Category: Favorites
Tinashe
I heard this new (to me at least) singer songwriter from Hackney, London, by way of Harare, Zimbabwe. Tinashe is a superior pop singer with a voice that one of his Facebook friends aptly calls “bubblegummydoolaadie”.
Though there’s reputed to be a mbira (Zimbabwean thumb piano) somewhere in the upbeat mix of guitars and synths, there’s not much Africa in his debut album, Saved. The Afrobeat rhythm on Zambezi, a fictional “memory” of Zimbabwe’s liberation from Rhodesia, is a one-off; elsewhere, the clean lines of western urban pop predominate. His funky voice reminds me a bit of the earliest Macy Gray stuff and his effortless way with melody renders nearly every song absolutely addictive, with the exception of Every Single Day, a corporate-sounding attempt at smoochiness.
Lyrically, he’s a social realist, writing of being:
“19 and looking at a goddam quarter-life crisis
Two GCSEs and a studio flat in Ruislip”
and of how, even in a mundane office job, people still stare:
“at the colour of my skin, the styling of my hair”.
An intriguing introduction.
By the new tunes here Saved – US link
I Shall Wear Midnight by Sir Terry Pratchett
Sir Terry has a new one out and given his health issues we can only hope that there are many more to come. The new one is called I Shall Wear Midnight – US link
I haven’t read it yet so most of this is from the publisher’s puff pieces but I have yet to be disappointed by Sir Terry’s work – with the exception of ”Nation” which was pants! This new story is about a man with no eyes. No eyes at all. Two tunnels in his head …It’s not easy being a witch, and it’s certainly not all whizzing about on broomsticks, but Tiffany Aching – teen witch – is doing her best. Until something evil wakes up, something that stirs up all the old stories about nasty old witches, so that just wearing a pointy hat suddenly seems a very bad idea. Worse still, this evil ghost from the past is hunting down one witch in particular. He’s hunting for Tiffany.
And he’s found her…
I Shall Wear Midnight – US link
Woodpecker
There was a woodpecker on one of the trees at the end of my garden this morning. Awesome!
Alive or dead? No real preference…
The philosopher Galen Strawson has a new piece in The Philosopher’s Magazine on a subject near to my heart:
If, in any normal, non-depressed period of life, I ask myself whether I’d rather be alive than dead tomorrow morning, and completely put aside the fact that some people would be unhappy if I were dead, I find I have no preference either way.
Read the whole thing for some really interesting thoughts.
Prairie Chapel Ranch
I really want a ranch like George W’s. He has a 1,583 acre ranch in unincorporated McLennan County, Texas, located seven miles northwest of Crawford. The property was acquired by President George W. Bush in 1999 and was known as the Western White House during his Presidency. George W spends vacation time at the house where he has also entertained dignitaries from around the world.
The ranch gets its name from the Prairie Chapel School which was built nearby on land donated by mid-19th century German immigrant Heinrich Engelbrecht from Oppenwehe, Germany, who owned the land that now comprises the Bush ranch. Engelbrecht also donated land for the nearby Canaan Baptist Church AKA the “Prairie Chapel”. A prized souvenir from the ranch is a gray Under Armour athletic shirt emblazoned with a Texas star encircled by the words The President’s 100-Degree Club. In order to qualify a visitor must run 3 miles, or bike for 10, when the thermometer hits triple digits. When he was president, Bush used the ranch for vacations, meetings, and entertaining foreign dignitaries. In the less formal setting, dress code for meetings called for an open collar and no tie. Guests were typically treated to meals of Southwestern cuisine. When not holding meetings or briefings, Bush spent his time mountain biking, jogging, fishing, bird hunting, and clearing brush.
Happy Birthday Sir Sean!
Sir Sean Connery is 80 today! Buy From Russia With Love – US link
Best countries in the world?
I read that according to a Newsweek cover story, the ten best countries in the world are:
Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Luxembourg, Norway, Canada, Netherlands, Japan and Denmark.
I just don’t get it. I can’t be arsed to read the whole story because, on the face of it, it just seems so wrong. With the exception of Australia (a country packed with drunks, whiners , and butch women) they are all rain or snow infested dumps full or earnest well-meaning folk.
Personally I would far rather live in West Texas or New Mexico, even in a house with no windows.
The Analyst by John Katzenbach
I finished The Analyst – US link
- Do beautiful women strip naked in front of 53 year old men often?
- Is a NY analyst really the best vehicle for a Schwarzenegger-like relentless assassin?
- and many many other laugh out loud moments
Despite that the book is great and highly recommended!
Texas Toast
I remember when I was travelling in Texas a while back waitresses would always ask:
“Do you want Texas Toast with that?”
I usually replied in the negative but after being asked a few more times I finally queried what ”Texas Toast” was. Apparently it is just buttered toast cut a little thicker than usual. Oh, and served in the great State of Texas.