WTF-Beta

Really? I kind of thought they no longer existed.

Found Mexican oregano in the Mexican grocery today. I hope it is the real thing. It was next to another type of oregano that was not marked Mexican.

Tried it in pinto beans tonight. It didn’t seem altogether different from common oregano, maybe a slightly fruitier nuance. What I’ve read is that Mexican oregano is from an entirely different plant family.

Couldn’t upload image here…says file size too large. Just a typical iPhone photo.

We buy Rao’s now and then, but because it’s so easy to make a garlic-and-oil sauce with parsley, and grate some Parmesan, I do that 95% of the time. Fresh is always best.

In the warmer months, when we can get real tomatoes, I’ll make a marinara from scratch. Somehow the jarred sauces seem meh. Some of the Italian specialty stores in NYC make their own, and those can be worthwhile.

If I identify as as mouse, can I get the treatment now?

I like wearing a watch. It’s a pain to pull out the phone just to see the time (because I keep it in a zipped shoulder bag).

I need to find a band I like. Mine is all metal and irritates my skin after a while. But the band design is integral to the watch, so I guess I really need a new watch.

I’ve seen the bracket-like long pause but not the peaked-roof one.

@ShiroKuro Ah, my old book had 371 chorales, so it looks like they discovered a few more over the years.

I didn’t listen all the way through, but 3/4 of the way. The hymn sounds of course very familiar. I did a couple of years of organ study as my “minor” instrument, and have had various church gigs. I find many of these old hymns quite beautiful, even apart from their religious contexts.

When the critic complained about the harmonization, it was about not following certain rules of voice-leading: how the four lines of music should move relative to each other and to the overall harmony. When I was an undergrad, we had to study Bach’s hymn harmonizations. They were in a book called 371 Chorales. This was where we learned what the rules were, such as avoiding parallel fourths and fifths, and how to resolve a 7th chord. And we had to do our own harmonizations as coursework.

It was the “violations” of these rules in Abide With Me that the critic objected to. Of course, these days the hymn sounds completely fine and conventional to our ears.

I’m surprised he didn’t bring up the tuning of that old organ. It sure doesn’t sound like equal temperament to me! I thought he might have discussed that. More interesting to me than the hymn itself.

We also had to study 16th century counterpoint, and it was far more restrictive than what Bach was doing! This was the era of Palestrina and Victoria.

Strange that this young man dissed medieval music. Nothing wrong with it, and interesting in its own right.

Waves upon waves of artist csncellations.

The Mediterranean diet seems to be holding up well through the years.

SK and Mik, I like your trees!

Ours is now out for composting. Sorry, no pics. We don’t hang ornaments any more (time intensive), just lights. We also have lights around the front porch.

Congratulations on the resolution of your problem, and having a tech who could deal with it! I'm sure you've mentioned it before, but what make of piano is it?

Not me. Having a single malt at home, Deanston Virgin Oak…inexpensive but surprisingly good. Happy New Year!

@wtg Yes, that's the one!

I think the recording is beautiful. By the way, have you seen that video where Seymour Bernstein argues that “hairpins” in Chopin and Brahms might mean rubato instead of crescendo and diminuendo? Head-exploding!

Can’t read because of terms of use. But I’m planning to take the train to Boston soon for a concert.

Addendum: I did bring out the oil-filled heater today for the room with the TV. It’s working well and the heat is so comfortable even on the low setting. It didn’t have much effect in the kitchen, which is draftier.

It’s possible that the radiator isn’t getting hot enough because of air in the system. I should try bleeding it.

@Bernard I can vouch for that technique. I can’t recall where I saw it, maybe some macrobiotic cookbook. Carefully braise/steam the vegetable first, till partially done, then add oil and seasonings. You get better control of things like garlic and onion, which can overcook or burn if you add them first, and herbs and seasonings stay more vibrant.

I made broccoli — actually not my fave vegetable to cook, but the grandkids WiLL eat it. Chopped, parboiled, then ice bath, drained, and later sautéed and cheddar added. It was not bad. Maybe more work than I needed it to be.

I viscerally dislike the self checkouts. If I’m doing the cashier’s job, at least give me a discount.

The local CVS has 3 self checkouts. Whenever I’ve used them there’s always a glitch and a staffer has to come over and fix things. Not very efficient. Also there are discrepancies over what the shelf price is and what the scanner says it is.