When Scolding Pays Off

Back in December Faithful Readers may recall that I was a wee bit upset with my friend in Portland, The Traveler. She underwent a medical procedure which I learned about after the fact. The pay-off for my scolding came today, when she called to tell me good news and bad news. The good news is that she was accepted into the graduate program she was hoping for. The bad news is that she will soon be having another medical procedure performed - but this time I know about it beforehand!

My best wishes go out to you, Dearest Traveler - and I am deeply grateful for your consideration this time around. You are in my thoughts every day and always in my heart.

New Music Tuesday – Got That Ol' Timey {Canadian}Feelin'

Every once in awhile I stumble onto something completely by accident and I am rewarded with a drug-like rush, which is probably why I continue to prowl record shops - just a junkie looking for the next high...

Anyway, they say you can't judge a book by its cover, but as I have a passion for graphic design, and my fantasy dream job is being a CD cover designer, I do often buy a CD because I dig the artwork. This was easier back in the LP day...but we have to take what we have to work with.

So I saw this CD...fantastic, groovy cover, and then I saw the group - a bunch of whippersnappers. The lead singer, Jessica Havey, is a gal with lowrider jeans, close cropped blonde hair and one arm completely, vibrantly tattooed. I figured I was not going to enjoy this. But being in a rare adventurous mood, I gave it a listen, and within a minute all I could manage to say was "Good God - these folks are AWESOME" So, that is my review of the Canadian bunch of Celtic/folk/Scots/Irish/Appalachian/New Orleans musicians that call themselves The Duhks. And the singer? Simply magnificent. She definitely rocks. Just go buy this CD.

And in an unplanned buying event, the other CD du jour is also from a Canadian folkie/New Orleans/bluesy combo called Po'Girl. The tunes are rather mellow, and the singing is wonderful and languid, and the whole disc convey a a"you are there" feeling of spontaneity that I find very appealing. So what the heck is going on in Canada these days? Holly Cole, the Cowboy Junkies, kd lang, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray and now The Duhks and Po'Girl...and in a call-out for Trish, Due South and Paul Gross...Go Canada!

My Job : A Brief Summation

I work in a very strange environment with very strange people. That is what makes this job such a good fit for me.
To prove my point, I submit the following vignette from this morning...
My workday started at 4 a.m. Just settling into the morning routine, my assistant manager, Jeff, started talking VERY enthusiastically about the book he is reading, a non-fiction treatise on the Black Plague, which happens to be a subject I myself find rather fascinating. He delighted in describing the manner in which the folks constructed catapults to launch the plague-ridden bodies of their neighbors at invading armies, and how dogs helped the disease spread by digging up corpses that were not buried deeply enough.
So, while you are tucked snugly in your beds, dreaming happy dreams, we are hard at work already, imagining disease-carrying corpses being catapulted through the air.
Who needs coffee when you have topics like that this to start your day?

Three Little Words

As anyone will tell you, relationships, any kind of relationships, are tricky things at best.
And the power of talking never ceases to amaze me.

Case in point, two weeks worth of weirdness, confusion and frustration obliterated in two minutes by a three word question.

And all is right in the world again – like magic.

Goodbye Adios Auf Wiedersehn Adieu

Tonight we gathered at the Fox and Hound to celebrate Heather's internship. It was certainly fun to go out after work, something I rarely do, and it was made even more pleasant by the inclusion of some Knob Creek Whiskey.

The party was very nice, the company exquisite. The one odd thing about it was how the spouses (the men folk) gravitated to their own table, leaving Heather and the gals (6 of us) on our own. Funny how that works...

And since it was a party for my dear Heather, I decided that the occasion called for something special, so I broke out my skirt, a blouse, my ultra-cool guitar-string bracelets and heels. I hope it was memorable. Just trying to stay warm at work makes everyone look like a hobo, with layers upon layers of clothing and various scarves, hats and gloves accessorizing the ensemble. Color matching is definitely not a criteria - warmth is the key. Therefore, when given the opportunity to get together in regular clothes, it is very exciting, indeed.

Weather Report, Part Six

I woke up this morning to drive down to the Starbuck's {my usual routine} to find four inches of heavy snow awaiting me. Happily, it was a well-behaved snowfall, keeping the streets drivable, but decorating the branches and roofs in an ever so festive manner.

Sure, it was pretty, but I am really quite done with the winter apparel. Really.

New Music Tuesday – World Selections with an odd connection

Two CD's today: Neruda by the Brazilian vocalist/percussionist Luciana Souza and Last Quarter Moon by the Italian vocalist Chiara Civello. Come to find out, both ladies are alumnus of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Faithful Readers will recall my enthusiasm upon driving by it on my Fall whirlwind trip. What an odd coincidence.

Anyway, Luciana pulls off the near impossible. She has set Pablo Neruda's poems to music – but just a piano and her own percussion. She has crafted little minimalist treasures. It is clear the woman is a gifted artist and almost every song (poem?) is lovely and certainly an accomplishment, but for me, it is all a bit too languid to take it all in at one sitting. The tracks sound better to me broken up with some tracks that feature a more complex instrumentation. This is a great disc for the shuffle feature on your CD player...It really is a lovely piece of artistry, but best taken in small bites.

I read a lot of hype about the “next great jazz singer”, proported to be Chiara Civello. This disc of hers is very pleasant, with two standout tracks, “Caramel” and “Nature Song”. Her voice is a Rickie Lee Jones/Basia/Sade/Astrud Gilberto melange, and even though she hails from Italy, her sound is much more Brazilian Pop and Samba, with some jazz overtones for good measure.

Much had been made of her association with Burt Bacharach on this CD. After listening to that track, Hal David and Carole Bayer Sager and Dionne Warwick can rest easily. No competition.

Weather Report, Part Five

Today it is 50 degrees outside. I am sure this is a mean-spirited joke and that we will all come down with pneumonia next week.

It does make you want to ill-advisedly run around in a tank top and shorts, though.

God Bless Kadobi

Well, this little experiment of trying to work only lasted until 9 a.m. when I had to give up any ideas of remaining vertical. I was a bit concerned because I had no appetite and hadn't eaten anything since Thursday. But nothing at all sounded good, and anything I tried to get down, including liquids, just tasted bad.

Before I left work, Kadobi suggested his secret illness remedy which was buttered egg noodles. I gave that a shot, and glory be to him, they tasted very good, and in the course of the next three days, buttered egg noodles were my sole source of nutrition. I'd probably be wasted away now if it wasn't for Kadobi's glorious suggestion...

I Missed An Entire Day...

...because I woke up at 4:30 this afternoon. I sat on the couch for about an hour and a half, and tried to drink some tea, with no success, then I fell back into bed where I remained passed out until the alarm went off at 1:30 a.m. - time for me to drag myself off to work.

Insidious Creeping Plague

So I woke up at 8 a.m. with a very deep and rumbling mucousy cough. Seemed like bronchitis was the winner. But knowing that is was just because of the poisoned environment, I wasn't too concerned and went to work.

As the day progressed, it became obvious that the poisoning was strictly coincidental- I was actually quite ill all on my own. I was developing a tremendous headache, and was equally hot and shivering, and the muscles in my legs were aching. And I had the most excruciating pain in, of all places, the top of my femurs where they sit in the pelvis. This made standing, sitting, and laying down equally unpleasant. All of this was in addition to my award-winning barking cough.
I lasted until 3 p.m. - a feat of endurance, and drove home. That is about the time the sky-high fever kicked in. I would have gone directly to the hospital had my head not been hurting so bad that it was impossible to drive any longer. I stumbled back to my still fume-filled abode and feel into bed at 4 p.m.

About 10 p.m. I woke up to sip some water (all I could keep down - and knowing that I was already severely dehydrated) and managed to call work to tell them they wouldn't be seeing me tomorrow. I promptly fell back into a fever-induced coma...

Premonition of A Day That Is Going To Suck

At 9 a.m. this morning I was awakened by my bed vibrating for no good reason. It seems that my downstairs neighbor has moved out, and they were refinishing the hardwood floors for the new tenant.

Since I did not have to be to work until 3 p.m. today, being awakened like this annoyed me pretty much. I had no choice but to get up and go to Starbuck's for some peace and quiet and non-vibrating seating.

By the time I returned home from work at 2 a.m. I had forgotten my early morning evacuation, and was completely overcome by the terrible fumes of polyurethane, floor stripper, and paint. It was a most noxious combination. I had no choice but to open all of my windows and fall into bed. I was sure I was going to have pneumonia or bronchitis when I woke up. Either way, it was going to suck.

Atanarjuat : The Fast Runner

I watched the most amazing film today. It is an epic, to be sure, about three hours long. It is filmed in Igloolik, Canada completely in the Inuktitut language. The Fast Runner is an Inuit legend filled with intertwining Shakespearean themes of romantic rivalry, deceit, murder, infidelity and retribution -just like Titus Andronicus - but far less bloody and gruesome -except for the foot scene...

The Fast Runner is striking on every level. Visually, it is filmed in a way that is does not suggest film, video or tv...the camera work and lighting really envelope you and you feel as if you are witnessing the action. What what natural light they had to work with! The score is kept to a minimum, with most of the sound effects being the wind, or panting of the sled dogs, or the crunch of snow and ice underfoot. At many moments in this film, I was aware of my heart pounding quicker...there was a strange uneasiness and suspense generated in the film. And these people rarely, if ever, yell or scream. They take their punishment silently. The images of the naked race across the ice, and the physical toll it takes are indelible. As are the images of day to day life - the frozen meat being pounded against rocks with an antler tool - and the British have nothing on these folks when it comes to dental hygiene.

I think this review sums it up pretty well:

Desson Howe, Washington Post"The Fast Runner is the kind of primal storytelling that George Lucas can only dream of. This epic has been chipped from the frigid ice of ages past, ignited by the spirit of Joseph Campbell and fanned into a roaring fire by Inuit writer Paul Apak Angilirq. It’s an experience that will stay with you for a long time. Unadulterated, free-flowing magic. The performers, dressed in furs, skins and beads, their faces marked with beautiful tattoos, their souls spilling over with passion, are so authentic, so True North, you're reduced to wordless awe. The Fast Runner stirs the soul."

Immerse yourself in this film. You will not forget it.

p.s. One of my all-time favorite links comes from the film's promo website...it is a link to the weather in Igloolik...something which I compulsively check now....

New Music Tuesday – A Jazz Melange

Family legend has it that by grandfather, a very talented piano player and bandleader in the day, hung around with many famous musicians including Erroll Garner and that Grandpa had "something" to do with the song "Misty". While I consider this legend highly improbable, the song has nonetheless been a favorite of mine since I can remember. So that is why I picked up No Cover No Minimum by fellow Pittsburgh native, Billy Eckstine, who has been one of my favorite males vocalists since I first heard the magnificent Basie/Eckstine Inc. LP. This CD is a live recording of a performance in Vegas in the 60's. I like the set, but "Misty", the final track, was worth the price of the disc.

I also picked up saxophone legend Gerry Mulligan's The Art of Gerry Mulligan: The Final Recordings, because Gerry played with the great Annie Ross {who I had the pleasure of seeing, hearing and meeting in Seattle in 1996} on many occasions. I am very pleased with this "sampler" CD...it features some great Brazilian tunes (vocals by Jane Duboc) and some nice jazz tunes. I am never really clear whether I like Gerry's tone...so that is a fun little game I play every time I listen to him...do I like how he blows or not? He certainly has something, but he is just not my favorite sax man.

Which brings us to today's final disc, A Gift of Love, by Tuck and Patti. I have been a fan of theirs since the beginning, having been turned on to them by my erudite DJ friend, Jennifer Stephens at WCPN. Their first work, Tears of Joy, remains one of my favorite discs of all time.

On this new CD, they work miracles. They take several tired old songs and change them into fresh groovy tunes. And they have invited some other musicians to join their guitar and vocal duo, which completes the sound of the disc very nicely.

The excellent Brazilian-flavored bossa nova arrangement of "Close To You" made me not long for Karen Carpenter. "Sukiyaki" actually has great lyrics, which I heard for the first time because all of the Japanese effects have been stripped away. And Patti averts the "for dogs only" notes on Minnie Riperton's challenging "Loving You".

You should listen to this CD just to re-hear these standards. It is pretty amazing.

Heather's Last Day

I went to work very early today, because it was Heather's last day to be working with us. One of the coolest perks of my job is that from time to time the managers take selected part-timers out to breakfast. Free food, a relaxing meal (this lasts for at least an hour) and getting to bond with your co-workers out of the office. I thought it would be very nice to arrange for Heather to be taken out this morning, and our store manager thought so too, and met us at the restaurant, even though it was his day off.

We had a very nice time, even though it was difficult for Heather, who was close to tears on several occasions as the reality of leaving us drew closer.

And I guess I must admit to kinda hating situations that you try very hard to be festive for when you are really sad for the passing of a wonderful little moment in time. Mornings will never be the same for me without Heather.

Good luck to you, my favorite misanthropic friend. I am very proud of you and very happy for you – and like I said, no matter how crappy your day may be, you will always have the knowledge that at 5 in the morning you were sound asleep and you were not lifting 12 forty pound boxes of bananas. That has to make anything your work day can throw at you more palatable.

The Movie No One Wanted To See

A long time ago I listened to the audio book of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events : The Reptile Room, mainly because the bleak, black sense of humor of the book really appealed to me and primarily because Tim Curry read the book. Here is a little example of Snicket's writing style from his biography:

Lemony Snicket was born before you were, and is likely to die before you as well. His family has roots in a part of the country which is now underwater, and his childhood was spent in the relative splendor of the Snicket Villa which has since become a factory, a fortress and a pharmacy and is now, alas, someone else's villa.

It was outstanding. So I was filled with joy when I saw the preview for the Lemony Snicket movie. Jim Carrey looked wonderful as the evil Count Olaf. All of the scenes looked fantastic, and I was happy to see that the Reptile Room plot was going to be included in the film.

No one wanted to see this but me, it seems. Which is fine, because I usually go to the theatre by myself anyway, this being no exception. I thought the film was great fun, and the cameos (Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Jennifer Coolidge as well as the ubiquitous Jude Law as the voice of Lemony himself) were great as well. Carrey was inspired as Olaf. I suppose that if you have read the books, the movie is better. Whatever. I liked it.

However, the end credits had the most magnificent animation I have seen in some time. In fact, they were so good, it made me wish that the filmmakers had spent as much time, money and consideration on the whole film as they did on the credits. It would have been so cool if the whole film looked like the credits...So skip the film and just sneak in and catch the last five minutes as the credits roll...it is a marvelous short film.

Bev Doolittle – The Limited-Engagement Installation

Today started with sitting at Starbuck's, enjoying my triple grande latte and finishing Jack Kerouac's On The Road. I have to admit to a great deal of embarrassment about never having read it until now, but at least I have rectified the situation. The book was very different from my pre-conceived ideas. It was imminently readable, and even though there is no “plot”, it is very compelling storytelling. It is also a great window into a way of life that is so foreign to me. Granted, the lingo became a bit tiresome, but certainly not to the extent that it was in the hateful Catcher In The Rye {God, I hated that book}.

After that, I went to the mall to spend my holiday gift certificate for Banana Republic. I have crafted a reputation for being able to stretch gift cards for the BR to absurd lengths. Today's prizes proved to be two sweaters, one lambswool and cashmere and the other silk and cashmere. The two sweaters at full price were a tad over $200, but after purchasing them, I still have money left on my $50 gift card. I love bargains like that!

It was now time for lunch, and since I was on a gift card roll, I remembered that my co-worker had given me one for the Winking Lizard, which just happened to be next to the mall. Serendipity! I had a great burger and fries and their specialty draft root beer. Refreshing and outstanding.

Driving home in the late afternoon, I cut through the Metropark by my house and was amazed to notice that the hillsides looked exactly like a Bev Doolittle painting. You know, the ones where if you squint the hillside is really pinto horses, or an eagle in flight, or Indians creeping up on you. I swear if you could have gotten some distance, the brown leaves and tree trunks and earth breaking through the snow would have revealed some hidden treasure. How cool to drive through a painting – talk about an installation – I think Bev Doolittle ought to get right on recreating one of her paintings in a forest somewhere...

New Music Tuesday – It's All About Ray Charles

I took a few days off from work for a mental health break, and began my mini-vacation with a Ray Charles immersion. I went to see the movie Ray, which had been re-released in the theatres.

The Phantom was a huge fan of Brother Ray, and we went to see him in Portland on June 5, 1999. It was quite a show. I am so very glad that I had the chance to hear him perform live, even if he was not at the peak of his talent in his last years...he still could give you shivers.

What Can I Say about the film? The music is just so great – and it is a joy to watch musicians at work, at least it is for me, so I was in heaven. And Jaimie Foxx is incredible. That being said, I didn't care for the film as a movie and I am not sure what exactly it is that I felt was lacking. Even though there were definite obstacles and struggles Ray went though, his life just wasn't good storytelling.

Great music. Great acting. Story needed some artistic license.

Following the film, I promptly went out and bought the soundtrack and the companion soundtrack.

I love them both, all of my fav tunes are represented, even the glorious Chris Thomas King tune with Ray on the piano. Get the CD's and skip the film.

Then, as it was my vacation, I took myself to dinner at Red Lobster, because I was craving fried shrimp. I had it all: cheese rolls, Caesar salad, baked potato, fried shrimp, wine, hot fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream and coffee. It was a ridiculous amount of food, but it was exactly what I wanted. I Hit The Road home, grooving with Ray, completely satisfied. And that is an excellent way to start a vacation.