Until Death Do Us Part

 

Well it’s Saturday, which means it’s time to loosen up a bit!! That’s what Saturday means, right?  Sadly enough, I’ll be spending it at home and in bed with a horrible sore throat… wah wah.  At any rate, Mourir Auprès de Toi (To Die By Your Side), is a collaboration between director Spike Jonze (best known for Where the Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and his many forays into music video land) and designer Olympia Le-Tan that focuses on the “star-crossed” love story of two characters from book covers in the fictional Parisian bookstore, Shakespeare and Co.

Fair warning, there’s a bit of “loosening up” happening in the video—they are only felt puppets, mind you—but it might be a bit inappropriate for some of you.  You know who you are!

Spike Jonze: Mourir Auprès de Toi on Nowness.com.

 

Artist: Danny Elfman / Album: The Corpse Bride

That’s Entertainment

 

I spent another one of my days off in Ann Arbor exploring some of my favorite haunts around State Street, beginning with seeing two movies (The Tree of Life and The Trip) at the gorgeous Michigan Theater on Liberty. 

  

 

In addition to appreciating the fact that they show independent and art films I also LOVE that they still have an operational organ that is played before each movie.  I arrived at one show just in time to catch the last vestiges of one such performance.

 

Though the news is a couple of weeks old, when I first got back the news broke that Borders Bookstore was being liquidated.  Ann Arbor is the corporate headquarters and home to store #1 so I felt it only fitting to stop by and check out the sale.  It was still in its infancy then (only up to 40% at that point [lame]) but I did make my final Borders purchase in the form of Jane Austen’s Persuasion… because I know you care and all.

  

 

Also in the nearby vicinity is one of my absolute favorite Ann Arbor spots: Encore Records.  I used to go there about once a week and troll through the immense selection of records in hopes of adding to my own.  Luck was with me this time as I found yet another Martin Katz collaboration with Frederica von Stade!!

 

All in all I’d say it was quite a perfect day by Ann Arbor entertainment standards!

 

Artist: Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz / Album: The Bandwagon

A Happy Place

 

(So I fully realize it’s been just about three weeks since I’ve updated the blog!!  My apologize to the four of you who regularly check… there’s been a lot going on since getting back to Texas and I’m actually currently writing from Bloomington, Indiana [more on that in a later post].  Just a couple of more Blue Lake posts and I should be up to date!)

In between the round of concerts at Hill Auditorium and the Blue Lake homecoming concerts I had about a week off, during which I was able to spend some free time in my former hometown of Ann Arbor.  Any trip to the city wouldn’t be complete without a jaunt to Kerrytown, and I spent the large portion of a day re-visiting this charming neighborhood.

 

Kerrytown is home to many of my favorite places in the city, ranging from Kerrytown Concert House to Hollander’s Paper Store—and let’s not forget that divine delicatessen, Zingerman’s!!  Brian, who was my “host family” for a couple of nights, and I ventured to the deli for lunch and I was not surprised in the least to see that lines were still forming around the corner despite some new construction under way.

*Sigh* … the memories (and dollars) I have spent here

 

  

L: Brian waiting patiently in line.   R: It’s the light at the end of the tunnel!!!  (except in this case it’s not so much a “light” as it is free samples of their mac 'n cheese or smoked meats from around the world)

 

My regular order: #73 Tarb’s Tenacious Tenure: “All-natural turkey breast, fresh avocado spread, Wisconsin muenster cheese, tomato & plenty of Zingerman’s Russian dressing on grilled farm bread” (Russian dressing on the side with) add Honeycup mustard, cucumber-y pickle and an iced cold brew coffee.  DE-LECKER!!!

 

Another favorite spot, and I know my mother would agree, is the Treasure Mart, an antique store just down the cobblestone street from Zingerman’s.

“Excuse me… can you ship these giant stained glass windows to Crockett, TX?”

 

Ann Arbor is also a great city for book lovers and Kerrytown is home to several really great independent book stores.

 

 

And finally, while I failed to get a final picture with Brian, I do have this one from one of our nights out in Minden that I haven’t put up yet.  Even though I knew him only peripherally last year on tour I must say I am very happy to count him among my close close friends.  I will miss you!!

EBONY AND IVORY, 2011

 

Artist: Katie Melua / Album: The House