

Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
(All Summer Long by Kid Rock
borrowed from Sweet Home Alabama by Lynard Skynard)

And he told Roxanne to put on her red light
(When The Sun Goes Down by Arctic Monkeys
borrowed from Roxanne by Sting)

Let the love tear us apart
I found the cure for a broken heart
(Let's Dance to Joy Division by The Wombats
borrowed from Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division)

How far will you go?
How deep is your love?
(Can't Stop the World by Gavin Rossdale
borrowed from How Deep is Your Love by The Bee Gees)

We live in a wheel
Where everyone steals
But when we rise it's like strawberry fields
(Glycerine by Bush
borrowed from Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles)

Baby I was born to run
I won't be back to kiss you goodnight
(I Won't Be Back by Daniel Powter
borrowed from Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen)

I miss my wife and family
(Frontline by Gavin Rossdale
borrowed from Rocket Man by Elton John)

And I know that it's a wonderful world
But I can't feel it right now
(Wonderful World by James Morrison
borrowed from Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong)

There we were dying of frustration
Saying, "Lord lead me not into temptation"
(Yes by Coldplay
borrowed from The Bible)

Thinking of you

I ran out for a very late lunch break today and while passing through Atrium on Bay, my good friend DA popped into my head as he works in the building and I hadn't seen him for a long time. I run back across the street to return to the office and I get a tap on the shoulder and there's DA. We had a nice catch-up and promised to get together soon. The power of thinking of friends.

The cottage dream

I drove up to Muskoka this past weekend to pick up my son from camp. Whenever I'm driving back from this beautiful part of Ontario, or just passing through, or even after short visits, I have a very strong feeling that I want a cottage for me and the family. But it's not just a cottage that fills my dreamy head, it's the water, the dock, the boat, the whole shabang. There is just something relaxing about being close to water, maybe it's the sounds, or even the smell, but it's definitely how clean lake water feels on your feet, or as it cools you down with a summer swim. I love how tired you get when you're at the cottage, it's all that fresh air in your lungs, the sun still warm on your skin, your face weathered from the boat ride.

I truly think that Muskoka is one the Ontario's best assets, the water is clean and deep, the shorelines are rocky and dramatic and mostly free of weeds. There are many lakes or varying sizes (but none too big) and every one of their bays is unique. If you can afford a a property, they are spread out, strategically situated for lake and sun angles. The cottages are large with separate guest and boat houses. A Muskoka chair adorns almost every deck. Muskoka is a true outdoors escape just a few hours drive from Canada's largest metropolis. If a vistor to Ontario was to ask what the most beautiful and truly Canadian thing to see was - I'd say Muskoka.

But this is where the dream luckily ends. I've been able to create a nice little argument against the idea of a cottage. First, the traffic. A normal drive from Toronto to Barrie (half way to Muskoka) is about an hour; on Saturday morning (of the long weekend), it took me two and a half hours to get to Barrie. It was bumper to bumper for almost 100kms with only an occasional (and very dangerous) speed up break. People often say the Friday traffic is terrible and I've been caught in Sunday drive home traffic too. Net, the traffic to and from Muskoka around and on the weekends is very bad. Second, money. Ok, obvious I know, but lets peel back a few layers. A cottage is a second home and it would require just as much maintenance and maybe more over the years. It takes a lot of my energy to destroy my city home, do I have the time (no) or money to pay someone to do all the work on a cottage. Plus, contractors and trades are known to be more expensive in prime cottage country. Then there's the furnishing costs, I'd surely want most of the comforts of home in my new cottage, incl. an adequate entertainment system and a decent kitchen. Toys - well that can get expensive, from additional bikes to the highly desirable ski boat. And last of course, is the cottage itself, better-than-the-city size and parking (guests welcome), waterfront with dock and a deck with a view. I hate to be a snob, but what good would a small shack in a field within "walking" distance to the lake be ? If I'm going to have a cottage, it has to fit the dream. But I'm afraid, that picture is just too costly for this dude.

My Mom's crazed namesake

I was rather shocked to see my Mom's name (under a picture of a smirky 43 year old Wisconsin woman) on the front page of the Metro today. My Mom's namesake had been involved in a bizarre lover's quadrangle resulting in a rather humiliating outburst of female revenge on their lover. Come to think of it, my cousin shares my Mom's name and is much closer in age and looks to the crazy lady ! A rather unsettling coincidence.