Saw a fabulous exhibition by Todd White in Birmingham Mailbox yesterday... Never heard of him before but his PR guy assures me he is WELL famous! Lol
Turns out Todd was chief artist on Spongebob Squarepants! OMG! respect! and now he's Hollywood's favourite artist... well this ex is on until September at Three White Walls Gallery and he's flying in from LA to make a special appearance at the gallery in September too, can't be bad!
Wish I could move a brush like that across canvas... *sigh*
i have long come to the conclusion that if you watch out for it the joy of random can truly enhance your life experience... you just gotta know when to grab it!
today on the high street in Kings Heath i was popping to the bank and post office boring stuff.. then at the lights i saw a man wearing a bright yellow Hull City teeshirt, i smiled to myself as i know 2 very ardent HCFC supporters and i thought how unusual...
then i notice he was reading a book about an Italian singer/songwriter called Carmen Consoli
now when my mum lived in Rome in the late 90s and i visited as much as was practical i heard Carmen on MTV and bought a couple of her albums, she is in essence a guitar chick in Italian, sure i can't understand everything she sings but it sounds good anyway! lol
but a random guy in a Hull City top reading about her - in Italian i might add - curiosity just got the better of me!
"sorry, are you reading about Carmen Consoli?" he looks up from his book surprised by my outburst.. "it's just i own a couple of her albums and obviously she's only known in Italy.. so how come you know about her?"
turns out he also had lived in Italy, was studying for a MA in Italian Studies and Carmen Consoli was featuring in his dissertation! we walked and talked for a little while he explained all this and how she had an album out just last year and he travelled to Milan to see her live.. we then arrived at a grocers where i needed to get some broccoli.. he also needed the grocers so i asked his name (Noel) and said 'piacere, ciao'
such a wonderful random moment in life, no more no less... and reminded me about Carmen Consoli - hope you like!
So I been to Paris! For the first time ever! And I can't believe I've never been before!!! Argh!
Loved it so much! And all those French movies I've watched too, how could I not have hopped over the Channel to visit our nearest chic European city?!
The people were tres fabulous, the weather was scorchio and the sights were leg killing! Lol
Okay the checklist:
Saturday we* went up to Montmatre and walked up the massive incline to Basilique Sacre Coeur... listened to a string quartet busking up there, checked the view of the Parisian skyline.. went for dinner at Le Moulin de la Galette (complete with original windmill) and enjoyed a glass of vin rouge (say hello to my new friend Olivier the waiter if you get there!).. enjoyed some pastis at a bar before heading back to our apartment on Rue Saint Maur..
Sunday croissants and fresh baguette for breakfast! Then it was Louvre o'clock and a bit of face time with Mona, Venus et al (plus lots of getting lost - that place is seriously huge!)... Sunday night after a siesta and some gorgeous camembert and tomato homemade baguettes we headed for Lady Eiffel via the Arc Du Triomphe, me legs nearly dropped off from all the stairs but the view was fabulous and worth every step! lol We got a taxi home and met a nice man from Guinea who had been in Paris for 10yrs and loving it..
Monday we spent a few hours roaming the exhibits at the Pompidou Centre, my little mind was blown by seeing Dali/ Matisse/ Picasso up close and personal (which is more than you can say for Mona in her glass cabinet 6ft away!) then in the evening went to the Latin Qtr and ate at Le Jardin D'Ivy because it was recommended to me by my friend Belle.. very cool!
Tuesday me and the papa went shopping.. Dad really needed to see the brand new Apple Store on Rue Halevy - a converted bank with the vault doorway intact! I bought a fabalas French cover for my phone... then popped over to H&M and found a little red dress which is tres Ooh La La! haha
A ruddy marvellous time was had by all! Other notables were the French radio station I found that played Franco/ English pop and had the Autoglass ad in French! Awesome! And on the way in at passport control the chappie checking my papers saw my retro 80s sunnies hanging on my teeshirt and gestured for me to put them on.. I was confused at first but then realised what he was asking and he laughed when I posed in them and said I was cool! a tres bien beinvenue indeed!
Recently at a friend's anniversary BBQ I met a couple of my their young kids aged 5 and 6 respectively... In my car I had a big bumper box of retro bubblegum... given to me by my mate CF and unlikely to get an airing until I thought of putting the two together! Turned out it was quite the though provoking combination...
Blowing bubbles with bubblegum isn't something you give much thought to as a 30-something young lady, but I realise now that at some point you had to learn to do it!
And so began a Sunday morning Bubblegum Masterclass in a kitchen in Somerset... it'd been a long while since my last bubblegum session but let me assure you it's like riding a bike hehe
The boys both chewed the pink retro gum til it was soft then tried to poke their tongue through... failing to find the strength, we resorted to a beginner's cheat... taking the softened gum out of our mouths and flattening into a mouth shaped piece, holding with fingers and sticking tongue in, then trying to position behind the teeth... then blowing without spitting the piece out again... mind blowing stuff! you take so many life skills for granted.. the playground is invaluable after all lol
after about a half hour we were beginning to get small beginner bubbles but i left them a large bag of bubblegum to practice with ;) when i visit again this summer I'm hoping to get a picture of them doing some serious bubbles!
I'm so proud to have been the one to pass on this great life skill to a couple of West Country boys haha, they'll always remember Aunty Jodester who 'talks funny' haha
I enjoy writing about the little things in life, I also like taking pictures of lovely stuff I come across like buildings and beards!
I tweet @jodiejodejodes
and I sing at soundcloud.com/shebeat
hope you enjoy my blogs...
Saw a fabulous exhibition by Todd White in Birmingham Mailbox yesterday... Never heard of him before but his PR guy assures me he is WELL famous! Lol
