_____________________________________
This is turning out to be a really harsh weekend!
It's deep winter! And it's leap year -- with one extra day yet!
It's also Lent -- and all the tedium of self sacrifice is underway.
In addition my rich employers have a horrible house guest for the weekend -- arrogant, demanding, and rude to all the housestaff. Including me, the Butler. (Well, she's from Paris, of course!)
But to top it all off, I'm in a dreadful period of sobriety right now -- in accordance with my own self-imposed punishment for the Lenten season! omg!
(And let me just tell you that sobriety is not all it's cracked up to be! There are terrible consequences and side effects -- such as facing reality head on, without any kind of buffer! Yikes!)
So this is the perfect night to listen to the absolutely saddest tune ever written -- Chopin's "Prelude in E-minor, Opus 28, Number 4". Ha!
But it's really beautiful, and soothing to the soul.
Maybe you'll listen as well. Let me know.
Here's the YouTube link.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope your weekend is going a little more smoothly than mine!
Andrew
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
"Mardi Gras" and the Truth about "Lent"!
_________________________________________
Can you believe it's this time of year again?
In January, if you recall, I recommended we not make any kind of New Year's resolutions this year, but to wait until Lent - which is a much shorter span of time! Ha!
Well, now it's here!
Today is Mardi Gras (translated from the French as "Fat Tuesday") -- the last day to party down before the beginning of Lent!
As you may or may not know, Lent is a period of fasting, penance and alms-giving to the poor, to purge the soul and start anew.
But fasting doesn't just mean food! It can be anything we like to do --alcohol, tobacco, ten hours a day on the internet -- whatever.
And thus the question in conversation during this time of year -- "What did you give up for Lent?"
Ending with Easter Sunday, Lent is supposed to be forty days, right? Corresponding to the Christ's forty-days of fasting in the desert.
But now here's the fun part!
For some reason, Lent is always forty-six days, isn't it?
What?
Why?
Well, the HUGE dilemma is that in the Catholic religion, Sundays are always and always days of feast! No matter what!
And we cannot both fast and feast on the same days, can we? lol!
So the Vatican accommodated this clumsy mess simply by extending Lent to forty-six day -- skipping all the Sundays!
And therefore, THE TRUTH ABOUT LENT is that it's only SIX days a week! And on the seventh day, you can party down and get back to business!
(Dear God! If anyone in the Vatican reads this, I'm totally sure I'm going to hell! But I didn't make up the rules! You Cardinals and Bishops did that a long time ago! And I'd really like to say THANK YOU for the day off!)
Happy Mardi Gras! And good luck to all of us during Lent!
Good night!
Andrew
(who's going straight to hell!)
Can you believe it's this time of year again?
In January, if you recall, I recommended we not make any kind of New Year's resolutions this year, but to wait until Lent - which is a much shorter span of time! Ha!
Well, now it's here!
Today is Mardi Gras (translated from the French as "Fat Tuesday") -- the last day to party down before the beginning of Lent!
As you may or may not know, Lent is a period of fasting, penance and alms-giving to the poor, to purge the soul and start anew.
But fasting doesn't just mean food! It can be anything we like to do --alcohol, tobacco, ten hours a day on the internet -- whatever.
And thus the question in conversation during this time of year -- "What did you give up for Lent?"
Ending with Easter Sunday, Lent is supposed to be forty days, right? Corresponding to the Christ's forty-days of fasting in the desert.
But now here's the fun part!
For some reason, Lent is always forty-six days, isn't it?
What?
Why?
Well, the HUGE dilemma is that in the Catholic religion, Sundays are always and always days of feast! No matter what!
And we cannot both fast and feast on the same days, can we? lol!
So the Vatican accommodated this clumsy mess simply by extending Lent to forty-six day -- skipping all the Sundays!
And therefore, THE TRUTH ABOUT LENT is that it's only SIX days a week! And on the seventh day, you can party down and get back to business!
(Dear God! If anyone in the Vatican reads this, I'm totally sure I'm going to hell! But I didn't make up the rules! You Cardinals and Bishops did that a long time ago! And I'd really like to say THANK YOU for the day off!)
Happy Mardi Gras! And good luck to all of us during Lent!
Good night!
Andrew
(who's going straight to hell!)
Friday, February 17, 2012
Fashion Week in Milan!
______________________________________
I have some excellent news!
Remember when I told you I taught Ester (the new Upstairs Maid) how to dust very carefully around the Missus' computer and printer every day, and to check for paper jams? Ha!
Well, today she came downstairs with a big smile on her face! Seems she saw a confirmation print-out for commercial airline tickets -- and apparently the Lady of the House will be going to the apartment in Milan from February 21 through the 29th! Yes!
These dates just happen to correspond to 'Fashion Week' in Milan (February 22- the 28th this year),which she always loves to attend.
It's winter in North America, and just off hand we'd think she was going to see the Spring and Summer shows, right? But season-wise, for fashion, it's just the opposite.
What she'll be viewing are the new Autumn and Winter fashions for 2012! (The Spring and Summer shows were held in September and October. 2011.)
These half-year gaps in the fashion world gives everyone time to get ready for the next season, six months down the road -- the Press, the Buyers, the Manufacturers and the Retailers.
There are fashion shows all over the world nowadays. Singapore, Miami (swim wear), Tokyo, you name it. But there are still the "big four" Fashion Capitals of the World: New York, London, Milan and Paris!
And the week-long shows in each of these cities begin in New York first, then move on to London, then to Milan, and finally finish up in Paris. (Some people, especially the Press, spend this entire period going from city to city, following each and every show and all the designers lined up in each place!)
But the Missus usually just goes to the shows in Milan. Although occasionally she'll attend some of the Haute Couture shows at the end, in Paris. (And there are dozens of Haute Couture in her closets upstairs!)
High Fashion vs. Haute Couture:
If you buy a gorgeous off-the-rack, ready-to-wear cocktail dress at Neiman Marcus for $4,000 or $5,000, then have it altered for a perfect fit -- this is generally referred to as 'High Fashion'.
But if you hire a renowned, top designer to make something especially for you (that no one else can get their hands on), and cut to your own measurements, this is referred to as 'Haute Couture' -- or more affectionately as just 'Couture'.
And you'll be paying anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 for this garment, depending upon the designer! (Apparently Madonna wore 'Couture' for her dazzling half-time performance at Super Bowl 2012 -- but I've not yet heard the price tag.)
Although 'Haute Couture' is a legally-protected term by France, the two terms 'High Fashion' and 'Couture' are often loosely interchanged.
So if you want to refer to that cheap $5,000 cocktail dress you just bought at Neiman's as 'Couture' -- it'll be ok. Ha! (After all, you did pay $600 to your tailor for alterations, right?)
If you'd like to keep up with the four major shows and what designers will be displaying their wares, you could hit this link to Vogue, and just click on "Shows".
Hope this was fun to read! It sure was fun to write! Ha!
Thanks for stopping by tonight!
Andrew
I have some excellent news!
Remember when I told you I taught Ester (the new Upstairs Maid) how to dust very carefully around the Missus' computer and printer every day, and to check for paper jams? Ha!
Well, today she came downstairs with a big smile on her face! Seems she saw a confirmation print-out for commercial airline tickets -- and apparently the Lady of the House will be going to the apartment in Milan from February 21 through the 29th! Yes!
These dates just happen to correspond to 'Fashion Week' in Milan (February 22- the 28th this year),which she always loves to attend.
It's winter in North America, and just off hand we'd think she was going to see the Spring and Summer shows, right? But season-wise, for fashion, it's just the opposite.
What she'll be viewing are the new Autumn and Winter fashions for 2012! (The Spring and Summer shows were held in September and October. 2011.)
These half-year gaps in the fashion world gives everyone time to get ready for the next season, six months down the road -- the Press, the Buyers, the Manufacturers and the Retailers.
There are fashion shows all over the world nowadays. Singapore, Miami (swim wear), Tokyo, you name it. But there are still the "big four" Fashion Capitals of the World: New York, London, Milan and Paris!
And the week-long shows in each of these cities begin in New York first, then move on to London, then to Milan, and finally finish up in Paris. (Some people, especially the Press, spend this entire period going from city to city, following each and every show and all the designers lined up in each place!)
But the Missus usually just goes to the shows in Milan. Although occasionally she'll attend some of the Haute Couture shows at the end, in Paris. (And there are dozens of Haute Couture in her closets upstairs!)
High Fashion vs. Haute Couture:
If you buy a gorgeous off-the-rack, ready-to-wear cocktail dress at Neiman Marcus for $4,000 or $5,000, then have it altered for a perfect fit -- this is generally referred to as 'High Fashion'.
But if you hire a renowned, top designer to make something especially for you (that no one else can get their hands on), and cut to your own measurements, this is referred to as 'Haute Couture' -- or more affectionately as just 'Couture'.
And you'll be paying anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 for this garment, depending upon the designer! (Apparently Madonna wore 'Couture' for her dazzling half-time performance at Super Bowl 2012 -- but I've not yet heard the price tag.)
Although 'Haute Couture' is a legally-protected term by France, the two terms 'High Fashion' and 'Couture' are often loosely interchanged.
So if you want to refer to that cheap $5,000 cocktail dress you just bought at Neiman's as 'Couture' -- it'll be ok. Ha! (After all, you did pay $600 to your tailor for alterations, right?)
If you'd like to keep up with the four major shows and what designers will be displaying their wares, you could hit this link to Vogue, and just click on "Shows".
Hope this was fun to read! It sure was fun to write! Ha!
Thanks for stopping by tonight!
Andrew
Monday, February 6, 2012
Addendum to Last Night's Post about "Lalique Crystal"
________________________________________
I don't mean to bore you -- but last night I told you about the two rose vases I've admired for so long in a post entitled "Lalique Crystal".
Well, today I called my "Confidant" at the Foundation and asked her to please research the inventory -- and hopefully find out a value.
As it turns out -- one of the vases is currently listed at $4,900. And the other is now valued at almost $7,000!
For two small rose vases!!!
Ha!
Sorry if I've absolutely wasted your time!
But I thought you might be interested in the actual cost value of what I was writing about last night!
Good night,
Andrew
I don't mean to bore you -- but last night I told you about the two rose vases I've admired for so long in a post entitled "Lalique Crystal".
Well, today I called my "Confidant" at the Foundation and asked her to please research the inventory -- and hopefully find out a value.
As it turns out -- one of the vases is currently listed at $4,900. And the other is now valued at almost $7,000!
For two small rose vases!!!
Ha!
Sorry if I've absolutely wasted your time!
But I thought you might be interested in the actual cost value of what I was writing about last night!
Good night,
Andrew
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Lalique Crystal!
_______________________________________
In this billionaire's home where I serve as butler, there are two rose vases in the living room that have always caught my attention.
Do you remember my post entitled "Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit" on the last day of December, 2011?
(Miss Helen had alerted me to this charming invocation, to be spoken at the beginning of each new month, and especially the beginning of each new year.)
In a subsequent conversation, she told me her mother (Mama Magnolia) had given her three 'Lalique' crystal rabbits in memory of this saying! (And what better way to crystallize a happy memory -- than with actual crystal!)
She said the three rabbits were proudly displayed on her fireplace mantle in her home in D.C. :)
Proudly? Well, I guess! (And I hope they're adequately inventoried and insured, Miss Helen, because they must have cost a small fortune! Ha!)
Lalique crystal is way up there on the list of objects desired by the rich! And I hope you have time to take a look at the dreamy world of the Lalique website. (It's in French, but you can click on whatever language you want to see it in.)
Having been reminded about Lalique, my curiosity was raised -- so I asked the Missus about the two vases I so much admire.
And she simply said to me, "They're Laliques, from my mother's house in London."
What an amazing coincidence is that? Ha!
I should have known all along! But there are so many objets d'arts in this house I can't keep up!
Good night,
Andrew
In this billionaire's home where I serve as butler, there are two rose vases in the living room that have always caught my attention.
Do you remember my post entitled "Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit" on the last day of December, 2011?
(Miss Helen had alerted me to this charming invocation, to be spoken at the beginning of each new month, and especially the beginning of each new year.)
In a subsequent conversation, she told me her mother (Mama Magnolia) had given her three 'Lalique' crystal rabbits in memory of this saying! (And what better way to crystallize a happy memory -- than with actual crystal!)
She said the three rabbits were proudly displayed on her fireplace mantle in her home in D.C. :)
Proudly? Well, I guess! (And I hope they're adequately inventoried and insured, Miss Helen, because they must have cost a small fortune! Ha!)
Lalique crystal is way up there on the list of objects desired by the rich! And I hope you have time to take a look at the dreamy world of the Lalique website. (It's in French, but you can click on whatever language you want to see it in.)
Having been reminded about Lalique, my curiosity was raised -- so I asked the Missus about the two vases I so much admire.
And she simply said to me, "They're Laliques, from my mother's house in London."
What an amazing coincidence is that? Ha!
I should have known all along! But there are so many objets d'arts in this house I can't keep up!
Good night,
Andrew
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Leap Year! Why Do We Need This Aggravation?
______________________________________
So January is finally behind us!
And as the butler here in this billionaire's world, all I can say is "Thank God"!
But with February, of course, comes the onset of deep winter in North America, and the restriction of most of our favorite outdoor activities.
At the same time, many of us are still dealing with post-holiday blues. And some of us are struggling with new year's resolutions made -- and already broken! Ha!
So unless you're a serious winter sports enthusiast, February is not the most fun month on the calendar, is it?
On the other hand -- this is the last really-harsh month until we can look forward to spring. Right? And it's usually just twenty-eight days of misery!
But this is leap year! Dear God! So we've got one more miserable day this month to deal with!
This whole business about our calendar needing a leap year is so annoying I can't even think straight!
I guess we have Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory to thank for the Gregorian Calendar that many of us follow in this world.
But Gregory realized that if some correction wasn't made in Julius' calendar (by adding an extra day to February once every four years), that Christian holidays such as Christmas Day and Easter Sunday (based upon lunar events) would eventually collide into the same month!
Now what kind of mess would that be? Ha! (I'm sure Gregory was thinking "How the heck can you hunt Easter eggs in the snow?" omg!)
I've seriously researched whether ancient Egyptians or the Persian King Xerxes or the Mayans had better calendars. But apparently not. They're all off by seconds or hours, that require correction.
And while I'm complaining about one extra day every four years -- some of the lunar calendars (as Gregory realized) require a full month for correction! What?
Can you imagine having to wait thirteen months instead of twelve to get your income tax refund! Not to mention having to pay an extra month's rent during the year! Ha! No way! Lunar calendars suck really bad!
So in the absence of something better, I guess it's preferable to accept this clumsy calendar we follow now -- and hope that someone more brilliant in the future will finally get this all straightened out!
In the meantime, when it's our time to get to heaven, we can only hope they won't say something rude like -- "What's up dude? You're a day early!"
Sorry for the craziness tonight -- but I'm really not happy about one extra day of winter misery this month!
But I must admit I do appreciate the Vatican's effort in preventing us from having to hide Easter eggs underneath our Christmas trees! Ha!
Good night,
Andrew
So January is finally behind us!
And as the butler here in this billionaire's world, all I can say is "Thank God"!
But with February, of course, comes the onset of deep winter in North America, and the restriction of most of our favorite outdoor activities.
At the same time, many of us are still dealing with post-holiday blues. And some of us are struggling with new year's resolutions made -- and already broken! Ha!
So unless you're a serious winter sports enthusiast, February is not the most fun month on the calendar, is it?
On the other hand -- this is the last really-harsh month until we can look forward to spring. Right? And it's usually just twenty-eight days of misery!
But this is leap year! Dear God! So we've got one more miserable day this month to deal with!
This whole business about our calendar needing a leap year is so annoying I can't even think straight!
I guess we have Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory to thank for the Gregorian Calendar that many of us follow in this world.
But Gregory realized that if some correction wasn't made in Julius' calendar (by adding an extra day to February once every four years), that Christian holidays such as Christmas Day and Easter Sunday (based upon lunar events) would eventually collide into the same month!
Now what kind of mess would that be? Ha! (I'm sure Gregory was thinking "How the heck can you hunt Easter eggs in the snow?" omg!)
I've seriously researched whether ancient Egyptians or the Persian King Xerxes or the Mayans had better calendars. But apparently not. They're all off by seconds or hours, that require correction.
And while I'm complaining about one extra day every four years -- some of the lunar calendars (as Gregory realized) require a full month for correction! What?
Can you imagine having to wait thirteen months instead of twelve to get your income tax refund! Not to mention having to pay an extra month's rent during the year! Ha! No way! Lunar calendars suck really bad!
So in the absence of something better, I guess it's preferable to accept this clumsy calendar we follow now -- and hope that someone more brilliant in the future will finally get this all straightened out!
In the meantime, when it's our time to get to heaven, we can only hope they won't say something rude like -- "What's up dude? You're a day early!"
Sorry for the craziness tonight -- but I'm really not happy about one extra day of winter misery this month!
But I must admit I do appreciate the Vatican's effort in preventing us from having to hide Easter eggs underneath our Christmas trees! Ha!
Good night,
Andrew
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