Constant Rain

Festa

The Whispers - Love Is Where You Find It Official Video

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. ~Douglas Pagels

The strongest marriage is between two who seek the same God, the strongest friendship between two who flee the same devil. ~Robert Brault

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Lalah Hathaway - More

Lalah Hathaway - "That Was Then"

Peabo Bryson Let the feeling flow

Returning to my first love

It gives me great pleasure to say that I completed three books this week. I completed in the order listed: 
Sex Advice From...by nerve.com 
The Greatest Album Covers of All Time by Barry Miles, Grant Scott and Johnny Morgan
My New New York Diary: a film-book by Julie Doucet and Michel Gondry

The first two books exceeded 200 pages while the last book didn't reach 100 pages. This week's reading fit what I call "mess around" books. None of them demanded deep concentration. Yet, The Greatest Album Covers introduced me to collaborations and musicians of which I hadn't been aware. As much as I love jazz, I didn't know Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong had an album together.( I am not too surprised; a clear voice and a trumpet would sound magical.) Nor did I know Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins had paired on an album. I thought the brilliant Thelonious Monk wouldn't be willing to share the marquee. I stand corrected. As for the discoveries, I learned about the singers Francoiz Breut and Lil' Louis. They're both solo artists. Francoiz's voice sounds sweet and light. She would need few instruments so that she isn't overpowered. Lil' Louis seems to be more of a producer.

The two posts below feature Francoiz Breut and Lil' Louis respectively.

Lil louis - French Kiss (original mix) 1989

#91 Françoiz Breut - Les jeunes pousses - On the road to Tucson (Acousti...

Portrait - Here we go again

The System ~ Don't Disturb This Groove (1987)

The Whispers - In The Mood

Bell Biv DeVoe - When Will I See You Smile Again?

Phyllis Hyman - You Know How To Love Me

Eddie Kendricks - California Woman

Willie Hutch - I Choose You

Nothing But Good: Anke Roder / Camille Flammarion

Nothing But Good: Anke Roder / Camille Flammarion: Camille Flammarion wood engraving for l'Atmosphere: météorologie populaire 1888 The Sky Viewer   For a long time,...

Herbie Hancock - Butterfly

Herbie Hancock - Speak Like a Child

Herbie Hancock - Tell me a bedtime story

Pixie Geldof, Woman Go Wild

The purpose of this blog

I write this blog to serve as a vessel of love and light. It shall remain that way regardless of who is in the White House.

Thank you, my love

Khalia

PRETA GIL - Precisando De Amor

Tania Maria Euzinha

Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever (Official Video)

SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL '66 Lapinha

João Bosco - Cobra Criada

Tania Maria- Don't Go

Tania Maria "Lemon Cuíca"

Quincy Jones You've Got It Bad Girl

I would like to say hello to the readers in Poland. There was a significant influx of readers from that nation yesterday.

Chciałbym pozdrowić czytelników w Polsce. Nastąpił znaczny napływ czytelników z tego narodu wczoraj.

Witam, pięknych ludzi! Niech jesień traktować Cię serdecznie i mam nadzieję, że nadal cieszyć moją stronę. Pocałunki i przytulenia!

The past two weeks

On two successive Mondays, I walked from the Venice Beach boardwalk to the Third Street Promenade. I don't know which experience was lovelier. Breezes on both occasions. The winds felt like cotton against my face, they were that tender. The first Monday I saw Michelle Pfeiffer in Barnes and Noble. I immediately recognized her. She had on shades and free of makeup. I said hello and she said hello back. The following Monday, I was on the walk path near Santa Monica Pier when I noticed Wanda Sykes. She, too, wore shades. A true A-lister needs to be incognito even in diversion. She said hello as well but a bit curt. I said hello gregariously but I did keep walking! I didn't know I liked her so much. Two weeks, two celebrities. Pretty sweet and that wasn't even my intention.

My Newest Lesson

This evening, I was listening to "Bronx" by Brazilian singer Tania Maria on Youtube. On the side column, there was Yutaka. I had never heard the name anywhere. So I clicked on the icon. I thought he was an indigenous man who had an underrated recording career. He's actually Japanese and combines his love for Brazilian music with his heritage. I clicked on the song "If I Only Have One Chance" However, "Love Light", his duet with Patti Austin made me a firm admirer. The songs are included in the posts below. I hope you fall in love  with them as I did. 

Yutaka- (If I Only Have) One Chance

Yutaka Yokokura - Love Light

TANIA MARIA - Bronx (1986)

Samba para Vinicius

Idris Muhammad - Piece Of Mind - 1974

From the gentlemen

“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” 
~ Oscar Wilde

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.” 
~ Walter Cronkite

“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.” 
~ Thomas Paine

“If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.” 
~ Frank Zappa

“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” 
~ Nelson Mandela

“All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.” 
~ Walter Scott

“I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.” 
~ Ray Bradbury

“Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.” 
~ Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” 
~ Jim Rohn

“Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom and go to the library and educate yourself if you've got any guts. Some of you like Pep rallies and plastic robots who tell you what to read.” 
~ Frank Zappa

“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” 
~ Confucius

Marcos Valle - "Jet Samba"

Fairy Tale Song (Cade)~ Milton Nascimento

Sinne Eeg - My One And Only Love

The Barefoot Ballroom - The Story

Lina-I'm not the enemy.

words of wisdom and wit

“It's no longer a question of staying healthy. It's a question of finding a sickness you like.” ~Jackie Mason


The truth needs so little rehearsal. ~Barbara Kingsolver

The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
~Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990

The fellow that owns his own home is always just coming out of a hardware store. ~Kin Hubbard

3rd Sunday in Charlotte

On April 29th, 2014, I arrived in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina to receive help from a personal trainer. There are plenty of personal trainers in Los Angeles. Yes, this I know because I have witnessed the fact. When I went to the trainer in Los Angeles, I didn't follow his guidelines. It seems that the change of location has inspired a new line of thinking. I am realizing that the grass truly isn't always greener. Somehow, I didn't expect the city to be so slow. (It's surprising homicide gets reported on the news. The stress factor hardly ascends here.) 

Charlotte, a verdant hollow 
Charlotte, a small town that wants to wear a big city's breeches
Charlotte, a town where many businesses are closed Sundays for the sake of Jesus

Charlotte, a charmer

Evolution?

There are so many books based on how humans respond to each other. There is constant talk of how we can make ourselves better. With all this psychology, why aren't we improving? People are still fighting battles that entered their lives years ago and have not finished resolving them. Do most of us turn away from wisdom until it becomes unbearable to ignore it? It seems to be that way. People describe rock bottom as when they must elevate from their depths and operate from a wiser mind. Yet, because there are some do not experience rock bottom, many people encounter a crossroads that forces them to choose the path they wish to walk.




Listening to : "You Only Live Once" by the Strokes, " Fell in Love with a Girl" and "Icky Thump" by the White Stripes

What I didn't know until now

Alexis McGovern
Ralkina Jones
Sandra Bland
Joyce Curnell
Raynetta Turner
Kindra Chapman

Out of these women, I had heard about Sandra Bland and Kindra Chapman. It is clear to me that in my state of constant distraction, I neglected to be aware of these tragedies. I am not saying I'll join every protest. But I have realized is that I haven't cared enough about horrors that could happen to me or someone I love. I can tell you all about books. I can tell you all about food. I can tell you all about pleasantries and things found in dreams. When it comes to tribulations, I fall silent. Now I remove the veil.

Voices from a Foreign Land

Marcos Valle- "Flamengo ate Morrer", "Estrelar"

Joao Bosco- "Cobra Criada"

Maria Bethania, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil- "Alguem Me Avisou"

Sergio Mendes- "Lapinha"

Wilson Simonal- "Nana"

Gonzaguinha- "Recado"

Back in the Saddle Again

I have returned to college. I must say, I am very grateful that I made this decision. New people and new habits are being formed in the spirit of health and benevolence. Thus far, I am managing my classes well and keeping good grades in all of them. I feel more optimistic than I have in a long time. I feel purposeful in life now. I look forward to transferring to a four-year university.