Okay, so this post may not be so much about our time in France this summer. Feel free to file a complaint although I learned from my father when I was a child and unsatisfied about something that “The Complaint Department is not open.” Looking back, I don’t think the Complaint Department was ever open.

Perhaps there’s a lesson in there somewhere…

Anyway, after going to bed (in France) last night, I received a series of photo texts from Chloe, the photos all of Rémy in an outfit I bought for him soon before he was born. As you can see in this photo (oh, that’s Rémy’s dad, Alex, in the photo, too), it’s a onesie with the name “Student Nurse” printed on it.

Student Nurse was a Seattle-area band that I appreciated when I was in high school and just after. Learn more here and here. They were founded by John & Helena Rogers, John also going by the name Johnny Rubato. I got to know both Johnny & Helena a little bit because they ran Rubato Records, what was a fabulous used record store that began in downtown Bellevue. Typically, I had to head to the Ave in the U District to shop for used records so having Rubato’s in Bellevue, where I grew up, was a great nearby alternative.

(As a quick aside, this feature from The Stranger, which includes a reference to Rubato Records, is a great read if you appreciate used record stores and the people who work for them.)

Soon before Rémy was born in May, I was listening to some music online and came across the fact that Student Nurse had reunited to play a few dates last year. One click led to another (you know how that is, right?) and I found they had released a retrospective CD, that Helena was painting and selling art (I bought an original of hers of Big Mama Thornton that now hangs in my home office), and that I could purchase some Student Nurse merchandise.

I snatched up this onesie for the soon-to-be-born baby. And yesterday, while going to bed (in France), Chloe sent me pictures of Rémy in the onesie.

If we need to make this even more French-centric to warrant the “France 2023” tag I’ve affixed to this post, here’s Student Nurse and their song “C’est Tout” (French for “that’s all”) from that retrospective CD as posted on YouTube:

PS – Support independent music by buying the retrospective CD on Bandcamp.