To PT readers, to friends and family, and to all who may find this somewhere in their electronic world — here’s to a happy holiday season, and to a New Year that is more than hoped for, and less than the sum of your concerns.
Original drawings by Dick Allen. (Click for larger version)
Mismo PT
http://www.theyorkshirelad.ca/1yorkshirelad/vancouver.re-boot/Vancouver.re-boot.html
Season’s Greetings to all.
The best thing about Dec. 25th is that the spigot of obnoxious Crapmass music is abruptly shut off. It causes many acute discomfort, esp. workers – like secondhand smoke – earworm drivel in their ears for eight hours a day. The only Crapmass song that comes to mind that is remotely worth listening to is Joni Mitchell’s River.
To combat the torrent of rubbish, I wear custom ear plugs with headphones over top when going for groceries. Sometimes I forget the headphones and a snippet gets through. This year it was a tiny piece of Jose Feliciano – assaulting my ears from the grave. The US military should have blasted Noriega with these horrible carols instead of the rock music they used when they surrounded the Papal Nunciatura. Apropos because he sought refuge there on Dec. 25th. He would have surrendered more quickly. Jingle Bells would have driven him bonkers.
One extremely effective counter to this mind-numbing din, Arnie, is to seek better music away from the malls.
May I suggest We Three Queens at Frankies in the Georgian Court? They are the top drawer jazz singers / musicians Jennifer Scott, Kate Hammett Vaughan, and Karen Plato,, each with her own independent careers but who form a trio and play several gigs together at this time of year. They bring new complex interpretations to the old standards as well as new music every year, and their harmonies are perfect even with straining flatted fifth chords. Jennifer Scott’s solos rock the house. And Frankies serves a decent meal and acceptable wine and beer.
If xmas tunes are still repulsive, then you can still catch Jennifer Scott and the others at one of the free venues at the jazz fest.
I rarely listen to music of any kind. With jazz, I used to listen to Miles Davis and Nina Simone. OW, I concur with Jimmy Rabbitte that jazz is “musical wanking”. Don’t enjoy it at all. Listening to jazz is an excuse for people to get drunk, but not with beer. It has to be spirits. Jazz renditions of Crapmass music is particularly repellent. Torturous.
I sing a number of songs in five languages. It’s a kind of meditation; and a great way to develop pronunciation. Listening to others make music isn’t that interesting. Exception made for Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe performing Barcelona.
For the past month I’ve done an insane amount of walking – one to two hours at a stretch. It has been a treacherous work out. The number of individuals and business that have not kept their walks clear has been shameful. I’m very fit and agile, but it has been a struggle.
There’s a blind guy that walks around our neighbourhood. How has he been able to cope? And there’s a care home not far away. There’s often an old lady that goes up and down the hill with her walker – her last days. Stuck.
To those who haven’t kept their sidewalks safe – may you be cursed. May you fall on your own icy patch and break a hip. To those who have had the time, energy, and money, to put up Crapmass paraphernalia, but not to keep the walks clear, may you be doubly cursed. May your bones break, and your businesses fail.