Ode to Joy (Muppet Show)

You asked for it. (Also viewable in Real Player and iTunes and available directly at YouTube.)

--Judy

12 Days of Christmas (Straight No Chaser)

I've opened this in Real Player and iTunes. Of course, you can go directly to YouTube.

Enjoy--Judy

Quote of the day:

"Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit."

I am so glad Steve is back! I really missed all of you and it is so nice to be together again. And if we haven't seen you at Reflections yet - get your ass down there! (see quote above) xo

stupid zoo people

You'd think the polar bears are in enough trouble, with the polar cap melting. But here's another reason their numbers are shrinking

ZOO SOLVES MYSTERY OF CELIBATE POLAR BEARS

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Puzzled zookeepers in northern Japan have discovered the reason why their attempts to mate two polar bears kept failing: Both are female.


A 4-year-old polar bear sent to impregnate a female polar bear at a zoo in Kushiro was found to be female as well.

The municipal zoo in the city of Kushiro in Hokkaido brought in a polar bear cub three years ago. They named it Tsuyoshi, after the popular baseball outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo, and waited until it reached reproductive age.

In June, the zoo introduced Tsuyoshi to its resident bear, an 11-year-old female named Kurumi, and waited for sparks to fly.

But much to the disappointment of zookeepers, Tsuyoshi never made any amorous advances toward Kurumi.

Earlier this month, zookeepers put Tsuyoshi under anesthesia to get to the bottom of the matter. That's when they made their discovery: Tsuyoshi is a female.

Still, the Kushiro zoo plans to keep Tsuyoshi because he -- or rather, she -- has become immensely popular with visitors.

"I have rather mixed feelings, given the need for breeding, but Tsuyoshi is an idol for Kushiro," Yoshio Yamaguchi, head of the Kushiro zoo, told Japan's Kyodo news agency.

Tsuyoshi will even keep her name.

"We will not be changing it to 'Tsuyoko' since it is loved by citizens (by the current name)," Yamaguchi said.

"Ko" is a common suffix for a Japanese female name.

Meanwhile, Tsuyoshi's "brother," who was adopted by another zoo, has also turned out to be female, Kyodo

Something moronic, but funny.

This is for the girls who haven't already seen it, especially Dawn, Diane, and Theresa!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt9lErsLafw

Some people are just idiots!!!!

We're almost there!

We have almost reached the end of our Time without Steve (TWOS). I want to get it out there on the Blog that we need to start planning our soon-to-be TWS! (You can figure that one out for yourselves.) Would Thanksgiving weekend be too soon? And where? And will he even be available? Or will he OD on Triptophan (sp?) and sleep away the weekend? Or will the reversal of his toilet flush cause him too much consternation to play? So many questions. . . . absolutely no answers. But I just had to get it out there!

I mss you all!!!!!
xx Marianne

Thank You Nan

Hello Nan --

This is terrific ! I once tried to google up Cruise Reviews or Cruise Critics or whatever, to find some positive feedback on me. Never found anything.

So I’ve never seen this stuff before, and it’s very gratifying. Also, I can use it in future promos for myself.

Maybe not the photo. It’s a fine picture of a gin&tonic, but that’s about it.

Thanks so much for this Nan. See you soon.

Views of Steve

Hi folks -- I won a cruise (a soaps cruise for 2 out of Miami in January) that I will be doing with my daughter who conveniently lives in Miami Beach, so I have been doing research on cruising -- I've never been on one.
After checking out my own ship, the Celebrity Century, I moved on to see if I could find some mention of our favorite bar pianist, and lo and behold, here they are. I did not have to delete any negative posts because there weren't any. And you can see that criticism is there if warranted.
So here are some reviews from those that are taking our place now that he is gone.
Nance

Carolyn wrote
I enjoyed the nights at the Piano Bar, which I had never frequented before. Our host was Stephen Lynch who made everyone feel at home, remembered everyone's name, and knew every song (music and words) that anyone had ever known. It was a interesting and a great way to develop relationships with other passengers. Thanks Steve.

somebody else wrote...
Nov 22 - Cabo San Lucas - Thanksgiving Day
I forgot to tell you that last evening we also went back to the Piano Bar to have an evening cordial. Steve really tries to get everyone involved. Every evening from 9:30 - 10:30 he has a Name That Tune Contest. People are divided into groups of 4. The group that gets the most number of songs correct wins a free round of drinks

Posted by Krazy Kruizers
That is because Steve Lynch is at the Piano Bar!!
He was on our 23 day Ryndam cruise -- he is great!!

sail7seas said
He does seem popular but not all entertainment on Maasdam would be called 'great'.
-------------
dvdfreakmc aka Peter, w/ Susan, Cameron and Werin wrote:
The band on board was great and the Crow's Nest we enjoyed, and we can't say enough about the piano bar and Steve, so we had a great time, but for a guy and gal whom regularly enjoy seeing broadway shows we found the main lounge entertainment disappointing.
...then moved to the Piano Bar with Steve for Sing along 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s songs. What fun. There were already "regulars" there, so we joined in, and closed down the Piano Bar every night after that. So much fun and something that we haven't found at home.
...then heading out to sing our hearts out with Steve at the Piano Bar. It went like this for the rest of the cruise, with locations for eating mixing it up a bit.

Steve himself and his groupies (taking our place). Hopefully you can see the picture larger or go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49079&l=813d4&id=648466808 and check out the last two pix.


________________
Many Cruises wrote
The entertainment on the ship was wonderful. The singers and dancers were probably the best group of young talent that we have ever seen on a cruise. In the Rembrandt Theater, they had a great Australian singer named Annie Frances & also Danny Storts (comedian) who we thought was very funny. There was also another comedian, Jeff Bradley, who was a little too corny for our tastes. We did go to all the lounges and enjoyed the entertainment there too. The Ocean Bar had Christopher at the Piano (show tunes) and a group called Deep Blue (Latin & Popular Music)...they were both fantastic! The Explorer's Lounge had the Palmira Strings (classical music) and the Piano Bar had Steve Lynch (sing-a-longs). They were all very good. All in all, the Maasdam had a great group of entertainers during our cruise!

reading material for the week-end

I realize that this site is hardly the right venue for this kind of thing.

Nevertheless hopefully you will want to accept this as a humble offer, not an arrogant imposition.

Should these words facilitate a modicum of introspection or open a dialogue with a person you respect or love, I will have accomplished my goal.

If not I apologize for having wasted your time and this cyber-space.
Peace.


Letter to my Landlady

There are people who believe that those who, like me, live in this great and wonderful project, but were not born in it, should just count their blessings, keep their nose to the grindstone, pay the rent, and shut up.
If this happens to be your conviction, please read no further.

I have truly learned to like, even love, what I have seen of this fifty units co-op complex; and a great many of its inhabitants. More than forty years ago I fell in love almost at first sight with the vast natural beauty, freedoms and bounties of this large community; but my affection for its people has been more of an acquired taste. Yet, with time, I have come to understand that, without its occupants, this would be just another of the many beautiful, yet often inhospitable or sterile parcels of real estate found around our planet.

It is because of its people that the concept of the United States of America came into existence.
It evolved and survives to this day because, and sometime despite, of all of those who live in this land, be they denizens by natural birthright or cultural inheritance, descendants of freemen, first generation lien holders, long-term tenants like myself, or even transients and squatters.

Arguably America is still the best, brightest and most efficient actualization and expression of democracy since the introduction of that experiment to the human race less than three millennia ago in Greece.

Yet some people earnestly fear that Americans, possibly without realizing it, could squander this hard earned, priceless achievement as easily and even more rapidly than they have depleted many of the natural resources bestowed upon them.
I too share this fear.

Particularly in the last few years and (inexplicably to me) at a time when calm, harmony and common sense would have so well served the Country, it has been impossible to ignore the increasing manifestations of domestic polarization, animosity and intolerance.

Lest our then justified individual and collective fears and anxieties be quelled by calls for calm and unity of purpose, they were instead actively fomented, manipulated and exploited by unscrupulous and/or dimwitted leaders, organizations and individuals. At all levels of politics and in most of the media, earnest, thoughtful debate has long since degenerated into a quagmire of shallow ideological cesspools in which mercenary “experts” fight against wannabe “pundits”, over often fabricated non-issues with less elegance and actual topical knowledge than that found among mud wrestling contestants.
Particularly in the case of that most popularly venerated instrument of current knowledge, television, the attention and understanding required of the audience by most reporting, commentaries and info-bytes is far less than that required by the commercials.

Most attempts to criticize, question, offer an alternate perspective or simply understand better an opposing point of view or opinion are likely to be instantly labeled and classified as unpatriotic, treasonous, seditious, reactionary, arrogant, pretentious, elitist, communist or fascist.
More and more frequently we succumb to the natural tendency to perceive things as black or white, right or wrong, friendly or inimical and using outdated, inaccurate, simplistic labels.
In today’s world, mostly because of the advances in technology, education and knowledge, the already many shades of gray are increasing at exponential speed. Paradoxically, the difference between fact and fiction, perception and reality, even good and evil are becoming harder to discern and define as time goes by.
It is as if, unwilling or unable to face and answer the challenges created by our own progress, many of us, perhaps unwittingly at first, revert to tribal behavior and to reactions seemingly driven more by animal instinct than by our supposedly superior intellect.
Is this undesirable behavioral trend neutralized or exacerbated by the surrounding vast desert of indifference, apathy, ignorance and intellectual laziness? Surely this question could be in itself reason for controversy and debate. Possibly the tumbleweeds that always allow themselves to be blown in the direction of the prevailing winds are utterly inconsequential, in the greater scheme of things.

Be as it may, I fear that “We the people” is more than ever in danger of becoming a chaotic, virulent mob of “I” and “Us” versus the often ill defined and always evanescent “Them”.

I know that many of you believe that such a catastrophic eventuality is unthinkable in America.
Probably and hopefully you are right.
Allow me, however, two questions. - How many of you would have believed, only five or ten years ago, that the global financial world would come as close to collapsing as it recently did?
And: - do you think it is possible that, among the many contributing factors, a significant one could be the excessive greed, ambition and dishonesty of a few, compounded with the indifference, apathy, ignorance and intellectual laziness of the many?
We are yet to fully understand to which extent and for how long this “unforeseeable” event will affect all of us. However, there seems to be an almost universal agreement that these events came fearfully close to disproving the theory that supposes a species will never act against its own instinct of self-preservation.

It is because of these serious apprehensions that I respectfully ask, humbly beg, strongly suggest, vehemently exhort or fervently hope (you choose the form that best fits our relation) that we pay much closer attention to the reactions and the emotions following November 4th than we did to those that preceded it. Beginning first and foremost with our own.
If it is true that we cannot be held accountable for all the events in our life, it is equally true that we are responsible for how we react to them.

And so, perhaps we may want to worry less about which candidate will win on November 4th.
Fortunately, and the regardless of the promises, the future of this Country is still not solely in the hands of one man.
Hopefully that is not what some of us secretly yearn for.

To my beloved Landlady, America:

“Beware the Nones of November.” (*)

Peace.

Gianni M.Lovato
Huntington, NY
October 30, 2008


(*) fifth day of November in the Roman calendar. (Plagiarized without W. Shakespeare's permission)

Irish Coffee Pub

And a good time was had by all...

... a little mid-week frolicking at the Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip.

Booker, the local piano man, is an old acquaintance of Steve, soooo: no we didn't feel like we were cuckolding him.

Lots of reminiscing, some humming, a few attempts at chords, but mostly it was an excuse to get together with Bobby Foerscht and Bill McConnell, whom we hadn't seen in a while.

They said hello to all Swagettes and Swagoonies and, as you can see for yourselves, they look terrific. I wish I knew what their secret for staying young is, don't you?

I couldn't wait for all of you to meet...

my new main squeeze. We met on a trip to Salem, Mass. and I found I couldn't resist his rugged good looks and lean, mean physique. Though a tad dark and brooding, he seems to have that certain something, don't you think??!!

Happy Halloween Everybody!!

the other Stephen Lynch

Hi Gianni and other ex-Swags (rhymes with ex-Lax?)

I’m hoping that you folks managed to rendezvous with Bill and Bobbie. (Freudian slip -- I frequently type “Boobie” when attempting to type “Bobbie” -- but don’t tell her that)

Back at ASCAP, where people in my Dept were typing in song titles all day long, one day I accidentally typed in “My Favorite Thighs” instead of “My Favorite Things”. One person told it simply had to do with the proximity of n, g, and h on the keyboard, that was just a typing error. I’ll neber knoe.

There’s an old guy named Booker that plays there on Wednesday nights, and Bill and Boobie, er Bobbie are quite close with him now. He’s retired from the school system after many decades teaching music. If I recall correctly, he does not sing, so there’s a void there that needs to be filled.

As some of you may know, I have a namesake, a young guitarist/songwriter/comic named Stephen Lynch who has a large fan base. I first heard of him quite a few years ago, and to this day people approach me asking me if I’m his father. One of these days I’ll play a practical joke and tell them that I AM his father, and tell a bunch of ridiculous stories about how he was as a kid. This should eventually elicit an angry communication from the other Stephen Lynch, asking me to cease and desist from the bogus father thing. But it’ll really be worth the laugh I think.

I saw my niece Eileen in Singapore on 10/22 -- this date marked the halfway point of this voyage. Australia next.

Tourguide Steve in Vietnam

Steve, I'm late in reading those "Shipnotes" about you being a Tourguide, but I was cracking up reading your take on what seemed to be a really annoying situation. In my mind, and in your impatience with the old folks (c'mon now, we all lose it with them, even though we may be needing a Jazzy Chair (Lord unwilling) someday. Eating frog and paying "dong"---I was laughing so hard, because I was picturing you losing it with these people, in the "steambath" Sounded like a drag.....Miss ya! Thanks for the laugh--Do you want to see Tina Turner? Noone else does!

... Autumn in New York ... one can write about it, sing about it, and even take pictures of it, but there is nothing like being there! (upstate New York)

Steve, these are mostly for you, so you can get even better inspired the next time you sing the song on the boat.

The birdmen of Hong Kong

When I read the post by Steve on "Ship Notes" about the birdmen in Honk Kong, I couldn't quite figure out why something about it rang a bell, since I have never been to China.

It took me a while, but eventually I found out why.
Steve didn't have to take a slow boat to China to see the birdmen. All he had to do was take a stroll down Delancey Street in New York City!

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901E5DF113BF931A35755C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

(to be honest I think that the ones I saw were somewhere in Flushing) Still....

...New York - New York! - it's a wonderful town...

Especially Central Park in the Fall.

A Wonderful Show

I just came from a terrific show at Huntington High School. The Island Hills Chorus presented "Forever Island Hills" and treated their audience to an array of music to please even the most hard to please. Many of the tunes were reminiscent of our own lyrical get togethers. Marie, Judy A. and Judy G. were in their chorus glory and their faces beamed as they sang and moved to the rhythms. It was a real treat for a Sunday afternoon. Thank you, Ladies!

Oh yes you can blog, lil sister

Hi lil sister, Gianni, and Ex-Swags (rhymes with Ex-lax?)

Yes you can blog, and you just DID -- in your statement below, ironically saying that you CAN’T blog.

Kinda like that word trick when you say “I always tell lies”. So you always tell lies, then the statement “I always tell lies” would be included in your lies. But if “I always tell lies” is in itself a lie, then….well, you know what I mean. There was an episode of Star Trek in which Mr Spock disabled and fried a thinking-speaking robot guy just by telling him “I always tell lies”. The smoke was coming out of the robot’s ears, it was pretty cool.


I’m hoping that you folks managed to rendezvous with Bill and Bobbie. (Freudian slip -- I frequently type “Boobie” when attempting to type “Bobbie” -- but don’t tell her that)

Another Freudian slip -- Back at ASCAP, where people in my Dept were typing in song titles all day long, one day I accidentally typed in “My Favorite Thighs” instead of “My Favorite Things”. One person told me it simply had to do with the proximity of n, g, and h on the keyboard, that was just a typing error. I’ll neber knoe.

There’s a senior gentleman named Booker that plays at the Irish Coffee House on Wednesday nights, and Bill and Boobie, er Bobbie are quite close with him now. He’s retired from the school system after many decades teaching music. If I recall correctly, he does not sing, so perhaps there’s a void there that needs to be filled. On one occasion Jean Cooper was there along with Jack and Diane, and Booker provided much for them to chime in with.

As some of you may know, I have a namesake, a young guitarist/songwriter/comic named Stephen Lynch who has a large fan base. I first heard of him quite a few years ago, when people started showing me his name in the paper. I’m old enough to be the guy’s father, and I’m thinking one of these days I’ll play a practical joke and tell people I AM his father, and tell a bunch of ridiculous stories about how he was as a kid. This should eventually elicit an angry communication from the other Stephen Lynch, asking me to cease and desist from the bogus father thing. But it might be worth the laugh.

But recently, for the fun of it, I went to Google and typed in “SHIP NOTES Stephen Lynch” and was given a list of Stephen Lynch items to browse through. Most of them were the Other Guy and his Cds and hit songs and whatever, but there amongst it all was an item from THIS Stephen Lynch, with a link to the blog. Something fun about that.

Anybody with any suggestions about where I could gig back on Long Island (besides “Reflections”) I’m all ears. Be well gang, C U soon

I can't blog

I am absolutely a technologically impaired blogger. I doubt that this message will go through either. Is it just me? I can't get anything out there. Supposedly my password expired, and so, once renewed, it still ain't happening. I've read alot of stuff, seen some cool pictures, etc. So, hello to all, and if anyone is interested in seeing Tina Turner on 12/4 at Nassau Coliseum, let me know. Love to all. Theresa

Where Is Everybody???

Hi! So where is everybody?

I was thinking...it's been a long time since we've seen Mr. Bill and I'd love to take a ride to the Irish Coffee (Pub?, House?) one of these Wednesday evenings, when he and Bobbie go there for dinner and some enjoyable piano entertainment. Is anybody else up for that?

Waiting to hear,
Dawn

Of hot coffee and eating sneakers.

If you haven't done so already make sure to go & check out the last "ship notes" from Steve,
They'll give you a good chuckle.

You'll Be Sorry...

What do you call a cow with no legs?
Ground Beef!!

Which astronaut wore the biggest helmet?
The one with the biggest head!!

Well, I had to start with something. No promises, but I'll try to do better next time. Hi there everybody! I sure am looking forward to meeting here with all of you from time to time. Thanks, Gianni and Marianne-this should be fun.

Talk to you soon,
Dawn

Our own blog

Hello folks. This is Gianni (as in Peggy & Gianni).
I just got the implicit approval of our beloved Steve to hijack his mailing list to and (to quote him) "get in your face" about the new blog Marianne so kindly set up for ALL OF US to use. http://swagettes.blogspot.com/ This site does NOT- repeat: NOT - REPLACE Steve's own ship journal formerly called "The Swagette gazzette" and now re-named "Ship Notes" http://pianomansteve.blogspot.com/search?q= which, incidentally has a couple of interesting recent entries, in case you missed them. The reason why I asked Marianne to set us up with this new Cybertoy, was mainly so that we would not "pollute" Steve's own, more professional website.
Until I got Steve's OK I had been hesitant to publicize the blogspot through his mailing list, now I beg you to help us expand it by adding any names that I might be missing (my list is kind of old). For those who might feel slighted for not having known about this from the very beginning: you can unleash your wrath on me and also blame Marianne, who set this thing up even before the hangover from Dawn's terrific "hurricane party" had completely cleared.You can also blame me for my lack of dexterity with this kind of thing. Do you think I really know how to "invite" people to be authors? think again! (help Marianne!!)
Anyway: besides pirating Steve's idea of a blogsite, I would also like to eventually steal Dawn's name for the Swagman and eventually apply it to our blog site, with a minor variation: I was thinking of naming it "the cyber-Sandbox ". Anybody seconds the idea? Anybody has a better one?
Please keep in mind that if you do not feel confident enough using the blog, I'll be more than willing to help you out to the extend of my limited capabilities. Past that, I am quite sure that Marianne will be willing to help with her much stronger expertise.
Why not starting by visiting and throwing in your comments to what's already there? I am sure you will find that easy enough. Above all: please keeep in mind that this is NOT Gianni's or Marianne's site. It is FOR and BY the Swaggettes and Swagoonies. Old, new and yet to come. Nothing will replace one good night at the Swagman and even the various palliative venues and scattered Steve gigs are hard to forget,and replace, but ...hey this can be fun too if we all join in.Take it from a professional "hummer": as long as Steve is within earshoti it will be fun!And, as you can see from visiting the blog, he's right in there with us. Just using his fingers on an altogether different keyboard, that's all. Peace.

Hakodate Hello

Back in January 1988 I had a chance to go to Japan on a gig, or so I thought. At the time I was in Los Angeles, looking to get out of a trio gig I’d started to hate. My personal life, finances, and a lot of other things sucked at the time, and I was open to the idea of a road gig.

I’d given a promo tape to a booking agent, he had talked promisingly about a Japan gig.

Then he talked a little less promisingly about it, seemed to be procrastinating. As much as I wanted the Japan gig, another gig (9 months -- entire 1988 season with a circus) was offered to me, and I had to take it soon or not take it at all. The circus gig, with its wacky flavor and interesting itinerary, was almost as appealing to me as the Japan possibility. The money was good, I was way behind on my bills. I finally grabbed the circus gig after holding off until the last minute.

A year later, I’d done the 9-month circus gig, relocated to New York, was about to start working at ASCAP. Over the years I thought about the Japan gig. Would the guy have come up with the gig if I’d waited a little longer? One of those woulda-coulda-shoulda things. Well I think this angst will dissolve as I look out on the town of Hakodate tomorrow. It’ll be nice to get that monkey off my back.

This a weird way to make a first entry on Gianni’s blog. But yesterday the “Swaggette Gazette” became “SHIP NOTES” -- more directed at people in general. So Gianni you’re now the keeper of the Swaggette blog.

Ah the Jolly Swagman. Who woulda thought the gig was so difficult to replace? I really tried to replace that gig. Even on a bad night we’d have 20+ people, on a good night it was 40+.

But the friendships remain, and one would think that a user-friendly vehicle like a blog could help us all hook up. So in that spirit I will say HI to Marianne and Gianni and whoever else is tuning in. Gianni -- I think people will have to be told more than once about the blog. Get in their face. Once they get in the swing of it, it should be a lot of fun.

Been way too quiet in here

I got these in the mail today and actually laughed out loud. Warning - they are a bit dirty - what else would you expect from me?
The September 18 issue of Rolling Stone includes a cover story titled “What’s So Funny?” which includes interviews with many comedians, and includes the following favorite jokes:

Robin Williams
A guy is having sex with his wife. All of a sudden, he looks over, and there in the doorway is his son, about eight years old. Kid looks horrified, and the kid runs away. The guy says to his wife, “Well, I’d better talk to Timmy.” He puts on his clothes and goes to Timmy’s room. He opens the door, and there’s Timmy nailing Grandma. The father goes, “Oh, my God!” And the kid goes, “Not so funny when it’s your mom, is it?”

Zach Galafianakis
Guy goes to the doctor, and the doctor says, “Sir, you’ve got to stop masturbating.”
And the guy was like, “Why?”
And the doctor says, “So I can examine you.”

Sarah Silverman
Q: What did the waiter say to the table of Jewish women?
A: Is anything all right here?

Albert Brooks
St. Peter wants to take an hour off guarding the Pearly Gates, and he needs to go do something, so he asks Jesus Christ to fill in for him. And Jesus says, “I’ve never done this before.” St. Peter says, “It’s easy. Just stand here. If anybody shows up, find out who they are, look then up in the Book of Life and let ‘em in. Probably nobody will show up in the hour I’m gone anyway.” So Jesus is sitting there. An old man shows up. Jesus says, “Can I have your name?” The old man says, “I don’t remember my name.” Jesus says, “OK, where are you from?” The old guy says, “I don’t really remember.” Jesus says, “Well, gee, you’re gonna have to remember something, ‘cause I’m gonna have to look you up in the Book of Life. You don’t remember anything?” The old man says, “Well, I remember I was a carpenter. And I remember that I had a son who was known and loved throughout the world from the time he was born.” And Jesus looks at him, and a tear starts in Jesus’ eye. And he says to the old man, “Father?” And the old man says, “Pinocchio?”

"Lapisluna" should not be a secret...

... and yet, a little selfishly, I' ve kept this group all to myself for a few years.

If you happen to be in the city or are able to go there on the dates of their performances, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.
Furthermore, I heard that "Bocca" (the only nearby venue scheduled so far this year) is also a decent restaurant; a bit pricey, but not terribly so for Manhattan.
Most importantly: Shawn Clark voice has a certain "je ne sais quoi" that I am confident will appeal to most of this gang.
If you don't feel like taking a chance, you may prefer to try the CD or downloading some of their repertoire (available for MP3).
I will try downloading a couple of songs on this site from a CD I own. (if I ever get the hang of it.)
Meanwhile here is the link:
http://www.lapisluna.com/index.html

Let me know what you think.

Giving to Dawn what belongs to Dawn

To set the record straight.
To my knowledge the term "our sandbox" was coined many years ago by our Dawn and was used by her forevvver when referring to the Jolly Swagman.

I cannot think of a more appropriate term for that good old place.

Hopefully, once enough people find out about it, this will become our "cyber-sandbox"; a place where we can let our hair down, banter, tease and stay in touch with each other, reminisce, propose, innovate, experiment... whatever. The only limits to what we can do with this toy are the ones set by our own imagination.
Think of it as a home away from home, a heaven and a shelter where to endure our "time without Steve Lynch" and, let's admit it, without each other.

'cuz I don't know about you, but I really like you guys.

a swagish playlist to listen to

Here's a playlist of swag-related songs. I hope this works! It doesn't play in Preview for me. If necessary, I'll email it. Please let me know if you can play it. Thanks. Nan
I'm open to more suggestions -- I know I have forgotten lots of our favorites.

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

Is karaoke bad for you?

At Tokyo's Keio University Hospital, 30 percent of the outpatients diagnosed with throat polyps atttributed the cause of the affliction to singing karaoke.

Be careful out there!

from Nan

By the way:
I think this was what Steve had in mind when he retitled his blog the "Swagette Gazette" - I was just not blog-savvy enough at that time to make it happen.

If you want to see Steve's blog, go to http://pianomansteve.blogspot.com

let's play...

..."Match that Tune". That is: match the tune being sung when the picture was taken.

For those who were not at Dawn's "hurricane" party it will have to be "Guess that Tune" .

That Marianne...

...she is something else! This morning, still hung over, I made a vague suggestion and only a few hours later, here we are, with our own blogsite where we can keep in touch with each other, kwetch, gossip (not too much of that, one hopes) or whatever.
Well her goes my first contribution. I hope it works (it's a short video of a very appropriate song...

Introduction

While we are recovering from the fantastic party at Dawn's yesterday, Gianni suggested we give this a try. So, as per his request, this blog is a place for all the Ex Swaggers and Swagettes to post their miscellaneous thoughts and memories, pictures, parties, and general whining about missing Steve while he is off sailing the seven seas. I will try to get as many of you set up as authors as possible and we will see where this goes.

Please have interested parties contact me at mc77340@gmail.com to be added as an author.

Looking forward to seeing what you all have to say!

All the best, Marianne

PS I am still pretty new to blogging so your patience is appreciated!

Here are some pictures from last night: