Wednesday, March 28, 2007

A cold winter morning
I am lying on a white, sandy beach with the glowing sun beating down directly on my tanned summer body. I notice the beautiful, Puerto Rican Cabana boy heading over to replenish my newly empty Margarita glass. I look around my private beach and at the crystal clear, sparkling ocean water tempting me warmly in to its open arms. I get up from my bed on the sand, walking gradually to the water. The sand is flaming my bare feet with such passion that I speed my walk up almost into a jog. As I reach the waterfront I stop, as a falling wave is heading toward my glazing body; I step closer to be in its direct path. I move smoothly in with such grace; I prepare myself for the cool, refreshing bath. I hear an alarm bell screaming, I look around in a panic as it is hurting my ears and giving me a powerful headache. My beach is wandering away, and then it is gone. The ‘warmness my body feels is gone.
I open my eyes; I am gloomy, lifeless room. My alarm clock is going off and the sound can only be compared with exhausted your fingernails across a chalkboard.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Charabanc

A charabanc (pronounced sha-ra-bang) is a kind of open-topped bus common in Britain throughout the early part of the 20th century. It was particularly popular for "works outings" to the country or the seaside that businesses would hold once a year. The name derives from the French char à bancs ("carriage with wooden benches"), where it originates in the early 19th century.
It is mentioned in Ian Anderson's song, "Wondering Again" from the Jethro Tull compilation Living in the Past, as well as imaginatively in The Decemberists' song "The Legionnaire's Lament". From what is gathered from the context of the song, a charabanc ride is nothing but a joy-ride for the nothing-to-dos, and finds use in guiding tourists approximately a town or city. Also mention in the Stranglers song Peaches.
The charabanc travel around is also the (admittedly vague — see The Beatles Anthology, episode 6) premise of The Beatles' 1967 television film supernatural Mystery Tour, in which a group of characters (Spotlight 'oddities', 'lovelies' and The Beatles themselves) toured Southern England in a mix of music hall tunes or comedy, contemporary psychedelia, and musical set pieces by the Fab Four.