Sending hugs over cyberspace doesn't hurt.

My dad's sister (Aunt Imelda) came home yesterday from a weekend trip with her friends to find my Uncle Eddie had passed away during her absence. Though he was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago, he was in remission and as far as I'm told it's unclear what caused his death.

My Aunt Cora (who is my dad's brother and my favorite Uncle Ralph's wife) called me yesterday to tell me that Uncle Eddie had passed. And not only that - their dog passed away during the weekend as well.

Of all my cousins, I'm probably closest to my cousin Mark (both in age, career, and interest) - and Uncle Eddie was his father. I called him yesterday as soon as I found out. He was on a train back home to Philadelphia from Baltimore, where he was on a business trip. He sounded fine when he picked up the call - and then when he heard it was me and we began to talk he slowly started sobbing, which is what I found so heart wrenching... He seems better today, and says that, "Everything is going smoothly." The funeral is in a suburb of Philly on Saturday at 11am. I'm looking for flights right now.

All this might be very factual, but I'm so numb right now that the facts are all I have to give.

If you've read this, I don't mean to make you sad. I just want you to reach out to someone(s) in your family and let them know you're thinking about them and love them and send them hugs, even if over the phone/email/etc.

Biggest hugs and lots of love from your friend Celeste.


Somewhere on the east coast in the 1970s.
Mark Cruz, Uncle Eddie, and Celeste Tabora.

The true cost of music piracy

...according to NY Magazine.

Sebastian <3's Axl

NME reports:

Guns N' Roses man teams up with Sebastian Bach
Axl Rose joins long-time pal on new album
22.Aug.07 6:07pm

Guns N Roses frontman Axl Rose has teamed up with former Skid Row frontman and long-time pal Sebastian Bach on Bach's forthcoming solo album 'Angel Down'.

Rose appears on two of the album's tracks. The first track, '(Love Is) A Bitchslap', is the album's first single. The second track is a cover of Aerosmith's 'Back In The Saddle'.

Bach, who sang on the forthcoming Guns N Roses album, said he decided to ask Rose to return the favour as a joke, and was surprised at his response.

"I just texted Axl, I go, 'Hey, dude, when are you gonna come and sing on my record?'" Bach told Blabbermouth.

"I was just joking -- I didn't think he would do that. But he never ceases to amaze me. His response was, "When? Where? What time? Where is the studio? What time do you want me there?" I was, like, 'You've gotta be fucking kidding me. Pinch me, I'm dreaming.'"

'Angel Down' is due out in the US on November 20. It is Bach's first solo album since 1999's 'Bring 'Em Bach Alive'.

--By our Los Angeles staff.

Guess what I saw in the garden on my way home?

IMG_1655
Originally uploaded by smurfn5

Yeah!
He looked just like this: Mostly white.
Surprisingly cute and didn't spray me.

Just removed this from my MySpace's "About me"

...And replaced it with "I don't care about MySpace anymore. My heart belongs to Facebook."

---

On the 130th day (131st in leap years) of the year, I share the same birth date as Sid Vicious, Bono, Fred Astaire, Young MC, Linda Evangelista, Pac Man, Homer Simpson, and Donovan.



This date is also Astronomy Day in the US.



Incidentally, my name is derived from the Italian feminine and masculine form of Caelestis, which is from a Late Latin name which meant "of the sky, heavenly." For a long time, the name Celeste has been more bestowed on boys than on girls, probably taken as a variant of Célestin. The trend was reversed first in England at the beginning of the 18th century then throughout Europe. Saint Celeste is a man, the second archbishop of Metz in the 4th century.



Moreover, the 2nd definition of my name is a musical instrument with a keyboard and metal plates struck by hammers that produce bell-like tones. In addition, one of my middle names means market in spanish while my last name is of a small drum formerly used to accompany oneself on a pipe or fife. Curiously, I work in music marketing and publicity.



Just to bring it full-circle: Donovan, with whom I share a birth date, has a daughter named Astrella Celeste. He wrote and released the only song sung in English (that I know of) named Celeste, though he doesn't say the name anywhere in the song. The Telescopes also have a song named Celeste, and although I personally find it musically superior to Donovan's version, I didn't mention it before because it's an instrumental.

Pearl Jam's AT&T-"Censored" Segment

From Listening Post dot com:

Video: Pearl Jam's AT&T-"Censored" Segment
By Eliot Van Buskirk EmailAugust 09, 2007 | 3:16:14 PMCategories: AT&T

The controversy surrounding AT&T's alleged censorship of a Pearl Jam Lollapalooza show that AT&T webcast as part of its Blue Room series continues, despite AT&T's Statement that Eddie Vedder's anti-Bush lyrics were excised from the show footage by a third-party webcasting service provider.

SavetheInternet agrees with Pearl Jam that the situation could indicate how AT&T might act if net neutrality laws are not passed, and posted the footage on YouTube.

Please help this animal shelter just by visiting and clicking on the purple button!

Just go to the site and click on the purple button.

THAT IS ALL YOU HAVE TO DO!

please repost too!

x

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: celestronica,,
Date: Aug 9, 2007 11:12 AM


Free food for Shelter Dogs and Cats
Animal Rescue Site

Hi, all you animal lovers. This is pretty simple.. Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on the purple box "fund food for animals" for free.

This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the
number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in
exchange for advertising.


Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS!!!

If you were wondering.
Snopes.com says this is legitimate!
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/animalrescue.asp

Talking Heads' "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)"

I've gone out every night this week, and will do so again tonight to see Hanson (yes, that Hanson) perform at Spaceland. This is a rarity for me - as those of you who are better acquainted with me know. I don't regret a minute of it but it is quite tiring. "How do those bartenders do it every night?" I asked Maria yesterday as I was getting ready to leave once again. "You have to figure that those bartenders aren't doing what you do during the day," she replied. "Ohh right," I forgotten that I actually have a day job that rivals whatever it is bartenders do all day. I assume that its just a lot of relaxing or something equally glamorous.

Going out nightly has made me sleepless until about 3a, and the work day has me awake by 930a (or 10). Thankfully it's a hefty amount of sleep. Ahh, sleep - have I told you before that I feel that waking up is the worst feeling a human can experience and we have to do it every day? I get it, it's necessary; If we don't wake up that means muerto. However, for being a necessary thing - why is it so unpleasant? When I was talking to Travis about it, he said, "Even taking a shit feels better than waking up." Can you argue with that? Anyway, yes - I probably told you that already.

When spending little time I've had at home this week, this Talking Heads ditty continues to pop in my head. Walking down the garden to my house I've found myself singing, "Home! Is where I want to beee/But. I. Guess. I'm. Already there/I come home... She lifted up her wings/Guess that this must be the place..." on a loop. And I kind of have been doing a silly dance down the stairs, much like the one Cyndi Lauper does in her "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" video. Who has hexed me?!

Highlights of the week: The Pity Party & Eskimohunter @ Spaceland, that dude grabbing his crotch singing "I Will Survive" at Cha Cha karaoke, getting home before midnight (4 minutes before, but still before) on Tuesday, Soft Circle @ High Energy Constructs, Marnie Stern @ The Echo, Barcade's Twilight Zone pin ball machine, and some how fitting in 6 loads of laundry.

I just heard that The Arcade Fire covered this song. This quietly upsets me.

I just went on Hype Machine to seek it out and listen to it. No, reaaally... It does upset me. The original has this unique perfect strangeness that really can't be topped. It's almost insulting that its attempted.

*Note: This song is quite indicative of the musical direction in Tina Weymouth & Chris Frantz' (Talking Heads' lovey little married couple) Tom Tom Club.

[mp3] Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) [/mp3]

---

FOR THE NEXT KARAOKE PERFORMANCE - PLEASE PRACTICE. HERE ARE THE LYRICS:

Home is where I want to be
Pick me up and turn me round
I feel numb - born with a weak heart
I guess I must be having fun
The less we say about it the better
Make it up as we go along
Feet on the ground
Head in the sky
It's ok I know nothing's wrong . . nothing

Hi yo I got plenty of time
Hi yo you got light in your eyes
And you're standing here beside me
I love the passing of time
Never for money
Always for love
Cover up and say goodnight . . . say goodnight

Home - is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home - she lifted up her wings
Guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time Before we were born
If someone asks, this is where I'll be . . . where I'll be

Hi yo We drift in and out
Hi yo sing into my mouth
Out of all those kinds of people
You got a face with a view
I'm just an animal looking for a home
Share the same space for a minute or two
And you love me till my heart stops
Love me till I'm dead
Eyes that light up, eyes look through you
Cover up the blank spots
Hit me on the head Ah ooh