Day 8, Level 3: Quiz answers, missing, music and musings
What a wild and rugged night! It poured and squalled and blew all night long.
It's been a while since the weather has made that much of a racket!
The morning wasn't a whole lot better but, by around midday, it had calmed down a lot.
The afternoon wasn't nice enough for me to want to get outside, but at least the wind and rain had buggered off and the day had generally brightened up.
Indi the cat was in and out like a yo-yo all morning, coming back all wet, letting me dry her and then heading straight back out again for a romp around or whatever she gets up to! She's busy settling back into the Omaha way of life. It takes me about 3 seconds, but obviously takes her a bit longer!
She must have exhausted herself with all that romping because she spent almost the entire afternoon snoozing on a chair on the deck while I worked undisturbed - writing, minutes, reports etc. Alas, can't do much in relation to travel right now but did a few emails etc to progress things a little! Had an eye on the races.
Now here's a video - helmet camera footage of a cross-country race in France - had me on the edge of my saddle the whole way - skill, fitness, tactics and fearlessness rolled into one. Amazing. How the hell did they even know where they were going! Worth a watch!
https://www.facebook.com/Francesire/videos/297139964893395
LUNCH: a triple-decker toasted sandwich - egg, cheese, red onion, lettuce, relishes etc
DINNER: Pumpkin and roasted onion ravioli with olive oil and parmesan
After dinner, a spot of TV - with Indi collapsed in a dozing heap nestled in my arms. She's now well settled!
Now - time for the Quiz answers ...
- Jamaa Al-Fnaa square is in ... Marrakesh (What a hustling bustling cacophony of everything).
- The band that sang "Billy Don't Be A Hero" is ... Paper Lace (Oh, memories of 1974! I went to see them when they came to NZ back then!)
- Provincetown is in ... Massachussets (a resort town, one of the original gay hotspots).
- The Hill of Crosses is in ... Lithuania (200,000+ crosses on a hill - an incredible sight).
- The person who said "When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it's a sure sign you're getting old" is ... Mark Twain (No one ever gets any younger and reality is, we are all getting older all too quick!)
How did you go!?
Here's a photo of some cones of spice in Marrakesh ...
And one of an alley in the Medina ...
One of those places you have to be there to fully appreciate.
SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Music - As you'll know if you've read this blog in earlier days, I am a big fan of Harry Styles! Always! (Not his videos so much tho, he's definitely best live).
I am no fan of Puff Daddy (or P Diddy, Sean Combs or whatever he calls himself) and am certainly not into rap in any shape or form - but I've always loved his song "I'll be Missing You". It goes beyond rap, features Faith Evans (lovely feminine tones, nothing to do with rap) and samples "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.
The lyrics are poignant for anyone who has ever lost anyone - which is basically all of us.
Every step I take, every move I make
Every single day, every time I pray
I'll be missing you (I'll be missing you)
Thinkin' of the day, (thinking of the day) when you went away
What a life to take, what a bond to break
I'll be missing you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKMtZm2YuBE
BTW - these are the lyrics of The Police song ... P Diddy twists them around and changes the sentiment and context entirely. Clever.
Every breath you take and every move you make
Every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you
Every single day and every word you say
Every game you play, every night you stay, I'll be watching you
P Diddy (or Puff Daddy or whatever) and Faith Evans performed the song with Sting and a large choir - it's a mash of the two. Sung at the MTV VMAs as the opening performance in 1997 it was particularly poignant because the world had lost Versace, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. (or Biggie Small or Biggie) and Princess Diana.
Why do rappers have so many names? I guess they're just nicknames. And they feel entitled to several!
Princess Diana was known by a few names during her all-too-short life too.
Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy0_d-TZmdU
And here's an overview of the song and that performance written by some reviewer ... sums it up nicely.
Mourning the loss of friend and associate the Notorious B.I.G., Sean "Puffy" Combs rush-released "I'll Be Missing You," which crams together "Adagio for Strings" from Platoon, traditional spiritual "I'll Fly Away," and the Police's biggest hit, "Every Breath You Take." To adequately recreate the anthem, Puffy invited everyone he possibly could — save Police guitarist Andy Summers — for a huge hip-hop production number. It has been reported that Sting initially wasn't consulted to clear the song's central sample, but everything seemed copacetic when he took the stage in September, and he inventively layered falsetto into the arrangement and mashed it up into his own tune. The widowed Faith Evans sang beautifully backed by a gospel choir, 112 got choice bars of harmony before all was said and done and video of B.I.G. played on a huge screen in the back. It was one time Puffy gladly ceded the spotlight.
NOW - here's a throwback to 1988 - "The Only Way is Up", released by Yazz - and the Plastic Population - in July 1988. I was living in London and a couple of months later I split up with my fiance. Whilst it was a difficult time, I never hung around down in the doldrums because, as Yazz sang ... the only way is up! It was a timely message in a song and going up, not down, was the only way to move on! Although, in a sense I did go down - I went south, to Singapore and then NZ, and then right back up again to the UK for more lovely times.
What a great pity I can't get back there now - to visit Sam, friends, fabulous places and wonderful memories.
Here's Yazz ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjD3EVC1-zU
I have to say that being locked down at the bottom of the world is a bit of a challenge for a global soul like myself. And the hard part is having no clear idea of when things will open up. Thank goodness for Facetime, Zoom, What's App etc etc. And for music and memories! As we age, memories are invaluable.
And ... the only way is up!
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