It Was Bound To Happen

I don't have much to say today. Except, maybe, this. I've been terrible at following up with friends lately. There are people I've been meaning to call/mail for ages and I've just not been doing it. So, if you're reading this and thinking that I owe you, yeah... I do. Sorry, and don't give up hope...

Y2K And Saturday Afternoon Pictures

First, thanks for coming and reading. Or, at least, looking at the pictures. The Yellow Couch had its 2000th visitor this week, yet remains in remarkably good shape.

I decided to go out and see if I could get a bit of a sunburn yesterday. I don't think I quite pulled it off, but I did get some pictures, and some that are more design/architectural than I had been for a while. Still a lot of flowers, but part of that could be that I was walking in the botanical gardens.

You can see them here.

For Those About To Rock

I usually love my walk to work in the morning - but today I drove and it was cool, cool, cool. I was listening to the MNB practice cd's, picking out some of the drum stuff that I had missed (or, more likely, forgotten) and singing along at the top of my lungs. It made me realize how long it's been since I've performed.

I'm happy we have a bass player. I'm happy the tunes are coming together. 'Cause I can't wait to get out and play again... I hope we can get a date before Pickwick's stops for the summer.

Happy weekend, everybody.

Hi. My Name Is Philippe And I'm A Moron.

I wonder if there's a support group somewhere.

Leader: "So, Philippe, tell us how it all started."

Philippe: "Well, I guess I've always been annoying. I mean, at first I didn't really know that what I was doing was rude, stupid, and insensitive. I mean, I just went ahead and did what came naturally, you know?"

Leader: "I think we've all been there, haven't we?"

All (mumbled): "oh yeah..."

Philippe: "But eventually, I think it kind of clicked for me. Hey - the reason everyone around me looks pissed-off all the time may somehow be related to what I'm doing. Did that ever come as a shock."

Leader (with sympathy): "And what were you doing?"

Philippe (hesitating, then indignant): "You know, just normal stuff. Kicking the seat in front of me while I watched a movie. Pushing people just a little when I talked - you know, just so they knew it was me - talking on my phone six inches from the ear of the person beside me on the bus. Joining lines part way through. I mean, I didn't usually go all the way to the front! What do people expect?"

Leader: "And what did they expect?"

Philippe: "I don't know, man! But they expected something that wasn't natural, that's for sure. I even had a guy on the train glare at me when I was just eating a bag of chips - those really crunchy ones [making sound effects and chewing action]. Can you believe it? Eating! What could be more natural than eating? And he wanted me to stop. I couldn't believe it."

All (making sounds of disgust - several spit on floor)

Leader: "So what did you say to him?"

Philippe: "What can you say to someone who wants you to stop eating? If I don't eat, I'll die. It was him or me, so I stabbed him."

All (nodding approval)

Leader: "Well, maybe we'll touch on that in another session. But clearly it's important to you to be able to act freely."

Philippe: "Yeah, man. Freedom, man."

Leader: "So tell us a little about the music..."

Philippe: "Well, I've never had decent taste in music. I blame it on my parents. I mean, look at me - I'm an idiot. What do people expect?"

Leader: "Philippe, we're not here to put blame on anyone - we're here to take responsibility for our own choices, right?"

Philippe: "Right - so anyways, I can't help what I am. And so I've always had really bad taste... for a long time it was new wave. Then rap. Then techno... I didn't think it could get any more annoying than techno. Wow. And then I remember the first time I heard hip-hop, and I knew we would be together forever. That's about all I play any more." [starting to beat-box]

All (break into spontaneous freestyle mc'ing, primarily profanity with occasional references to money, rides, and ho's)
'
Leader: "Okay, everybody - rhyme therapy is after lunch... let's let Philippe go on..."

Philippe: "So, at first, I got an iPod. It was great. So white, you know? I liked to talk to everyone about how cool the design was."

All (nodding)

Philippe (pensive): "I listened normally for a while, but something was missing. Then I tried turning it up so that everyone around me could hear the cymbals. [eyes glaze over] It was a little better, but it still wasn't like the old days. You know, like the chips."

Leader: "So is that when you got the phone?"

Philippe: "No, it started with a boom-box. I used to carry it around all over, but it made the music sound too... you know, like real music. It wasn't right. And if I got tired of listening there wasn't anything else I could do with it. Turn it on, turn it off, turn it on again... I mean, after 5 or 6 hours in one day, the novelty of that starts to wear off, you know? Not completely, but just a little."

Leader: "You needed more variety?"

Philippe: "Yeah man - I can't help it, it's just the way I'm made. But then I discovered the phone... I could talk - as loud as I wanted. I could choose ring tones on the bus... I had one that had 420 different ring tones, and I used to choose a new one on the bus every day. It was so good. But when I started to play my tunes on my phone, I knew I hit on the sweet spot. I mean, it sounded like crap. Absolute crap! Even someone who liked the song would hate it sounding like that! And everybody hated it! It was like the I had the magic touch back, you know? So now I play it on the train every time I ride. I can't wait to get on, now. Sometimes I just get on to ride, even when I don't need to go anywhere. It's totally changed my world."

Leader: "Well, I guess that's why we're here. Everybody, let's thank Philippe for sharing."

All: "Thank you, Philippe."

Leader: "Okay, Jean-Marc, next time it's your turn..."

Yeah, So Now What

In a moment of weakness I bought chickpeas and lentils. I'm looking at them now, and trying to resolve in my mind their super-natural healthy-making properties with the fact that they just really don't look like food.

Any ideas? Anyone? And don't say deep-fry them and serve them on ice cream - tried that, and it didn't work out nearly as well as you would expect.

More Tuesday Evening Pictures

Mostly from Parc des Bastions this time. I think that morning must be the best time to shoot there... it was hard to find sun in the early evening, but the poppies continue to captivate me...

And the gates from the park entrance... the trees behind have these gorgeous red flowers in them, and the contrast of the gold with the red behind was stunning:

And, finally, some of the chess guys. I usually don't shoot them much... it seems a little cliché and perhaps a bit opportunistic. But there's a fine line between being opportunistic and taking advantage of moments of possibility: when I saw these three together contemplating the next move, it was undoubtedly a moment of possibility.

The Carrier

I have a carrier that I have used with the little chick since she was born - I strap her to my chest, and that way we can talk, she can see what I see, I can sing to her as we walk, and she can swing her legs and hold my hands. We both like it a lot.

But it has taken on a little bit of a different feel for me today.

On the way home from church I saw a woman with the same carrier. But she wasn't carrying a baby.

She was carrying a cat.

Now, to be fair, I'm not a cat guy. I'm not a pet guy at all, really... I guess I have all the companionship that I want from my friends and my family, and I don't need anything around that is going to is going to expect me to feed it and make my place dirty - the little chick and I do quite well on that front between the two of us. And yes, I can hear you cat people already... "but cats are very clean animals, blah, blah, blah". They get clean by licking themselves. Have you ever actually tried this? It may do the trick for a couple of days, but I have to tell you - after a week, everyone around you is going to be begging you to go back to the shower method. They leave hair where I don't want it. They walk on counters and tables. So, yeah, they're clean, compared to a horse or something (and you horse people can just keep it to yourselves... honestly!), but they're not really clean.

And you can also say what you want about them being independent and intelligent and whatever else, but I'm not buying it. I've been around cats. They never say anything funny. They never introduce me to a new band. They don't bring me snacks. They don't even show any kind of appreciation when I make some kind of effort and try to engage them in any kind of discussion. I'm not saying they're useless, but I would say that they are most useful when combined with teriyaki sauce and a deep-fryer.

And, while I'm on it, dogs are only marginally better. They're a little more interactive, I think, though in most cases "interaction" means jumping up on me, licking/sniffing me in places I'm not particularly interested in sharing, and acting as though I'm threatening their life with my very presence. Maybe they're worse, in fact, since cat people can at least leave their cats at home and pretend to be like normal people for an evening. Dog people? You invite them for dinner and they ask if they can bring the dog. Why in the world would you want a dog to come over for dinner? Have you ever seen a dog eat? Why would I want more of that? "Only if you promise that he'll spend at least half of the meal licking his crotch," I used to say. The only problem is, I have yet to have a dog owner pick up on the (subtle) sarcasm, and in every case but one they replied, "oh, no problem!". The other one wasn't sure and turned down the invitation.

In any case, if you speak about yourself as "mommy" in reference to your animal, show me a portrait with a pet in it, or tell me that Foo-foo is part of the family, laughter is about the best response you can hope to get from me.

So when I saw the woman with the cat strapped to her in a carrier, I naturally asked myself a few questions:

1. Was she perhaps drunk?
2. How surprised was she going to be when she got to where she was going and realized that she had left the baby at home with a saucer of chicken and liver meow mix?
3. Was the cat actually no longer alive? This one disturbed me so much that I only thought about it for 15 minutes before forcing myself to move on.
4. Where was she going that it would be useful to have a cat unable of propelling itself? Maybe a bbq?

I didn't get a picture. I had my camera there, but, in my experience, no one has less of a sense of humor than a pet-person who feels that their loyalty, values, and freedom to pursue their chosen lifestyle is being called into question. And I've tried the whole "we're not here to judge" thing, but, honestly, I just can't pull it off. As a matter of fact, I have already changed apartments and anticipate that I will get several death threats (3 from people I know, 2 from strangers is my best estimate) just for writing this post. But really!

As Promised

Well, I went to Josh and Laura's today to check out their new place, and it's great. Wonderful to see some friends, and I had a few minutes to grab some pictures, too.

I sometimes wonder - if I'm going to take pictures of flowers, should I learn what kind they all are? This is a red, pointy one. That's all I know, but I like it.

A butterfly, for my little chick.

And another.

The cat. Before Josh barbecued it.

The man himself, giving directions to yet another lost person. But he's still smiling, right?

A hammock, in the neighbours' yard.

The sun shining through.

More sun, more flowers.

And a yellow one.

Serisously Domesticated

I went to pick up some groceries this morning. I did a little dance when they had my favorite ham (it's not usually in stock). I actually caught myself saying "excellent" out loud when I saw that diapers were on for half price. These two, plus the fact that I got kiwi-scented dish soap had me singing all the way home.

Oh, and I got some absolutely gorgeous pictures this afternoon. I haven't edited them yet, but trust me - you're going to like them... the sun was just perfect. Coming soon...

Happy Friday

I'm at the airport, again.

The passport guy asked my about the little chick this morning. My coffee was already waiting when I got to the bar at gates B21-28. The first thing I did when I got to the gate was look around for friends.

I think I may fly more than I should.

I'm ready for a Friday... I do enjoy my job, but not enough to make me want to do it on the weekend. So, I foresee some music, some pictures, a new decorative addition to my fridge (custom fridges... wave of the future?), some time with my little chick, some time with friends, and a wonderful, wonderful weekend. Hope yours is, as well.

[EDIT] Yeah, ended up knowing two people on the plane. Definitely too much.

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

Okay, this one almost looks too intentional to be graffiti, but it's painted on a wall, and that's good enough for me. Near the docks in Lugano....

More From Sam & Michelle's

Dead, but beautiful.

It's Come To This

Yeah, a sunset picture. And not even from a beach. This was the view from Sam and Michelle's balcony tonight before YAGS.

Big News From The MNB

Tonight, maybe we practice with a bass player. Maybe. Then we will be unstoppable. But first, I have to clean up the little chick's toys.

We had a going away party for a friend last night. Once again, I'm thankful for the people I have been able to meet here, and, once again, sorry to see them go so soon. That's Geneva...

Sophie, Sharing an iPod, and Other Things

Here are some more pictures from this week. I hope you enjoy them.

On the lake, Geneva.


At the Bain de Paquis, Geneva.


In a park near my place. I know what you're wondering - is he actually wearing anything? I can only tell you that I decided not to get close enough to be able to answer.


From the next bridge down.


More bars, this time from a bank.


In the flea market at Plainpalais.


The Geneva Street Park.


I went to see Sophie Zelmani this week, a Swedish singer who, Fred tells me, embodies the Swedish word for melancholy, which I learned briefly and have now forgotten. She was really good, though, and her band was fantastic. She also has great bone structure, an invaluable trait for any pop artist.


Sophie's keyboard player. Not as pretty, but plays a very mean Hammond.


The bass.

Sophie again.

Finally

I finally won at poker again. I think it's been about 3 years since I finished in top spot at one of our little tournaments. Thankfully, we play for less than that cost of a movie, I'm usually pretty fully engaged in either getting the next pizza out, chair-dancing and singing along to whatever is playing, and trying to join in on the conversation at the other end of the table to notice. Oh yeah, and dealing. So it doesn't really bother me - I always have a great time. Every time.

But it's nice to win, too. And I met some really great friends-of-friends, got to spend a nice, relaxed evening with people I love to have time with... it was great, even if someone who will remain unnamed decided it would be a good idea to put on Simon and Garfunkel and then play along with it on the little chick's piano. In retrospect, it was maybe not the direction we should have gone. And, of all people, I should have known better. But I was actually concentrating this time, which may be somehow linked to the whole winning thing. But I'm not jumping to any conclusions.

And the best part is that, until my title is taken from me, I can, in Brian's tradition, sign all of my emails (and perhaps legal documents - still looking into that) as "The King". And since I host, I can put off the next one for a long, long time.

I won't, but I could.


Going to sleep now,
The King

Quote Of The Day

From Blue Rodeo. I dig the song, and somehow, this verse is just about right...

I still remember
When you tried to be discreet
I thought I was goin' crazy
But it was just you lying through your teeth

So, here's to not going crazy.

The Water Hole

As my interest in nature photography grows, I decided it may be time to move beyond flowers and begin shooting some more challenging subjects. Unfortunately, time and budget constraints dictate that I am not able to get to Africa to do a safari, but I did secure a spot in central Lugano with a relatively clear view of a popular water hole. So I set up, eager to begin and confident that, as the sun was rising, nature would array herself before me in all her glory and variety. And, as you can see here, I wasn't disappointed.

I Forgot, Part II

Well, at least I remembered my mp3 player. But I forgot my toiletries bag. So, in the interest of keeping my job and perhaps my friends, at lunch I wandered off in search of a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant. I found them. I bought:

1 OralB Cross-Action toothbrush (brand new, never used)
1 tube of Crest toothpaste (which fights cavities on teeth AND roots. Finally!)
1. stick of Borotalco deodorant. Catchy name, eh? Another fine example of Swiss marketing savvy.

And for this, I paid 32 CHF. That's about $30 CDN, or $26 USD.

Now I've lived in Switzerland for long enough to have learned how to deal with obscene prices. But this is crazy. I better smell really, really good after this. And not get cavities in my roots.

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

I love this one. It's not far from my place.

I *heart* Nature

Well, I didn't see this one coming. But it seems that I really like taking pictures of flowers. And with the weather being what it has been the last while, I have been taking a ton....

For more, check out my gallery at www.yellowcouch.zenfolio.com in the "Nature" section. Oh, and I'm not sure I'm going to keep that address (it's a trial account) so if you want to look, it would be best to do it in the next few days...

The Day After Easter

I have, for a long time, felt better keeping my distance from religious holidays. Christmas often seems more like a farce than a legitimate celebration of Christ's incarnation. Easter is better, but still - how much of the darkness and pain and confusion of "good Friday" do we really feel as we're making colored eggs and thawing the ham on Saturday?

I think part of it may also stem from a slight over-saturation of church services as a child. I don't suppose that it affects everyone in the same way, and it's clearly not the desired effect, but there were times when conferences were on and it seemed like entire weekends were just swallowed up in an endless stream of dry, drawn-out messages. Unfortunately, it seems to have had a bit of an immunizing effect.

But that doesn't change the fact that yesterday was Easter, and today is Monday. I don't work on Mondays - I spend them with my little chick - so this Monday is, in that sense, no different than any other for me. And it makes me wonder - how different should it be?

I want be heated to a bright white glow, all day, every day. I want my passion about who my Father is to be a defining characteristic of who I am. I want to to be a spiritual Olympian: faster, higher, stronger. I want it to be meaningless to take a day out of the calendar year to focus on what it meant for God to die because he loved me, because it's a focus of every day of my life.

But I'm not sure that I can do it. Even when I try, my mind wanders, my attention shifts, and my focus softens a little. I may slow down. I may get lost. I may stop entirely.

So maybe I need to accept that the fact that not every day can be Easter for me. Maybe I need the ebb and flow, the reminder to come not because I should never waver, but because that's just how I am made. - I need to be brought back, regularly, from the everyday to the eternal. And so as I look at a day after Easter, or two days, or a week, I will look for those reminders that can be little Easters in my life - a word from a friend, a song, a story that I tell my daughter - to bring me back to where I want to be. I may not be able to maintain that white-hot glow, but I can be sure that I never get too far from the fire.

Star Of Stage And Screen

Honestly, I like his acting. But am I the only one who wishes Mark Wahlberg still went by Marky Mark?

A Whole Bunch Of Pictures

Well, I'm giving ZenFolio a try. I like the layout, and once you are in one of my collections, you don't have to click to go from one picture to the next - you can just arrow over like the pics are on your own PC. Check it out and let me know what you think...

http://www.zenfolio.com/yellowcouch/

I'm especially happy with the flowers... look in "Nature". Oh, and if you just put your mouse over one of the shots when you're viewing it, you can choose "larger image". You can still use your arrows, and it's a little nicer view. The slideshow is also good, I think.

Somehow "happy Easter" doesn't seem quite right on Good Friday. Be loved, be blessed.

D

Prayer, Part II

Well, contrary to (or maybe in part due to) my concern, the discussion on prayer that we had on Tuesday night went well.

I have come to really deeply appreciate the fact that I have a community, a group of friends who are ready and willing to look at difficult and important issues together, who are able to grapple with uncertainty, to be open to new ideas and to care for each other even though our views sometimes differ. I think that sometimes I take it for granted, but it was a really beautiful experience for me to realize that as I sat there with you and talked about something that is very important to me, I did it in the light of your acceptance and love and desire to explore it with me. I love that, and the freedom that comes with it is amazing.

For those who weren't there (maybe not even on the same continent - no hard feelings), you can download the notes here. In addition, I have a simple excel sheet that you can use to track things that you want to pray for regularly (daily or weekly) as well as specific items that you want to pray for until they are resolved. You can get that here.

There is more to come - I promised to provide some more details on the premise that God has chosen to limit his work on earth to what can be done through active or passive human complicity. I haven't had the time to put it all together yet, and though we may disagree about the wording, if we can agree simply that God's usual way of working is in cooperation with mankind it is enough to move forward.

In the meantime, whether you were part of the original discussion or not, I want to encourage you to leave your thoughts and comments. Let's explore this together.

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

Or, was. A little late, but close.

I Forgot

I left home without my mp3 player today.

And I'm gone overnight.

I have certain things that I forget sometimes: what I'm doing on Friday, what the French word for crême fraiche is, when the train for the airport is scheduled to leave.

I have other things that I forget more or less all the time: what I'm doing every day except Friday, the name of the person I met 18 seconds ago, when your birthday is, and how to drive to... well, anywhere.

But there are some things that I never forget. Where my wallet is. If I have my keys. And to bring my music.

So I am looking at two plane rides (to Lugano and home), two days in a noisy office, and a night without music. And, as I think about it, this may be the first time that I can remember that I have been this long without my tunes. Consequently, I have been singing to myself (in my head when I need to; out loud when circumstances permit) even more than usual. I brought my camera, but find myself noticeably less inspired without Steven Tyler encouraging me along. I may well end up seeking out a karaoke bar and singing in Italian before the night is over just to get my fix.

I had some good news/bad news last night. A friend commented that my deer-in-the-headlights look is maybe something I wear a little more often than I had realized. That's the bad news. It comes across as endearing, it seems, which I am taking as an encouragement. In any case, if you run into me this weekend and I look even more lost than usual, it's just the residual effects of an unplanned cold-turkey music withdrawal.

Either that or I really am lost, in which case I would be very grateful if you would point me towards home and give me a little push.

Where Have You Been All My Life?

I've compiled some of the searches that have led people here. I'm not sure which is more surprising... what people are searching for, or that Google decided to send them my way...

Yellow Couch (google.com) - okay, this one is less of a surprise on the second point.

Natterhorn Blog (Windows Live) - oddly enough, my page is the only result. Nat's actual blog is not listed in the search results. *scratches head*

"grafitti lugano" (google.ch) - I could be wrong, but I'm guessing this is not going to show up in the top 100 searches any time soon. Once again, my page is the only one that Google has to offer if that's what you're looking for.

Creme brulee temper eggs (google.nl) - someone looking for a fight and some dessert at the same time. And, really - who can blame them?

movie monestary sound february (google.com) - if you run this again, my blog doesn't even come up any more. The "February" part is pretty interesting, though.

"Darryl Delamont" (google.ch) - surprise: it's me.

ugly in cradle pretty to table saying (google.com) - this is another, "how many people could be looking for that?" kind of search. And the answer seems to be, at least one.

yellow country kitchen couch (google.com) - I can't help but think my page was really not what they were looking for.

otrivin in my eyes (google.com) - two words: ouch.

Prayer, Part I

I have always wondered about prayer - to me, it is one of the greatest mysteries of a life of faith. It seems to have the potential for such greatness (and, for some, reaches that level) but, for most of us, remains difficult, disappointing, and rather confusing. I have learned a lot about this over the last year, both in my experience and in study, and decided to lead some discussions on the topic for a group at my church over the next couple of months.

So tonight, as I work on the final preparations for the first talk tomorrow, here's what I find going through my mind:

• Why did I ever think this was a good idea?
• More to the point, why did I think I should be the one doing it?
• How in the world am I supposed to fit everything that should be said into four 1-hour sessions?!?
• How am I supposed to figure out everything that should be said in the first place?
  

It seems so... big. And difficult. And, honestly, a long ways beyond me. Most of the time, I tend to talk about things that have been a puzzle for me, topics that have been troubling me and that I have wanted to dive in and gain some certainty (or at least a better perspective) on, and then I am able to share both the process and the discoveries I have made with the people around me. But this seems different.

Even after a lot of study, I still feel like I have more questions than answers. And if I don't know the truth, it will be hard for me to present much of value. What I know I don't want is to be the blind man pretending that he is capable of actually being a guide... and ending up dragging someone into a hole with me as I fall. So, somewhat ironically, I will be praying that I am able to talk about prayer in a way that honors God and is in keeping with the truth.

I'll report back on Wednesday...

Pride (In The Name Of Love?)

I saw a homeless guy on the walk home from - of all places - church today. Maybe you know the one... fairly young guy, carries his stuff in a golf cart (not the one like a go-kart, the kind you pull along behind you).

I had some fruit in my bag for the little chick, and I thought maybe I should offer it to him. But I didn't.

I've tried offering food to people on the street a few times... in Geneva, in Calgary, and in Toronto, and it's been refused every time. Sometimes it's been unsealed - a sandwich from my lunch - but sometimes it's been food still packaged as I walk home from the grocery store. I'm not sure exactly why everyone I've offered it to has turned me down... I never asked, and they never volunteered. But it bothers me that I've let it stand in the way of doing something that I think I should probably do, from showing a little bit of love to someone who, whether or not he's in the mood for a banana, could probably use some love.

Am I that fragile, that I can't take being told "no" when I offer something to a stranger? Is it that these are people who, I figure, should be happy to get what I'm giving them, and so I reduce them to a caricature, without the dignity of real choice? I'm not sure where it comes from, but it saddens me. I wish I would have just offered him the fruit. It's a little late now.