Oh, I Think So

A few years ago I spent several weeks giving props to the late Jacques Brel -- to the passion, the talent, the face like a foot.  Below please find the link to a live 1966 concert at Olympia in Paris, part of a series of farewell concerts.  It ends with Ne Me Quitte Pas , Jacques all sweaty with Those Teeth and me hoping that maybe she might give him another chance. Enjoy the master singing his own tunes and a happy new year to you.

Another year has been kicked in the crotch and left in a pile by the side of the road or did another year hit me about the head and neck and leave me concussed and stupid?  Either way, I am taking the rest of 2014 off. I wish you happy holidays and a wonderful 2015.  See you on January 4, 2015!

The City of Chicago has managed to get trees donated from area residents the last few years.  (They used to lash together many smaller trees to make the bigger one and I thought that was pretty ingenious although labor intensive, i.e. expensive.)  Two or three years ago, they had a tree that was just terrible -- thin, rangy, not anything like bushy.  I thought I was alone in this estimation but I had a bus driver going east on Washington past Daley Plaza who opined, "Where did they manage to get Charlie Brown's Christmas tree?  That looks terrible."  Since then, the donated, former-front-lawn trees have been improvements and this year's looks kind of pretty.  I went to Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza this year with coworkers for a private thing (hardly a party; it was a thing) in one of the rent-a-tents.  I ate and ducked out early and took this picture of the crowd and the tree before I got on the El.  The annual Christkindlmarket in Daley...

Taking pictures of people taking pictures.  I love it so.   Just married, just finished raining.  Place des Vosges, Paris Making art inside Church of Saint-German-des-Prés Smile for your parents (might be an unintentional photobomb from me) Courtyard at the Louvre and no, he didn't fall in "We can send this to your mom saying we didn't fall in." Full figure and no, he didn't fall off A full-sized tripod:  a novel concept for me as I don't like to schlep The gentlemen below were taking pictures of each other with their own cameras.  I offered to do the deed with their cameras so they were all in each picture.  When I was done, they insisted I take their picture with my camera, too. Beaux, oui ?  Et heureuse, aussi.

The Courtyard of the Louvre, hotbed of people taking pictures of each other La Défense, the largest business district in Europe Lunchtime at La Coincidence, Rue Mesnil, near Place Victor Hugo La passage des grand cerfs:  Once you see the cat, everyone sees the cat. Galeries Lafayette:  Noel Monstre outside at night Opéra Garnier, viewed from the Metro entrance   Galeries Lafayette has just one ornament, but it's a monster View of that ornament from below, non-panorama Place de la Concorde, standing on the traffic light divider Yes, those cars were shaving my legs Air France Terminal 2E, the one that collapsed and was rebuilt -- now quite solid

Yes, I went to Paris and was gone for a whole week.  Here is what it did in Paris:  It rained.  When I went out to dinner without my camera, it would suddenly stop and all the clouds would clear from around the Eiffel Tower and I would see it in the distance, looking fabulous with the twinkling light show on the hour.  When I brought my camera hoping the rain would clear out, it wouldn't clear and would, instead, rain.  I went to the Christmas market on the Champs Elysees -- way tackier than anything you could imagine in the States -- and it seemed so clear that I decided I'd walk to the Arc de Triomphe, get some pictures, then walk to the Eiffel Tower from there.  Instead it rained with great purpose and I went soggily back to my hotel.  There were, however, pictures to be taken.  The Saturday I walked from Rue Réamur down to the BHV then all around the Marais was a few hours that even offered a little blue sky and sun.  The day before I l...

I am going off on vacation, but before I do, let me say these few things: 1.  Brian Urlacher is right:  Jay Cutler is not an elite quarterback.  (Brandon Marshall personally attacking B. Urlacher -- talking about the man's personal life -- just makes B. Marshall look like Jay's bitch.) 2.  Marc Trestman may be a good coach -- he was very successful in the Canadian Football League -- but their bottom-of-the-division standing makes me wonder what the hell is going on at Hallas Hall (besides Jay being the head QB). 3. See you in two weeks with pictures, including more pictures of people taking pictures. AFTERWORD Yesterday I followed this person on Belmont for many blocks.  Yes, that's a howling wolf in the picture window: I beg to differ.