I want to wear all black and dance with my eyes closed...

Last night Cyr,two of my cousins and I went to see Depeche Mode. It rocked. I could end the post here!

I don't know if you are a fan of Depeche Mode, or even if you know who they are. But I can tell you that I was all kinds of into them, The Cure, NIN, Violent Femmes, even Pet Shop Boys, OMD, Erasure, New Order and really anything you could dance to. So going to this concert I was wondering if everyone at it would be around my age (that would be mid to late 30's) and if any young people would be there.

Let me tell you...this thing was better than the airport! There were old people in skimpy clothes, young pale thin people wearing the white t-shirt with skinny black jeans outfit, stoners, a guy with a Dungeons and Dragons shirt, preppy people, it was all over the board! Cyr and I were out there representing the "we have real jobs but are still cool without being arrogant" crowd. It's a big statement but I think we got it.

The really strange thing was being able to purchase beer legally this time. You mean we don't have to sneak hard liquor from our parents bar or go buy Boon's Farm Strawberry Hill from the seedy guy that will sell to us?! Killer! It was nice to catch a whiff of the throw backs smoking clove cigarettes and witness the interpretive dancing of the cool kids. It made me want to go to Numbers here in Houston and see if the old gang was still there. Sort of. I mean, I kind of like my memories the way they are. I think I might be disappointed to see if everyone turned out to be consultants who cover up their tattoos and drive sensible cars. I like to think that many of those people actually did end up in music or dance or film (maybe they changed their names so I don't recognize them) or something like that.

I used to go dancing 3 nights a week when I wasn't in trouble with grades or for doing something stupid. Most of the time we didn't even drink, we just loved the music. We didn't have cell phones, we never called to see where someone was or who would be there. We just showed up and hung out with whoever walked in. Heck, we didn't even know how to get in touch with most of the people we knew from the club. We came home late, smelly with sweat and a film of cigarette smoke so thick it would discolor your bedsheets if you didn't shower before sleeping.

Looking back it was a great time. I don't want to go back though, I like my memories the way they are. I have a lot of good ones and enough bad ones to make me cringe every now and then so that I don't forget to try not to repeat stupid mistakes. It was nice to hear the music and walk (or dance) down memory lane. It was even nicer to dance back into reality and sleep with my husband in our home that we now have together.

Ewe...that was a little sappy. Sorry about that. Don't worry, something funny will happen soon that I can write about. I'm sure of it.

Ode to French Music and TV

I have posted once before here about French TV. If you check out that post you will even get to see The Dukes of Hazzard theme song being sung in French. Really...it's a must see. I'll be here when you get back, go ahead, click and listen.

So, if you are thinking "I would love a little more French singing" then you have come to the right blog my friends!! Here we have the theme song to Dallas. Now you might being saying to yourself "but there are no words to the Dallas theme song Susan!" Oh contraire mon frere. (Or soeur.) I really like this clip because it has some dialog in French with subtitles in Flemish. I think it's Flemish. My favorite part; "DAA-las!!"



Awesome. Right?

So here is a Name that Tune for you. I have found that I am a complete dork like 70s French music. Specifically Claude Francois. :-) He is a French singer who I think Cyr showed me because he thought he was funny. Turns out I totally dig this guy. I have a 3 CD set that I luuuuuuv. I think Cyr might regret introducing me to Claude. He does a lot of songs you might know in English. Such as "Mandy", remember Barry Manilow? Claude actually was the first to do "My Way". I love that song in Spanish, and it's not bad in French either. So anyone out there recognize this gem?
The French title is "Dimanche Apres-midi" translated it means "Sunday Afternoon".

I'll leave you with that bit o'trivia. I'm going to listen to Claude.

Destress with Mika

So after a week of trying to learn 5 tenses, pronouns and negation in 5 days of French class, I needed a break. On Saturday Cyr and I went to a music festival in Arras. It was so fun! It was held in their Grand Place. The whole square was blocked off and you had to show your ticket to get in. I read in the paper today that 22,000 people were there! It was amazing...the buildings, the music, all the people, even the weather. Here is a shot of Cyr and I during one of the breaks.

Check out the buildings in the back, doesn't it look fake it's so pretty? Here is one during the same break at what was behind us.
It was just so, so...European! Cobble stone and buildings surrounding us that were probably over 200 years old. The music was great too. The Kooks, The Hoosiers, BB Brune, a band I can't remember the name of and Mika all played. I know a lot of you out there probably think Mika is a dork, but it was SO MUCH FUN. I mean this guy had all 22,000 people in the square dancing and singing and having a damn good time! He also spoke what I thought was perfect French between songs. What a cool dude...he even sang one of his songs and changed a verse to a French version. He went on at 9:45 as the headliner, here is a pic:

So yeah, he's a bit bubbly, but it was a blast. My friend O was there with a group, but I was able to see here and at least say hello. How cool eh? I knew someone there, I had a friend. Damn, life is good! The other bands were really good too, it was weird though, they were all cool and hip, then Mika comes out and performs on what looks to be a stolen set from Willy Wonka. I mean, there was giant candy on the stage people. It was hilarious. I didn't stress out about not knowing the Future Simple or L'imparfait tenses in French once the entire night. So I think I would like to end this post with a little Mika video for your enjoyment. Wait for the music, it comes in after a bit..I'm going to go study now.