One of those slightly strange days; I had barely got to my desk and hadn't even switched on my PC let alone sipped my coffee when somebody is talking about Pavarotti. And later in the morning, I went to another bank of desks, to return something I'd borrowed, and my opinion is being sought on Pav.
I walked into the building after lunch and noticed a small crowd gathered in the lift lobby. My immediate thought was that there was something wrong with the lifts, but, it turns out,the crowd is watching the TV, BBC News24, with Pav. So I stay a few minutes to watch too. The crowd disperses, and this woman, whom I don't know, have never seen before, asks me "Is he dead?" I said, yes, it was no surprise, he's had pancreatic cancer; she said "I didn't think he'd die today, I thought he would last until tomorrow..." bursts into tears and almost collapses in my arms. I really don't know what to do at this point, I'm not used to public shows of emotion at work, and of nearly four thousand people, from two government departments, she chooses me to be the one she cries onto.
This evening, I'm in Jimmy's pub, and stating that I don't especially likes the music. He tells me I can be in control; it's a 5000 track WinAmp playlist. SO I put on "Nessun Dorma". From time to time, and only rarely, one can get away with such a choice of music. Of course I end up in a debate with someone I have known all the time I've lived in London; neither of us actually know who is singing on this particular version, and anyway, we don't like Nessun Dorma. Still, we recognise he was a catalyst in getting people into a type of music that maybe otherwise they might not have.
So, to escape from Nessun Dorma on a loop, and considering my nom de net elsewhere, I can only bring you Elephants Yeah
I did hear Pavarotti live, once. In Hyde Park in 1991. Not exactly the sort of event one forgets in a hurry.
I shall write more tomorrow, but it's been one of those days with a home PC crash over breakfast, a reluctance to blog from work, and some serious running around in the evening.
