Today, I am feeling a bit restless. It was a busy day yesterday: I taught seven classes, one more than my usual Saturday schedule, which isn't bad - I've done it before - but the way it was scheduled stunk. I had to teach three classes in a row, then had an hour break, then taught four in a row. I also forgot to give a student a test between classes, so he was a bit disappointed and I was a bit disappointed in myself and grouchy and tired.
So today, I've done nothing of great import. I did do some cleaning of my apartment and organizing of papers and stuff. Then I biked down to the gas station to get some kerosene for my heater. I also tried making a Japanese style omlette. I am happy to say that in spite of not having dashi sauce (nor knowing really how to find it at the grocery store), it still came out good. The omlettes here in japan are a strange mix of the salty and the sweet. I my recipe, you mix the eggs with some sugar, soy sauce, salt, and mirin (a sweet, almost syrup-like rice wine for cooking). The omlette is cooked and rolled. My cookbook suggested eating it with grated daikon radish and a little soy, but I just had the soy. It tasted pretty good - it's definitely not a breakfast omlette - I like it as a snack.
Anyway, I have no idea what the point of this blog entry is. I'd wanted it to create some impression of what I was feeling (which is neither good nor bad, just middling), but instead, all I've done is given you a rather boring account of a boring day here. But all of this was leading up to the fact that I wanted to share this video I found on YouTube of the Boswell Sisters singing "Heebie Jeebies" - a song I first heard Louis Armstrong sing. The Armstrong version is supposedly the reason we have scat singing in jazz today - apparantly they were recording this song and he forgot the lyrics, but they had to keep going recording the cylander, so he just made up sounds and nonsense words to fill in for the lyrics. I'd never heard the Boswell Sisters nor their version of the song until yesterday when I came across the video. It's pretty cool for the 1930s and is an amazingly clear video. Connee Boswell, the lead singer, was a hero of Ella Fitzgerald's when she was first starting out. Ella tried to pattern her voice after this New Orleans songstress. Anyway, enough of my weird, disjointed ramblings. I hope you enjoy the video - I particularly like the way they sway to the music and bob their heads:
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6 comments:
I think you've created a good impression of how you're feeling. I hate when I feel like that--when nothing is calming. I get like that when I am really busy and when I SHOULD be really busy. ... like right now because I've put so much off during break and now I've decided to watch a movie instead of work and keep saying I'll do everything tomorrow.
...I'll tell you this. I have a LOT of stuff to do tomorrow.
Quick note - Panko says that she would be honored if you linked to her blog!
Hey, a boring day in Japan is more interesting than a boring day in Canada.
Glad to hear you had a good holiday, by the way! I am so incredibly impressed with Tomoko's osechi. (And even more impressed now that I just googled it and got a glimpse of what's involved.) Someday I will learn to make food look that good...
Michele is making fun of me because I keep watching that video. I think it's really cool. Here's the weird thing, though: If scat is so improvisational, these women either circumvented the improv and rehearsed, or they have some sort of psychic connection a la Dionne Warwick and . . . what is she connected to, again? Anyway. Me likey song.
Yeah, Jason, I can't stop watching it either - it's just so charming and the harmony is really tight. And yes, I am a newbie to the Jordan books, so we'll have to discuss it when I finish it.
Wow-a they sound lot more soulful than they look!
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