#Cherished: If This Teddy Could Talk...

On a bookshelf behind my desk, out of sight unless you know where to look, sits a toy koala bear. He's old, dusty, and faded. The hair on his ears is matted. His eyes are scratched, and the tan felt of one eyelid has peeled off. The plastic pear he wears as a nose needs to be glued back on. Again. And yet his grin remains. A tad sardonic maybe--not surprising, given the degree of abandonment he's put up with. But there's real bonhomie, too. Good-natured patience. I'm here, that grin seems to say. Whenever you remember.

Is there anything as sad as a forgotten once-beloved toy? These cast-offs speak of lost childhoods, changing priorities, the ephemeral nature of our attachments, even the ones that feel, at the time, forged in steel. Most of all, I suppose, these little personalities -- for who can deny them that bit of humanity? -- remind us of the selves we've left behind.

#BoTB results -- Gabriel's Oboe

This came perilously close to being a shut-out.

Here's the tally, without my vote:

The MIRACLE Saga of Unforeseen Obstacles (& Pleasures): The Copyright Melee

I'm lucky that my publisher has a sense of humor.

Somewhere in the revisions round for the first proof copy (which, like anything else ordered from abroad--abroad meaning anywhere, Curaçao being an island--took forever to get here), the publisher asks,

Oh, hey, your MC quotes a line of poetry in the second chapter. Shouldn't that be credited in the copyright page?

Yes. YES. How did that slip through the cracks? It's a fragment from T.S. Eliot. T.S. Eliot. Of course it needs to be credited. Easily fixed; a quick look inside my favorite Eliot volume, an email to the publisher, and phewalldone.

And then,

What about the lines of this one song the guy sings at the end? Who should we credit those to?

What am I, an idiot? How can I possibly forget about freaking attributions? First for T.S. Eliot, and now for one of Mexico's most popular mariachi singers... Seriously. Yes, please include a credit to Mr. Pepe Aguilar.

Just like that? Pepe Aguilar?

No, I guess--wait, let me check how exactly the dude's name is listed in the song's copyright info. And, also, whether the song is, in fact, his. It's a popular song. Many artists have recorded it.

Oooohboy.

Battle of The Bands -- Gabriel's Oboe

This is probably the most uplifting piece of music I've ever heard. I get chills every time. Every single time. And the movie is brilliant, too. This is not the only scene where the music is used, but it's the first (I think), and it's certainly the one that gives it meaning (for me).

The Mission, 1986 

(Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, directed by Roland Joffé, score by Ennio Morricone)

#BoTB: July 1st results (Jersey Girl, Tom vs. Bruce)

Oh, wow. I never expected this to be so close. Cherdo's just-under-the-wire broke the 7-7 tie, putting The Boss above Mr. Waits. The tally looks like this:

My very first Battle of the Bands -- Jersey Girl

I've been a fan of BoTB for a very, very long time... and finally decided to join in. I'm sure this one has been done before--how could it not?--but I couldn't find it in the BoTB files. And it's a favorite of mine. (Well, one of them is.)

I give you:

 ~ Jersey Girl ~

v.1: