confessions of a southside catatonic chataholic

...A la rose s'assemble
Sur la rive en fleurs riant au matin..."
Lakmé, by Léo Delibes

Confession: I like opera. And it's got nothing to do with my name. If anything, Tosca is the least of my favourites. (Although she was a vengeful woman and that I can get behind). My most favourite opera ever is La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini. That's not to say I don't like anything else. I do. Just not in their entirety. Usually certain songs, more than anything else. Such as the one in today's clip.

Joan Sutherland & Huguette Tourangeau in Lakmé by Léo Delibes. In particular the Flower Duet (1976). Cliche, I know. So sue me.



This is going to be playing in my head all day.

...I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness."
~ Maya Angelou, Gather Together in My Name

What fucking genius came up with this combination of musicians? Because I'd like to meet him. I surely would. Shake his hand. Maybe buy him a drink. Or her. Or they. Whatever. Whoever it was. I can see it now, they're sitting around one day contemplating string theory and the meaning of life and then, suddenly, they go, 'Holy shit! What would happen if we chucked Chris Thile, Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan IN THE SAME ROOM?' Et voila, THIS is what happens. Magic times a zillion. Here's a combination of musicians I'd pay blood to see. (I say that not believing in vampires. If such a thing exists, however, I'd like to take that statement back, please and thank you). Also, NPR Music's YouTube channel? *swoons* FULL OF WIN. They've introduced me to so many new artists I'd never have heard about otherwise. And so! The clip.



That is all.

"And was this therapy successful in that you were able to suppress your homosexuality?"
"Nope, I was just as gay as when I started."
~ 8, a play about California Proposition 8

A twitter friend flicked me a link to a YouTube clip of the star-studded Prop 8 (as in California Proposition 8, more commonly known as California's gay marriage ban) play which, until that point, I'd only read about. The play is based, pretty much, around the trial's closing arguments. I watched it. I liked it. I don't know how long the link will be up, so I'll enjoy it while it is.

Thanks, Kylie, for the link :)



P.S. Have changed the blog. I'm feeling minimalist at the moment, and this may be the closest I get to it. No doubt a few months down the track I'll change it again. Meh.

...be careful.'
~ Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks

In which Tosca feels slightly nostalgic and yearns for the days when she and Kyle MacLachlan (as very Special Agent Dale Cooper) were younger. Much younger. Like twenty years younger. And somewhat dumber. Ok, a lot dumber, but hey, that's life. And besides, know me before you judge me. Two video clips courtesy of YouTube: one from Twin Peaks and a Barenaked Ladies music video.

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I have been very slack of late with updating my blog. Work is...work. Well, it feels like work which means I'm having to find things in it that I can look forward to. I've always been of the opinion that when you no longer enjoy it, perhaps it's time to move on and I'm not ready to move. Yet. I'm in need of humour this month more than ever so I've got a two-in-one post: funny romance book titles and a totally camp clip featuring the ever funny (and dashedly good looking) John Barrowman. I HEART HIM MUCH.

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...when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants.
~ Stephen King, 'Hearts in Atlantis'

Laughter is most welcome this week. It has been a brutal return to work, and a killer of a kickstart to my new year. Finding one's voice in the new library system is an adventure. That's all I'm saying at this point. It's Thursday! This is a short post. Totally *points* this is it. Today is my video/image clip of the week post, which comes to you courtesy of contacts on Twitter (please don't ask me what Twitter is...I may have to hurt you if you do). I'm not going to bother to introduce the clip. Watch it and all will become clear. I'm not sure if it's good or bad that as someone who has owned 3 Blackberries in my lifetime (until I switched to the iPhone 4) I understand everything they were talking about in the clip. What's more, I winced and chortled my way through the whole thing.

I heart you Enfield and Corbett :)

...unless you fall off.'
~ Author unknown

I found my inner-cougar earlier this evening and I feel quite dirty. And it's all Mr. 13's fault. That isn't nearly as dodgy as it initially sounds, I assure you. Or at least, I don't think it is. It's Thursday/Friday and this is my video clip of the week. For totally pervy reasons. Hey, at least I'm honest about it!

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...Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.'
~ Hugh Sidey

I don't know that I do have a pretty good grasp of life. I do know, however, that after a day at home feeling blah and ugh and generally wiped out thanks to a bug, I'm more than ready for a bit of a laugh. And if your humour doesn't mind the odd use of a curse word (or twenty) then you'll probably like the two website links below. It's Thursday and, ordinarily, this would be a video clip of the week post BUT I haven't seen anything that I like recently. Other than a few music videos which will probably appeal to nobody but me, anyway :) Which means you get link love instead. Suck it up and take it like a man!
[Image courtesy of BluntCard.com]

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...would even know what 1920s musicals were like.'
~ Julie Andrews

It's Thursday and this is my image/video clip of the week post. I promise that it's going to be a quick, fly-by post. Honest :) And it comes to you via Natalie (or @natz2d2). She is the bomb diggity :0) Natalie flicked out a YouTube link on twitter last Friday that I totally missed but would love to have seen at the time. It would've been a nice way to have ended the working week. I think I missed it because I was, as usual, blathering on in my own tweetstream about nothing in particular o_O Once I watched it, though, I just had to share it/torture you with it.

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...standing on its head with its pants torn.'
~ Irvin S. Cobb

I'm as fond of a laugh as the next person and, depending on who's standing beside you, maybe even more fond than is ordinarily acceptable (although I dare you to define 'ordinarily acceptable' pfft). So when colleagues send me hilarious book titles and hoot-out-loud-with-laughter video links well, what else am I meant to do but spread she giggles? This is a combination post of a video link/book title because hey, I can. That and I was far too lazy to do so last night after quiz night (where, I might add, we kicked some geek butt).

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...we will have to import it.'
~ Doménico Cieri Estrada

AWESOME! So there will be iPods in heaven & hell! If that's the case, I want these two songs & video clips, to be on my 'playlist of the eternally damned.' Two clips of the week for this, my 'video clip of the week' post.

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...except when milk comes out of my nose.'
~ Woody Allen

It's Thursday, I'm half-frozen and after having spent the early portion of my evening fielding homework chat queries and singing Edith Pfiaf at the top of my voice after staff were gone home, I am in need of a giggle. So I go where I go when I need a laugh. Yes, that's right, the interwebs. This is my 'video clip of the week' post.

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...when you get out of your corsets at night.'
~ Joyce Grenfell

But don't women look fabulous in them until that moment? Corsets are...well, they're stunning. Something about them makes me go 'Ooohhh.' It could be partly tied up in why I enjoy historical romances (the good and the bad novels) - that era of contradiction. Every thing about the time was about delicate sensibilities yet the clothing, in my mind, was the dead opposite - the plunging necklines, so much flesh on display, everything pushed up and primped and made vulnerable looking. It's absolutely delicious! Depending on your bent (or kink as it were) the diverse range of corsets makes my head spin. I've seen the odd the beautiful, the tacky, the sensual, the fantastical, the practical, the most ethereal and the most ugly designs thanks to Twitter, Tumblr and good old Google.

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...that does everybody a great deal of good.'
~ Edwin Denby

It's Thursday (right up until midnight, anyway) and this is my 'video clip of the week' post. And it's a good 'un! Yes, I would say that, because I like it and this is my blog so I can do that ;)

Two words: Ricardo Montalban. If I had to add another word it'd be: Rroowwwwr! What do you mean that's not a word? GTFOH. Watch this clip and THEN tell me that it's not a word LOL

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