Happy level 42, sis!

Today celebrates my one and only sister and it’s not only a celebration, it’s the answer.

I remember as if it were yesterday when you gifted me the best book in the world with the inscription In the year 2525 for my 25th birthday. (For the curious, it was a Far Side book with Gary Larson’s cartoons. Now it’s in our Tuscany guest room keeping the guests happy.)

I remember as if it were this morning when you made me a cake for my 42nd birthday with the inscription 42 = the answer. I would post a photo of me with it but I look too defeated. For me it truly was the answer. Look at me now. (For the curious, read Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy in five books.)

I have realised since that there are more answers than one and that they keep on coming. One only needs to read the signs.

Here are some in the form of a cento poem which means that it is made of other people’s lyrics. Each line is from a different song. (For the curious, the 52 songs are gathered in the playlist which was supposed to be tested at the Level 42 party but it wasn’t to be.) See how many you know. (The parts in italics are translations of the original lyrics in Slovenian, Bosnian, Croatian etc.)

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Aukšnžurklelealkvaje / Isthepartyonorwhat

I.

Bright and early for the daily races.
I am a witness to a land of a million fools.

I can’t see much of a future
and the truth is hard to take.
I must not think bad thoughts. What is this world coming to?

Mass confusion spoon-fed to the blind.
All the peacemakers turn war officers.
They wanna know where I’ll be in five. But what about today?

I’d love to change the world but I don’t know what to do so I’ll leave it up to you.

Screwed up people everywhere, but I ain’t got time to care. I feel lovely.

Jaz sem prasica in ti si tud in planet je na naju zmeraj bolj hud.
/ I am a swine and so are you and this planet is getting madder and madder at us.

And still we think that it is all about us.

II.

Pick up the pieces…

Ej folk bytheway a sploh vemo kam gremo?
/ Hey, folk, by the way, do we know at all where we are going?
No pasaran, jaran, no pasaran.
/ They shall not pass, bro, they shall not pass.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop us now.

He knows so much about these things.

• Why did you do that thing to me?
• That’s the way I like it.

Through the ages she’s heading west from far away, stays for a day.

If I didn’t tell her I could leave today.

I left my soul there down by the sea. I lost control here living free.

Ko bil si na tleh / when you were down
si vidu ta svet / you saw this world
kako je pokvarjen / how rotten it is
in kako je loh lep. / and how beautiful it can be.

Tamo gde je srce, tamo sija sunce. / Where there is heart, the sun shines.
Tamo gde je strah, tamo živi mrak. / Where there is fear, the dark lives.

• Green onions.
• Get yourself a better name, something with a double L.
• Fseeno je, kaj si mislijo drugi. / It doesn’t matter what others think.

III.

What a drag it is getting old.

Ne pamtim brojeve i ne znam abecedu: abdfegh…
/ I don’t remember numbers and don’t know the alphabet: abdfegh…

I’m ill, retarded so don’t get me started, I might lose my cool.

Your head will collapse if there’s nothing in it.

You see my skin is white but my soul is black and a hot black coffee, that’s where it’s at.

Ispijem tu kafu i oću d’umrem.
/ I drink this coffee and want to die.

And you can’t help my life but you can hide… the knives.

A bi bil v Savcu, a bi si ga dau?
/ Would you go to Savc, would you get it on?
Živijo eni s tle in drugi s tm dol.
/ There live some from here and the others from down there.

Esa negra quitarra, esa si toca mi alma.
/ This black guitar, it touches my soul.

Listen to your heart, listen to your soul. Listen to your conscience, let it take control.

Thought is like a little boat upon the sea. Everybody is a part of everything anyway.

Podri zidove sveta in naj vsak se igra s komer koli si želi.
/ Tear down the world’s walls and let everybody play with whomever they want.

Ostala sva brez besed, ti si rekel sonce. / We remained wordless and you said: “Sun.”

IV.

Men si velik vprašaj. / You are a big question-mark to me.

You got something like the biggest soul I’ve ever seen.

Is it so wrong to be human after all?

If you’re walkin’ through hell and high water, please don’t do it alone.

You, my friend, I will defend and if we change, well I love you anyway.

I’ll buy you a rainbow to hang above your door. It’s pudding time.

It’s rock’n’roll time.

What ya gonna do? Gonna live my life.

Addio ragazza, ciao!

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Here are some photo memories from one of our together days last summer. We don’t get as many now. You took me to the Ljubljana Botanical Gardens where we breathed deep and thanked the trees just for being themselves. Which is what I wish to you too. Huuuugs!

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  Life is life.

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  Into the wild.

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  Summer in the city.

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  Gentle.

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  Pretty on pink.

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  Rest for the wicked.

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  Thank you, tree.

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  And to you for taking this photo! (Photo: Klu)

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  Under the birdhouse.

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  Old and magnificent.

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  Sister, cacti and doors.

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  A rose as you like it the most: still attached.

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  Welcome to the jungle.

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  You’ve seen some of these plants in the real jungle. I haven’t yet.

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  An outstanding bloomer.

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  Across the river of Ljubljanica.

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  You pointed this out to me.

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  “I shall go and sow good will among the people.”

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  Passing Thai restaurant Shambala which we visited with our parents not long after.

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  Long live and love revolution! ❤

Happy questing and answering, dear Ninč!