part de gâteau

When I was in England I bought these post card canvases at the Tate museum. Rarely used them, and sadly never took a picture of any of the paintings I made on them, except for this one. My sister Linnea has this one in her kitchen which I painted 2-3 years ago. Not original, but who wants to spend money on a print of a painting?

Do You Hear The People Sing

I've had a love affair with Les Miserables since I was 9 years old.  I have the play memorized.  At nights my sister and I would listen to the play and follow along reading the lyrics.  I'd ask question after question for things I didn't understand (usually something the Thenardiers said).  I wish I could remember how Heather responded, because I'm sure she had no idea what they were talking about either.  I have the entire play memorized.  I've read the unabridged book.  The book was not sad at all to me.  It was such a religious story of hope and faith.  A good friend of mine told me years ago, that her college professor taught a course on Les Miserables and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I thought about that a lot while I read the book.  I wished I could have taken his class.  That alone was almost enough to tempt me into going to BYU.  

The more I listen to the soundtrack the more symbolism and parallels I've drawn from the lyrics.  Needless to say, I've never liked any of the movies.  The Liam Neeson version portrayed Jean Val Jean as something so far from what he was, and the movie ended long before the best part.  The whole point of the story is the ending.  With regards to the play, I've seen it 4 times.  I saw it twice in London in the same day, and once at Gammage, only a local production and of course the original cast when I was little.  

I was excited for the movie.  

I was disappointed in the movie.  

Changes always must be made with movies and are expected.  Vocals are never perfect and that's to be expected.  But there were too many scenes cut in half and combined with others.  Too many songs with the lyrics changed.  So for those of you who loved the movie, I say to you that you loved it because you didn't know the play.  Anyone who caught all of the changes couldn't possibly have enjoyed it.  The changes were too much.  I feel like a lot of the emotion that I feel for the story was lost.

So for those of you out there who loved the movie, here's what your are missing.  Here's what the movie was missing.  Probably one of the most powerful poems in the whole play, the lyrics that tie the whole thing together, the beautiful words that they took out.  Perhaps it was too religious for them to keep in the movie.  This is what the cast normally sings at the end of the play, and what should have been sung at the end of the movie.


Do you hear the people sing
Lost in the valley of the night?
It is the music of a people
who are climbing to the light.
For the wretched of the earth
there is a flame that never dies.
Even the darkest night will end
and the sun will rise.
They will live again in freedom
in the garden of the Lord.
They will walk behind the ploughshare;
they will put away the sword.
The chain will be broken
and all men will have their reward.

Grâce à Youtube!

1. It's weird seeing Quasimodo without his makeup and costume.

 2. The french people and their kisses.

3. Thanks to Youtube so I can stay connected with this BEAUTIFUL play.

Danse Mon Esmeralda

The french may not have the Happily Ever After thing down, but that's what makes their stories (and music) so beautiful. Thank you Victor Hugo for inspiring my two absolute favorite musicals of all time!      

This is what I listened to on repeat while taking a math quiz. And yes, I got 100%!

Here's a video of the song with subtitles for anyone who reads this blog that I rarely get on. Enjoy!

Musique

Clark and I are STILL waiting to move. We are having our new apartment sprayed multiple times before moving in. The manager Clark is replacing put the bed bugs there on purpose out of anger. He laughed about it and told some tenants.

Nice.


In other news, I have a job interview today! Wish me luck!

Nothing better than listening to good music while getting ready! This is my new fav.


Enjoy!!

Une délicieuse escroquerie

Check out my new music widget to the right. My "french brother" is quite the famous french musician. Une valeur montante de la chanson française. Happy listening!

île flottante

When I was living in Saint-Étienne one of my favorite desserts was Oeufs à la Neige. When asked to describe it I would say it looks like raw egg whites served with raw egg yolks. I honestly had no idea what was in it. Today I just finish reading French Women Don't Get Fat (good, by the way) and found the recipe. I was close, but the egg whites are poached. Don't worry, there's sugar involved and no egg flavor. I made some for Clark today. He loved it! Thought it was weird, but loved it! For me, second time around? Délicieux! Try it!

2 1/2 c. whole milk

2/3 c. plus 1 tbs sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

Scald milk in large saucepan. Add 1/3 c. sugar and vanilla. Cover and remove from heat. Separate the eggs and reserve the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, beat the whites with the salt until foamy and then gradually beat in the 1 tbs of sugar. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Return the saucepan with milk to the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.

With a soup spoon, scoop out a mound of the egg whites and drop into the milk. Cook gently for 2 minutes and turn gently to cook the other side for 2 minutes. Remove and drain on a dry towel. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate on a plate until ready to serve. In the bowl containing the egg yolks, gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 c. of sugar and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a ribbon. Gradually add the hot milk in a thin stream to slowly warm up the yolks and avoid scrambling them. Chill the custard in a serving bowl.

When ready to serve, place the poached egg whites on top of the custard. Top with cocoa powder, caramel (boiled butter and sugar), or grated dark chocolate.