Bridges

Many thanks to MyFriendJason who told me about this...

The world's tallest roadway bridge has opened in France. The Millau Bridge with its streamlined diagonal suspension cables rests on seven pillars -- the tallest measuring 340 meters, making it 16 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. It was designed by British architect Norman Foster. The photos I have found are simply breathtaking. It is brilliant - an organic fusion of Bauhaus and dance and engineering. While inarguably modern, it somehow magically fuses and enhances the landscape. Mr. Foster has obviously produced not only a gorgeous functional bridge and a landmark destination, he also has created a work of art.

Said Foster, "A work of man must fuse with nature. The pillars had to look almost organic, like they had grown from the earth.''

I am so happy to see such care taken to simultaneously solve a transportation problem and to provide the world with something unique and beautiful. It takes a considerable investment and belief in the necessity of aesthetics to pony up the funds for an undertaking of this size. To the French people, and Norman Foster, I applaud you for your contribution to the beauty of the world.

In contrast, check out Governor Schwarzenegger's plans for a drab concrete slab crossing the bay in San Francisco. Boring American quick solutions based solely on money are here blatantly exhibited. There is no concern for the soul of the people that will be living with this monstrosity. It is a the most expedient and cheapest solution. There is no longer any room for cultural art in America it seems.

The Big Bang Theory

So you have this dense bit of matter that contains all of existence and suddenly it gets blown to bits, and the pieces fly off into the unknown, scattered and drifting ever further apart...

Then, very very slowly, some pieces drift make together and reform, forming a tiny nucleus made up of just the essential elements - no more dross.

That is the metaphor for my life.

And just recently, a few of my atoms have drifted back, while others continue to speed away, now light years gone.

As the core coalesces, I welcome back my long-lost friend, my dear Jennifer, who was returned to me via a tiny scrap of orange paper this afternoon.

What an odd universe, indeed.

The 10 Essential Holiday CD's

After much consideration of my 200+ holiday CD collection, as a public service I present the ten CD's that are essential for the holidays:

1. Holly Cole: Santa Baby - Live in Toronto
Holly's Christmas concerts are a holiday tradition in Canada. I have been fortunate enough to attend two in Vancouver, BC. Nothing says Christmas like Holly in a beautiful gown, singing with her amazing trio and a full orchestra. This IS Christmas.

2. Dianne Reeves: Christmas Time Is Here
This is an immaculate CD. Dianne's voice is pure and beautiful. Her arrangements are fresh. She achieves the impossible; she does The Christmas Waltz without making you yearn for Karen Carpenter, and Christmas Time Is Here without conjuring the omnipresent ghost of Charlie Brown. And her Little Drummer Boy is the best I have ever heard. Finally, this is a jazz Christmas CD without a hint of strings - pared down perfect elegance.

3. Etta James: Twelve Songs of Christmas
Killer arrangements and good song choices make this a great upbeat party CD, even though Etta sounds like she was hitting the spiked eggnog a few too many times on some tracks - it all adds to the fun.

4. Charles Brown: Cool Christmas Blues
The man who wrote Please Come Home For Christmas and Merry Christmas, Baby certainly should know a thing or two about Christmas songs. A great CD from a master.

5. B.B. King: A Christmas Celebration of Hope
The funny thing about this CD is that B.B. almost duplicates the aforementioned Charles Brown CD. It is interesting to compare their interpretations. That being said, this is also a wonderful, happy holiday CD, and B.B.'s Auld Lang Syne is a classic.

6. The Holly Cole Trio: Christmas Blues
Really an EP, this acoustic trio is simply beautiful.

7. Los Straitjackets: Tis the Season For Los Straitjackets
Good time guitar instrumentals will keep your holiday hoppin'!

8. Jingle Bell Jam: Jazz Christmas Classics
You gotta be careful with those pre-made compilations. They are sure to disappoint. This one, however, is so well chosen that almost ever track is a must-have. Classics from being to end.

9. Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Yes, we are all overrun with this, but it IS a classic album, with great songs and a great performance. Is it Vince's fault that his masterpiece has become ubiquitous? Clear your head and give it a listen on its own, without the animation.

10. Loreena McKennitt: To Drive the Cold Winter Away
After all of this jazz and blues, you'll need a little classic Celtic soother. No one does it better than Loreena.

New Music Tuesday - Replacing Vinyl

I picked up two CD's today that I have been negligent in upgrading from vinyl. The first is A Classy Pair, an aptly titled effort from Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. It is a wonderful CD, but the stand-out track is definitely Just A Sittin' and A Rockin'. I am so pleased to be able to listen to this song again! Basie has always exemplified swing for me; I think he had the greatest of the big bands for my money. And Ella is in great form throughout the disc; her scatting on Honeysuckle Rose is exemplary for any would-be vocalists.

The second treasure of the day is Getting Sentimental by the great saxophonist, Zoot Sims from 1975. The must-have track on this disc is Dream Dancing, a forgotten Cole Porter masterpiece. This was recorded live, and very simply in a house with a standard trio (piano, bass and drums). It is simple, elegant and romantic on the whole, but the inclusion of Fred and Caravan kind of shatter the mood; however, the other tracks yearn to be included on mix CD's.

Weather Report

While we had some snow on Thanksgiving, today was the first for-real get serious snowstorm of the year.

If memory serves me correctly, last year I had only one day that was troublesome in my commute to work, and that was in late February. This year is off to fast start - the severity of this storm easily beat the worst of last year.

To add to my enjoyment of the foul weather, I seem to have come down with my first illness of the year - a mysterious, lingering sore throat that is threatening to turn into strep, I fear.
Chills, fever, runny nose...

I love the winter so.

Holiday Festivities Part Deux

Retail workers get very little joy from the holiday season. There is a lot of overtime, a lot of crowds and it is simply a hectic time of year. So this year I have tried to do a least a couple of things to make the season a bit more festive and less of a long marathon to be conquered.

To this end, Heather and I went out for a nice luncheon at Bravo Cucina Italiana, a Ohio-based chain Italian eatery.

I had the wood-fired chicken marsala and Tuscan mashed potatoes, which was acceptable. Bravo is certainly a lovely place for conversation and ambiance, but the food is not the big draw.

We also agreed at that any restaurant that feels it must emblaze the name of the joint boldly on the rim of the dinner plates lacks a wee bit of class.

What Do You Want On Your Tombstone?

This is certainly in the running for mine - great words to remember... All Hail Camus!

By reason of their very duration, great misfortunes are monotonous.

-- Albert Camus 1913-1960

Holiday Festivities

My friend Patrick came to visit me this evening and brought with him a most welcome bottle Oban Single Malt Scotch, which is pleasant way to begin any celebration.

After dinner, I took him down the street to Stan Hywet to partake in their extravagant outdoor holiday light festival. The best part of the decor was at the end of the birch allee. When you get to the stone balcony overlooking the lagoons, there were four lighted fountains in the ponds, and huge lighted stars suspended high in the trees in the distance. It was very amazing.

Work continues on the restoration of the conservatory/greenhouse, and it looked particularly great at night.

Something got into us (perhaps the Oban) and we decided to take the interior house tour, which was led by an elderly man named Ted. The house is stunning, of course, and it did look lovely decked out for a 1917 Christmas. I really loved the men's lounge with the great billiard table, and the Plunge, the indoor pool.

Patrick felt that the Sieberling's had their priorities in the wrong place - he felt that rather than copying bits and pieces from estates throughout Europe and England, trying to build a 15th century house in the twentieth century, they should have put their money into creating something new and unique. I see his point, and I suppose that would be more to my personal taste. However, you cannot deny the beauty and grandeur of the hand carved paneling, the leaded glass windows and the painstaking level of detail that the designers and the Sieberling's went to to pull the house together.

After our walk in the brisk night, we went back to my house for espresso and Bailey's custard.

All in all, it was a great start to the holiday.

New Music Tuesday - Christmas III

Last year I casually listened to a bit of Operatica's Christmas Classics Performed, and had every intention of purchasing it, yet somehow the ship sailed and I forgot about it. I picked it up today, and not that I was disappointed with it, but it certainly is stranger than I had remembered. But, then again, let's keep in mind my recent misguided thoughts about Remy Shand...

Operatica is a group that fuses electronica/dance beats with opera, usually with quite pleasing results. The holiday CD features the wonderful Maureen O'Flynn. As I was composing this post, doing some research on Ms. Flynn, this is the first Google hit I found:

Maureen O'Flynn begins 2002 with her debut at the San Diego Opera in the role of role of GILDA. As anyone will tell you who has seen her perform and heard her mellifluous, lyrical voice...

Can we please have a moratorium on San Diego references? This is getting out of control. Really.

Meditations on Death

In honor of my friend, Eric Pollard, whose birthday is today, I dug out an old cassette tape he sent to me at college in 1982. The title of the tape was "Meditations on Death." He spends the 45 minutes of Side One acting out a conceit of Tim Curry as Frank N. Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show meeting God in Heaven. He, in a thinly veiled characterization, discusses the meaning of death and his views of the after-life. In this very strange context, he weaves many references to his then-recent involuntary deprogramming, and his general angst at being 18, being in high school and feeling very isolated and alienated.

Side Two is 45 minutes of him rambling from the rehearsal room at his high school, playing the piano intermittantly, and then reading a very long letter from our mutal friend, Alec, who was then a freshman at Yale. The letter captures all of our friend's misplaced arrogance, and innocence - and richocets from tales of decorating his "flat" (last time I checked Yale was not Oxford... I believe those are still apartments here on this side of the pond), with his "flat-mates" and his first encounters with pot. It ends with a pro and con discussion of the Montessori school system.

This cassette is a wonderful little time capsule of my friend Eric, who passed away on my birthday in 2002. It was bittersweet to be taken back in time, but wonderful to be reminded of what a character he was.

New Music Tuesday – Christmas II

Los Straitjackets – Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets

I guess this goes to show you where my head is at this holiday season. I love this CD of all guitar-heavy instrumentals. This is a great CD, very fun and very happy – but what should you expect from a group that performs in wrestling masks? The only tracks that aren't instant classics on the very first listen are Christmas in Las Vegas and Christmas Weekend, as I had no memories conjured up it compare their version to. Marshmallow World and Here Come Santa Claus are particular favorites, but Feliz Navidad and Let It Snow are great, too.

A perfect antidote to sappy, overly orchestrated holiday swill. Rock on. Oh, and in keeping with November's unintentinal theme, they are from San Diego.

Thanksgiving in Iceland

I awoke this Thanksgiving to a very well-behaved snowfall – the kind that outlines every branch and leaf, but stays off the roads. I promised myself that if it snowed I wouldn't leave the house today, except to go to Starbuck's in the morning for my required triple grande latte, but that is a necessity anyway. I drove down the hill past Stan Hywet, and I was entranced by the perfect pyramids of snow atop the fence posts. The drive to Starbuck's can take you through the park, over the meadow and through the river (as it crosses the road, it does not, like most rivers, go under the road) and it was very lovely and peaceful.

Since it snowed, my plan to spend the day at the movie theater was dashed, and so I settled in with some DVD's. Maybe because of the inclement weather I chose an Icelandic film to begin my day.

Nói Albinói, the debut film of writer/director Dagur Kári is a terrific film about growing up on a remote fjord in Iceland. (It was shot in the remote village of Bolungarvik on the West Fjord of Iceland, population 957.)

The very first scene of Nói’s Sisyphean labor was initially impressive, but even more so by the brilliant bookending echoed at the end of the film in a most unexpected way.

Kári uses a lot of blues and greens in the movie, conveying an overwhelming sense of depression and confinement, while at the same time reveling in the natural beauty of the location. The characters are well-developed, but certainly odd. The characters each seem to inhabit a singular location – that is, Nói's grandmother is never seen outside of the house, Iris (the gas station girl) is the only person Nói ( Tómas Lemarquis ) ever sees in the gas station. What would it be like to grow up in a place where you know everyone, where routine is so deeply embedded, and change and strangers are unknown? Nói attempts to bring change to his world, and is foiled at every turn – the most dramatic being the reception to his attempt at robbing the bank. The elders can't see Nói as a danger – he is just a strange boy they have known all of his life, and they do not fear him for a moment. His grand attempt at escape is a haunting image – a blur of color and motion and life that breaks the bleakness of the film momentarily.

I really liked immersing myself into this strange culture that Kári i has depicted. And the ending, well...you won't be prepared for it. I suppose I could relate to what I took to be the “message”, sometimes the worst thing possible can also reveal a new beginning. Once everything is lost you are finally liberated.The final shot is beautifully ambiguous, so you can decide the outcome for yourself.

Cool Obscure Facts:
Kari Lemarquis , who plays the French schoolteacher, is the father of Tomas Lemarquis , who plays Nói. Kari Lemarquis is a French schoolteacher in real life, and the director Dagur Kári was one of his students.

Super Size Me

I finally got around to seeing Morgan Spurlock's great film, Super Size Me. This film, and Fahrenheit 9 11 should be required viewing for everyone. It is chilling to watch the demise of Morgan's health in 30 short days. As his mood changes, as his energy dissipates, his waist grows, his face fills out, and then he begins to flush and break out. It truly is incredible to watch him metamorphosize in a month. To regain his pre-film level of health took him over a year and a half. One month to destroy himself... almost two years to recover.

AND thirteen bags of garbage for one month of one person eating. That is a LOT of garbage - and there would be those that would make the connection that he probably would have been better off eating the paper wrappers than the food.

I got a good laugh from his "man on the street" interviews, where he asks people what a calorie is. When he finally gets to a scientist for the correct answer, it is as if the "Hallelujah Chorus" is playing. Very funny, yes, but also it verified my general elitist feeling about the stupidity of the masses.

And if you still aren't horrified by this point, the DVD features some deleted scenes, all of which are worth watching, but please check out "The Smoking Fry" in which Morgan places one of each item on the McDonald's menu in glass jars for 10 months, to recorded their disintegration. It is fuzzy and oozy and I am sure, stinky, as one would expect...but keep your eyes on the fries.....

New Music Tuesday - Taking Chances

Last night I did something I rarely do - I took unsolicated advice from the clerk at the record store and bought a CD that I knew nothing about based solely on a stranger's recommendation.

The CD: The Magnificent Tree (2000) by Hooverphonic. Well, I love, love, love the loungey, yet string heavy track Mad About You. I dig the lead singer Geike Arnaert's voice. This CD is a bit similar to Zero 7 (one of my favorite new bands), but at least on this offering, they seem brighter and happier than the morose and somber (yet very talented) Zero 7 folk.

Check out this quote from a Magnificent Tree review:

"Classic embryonic vocalic beauty from Geike Arnaert still carries the translucence of the band's signature ethereality"

Hmm...will I ever write like that? Anyway, good tip and a good find. I hadn't known my collection was lacking in signature ethereality until now...

So then, I took a recommendation from my faux cousin Erik (same last name, no relation) and picked up The Way I Feel by Remy Shand. While I pride myself on being quite knowledgable about music, the circumstances regarding this CD are comical. Erik was playing this CD while we were working, and so I only heard vague snippets of the songs, and only glimpsed the cover. I assumed that Remy Shand was an African or possibly Indian woman and the CD struck me as being kind of an ethnic- world type thing. Well, I bought it, went home and listened to it:

It is a GREAT soul album, and Remy (who is a 23 year old Canadian man for God's sake and is the songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer of the CD) sings a lot like Prince. In fact, it really feels like a retro-soulified Prince album. So, after my bout of foolishness, I really recommend this CD- which was the Juno winning Best R&B/Soul Recording Of The Year. Where have I been?

Allow me to quote a review regarding my favorite track: "the literate neo-classic soul vibe of The Mind’s Eye". Literate neo-classic soul vibe. Wow.

And thanks to Erik for hipping me up to this one.

Opera and Diners

I spent the night at my friend Annie's house. There are few things to compare with the sensation of waking up to someone playing the piano and singing opera, very well and live, enhanced by the friendly morning glow of a crackling fire and a full coffee pot.

Annie's husband has been away for a long time, as he is performing in the Ring at the State Opera of South Australia. All of this talk about opera makes me just want to point out that:

No opera plot can be sensible, for in sensible situations, people do not sing.
W.H. Auden

Before heading off to work, we went to eat at the Park City Diner.
It is a very upscale diner, yet it still captures that lowdown diner feeling. I loved the mural on the wall of Ohio history, which we were seated across from. I had the full-on standard egg breakfast and ended with my own little miniature pumpkin pie. It was quite a feast, and while I don't think the food is exceptional by any means, it was a very pleasant and good experience. I would definitely go back.

8111 Rockside Road, Valley View 216-328-0575

Finding Neverland

Annie and I went to see Finding Neverland this morning, before work. First of all, a moment to review the theatre...
We went to the Valley View Theatre, which is enormous and wonderful AND...you can get real food there, and take it in with you. I know what you are thinking...but I had a cheeseburger and fries and a drink, and it was $6. Which is less than a small popcorn in most theatres. So, I was deliriously happy, well-fed and sitting in nice, high-backed stadium seats in a big theatre even before the film began.

There isn't much to say...Finding Neverland was such a wonderful film. All of it. The story, the acting, the costuming, the filming, the music. All exquisite. And it is no secret that I love Johnny Depp - he does not disappoint. I am not one to get all emotional, but I teared up at several points in the film...and the end, well...what can you say?

This is not to say it is a sad movie though...we left feeling elated...I had that great feeling you get when you've encountered some great work of art or music. And I was bitten by the urge to go get "Peter Pan" to read. Neverland is fantastic.

Goodbye Lenin!

I watched Goodbye Lenin! today. It is a great film about one boys devotion to his mother. His mother was a fervent supporter of the Socialists, and falls into a coma in 1989. For the few months that she is in the coma, her world disappears...the wall falls and Coca-Cola comes to town. When she regains consciousness, the doctor warns the son that any shock might kill his mother, so he sets out to create a different world, the world as it was months ago.

Hilarity ensues as he tries to find old German pickles and other staples now that the grocery stores are overrun with the more desirable Western goods. He enlists a friend to create videotapes of news broadcasts to fool his mother into thinking life has continued on as normal.

And while this sort of storyline lends itself to comical situations, the filmmaker, Wolfgang Becker, has shown great restraint in portraying the reasoning behind all of these machinations.

The son does feel guilty as each small lie begets a larger lie, but his intentions were always good.

Very good film...I loaned this film to my assistant manager, and not only did he like it, he said his whole family enjoyed it, including his kids.

Pages

So there I was minding my own business, on my way to pick up what I was sure would be a dangerously romantic CD, having my daily triple grande latte and flipping through a magazine, when I see a name pop off of the masthead...someone very important to me, but someone I have not been in contact with at all for many months - yes, I am referring to my Phantom of San Diego.

What are the chances that a song that captures the nuances of a person (Dinner For One Please, James - see review), will conjure their name up in print the very same day?

Well, I'll tell you - very good indeed. Synchronicity is a strange thing. And while the universe is laughing at me, I just want to say that I did get the joke. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, there are some bonds that are inescapable for eternity.

And to the Phantom of San Diego - we shared a moment, and it was quite lovely, as it always was.

New Music Tuesday - Branford Marsalis

I heard a track from Branford's new CD, Eternal, last night driving home from work, and set out bright and early this morning to fetch the disc. On the whole, Eternal is a very romantic and seductive offering. The reason I bought the CD was Dinner For One Please, James, a ridiculously gorgeous sax ballad enhanced by some great piano work. I like that tune enough to make the purchase of the CD worthwhile, but I also like the much more upbeat opener, The Ruby and the Pearl. Branford says of this CD, " All of the songs reflect the idea that there is beauty in sadness.." While I believe that is certainly true, I don't find the CD sad at all, it is more of a wistful feeling...

How to Spend a Fall Day in Cleveland

I spent the night in Cleveland, and decided to take full advantage of my extended morning, before having to report to work.

I went to the Inn on Coventry, which prepares my favorite breakfast: two eggs, toast, hashbrowns, English muffin, OJ and coffee. Nothing fancy, mind you, and that is the point. They make it fast, good and cheap. It is the perfect breakfast. I used to go there so often that I wouldn't even have to order...I could just go and sit down and start reading and it would all show up before me like magic. That's the kind of service that gets great tips.

It was a glorious fall day, bright and sunny and still enough leaves left to be colorful. I went to the Cleveland Museum of Art and took in the exhibit: Dukes and Angels: Art from the Court of Burgundy 1364-1419. While this particular period is not a specialty of mine, it really was a fascinating exhibit. I spent a great deal of time enraptured by the many manuscripts. The detailing of the backgrounds in the illuminations were mind-boggling, and only serve to prove my point: Look what can be done when you don't have cable.

Following this, I wandered upstairs and caught the Needful Things: Recent Multiples exhibit, which is made up of very contemporary art that is not unique. I loved this exhibit so much...they had a paint-by-numbers set by Damien Hirst, one of my favorite eccentric artists, and well, really, each item in the exhibit was worth investigating. I liked the "cocaine" and "heroin" porcelain salt and pepper shakers. What was really exciting was the juxtaposition of this cutting edge art after being enveloped in the gilded pages and religious stone work of the 1400s earlier.

On the way out, they had some very exquisite and moving photographs by Luc Delahaye. His prints are enormous, 4 feet tall by 8 feet long. The most impressive, though they were all stunning, was his photo, Taliban. It is a masterpiece.

Finally, they had moved Spencer Tunick's photo taken at the Rock Hall to the New Acquisitions wall (it had previously been in the basement by the restrooms). It is a wonderful photo of 3000 naked folk laying together in the street. Check out his work, he is quite cool.

The Inn on Coventry 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd, Cleveland Heights 216-371-1811