Christmas is only 53 days away! Canadians have already celebrated Thanksgiving, and Hallowe’en is gone, but we don’t have to wait until December 25 to have a good party.
Today is National Plan Your Epitaph Day. I know that because I read it on the Mental Floss blog of 15 Offbeat Holidays You Can Celebrate in November.
Tomorrow is Sadie Hawkins Day… remember that from high school? The girls could ask the guys to the dance, and the dress was casual… denim was allowed.
Then on November 4, we can celebrate King Tut day!
Just about every date on the calendar can be celebrated for something… not even counting saint’s days. It is not a bad idea to think about your epitaph… or whether you want one. Or to remember the insane quandary of identifying… so early in the school year… the boy you most wanted to date. And I have always been fascinated by Egyptian antiquities, the story of Carter and Carnarvon, the wonderful novels by Elizabeth Peters and Wilbur Smith.
On National saxophone Day (Nov 6) I will listen to the incomparable Jay White play Laura or Freddy Gardner play I’m in the Mood for Love (do listen… there is nothing like this being recorded to-day!) Jimmy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, Bennie Goodman, and… the list goes on and on. Bill Clinton played the saxophone, as did my husband! Did you ever watch Benny Hill, with the hilarious chase scenes at the end of each show? Once you hear his Yakkety Sax theme, it will stay with you for hours.
Other days celebrate using less stuff, listening and thanking teachers, and appreciating toilets! There is even a day dedicated to cleaning out your refrigerator. Is this an annual event? By November 15 I may actually have a refrigerator again… that is the week my new kitchen is supposed to be finished. Cleaning out a brand new fridge… now that is something to celebrate.
Even a list as silly as this one can provide great amusement if you are curious and willing to spend a few minutes searching Google or YouTube. I can’t remember the last time I listened to jazz saxophone… it has enriched my day.
Here is the extraordinary video of Guns and Roses playing Novemer Rain. It is worth reading the story in Wikipedia of all that went into making it!
November Rain by Guns N’ Roses
From the album “Use Your Illusion”(1991)
Lyrics:
When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darling when I hold you
Don’t you know I feel the same, yeah
Nothing lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it’s hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
We’ve been through this such a long long time
Just trying to kill the pain, Ooh yeah
But lovers always come and lovers always go
And no one’s really sure who’s letting go today
Walking away
If we could take the time to lay it on the line
I could rest my head
Just knowing that you were mine
All mine
So if you want to love me
then darling don’t refrain
Or I’ll just end up walking
In the cold November rain
Do you need some time…on your own
Do you need some time…all alone
Ooh, Everybody needs some time…on their own
Ooh, Don’t you know you need some time…all alone
I know it’s hard to keep an open heart
When even friends seem out to harm you
But if you could heal a broken heart
Wouldn’t time be out to charm you
Sometimes I need some time…on my own
Sometimes I need some time…all alone
Ooh, Everybody needs some time…on their own
Ooh, Don’t you know you need some time…all alone
And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain, Oh yeah
I know that you can love me
When there’s no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
Nothing lasts forever
Even cold November rain
You’re not the only one
You’re not the only one
Don’t ya think that you need somebody
Don’t ya think that you need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You’re not the only one
You’re not the only one
Don’t ya think that you need somebody
Don’t ya think that you need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You’re not the only one
You’re not the only one
Don’t ya think that you need somebody
Don’t ya think that you need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You’re not the only one
You’re not the only one
Don’t ya think that you need somebody
Don’t ya think that you need someone
Everybody needs somebody
Invest Me in My Motley 
Holy sh*t Motley D, LOL. Weren’t you supposed to be, like, a retired teacher or something? Since when do you listen to GnR? (Maybe ripping out your kitcen has given you an . . . appetite for destruction, nyuknyuknyuk.)
You’ll have to do Sweet Child o’ Mine for Christmas.
Or does a principled commitment to positive atheism preclude celebrating the Infant Jesus stuff even in an ironic way? hmm . . .
Where do we go now?
Thanks for setting the record straight. When I remembered that there was a song about November rain and looked it up, the Wikipedia article about the song didn’t say anything about social dysfunction and bad behaviour.
Now I have looked up the article about the band itself… no wonder I have shocked you, faithful reader… I am shocked myself!
“Guns N’ Roses have been credited with reviving the mainstream popularity of rock music, at a time when popular music was dominated by dance music and pop metal. Their late 1980s and early 1990s years have been described as the period in which they brought forth a “hedonistic rebelliousness” reminiscent of the early Rolling Stones, ] a reputation that had earned them the nickname “The Most Dangerous Band in the World”.
(from the Wikipedia article about the band,)
Nonetheless, I like the song.
Is it possible to separate the art from the artist? I talked about this in one of my earliest blogs, Jan 8… Shakespeare: Thug and Gangster?
Is there a double standard at play when we accept the “art” for aesthetic reasons, and condemn the “artist” on moral or ethical grounds? Or do we censor based only on the art? Should even this be tolerated?
CB, you seem to know about this? What do you think?
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