The Phantom Band

Last night’s Chemikal Underground showcase in Aberdeen proved to be a wonderful evening’s entertainment. Given that neither Lord Cut-glass nor Zoey van Goey were performing it says a lot about the label’s rosta.

First up was ex-De Rosa main man Martin John Henry. This was the first time I’d seen Martin perform since the band’s demise and although afterwards he was a little bit self critical it wasn’t obvious why that should be the case from the front of the stage. The set was a mixture of De Rosa tunes, new solo numbers and his ‘Army Dreamers’ cover.

Unlike the Dunfermline acoustic performance, Martin played with an electric guitar and even some laptop backing on a couple of newer solo songs. Unfortunately the laptop didn’t want to play ‘Span’, the most ambitious of the MJH solo demoes to date but we did get a solo ‘Love Economy’ instead. The use of backing suggests that Martin is wanting to make a bigger noise on stage so it will be interesting where he takes this in the New Year.

Martin played:

1. Cathkin Braes  2. New Lanark  3. Pest  4. Army Dreamers  5. I Love Map  6. Only Colour  7. A Love Economy

Martin John Henry

I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from Aidan Moffat, but it’s fair to say I wasn’t expecting a discussion on quantum mechanics. But we got that as an introduction to the highlight of his set a love song about Multiverses.

At times I got the impression that some of the tunes are a bit slight musically but his force of personality, really important in the solo context, carried the day. Roaming from stand-up to spoken word via a variety of unusual instruments it was a brilliantly entertaining 40 minutes or so.

Aidan played quite a lot of songs including  ‘Oh Men!’, new single ‘Knock On The Wall of Your Womb’, ‘Double Justice’, a Cyndi Lauper cover ‘Money Changes Everything’, and ‘The Lavender Blue Dress’ .

Aidan Moffat

Another revelation, Emma Pollock wishes she sounds more like Lemmy. No seriously! Emma was the first artist backed by a band and she successfully mixed songs from her forthcoming album (on Chemikal) with highlights from her debut LP ‘Watch The Fireworks’.

The mix worked more successfully than her downbeat Homegame set which had been dominated by the newer songs. Which isn’t to undermine the quality of the new songs in any way. In fact the highlight was probably her solo rendition of new tune, ‘The Child In Me’, a song I had only heard the once before in Anstruther, yet it already sounds like a classic.

But the WTF material fared very well giving the whole thing a nice up tempo feel although the best of this bunch may well have been a version of ‘Limbs’ backed only by Jamie on piano.

Emma played:

1. New Land  2. If  Silence Means That Much  3. Adrenaline  4. I Would Be A Saint  5. Red, Orange, Green 6. Hug The Harbour  7. Fortune  8. Limbs  9. The Child In Me  10. New untitled  11. Paper & Glue  12. The Optimist

(Despite repeated requests) Emma didn’t play ‘Ace  of  Spades’.

Emma Pollock

I’ll be honest, partly because I’ll see them supporting Frightened Rabbit in a couple of weeks, and partly because bits of the album don’t do much for me I wasn’t too excited about seeing the Phantom Band again. Big mistake.

For whatever reason, this was far and away the best gig I’ve seen them play. The first half of the set was simply stunning – a brilliant ‘Throwing Bones’ and a thunderous ‘Crocodile’ were the highlights as was The New Song. ‘Island’ though saw the intensity drop off a bit and ‘The Howling’ suffered a little in its wake But they managed to pick things up again after that and set closer ‘The Whole In My Side’, a song I’ve never really taken to on record was immense.

An encore of ‘Half Hound’ and they were done and I’m now really looking forward to the FR gig.

The Phantom Band

The Phantom Band played:

1. Throwing Bones  2. Burial Sounds  3. Folk Song Oblivion  4. Crocodile  5. The New Song  6. Island  7. The Howling  8. Left Hand Wave  9. The Whole Is On My Side

Encore
10. Halfhound

With Stewart Henderson giving way the Chem087 CD + DVD package on the way out, it was a great night. Roll on the next one.

This guy is not real, but he gave me a spook today. He hangs out on a branch of my backyard’s lemon tree.

 V-am spus ca mi-am facut facebook. Acum am descoperit un nou joc, Cafe World, care e addictive. Si e in timp real, ceea ce il face si mai frumos, pentru ca trebuie sa fiu tot timpul la calculator, sa fac mancare acolo. Mai nou, am corupt-o si pe sormea care, atrasa de joc, mi-a schimbat toata cafeneaua si mi-a facut-o roz cu floricele si pe mine [bucatarul] kind of emo.  Nu am mai scris pentru ca sunt foarte ocupata cu Cafe World si scoala. Chiar in dreapta mea e o gramajoara asa de caiete si carti care ma asteapta sa le deschid, dar nu in seara asta. Definitelly not. Sunt foarte stresata in ultimul timp ceea ce conduce la irascibilitate si nervi multi . Si certuri cu persoane. Astazi am fost la un party, la care m-am distrat foarte bine, unde am dansat si tipat pana am ragusit. Acum de abia pot sa vorbesc. Maine la scoala.  Si ‘boss’ o sa fie acolo. 

 Semnat, Lemon tree.

Jasmine

Winter in a northern climate needs flowering and fragrant houseplants.  There is nothing finer than coming into the office and smelling my Aunt Rosemary’s hand-me-down jasmine.  The smell is just amazing- like sunbaked, perfumed earth.  I keep a large pot of jasmine in my office where I can enjoy its fragrance all winter.  It does quite well inside- as long as it is watered regularly.  If it misses a drink it will become very unhappy.

Many flowering houseplants have a subtle fragrance– Amaryllis have a peppery, lemon scent, and last for much longer in a vase when cut off from their rather unattractive bulbs.  Cyclamens smell good too, particularly the small ones have a subtle peppery sent, like the amaryllis.  To keep my small-flowered cyclamens going strong in the fall, I put them out on the north-facing front porch and water them periodically all summer.  Once inside, they flower more profusely than they did for the florist.

For the best fragrance of all, potted lemons are a delight for us low-light states.  I have my lemon tree in a south-facing window, and all winter long we are treated to the sweet lemon fragrance of its demure  white flowers.  Lemons are one of the few citrus that can take our low-light conditions, but the key with lemons is constant vigilance for pests– scale is always a problem for me.

Potted herbs like bay and rosemary, which can only be grown indoors during our long cold winters, are a treat whenever they are cut.  These low maintenance herbs grow very well on a southern windowsill.

Another favorite, available at grocery stores across the country in mid-winter are primulas– the lemon colored ones have a bright, strong lemon scent, and look delightful on a windowsill with some royal purple african violets.  Other primulas might be available elsewhere, and certainly in other colors, but a side-by-side smell test will reveal that the good–old bright yellow primula vulgaris has the strongest scent.  That scent is not nearly as noticable outside, I noticed I had a blooming primula outside yesterday, and it hardly smelled at all.

Forced bulbs are often fragrant.  Many folks grow paperwhites for their strong fragrance, but I prefer Inbal- a lightly scented variety that smells less like the catbox.  A good variety of forced bulbs, especially freesias, will bloom all winter and emit their sweet honey fragrance.

There are so many scented flowers to choose from, try and give yourself a sweet treat and grow a few, they’ll provide a sweet smell all winter long.

Well…am back with a parody after a long time, 10 months to be exact. :D
As you would know, all I do is code bugs in my project…but then I prefer to keep my parodies bug-free!! 

This is the parody of one of my favourite songs “Lemon Tree” by Fool’s Garden!!!  You can listen to the actual song in the Music box on the side bar!  

This one is called “Bug-Free”!! 

Note: All those who know this song, should let me know if it fits the tune…I think it does, but don’t believe me! 

Here we go:

*************************************************************

I’m sitting here in the conference room…
It’s just another call with the onsite toon…
I’m wasting my time
I got coding to do
I’m yawning aloud
I wanna get away from you
But none of this happens and I wonder

I’m scribbling around in my pad
I’m scribbling too fast
I’m scribbling too hard
I’d like to change my point of view
I feel so insanely
I wanna get away from you
But none of this happens and I wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you didn’t tell me ’bout the cranky onsite guy
And all that I can see is just my code, bug-free
I’m shaking my head left and right
I’m shaking shaking shaking shaking shaking alright
And all that I can see is just my code, bug-free

I’m sitting here
I hear your voice
I’d like to go out coz you’re just noise
And there’s a heavy cloud inside my head
I feel so tired
I want the line to go dead
Well, none of this happens and I wonder

No-solution, is not good for me
Isolation, I don’t want to sit, set me free

I’m messin’ around in this very big hall…
But any how I’ll get another call
And this thing will happen and I wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you didn’t tell me ’bout the cranky onsite guy
And all that I can see is just my code, bug-free
I’m shaking my head left and right
I’m shaking shaking shaking shaking shaking alright
And all that I can see is just my code, bug-free

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you didn’t tell me ’bout the cranky onsite guy
And all that I can see, and all that I can see, and all that I can see
Is just my code, all bug-free

*************************************************************

Howwaazzat???

You can read my previous parodies over HERE!!

San Gabriel

I have been reading Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown, his post 9/11 novel on terrorism, but like all his novels, a wonderful and engaging panorama that plays itself across families and continents. I have always enjoyed the sheer power and playfulness of his writing ever since Midnight’s Children.

With the shorter days, we have also started to watch more DVDs. Lemon Tree is a good Israeli film that captures well the day-to-day dynamic and imbalance between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as some good character sketches, and The Queen and I, is a charming film about a leftist Iranian film maker, who protested against the Shah before the Iranian revolution and who develops an appreciation and warmth towards the former Shahbanou (Empress) of Iran. The Shahbanou comes across as much more down to earth and warm than one would expect. On the lighter side, we saw Where the Wild Things Are, given it was one of the favourite books we used to read to the kids and I was curious to see the screen adaptation. Funnily enough, I viewed the monsters as a bit of a metaphor for all the chemo and related meds piling up on me, and in the end making me stronger!

We have all had our flu shots, with H1N1 planned for this week (one of the ‘benefits’ about being high risk!).

I have started reflecting on what are the ‘lessons learned’, both practical and deeper, in this journey, and have started the writing process (a week without ‘chemo brain’ is to be enjoyed – and taken advantage of). I am focussing on three elements: dichotomies/dualities or how I viewed myself (e.g., acceptance/anger, surrender/control, individual/group, being/thinking), reflections on what will shape me in the future (e.g. around themes of time, people, sharing, blessings, being in the moment, engaging), and lastly some practical tips for dealing with the healthcare system. This will continue to evolve but almost four months in, some ideas are taking shape.

Had a good session with the doctor and scheduled for round 5 Monday. Checking my journal entries (more reliable than memory!), this should be a relatively easy cycle although it is in-patient for a few days.

The key thing this movie does is that it brings to life (real life) a region that easily becomes merely romanticized, idealized, or fantasized from culture to culture, shore to shore, news broadcast to news broadcast.  And it does it well.

It’s a real tragedy that Israel and Palestine exist recently by a huge wall, separating the two nations.  It can be difficult to understand, as well.

But “Lemon Tree” (actually “Etz Limon,” in Hebrew I’m guessing) makes the situation between Israel and Palestine relative.

In reality, Israel is a thriving nation, actually looking more impressive than most U.S. states, while Palestine is impoverished and seemingly moving backwards.

Israeli filmmaker, Eran Riklis, together with writer Suha Arraf, bring to the forefront the notion of ‘National Security,’ when it comes at the expense of basic humanity, through the story of an aging Palestinian woman defending her heirloom lemon grove from destruction in the face of the Israeli Defense Minister, “Israel.”

That felt like a mouthful.  Down to the basics, though, the film keeps moving at a nice pace.  I felt towards the start that it was kind of week melodrama, but that changed halfway through.  As with many films immersed in certain cultures, the audience becomes transported into another world.

The female lead, “Salma Zidane” is played by well known Israeli actress, Hiam Abbass (“Paradise Now”).  The Israeli Film Academy awarded her “Best Actress” for the role (2008).  Also from the film “Paradise Now” is the male lead, “Ziad Daud,” (Ali Suliman).  These two have a tricky romance going on in the movie.

“Defense Minister Israel Navon” (played by actor Doron Tavory) has a perfectly annoying English accent for a politician.  And his secretary dresses like a hussy.

Good film, stormy subject matter.

A bumper crop of lemons

Forgive me! I know that right now a certain percentage of you are singing the “Lemon Tree” song in your head. Hey, me, too! I start out with the Peter, Paul, & Mary version and end up sounding like Trini Lopez! Got to be a golden oldie like me to even remember Trini.

Lemons and a little bit more

When I blogged about our new front yard landscaping, I neglected to mention a new addition to our already established backyard: a lemon tree. Frank of Frank’s Nursery thought it would be the perfect thing to fit in a hole where other bushes had passed on (no doubt due to the black thumbs of the household, e.g., the Mister and myself).

Everything I need to know about our Meyer lemon tree . . . still on the tree.

I knew the Mister would love a lemon tree, because he loves lemons! He especially likes them in his iced tea. And the #1 son drinks lots of lemonade. If we have lemons, we can make lemonade. Hey, sounds like a great saying for a poster!

Sidebar: As I was snapping photos of the lemon tree, I couldn’t help but notice that the information tag had been left on the tree. Just like it’s still on the roses in the front. Why didn’t Frank’s crew take the tags off and give them to us? Why just leave them on the flora where people like us might never remove them? The world may never know.

The lemon is green now . . . but eventually the skin will be orange-yellow!

According to that tag, the Meyer lemon is originally from China and was introduced to the U.S. in 1908. It’s thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a Mandarin orange, and it will eventually have an orange-yellow skin.

I can’t wait to take photos of that! It will make the lemon tree extremely pretty. Is Trini Lopez ready to re-record the song?!?

Look at what I brought back!

Basically, Iowa State University “sponsors” a South Field Trip and a North Field Trip through Italy/Europe. This past weekend, all graphic and interior design students took a trip to Naples, Sorrento, and Pompei as part of our South Field Trip. A couple things to note:

1. Naples: not only nasty, but dangerous. Two groups of students witnessed muggings or attempted muggings. Another female student, while sitting down, was interrupted by a young boy who performed aggressive pelvic thrusts into her head. Luckily, I was not around for any of this — having limited my Naples explorations to the train station, one museum, and the pizzeria across the street.

2. The Lemon Tree Restaurant: OOOOMMMMMYYYGAWWWWD SOOOO DELICIOUS. Iowa State design students take over this little jem every year during the Sorrento visit. All of us sit down together and enjoy a full course meal, with lemon featured in every dish. The food is divine, the waiters are hilarious, the chefs in the kitchen are cute…eighteen euros well spent. I can’t even put into words…just thinking about it is making my drool. I wish I took pictures of my food!

3. Claustrophobia: nice to meet you! PJ, MD and I spent our Sorrento days in a hostel called Village Camping Campogaio. In other words, we stayed in a matchbox standing on brick supports. The shower was too small for any of us to want to deal with. Fortunately, we all sweat roses…right?

4. Cliff diving: FAIL. A group of us took a day trip to the island of Capri, where there were rumors of beautiful landscapes and “safe” cliff diving. We found the beautiful landscapes without much difficulty, but the area with we wanted to visit happened to be closed off to all boats due to inconvenient water levels. So…no cliff diving. Instead, we took a chair lift to look around the island. Also fun, but not the same.

One big, semi-blurry family:

We head up north in a few weeks…

Myth or reality, fable or parable, this story serves as an example of tolerance and respect for each other.

One dialogue in the movie summed it all:

Defence Minister’s Wife: I wish I could be a better neighbor… a normal neighbor. But I suppose it’s a bit too much to hope for. There’s too much blood and too much politics… and then there’s the lemon grove between us.
Defence Minister adds: And that’s why it’s so important to cut it down, so it no longer be a problem