Day Of The Dead Birthday Celebration, detail of Halloween bouquet, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 2007, photo © 2007 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
We went out to dinner at Mysore Cafe in Uptown to celebrate a friend’s birthday last night. It was All Souls’ Day, day after All Saints’ Day, and both days following the Celtic rooted celebration of Halloween. The Indian vegetarian buffet was hearty and we stayed until closing, laughing, singing, telling stories, and chanting. (Yes, chanting.)
The highlight of the celebration was when we broke into Happy Birthday To You a total of 9 times over the course of the evening. There was the Traditional melody (1) when we picked the birthday girl up at her house. (She slipped into the car, and we slipped into harmony.)
Then there was the celebratory, we-found-a-parking-spot-right-in-front-of-the-restaurant Happy Birthday (2). Followed by the Marilyn Monroe to JFK, soft-puckered-lips Happy Birthday (3) before we got out of the car. We sang the Traditional version again after dinner (4), and (at the special request of the birthday girl), the low toned, Gregorian Chant Happy Birthday (5) filled the room right before we left the restaurant.
We spontaneously broke into Happy Birthday four more times on the drive home. The first was the Beatles Birthday (song) (6) when we got into the car after dinner. Then the Traditional Happy Birthday To You (7) when we pulled up in front of our friend’s house to drop her off.
There was the Johnny Depp pirate version for Halloween (8) when she got out of the car, and, as she stepped around the corner to go up to her apartment, we rolled down the windows and sang one more Traditional Happy Birthday in 4 part harmony (9). Let’s see, yeah, I think that’s 9.
We had a blast. But what I really want to say is that today, November 3rd, is the 1 Year Birthday of our first post for red Ravine. Though our blog didn’t yet have a formal name, ybonesy and I started planning and writing for red Ravine well over a year ago.
Our WordPress launch date is April 7th, 2007 (and our stats only go back to April), but we’ve been at this labor-intensive, sometimes crazy, most times supportive, endeavor for well over a year. And though we have those days when it seems like too much, for the most part, after over 50,000 hits, we are going strong!
So Happy Birthday, ybonesy! It’s the one year anniversary of our formal writing for red Ravine. And if you’d like, I can see if my friends would join me across the miles in the Happy Birthday melody of your choice. (Too bad we can’t do a podcast!)
Happy Birthday, red Ravine. Long may you rock!
-posted on red Ravine, Saturday, November 3rd, 2007
-related to posts, Back Of The Napkin & 100 Year Old Bones – The BoneWriters & RE: 100 Year Old Bones
Feliz cumpleanos, QM!
I wish you did have a podcast. I would have loved to hear the Johnny Depp version and the Gregorian Chant, especially.
Oh, and I love the Beatles version, because the day after your birthday you can still sing it (in fact, I encourage you to call your friend and sing these words: “Day after your birthday, Happy birthday to you!”).
Wow, has it really been a year?! Remember how we had our stuff on a Yahoo group for all those months to test out the whole notion? I suppose we could have just gotten a WP account back then, but, oh well, we didn’t know.
BTW, QM, I love the photo of the flowers. Those colors: muted purple and orange. What a gorgeous combination!
Happy birthday to you, too!!
LikeLike
The Gregorian Chant was my favorite. But I think we were a little off-key! Johnny Depp was wild and raunchy. The Beatles rocked out (I like the “Day After Your Birthday” idea!).
The Halloween bouquet was a gift from Liz. I think I wrote about it in a different post and you asked me to post photos. I just shot a few quick ones off this morning and they seemed to fit. I’d never gotten a Halloween bouquet before! (I’ve always been drawn to all shades of orange.) It makes me smile every time I look at it.
Yes, it’s been a whole year. It flew by. Some days it seems to have whisked by. Other days, it seems like the longest year ever!
I seem to recall that we did a lot of prep work on learning how the WordPress software worked, what template to use, exploring names and mastheads, all the details that go along with running a blog. I’m kind of glad we did the test run in Yahoo. It helped to realize the commitment we were making. And when we finally did launch, most of the details were already worked out. (We should teach a class on it!)
Anyway, I find support and community here every day. I hope others do, too, since that’s what we’re striving for!
I’m heading over to Gail’s opening late this afternoon. I’ll keep you posted. Have a good birthday!
LikeLike
“Happy Birthday to you-hoo…. Birthday….”
I think the Beatles version was one of my favorites last night. And I am singing it to red Ravine now too. Paul McCartney would have been proud of the interpretaion of his lead, Ms.G.!!!
Ybonesy & QuoinMonkey… you guys ROCK!
Thanks for all your hardwork and dedication. You will never know what a huge impact you have truly made in the world. After all, we know there are people who read red Ravine but never comment, or those who only drop in once in awhile. But it doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate what you both have created.
Well done and congratulations!!!
LikeLike
Congratuations all over the place. I don’t recall just when and how I stumbled upon your blog, but it must have been near the beginning. I’m rapidly closing in on post #200 at my place, but it’s taken me a lot longer since I don’t post but two or three times a week.
Here’s a gift for the occasion: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/. With Audacity and a microphone, you can create a podcast of the songs. Audacity is a freeware program, and it supports multiple tracks, so you can record yourself singing duets, or record QuoinMonkey over Ybonesy and hear both together, and so forth. Just keep adding tracks. You can even record a keyboard background — after the fact. About a year ago I read several of my favorite lifestories into recordings, using Audacity. Unfortunately, the storage site I parked them on went poof awhile back, so I can’t share the link.
It’s free, easy enough to figure out, and what more could you want?
Cheers, and many more years!
LikeLike
skyWire, thanks for believing in us. Your support means a lot! I saw you rocking and bobbing to the Beatles last night. Hey, did you see that cockatiel (or was it a cockatoo) dancing on Letterman the other night? Wow.
LikeLike
Ritergal, I think we found you about the same time. I remember how great it was to find a kindred writing spirit out here in blog world. Thanks for your support!
And thanks for the tip about Audacity. We’ll have to check it out. We’ve been wanting to do some podcasts for a while. But I know I need to do a little more research. ybonesy might know more than I do about it. We’ll have to try it out.
LikeLike
Nope, unless it’s a technology I can drop into water, I don’t know a thing about it ; – ).
Thanks, skywire and ritergal, for your friendship!!
LikeLike
BTW, ybonesy, I added the links to our very first blog posts. I had forgotten that Amelia made an appearance, even way back then. And your dad. I had not read them in ages. Sometimes it’s kind of fun to go back to the beginning. It’s all a process. 8) And now, forward with the day!
LikeLike
Oh yeah, and tomorrow’s is my dad’s birthday celebration. Another year. YEAH!!! I love that I’ve had another year with him.
Stunning photo, QM. You’re so talented.
LikeLike
happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy birthday-to-you.
(donno whose version that is)
Here’s to another year,
and another
and another
(then the internet will explode, the aliens will take over, and we’ll all be busy teaching them to origami, but the web should start back up again soon after that)
woot woot!
LikeLike
Thanks, yb. Yeah, the 2 earlier posts reminded me that our parents’ birthdays are only about a week apart. My mom’s is on Nov 10th. Scorpio.
amuirin, that’s “your” version and quite a happy one it is! I like the idea of teaching the aliens to origami. I was at an art opening tonight and when we were sitting around afterwards, someone was talking about a book called, The Earth Without Us” (or some similar title).
Anyway, what if humans disappeared off the earth tomorrow? How long would it take everything like plastic, computers, nuclear power plants, garbage, etc. to be integrated back into the earth? That’s what the book’s about. Your exploding Internet reminded me of that. I think she said there’s a video simulation, too. Wild stuff!
LikeLike
Happy Birthday, Red Ravine — and many happy returns. I hope I’m around to celebrate with you next year as well.
LikeLike
Thanks for your support, david. I have no doubt that you will be. I like the idea of happy returns.
LikeLike
I want to sign up for teaching the aliens how to make gum wrapper chains. And I want them to teach me how to do crop circles.
Hey, DR, I hope you are, too. You’re a lot of fun!
LikeLike
LOL. Crop circles, aliens, and gum wrapper chains. What are the chances of hearing those words in the same few sentences?
ybonesy, I think we should invent the Award for Most Understanding Blogger Partners and Spouses. Liz and Jim would be the first recipients, don’t you think? They deserve a lot of credit for supporting us. I just wanted to add that to this thread of our 1 year of writng for red Ravine.
LikeLike
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!
I didn’t realize your B-Day was so close to mine ! May you have many more. I have enjoyed being a part of your Red Ravine.
Love You All !!!
LikeLike
Thanks, Amelia. Happy birthday to you, too!! We’ve sure enjoyed your being a part of our world here.
LikeLike
Mom, you’ve got a big one coming up! Happy early Birthday to you, too. I hope you’ve got a giant celebration planned. Thanks for all your support of our writing and red Ravine. Did I mention, you rock?!
LikeLike
My dad is 84, Amelia. How old are you (turning or have turned)?
LikeLike
yb, Happy B-day to your Dad ! I’m only 70 and I don’t know about making it till 84. But then I didn’t think I would make it to this age. My parents were both 64 when they went to the great beyond. Her Mother 55, her sisters 43 and 64yrs.
We never know what the Man up there has in store for us, do we? Is your Dad healthy? Healthy for a man his age? Tell him I said hello !
LikeLike
davidrochester, you must be yb’s Dad. How are you? What did you do to celebrate your great day? The flower’s (photo) must be for us as well as Red Ravine,lol. When the girls started RV in Nov. , it must have been in honor of us. No wonder it is doing so well . They also started it in Scorpio time, we always finish what we start , lol.
LikeLike
Mom, I’m hoping we outlive our ancestors – 43, 55, 64. Whew, all those gals were so young. I didn’t remember that Granddaddy was 64, too. Thankfully, we’ve got other plans!
Oh, and I hadn’t realized we have a Scorpio blog! Oh my goodness… red Ravine is a Scorpio. Good, passionate things are in store for us. 8)
LikeLike
No, davidrochester isn’t my dad, although I’m sitting here laughing my head off at the idea. My dad isn’t a blogger, unfortunately. He still has an old Commodore. Is that what those word processors were called?
Hey, QM, someone told me that Scorpios can be real stinging types (that tail of theirs), but that’s not my experience with my dad. He’s a compassionate, loveable type. I take it that’s your experience with Scorpians, too. I’d like to know more about the Scorpio, being as how our blog is one.
LikeLike
Hi yb, after sending that blog I had an intuition it was wrong. Yes Scorpio’s are compassionate, loving people. The sting only comes out when they are done wrong and past their patience. Even with real Scorpion’s, they only sting when cornered.
I think you have experienced some of those feelings with your blog. I’m glad you got a good laugh, it makes me glad I goofed. It was not a wise thing to do. Always when we assume we always make an (ass) out of (u) and (me). lol
LikeLike
I’m so glad you goofed. My husband and girls were asking, What’s so funny? I finally had to tell them, and you know what, it was definitely a “you had to be there” moment.
Well, my experience with Scorpios is that they are great folk. Dad was tough. Very demanding. I always attributed that to his generation. He was dirt, dirt poor and struggling for a better life. He was tough on himself and his kids. But so loving. My nieces and nephews call him a saint, and even though it’s a family joke, we all do believe he’s been a progressive man, in terms of sharing housework and such, for his age.
LikeLike
Back to this post for two reasons — first a shout out to our friend whose birthday it is today, November 2nd, Day of the Dead. We celebrated with her last night and sang a few versions of Happy Birthday again (just like last year!). We repeated the Pirate version and also did a little Elvis and Marilyn. Fun. I just realized we didn’t do the Gregorian Chant this year. I kind of missed that one. 8)
Along with that we ate dinner, sat around the fire, and told our Birthday Legends. Each of us went around and talked about the highlights of each decade of our lives. It ended up being very moving, bearing witness to others’ lives that way. I’d recommend it. Cathartic. Brings up a lot of memories though, hard and soft.
ybonesy, the second reason I’m back at this post is to wish you Happy Birthday. Tomorrow it will have been 2 years since red Ravine was dreamed up and conceived — the 2 year anniversary of our formal writing for red Ravine — November 3rd, 2006.
Can you believe it? Happy Birthday to us. Still crazy after a couple of years. 8)
LikeLike
Wow, QM, I hadn’t realized it was our two-year birthday. Woo-hooo! Happy Birthday, QM and red Ravine!
I’m still having lots of fun. I was reviewing my post list last night and realized how many ideas from that list that I’ve actually acted on. One of my most recent posts was the second or third from the top of the list—an idea that was germinating for months. It really is fun to have this creative outlet and community.
QM, the birthday celebration with your friend sounds like fun. Have you noticed how some people are birthday celebration folks and some shun the birthday festivities? I’m big on marking those milestones, although I have to say, I love to do so more for my family than for myself.
Any particular highlights from the decades of your life that you’d be willing to share with us here? I’d love to know what came up for you during that ritual. It does sound very cathartic.
LikeLike
[…] night we’ll attend the next Poetry & Meditation Group with Langston Hughes. Yesterday, ybonesy and I celebrated 2 years of writing together on red Ravine. Tomorrow we’ll know the results of the election and a long, tumultuous, political process […]
LikeLike
ybonesy, I stopped over to this post to say we’ll be celebrating tonight with our friend whose birthday is November 2nd. Then when I read the post again, I realized it’s almost 3 years since we conceived red Ravine.
Even though our stats and our WordPress anniversary go back to April 7th, 2007 — November 3rd will be 3 years since red Ravine was dreamed up and conceived — the 3-year anniversary of our formal writing for red Ravine — November 3rd, 2006.
Sometimes it seems a lot longer, doesn’t it? So much has happened in 3 years. So much growth and change. Happy Birthday number one (our next milestone celebration will be in April). It’s good to mark milestones along the way. To honor the work of the past.
LikeLike