Like So Many Before Me...

I may be a little late to the party here, but I just saw the J'Adore commercial with Charlize Theron - the one that was shot at Versailles. It got me thinking about a few things...

1. I love getting that "I've been there!!" feeling you get when you watch things like this - commercials or movies or TV shows that highlight a famous place you have been. It makes you feel like you are in some special exclusive club, and in a way, you are. There is also that feeling of awe you get when reflecting about how many others have been there before you; famous/rich/historical/influential and otherwise. Wandering the very same halls and rooms, feeling the grandeur, the wonder, the extravagance of it all. Exploring the very same grounds you have tread. And so many people after you will experience the very same thing. It's an inspiring feeling. If those walls could talk - the stories they could tell!

2. How expensive must it have been to rent out Versailles for that commercial? I can not even fathom it.

3. Upon first watching the video I noticed the model that played Marilyn Monroe was spot on. I mean, really, really spot on. I have never seen a Marilyn look-a-like that was closer to looking like her. It was almost alarming. I had to back up a few times just out of sheer amazement. Everything right down to her body language was just uncanny. This of course, was because it was not a model playing Marilyn Monroe. It WAS in fact Marilyn Monroe, flawlessly added into the commercial à la CGI, along with Marlene Dietrich and Grace Kelly! You gotta love technology. Amazing.

4. I have decided I am ready to go back to France again! ;)

Naturally I have to add a picture of myself in the very place the J'Adore commercial was filmed.

Versailles. There I am. Standing there in the Hall of Mirrors - like so many before me. Not quite ready to strut down the runway for Dior...but, I am there. An experience I will not soon forget, that's for sure.

Back From Europe - Quick Update

It comes and goes so fast. One minute you are thinking how your trip seems so very far away, and the next minute, you are back from all your travels, and back into the swing of  your every day life - it is crazy.

This is just a quick update about my musical choices on this trip. Boy did I pick some good ones, and I love that I will forever link them to this past trip.

Bass Communion - "Atmospherics" This album is a compilation of short pieces from other Bass Communion albums. It was perfect to listen to while gazing out of the window at the clouds on the long flights to and from Europe.

Kate Bush - "Aerial" What a work of art. This album was released in 2005, and is one of the newest albums from KB. It is gorgeous. So many different elements, styles, incorporation. The first disc (or fist half) is named "A Sea of Honey"  and has some truly beautiful songs. I also found it fitting that there is a song about Joan of Arc - "Joanni" - as she played a big part in the history of France. One of my favorite KB songs is also on this half of the album - "How to be Invisible".
The second half is named "A Sky of Honey" and is supposed to take place on a single summer day. There is the use of birds singing throughout this half, and KB at one point mimics the bird song, and it is very interesting. I  really enjoyed it. It is so fun to get acquainted with new albums of artists that you already love - especially when the albums are as amazing as this.

TOOL "Salival" - This one is not new to me. But I need TOOL to be in my soundtrack anywhere I am. And really, their "No Quarter" cover is just superb. I could and have listened to that song over and over.

The Beach Boys - "Pet Sounds" - Another album that I have always loved. It is like bringing an old friend with you. It is familiar and comfortable, yet never loses it's touch. Never gets old. "Caroline, No" will always bring a tear to my eyes, no matter how many times I hear it. "Wouldn't it be Nice" will always make me smile. I will always relate to "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" - the whole album is just timeless. Genius.

Porcupine Tree - "The Sky Moves Sideways" - I just love Porcupine Tree. They have so many albums that span so many different styles of music that it is hard to choose which album to give attention to. I had listened to The Sky Moves Sideways before, I knew I loved it - but I had time to really introduce myself to it and get to know it on this trip. On nights where I was still adjusting to the time change, I lay in my bed just immersed in this album. "Stars Die" of course, is just amazing, and I couldn't help but play it a few times in a row. I had a mix of all the different versions of this album which included different versions of "Moonloop" etc. Also, the "Moonloop" improv - very good stuff to listen to when you have nothing but time and can really dedicate yourself to the listening experience.

So, those were my main albums on the trip. Sprinkled here and there with some  Beatles "Let it Be", "Dark Side of the Moon" and some solo Steven Wilson (Both "Insurgentes" and "Grace for Drowning") I made some great musical memories, and also discovered some really amazing new albums. These things are just as important to me on a trip as the actual places I visit - so it really made it that much better.

SW Knows A Thing Or Two About Music.

Interview With Steven Wilson by PopMatters

Just came across this interview with Steven Wilson on the web. This man seriously knows what he is talking about in all areas of music. Below is a small portion of the interview.
I had a hard time picking what I wanted to paste into this blog - but this particular response really resonated with me...


"You’ve declared your love for pop music such as Donna Summer or ABBA. What do you make of the contemporary pop music landscape dominated by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry?
Pretty depressing, because it’s all generic. You can buy boxes that can make you sound like you sing in tune, even if you can’t. You can buy boxes that, at the push of a button, can give you the drum sound from a record that you like or a particular keyboard. It’s too easy, now, to sound like other people.

The epitome of that is American Idol where everyone appears to want to sound like Mariah Carey or Kelly Clarkson. That kind of style of singing has become a blueprint and so many people try to emulate that. You ask yourself how well someone like Tom Waits or Neil Young or Nick Drake would do if they went on American Idol. They would be laughed out of the audition. So we have a generation of artists coming through now believing that they should aspire to being generic. What I loved about pop music of the past—particularly artists like ABBA or The Carpenters—was that they were so unbelievably distinctive. I’m thinking back to an era where Marvin Gaye sounded nothing like Stevie Wonder, nothing like Aretha Franklin, nothing like Otis Redding. Now, even the white singers want to sound like that generic black R&B Soul voice. It’s boring."

AMEN.

Fighting the Dreaded Airplane/Travel Cold

As my trip draws ever closer, I have begun to arm myself against an old foe - the airplane germ. It is almost a given that if I am going to be on a plane, I am going to catch a cold. Well, at least it used to be a given. The past few years have been cold-free...::knocks on wood:: However, the past few years have not included a plane trip that was longer than 3 or 4 hours. This trip, I am determined to kick both airplane and travel germs asses like a ninja with my super immune system tactics.

Getting sick while traveling has got to be the WORST. I have told my sad story before, with the world's tiniest violin player sitting on my shoulder, playing as I typed out my woes...the story of how sick I was on my last full day in Rome back in 2002. How I forced myself to tour most of Rome in the morning, but just could not continue any longer by mid day. How I spent the rest of the day miserable and uncomfortable under the covers in my hotel room. No relief. No medicine. No Tylenol. No Tussin'. Not even a cough drop to soothe my fiery, swollen, sore throat from hell. I was shit out of luck because it was Easter Monday, and apparently on Easter Monday there are approximately zero stores open in Rome and the surrounding areas. (My Dad says that there should have been at least one pharmacy open...but such was my luck that day...)

But the story gets even more upsetting- The next day, even more sick than the previous day, I had to get onto a plane back to America.
FML.
It was the worst experience I have ever endured. The pressure from my sinus combined with the pressure in the airplane all but convinced me that my eyeballs were going to explode out of my head. At some point I swallowed a sip of water or something to that effect and went deaf in one ear. (which, hours and hours later whatever fluid that clogged up my ear unclogged and BURST like a gun shot going off in my eardrum...no THAT wasn't painful AT ALL) I sat in silent torture for hours on that plane. I continued to be sick and miserable for the following week before I finally got better. So the moral of this sad story - don't get sick while traveling.

The funny thing is, I have an extremely good immune system. Under normal circumstances I pretty much never get sick. I have been at my current job for about 3 years- never called out. Same with the job before that. If I do feel a little under the weather, my body usually fights it off within hours. My Dad is the same way, just  Never. Gets Sick.
It's just that the thought of how ill and miserable I was on that last day in Rome, and my not so great track record of airplane colds has, I guess, traumatized me into taking extreme precautions before any trip - especially a trip to Europe that requires long hours on planes/trains/busses and what have you.

So, starting a few days ago I began loading up on as much vitamin C as humanly possible. I am trying to consume lots of any vitamins, really. The more the better, right? I want to make my body an extremely hostile environment for any potential virus. I have also been taking allergy medicine- just in case. Lastly, I purchased a personal air purifier that does not emit ozone. Unfortunately I can not use the air purifier on the plane - which would really come in handy. But I can use it on the bus rides from country to country, and I am CONVINCED that is what caused me to get so sick all those years ago in Italy.

I am determined to conquer the wily and formidable enemy that is the airplane/travel cold. You will not get the better of me this time! ::shakes fist at sky::

The Soundtrack to a Trip

It is said that of the five senses, smell is the sense that triggers a person's memory the most. I do not believe that is true for me. For me, it is sound - music. I can tell you what year and exactly what I was doing/feeling simply from hearing a song. I can get a mental image, a clear and concise flash of the moment I was in.  As far back as my memory takes me - there is music there to trigger it.

When I am in the car, pretty much anytime I turn Sirius to "90's on 9" I have a blast. Every song that comes on evokes a different memory for me - school dances, jr high, summertime, crushes, high school, friends...it's like hopping into a time machine, I love the nostalgia.

By far the most vivid music based  memories I have are related to major trips that I have taken. My first trip to Italy and Sicily when I was 12 was dominated by Guns n' Roses. "The Spaghetti Incident" had just come out and I remember going to a record store just outside of the Trevi Fountain to purchase it. There was also Nirvana, who was in Rome promoting their last studio album "In Utero."

My next trip to Italy and Sicily when I was 14 was mostly a soundtrack of The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's to be exact. With a little Sam Black Church and Tree mixed in here and there (random, I know). There was also an Italian club mix that reminds me of hanging out with my cousins down by the beach - "The Summer is Crazy"  and the hilarious Italian rap song "Tranqi Funky."

My last trip to Italy was mostly a Tori Amos soundtrack - " To Venus and Back". Listening to any song off  that album immediately reminds me of rolling Italian country side as seen from my window on the tour bus.

Las Vegas reminds me of TOOL. Mexico reminds me of a different Tori Amos album - "From the Choirgirl Hotel." And my very first trip to Key West reminds me of Pink Floyd, especially "Us and Them."

So, as you can see, the soundtrack to a trip is very important (for me, anyway). With that in mind, I have been planning what music I want to listen to on this upcoming voyage. I know there will be various Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, since I have been infatuated with Steven Wilson and his music for a while now. I know there will be Pink Floyd, Beatles and TOOL.
I have been thinking of what other music will make the cut for this trip, but haven't completely decided on any other artists, yet.

I can't wait to add some musical memories on my fourth trip to Europe!

Update On My Camera Decision

After thinking long and hard for many days, battling back and forth with myself about which camera to buy, I finally reached a decision, pulled the trigger, and purchased a camera last night.

I decided to go with the Canon Powershot SX40 HS.
Blame the Moon. Taunting me for so long to take pictures of it, and me always trying with my measly 5X optical zoom to capture its glory in vain. I just couldn't pass up the extravagance of a 35X optical zoom (among many, many other great features on this camera). Also, I found a really good deal for the camera including accessories online. And honestly, it really isn't as big as those mammoth DSLRs...I think I just worked myself up about it, since it was definitely bigger than any little point and shoot I have owned. I can't wait to start playing around with it and figure out the best settings for when I go to Europe - which by the way, is now only a month away...ahhhhhh!!!!!!

Jeanine: 1
Moon:    0

To DSLR or Not to DSLR....

That is the question. Whether tis' wiser to purchase a less expensive mirror-less compact, or spend an outrageous fortune...

I have decided that I want to upgrade my little Canon point and shoot to something a bit nicer for my trip to Europe. My first instinct was to go for the best (entry level) DSLR on the market. But, as I researched the top cameras out there, it became apparent to me that it may be foolish to invest so much money for something that is just a casual passion. I am not looking to make a return on my camera by selling my pictures. I am really not going to be using my pictures for anything other than my own enjoyment (and the enjoyment of my family and friends, of course), and although I love the art of taking pictures and playing around with the settings and effects, it is ultimately not a serious enough hobby to warrant such a purchase. There is also the unappealing thought of lugging  a bulky piece of equipment around Europe with me. I would either be wearing this giant thing around my neck or wearing a camera bag, and I know I would always be worrying about bashing my camera into things, and that is definitely not the way I want to spend my time while hopping around Holland, Belgium, and France.

Still, the allure of a "fancy" camera nagged at me. Of course, the big draw with a DSLR is the option of changing lenses. That idea was very attractive to me, until I talked some sense into myself again. Lenses, of course, are one of the main components that make the camera high quality - and they don't come cheap. Lenses are quite often more expensive than the whole camera itself, and unless I am going to make some money on it, or at least get my money's worth out of all these expensive lenses- I really don't see the point.

So, there it is. I talked myself out of purchasing a DSLR....comforted by the fact that I could always get one if I really, really wanted one, and that by that point it would be better than what's on the market today anyway.
Fortunately for me, the more I research, the more I find that the non DSLR cameras are getting to be more and more DSLR quality every day. So, so long Canon Rebel T2i, T3i, and Nikon D5100. I will save the extra hundreds I would have spent on you for a rainy day....or spend it in Europe. ;)

Now that I have decided against a DSLR, I have narrowed my choices down to two cameras; the Canon Powershot SX40 HS, or the Sony Cybershot HX9V. I am seriously torn between these two. The Canon has a staggering 35X optical zoom, and it does allow for filters to be used with the lens. But, it is still pretty bulky and awkward...and the bulkiness was, as mentioned, one of the turn offs for me when I considered the DSLRs. I really don't want to lug the thing around - not just in Europe, but anywhere.

The Sony was brought to my attention by my brother. My brother is one of the smartest guys I know- without being biased and without exaggeration. He, like myself, wants to buy the top of the line in pretty much anything, especially anything tech related. We get this need for superiority from our mom. She always had top of the line - from gadgets, to our Ethan Allen furniture, to our cars, to clothes and so on. She had a couple of extremely expensive Konica Minolta cameras - which we still have, and are still quality, but are obviously antiquated at this point in time, not to mention huge and heavy, but I digress...My brother really knows his stuff, especially where cars (he isn't general manager of a car dealership for nothing) and cameras are concerned, so I value his advice much more than any online reviews. He had recently bought a DSLR and returned it after a little use. The size was an annoyance for him as well. He told me that he had researched and found that the Sony (Sony, by the way actually has bought out Konica Minolta) was among the best on the market - and it was small enough to fit in his pocket! The specs are very close to the Canon. They even use the same CMOS sensor. The HX9V also has a patented panorama technology that allows you to simply sweep the camera from side to side to get an amazing panoramic picture.  Also, it has a wide angle lens, like the Canon, which was a big concern for me. The only potential downfall I had with the Sony was that it didn't have as much zoom (which is clearly why it is so much more compact), it does have a really great 16X optical zoom, which is nothing to sneeze at...but obviously it is not as impressive as a 35X optical zoom. As silly as it may be, that is my hang up.
"I want to be able to take pictures of the moon!" I said, to which my brother sensibly replied;
"Jeanine, how many times are you going to take pictures of the moon and how many times are you going to take pictures of friends and family?"
Point taken.
But I never said I was always sensible and rational. I told him that there were at least 20 times in recent memory where I have wanted to take a picture of the moon! ;)

I spoke with Lenny about the choices I was trying to make, including my stubborn, ridiculous hang up on shooting the moon - and he brought up a good compromise, he suggested we get a digital telescope at some point. I promptly looked up prices and images of the moon (and planets) taken from digital telescopes and found that they were pretty friggin' amazing. However, it would not be instant gratification as we most likely wouldn't be getting this digital telescope anytime soon...so, I remain utterly confused about which camera to purchase. I will let you know which one I eventually choose. It's a fun conundrum to have though, isn't it?