Scribe's back...

Dear Gentle Reader,

Yes.

It is true.

Your humble scribe's back.

Svelte and handsome, too. As seen above and here.

The rest of the body is tired, but, mostly, well.

Health is OKish, mind is fineish, and my hangover from a birthday bash the other day is mostly goneish.

All this means that your humble scribe has returned to a position where he is able to write, again. This would be a standing position followed by a seated position.

And, as your humble scribe has been gone so long, he has much to write about. He even has the energy to do the same.

Today, though, a quick overview.

You've seen the back....

Now, a side (instead of the more usual aside).

Before I bring us around to the front, though, and up to date, I must warn you all...

Somebody has to lose weight.

8 kilos (17.63 pounds) (!) were added across the length and breadth of Germany during a two week blur of cheese and chocolate excess.

Unfortunately, those 8 kilos were only added to your humble scribe's breadth; Germany's breadth and width remained unchanged, although cheese reserves were depleted.

Following this caloric cataclysm your humble scribe returned to Hong Kong with your Heroine.

The incredulous stares of Pommes, your Hero, should have alerted your humble scribe that something was wrong. But, no, ignorance and folly strode hand-in-hand together and the progress of the belly would continue unchecked.

For the following month your humble scribe lay (mostly supine, sometimes prone) and indulged in what seemed like insignificant quantities of chocolate and ice cream.

My feet, apparently, shrunk.

I thought they were shrinking because I saw less and less of them.

Then, I noticed that my belly had grown.

Slowly, I realized that something was wrong.

Finally, when health had returned to its former home with your humble scribe, your humble scribe went swimming in the shark-filled seas around Hong Kong.

And, whilst contentedly paddling around, I stopped, involuntarily, with sharp pains in my belly and a thrashing in the water around my legs and arms...

I had beached myself upon an unseen, upthrusting coral.

The thrashing was the pain-driven spasming of my arms and legs, jerking in surprise.

After slicing my hands by pushing myself off of the coral, and pulling my belly out of the coral, I looked like this...

Actually, this was me much later.

And, really, this was all done by a sessile coral.

Neither mobile Pommes, nor a Hong Kong shark, is to be blamed, even though both of those scenarios would have made a better story... or at least a less embarrassing story.

Being beached on coral is a bad way to realize that you have grown too large; those little coral polyps are vicious, both on their way in and on their way out.

After involuntary marine liposuction I knew that things had to change.

Fingers are gaining strength, as I return to blogging, and chocolate has been forsaken.

What else is new? Well I'll leave most things for another day and another post.

But, I was a bit startled to note that my itunes account has 46,015 resident tracks (we buy a lot of cds).

So, I thought, some music ought to be shared.

Today, I offer a sample of what your Heroine refers to as happy music...

Prince Nico Mbarga wrote and recorded one of Nigeria's most popular songs, Sweet Mother, back in 1976.

It soon became one of Africa's most popular songs, is West Africa's most popular song, to date, and we love it here in Hong Kong, too.

Sweet Mother is a infectious highlife piece.

Highlife music is a Ghanaian musical style from the beginning of the twentieth century with both leading horns and multiple leading guitars, which eventually spread throughout West Africa.

Sweet Mother also has elements of Cameroonian/Nigerian rhythms from the historic Igbo Kingdom as well as Congolese inspired guitar patterns.

When things get us down, we put Prince Nico on. I should have put this on two months ago.

Listen and know why we love Prince Nico Mbarga so very much. The lyrics of Sweet Mother are not the happiest, but the music teaches one to keep a sunny disposition no matter what is happening, and to focus on the now, rather than tomorrow.

If anything can make you feel good while your taut belly is straining at stitches to the rhythm of your heart, it is Prince Nico's music. Enjoy.

Click to hear Sweet Mother by Prince Nico Mbarga

Click here to buy the cd directly from Rounder Records, the publishing group that has been bringing Prince Nico Mbarga to those of us who live outside of Nigeria. Thank you, Rounder, I love your roster of artists.

Amazon.com iTunes

Tschuess,

Chris