cordless and the third man!

I was in Nice this past weekend. I went to hang around with other ex-drinkers who had come from other countries to attend meetings, have a few laughs together and share some wisdom about living in the NOW. Many of the visitors came from England. There's a lot of drinking going on up there, but fortunately (heureusement), there's lot of good sobriety too. Most everybody stayed in a posh hotel overlooking the Promenade des Anglais which is a far cry from where most of these same people used to sleep, having listened to their stories. Not just a few of them ended up on the streets full time. Myself, I never ended up on the streets, but I still haven't ended up in a posh hotel either. I stayed in a budget hotel, a small, but comfortable place on the rue Gounod several streets in from the sea. It got rave reviews on a hotel booking site somewhere on the internet. I have become a sucker (jobard) for reading reviews for everything from vacuum cleaners to cordless (sans fil) drills. Its kind of ridiculous (ridicule), but absolutely practical, and deadly serious for someone who lives deep in the countryside. 


I walked a lot while in Nice. At night many of the streets are all lit up, too much really, these are really bright avenues. But I had read that Nice has a crime problem, so I guess it makes sense. There were lots of working girls, mostly from East Europe from what I could tell. They loitered (rôdée alentour) the backs streets and spoke in low voices. At one point I saw a trio of them get shouted at by a drunk (ivrogne) in a dark alcove. He was a greasy (graisseux) type with black soiled leather jacket and shiny disheveled hair. The girls laughed at him which made him even angrier. I didn't linger, and they paid no attention to me. Not but a few short blocks away did I come across the mattress (pictured above) in front of an expensive looking property. Either a work of Art, or an accessory (accessoire) for the girls down the street. Hard to know what's what these days.


At the Musee d'Art Contemporain in Nice, I saw lots of works by artists for whom I have never had a great affinity (affinité), notably Niki Saint Phalle and Yves Klein. Surprise! I liked several paintings from the former, but still don't understand the latter. But I'm glad I went though, because I did see, as I usually do, many things which please and surprise me. Everywhere I visit, I go to museums. They are the only places where I feel completely at home. 

I liked this very much. I didn't see who did it but I think its a portrait of Little Richard.

I also like this because its how I often feel. All the small squares (carré) on the grid lines are pieces of toast. Looks like a poor drunk trying to sleep on a subway grill, seen from high above. Kind of looks like a Sealy Posturepedic mattress, come to think of it. By the way, Sealy mattresses get fairly good reviews.

The third man lives! from cloudsandsea on Vimeo.