Let The Music Play

Turkish Delight, On A Moonlit Night

I am currently in a delightful chapter in my life in which my children are grown and my husband and I are healthy and mobile, and so we have big plans to do a lot of travelling. It’s a big world out there and I want to see as much as I can for as long as I can; no one knows what the future will bring, and so I want to experience as much of other countries and cultures as I can.

Recently we have been talking about Türkiye, which I briefly visited as a teen on a school trip, and would love to see a lot more of. Unfortunately, the planning for this trip may be the undoing of my sanity. Every time I hear, see, or even think of the word “Istanbul,” I immediately follow it up in my head with was Constantinople, now it’s Istanbul not Constantinople, been a long time gone, Constantinople. And that’s the best case scenario; frequently I will go through the entire song in my head before I can rest. Why did Constantinople get the works? That’s nobody’s business but the Turrrrrkkkkksss. Istanbullll.

I don’t know what percentage of my brain is dedicated to song lyrics and other quotations, but it’s significant. I wonder what incredible things I could accomplish, were I able to clear my mind of Getting Jiggy With It, a song that went through my head incessantly when I was writing my very last exam in grad school. I got an A in that exam, so I guess it all worked out, but I’m not sure I’ve ever really recovered from scribbling down equations to the mental chorus of no love for the haters the haters mad cuz I got floor seats at the Lakers see me on the fifty yard line with the Raiders.

Speaking of which, one only need say to me here’s the situation before I mentally reply my parents went away on a week’s vacation.

Does everyone’s mind work this way, or is it just me? One of my favourite scents from Bath and Body Works is Butterfly, and every time, every single time I select that body lotion post-shower, I hum to myself See the dog and butterfly, up in the air he likes to fly.

Seriously, if I could rid my mind of song lyrics, random quotations from movies, Seinfeld, and the Simpsons, along with toxic diet culture, I would be a fresh book waiting to be filled. Staring at the blank page before you…

It’s Not Easy Being Green

We’ve had quite a bit of rain lately, which means that everything is greening up. It’s also likely the reason Kermit was hanging out on my door last week. In any case, it’s officially Garden Season, so prepare yourselves for an onslaught of Garden Updates for the next six months or so. I planted my first rows of kale and spinach on the weekend, the berry patch is all budding, and my husband and I went to the plant nursery. It is way, way too early to plant tender veggies like tomatoes and peppers, and yet I came home with exactly that.

I’ll be bringing these in every night for the next month.
Housewarming gift from the incomparable Suzanne, (HI SUZANNE), relevant to my interests.

Oh, and on the topic of green things, I have an update to my avocado woes. I bought a bag of avocados at Superstore, and, like a person completely beaten down by life, expected nothing out of them. Why did I buy them then? I don’t know. Maybe there was a shred of hope left in my soul. But then when I cut them open, every last one was perfect. It was enough to restore my faith in the world.

Ladies, Leave Those Umbrellas At Home!

My dear friend Sandi (HI SANDI) invited me along with her sister to a paint night this week, and as usual, it was so much fun. I did have doubts about my own skills, however, when I saw the sample painting. My initial thought was no way, this is going to be a mess, but you know what, it turned out pretty well!

I will say that the teacher, as well as anyone else who walked behind me and observed my painting, said repeatedly oh, that’s so interesting, what you’re doing with the skirt. To pull a quote from one of my favourite Seinfeld episodes, WHAT? I HAD A DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION! And if you can name that deep cut episode off the top of your head, let me know and I will send you a prize. What will the prize be? I have no idea.

It reminded me of my probably long-deceased childhood piano teacher, Mrs. Rechel. Along with exam pieces for the Royal Conservatory, I was encouraged to choose some “modern” pieces to play for fun. Frequently I would be playing these pieces of choice for her, and her mouth would just be a thin line. Oh, that’s very interesting, she would say, or, in some cases, Hmm. It’s certainly different.

Hot Carl In The City

Speaking of things that are different, I was reminded this week of the day back in 2012, when a car parked in my neighbourhood had a license plate HOT CARL. I remember wondering about the owner of this car, if his name was Carl and he had very high self-esteem, and then someone pointed out to me that a Hot Carl is a sex act that involves feces. To this day I think about this. Was the car owner really into Hot Carls? Or was he just a guy named Carl who thought he was all that and a bag of chips? Or – and here’s another deep cut – was he a fan of The Simpsons? This mystery is one for the ages. It will never be solved. Unless, of course, he (I assume that this person is a he) reads this and chimes in. Carl, are you there?

I came across this thought circuitously, because Jenny (HI JENNY) had posted an interesting photo of a car, a Range Rover no less, that proclaimed across its rear window Make Money Not Friends. You know what, I admire that kind of honesty. I would rather see that then some asshole who is cutting people off and behaving badly with a bumper sticker saying Choose Kindness. At least with the Range Rover, you know where you stand, and you would also expect to be cut off in traffic. Although I guess it’s not comparable after all, since we don’t know where we stand with Hot Carl.

Speaking of traffic, on my walk the other day I saw a man on a motorcycle wearing a mascot head in the shape of the Easter bunny. I wish I had the wherewithal to take a photo but to be honest, I was too stunned. I hope he had a helmet on underneath.

Mom? Mom? Was that a giant rabbit?

Weekly Reading

Girl, Woman, Other. This book blew me away; it is a work of art. I love women’s stories and I love short stories, and this really delivered. Each of twelve chapters is the life story of a different woman, and all of those short stories are interconnected in some way. The women are Black and British, and all their stories are unique and yet universal. It’s incredible to me how a good short story writer can convey so much with such an economical use of words. The writing style of this book is powerful and moving and adds to the emotionality of the experience. Loved it!

Tiger Eyes. My reread of Judy Blume continues with this, which was absolutely not a favourite of mine as a youth, but it’s a really fascinating read as an adult in 2025. The premise is very sad; a teen girl’s father is shot to death in his corner store, and her family transplants to New Mexico to be with relatives during the aftermath. The town in New Mexico is Los Alamos which is famous for being the place in which the atomic bomb was developed, and which itself was populated by physicists who research that and other weaponry. It’s a wild setting for a YA story, particularly one that was published in 1981 during the Cold War. This completely went over my head when I read it around age 11, as did the themes of grief, loss, and depression. Blume is such a master of weaving such heavy topics with those of sex, alcohol use, and family troubles, topics of deep interest to young readers. It was great on the reread, and there is quite a bit about Oppenheimer and American foreign policy, as well as changing ideas about Native Americans. There is still a bit of dated language which is unsavoury for the current climate, but it would have been still ahead of its time.

Bite By Bite. My friend Laura (HI LAURA) has never steered me wrong yet. She said this was her favourite food memoir, and the words “food” and “memoir” perked up my ears. Wow, was this a joy to read. Every chapter focuses on a different food – the majority are fruits, many exotic fruits, but she also waxes poetic about foods as varied as black pepper, gyro, waffles, shave ice, and lumpia. This book focuses on the joy of eating and how foods build community and celebration, and it is truly a delight. Talk about leaving toxic diet culture behind – this just made me want to celebrate the many delicious flavours in this world. Now, did an essay about pawpaw – a fruit I have never seen, let alone tried – bring me to tears? It sure did.

On the topic of joy and food: the grapes have all been pruned and tied and are ready for spring. Please enjoy Rex enjoying the prunings! Happy April, friends. xo

Comments

  1. jennystancampiano says

    I definitely do that with songs, but maaaaybe not to the same extent that you do. But look at it this way- some people have negative thoughts on repeat through their brain, you have song lyrics.
    Ha ha, Rex. Let’s hope that the guy with the rabbit head is making some kind of a statement, or getting ready for Easter, by riding through the town like that all month. Next time you could get a photo!
    I’m wondering why I never read Tiger Eyes! I LOVED Judy Blume. Maybe I was just slightly too old- in 1981 I was a sophomore in high school. I can picture myself thinking I had outgrown her books. But I think I want to read it now!
    I mentioned this in my blog comment section, but I thought there was some sort of screening to make sure people don’t get anything inappropriate on their license plates. Did “Hot Carl” just slip by? I want to know all about this “Carl!”

  2. I was laughing at every line of song lyrics, Nicole! “The blank page before you… ” Did you ever see that random movie I mentioned to you a while ago?

    I’m happy to hear your avocado luck has turned and delighted to learn that you liked _Girl, Woman, Other_ I loved it too. Someone (Engie?) Mentioned not liking it recently, and that surprised me.

    I love Judy Blume and Aimee N’s poetry (although I’ve never read this memoir or figured out how to pronounce her last name).

    I’m so excited for your Turkey trip! (Remember when my mom wanted to just pick up and go the next week? lol)

  3. “Make Money Not Friends. You know what, I admire that kind of honesty. I would rather see that then some asshole who is cutting people off and behaving badly with a bumper sticker saying Choose Kindness. At least with the Range Rover, you know where you stand, and you would also expect to be cut off in traffic.”
    I’m not sure why but I cannot stop laughing about this.
    Wait, WHO WANTS POOP INVOLVED IN THEIR SEX LIVES? The world never ceases to amaze me. I’m going to guess it is never a woman who has had children and changed 100s of poop-filled diapers.
    Yay for travel. We got home three weeks ago and I cannot stop thinking about going away again! I will live vicariously through you <3

  4. You always make me laugh, thank you. And I admire your retention of song lyrics. I’m pretty sure most of the lines I remember are not in fact the right words.

  5. I’d assume in the case of the Range Rover that the person driving the car and the person who affixed the sticker are not the same person. Perhaps a long-suffering spouse?

    We can get paw paws at the farmers’ market in late summer/early fall.

    Henceforth, may all your avocados be ripe.

  6. Nicole, I love your painting so much! Her skirt is gorgeous! It’s so wonderful that you can enjoy painting with your friends – another case of art bringing people together and putting joy into the world. Uhhhh, I could’ve happily lived out the rest of my life not knowing what a Hot Carl was. OMG. The thought of someone having it on their license plate really baffles me!
    I’m looking forward to all of your gardening posts!

  7. Oh wow. Hot Carl. Now that is a CHOICE. What in the world. There are some real crazies out there, but at least they are out in the open with their craziness?

    We read Girl Woman Other for book club but I didn’t love it as much. My memory of it is vague as it was several years ago but I want to say there was something w/ the writing structure, like maybe she did not use punctuation or something like that? Some in our group really liked it, though, and it made for a good discussion.

  8. Birchwood Pie says

    At my last job we had an employee whose last name was Constantinople, and I heard that song in my head every time I saw his name. Thankfully I do not know the lyrics so it never stayed with me for very long. The other song incident of that job was someone named Santa. We worked exclusively by email, but every time his name came up, I heard the song “Santa Baby, hurry down the chimney tonight” in my head. Hey he was very helpful and working with his was like getting a gift!

    I will abstain from ID’ing “I had a different interpretation” since I have an unfair advantage. We’re in season 8 now.

    I’ve never heard the phrase Hot Carl before but if I ever do, I’ll know what it is. Learn new things every day, that’s my motto.

  9. So glad you enjoyed Bite by Bite. It’s a book I’ll read again & again. It’s so comforting. Did you know my husband has a PhD in nuclear physics and went to Los Alamos a few times? There was brief talk of a job there at one point, early in our marriage. In the news last week there’s talk that they are going to turn the area into a place for AI companies now. Out of the frying pan, into the fire I think.

  10. I too would not be able to hear the word Istanbul without singing the song.

    Worse, I have a husband who apparently LOVES to be tormented by such involuntary association, and to torment others—so for example if I am telling him a story that involves any word that gives him this sort of association, he will BURST OUT WITH IT. A brief conversation intended only to remind him of an appointment with the tax preparer can result in three or four song/reference interruptions.

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