Monday, July 27, 2009

Tendrement

I'm going through a particularly rough end of the semester in the middle of the summer. Summer school ends this week, and all of my students are in a big fat panic. I just spent a delightful weekend reading student papers and going through piles of excuses. I'm easily distracted these days and lose my train of thought in the middle of lecture. It didn't help that one of my students brought in a particularly noisy and rambunctious small child today. I'm hot and tired and stressed out. All I have to do is make it through Thursday and it will all be over... for now.
I'm stressed over Obama and the health care bill. Who will prevail? Obama or the insurance industry yet again? The Archbishop of Canterbury helped by dropping an ever so cautiously worded turd in the gay Christian punchbowl and we're all mad at him again.
It's time to chill out.

So, here is Jesse Norman 25 years ago singing that wonderful cabaret song by Erik Satie, Tendrement. So let's join Picasso, his Russian diva wife Olga Khoklova, Diaghilev, Nijinsky, and all the gang at the Ballet Russe for a night on the town in Paris, where they would have heard this song by their close friend and collaborator, Erik Satie.




Here Picasso offers us a bottle of Suze, and the paper in 1912.



It's so hard to believe that Cubism is now a century old.

9 comments:

June Butler said...

Oh, thank you, Doug. Just gorgeous. I needed this. Health care not happening and the words of the ABC are making me cranky, too.

You should read our friend Paul the BB's post on health care. He's a tad cranky, too.

David G. said...

You my Dear sir are More than Welcome to CHILL,..while the rest of us move on with Global Human Rights!!

Lapinbizarre said...

Oh dear. I look at Souze and what strikes me is the thought "Conservationist's nightmare"!

Counterlight said...

Conservationist nightmare indeed. I'm surprised this picture has survived as long as it has.

Brad Evans said...

Seriously-why ARE there a disproportionately high number of gays in church, your church in particular?
IS church becoming "something for old ladies of both sexes"?

Counterlight said...

"Seriously-why ARE there a disproportionately high number of gays in church, your church in particular?
IS church becoming "something for old ladies of both sexes"?"

What does that have to do with Jesse Norman or Erik Satie?

How about a nice glass of Suze, Brad?

Brad Evans said...

No, I'd prefer a glass brimful of "Please Answer My Question".

Counterlight said...

I prefer to serve you a nice tall glass of "Why bother?"

Go drink bitters and sours at your own party.

Lapinbizarre said...

Who let my imagined alter ego out?