Sunday, July 5
3 Posts in 1 Day!
I saw "The Hangover" this afternoon and it was very funny. I have a big crush on Zach Galifianakis and it's several years old at this point. I used to watch "Tru Calling" for god's sake. And I once saw him at a show at Richard's on Richards, but I didn't have the courage to talk to him even with Sean egging me on. I don't know what it is about him, but there's just something that gets me. The crush grew a little bit when I found this video on YouTube:
Fete de la Musique!
Since arriving in Geneva there have been a few music festivals around town. The biggest so far, and the one I spent the most time at, was the Fête de la Musique which occurred a couple of weekends ago. It's a three day long city-wide festival and it was a lot of fun. There are concerts all over the place as well as tours of libraries, churches and other music-related places. And everything is free!
On the second day of the festival I saw a bit of a Bossa Nova band play while I ate my delicious chicken, rice and plantains from the Cote d'Ivoire buvette in Parc Bastions. This park is quite close to where I'm living. It's huge and lovely. There were many stages throughout the park for the fete.
After eating and watching the band I headed to the Grütli to see "Shine A Light" at the CAC Voltaire. It's the Martin Scorcese directed documentary/concert film about the Rolling Stones. It was shot in 2006 and I can't say that I've paid much attention to the Rolling Stones beyond their early works and the uber-cheesy "Emotional Rescue." However, this documentary totally charged me up! And now I can sort of understand how Mick Jagger (and to a degree even Ronnie Wood) is able to still hook up with young models. Of course, Mick's much cuter in the archival footage that Scorcese interspersed throughout the film, but he's still pretty sexy. I think that I've always thought of the Rolling Stones as being pretty cheesy over the last couple of decades, but now having seen this movie I think that they are just a bunch of guys doing what they love and just givin' 'er without any self-consciousness or second thought to the fact that they're now 60s is completely irrelevant. Mick dances like a maniac, Keith Richards is a nut and Charlie Watts is totally endearing. I enjoyed the film quite a bit more than I had anticipated even with the weird guest spots by Christine Aguilera and Jack White.
On Sunday, the last day of the festival, I went on a tour of the Cathedral Saint Pierre to see la grande orgue, a gigantic pipe organ that is located on a balcony overlooking the cathedral. It was very cool, although there were a few too many people and everyone was rubbernecking so there wasn't much to actually see except the gigantic, medium, small and teeny-tiny sized pipes. The fun thing was listening to the organ fill the empty space of the cathedral. Pretty cool.
My main objective for Sunday was to see one of the metal bands playing at the festival.
There are all type of music at the Fête and seeing a metal band amongst the Genevoise seemed like it would be entertaining and potentially hilarious. First I stopped at a buvette for a Schubling sausage, some frites and a beer.
After I ate I found the stage and waited amongst the long-haired teenaged boys in all black. The crowd was fairly funny. There were a lot of metalheads, but also people with small children, a man smoking wearing business casual cloths and smoking a cigar, middle-aged ladies and a few "urban" looking kids. The band itself were okay. All the guys had either long hair or shaved heads and they totally went for it shredding and pounding their instruments. The singer was a girl and it was a little Evanescense for my taste, but it was amusing.
After that I planned to head home, but then I noticed a taiko group was playing. Taiko in Switzerland! Cultures coming together through music! Okay! I killed time by eating some plantains and drinking more beer.
I had an almost conversation with a lady sitting next to me on a bench. She was Francophone and I am not, but we managed to share a little laugh and I was able to say "d'accord" and mean it! I did some wandering, made a small donation to the Geneve AIDS Society and walked to and from the giant ferris wheel by the Natural History Museum.
The taiko group was fun. I sat on a bench with a Japanese lady who was absolutely loving it. Also great were all the little kids huddled together at the front of the stage going wild and covering their ears during the drumming. I left before they finished because it was really crowded and it was getting pretty cold and windy.
Fête de la Musique was a lot of fun, but it made me think about Vancouver and how something like this would never be held there. First of all, it was not contained. You can walk freely from site to site without having to show a wristband or adhere to an "in-an-outs" policy. Second, it was free and it was huge. Vancouver has the Folk Fest, but it's not free. Not many things in Vancouver are free. Third, in Geneva drinking in public is legal and people don't act like total morons because of it. It's part of life here and for the most part I didn't see anyone acting totally wasted and causing trouble. That's not to say that doesn't happen here, but at an event as large as the Fete it was nice to not be surrounded by drunken lunatics who are trying to drink as much as they can before the bar closes. The other nice thing was that there was a police presence, but it was not in your face like most things are in Vancouver (and other North American cities). They were certainly there, but they weren't patrolling the parks or following people around giving the evil eye. It was kind of nice.
Thing that I appreciated the most was the variety of music and events. It was great to be able to walk from stage to stage and see different groups and types of music. I saw a brass band that played top 40 hits! Of course, not everything was up my alley but it was cool to stumble upon things like a group from one of the local schools singing and playing "I Love Rock'n'Roll" by Joan Jett. With not only electric guitar but also xylophones!!! At the end of the song the littlest kid dove off the stage into the arms of his classmates. AWESOME!
On the second day of the festival I saw a bit of a Bossa Nova band play while I ate my delicious chicken, rice and plantains from the Cote d'Ivoire buvette in Parc Bastions. This park is quite close to where I'm living. It's huge and lovely. There were many stages throughout the park for the fete.
After eating and watching the band I headed to the Grütli to see "Shine A Light" at the CAC Voltaire. It's the Martin Scorcese directed documentary/concert film about the Rolling Stones. It was shot in 2006 and I can't say that I've paid much attention to the Rolling Stones beyond their early works and the uber-cheesy "Emotional Rescue." However, this documentary totally charged me up! And now I can sort of understand how Mick Jagger (and to a degree even Ronnie Wood) is able to still hook up with young models. Of course, Mick's much cuter in the archival footage that Scorcese interspersed throughout the film, but he's still pretty sexy. I think that I've always thought of the Rolling Stones as being pretty cheesy over the last couple of decades, but now having seen this movie I think that they are just a bunch of guys doing what they love and just givin' 'er without any self-consciousness or second thought to the fact that they're now 60s is completely irrelevant. Mick dances like a maniac, Keith Richards is a nut and Charlie Watts is totally endearing. I enjoyed the film quite a bit more than I had anticipated even with the weird guest spots by Christine Aguilera and Jack White.
At one point I thought they were playing "Bitch," but it was a different song. Oh well, here's a video 'cos I love this song a ton and after hearing it decided to order the remastered Sticky Fingers from Amazon:
On Sunday, the last day of the festival, I went on a tour of the Cathedral Saint Pierre to see la grande orgue, a gigantic pipe organ that is located on a balcony overlooking the cathedral. It was very cool, although there were a few too many people and everyone was rubbernecking so there wasn't much to actually see except the gigantic, medium, small and teeny-tiny sized pipes. The fun thing was listening to the organ fill the empty space of the cathedral. Pretty cool.
My main objective for Sunday was to see one of the metal bands playing at the festival.
There are all type of music at the Fête and seeing a metal band amongst the Genevoise seemed like it would be entertaining and potentially hilarious. First I stopped at a buvette for a Schubling sausage, some frites and a beer.
After I ate I found the stage and waited amongst the long-haired teenaged boys in all black. The crowd was fairly funny. There were a lot of metalheads, but also people with small children, a man smoking wearing business casual cloths and smoking a cigar, middle-aged ladies and a few "urban" looking kids. The band itself were okay. All the guys had either long hair or shaved heads and they totally went for it shredding and pounding their instruments. The singer was a girl and it was a little Evanescense for my taste, but it was amusing.
After that I planned to head home, but then I noticed a taiko group was playing. Taiko in Switzerland! Cultures coming together through music! Okay! I killed time by eating some plantains and drinking more beer.
I had an almost conversation with a lady sitting next to me on a bench. She was Francophone and I am not, but we managed to share a little laugh and I was able to say "d'accord" and mean it! I did some wandering, made a small donation to the Geneve AIDS Society and walked to and from the giant ferris wheel by the Natural History Museum.
The taiko group was fun. I sat on a bench with a Japanese lady who was absolutely loving it. Also great were all the little kids huddled together at the front of the stage going wild and covering their ears during the drumming. I left before they finished because it was really crowded and it was getting pretty cold and windy.
Fête de la Musique was a lot of fun, but it made me think about Vancouver and how something like this would never be held there. First of all, it was not contained. You can walk freely from site to site without having to show a wristband or adhere to an "in-an-outs" policy. Second, it was free and it was huge. Vancouver has the Folk Fest, but it's not free. Not many things in Vancouver are free. Third, in Geneva drinking in public is legal and people don't act like total morons because of it. It's part of life here and for the most part I didn't see anyone acting totally wasted and causing trouble. That's not to say that doesn't happen here, but at an event as large as the Fete it was nice to not be surrounded by drunken lunatics who are trying to drink as much as they can before the bar closes. The other nice thing was that there was a police presence, but it was not in your face like most things are in Vancouver (and other North American cities). They were certainly there, but they weren't patrolling the parks or following people around giving the evil eye. It was kind of nice.
Thing that I appreciated the most was the variety of music and events. It was great to be able to walk from stage to stage and see different groups and types of music. I saw a brass band that played top 40 hits! Of course, not everything was up my alley but it was cool to stumble upon things like a group from one of the local schools singing and playing "I Love Rock'n'Roll" by Joan Jett. With not only electric guitar but also xylophones!!! At the end of the song the littlest kid dove off the stage into the arms of his classmates. AWESOME!
Movie News
I love movies. Here are some things that have recently contributed to my always expanding love of cinema.
This hilarious little video spoofing indie movies (via Cup of Jo) :
This story by Wes Anderson about his trip to visit Roald Dahl's house in preparation for his new film based on the Dahl story "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Here's a somewhat amusing, but kind of embarassing, video of Jason Schwartzman and Wes Anderson hawking for Borders bookstores (there is no Fantastic Mr. Fox stuff out there right now) :
I was very excited to read on Lightning's Girl that a biopic about French crooner/perv Serge Gainsbourg will be released early next year. The production shots look amazing. The actor playing Serge looks perfect and I'm sure it will be a fascinating and sexy look at his life and career.
And, of course, Brüno. I think that Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliant. I remember the first time I watched Ali G (in Glasgow about 8 years ago). I was beside myself. So hilarious and just perfect. When I returned to Vancouver I bid on (and won) bootleg copies of Ali G videos on eBay. That's where I first saw Borat and Brüno. I'm fairly certain that this movie will make me laugh so hard that I cry a little. Just looking at this photo gallery made me hyperventillate a little. It opens in Switzerland on July 22nd. Vass up!?
This hilarious little video spoofing indie movies (via Cup of Jo) :
This story by Wes Anderson about his trip to visit Roald Dahl's house in preparation for his new film based on the Dahl story "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Here's a somewhat amusing, but kind of embarassing, video of Jason Schwartzman and Wes Anderson hawking for Borders bookstores (there is no Fantastic Mr. Fox stuff out there right now) :
I was very excited to read on Lightning's Girl that a biopic about French crooner/perv Serge Gainsbourg will be released early next year. The production shots look amazing. The actor playing Serge looks perfect and I'm sure it will be a fascinating and sexy look at his life and career.
Also, I think that I need to see this movie at some point:
And, of course, Brüno. I think that Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliant. I remember the first time I watched Ali G (in Glasgow about 8 years ago). I was beside myself. So hilarious and just perfect. When I returned to Vancouver I bid on (and won) bootleg copies of Ali G videos on eBay. That's where I first saw Borat and Brüno. I'm fairly certain that this movie will make me laugh so hard that I cry a little. Just looking at this photo gallery made me hyperventillate a little. It opens in Switzerland on July 22nd. Vass up!?
Finally, the new Almodovar movie "Broken Embraces" looks breathtaking. I never really thought much of Penelope Cruz and then I saw her act in Spanish and in an Almodovar film. The lady is hot. She's charming and beautiful and oozes sex in such an appealing way. Unfortunately when this movie opens I will still be in Geneva and it will be subtitled in French and German, but not English. Until then I will just have to watch the trailer over and over and over again. Sigh.
Saturday, June 27
In which my sister gets married and I overuse enthusiastic adjectives out of love
As some of you know, my sister got married last month. It was one of a few HUGE events that took place in my life between turning 30 in April and moving to Geneva at the end of May. When it rains it pours, right? Fortunately, the wedding wasn't an unpleasant downpour at all. On the contrary, it was absolutely lovely, wonderful and loaded with memories to cherish and giggle over in the years to come.
Travis, my brother-in-law, proposed to my sister last April after driving me to Seattle to fly to LA. He had already garnered a number of gold stars from me for being willing to drive his then-girlfriend's sister to an airport over three hours away. When Janna told me that he proposed I was very happy for them both. You're probably thinking "And so you should be!" It's true, but being an older sister I have had occassion to give her boyfriends a hard time and they don't often pass the test. I may have scrutinized their every move and gesture, but it was always with my sister's best interest at heart. With Travis it was different. When I met him the first few times I didn't feel nervous or suspicious. It was a little weird for me to like one of my sister's boyfriends so quickly. And now he's my brother-in-law, so I guess he passed the Big Sister Test.
Back to the wedding. Since their engagement last year both Janna and Travis were in full-blown planning mode. Initially I think they were thinking small-ish wedding, but it soon ballooned to a guest list of nearly 200! As an observer of all this planning I decided that if I do ever end getting married it will be small. Like ten people, so if you get an invitation you had better bronze it 'cos it's likely one of a very few. One of my favourite aspects of their wedding were the invitations, which Travis designed. As part of the save-the-date card they sent out personalized magnets with the invitation theme and the appropriate info. I thought this was such a cute idea!
When the wedding finally rolled around Travis had designed all sorts of things built around the invitation design. There were paint cans emblazoned with the design and filled with off-white roses, name cards (with individual quotes about love on the back), take-home gift boxes and even the cake was decorated with the black, blue and white floral pattern. Janna, of course, ensured that the paper stock was of good quality (they're in the printing business). My favourite part of the take-home gift were the 1" buttons! I daresay I inspired the idea for these babies (actually, I believe I said "You have to have buttons!!!" because sometimes I'm pushy).
The wedding itself was lovely. I held it together during the short, but incredibly sweet, ceremony. Mostly because my sister made smart-ass asides during it as an effective way of distracting herself from the enormity of the situation. I teared up as she walked down the aisle, grabbing on to her best-man for support (they each had a best-man and a maid of honour). I also handed Travis a tissue after they said their vows---it was bright pink with white polka dots, so you know inconspicuous. We signed the register and that was that! Off to the party...after a few hundred photos outside the church. The church, by the way, was the same one that our parents were married in nearly 33 years ago. Cute!
The reception was a lot of fun. Pretty much all of the weddings that I've been to in the last couple of years have been on the small side. I was somewhat skeptical that a larger wedding would be able to achieve the same sense of intimacy that a small one can. However, my sister's wedding was so warm and intimate. It felt small despite the number of guests and I loved that aspect of it. It might have something to do with what a close-knit bunch we are.
Another highlight was that they decided to ban the "clink the glasses" routine where people clink and the couple kisses. Instead, if the guests wanted them to kiss they would have to get up as a table and sing a verse from a song. Not surprisingly, almost all the tables where our (very loud & boisterous) family members were seated got up and belted out the tunes. The biggest kiss came after "Hit Me Baby (One More Time). My sister is a Britney fan. My favourite performance was a solo effort from the 11 year old son of a close family friend. He sang "Afternoon Delight." Amazing.
I gave my Maid of Honour toast, which I thought went quite well. I brought a prop: a piece of toast. One of the books I read said that props during speeches are funny and who am I to argue.
I kept my composure for most of the wedding and reception. I'd say I'm more of a smiler than a crier, but when my sister and Dad did the Father of the Bride dance I completely lost it. Like, sobbing with my whole body. It wasn't even to a slow song! But it moved me completely and exposed me as the weepy sap that I occasionally can be.
After the dinner and cake we danced and danced and snuck up to our hotel room for shots of Fireball and glasses of cheap rosé and danced some more. The DJ was a bit of a dolt, in my opinion, but we had fun. It was a funny mix of 80s, Top 40 and country hits (Travis is from Alberta). Pretty hilarious. We ended the evening with a dance circle full of sways and off-key singing to "Don't Stop Believin'." Almost all of us took turns bustin' our craziest moves in the middle of that circle. An amazing way to end the night for sure.
After the dinner and cake we danced and danced and snuck up to our hotel room for shots of Fireball and glasses of cheap rosé and danced some more. The DJ was a bit of a dolt, in my opinion, but we had fun. It was a funny mix of 80s, Top 40 and country hits (Travis is from Alberta). Pretty hilarious. We ended the evening with a dance circle full of sways and off-key singing to "Don't Stop Believin'." Almost all of us took turns bustin' our craziest moves in the middle of that circle. An amazing way to end the night for sure.
Overall, I give this wedding a 10 out of 10 and not just because it was my sister's wedding and I love her the most.
Wednesday, June 24
Impressions
I thought it would be fun to do a little round-up of some of the things that I've noticed after living in Geneva for nearly a month---I cannot believe that it's been almost a whole month already! Time flies and all that.
Men smoke pipes here. Almost every day I see at least one man walking down the street smoking a pipe. There doesn't seem to be a pipe-smoking type, but they are often wearing suits. Also, there are a fair number of smokers here, which is unfortunate when you're a non-smoker. On the other hand, cigarettes in Europe are a lot nicer smelling than American ones so at least there's that. Justin told me that the city had banned smoking in restaurants, but the ban was reversed! This is a bummer when you go out to eat or when you go to a grocery store that has a restaurant in it.
The dogs have balls. I grew up with Bob Barker's "help control the pet population" messages, so I'm just not used to seeing unneutered dogs. I kind of forgot that some dogs have testicles, but Geneva has reminded me that they certainly do! There are lots of dogs here, which is nice because I love 'em. However, when I'm walking behind a dog my first thought is "Oh, dogs are so cute" and my second thought is generally "Nuts!"
Et voila! People here actually say "voila" and "ohlala" and "enchanté." So many of these French words have become clichés in North American popular culture, but they are actually used on a regular basis in conversation. It is kind of awesome.
Cheese. The people of Switzerland are spoiled with cheese! I realise that the reason "fancy" cheese is expensive at home in Vancouver is because there are costs associated with importing it from Europe, but "fancy" cheese here is everyday cheese and, therefore, priced very low in comparison to what I am used to paying at home. The cheese aisle at the grocery store is usually at least one, but generally THREE, refrigerated bays of delicious fromage. The chocolate aisle is equally as tantalizing and HUGE.
The public transit system is rad. I bought a month pass for 70CHF (roughly $75 CDN). When you buy a month pass here you get to choose the date that it starts on and it finishes a month after that. In Vancouver you have to buy your pass at the beginning of the month or you basically lose money. The buses and trams generally run on time and the zone for the city of Geneva is quite large, so you can go most places with a regular ticket or pass. There are also boats called "mouettes" that you can take from the left bank to the right bank of the city and you can use your bus pass! I haven't done this yet, but I will soon.
High-heels. I only brought one pair and, honestly, I don't see myself wearing heels on a regular basis. However, the women of Geneva certainly do. I feel like a bit of a weirdo, but I have caught myself on more than one occasion staring at women's feet. Shoe envy! At some point I may buy some shoes here, but there's a good chance they won't be heels. Still, it's fun to look.
Parks and greenspaces. There are a ton of parks in Geneva and it's pretty wonderful. As far as I've been able to tell they are well-maintained and very well used by the people living here. It's nice to be wandering around and find yourself in yet another park! Looking at a map of the city you will notice there are a ton of them and they are perfect places to have picnics or read a book or both.
So, those are some of the things that spring to mind when I think about Geneva thus far. I'm sure more impressions will be made as the year progresses. Right now, it's summer and things are pretty vibrant. I'm looking forward to more exploring this weekend and the arrival of my friend/roommate-to-be/librarian-buddy this Sunday. She's lived here before and probably has some favourite places to go. In the meantime, I've been lucky to hang out with Justin and my current roommate, as well as get tips from colleagues at work.
Men smoke pipes here. Almost every day I see at least one man walking down the street smoking a pipe. There doesn't seem to be a pipe-smoking type, but they are often wearing suits. Also, there are a fair number of smokers here, which is unfortunate when you're a non-smoker. On the other hand, cigarettes in Europe are a lot nicer smelling than American ones so at least there's that. Justin told me that the city had banned smoking in restaurants, but the ban was reversed! This is a bummer when you go out to eat or when you go to a grocery store that has a restaurant in it.
The dogs have balls. I grew up with Bob Barker's "help control the pet population" messages, so I'm just not used to seeing unneutered dogs. I kind of forgot that some dogs have testicles, but Geneva has reminded me that they certainly do! There are lots of dogs here, which is nice because I love 'em. However, when I'm walking behind a dog my first thought is "Oh, dogs are so cute" and my second thought is generally "Nuts!"
Et voila! People here actually say "voila" and "ohlala" and "enchanté." So many of these French words have become clichés in North American popular culture, but they are actually used on a regular basis in conversation. It is kind of awesome.
Cheese. The people of Switzerland are spoiled with cheese! I realise that the reason "fancy" cheese is expensive at home in Vancouver is because there are costs associated with importing it from Europe, but "fancy" cheese here is everyday cheese and, therefore, priced very low in comparison to what I am used to paying at home. The cheese aisle at the grocery store is usually at least one, but generally THREE, refrigerated bays of delicious fromage. The chocolate aisle is equally as tantalizing and HUGE.
The public transit system is rad. I bought a month pass for 70CHF (roughly $75 CDN). When you buy a month pass here you get to choose the date that it starts on and it finishes a month after that. In Vancouver you have to buy your pass at the beginning of the month or you basically lose money. The buses and trams generally run on time and the zone for the city of Geneva is quite large, so you can go most places with a regular ticket or pass. There are also boats called "mouettes" that you can take from the left bank to the right bank of the city and you can use your bus pass! I haven't done this yet, but I will soon.
High-heels. I only brought one pair and, honestly, I don't see myself wearing heels on a regular basis. However, the women of Geneva certainly do. I feel like a bit of a weirdo, but I have caught myself on more than one occasion staring at women's feet. Shoe envy! At some point I may buy some shoes here, but there's a good chance they won't be heels. Still, it's fun to look.
Parks and greenspaces. There are a ton of parks in Geneva and it's pretty wonderful. As far as I've been able to tell they are well-maintained and very well used by the people living here. It's nice to be wandering around and find yourself in yet another park! Looking at a map of the city you will notice there are a ton of them and they are perfect places to have picnics or read a book or both.
So, those are some of the things that spring to mind when I think about Geneva thus far. I'm sure more impressions will be made as the year progresses. Right now, it's summer and things are pretty vibrant. I'm looking forward to more exploring this weekend and the arrival of my friend/roommate-to-be/librarian-buddy this Sunday. She's lived here before and probably has some favourite places to go. In the meantime, I've been lucky to hang out with Justin and my current roommate, as well as get tips from colleagues at work.
Sunday, June 21
Swelling strings
I suppose the second best thing to a new Belle & Sebastian album would be a new album featuring the work of a member of Belle & Sebastian. At least, that's how I feel. God Help The Girl is a side-project of Stuart Murdoch, lead crooner of B&S. Just like the Jarvis album I knew this was something that I wouldn't be able to wait for, so I placed an order with Amazon UK and it should arrive sometime in the next week and a half. Until then I imagine I'll be revisiting this lovely video for the wonderful first single, Come Monday Morning:
Where did these girls come from? And who does their eyeliner? If you want to know more about this project and Stuart Murdoch take a look at his blogs for The Guardian. The blogs are accompanied by parts of his wife's documentary "Girl Singer Needed."
Where did these girls come from? And who does their eyeliner? If you want to know more about this project and Stuart Murdoch take a look at his blogs for The Guardian. The blogs are accompanied by parts of his wife's documentary "Girl Singer Needed."
Thursday, June 18
D'accord!
So, I think I realised why it has taken me so long to post again. Basically, I think a part of my brain decided that I should be posting about Geneva as though I were here visiting and on a trip. But, I'm living here for six months, so it only makes sense that I maintain Juju Coop! as though I were at home in Vancouver. That means I'm going to try to make an effort to post regularly about things that I would normally post about. There are really only so many posts where I can tell you about the rivers or the lakes or what I ate, etc. Of course, from time to time it only makes sense that I talk about the things that happen to me while living in Geneva. However, I think I should also include things that are just random-ish things. Like this interview between Wes Anderson and Jarvis Cocker, two of my biggest crushes and people that I admire. It would also be a good time to mention that I couldn't help myself and I ordered some CDs from Amazon UK including the new Jarvis album "Further Complications." I don't really buy CDs anymore, but I'm living in a foreign country for six months away from my records and iTunes.
The package from Amazon only just arrived yesterday, but it contained the Jarvis album, the new Art Brut and the new album by Graham Coxon. I've only listened to Jarvis once and I have to say (don't act so surprised) that I love it. One of my favourite memories of my teen years was listening to Pulp pretty much non-stop to the point that my Dad, who is also a big music lover, borrowed "Different Class" to listen to in his studio while he painted. One of the great things about my parents is that they're pretty open to new things and generally curious about the things that my sister and I are interested in. In this case, however, my Dad wasn't all that interested in Pulp. He said, vehemently, "This album is all about SEX!" My Dad* isn't a prude, but I remember feeling both embarassed and proud that I was listening to something that my Dad found racy...and that I knew all the words to all of the songs. I even bought a "Chinese" dress from Le Chateau as an homage to the Common People video. I don't know who I wanted to be more Sadie Frost in that video or Jarvis himself!
*For the record, my Dad loves Frank Zappa. Zappa, and all his weirdness, figured largely into my childhood. Not necessarily a bad thing---but really, some of his songs are kinda pervy, too. Even still whenever Sean's Dad is mentioned (not especially often, but y'know) my parents start singing "Montana." And, Dad, you'll want to watch all those links : )
The package from Amazon only just arrived yesterday, but it contained the Jarvis album, the new Art Brut and the new album by Graham Coxon. I've only listened to Jarvis once and I have to say (don't act so surprised) that I love it. One of my favourite memories of my teen years was listening to Pulp pretty much non-stop to the point that my Dad, who is also a big music lover, borrowed "Different Class" to listen to in his studio while he painted. One of the great things about my parents is that they're pretty open to new things and generally curious about the things that my sister and I are interested in. In this case, however, my Dad wasn't all that interested in Pulp. He said, vehemently, "This album is all about SEX!" My Dad* isn't a prude, but I remember feeling both embarassed and proud that I was listening to something that my Dad found racy...and that I knew all the words to all of the songs. I even bought a "Chinese" dress from Le Chateau as an homage to the Common People video. I don't know who I wanted to be more Sadie Frost in that video or Jarvis himself!
*For the record, my Dad loves Frank Zappa. Zappa, and all his weirdness, figured largely into my childhood. Not necessarily a bad thing---but really, some of his songs are kinda pervy, too. Even still whenever Sean's Dad is mentioned (not especially often, but y'know) my parents start singing "Montana." And, Dad, you'll want to watch all those links : )
Monday, June 15
Walk right up to the microphone
Real post coming soon, I swear. I've been really exhausted and it's been very humid. Those are my excuses but honest to goodness I will write something here and post some new photos in the next couple of days. Until then, check out this hair!
Monday, June 8
'Cause if a mouse can be special, well so can you
So, we didn't end up going for Korean BBQ. Instead we went to a very C-H-I-C restaurant, Universal Cafe. The decor was eclectic and the food and drinks were good. And the company was excellent --- it was nice to finally meet Tish's friend, Justin, and his wife, Annamaria, after hearing lots about them over the years. This is what I ate:
It was quite delicous! They also had this on the menu, which I was tempted to try if only because I know my Mom would have gotten a huge kick out of it:
That's right, Le Dude Lebowski.
On Sunday I went for a walk along one of the two rivers. I was going to refer to it as "the muddy one," but I looked up the name and it's actually called L'Arve. There is a point where L'Arve meets the Rhone and things get mixed up and look pretty, but I was getting tired after walking around and stopping and walking, plus it was raining, so I decided to head back home. Alas, I looked at a map and I was nearly at the junction! Next time. Here are some photos from my walk (see more on my Flickr if you would like) :
Also on my walk I picked up a croissant and some macarons. They weren't the best macarons, but I saw them as soon as I walked in to the bakery and I knew I could order them in French so I did.
When I got home I ate my croissant with some sour cherry jam and a nectarine on the side. I had intended on saving the macarons, or just tasting one, but I ate them all while reading a copy of "Heat" magazine. Then I had a nap! J'taime dimanche!
After a FOUR HOUR NAP I woke up...hungry! So I made myself a plate of scrambled eggs with cheese and a salad on the side.
Today I worked, so I had lunch at one of the cafeterias around. I had a large salad, which was satisfying but by the time I got home I knew that I wanted something somewhat hearty and filling so I made black beans and fried plantains.
And my latest, and very exciting, discovery is that there is a Saint Bernard living in one of the shops downstairs! I saw him this morning when I was leaving the apartment. I could see him through the window just lounging around. To my pleasant surprise he was sitting outside when I got home! I didn't say anything to him, but I took his picture. I will ask my roommate what he knows about this dog so perhaps next time I can say "Bonsoir, chien!"
On my way home from work I listened to Sparks...It has been a pretty good couple of days.
It was quite delicous! They also had this on the menu, which I was tempted to try if only because I know my Mom would have gotten a huge kick out of it:
That's right, Le Dude Lebowski.
On Sunday I went for a walk along one of the two rivers. I was going to refer to it as "the muddy one," but I looked up the name and it's actually called L'Arve. There is a point where L'Arve meets the Rhone and things get mixed up and look pretty, but I was getting tired after walking around and stopping and walking, plus it was raining, so I decided to head back home. Alas, I looked at a map and I was nearly at the junction! Next time. Here are some photos from my walk (see more on my Flickr if you would like) :
Also on my walk I picked up a croissant and some macarons. They weren't the best macarons, but I saw them as soon as I walked in to the bakery and I knew I could order them in French so I did.
When I got home I ate my croissant with some sour cherry jam and a nectarine on the side. I had intended on saving the macarons, or just tasting one, but I ate them all while reading a copy of "Heat" magazine. Then I had a nap! J'taime dimanche!
After a FOUR HOUR NAP I woke up...hungry! So I made myself a plate of scrambled eggs with cheese and a salad on the side.
Today I worked, so I had lunch at one of the cafeterias around. I had a large salad, which was satisfying but by the time I got home I knew that I wanted something somewhat hearty and filling so I made black beans and fried plantains.
And my latest, and very exciting, discovery is that there is a Saint Bernard living in one of the shops downstairs! I saw him this morning when I was leaving the apartment. I could see him through the window just lounging around. To my pleasant surprise he was sitting outside when I got home! I didn't say anything to him, but I took his picture. I will ask my roommate what he knows about this dog so perhaps next time I can say "Bonsoir, chien!"
On my way home from work I listened to Sparks...It has been a pretty good couple of days.
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