I know it's September and I haven't been back in here in a while. It's been a busy time. Kian and Niall are now enrolled at Kaplan University as Strayer University cancelled all of their Liberal Arts Programs earlier this year. Suffice to say that accomplishing that took many many hours and days and for the most part has been accomplished but is still a work in progress. As with last year, Fall started in August after a very temperate Summer with very few 90 degree days. I have of course really enjoyed that and the weather continues to grow cooler and more Fall like every day. The leaves here don't really change colors at least not so much in the city and just drop off the trees onto the sidewalks.My amazing cousin Bruce Boyd Raeburn was back again a week or so ago and we had a great visit with him and Cassie got to spend some time with him too. The week culminated in another musical party here with 20 plus folks in attendance and Bruce got to hear Cassie and I sing together for the first time. For me it was like a circle closing as Bruce is truly a music expert who's the curator of the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University in New Orleans. Let's just say that the level of discourse on just about everything here was elevated again while he was here which is something we always welcome. We DO love Bruce Boyd and his wife Linda and again welcoming him into our family circle has been like finding gold in the back yard...... Knock me over with a feather......a relative I actually like.....*
We are now 90+ days without a clothes dryer and things are becoming a bit restive here over that. The French do many things very well but again customer service isn't one of them. Now we are hopeful that we'll have a dryer by the holidays but are not holding our breath.
My illness continues with modest improvements but again there are skin rashes literally all over me or I look continuously flushed (red.....). A good example of how I look is the way the folks at the American Library commented on how much sun I must have gotten while on vacances..... which of course was very little as I'm supposed to stay out of direct sunlight whenever possible so I look like I'm sunburned. I just smiled and said thanks........* Of course my doctor thinks I'm improving......
We saw Brian Wilson at Casino de Paris last night and had amazing seats (7th row off center a bit). He's touring with his band (who are amazing......*) performing the Gershwin album he released last year. The arrangements were tight and the band crack but Brian didn't look like he was truly enjoying himself and wasn't in good voice. It was bittersweet to finally be able to see him live and watch someone who's down the road a bit too far to continue with things like this.
He is still a legend and after the Gershwin set they took and break and came back to play some very old deep Beach Boys songs the best of which for me were "In My Room" and "God Only Knows" which both always make me cry. It was indeed moving to see him sing those and know that I was in the presence of who actually wrote them as Brian Wilson has been a music part of my life since the early 60s when I listened to and purchased every record they released. Those old songs also brought back many of the memories of living in Faulkton, South Dakota in the early 60s some of which are not so good. None the less, it was brilliant to actually see him in person and I loved the band which is one of the best in the business.
It's starting to look like we'll be coming back to Virginia sooner than we thought but I can't elaborate on that fully yet. It'll be in another post very soon.
I hope all who follow this are happy and well........
Love to all everywhere.....*
A bientot,
Sid
