Sunday, June 15, 2014

Summary 260




A free day.  Nothing planned, nowhere I have to go and everything to catch up on.  Yesterday, characteristically, I dove in to DustyBrine and realized as I was winding things up that we’d reached the 260 mark.  Today then, on 261 I’ll pause to summarize what’s come before.  And note that we only have a little over 100 days to go. 



Looking over the last twenty it is clear that this is the most well-traveled period since this blog began. 
May 26 & 27 in Beijing
May 28 Beijing to Shenzhen to Hong Kong
May 29 Hong Kong to Shenzhen to Beijing
May 30 Beijing
May 31 Beijing to Los Angeles.
June 1, Los Angeles to New York
June 2-4 New York
June 5 New York to San Francisco
June 6 San Francisco to Beijing
June 7 Beijing
June 8 Beijing to Shanghai
June 9 & 10 Shanghai
June 11 Shanghai to Hong Kong
June 12 Hong Kong to Guangzhou
June 13 Guangzhou to Shanghai
June 14-15 Shanghai



I am, as they say, tired just looking at it.  If I think back to the fall when I first started this effort it was all quite sedentary for a number of reasons.  Every day, working through a routine, working out of the same home office space.  It’s invigorating to hit the road hard.  You get to reconnect with all sorts of delightful people, the photos are interesting and varied.  But lo and behold, you get sick, more than once and you’re exercise routine falls off and your back hurts from sleeping in so many compromised beds and couches. 

Content wise, I notice that when I’m on the road the music I turn to seems to change as well.  Usually hard bop jazz from within a six-year period dominates.  This time I milked four artists off an Ethiopian music sampler I came across and then began digging in to a bushel full of remarkable Brazilian music that a friend had suggested I feast on.   Two of the jazz entries concerned performers I was actually able to see live which was fabulous.  I’ll have to make the effort to get out and do the same here in Shanghai, before I head back home in eleven days.   I don’t anticipate traveling till then and I am truly looking forward to settling back in up at home in dusty Beijing.

Chengyu
1. 执法犯法: zhīfǎfànfǎ: to know the law and break it (idiom); consciously going against the rules
2. 痛心疾首 tòngxīnjíshǒu:  bitter and hateful (idiom) / to grieve and lament (over sth)
3. 海纳百川: hǎinàbǎichuān: all rivers run into the sea / use different means to obtain the same result (idiom)
4. 登高望远: dēnggāowàngyuǎn:  to stand tall and see far (idiom); taking the long and broad view / acute foresight
5. 烽烟四起: fēngyānsìqǐ:  lit. fire beacons in all four directions (idiom); the confusion of war
6. 成方破浪: chéngfēngpòlàngto brave the wind and the billows (idiom); to have high ambitions
7:背信弃义: bèixìnqìyì breaking faith and abandoning right (idiom); to betray / treachery / perfidy
8. 离乡背井: líxiāngbèijǐng:  to live far from home (idiom) / away from one's native place / to leave for a foreign land
9. 战无不胜: zhànwúbùshèng:  to triumph in every battle (idiom); invincible / to succeed in every undertaking
10.  谈古论今: tángǔlùnjīn:  to talk of the past and discuss the present (idiom) / to chat freely / to discuss everything
11. 振聋发: zhènlóngfākuì:  lit. so loud that even the deaf can hear (idiom); rousing even the apathetic
12. 凭轼结辙píngshìjiézhé:  to drive non-stop as fast as one can (idiom)
13. 应有尽有: yīngyǒujìnyǒu:  everything that should be here is here (idiom); all one can think of is on hand / to have all one needs
14. 节衣缩食: jiéyīsuōshí:  to save on food and clothing (idiom); to live frugally
15. 合情合理: héqínghélǐ:  reasonable and fair (idiom)
16. 众口铄金: zhòngkǒushuòjīn:  lit. public opinion is powerful enough to melt metal (idiom) / fig. public clamor can obscure the actual truth / mass spreading of rumors can confuse right and wrong
17. 如火如荼rúhuǒrútú:  lit. white cogon flower like fire (idiom); fig. a mighty army like wildfire / daunting and vigorous (momentum) / flourishing / magnificent
18. 比翼齐飞 bǐyìqífēi:  to fly wing to wing (idiom) / two hearts beating as one / (of a couple) inseparable
19. 登高望远: dēnggāowàngyuǎn:  to stand tall and see far (idiom); taking the long and broad view / acute foresight
20. 谋财害命: móucáihàimìng: to plot and kill sb for his property (idiom); to murder for money

Music Shared
Kenny Dorham “Autumn in New York” from the 1957 album, “Round About Midnight At the Café”
Hank Jones “ If I Love Again” from the 1958 album “The Talented Touch”
Billy Taylor  “Foggy Day” from the 1954 album “Billy Taylor Trio At Town Hall”
Syd Barrett “Octopus” from the 1969 album “The Madcap Laughs”
DJ Vadim “Kill, Kill, Kill” from the 1999 album “USSR: Life From the Other Side”
David Bowie “Major Tom” from the 1969 album “Space Oddity”
Big Star “Thirteen”, released 1972
Junior Mance, “Diane” from the 1964 album “Straight Ahead”
Billy Hart, “One for Carter” from the 1997 album “Oceans of Time”
Mark Turner, “Casa Oscurra” from the 2001 album, “Dharma Days”
Bill Evans “Re: Person I Knew” from the 1971 album “The Bill Evans Album”
Getatchew Mekuria “Musicawi Silt” from the 2011 album “The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia”
Tiruedel Zenebe, “Gue” from the 2011 album, “The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia”
Andrew Hill, “Pumpkin” from the 1964 album “Black Fire”
Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou, “Homesickness” from the album “Ethiopiques Volume 21” recorded 1970
Invisible System (Dan Harper) “Ambassel” from the 2011 album “Street Clan”
Os Ipanemas “Berimbau” from the 1964 album “Os Ipanemas”
Jackson Do Pandeiro: “Casaca De Couro”, from the 1975 album “Brilhantes.”
Sandalia de Prata  from their 2006 album ” Samba Pesado”  

Media Shared 
Kingsley Amis “The Old Devils” on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Devils
Kingsley Amis “Lucky Jim”
Kingsley Amis “One Fat Englishman”
Prime Minister Abe on Japan taking greater role in regional defense in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/31/world/asia/japan-china-abe.html?hp
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” the movie directed and starring Ben Stiller
A.O. Scott review of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/movies/the-secret-life-of-walter-mitty-stars-ben-stiller.html
“Major Tom” a song by David Bowie on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Tom
Tacitus “The Annals” on Wiki:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annals_(Tacitus)
New York City Subway rolling stock on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway_rolling_stock
“The Bill Evans Album” on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill_Evans_Album
“The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia” web site: http://www.worldmusic.net/store/item/rgnet1286/
Getatchew Mekuria on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6voYRaYRf8Y
The Walias Band on Wiki:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walias_Band
The New York Times on Tiananmen tragedy leaders twenty-five years later: http://www.worldmusic.net/store/item/rgnet1286/
Tiruedel Zenebe, “Gue” on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXdLH4TGF3s .
Tiruedel Zenebe “Wane Wane” on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFAHzH5v-Is
Mao Dun “Midnight”
Andrew Hill “Black Fire” on Wiki:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Fire_(album
The Port of Shanghai on Wiki:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Shanghai 
Juneyao Airlines website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneyao_Airlines  
Article on Rumors from the Global Times: http://www.ecns.cn/2014/06-11/118521.shtml
DJ Charlie’s clip of Criolo live:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXrRJ-DZmq4
China Daily article on Japanese tailing Chinese jets: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-06/12/content_17583880.htm
“Than Annals” by Tacitus on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annals_(Tacitus)
“I Claudius” the BBC series on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Claudius_(TV_series)
Sandalia de Prata web site: http://www.sandaliadeprata.com.br/10anos/




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