WTF-Beta

The last scene in The Physicists' Daughter is set almost exactly where that cruise ship was moored. (In 1944, but you know...the same spot.)

My son is supposed to go to Germany for a really fabulous work/pleasure trip next week. I haven't heard whether or not his family is planning to go. It will be awful if this messes things up for him.

The white shirt is glorious on its own, but I think the ruffle fights with the bracelet and vice versa. If there's ever a time for a bracelet-length sleeve, this is it.

Those pics are pretty close to what I was thinking, wtg. That jewel screams out for a really, really simple outfit, so that the only things that get noticed are the bracelet and, of course, the wearer.

I've always been pretty firmly convinced that fluoride was a net positive. More importantly, I think it's what scientists in the field think.

There's no effort involved in buying toothpaste with fluoride, which I've always done. Like Jon, I lived in a household with unfluoridated water during the key years--age 3 to 17 for me--and this has surely contributed to my current situation: healthy teeth and gums, but not-great enamel.

I love it!

It would be just the thing with jeans, a white button-down, and a pair of loafers. There would be no ignoring the bauble on your arm, but the vibe would say, "Oh, this thing on my arm? I was browsing at the jewelry store, and I just thought it was pretty."

So pretty!

I read Schopenhauer as an undergrad. It probably says more about me than him that I found him too grumpy when I was 21. I should probably revisit him.

I read some Foucault during my PhD and found things to like.

For reasons too serpentine to explain, I recently became interested in Barthes, so his MYTHOLOGIES is in my office waiting for me when I have some time.

I'm making this one. It looks amazing!

From Twitter: "Legitimate question then, new chief of staff, did Trump mean to appoint Steve Miller the Nazi or did Trump mean to appoint Steve Miller The Space Cowboy?

'

Like Jon, I roll the chord pretty slow.

@ShiroKuro Yes, the first soprano part is fun, because in the music we've had so far, it tends to be high harmony rather than the melody. I've always sung alto or second soprano because I enjoyed singing harmony and also because I was usually singing in choirs where everybody didn't read music. Some of these songs are totally in my range and some of them are a leeeeeeetlllllle bit high. Fortunately, one of them is the one where I'm playing piano, so I'm saved from struggling with it.

The music is a mix, so far. We're doing an a capella version of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" with som really amazing harmonies. There's a Leadbelly blues song that I think is called "Sylvie." I forget the name of the one I'm playing piano on, but it's a setting of a really beautiful poem about light and community. I sang in the choir director's large choir last year, so I already knew she had what I consider to be good taste.

That's a problem with playing piano. You never get to perform on your own instrument!

Clearly, the teacher understood that problem, since he agreed that the piano gave you some issues.

Next time!

I went to my first vocal ensemble rehearsal and had a great time.

The director is very creative in running the rehearsals. As I already said, she spends a lot of time with improvisational exercises and movement, which is great musically but also a good way to get comfortable and get to know each other.

She had us move around and stand next to different people, so she could see how our voices blend and place us in our parts. I was really surprised that this ended up with me singing first soprano. I am not all that comfortable in the upper part of my range, so I think this will be a fun challenge, but also that she may end up moving me to second soprano.

Most of the music is a capella, but one had a beautiful piano accompaniment and she asked if I'd play that. The chords and harmonies are unusual, but it's in C and didn't seem to require big hands or a lot of speed, so I said, "Sure," and ended up sight-reading it with the group. It went well, so it looks like that will happen. We don't perform until January, so I'll have time to polish it up.

I'm so happy to be able to do music with people again!

@ShiroKuro There's a karaoke place here that has individual rooms like that. If I can get a good chunk of my family here at the same time (always a challenge), I think going there would be a hoot.

I'm so sorry.

Bernard, that resonant experience is why I prefer an acoustic piano. It sure would have been easier and cheaper to switch to a digital piano when we moved (or one of the other times I moved), but I can feel the music in my hands and through my feet, and to a lesser extent in the rest of my body. The acoustics in this house are really bright, so I put down a rug, hung window treatments, had the piano voiced, and keep the lid down. With all that dampening, it sounds good now, although I think people driving down the street can hear me.

Acoustic music is its own experience. And you're right, so is singing.

I haven't sung much for more than a decade, and I felt like age was starting to affect my voice, but now I think it was more a case of chronic allergies. I had sinus surgery about a year ago, followed by another minor surgery, followed by more allergies and bronchitis. It dragged on for months and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do the choir concert in May, but I started getting better about that time. Now, I think I'm finally getting the benefit of the sinus surgery. The hoarseness is almost gone. And it's a good thing, because the ensemble director is sure that I'm a first soprano. I've sung second soprano and alto all my life, so singing first in this ensemble is going to be an interesting experience!

@ShiroKuro Claire de Lune has been on the edge of being too hard for me for my entire adult life. I just keep hashing through it, because it's so pretty. I did that last week, in fact.

That's great, Bernard. I'd love to hear more about how the class works. (I'm sorry if you've already talked about it elsewhere.)

Does the teacher choose your pieces? And is there an overarching theme, like everybody's working on the same composer or time period? Do you ever do in-class sight reading? In such a small class, it would be cool if people interested in four-hand music could be paired. I suppose there's even a tiny repertoire written for three people.

Studying music in a group sounds like fun. I did various group musical activities in Florida, but I never had the opportunity (nor the time) in Oklahoma. Earlier this year, I sang with the community chorus here and had a great time. The director also runs a smaller ensemble, eight voices. I really admired the music they were doing, so I auditioned and got in. The rehearsals aren't like anything I've ever done before, with lots of improvisation and movement. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

What did you study for fun at The New School, Jon?

My son is getting a second master's degree. I don't think it's strictly necessary for his job, but it's in computer science, so I am also not sure it's strictly fun, either. Maybe it is for him. lol

As for me, BS from Murray State, MS from Ole Miss, MFA from Rutgers Camden, PhD from U Exeter.

The last two were fun, but the MFA also made the academic career possible. The PhD was good for the academic career and it's currently getting me the opportunity to write academic books for not very much money and to do teaching gigs that are fun and reasonably well-paid.