Pink Martini

I know Pink Martini almost exactly 5 years now, since I was studying in Finland with Maria – who introduced me to this amazing band. They are an eclectic mix of musicians, with their main base in Portland, USA. Although the band is centred around the pianist (could be the lost son of Elton John) and the diva-style singer, every musician has its moment of glory and contributes to the unique sound of this band. They bring a mix of traditional folk songs from around the world, not afraid to perform songs in Italian, French and even Japanese, combined with their own jazzy songs.

So yesterday night they were here in Edinburgh, and all dressed up in true Pink Martini-style (or at least something we think that is) we (that is my new friends Audrey and Jodi from New Zealand and Australia and Patrick) went to see them performing in Usher Hall. And they rather easily lived up the (high raised) expectations… I was a bit worried, because I had almost dragged the others to the concert – none of them really knew what they were up to… but it turned out really really well… Maybe just a bit too short… and I wished Maria was here to enjoy it with me... and joris off course as well, since i hooked him up with Pink Martini as well... ah...

On The Move

The last two days we - I really should say I - have been moving offices... we are moving one floor up to our new office. Main advantages: windows! Whereas we now only have one little window, with my desk as far from the window as possible, we will have one wall of windows, with my bosses desk and mine each next to this wall... and the view...ah the view is wonderful... we will oversee the south-west-side of the city, with its beautiful Pentland Hills and can even see Murrayfield Stadium... I will try to post a picture as soon as possible! and now: back to the boxes

Corpse Bride

What a weekend… on Friday night… hmm… on Friday night I… hmm… can’t seem to remember what I did on Friday… oh yes… it all comes back to me now… falling asleep in front of the television with Amelie Poulin… nice very nice

On Saturday, after an excruciating work-out in the gym, I had some drinks at Emilie’s place and then went out with Patrick. Sunday then… aaah sometimes I really love Sundays… doing absolutely nothing… sitting/hanging/sleeping in the couch in front of the television… the only reason worth leaving the house was to go and see Corpse Bride, the new animation film from Tim Burton.

Now before I continue I must confess one thing: I have never seen “The Nightmare Before Christmass” … shame on me… I hear that it’s a classic animation film…
Anyway, lured by the prospect of seeing… euhm… hearing Johnny Depp play alongside this wonderful crew of British actors such as Emilie Watson en Helena Bonham Carter, I found myself watching this new movie.

And I really liked it. It has everything what in my eyes a good animation needs: a good story, going from a to b, a playful musical score and lots of witty humour. But (yes there it is, the “but”) the creators seem to fail in one aspect, but rather an important one. They seem to fail to create empathy. And this I think has two main reasons.

First of all I think the movie is too short… by the time you really get to know the characters and come to like them, the whole thing is over.

But more importantly the story seems not able to decide with which character to sympathize… should you feel sorry for Victor (yes, that’s Johnny Depp) who accidentally marries a dead woman? Or for Victoria (a tribute to Victor and Victoria) who looses her fiancée to a skeleton? or maybe for the Corpse Bride because she cannot seem to get the love she so longed for…? As a result you seem to watch the whole film as an neutral outsider, who can enjoy all the things he sees, but wonders why actually he is watching…

But on the whole, a very entertaining film though, maybe something to rent as a dvd and watch on a rainy Sunday…

oh bugger

aargh... am very moody and grumpy this morning... i discovered (while already being late for work) that the window of my car got smashed... again. It is (if I at least didn't lost count) the fourth time they have smashed our car window. Now our street is notoriously located on the edge of a bit a rougher area in Edinburgh... but four times… and nothing is stolen, just for the fun of smashing… at least there was a little police notice on the car that they had noticed and to call them to make a statement… just what you need on a dull Tuesday morning isn’t it…

closing time

A thing happened last Friday night and it left all of my friends here in Edinburgh a bit homeless... our favourite bar where we all met up every weekend (and during the week as well), which had the best Thai food in town (in the neighbouring restaurant section) has closed down... On friday afternoon I heard from my friend that that night would be the last one...

A great pity, because the bar was our meeting place, where, since June this year a lot of sociable events have been taken place. We got to know Matthieu and Leslie, Maite, Rory, the people from BBC Scotland, the Scotsman, the regular guests, some artists (and free tickets) during the festival period, Mam and Cheng, Thomas, Kat, Sarah, Karlos, Morgan, too many people to sum them all up.

So where do we have to meet now? Where can we find a new bar, with the same privacy we had, with the same cheap beer and the same cool people? Difficult...

dance the night away...

Katrien and Elise have left Edinburgh today... a bit of a shame that the weather just these days was so awful, because for tomorrow they say it is going to be a lovely time. Anyway, it wouldn't be Scotland if the weather was always sunny and nice...

Tomorrow night I can go to the gig from Soulwax/2ManyDJs in Edinburgh. A friend of Joris has put me on the guest list because she knows the sound engineer. It should be pretty exciting, but the only down-part is that it is not really a gig, but more like a upgraded-live-performed-dj-set and that usually means: late at night… and since I will be working on Friday and Saturday evening for Alli…

Tonight I am going to the gym again (damn I should be going more often…) and then afterwards drink away the rain at Alli’s bar…

and so this is xmass...

The big master plan 2005/2006 has unveiled itself... the time of being decisionless (as being described in a former posting called “being Edinburgh”) is finally over… at least until spring 2006.
So what is the outcome? Well, we will stay a bit longer in Edinburgh but I arranged with my employer that I don’t have to work during November. (a gap of a month between my two yearly contracts) so no pay, but no work either! That means that I can be with my family when my sister gives birth to her third child of which I will be godfather (or –mother as some dare to say)… I am very excited to go back to Belgium to meet my family and friends again.

December will then be a very short month, with only three months to go until Christmas holidays… and then the new year begins… time just flies by… Merry Xmass and a Happy New Year!

ain't no mountain high enough

Last weekend we went up again to the highlands with two visiting friends. It was already a while ago since I travelled all the way up to the Glen Coe Region in the Highlands. And although very cloudy and a bit rainy, it thought it was a beautiful day and it showed the Scottish nature in all its splendour.

Again some very eventful days are ahead of us; this morning our friends left Edinburgh, tomorrow Joris is leaving for three weeks to work in France with a theatre company and next weekend two other friends are visiting me. Then in November - assuming that Brussels HQ will give its authorisation – I will have a one month holiday (I will leave a month between my old contract and my new contract) and will head for Belgium to visit my friends and family and more importantly be present for the birth of my sisters new baby, for which I will be godfather!