In Norway it has been a Public holiday since World War 2. The day itself is worthy of many posts, but that is not what I'm about to cover here.
For many people the day also hold a personal memory. My father was born on 01.05.1915. He was the second youngest of five children on a typical small, West-coast Norwegian farm. My grandfather was also the local teacher. Since my father could not inherit the farm, he became a carpenter and worked as such until the Nazi-invasion in April 1940. He took part in the fight against the invaders and survived. It was a harassing experience, but he seldom talked about it. Later on he had to go "underground" for a long period to avoid being drafted for work for the Nazi-authorities. During this period he survived thanks to his family and his fiancée, my future mother.
Shortly before the end of the war they married, and he later got a job with the Norwegian Railways (NSB) where he worked until he was pensioned off. It can truly be said of him that he belonged to the generation that built this country. In addition he also built with his own hands the cottage seen at the top of the post. It is close to the farm where he himself was born. After his retirement, he and my mother lived there every year from Easter until the end of September. It is also here where my own heart, such as it is, belongs.
He lost his dear wife and he also almost lost his only son. He sat beside my bed when I got a cerebral stroke. I would have spared him that at all cost, but I think he handled it better than I did. He died in 2003, less than a year before my own operation, but he knew there was this hope for me.
Today was his birthday - he would have been 94 years old. This post is made in memory of him.
Anyone who has read my columns or blog knows that I often rail against mainstream music and labels, and almost always write about independent music, or those who have not been promoted well and fallen under the radar.
For this column, I would like to discuss some artists that were on the majors; some have been in the top leagues, some well regarded, and then there is the cult musician who didn’t really get the recognition she deserves. Again, these are in no particular order.
Jennifer Warnes – Jennifer Warnes Jennifer Warnes – Famous Blue Raincoat When Jennifer Warnes was a regular on The Smothers Brothers Show, known only as “Jennifer,” honestly, she never raised a blip to me, and I didn’t remember her. Hey, I was a kid. She entered my radar, however, when she performed on a Smothers Brothers reunion show in the early ‘70s. Soon as I heard her voice, my jaw dropped. Simply beautiful. When I mentioned her to Bernie Kugel, he showed me two Mason Williams albums on which she had done either some background or co-singing, and it took about 5 years for me to give them back (after I had replaced them in my collection; I’m sure I’ll be writing more about Mason in a future blog). During the mid-‘70s, I bought her first few albums in thrift and used shops, including I Can Remember Everything, See Me Feel Me Touch Me Heal Me, and Jennifer (produced by John Cale). To promote her then-latest song, “Right Time of the Night” (from her self-titled album), she played the Bottom Line in New York (4/8/77, with Jonathan Edwards opening), which is the only time I saw her live (I took some really dark instamatic slides, as it was about a month before I had a real camera). Jennifer Warnes stayed on my turntable for a long time, especially the killer version of “Love Hurts,” “Mama,” “Don’t Lead Me On,” and especially “I’m Dreaming.” In fact, there really isn’t a filler track on the entire collection. The same can be true for arguably her most popular collection, Famous Blue Raincoat, which is her interpretation of Leonard Cohen songs; she had been backing him for years on some of his best albums (e.g., Various Positions). Jennifer is, of course, also known for her film song collaborations, including, “Up Where We Belong” (Officer & a Gentleman) and “Time Of My Life” (Dirty Dancing). www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZIFavgLd38
Lisa Loeb – Firecracker Truly, I don’t remember who gave me the CD, and it was a while before I started playing the thing. But the more I heard it, the more I wanted to play it. I’d take notice of her first song, “Stay,” and thought it was okay, but this release was different. With few exceptions, nearly every song on Firecracker is filled with break-ups and bitterness, but at the same time there was a strength to the protagonist of the song, where you just knew no matter what, she was going to come out of it. While every cut is a gem, and I mean that sincerely, the closest to a hit she had from the CD is “I Do,” which is a perfect example when she quietly purrs, “I’m starting to ignore you.” She follows this up with some great songs in this theme, including “Truthfully,” “How,” and “Furious Rose.” I also enjoy the sheer tenseness and angst of “Wishing Heart” (“I was restless… / I just want this to be good… / But you don’t understand / You don’t understand me / And I want to be understood”), and the lyrical play of “Dance With the Angels” (“But you want to fall fashionably in love with a woman / In love with a life you’ll adore”). The one happy, peppy song is “Truthfully,” which was written for a film but never used. After this CD, she released a few more, and made some bizarre reality television choices, but I mostly enjoyed her work on MadTV singing the theme of – and appearing in – a hilarious sketch, Pretty White Kids with Problems. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiwX2-0RZdg
Maria McKee – Maria McKee First coming to the public’s eye in the band Lone Justice (with whom she recorded the brilliant “I Found Love”), she broke out with this eponymous titled solo release. But what made me notice her was a performance of “Breathe” she did on a late night music show called Night Music. It was jaw droppingly beautiful, as she swayed with her arms hanging in the air and her eyes closed and fluttering. Shortly, I went out and bought the CD, and it was a good choice. Another one of those every song is great collections. This is a woman who is not afraid to look at the dark side of living, as evidenced by songs like “Panic Beach,” “This Property is Condemned,” and “Drinkin’ In My Sunday Dress” (the latter only available on the CD, not the cassette). She is great in a rave up, such as the latter song I just listed, and the gospel-inspired “More Than a Heart Can Hold,” but it is the aching ballad that grabs my heart, such as the opener “I’ve Forgotten What It Was In You (That Put the Need in Me),” “To Miss Someone,” “Am I the Only One (Who’s Ever Felt This Way),” and one of my favorite cuts, the heartbreaking “Has He Got a Friend For Me.” The cover photo of the release, a plain sepia-textured photo of Maria, eyes filled with longing and a hint of hope, is just beautiful. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvRxYty2ie0
Kimm Rogers – Soundtrack of My Life Probably the least known of the batch here, Kimm Rogers is a singer-songwriter whom I know so little about her. Hell, I am not even sure how I came across the CD, but it wasn’t long before I fell in love with her unique voice. The title of this is totally accurate as she tells stories of her life, starting with “My Dear Mama,” feeling “Desperate” (“Nobody loves you / When you’re desperate”), “On the Street,” the wonderful “Just Like a Seed” (actually, again, I like all the cuts on the collection), and the catchiest, and closest she’s had to a hit that I know of, “Right By You” (“I wanna be right by you / I wanna be left in your mind”). Kimm has a very sharp way with words that say exactly what she means, and yet does not lose any of its poetic leanings. Sometimes, her songs sound like diary entries, such as “A Lot on My Mind,” the title cut, and the looking ahead “2-0-19.” As far as I know, this San Diego-based singer has two full releases (yes, I own them both), and I would love to hear more. Note that Universal will not let the video be copied so you’ll have to go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgvS1AhOCbE
The Murmurs – The Murmurs Some time in the very early ‘90s, I was walking with Alan Abramowitz around Chinatown, near Wooster Street, when we heard this beautiful live singing being blasted through a PA. We followed the sound, and came across a blocked off street, and saw two women with guitars on a high platform with a large crowd around them. Asking around, we found out they were the Murmurs, consisting of Heather Grody and Leisha Hailey. We stood there enamored of them. After seeing them another time, Alan arranged for them to be interviewed on his cable access show, Videowave, and I was lucky enough to be the cameraperson for it (actually, thanks to the MTA I was late, and you can hear me entering during the first part of the shoot). The last time I saw them, again with Alan, was at the CBGB art gallery, next door (upstairs). They had just signed with their major label then. The Murmurs had great unique voices and a special harmony; plus, being a couple at the time, sometimes they would gently bicker onstage, such as what to sing next. Also, they had a great relationship with their audience, and their performances would come off almost as an intimate gathering. After a while, the Murmurs became a foursome, and then changed their name to Gush, though for me, their best work was as a duo. Eventually, they broke up when Leisha and Heather separated. Since then Leisha has gone on to other fame as a star of the ensemble show The L Word, and co-star of all those “It’s so good that…” yogurt commercials. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHBNmO5sjsA
The Bangles – Greatest Hits During 1981, I received a 45 in the mail called “Getting Out of Hand,” and there was a handwritten note inside asking me to review it for FFanzeen, signed by the singer, Susanna Hoffs. The trio was called the Bangs, and would (for legal reasons) soon change their name to the Bangles. Most likely there is no more to the story I need to go into about the band itself, considering its huge string of hits. The Saw Doctors have a song called, “I’d Love to Kiss the Bangles,” he which the singer chants, “I’d love to have it off / With Susanna Hoffs,” interrupting himself to say, “Err, my favorite’s Vicky, actually.” Well, I’ve always had a soft spot for bassists, and Michael Steele is no exception (yeah, I know…). This is proven in her ballad, “Following,” my favorite song here, and arguably the least known from this collection. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd56iRhVzsA
Judy Collins – Fires of Eden I have to say, during the height of her career, Judy Collins never really got to me, except possibly a duet with Theodore Bikel of “Greenland Whale Fisheries” from the Newport Folk Festival (released by Vanguard). Yes, that includes “Both Sides Now,” Cohen’s “Suzanne,” and “Amazing Grace.” When I heard this release, however, I liked it right off, especially for two songs. First one is the title cut, which has a catchy chorus (“Those fires of Eden / Still burn in this heart of mine”), is upbeat, and shows off her voice. The other one, especially, is “The Blizzard,” a long piece about being stuck in said Colorado blizzard leading to self-redemption after the end of a harsh relationship. Though lengthy, this song tends to fly by for me. The whole album is worthwhile, though it is these two that will remain in the forefront, and that I can listen to numerous times without getting bored. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v78Q6dyiplg
Dress: The dress is a today only (30 April) special from Zif's Creations. Here is what Zifra says about her dress "Here in Holland we are celebration tomorrow the birthday of queen Beatrix named Koninginnedag. I made a orange dress, specialy for this day :-)" Let's all celebrate Queen Beatrix. ($0 - F - dress - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Coco%20Beach%20Kelina/153/146/27 )
Hair: The one in the picture above is from the lucky board. - You can find hair at nodoka for $1 in the heart shaped box on counter (touch it). Nodoka is a small store, but one of note since all hairstyles are a mere $30 per style & color choice. There are only 4 color choices/style most styles include a brown & blonde color while others also include a black color. There is one color which is an auburn but for red heads wishing a more bold color, you'll have to tint. There are also 4 lucky boards in store: 1) female hair, 2) male hair, 3) either male hair or glasses, not sure & 4) toast with egg. ($1-30 - m/f - hairs - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Troll%20Sweat/44/106/30)
Skin & Eyes: All skins & eyes available at Numb for $0-1. You may also find a small assortment of tattoos in store for the same price. This was pointed out to me as a feature on the Freebie Telegraph blog. ($0-1 - m/f - skins, tattoos, & eyes - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Umeda/183/240/21)
Dress:.:T2T:. has released another incredibly well textured outfit. The set includes jewelry & shoes. And it can be mixed and matched with other sets. All are affordable at just $125, but this one is only $1. ($1 - F - dress with shoes & jewelry - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Plush%20Sigma/30/163/23)
Hair: Nodoka - free style shown.
Skin: Numb
Dresses: Francoise The Witches Paradise a dress which improvises on a business in a box dress's (symmetry) pieces may be found downstairs. Both outfits featured are for free at Land of Freelenium. Also two men's rp outfits upstairs & one downstairs. In addition you'll find 2 more dresses upstairs next to the Francoise outift. This was a request and has been featured else where. ($0 - m/f - fantasy outfits - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Raon/249/169/56)
Hair: Nodoka - $30 - full priced hair - *Honey-mocha*
Skin: Numb
Dresses & Hair: At this shop Mauloa location you'll find two free dresses sitting outside the store. Don't forget to take a look at the $1 board some of the items on this board have been blogged before, others have not. You'll also find 3 lucky boards inside: 1) dress, 2) dress with shirt option, 3) Female hair. A couple of hairs are on sale for $10/style too! ($0 - F - dresses & hair - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Troll%20Sweat/157/169/21)
Shoes: Won from the *Strawberry Milk*lucky board. There are also two other lucky boards here: 1) simple Female hair in a variety of style options & 2) dress. Also check out the free area downstairs for a variety of goods including clothing and some shirts by QueenQueen. (Lucky Board - F - shoes - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Nipponbashi/142/239/26)
Skin: Numb
Dress:Mondira Fashion has had a midnight madness board available for a while. The dress was yesterdays prize. The prizes change very often and the number of participants is set low so that the prizes are always distributed. This store also has an affordable liquidation center (105/176/58) next to the main shop where prices start at $49 & you'll be able to test your luck via the lucky chair loaded with tons of outfits & lingerie. (MM board - F - dress/outfits - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karpov/161/142/58)
Hair: Nodoka - free style shown.
Skin: Numb
------------------------------------ Photos taken at Templum ex Obscurum. Please read rules upon landing. (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Templum%20ex%20Obscurum/117/184/21)
Poses used throughout by ++Desire++ $30/10 pose pack. (http://slurl.com/secondlife/LAUREL/211/108/22)
This time I feel extra humble, but my post on Organ Donation have won another Post of The Day from the well-known Australian journalist and super-blogger David McMahon. Thank you very much indeed, David! I see it as a support for just that principle - Organ Donation
I'm lucky living in Kew and working in the West End, as if I see any "How to get to" signs at my London Underground stations they're to nice places like Kew Gardens or tourist spots or theatres. So I felt for nicasaurusrex who saw the following sign on when leaving Leytonstone Tube station.
As she said "Leytonstone didn't exactly fill me with hope."
Leytonstone Tube was also the home of one of the best (or is that worst) Tube fashion victims I saw:
But on the plus side it does have a series of wonderful Hitchcock mosaics, albeit in the badly lit underpass.
Perhaps the staff at the Tube could have added a note to have a look at those mosaics on the way, to brighten up your walk to the job centre, hospital or benefits office.
It's not how we'd planned it and it's not how we expected it to happen. But nature takes her own course in these things and I'm trying to be pragmatic about it - despite a sleepless, fretful night.
Yes, the inevitable has happened - Ms Bo has escaped, never to be seen again, I suspect.
Strangely, we've been saying for the last two weeks that it's probably time for us to seriously consider setting her free - that was, after all, always the intention. We were hoping to take her to the avian vet on Saturday for a check up and a final verdict on her state of well being and then we were going to open the door to her pen, one day when the Ba-Kaaka Nostra were present, and let her go.
Bo and the Ba-Kaaka Nostra a couple of weeks ago
The reality is that we could never have kept Ms Bo - she was wild from the start and intended to stay that way - a fact that became deeply apparent a couple of months back when we had painters at the house. Although they denied it, we think one of them terrorised her because since then Ms Bo's attitude to humans was one of utter panic. Guinea fowl are neurotic at the best of times, but Ms Bo took to working herself into a frenzy anytime anyone came remotely near Le Palais de Beau Bo - and she took to hiding out in the "hutch" we built on to the back of her house when anyone got to close. Once in there though she obviously felt safe, as she'd suffer having her back stroked by me on occasions and seemed to enjoy being crooned at and told she was a beautiful girl who'd grow up to be queen of all the guinea fowl... .
Bo's first villa - Bo Vers 0.1
And although the avian vet had suggested that we could keep Bo as a pet, both we and Bo knew that Bo was a wild thing. So, as I say, the intention remained to find a suitable time, when we thought she was strong enough, and release her. But so much for the best laid plans.
Yesterday evening D took Bo her worms and for some reason didn't shut the door of the pen behind him. Although he usually shuts the door behind him, it's not necessarily a problem if he doesn't as Bo doesn't tend to make bids to escape. But this time, as he leaned underneath her to drop her mealworms in the scratching tray, she eyed the open door, whizzed over his head and was out. There was no thought of even trying to catch her - it would have been hopeless. We hoped that if we left her, she'd find herself a spot for the night, settle down and reappear in the morning. (Very often guinea fowl that have been raised by humans and then set free will be quite content to never leave the sanctuary of their garden.)
We watched nervously as Bo pootled around the garden for a few minutes - and then eyed the wall - the one over which the Ba-Kaaka Nostra fly every day. Bear in mind Ms Bo has not had much exercise at flying any great heights, but she stood there contemplating the wall and then in a flurry of wings was up and gone.
At first we thought she'd gone straight over the wall until frantic searches in the road revealed nothing - and then I spotted her shuffling on a thick gum branch some ten feet above the ground. She seemed to be settling in for the night so we left her to it. It was nearly dark and there was nothing we could do. We left the door of her pen open, put out plenty of seed and hoped for the best.
This morning there was no sign of her and although the Ba-Kaaka Nostra turned up for breakfast and although there was a juvenile guinea fowl that flew down from the very top of the tallest gum to join them, and although we hoped that it was Bo, closer inspection of the photos I shot (for confirmation) show that it was most likely not her.
Juvenile guinea fowl, almost certainly not Bo
Bo has four distinctions about her - she has two white claws, a badly damaged left nostril from constantly banging it against the wire of the pen, a deformed breast bone and very rasping voice. But she'd need to call out or one would need to get really close to be able to identify her. And the bird above's face just isn't Ms Bo's - as much as we wanted it to be.
So, we have no idea where she is and we can only hope that she will be okay. Whether she will survive or not out there on her own, who knows - but I'm not holding my breath. Her best bet would be to integrate with another group of guinea fowl - a lone guinea doesn't stand much chance - and bear in mind that Bo has never been out of our garden - has no experience of dogs and cats, let alone cars. We can only know that we did our best for her and that without us she would never have got this far. And as D says, better one day free as a lion than a lifetime penned up as a sheep. So here's hoping that whatever freedom Ms Bo is enjoying or did enjoy, it's good.
Finally the story that started here with this wee and ailing guinea fowl keet...
Bo Peep, an abandoned guinea keet, unable to fledge
Bo Peep, rescued and learning to leap
Ms Bo, munching on a snail
Ooh, bugs, yum!
...ends here with these shots taken just two days ago.
Ms Bo, a nearly fully grown guinea fowl
I'm glad I had the chance to give her one last stroke yesterday and tell her what a beautiful girl she is.
Here are the answers to your questions with lots of impressions from our trip to Istanbul. Hope you like it!
(Old Houses along the Bosphorus)
Mi Ji & Neslihan
1. Maybe another person have asked you but.. Are you models, designers or something in the fashion world? I think you are or if not, you will be anything you want in it. (Kathy)
Neslihan: No, we don't do anything fashion-related apart from this blog. But I'd like to work for a magazine someday. Thanks a lot for your encouraging words. :)
2. What kind of music do you three like? (Anonymous)
Mi Ji: Genres I like are: soul, rnb, hiphop, jazz, k-pop, classic.
Neslihan: Indie (Brit) Rock, Dance, French Rock/Pop, Turkish music, Trip Hop,... It's really not easy to define. The third person you asked about is probably Pascal and you better ask him via his blog. :)
Neslihan: Mostly just black, which comes handy because Mi-Ji takes my milk as well. Every now and then I like to have just a little bit of milk in it, but always without sugar.
(When bloggers meet in Istanbul: adorable Cilen from the blog Cleo)
4. Would you want your boyfriends to be as interested in fashion as you are? (Yasemin)
Mi Ji: Hm maybe not as much as I am.. he should be able to understand my interest in fashion.
Neslihan: No, he doesn't have to be. He should just happen to dress nicely. Joking aside, looks are important but I wouldn't want to talk about fashion that much with my boyfriend. So far I couldn't complain...
MiJi: There is actually no specific person..but I do like the korean actor So Ji Sub.
Neslihan: With shame I admit it's Chuck Bass (not Ed Westwick, because aside from the show I know nothing about him). Man what can I say, it's his voice that makes me weak in the knees.
6. What is your favourite piece of clothing? (Maren)
Mi Ji: Blazers, what else?! ^^
Neslihan: Skinny jeans, blazers and leather jackets. A little boring I know but it's just what I wear the most.
9. What is your absolute favourite artist/ band? (Maren)
Mi Ji: Another difficult question : ) An artist I really admire is the composer Joe Hisaishi!!!
Neslihan: I really suck at "What's your favourite.."-questions because I can't chose one. Bloc Party, The Kooks and The Fray are bands I never tire of listening to.
Neslihan: I was reading blogs for a very long time and Mi-Ji and I talked a lot about what we saw and read on other blogs. We liked this rather new approach to fashion and style in general with daily updates and much more personal take on fashion than what magazines give us. Also we noticed that there were not many style blogs from Switzerland around but I always had a feeling that it was only a matter of time till Swiss people would get involved, too. Besides it was a way for sharing our interest with people all around the world so in fall last year we finally decided to start our own blog.
11. How did you end up meeting each other? (Sarah)
Neslihan: We were introduced to each other through a mutual friend almost three years ago. I was really eager to get to know her ever since I spotted her on the campus. :)
12. What is the one thing you have to wear everyday? (Sarah) Mi Ji: My ring and something slouchy such as a loose tee or cardigan.
Neslihan: Make up and my watch. I feel naked without both.
(Shopping at the Mango outlet on Istiklal Street)
13. What are you doing in Zurich? (Studying? If so, what?). If you are there temporarily, what city will be your next destination? (Alis)
Mi Ji: I was born in Switzerland, Zurich..So I'm Swiss?!?! : )
Neslihan: I was born and raised in Switzerland so my stay is not temporarily. I plan to live and study in Zurich for the next two years. After that, I'm open for anything.
Neslihan: I only go to Turkey for vacation and it's mostly Istanbul and Altinoluk/ Balikesir.
(a kiosk called Neslihan Büfe)
18. What is your favorite movie/ cartoon/ anime? (ZuKi)
Mi Ji: Hana-bi, My Girl, Bin Jip... Anime: Sailormoon haha
Neslihan: Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, The Holiday, Blood Diamond, My Blueberry Nights...
(Galata Tower)
19. Do you buy all the clothes you wear? (Alexandre)
Mi Ji: Yessss :D
Neslihan: Haha that's a weird question. Generally, yes I do. Some of the things I wear are bought by my sister though, but since we share our closet it's no big deal.
Mi Ji: German is my first language. I also speak Korean, English and French. I actually do poorly in French but my pronunciation is quite good ^^;;
Neslihan: German and Turkish are my mother tongues and I also speak English (obviously), Spanish and French. Actually I was very shy about speaking French but I'm currently in an oral expression class to overcome that uncomfortable feeling.
Mi Ji: Oh I loved the current stay in Istanbul. All the crowds, the sea, the bazar..I have a weakness for dynamic cities!
Furthermore Seoul and Frankfurt are also one of my favourite destinations.
Neslihan: Mostly I travelled in Europe but would love to travel to further places in the future. One of my favourite cities so far is London and I'm certain I'll go there many more times.
(The Bosphorus bridge, connecting Europe and Asia)
Neslihan: See question 6. Other than clothes, my favourite shoes are my gladiator high heels from Zara and my favourite jewelry right now are the rings and necklaces I bought in Istanbul.
The two of us met in university and Pascal contacted us through our blog. Since we study at the same university it was only a matter of time until we had coffee with him and ever since we meet up regularly.
Mi Ji: I shop in various places.. I'm a fan of Zara, no doubt. But I also love secondhand shops.
I think I buy quite a lot when I'm in Korea or Germany. And thank god, I found beautiful pieces of jewellery in Istanbul <3
Neslihan: I mostly buy my clothes around the area I live but also from abroad when travelling. In the outfit posts I write where I bought a certain item and I think it becomes very clear that I mostly shop in budget-friendly shops which are not exactly known for their amazing clothes. :)
May 1. is known as a day of International Labour Solidarity. Wikipedia says it like this:
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