Thursday, November 27, 2008

Turkey-free

I had a terrifying dream last night, where Sting and Elvis Costello were prancing around a Paris stage in some bizarre opera. Sting was bearded, Elvis sported an ankle-length black coat and fez, and a trio of women dangled in chairs above them.

Wait, that wasn't a bad dream but an article and photo I saw in the Daily Telegraph.

But it's Thanksgiving today, and I don't want to spend any more time wondering why such things happen, or even worse, why I spend my time reading and thinking about them.

I only want to celebrate the good things I've seen or heard lately (with apologies to Kim at Je Ne Regrette Rien, who tagged me for a list of favorite albums. That one's going to take me awhile - possibly until the end of my life).

1. Cinemania - We were staying with our friend Lindsay Hutton in Scotland and this documentary was one he set out for us to watch. A look into the narrow lives of five New Yorkers obsessed with films, I felt sure this would be too depressing to make it all the way through. Instead I was entranced by the characters and fascinated by their devotion to cinema. From Jack's description of ripping a noisy candy bag out of a fellow filmgoer's hands to Roberta's program collection and Eric's belief that a move to France would yield a technicolor life like a Jacques Demy film, this unassuming movie has stayed with me for weeks. I guess you could call it a love story.

2. Glen Campbell singing Times Like These. I always loved the Foo Fighters song - hearing this version on a late night drive took my breath away.

3. I laughed and cried over this story in the Sunday Times. Guess that makes me officially middle-aged?

4. Gratin dauphinois. I have to try and make it today.

5. Amadou & Mariam - I must see them when they tour France in 2009. Found this sweet clip through Travelling But Not In Love's site. I imagine Eric and I touring with them. I better work on my French first.

6. Peter Holsapple's music blog in the NY Times. Funny, fascinating story and the comments are interesting as well.

7. A gorgeous blue sky and icy fresh air outside, and an extra hour of light here in France. I'm going for a walk now. Happy Thanksgiving!

7 comments:

nocoates said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Amy. It's the one holiday I really miss as an ex-pat (of sorts - does Canada count?). I used to host a big multi-cultural feast each year for my fellow grad students back when I was one. And even with the financial meltdown, there's still a great deal to be hopeful and thankful for this year.

Non Je Ne Regrette Rien said...

no apologies necessary ... as my post today indicates, the whole tagging/meme'g/awarding thing has me flummoxed anyway. so take until the 12th of forever or the 2nd Tuesday of next week ... won't bother me a bit! smiles ...

Non Je Ne Regrette Rien said...

Re: #3, enjoyed it too and laughed out loud at the date needing to be rescheduled because his tooth fell out.

Younger men, here I come.

amy said...

Thanks Norma, I hope you had some festive activity up there. it's at very least a good excuse to slack off for a little while?!

Kim I thought of you and that great post you wrote about getting older when I read the Times story - I'm glad you liked it.

Gavin Lloyd Wilson said...

Ha! I think it's funny Sting and Elvis Costello being big mates now. I remember back in the day (circa 1979-80) hearing Elvis Costello on the radio on one of these review shows where they comment on newly released singles. One single was "Message in a Bottle" by The Police and Costello went off into a vitriolic rant about how he absolutely HATED The Police.

Sting's no better, mind you. He wrote the hardly complimentary song "Peanuts" about Rod Stewart and years later there they are doing that 3 Muskateers song together.

Rosie said...

What, no turkey?

amy said...

GL, to fully complete the circle we need to have Sting, Elvis and Wreckless Eric do a remake of "Three Amigos" - but somehow I don't think it'll happen!

Rosie I can never seem to find a small turkey around here (or I don't know where to look), whereas duck is everywhere. So I went with duck, thinking I was getting breasts but instead ended up with the cuisses - somehow not so festive. I guess I've been away too long and my language skills slipped?