The Banal Chew

Banalité du jour

My question to you for the day is this:

Where are the wardrobe consultants for Australian anchorwomen?  On permanent lunchbreak?  Honestly, if I see any more dowdy, lemon yellow ruffles or oversized magenta scarf-bows I will seek out these people and demand to see their credentials.  Yowza. 

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Yesterday, Mark and I went to Jason's birthday barbecue.  Jason's partner, Kevin, braved the heavy smoke from their balcony grill and cooked us up a feast. Yum!

The birthday boy in his kitchen

For his birthday, Mark and I got Jase a DVD of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the CD, Permanent: Joy Division 1995.  There's currently a movie showing about Ian Curtis, Joy Division's late lead-singer, that I'd very much like to go and see.  I hear it's fantastic, especially the performance by Sam Riley, the actor who plays Curtis.  Might be a Two for Tuesday night at the Dendy!

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Because I missed Affable YouTube Monday, here's a little something by Adele.  I just got turned on to this singer after seeing a bit of one of her music videos this weekend.  She's fantastic.  Have a listen.  You won't be sorry.

 

Chasing Pavements, Adele

Affable YouTube Monday

More CYE fun. 

Ever wish you could just go off like Susie?  It's probably terribly unhealthy, but talk about vicarious.

BTW: Rated scary for some really foul language. Headphones strongly recommended.

Now, to counter that, here's a bit of soothing balm for the frenzied soul.

Affable YouTube Monday

Jesus, do I ever need this today.

A couple of things from Kate Bush's Aerial, one of my favorite recordings...ever.

Affable YouTube Monday

In honor of Björk's upcoming appearance in Sydney...

The parody (cum French & Saunders).

The real deal, mama.

Affable YouTube Monday

Someone tickle my funny bone, please.

Phonerotic!

CYE clip

One of my favorite Dot sketches

Affable YouTube Monday...

is back.

I tried this at my gym this morning. I didn't get nearly the same reaction.

Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Pas de quatre from Swan Lake. Let's draw a comparison!

American Ballet Theatre

Matthew Bourne

Blustery Bondi and a Little AYTM

We had coffee with some really lovely people at Bondi Beach yesterday afternoon.  It was slightly overcast and chilly, but nothing a hot cup o' joe wouldn't compensate for. Bondi is one of the world's most famous beaches. In the summer, it is nut to butt with tourists and locals, but in the winter it takes on a different, more relaxed character. And the clouds over the ocean were very picture-worthy.

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I found the following at Qlipp.com.  It's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Wanda says, "Look at them happy-ass gays!"

COLTON FORD - The Way You Love Me

Eye candy

Affable YouTube Monday

music by Cicada; fractal by anonymous

Kill Bill +

The Helsinki Complaints Choir takes whinging to a whole new level

Laughable and Affable

Just look at how much fun stuff you can pack into a relatively short Skype chat session!

[7:56:15 PM] Mark says: hey what is Exodus?
[7:56:55 PM] Sandy says: Exodus?  it's a chapter in the bible.  it's when people flee, kind of like a diaspora
[7:57:00 PM] Sandy says: hehe
[7:57:12 PM] Sandy says: j/k.  i know you knew that.
[7:57:19 PM] Mark says: what is the ex-gay thing on Eric's blog linked to yours today?
[7:58:28 PM] Sandy says: i'm checking.   hadn't checked my blog today
[8:03:48 PM] Sandy says: wow.  that's awesome!
[8:03:51 PM] Sandy says: (the Exodus thing)
[8:04:17 PM] Sandy says: i wish they'd show acceptance.  i'm willing to accept them.
[8:04:50 PM] Sandy says: just because we respect someone and their rights, it doesn't mean we have to have anything to do with them.  just leave them alone.
[8:06:39 PM] Sandy says: but i am fully aware of and completely honor the fact that even the chubbiest KFC-eating, hair-spray and comb-over, Buick driving, pig-headed conservative moralist in Kentucky has all the rights allocated to the majority.
[8:07:21 PM] Sandy says: i just don't want to to have to be around him
[8:07:23 PM] Sandy says: or her
[8:09:04 PM] Mark says: that is true
[8:10:10 PM] Sandy says: maybe that'll be my blog entry today
[8:10:21 PM] Sandy says: i'll get all political on their ass
[8:10:56 PM] Mark says: you go gurl!!!!
[8:17:35 PM] Mark says: dean and brad said transformers was AWESOME
[8:17:47 PM] Sandy says: cool.  i look forward to it
[8:24:21 PM] Mark says: Would you be a dependant for UN purposes?
[8:24:46 PM] Sandy says: hmm.  that's a very good question, since technically you're still sponsoring me here
[8:29:08 PM] Sandy says: so the cute-but-asshole lawyer brother's closeted boyfriend is, in real life, dating the hottie from Prison Break.
[8:25:34 PM] Mark says: We are defacto here now
[8:25:47 PM] Mark says: um how do you spell wichita?
[8:30:43 PM] Mark says: what?
[8:30:54 PM] Sandy says: hollywood goss
[8:31:27 PM] Sandy says: they've been outed
[8:31:47 PM] Mark says: where is the link?
[8:32:26 PM] Sandy says: http://showyourgaypride.com/2007/06/rosie-and-that-yummy-wentworth.html

A Dose of Affability

Ian Bostridge & Leif Oves Andsnes on Schubert's Winterreise

Affable YouTube Monday

Beautiful Bjorkness worth revisiting

Ennio Morricone (my favorite film composer) and his worn, but unforgettable, oboe

Affable YouTube Monday

Oh, alright. 

Keane, Hamburg song

Fritz Wunderlich, O wie ängstlich

Affable YouTube Monday (on a Tuesday)

What a swell, relaxing holiday weekend. 

After Zane was deposited in his mom's arms for his fortnightly weekend in Canberra, Mark and I finally had the chance to hang out, just the two of us, fairly unencumbered by the necessity to go shopping, do laundry, supervise homework, give the ubiquitous clarinet or German lesson, or simply to be somewhere at every moment.  We even tucked away our mobile phones now and again to focus even more on the two of us...a big step, especially for Mark. 

Mostly we did a big lot of nothing, enjoying the warmth and dryness of our humble abode.  We did venture out in the rain once or twice.

Rainy Sydney 

Brad's Sunday lamb roast hit the spot, as did the copious amounts of Shiraz.  Gabe and Christian were there, too, adding a somewhat Ethan-Morddenesque aura to the evening.  Friends, pets, food, wine, music, Balderdash.  Heaps of fun, as always.

Mark, YT, Gabe, Christian, Dean, Brad (l to r)

Six-month-old puppies are always a hit, especially Ralph.

Reassuring Roger that he is everyone's favorite, too.

Yesterday, Mark and I even went to Wollongong for a family event.  Nothing like living on the edge.

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Now for some affability.

Babs gets Lazy

Sand Art

Affable YouTube Monday

Kathleen Battle, Over My Head
Rufus Wainwright, Going to a Town

Affable YouTube Monday

It was a tiring one.

Saturday I was hungover. I don't tie one on very often, but I did Friday night. We went to Trinity Hotel to celebrate Matty's birthday. Good fun, good beer...bad, bad headache. 

That night, dinner with Jase & Kev and then a late showing of Sunshine at my favorite Sydney cinema. Great company, average movie, diminishing headache.

Sunday was beeeezzy. Site visits all over the greater Sydney area to scope out the shooting locations for  the short film Mark is making. Then off to retrieve Zane from Sutton Forest. (He'd been staying with his mum in Canberra for the last week of his Easter school holiday.) Then down to Wollongong to visit with the sisters and talk about whether or not we all want to go in together to buy the townhouse Mark and I currently live in. Then back to Sydney. Poor Roger. That was about as long as we've ever left him alone, and because we were visiting so many places, it wasn't possible to take him along. But he's such a great dog. No accidents and all was forgiven as soon as we snuggled with him in bed.

Okay, here it is...Affable YouTube Monday. 

Philippe Jaroussky sings Vivaldi.

Affable YouTube Monday

We're getting kicked out of our townhouse. The owners are selling. It sux like an Electrolux. To take my mind off it, I've watched these.

Les Plaisirs de Versailles by M.A. Charpentier / Sophie Karthäuser, sop., Les Folies Françoises

The groovy 5th Dimension singing music of the incredible Laura Nyro, as well as a couple of their hits by other songwriters.

Nyro sings her own.  She is missed.

Affable YouTube Monday

A day late...  (What's Affable YouTube Monday? Click here to find out.)

Enjoy!  (Apologies to readers with dial-up.)

Third duet from David Dawson's ballet, The Grey Area (Sofiane Sylve and Raphael Coumes Marquet, dancers):

Jean Seberg was an amazing actor who succumbed to poor mental health. Here is someone's tribute to her:

Ms Price's 1985 farewell to opera: "O patria mia" from Verdi's Aida at the Met:

And, finally, something not quite so morose.  Rossini's "Cat Duet":

Affable YouTube Monday

It seems we focus a great deal on the droll and frightful side of YouTube, which can be great fun (zum Beispiel). In reality, YouTube also houses some fairly artful stuff, too.  Therefore, I decided to begin a weekly posting that will share some of the more beautiful YouTube options available for viewing.  (No, I'm not being sarcastic this time...really, I'm not.)   

And so, at the risk of breaching copyright in some small corner of the globe, here's the first installment of Affable YouTube Monday. Two selections will be offered each time.  Undoubtedly the focus will be on classical music, mainly because that's what I do, but I will try my best to vary it somewhat.

(You'll see a lot of the incredible Ms Price on here.)