The pleasurable things in life – 14th of November, 2010

Creating one’s own private jazz club, with flickering red light from a table candle and jazz like mist courtesy of KCSM live streaming radio

Music memory No. 4 – Dirrty

Dirrty by Christina Aguilera

It was the end of my first year of university, I was back in Christchurch for the summer holidays. It had been a busy year filled with devoted attention to schoolwork and lessons in socialising and living with other newly-independents. To help me wind down and appreciate being young and carefree, my mum suggested I try out fun, new activities that summer, like how about windsurfing?

The lesson was booked.

On the day of my lesson I rocked up to the counter to be told that my instructor would be a few minutes late. No biggie. I sat down on the concrete path leading up to the shop entrance in wait. Ten minutes passed, behind me all was quiet in the shop, in front of me the estuary was awash in bright early afternoon light and making rhythmic little movements. Then, a young guy walked up towards me.

His hair was almost the same colour as his face, a caramel shade of honey. Whenever I try to imagine how that description must come across – tan hair blending into tan face – it sounds pukey, as if he were a Ken doll whose hair was left uncoloured. But on him it was beautiful. On him it looked like that was the key to beauty.