And just because today is grim, dark and chilly, I thought we all needed a lift in our collective spirit. The YouTube embed below should do the trick.

I stopped by Huckleberry's Natural Market the other day and saw the above ad for Laddie Ray Melvin, a talented singer-songwriter who will be performing in the store's restaurant tonight from 7 to 9. Even if I didn't like the Huckleberry's pasta bar, I'd enjoy listening to this guy sing.

I’m not much of a photographer, which the various photos I post on this blog make abundantly clear. But I try, even if I mostly depend these days on my iPhone.

That’s my attempt at apologizing for the above photo (taken not with my iPhone but with my new Canon PowerShot SX150 IS, which I bought at Best Buy especially for this trip).

The photo is of the world-famous Ipanema Beach, where we spent much of last week. I took other photos, but they mostly just show people lounging on the sand or playing beach volleyball (very big sport here, which is why they did so well in the Olympics) or surfing or doing any number of activities you can see at virtually every other beach in the world.

But Ipanema is different. For one, it is one of the most beautiful public beaches I have ever experienced. The sand is clean, the waves are lively, the sun on the days we visited burned away any vestige of clouds and the beach vendors were far less annoying than you’re likely to find in, for example, Mexico – just to pick at random another beach-famous country from the Western Hemisphere.

Another reason for Ipanema’s distinction, of course, is that famous song. The one written by Antonio Carlos Jobim (music) and Vinicius de Moraes (lyrics) and made famous by Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto and Gilberto’s singer wife, Astrud Gilberto.

We stayed in Ipanema barely a block from the restaurant where the song is supposed to have been written. And this time, under a poster bearing a facsimile of the song’s original composition, I ordered a salad only. Still, it was too huge to finish, being filled with roast chicken, chunks of cheese, olives, greens and enough corn to cause a rise in ethanol prices.

I was still full an hour later when I Googled the song and saw a version of the lyrics translated from the original Portuguese. You can access it here.

And not for the first time (I did, after all, study comparative literature at UC-San Diego), I noticed the difference between the poetry of another language and the pure pop sensibilities of its English translation.

The English version of The Girl from Ipanema profiles a self-absorbed hottie who doesn’t know we’re alive. The Brazilian Girl has a beauty so incandescent that her passing causes us to feel a wave of grief caused by the essential aloneness lurking at the very heart of the human condition.

If I could put the difference into a pair of photos, one shot might be of a kid who’s lost his pet puppy. The other, though, might be more akin to that same kid’s parents bemoaning the fact that they live in a world where not just puppies but children and even the idea of children are lost even before they are born.

That may be overstating the difference just a wee bit. But, then, I’m not a poet.

Then again, as I say, I’m not much of a photographer, either.

Yeah, you missed the “Grease Sing Along,” which sure saddens me, but the Panida Theater in Sandpoint has an ongoing schedule. You might, for example, opt for the Sept. 13 concert with George Winston. Or the Sept. 28 Pink Floyd Tribute, “with all the effects and all the great music.” But whatever your entertainment tastes, you can check the schedule here.

But remember: “Money! It's a (bleep)!”

Look what I just found on South Perry Pizza's Facebook page … YAY!

Known for its annual Oscar Night Gala, not to mention the work it does for HIV patients and the contributions it makes to AIDS awareness and education, the Spokane AIDS Network is one regional nonprofit that believes in doing good work and having a good time. Case in point, Stem and Stein, the fund-raiser featuring music by Six Foot Swing and “a wide array of Northwest wines, beers, spirits, delicious food, and a silent & live auction.

Stem and Stein will be held Friday at the Masonic Temple, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are $45, but those acting as designated drivers will be given a $25 raffle ticket. You can purchase tickets through the Network's Web site, or at the door.

I'm surprised Tricia Jo hasn't written about this. It would seem to fit her perfectly. And with all the drink photos that she posts, I'm fairly certain she's often in need of a designated driver.

Not that I'm a fan of country music — far from it, to tell the truth — but concerts at The Gorge have their attractions, no matter the type of music being played. I remember seeing Stevie Ray Vaughn at that glorious site overlooking the Columbia River, and the night was alive with great guitar sounds.

OK, it's a pain getting in and out, the wait magnified by the time it takes to drive home to Spokane, etc. But, hey, it's one of the prices you pay for … atmosphere!

Anyway, the above photo captures the upcoming Watershed event, billed as the poster says as “The Northwest's Premier Country Music Festival,” which will be held Aug. 3-5 and feature acts such as Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Dwight Yoakam and many others.

Go here to get ticket-ordering information. Or call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

Word to the wise: Don't affect a southern accent, y'all.

Text SUMMERQUEST to 25827 to be entered to WIN 2 tickets to John Fogerty on June 15th, from Spokane7.com and Northern Quest Resort and Casino! The winner will be randomly selected and notified via text message on Monday, June 11^th.

LMFAO + YOU + GROUPON = Party Rockin' discount.

You're thrifty and you know it.

Find LMFAO at the Spokane Arena this Friday. Party starts at 7.

Windfall, the cool little thrift store in the Perry District is having one of their famous Bag Sales this weekend. For $5 you can stuff a grocery bag full with all the shoes, books, pants, jackets and whatever else you can find! If you're lucky, you might even be able to cram something as cool as that wolf jacket into your bag of tricks.  

Do yourself a favor and visit forkfly.com … it's a local savings connection facilitated by The Spokesman-Review. Visit the site, sign up, load the app onto your phone (they cover both Droid and iPhone) and voila! Instant savings at your favorite local spots. From pizza to panties, French fries to frames, you'll find great deals, every day! The service is free and easy, and, like I always say … you gotta spend money to save money. So get on it!

I'm not one of those almost-40-somethings who gets all hot and bothered by pent-up sexual frustration in the form of translucent-skinned vampire boys. In other words, I didn't do Twilight. 

I am one of those almost-40-somethings who felt slightly awkward buying herself a Young Adult Science Fiction hardcover in which children were forced to kill each other in the name of allegience to their country. I quickly got over the embarrassment. Like, by page 3. So over it, in fact, that I whizzed through the entire trilogy faster than a Tracker Jacker.

And when tickets went on sale for the movie, a great big group of us (too-old-for-competition) Tributes banded together and snatched 'em up faster than a Tracker Jacker hopped up on Red Bull. But, because we have careers and at least a little pride to contend with, we decided to skip the midnight showing and hit the theatre tonight, you know, after work. And happy hour. 

I haven't been this excited for a movie since … hmmm … I have never been this excited for a movie!!! I pray, as we converge on the Arena this evening, that the odds will be ever in our favor and the movie version doesn't suck. 

 

When this is what your Wednesday looks like.

Thanks to MAX at Mirabeau for easing us over this horrendous Hump Day.

Carry on.

It's a slow Saturday, which means … we need another episode of “Transolar Galactica”! Enjoy.

Last Thursday night a tableful of us headed over to Soulful Soups' inaugural trivia night. The crowd was lively and eclectic. The questions were marginally difficult, but simple enough that wild guesses sometimes hit the mark. And the crew running the bar was on it — fast, friendly and fun. 

Our team, Dangerous Minds, took third. In addition to outthinking the majority of the room with our seemingly endless knowledge of all things trivial, here were my favorite things:

1.) Beer Cheese Dip served with a plateful of Beer Bread. (Don't share. It's that good.)

2.) $10 buckets of Bud Light (Bucket = 5 bottles. You do the math.) 

3.) The Smartphone Ranger (He roamed the room looking for lazy stupid cheaters. Awesome!)

I'm a relative newbie to the trivia scene, but take my advice: Choose your trivia team carefully. Don't show up with a group of people who thinks a lot like you. Don't bring a gaggle of people who all have the same hobbies, or do the same job or watch the same movies. If you want to kick ass on trivia night (and who doesn’t? Nobody shows up to find out how much they DON’T know …) you gotta gather a mishmash of friends who know all kinds of random stuff, because you never know what’s going to come up. Top Three Musical Soundtracks of all time? Name five noble gasses. The country that kibbutzes? Look around. If you don’t find friends who know the answers, go make new friends. Then hit Soulful Soups on Thursday. The fun starts at 7:30.