So there I was at just after 7, taking my sweet time getting ready for work and wondering why it was that for the past week or so I've been going to bed at 1 or 2 every morning and still waking around 6.30, when I look out and realize that the rain isn't rain, but snow.Huzzah!Down the stairs I went as fast as my little legs would carry me. Didn't actually occur to me that, you know, this is ice you're running for. It just doesn't feel like ice when it drifts onto your face, it feels lovely and fluffy. Not to mention it tickles, all those little flakes when you've got your face upturned and your tongue stuck out to catch them. Not too cold, either, which meant the snow couldn't stick, but it definitely looked pretty for the few hours it fell.Especially when you're inside, which I now am and not feeling any worse for wear for my 4.5 hours sleep. Hey, if Robert Kennedy can do it, so can I. And if I need a little wake-up call, well, that's what the 12 noon air-raid siren is for. You know it's Wednesday in Paris when you hear that.And it's not like I was doing anything special that kept me awake until 2. No, I was watching Elvis videos on You Tube. Some I'd seen before. Some were of Elvis in the weeks leading up to his death. "Forget the weight, he still sounds great," someone had written, but oh, how I beg to differ. I had to click it off, I was crying from seeing him like that, barely able to catch his breath. Then I turned to watching some clips from Elvis, That's The Way It Is special. Which I have on DVD and which is just the best Elvis everything--sound, songs, look, jumpsuit.* In fact, it has THE jumpsuit, the one I'm going to own one day. That's right. Details? We'll deal with those later. For now, it's mine.
*Some say the '68 Comeback Special is the best, but yeah no. Excellent, certainly, but I thought for the most part he held back and relied too much on the other players. Except for when he sang If I Can Dream. Then his passion and conviction came through. (That said, my favorite, favorite, favorite song and the one I want played at my funeral, Memories, comes from the '68 Comeback Special. I rarely fail to tear up at the lyrics "Of holding hands and red bouquets, and twilight's trimmed and purple haze, and laughing eyes and simple ways, and quiet nights and gentle days, with you.") And for the Aloha from Hawaii fans, I hear ya and I still want a tattoo of him in the lei on my right shoulder blade, but man is he fucked up in that. I don't think he knows what he's singing half the time.Anyway! About a year ago, I posted what I'd learned from Elvis. And I found it happening all over again, even with footage I've watched since I was 9 and first saw this at the movies, ohmigod the excitement the rush, Elvis on the big screen!!! Here's what I learned this time around:1. Play with your talent. In one scene, he's singing all over the place, trying different things, enjoying himself. And it made me think "Wouldn't it be great to have a talent that you could use to amuse yourself without having to commit anything?" And then I realized that's what writing exercizes are for. You know, those things I normally shun because what are they contributing to the finished product? Um... let's move on, shall we? 2. Know what you want and don't stop until you get it. While he was sorting out the arrangement for Bridge Over Troubled Water, several people suggest things that he knows don't sit right and he's getting frustrated and a little pissy. Then he works out what he wants, brings everyone else in on it, and you see the moment it clicks. By the end of the session, he's up on his feet, completely into the song, and his voice soars.
3. Don't rely on others to entertain you or keep you from getting bored. You can see it sometimes, that even here in the midst of the biggest tour of his career, Elvis was looking for more. Too often he turned to those around him and ended up looking immature. How interesting it would have been to see what he did if he'd had the courage to strike out on his own, using his crew for the back-up they should have been and not the excuse to still be one of the boys.
4. Your flaw can be turned into your calling card. When Elvis first performed, he was so nervous that his legs were shaking. But the girls in the audience went wild for it, and Elvis, not being a dummy, used it for the next 20 years~including to great effect in this DVD (which is like my way of saying how delicious he was). There's got to be something in my writing that I can transform like that.
5. Even those we think have got it going on are nervous as hell about performing badly. Several times you see Elvis fretting about forgetting the words to one particular song (Mary In The Morning, which I'm happy to report he pulled off perfectly) then afterwards talking to Cary Grant and saying he was a little nervous at first, which Grant brushes off, like "Yeah, sure you were." No one knows what's really going on except you.
Kathy, this one's for you:
Angels we have seen on high. Clooney reigns over rue de Passy.
At the Trocadero roundabout. No, these cars aren't moving. There were 3 lanes of parked cars there, waiting to pick up VIPs from some event at the Palais. In the middle of the street. Only in Paris.
Who's not wearing his seatbelt?
The carousel on Bld des Ternes.
One of those grand Paris buildings.
If you could get rid of the monstrosity to the left of the church and all the cars in front, you'd almost think this was a small town outside Paris. Almost.
I love this restaurant front in Montmartre.
Faites votre choix! Starbucks does Paris. But only the names have changed--it all looks and tastes the same.
The cafés are open and ready to serve.
Love the shape of this building.
