Yes, I know, it's dry for months and suddenly when it rains, it pours. What can I say, I'm glued to my computer to finish this coding project (Operation Bacon-Brains) but I need sporadic 5-minute breaks; these posts are the result of that. Sorry.
Aaaanyhoo. Country music! Yes. I quite like it. Very laid back, and often bittersweet. And this is my favorite country song ever, I think.
I received a music CD in the post today, a sort of "best of" from the Boston Baroque Ensemble that they are giving out to "frequent flyers" of the 2009-10 concert season. Very nice, I must say; I certainly appreciate the gesture, and the selection on the CD is very enjoyable.
The funny thing is that as I looked through the titles I noticed for the first time the undoubtedly unintended innuendo in the Part 2 chorus of Handel's Messiah, specifically in the subtitle: "All We Like Sheep". Cue un-PC jokes about lonely Welshmen. *giggle* This unfortunate subtitle is of course shortened from the lyric "All we like sheep have gone astray", which is then followed by some inane bleating about the Lord being their shepherd (hey, I love the music and the vocal melodies, but I find it best to ignore the religious blather).
That is definitely a case where a spot of punctuation might help avoid some unfortunate, ahh, misunderstandings. See the story of the panda that eats, shoots and leaves.
Speaking of grammatical pedantry, I am occasionally accused (usually by someone whose grammar I have just corrected with reason) of being an obnoxious grammar nazi. So I had to laugh when I stumbled across this YouTube video excerpt from "The Life of Brian", Monty Python's immortal masterpiece (in my judgment, with the Holy Grail a close second).
I'm sorry, but I totally identify with the Roman. "Romanes eunt domus", indeed. For shame!
Getting credit card statements in the post is hardly ever uplifting, but I'm lucky enough that mother dear, who forwards my mail from Belgium, has taken to adding little notes in the envelopes. It takes the sting out and keeps me fluent in the deciphering of hieroglyphs [just kidding, Mom, your handwriting is very readable... to me ;-)].
But the latest missive from the Old World was especially pleasing because in addition to my latest Amex bill, it contained a music CD, though for what occasion I know not. I'm gratefully assigning it to motherly inspiration [thank you!].
The CD is "Bleu Pétrole" by the recently late French singer Alain Bashung, and it contains one track in particular with which I instantly fell in love. Written by songwriter Gérard Manset, it's a hauntingly beautiful song called "Comme un Légo" and the probable source of the motherly inspiration in question. There are a couple of WTF? lines (uh, fries and amoebas? a mango tree with pages?), and some vaguely deist undertones, but let's not be too literal -- yay for artistic license.
Anyway, to hear it, play this YouTube video, which is basically just an excuse to post the song online sort-of-legally. Homemade English translation (any errors and awkward phrases are my fault) after the jump.
Miriam Makeba aka Mama Africa is no more, but her music lives on. Here is a video of a concert in 1987 where she sings with Paul Simon. There are several pieces, including the poignant "Soweto Blues", then at the end they sing one of my favorites from Paul Simon's "Graceland" album. Enjoy.
Again with the disclaimer that all humor is relative.
Here I am working on an upcoming post about my "interesting" gastronomical experiences in China, and my considerable relief at having only once been ill (i.e. incapacitated for half a day by gastrointestinal troubles) in three whole months, so food poisoning is on my mind. As is the matter of wordplay - I just found an amusing pun for the title of that post.
And there goes Marilyn Manson on my iPod serving me with this line:
"I got mood poisoning, it must be something that I hate"
Isn't that clever! Or was I just really well primed to appreciate it?
Seriously, the guy may be many things (though obviously not the real Antichrist, since we already know that's PZ Myers) but as a wordsmith he's not half bad, I say.
Now I'm so enthused about language that I'm going to have to put the topic of food on the back burner (hah).
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