10th Anniversary - Le Cheval Blanc and Loches

 It only took me three weeks to get to this post, but here it is at last, pretty bare bones because, well, the Sprout doesn't leave me much time for "frivolous pursuits."" 

(For those who don't know, Julien and I take turns planning our anniversary celebration, and this year was his turn.)

Julien slipped out of bed early while I was still cuddled in sleep with Soëlie. He came back just after I finished nursing her, carrying a tray laden with breakfast.  Breakfast in bed: Always a good way to start the day. 

While I got ready for his surprise, he dressed Soëlie.  Our first anniversary as parents. Very different. 

I love surprises, so once in the car, I closed my eyes to keep up the suspense. However, the curves in the road around the house quickly gave me a headache and put an end to that bit of fun. We ended up driving for two hours, but that's nothing. I once kept my eyes closed for five hours  on our way to Amsterdam from Paris. 

( Donjon but no dragons )

*We weren't at all impressed with the hotel that first time, but the restaurant was very good.  It's since changed hands, so I can't speak for the current state of the rooms, but the food is still good.

**I really don't have a right to complain because I'm familiar with the French adage "En avril, ne te découvre pas d’un fil ; en mai, fais ce qu’il te plaît!", meaning, April is too early to break out your spring clothes, but dress how you like in May. 

10th Anniversary - pt 2

The interior of the prison and quarry spoke to me the most.
( medieval graffitti and prison decor )

Carnival Barker for Kingdom dot Come

 I enjoy music; i always have.  But Julien *loves* it. Every week, sometimes twice a week, he goes to the library to check out CDs, discovering new artists and reconnecting with old ones. His hard-drive is chockfull of music, so full he's going to have to get rid of some to make room for other things (like photos of his daughter. :P).

I'm not as obsessive as he is, but when I do find something I like, obsession seizes me in a different way.  I listen to the same songs over and over and over and...yeah.  Drives Julien batty.  I've shared before about songs that I listen to on repeat, like Johnny Cash's Hurt  (turned you on to a good thing, didn't I, asakiyume ?).

I especially like music I can think or write to, and it was with that in mind that I followed Julien into a music store in Christchurch, New Zealand last year. The saleswoman was very well versed in the music available there, and there was a lot of it. I explained to her what I liked and she turned me on to Over the Rhine, specifically their Trumpet Child album. I knew that I probably wouldn't listen to it obsessively and probably not while writing, but it was fun, interesting, catchy, well-written music just the same. Flirty and thought-provoking by turns. Really, the lyrics are a delight, especially "Don't Wait for Tom."

Sadly the video is just a fixed image, but this is the best recording I could find. The live versions I viewed don't appear to be professionally filmed, so the sound quality is poor.  And you really need to be able to listen to the evocative words:

He wears a tuxedo made of sackcloth and ashes
Has a tattoo of a girl who can bat her eyelashes
Down on the river he was fishin’ with a sword
He knocked off John the Baptist for a word from the Lord

He takes his coffee with the blood of a turnip
Blushes his cheeks with an Amsterdam tulip
Choppin’ up a rooster for a pullet surprise
If the gravy don’t getcha he’ll getcha with his eyes

This from an interview on their website:

Q: “Don’t Wait For Tom” is about as left-field as you’ve gotten since “Jack’s Valentine.” The song is obviously Tom Waits-ian in its composition and arrangement, which begs the question: is even the title a reference to the gravel-voiced bard? (And whether or not that’s true...) where the heck did this one come from?

A: Just poured out the morning after seeing him perform live for the second time. The working subtitle was (Tom Waits For You)… Tried to squeeze some references in there to him and his music: Fishin’ with a sword (Swordfish Trombones), I saw an Ol’ 55 Buick (Me and My Ol’ 55), Are you tryna make it rain (Make it Rain) etc. We’re fans, that’s all. And “Choppin’ up a rooster for pullet surprise” – just seems like somethin’ Tom would serve up for dinner…

 

Over the Rhine put out a new CD this year, The Long Surrender.  I think I shall have to hie myself to iTunes and make it mine. 

(frigg , there is absolutely NO way you can say this is pot-smoking music, so don't even try!)