Another Paris post: There is stuff to see, isn't there?

Why yes, there is...and though we spent a fair bit of time in galleries/historic buildings/places with dead people, there is a lot we didn't see, but that just gives me another reason (other than cheese that is) to go back. It's a bit surreal for me to see things that I spent so many years studying and writing papers on and doing seminars about (and so many subsequent years slowly losing the details of ...sigh!). It's such a pleasure, but part of me is so frustrated that it couldn't have happened years ago when all that there book-learnin' was still locked securely in my brain.

I should also mention we had museum passes - expensive unless you are seeing a lot, BUT it means you can skip past the line ups in most cases, which is priceless.

Perhaps stupidly obvious, the thing that shocked me the most was the Louvre. I'm not a complete idiot - I knew it was big - but nothing could have prepared me for the scale of it. We spent about 7 hours walking through what I would guess is maybe 1/3 of the galleries - mainly the Egyptian section, and the 16th/17th C Netherlandish and Italian wings. The highlight for me was the Rubens room, which contains the unbelievable Marie de' Medici cycle. Unreal. UNREAL. The photo of Mum in the gallery is not my best effort, but hopefully it gives you an idea of the scale of it. I *heart* Rubens (and many other 17C Dutch/Netherlandish painters, admittedly) and I could have sat in there most of the day and been happy as a clam.

Realistically, the Louvre is probably a three day endeavor. The idea that they offer a one and a half hour tour of "the highlights" makes me shake my head. Highlights? The whole freaking place is a highlight. Maybe it's just the art snob in me that found the crowds around the Mona Lisa a bit pathetic. Sure, it is a master work, but there are hundreds of other true masterpieces in that gallery that are not surrounded by 100 photo snapping tourists quickly proving they have "seen it" before rushing off to snap the next thing.

I should also give a shout out to the Louvre's outstanding collection of mummified kitties. Gives me ideas for my two.





We also went to the nearby Museé de l'Orangerie, best known for two rooms of Monet's Waterlilies. Rubens could still take Monet in an artistic cage-match in my opinion (OK, full disclosure, though I appreciate their importance, I'm not a big lover of the Impressionists), but it was pretty impressive.

OK, running out of steam now. More later (hopefully) - maybe something about dead people, who knows?

Another Paris post...

So I promised a few photos and a few words about the trip. Not sure how many you'll get, but I will start and see where things go.

Firstly, if you are going to Paris - or just want a very funny read - I advise The Sweet Life in Paris, written by relocated American pastry chef David Lebovitz. Pretty much all you need to navigate the very unique culture that is Paris, mixed up with great recipes and wicked humour. I read it cover to cover on the flight over, and it was the perfect airplane book (thanks for the suggestion T1!!). And it is a LONG freaking flight, so you'll need something to read, trust me.

Maybe I'll start with a little bit about where we stayed in Montmartre. Montmartre is the highest point in Paris, north of the city centre, and is where much of the wonderfully whimsical Amelie was filmed. We rented an apartment, which is definitely the way to travel if you are staying put for a bit - it's nice to have a home base where you can relax and unwind. I did mention the issues with lack of promised phone/internet/extra bed earlier, but apart from that (which I could shake off a bit more easily after reading Lebovitz' book) it worked out well. The place was large and bright and perfectly located.

We quickly discovered the boulangeries and fromageries in the 'hood - OHMYGOD so good. SO good. Tuesday would skip off in the mornings and come back armed with a fresh baguette wrapped with a twist of brown paper, or with buttery croissants and some truly evil chocolate filled pastries, and late afternoon we would snuffle our way through wine, cheese (oh comté, how I love thee) and slices of baguette after a day of walking (and walking and walking) around the city. The photo of Tuesday is a post-cheese-gorge couch flop. Notice the comté induced smile.

Which brings me to a couple of points - first, wine. You can buy a bottle of wine (tasty, drinkable wine) for considerably less than a cup of coffee. It is seriously the cheapest thing in Paris. We were buying wine for the equivalent of maybe $4 a bottle - and I wasn't picking up the lowest priced bottles, trust me. Crazy. So - if you could survive on wine and wine alone, Paris would be a pretty cheap place to visit.

You also read a lot about the standoffish attitude of Parisians, but that wasn't really what I found. And honestly, if I was Parisian, I'd be standoffish - they just seem to have life worked out in a much more balanced (dare I say superior?) way. Or maybe I'm just getting seduced by their obvious respect for cheese. Anyhow - provided you play by the rules (greeting the store attendants when you enter and exit a store for instance), and make an effort to speak French, generally they take pity on you and do what they can to help and make communication easier. That doesn't mean to say that they weren't getting a few jollies from our stumbling attempts, but that's OK by me. What I did discover that my comprehension of written French is better than I thought it would be, and that Tuesday & I had enough vocabulary between us to get through the basics most of the time, Tui with a much more elegant accent than my own. As for Tui's reading comprehension, she spent a fair bit of time poring through a French book on methods of committing suicide that she found in the apartment bookcase (aka French holiday reading?) - and she seemed to be picking up most of it.

I think that's enough for today...more later.

I see London, I see France...

We are HOME - and there are many photos and words to come once I have slept. We had a wonderful time, we really did.

As a start - I couldn't wait to post this short video taken on our first day of serious touristing, on top of the Arc de Triomphe. I didn't know what a gem I had until Mum and I took a look at it on my camera during lunch later than day and both started crying with laughter...but maybe only my family will find it funny, who knows. Either way, it made for a great start to the day.

There is a life lesson in there somewhere (involving granny panties I'm thinking...).

Paris - meet Tui.

Bonjour mes amis...

Well, my promises to blog regularly were dashed upon arriving at the apartment - the owner had decided to disconnect the internet/phone. I lamented - a lot - for a while, but I am over it now. There was something decidedly Parisian about the feined shrugs of sympathy, and somehow that has made it bearable.

The weather has been crazy good, though the rain should hit tomorrow for a bit. This place is embarassingly beautiful. It makes London (another personal fave) feel like childs play. We have seen, and done, a LOT so far, and there is a lot more to come. Tui has also exposed herself to France in ways that none of us could have forseen - but I will wait til I can post the video for that one...:)

Speaking of Tui - we are sharing a bed (another unforseen circumstance that involved feigned sympathy and shrugs), separated by The Noodle - a long body pillow that Tui accuses me of moving unfairly to her side, while I accuse her of flopping around like a caught tuna in the middle of the night (which, I might add, she doesn't really deny). But we are managing. And grandmere is managing to eat dinner at 8.

And I have found my new forever love - comte cheese. Praise the lord for comte!!

Not sure if I will be able to post again, but if not, will post upon my return...

Au revoir....

A little bit of Elvis from a lovely show at Malkin Bowl last night (video quality gets better after the first little bit, but i do cut it short...sorry).

If my computer doesn't get stolen by those wily Parisian pick pockets, you will hear more from me soon...

:)

Intense

A quick post, my last before flying to Paris on Wednesday. This one is really a way of avoiding doing all the things I need to do today (AUGH!), but I will make it short. I do plan to take my laptop with me this trip, and have hopes of doing some posts while sipping wine and eating cheese - or something like that. I do get worked up before trips - particularly with the whole packing thing - but am usually fine as soon as I get to the airport and things become, pleasantly, out of my control.

Before I go - a few quick words on The Dead Weather show on Friday night. INTENSE. Putting Alison Mosshart and Jack White in a band together is a stroke of genius, both musically and because they are both so crazily riveting to watch on stage. The Commodore was completely packed and the energy in the place was great. My camera had less fun with it all - poor thing was losing its digital mind trying to cope with the glaring blue lights and strobes. I didn't film much, and I'm not sure what I did capture really conveys how much they owned the place.




There are a couple more videos, as per usual, here.

Really not in the mood to post...

...and therefore probably shouldn't.

But there are two things that are worth your time out there (drum roll please...)

• In the Loop - British political satire at its finest. The trailer doesn't do it justice. I have a soft spot for the elaborate obscene insult, and there are many. MANY. With rocket fast dialogue and a painfully plausible storyline, it's well worth shelling out the $10 to go see. I've included a clip below, but if you find yourself too delicate for ripe language, you might want to give it a miss...

• Dan Mangan's Nice, Nice, Very Nice has been released. Give it a listen. Even better, go see him at the Cultch in a couple of weeks.
  

Hopefully next time, I will have something more inspired to say!

Do they eat blue potatoes in Paris?

(Je voudrais une pomme de terre bleue s'il vous plait..?)

No energy to post. My brain is starting to turn to plans for a 10 day excursion to Paris in a couple of weeks. I have been reading carefully how not to be mistaken for an American tourist - because that's what the tips lists seem to focus on (eg. don't wear white sneakers...do I even own white sneakers?). I have been mentally packing. And repacking. And giving myself pep talks on how to be a non-irritable travel companion while reviewing a few key French phrases (see above). Some of it is coming back. Most of it is not. But as long as I can ask for a blue potato, I will be fine.

Anything else I need to do?

This time, it's not me that's hot

Finally, a morning where I am not dripping in sweat just standing in my house.

Hallelujah!

Bit brain-dead (tired) after a late night with Blitzen Trapper. They played the Venue as the original venue, Richards, is now being turned into much needed (ha...sigh. I curse you Aquilini...) condos. To be fair, they have tried to improve the Venue's space - they have removed the completely annoying bar that was smack in the centre of the floor, and the carpet no longer sticks to your feet (well, not yet) like it did in the club's previous incarnation, The Plaza. That being said, it is still a lot more awkward a venue to see a band at (particularly if you don't feel like standing), and the ambient crowd noise is REALLY high. We ended up at our usual spot, right at the end of the balcony basically overhanging the stage, which really is not the ideal place sound-wise (your head is about 4 feet away from the flown speaker bank) but gives you a pretty good view. And the place was packed, which was great to see.

The band put on a great show, and the openers - the Quiet Ones - were a lot of fun too. I took a few videos, but my positioning was a bit awkward - not my best efforts, my framing is consistently whacky, but here is the beautiful title track from their fab second album, Furr...

Not feeling very coherent this morning, so let's be safe and leave it at that.

Cat Flatness

Seriously. ENOUGH already with this f$&king hot weather. I moved away from Toronto to get away from this nightmare.
I will never complain about rain again (ok, that's a lie...but for today, it's the truth)
signed,
Me and the Flat Cats

Folk Fest #2 - because there is ALWAYS more to share..

Not a particularly content-full post, but here we go. First, Vancouver's incorrigible Geoff Berner. I don't know if I can come up with a better word for him. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to capture his 2010 Olympic Theme Song ("The Dead Children Were Worth It!"), which you can hear here. He's a bit like the South Park of the festival - sometimes you can't believe what you are hearing, but nine times out of ten he's holding up a pretty effective (if uncomfortable..and funny...) mirror for us to peek into



Some lovely reeds (oh how I love you Jericho Beach Park)....

Geoff Berner, of course...

Steven Page on the main stage, in what must be his Special Pink & Blue Show Suit...

Some Bellowheads...

the Weakerthan's John K Samson...


and a rather handsome Breakman, just to cleanse the palate. Or something like that. And I will say this is a perfect example of how I FIGHT WITH THE FORMATTING in this stupid blog!! AUGH!! Any tips on how I can get photos and text to play well together, let me know.

Vancouver Folk Festival...here we go, brace yourself...

...for a long one.

I've been thinking for the morning how I'm going to break this one down. The Vancouver Folk Music Festival is hands down my favorite event in Vancouver. FAVORITE. If the weather is good, it is guaranteed to be two and a half days of sunburn/sunstroke, food from places with names like "The Preserved Seed Cafe" (cafe or sperm bank? Hmmmm), giggling at the colourfully clad interpretive dancers (who are not necessarily listening to any music you or I might be hearing), unusual relaxed friendliness, and GREAT music.

An Introduction to the VFMF:
I figured this year I would try and get the feeling of the place across with some visuals. A few stills, and then a couple of videos just to set the atmosphere: First, a quick 360 turn from beside the (controversial) new beer tent, with waving from my pals A & A, followed by a fantastic bit of dancing by a guy that is there, dancing to his own special tune, EVERY year:


Are you feeling it yet? Yes? Well, let's move on then...

Apparently I went with my sister...or ...?:
For the last few years, my partner in crime at the festival has been my dear pal A. We are about the same height and width, and take up roughly the same volume in the world. We both wear our festival cowboy hats, sit in our matching striped chairs (hers blue, mine pink) getting matching tank-top burns, with our similar sunglasses and identical cameras. At the festival, this means one of two things: to those that know only one of us, it means we must be sisters...one just being the pasty british version of her Chilean/Hungarian sibling I guess; for those that don't know at least one of us, it means we are A Couple. Not that we wouldn't make a pretty cute couple, I must say, but I'm guessing it does provide effective protection against meeting the man of my dreams there. I'm just saying.

The Music:
Now, this is the most important part of it all.

The lineup was really interesting this year - though still including some great classic folk & blues, and some fantastic international musicians, the focus shifted slightly towards acts that would appeal to a slightly younger crowd. The evening shows included Steven Page (who to his credit made some pretty funny self deprecating jokes about his drug related arrest and departure from the BNL), Iron & Wine, and the Weakerthans; and dotted throughout the weekend were personal faves the Great Lake Swimmers, Veda Hille, Rock Plaza Central, and Dan Mangan. So here we go with some highlights:

Holy crap, what was THAT? : Rev. Payton's Big Damn Band
Now, this video does NOT convey the monumentally imposing figures the Rev and his wife Breezy make. I wish I had more of their set. Particularly, the part when Breezy lights her washboard on fire and keeps playing through the flames. I'll be watching out for these guys, they were fantastic.



Yes, I know you know: Dan Mangan
I have spoken before about my Mang-on (I should add that the friend that accused me of that has subsequently changed it to Har-dan...or maybe I shouldn't add that...). Each time I see him perform I am floored by his talent, both as a songwriter and as a vocalist. And his charisma is...well, I defy you to find a grandma that wouldn't want to pinch those cheeks and feed him a bowl of soup, or a 20 year old that isn't hatching a plot to take out his girlfriend. And that, dear readers, is the mysterious combination that will move this young talent into the spotlight sooner rather than later. Mark my words. His new CD Nice, Nice, Very Nice will be released the second week of August. The tracks I have heard (either live or on the teaser EP released earlier this year) are fantastic, and if the stars are aligned as they should be, it will bring him the recognition he has long deserved.

And one day, one day, I will be able to listen to Basket without tearing up. Unfortunately, that one day was not yesterday.

I caught a bit of his workshop stage with his friend Mark Berube, and his fantastic solo set. (The still of him walking through the crowd is from the performance of Robots, which another lucky Fest goer videoed here) I should add that part of the delight of his solo set was that the enchanting Veda Hille sat in for a few songs, including these two:


Rock Plaza Central: Gimpy banjo? I don't think so...
Meet another band I am ridiculously passionate about. I can't quite pinpoint what it is that appeals to me so much - there's a rawness to it all, or an immediacy or something - that just grabs me. That, and Chris Eaton's incredible lyrics. Their new album ...at the moment of our most needing just came out, and it is absolutely fantastic. It was great to see them live in Vancouver with an audience of more than 50, and as Chris Eaton pointed out, somewhere where there seemed to be fewer crack addicts than the places they usually play. RPC played an absolutely fantastic workshop stage with Bellowhead and Geoff Berner - here's a glimpse of that magic:
They also played a fantastic solo set, during which Chris recounted that someone from the Breakmen asked him what style of banjo he played. He responded "gimpy". You be the judge:

I'm running out of steam now...but I will squeeze in another thing I loved - the Great Lake Swimmers. What a TREAT to see them at so many workshop stages, and for the most magical evening show, the band lit by the setting sun.

Gorgeous. Absolutely. And in every way.

Beautiful:

My NEW back garden (thanks Mel! - that's her on my back porch...)



Less that beautiful:

• rat face & tail, connected by a few entrails, found on the back path. Poop from satisfied coyote, found nearby.
• new loaner fridge, which is squished into my kitchen alongside my regular fridge. Sigh. This fridge saga is OBVIOUSLY not over...
• the lack of fence in the back yard (or rather, the stellar view of the alley & my car). Next year, next year.
  

WHiNE.

My day:

• 5:25 - Get up
• 7:10 - Grab lunch from freezer before heading to work
• 7:11 - Discover lunch isn't frozen; discover nothing in the freezer is frozen. Swear
  
• 7:14 - Misplace my bus pass; swear again
• 7:16 - Find bus pass. Go to work*
  
• 8:00 - Call Sears - they tell me they will be there "sometime between 8 am - 7pm". I tell them I have to leave my house at 5:00; they will make note of that
• 8:15 - Rush BACK from work, home just before 9am. Cats appear to be happy to see me, but can you really tell with cats?
  
• 9:50 - notice that there is a "missed call" from Sears at 8:15am, but no message.
• 10 - 11am: online meeting for work
• 11:05 - Mum stops by with freezer box.
  
• 11:10am - call Sears to clarify if there was a reason they called at 8:15am. Find out the tech has logged a note saying "left message that we are only available during the day, not after 5pm". AUGHHH.
• 3:50pm - Sears tech arrives, all smiles. After 10 minutes, tells me I have a Serious Problem. Gas Leak. Major Repair. Loaner Fridge Required. Sears will call me with details (I am still under warranty. I should be. The fridge is a month old)
• 3:58pm - find out that the tickets I bought for a band I don't know just so I could be there on Richards "last night" are actually NOT for the last night. The last night, they have decided, is the evening before. The band I don't know is now moved to the crap "Venue" (aka the Plaza). Sigh.
  
• 4:15 - cancel appointment at vet for 5:30 pm, as still haven't heard from Sears. Rebook for Friday night. Because I want to spend Friday night at the vets. Really.
  
• 4:30pm - go into kitchen to find raccoon attempting to break in through cat door, likely because he smells thawing food. Cats stare at door, goggle-eyed. Which, truthfully, makes me laugh.
  
• 4:30 - 5:15 - spend a lot of time pacing. It's a family trait.
• 5:30 - am pouring myself a drink and plan to stay still until this day is over.

*I have NO idea why I didn't call Sears before leaving for work. Really.

This was supposed to be joyful...

But I just read this. I know, I know, this horror has been on the horizon for at least two years, but it doesn't make it any easier. Richard's is hands down my favorite concert venue in this venue-deprived city. Small enough to feel intimate, big enough to have crowd-induced-energy, and with the most frightening washrooms in the city, it is (soon to be was...) pretty near perfect. I am not convinced that the "new" venue will come anywhere close (art galleries? not that I don't like art galleries...but really, art galleries?). I was really looking forward to seeing Blitzen Trapper at Richards. Sigh. Where will they be now? The Plaza? Sigh.

SO - I will try to regain some joy talking about what was, it seems, my LAST concert at Richards - Dirty Projectors.

As usual, we got their early (for the last time...sigh. OK, I'll stop). Sometimes when you are there before doors open, you will see the band members wander out of the club and out for dinner. We saw a bit more than that this time around. The band van was parked in front of our car, and Dave Longstreth and Angel Deradoorian wandered out and opened the back of the van, to rifle through their suitcases. Dave pulled out his show jeans, then turned around to see us, parked right behind him trying to look nonchalant - which doesn't deter him from taking his pants off. Once changed, he sits on the back of the van to tie his shoes, all the while staring exaggeratedly up into the air like a dark-eyed, slightly unbalanced version of one of Rafael's angels - a way, I suspect, of trying to pretend we weren't there. Meanwhile, we were pretending to face each other and not notice, ever the polite Canadians. (For those that care: boxers). A nice FINAL story about waiting to get into Richards...sigh.

When we finally did get inside, it didn't look promising from an attendance standpoint. I always fear the awkwardness of seeing a great band playing to 20 people in a venue that holds 20 times that. Luckily, by the time the band got on stage, the floor was full of happy, adoring fans.

And what a treat the show was. They are such a rhythmically and melodically complex band that things could easily go horribly wrong - but they are so GOOD that it doesn't. Dave Longstreth moved like a slightly distracted, jerky raptor across the stage, his crazy guitar lines just seeming so ... easy. So good. And the rest of the band? SO good. Crazy harmonies from the women. Great semi-naked drumming. And very, very happy audience.

Thanks, Dirty Projectors, for making my last (*sniff*) night at Dick's so great.

Camera #1

I've said it all before.

OK, maybe I didn't say "holy PIPES, my cultural luff!", so I will add that in.

If there is ever a CBC host Ultimate Fighting Cage Match, I now know who I'm betting on.

Pretty (handsome?) british things...

A low/no content post - a few pics of some nice british things.

garden, garden, garden...

I have a whopping headache so this will be brief...but I do have to share some of the new members of the family with the rest of the world.

The bunkle garden has been a long standing problem, and has been far from the focus of my time. I don't really have many "before" pictures (some here) because the before was not something I wanted to record. But the after - well, that's something else!

Over the last few weeks the lovely Mel has been ripping, digging, sawing, trimming, planting, and (I suspect) sweating. I didn't have any firm direction as to what I wanted, except something easy to look after. Every day, I'd come home and things would have changed. Significantly. It was so fun, and so exciting. All the planting was done when I was in London, so apart from rather excited emails from my mum and Mel, I had no idea what to expect. Needless to say, I loved it. So much, that I have asked Mel to turn her talents to the back nightmare...I mean, garden. Can't wait :)

I'm back.

Tired, but wearing my new wellibobs (more on those later)

Meet my new friend, Robin. We hung out for a bit. I invited him to visit my new front garden, but he says he's happy in Regents Park.

Apparently I'm related to a crazy person.

tuesday - the crying light
Originally uploaded by Matthew Burditt

Tell me something I don't already know - truthfully, she's one of many...

Off to England for a week - work trip, but I am not complaining. You never know, I may have a chance to post - stranger things have happened.

More exciting is that I will return to a completely revamped front garden! Can't wait...(thanks Mel!)

Am I really an "arsehole"?

(To those of you that immediately thought "wow - she's stating the obvious" ... hi friends! because you obviously know me well ;- )

So, this wonderful cyberworld is raising questions in my brain again.

Last night, I went to see the completely delightful Jens Lekman at Richards (which still has completely undelightful washrooms, despite the newly installed "washroom attendant"). The place was full, and the audience was keen to love the lovable Jens. The performance was bright and bouncy and wonderful (apparently he has the flu, but you'd never know). The audience was bright and bouncy and wonderful (pretty much). I wasn't feeling bright or bouncy when I went, but my world was re-bounced within the first 30 seconds of Jens taking the stage.

So what's the issue at hand?

Well, Jens, at the beginning of the gig, told the audience it was OK to film, but requested that the videos don't get posted on YouTube - "it should be a special evening just between you and me" being the basic idea. And I have to admit, it put a seed of doubt in my mind. I mused aloud to my brother after the gig and his response was "What about the shut-ins? What about people that will never have a chance to see him live?". He had a good point. I regularly forget about the shut-ins. But I admit, my hand hesitated as I hit "upload" onto YouTube this morning for a couple of the videos.

Low and behold, by the time I got to work, I had these two comments (from the same person):

You arsehole! He politely requested that people not upload the show onto YouTube.

I guess it was more important for you to look cool on YouTube than to for you to follow a simple request from Jens to not post the show. Nice.

When I told my brother, defender of the shut-ins til the day he dies, he responded with "tell him to fuck off". Once again, I think he kind of has a point...not that I would ever engage in an argument with the poster in question - but it has all made me think.

I do feel a bit crap about disregarding "the request of the artist" - but I spent a lot of time thinking of possible reasons why he'd make the request. Concern over poor performance? Shouldn't be that, as he was great. Concern that a good performance would come across as crap due to poor filming? I can see that I guess. Concern that the performance wouldn't be as "fresh" to the audience if they had heard his stories on YouTube before? I could see that too I suppose.

But here's the thing - in this cyber-age, artists have lost the ability to control what images get out there; it's a bit futile to try. The better thing to do, in my arseholeish opinion, is to embrace the changing landscape and see how you can use it to your advantage. I've had bands contact me thrilled to see the videos, wanting me to send the original file, or linking to the YouTube post on their own sites. And truthfully, in my mind fan videos on YouTube are a key part of spreading the love. If I like a band, I will always try to see footage of them live, and if that footage is good, it gets me that much more hungry to buy tickets to a show when they come to town ( I have actually gone to see bands pretty much based on my reaction to seeing footage of their live show - hello, Les Savy Fav!!). If the footage is crap, I think "oh, crap camera quality" but I never let it reflect on the quality of the performance. If the footage is great but the performance is crap - well, I guess you have a problem, band, but it goes far beyond your fan videos onYouTube.

So - maybe I am an arsehole. But I don't really think that, in this case, my being an arsehole is doing the lovely Jens any harm. Anyone watching the footage would be just as charmed as I was.

And as an aside, I love the idea that I'm posting videos to look cool on YouTube - I haven't looked cool anywhere else in a long time, so bully for me if that's the case. For those that care, the reasons I post are primarily 1) to help build an archive of what I've seen for my rapidly aging brain, and 2) to share the love with other fans. Though from now on, I'm going to post just to be cool, because I need all the help I can get.

And here, for those that care to watch and participate in my bad behaviour, are two from Jens:

The Craigsicle: the groaners are just too easy

..but this has just entered my list of things I would like to ... consume (how's that for a 'safe' word?).

You have to admit, he's pretty cool ... ;-)