TGIF

I've been listening to a lot of Nick Cave lately. With every listen, I discover another nuance, another interpretation of his songs, and an even greater appreciation for his genius. To me, he's up there with the best songwriters of our time. In an interview over ten years ago, he said, "I would say, in the most humble fashion, that I was in the same league as someone like Dylan or Leonard Cohen, simply because of their complete ignorance towards what's going on in the music world, and their utter belief in what they do, their own sense of expression." The interviewer then asked him, "John Lennon?" and he replied, "Yeah, Maybe." Some people have called him arrogant, but I don't believe that this was said with any arrogance at all. He seems to understand that what he has in common with people like Dylan or Cohen is passion and the courage to not censor that passion based on what others want or expect from him.

For those of you unfamiliar with Cave (shame on you!), below are two examples. And, believe me, it was difficult to choose two excerpts and not post his whole collected works.

About love lost:
I loved her then and I guess I love her still
Hers is the face I see when a certain mood moves in
She lives in my blood and skin
Her wild feral stare, her dark hair
Her winter lips as cold as stone
Yeah, I was her man
But there are some things love won't allow
I held her hand but I don't hold it now
I don't know why and I don't know how
But she's nobody's baby now
- Nobody's Baby Now from Let Love In(1994)

About love found:
I don't believe in an interventionist God
But I know, darling, that you do
But if I did I would kneel down and ask Him
Not to intervene when it came to you
Not to touch a hair on your head
To leave you as you are
And if He felt He had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms
- Into My Arms from The Boatman's Call (1997)

Alright, enough swooning for Cave…I'm moving on to a new topic.

I met Kim last night for an evening of catching up. We sat in her bright red living room eating Jelly Belly's and relaying stories of the last couple weeks. There was a sandalwood candle burning on the table in front of us and I noticed it casting an especially lovely glow onto her face. Kim is one of those people who is strikingly beautiful on the outside but that truly pales in comparison to her beauty inside.

Kim and her boyfriend have been steadily transforming the old house that they bought a number of years ago into their own little nirvana. The style of their home is asian-influenced minimalism combined with bright splashes of colour and bohemia. Her artwork hangs on the walls and the whole place reflects the two of them and their personalities. It feels so warm and welcoming that it makes you want to curl up on the sofa and stay for hours (which I did). Eventually I will start posting pictures so that I can show these sorts of things instead of ineffectually describing them. I just need some time to sit and fiddle on my computer and extra time has just been in very short supply of late.

As I wrote yesterday, this week has been a really good one. I am feeling quite exhausted, but I'd liken it to the way that muscles can ache in that good way after they've been exercised. The weekend looks like it will be just as filled with activity but I'm looking forward to it all the same.

Happy Friday, everyone : )