WTF-Beta

“Bomb cyclone” blizzard in NYC tomorrow. Up to 18 inches. We’ll see. I have rehearsals in Manhattan on Tuesday, concert in Brooklyn Wednesday. Supposedly.

Olympics, intermittently.

I hear some new bicycles have electronic shifting. Dead battery, no shifting.

@Mark Cool. So, the solar powered watch never needs batteries or winding? I wish I had that feature.

Yes, it’s a copycat thread, but why not? This watch belonged to my son, but he never wore it. I’d guess it’s 25 years old. I don’t understand all the functions. It’s too heavy and all that metal irritates my wrist, so I keep switching it from one hand to the other. But I’m too lazy to go watch shopping.

I seldom wear it. Usually only when I’m going into the city and need to time my transit connections. It’s easier than pulling out my phone to look at the time.

WTF

33 degrees and light snow. Not much accumulation expected. Warming temps through the coming week.

The ad is so short and dark in general, with quick cuts, that it’s hard to appreciate any of the colors.

I think we have one or both of them here. But they are a 5 mile or so drive from here compared to maybe a mile to our favored supermarket. We’re weirdos though, because the locals drive everywhere and that feels like a slog to us. I guess I should look at the prices to see if they’re worth the travel.

Ms. RP used to drive to the Costco in Bayonne, NJ once a week for bulk items, but she’s even doing that less often these days.

I don’t know much about the business side of wine, but aren’t the distributors part of the problem? Apart from pushing certain wines, don’t they discriminate against small wineries or somehow make it hard for them to get to market?

And as you say, the huge restaurant markup is a big problem.

Hate the outrageous by-the-glass prices! We are blessed locally with really fine, delicate pizza, and one place serves a not at all bad red wine at $8. With a baby spinach/fennel salad and plain pie, it’s a very nice afternoon.

@Bernard said in Musical Interlude — Dick Hyman:

Wow. And he plays so much with his eyes closed. I wish had such good blind knowledge of the geography of the keyboard!

I noticed that! No dramatic contortions either. Not to mention…isn’t he over 90 years old? Not too shabby.

Dick Hyman plays Sweet Georgia Brown.

I came across this in a FB piano group. I was instantly attracted to it because he is playing the exact model of Mason & Hamlin concert grand that I have, except this one was made around 1915 and exquisitely rebuilt. Mine’s from 1928 and needs a lot of work, but I believe it could sound like this some day.

It even sounds good on my iPhone. The treble just sparkles! At the end, he tells the audience it is one of the best pianos he’s ever played.

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Yes, I often have almost-stale bread sitting around. Like a quarter of some round loaf. So when I am making soup, I’ll slice it into cubes and throw it on a skillet (sometimes with oil, sometimes not), let it get browned. Some soups also like a finishing touch of grated Parmesan.

(Apologies for posting such trivia in a time of our National crisis.)

@Daniel Well, now that I think of it, sure, I do like a lot of artists. Bosch, Durer, Van Gogh, Rothko, Nevelson, Klee, Krasner, and probably a dozen others whose names don’t occur to me right now. I guess I can appreciate them without knowing how their technique works.

I don’t have a strong visual sense, the way I have a well-developed appreciation for music, or even literature. I don’t know “how” to look at art, yet sometimes I’ll see a work and find it quite affecting. Maybe that’s enough.

@AndyD Your picture of The Pianist’s Mentor reminded me that there are a number of books on pianism by famous teachers (Neuhaus, Whiteside et al.) and I haven’t read any of them. The ones I’ve glanced at seem kind of dry, and it must be hard to describe fine muscle movements in lively prose. One study, The Great Pianists and Their Technique, does have comments by pupils of Liszt, Chopin and others which are interesting.

Today (Sat.) we go into the deep freeze, with a low of 7 degrees and a wind chill of minus 16 in the evening. Continues on Sunday.

@Steve-Miller Yes, I did it in one pot but the ordering of ingredients was crucial. Long-cooking things first, quick ones like spinach at the end.

I decided to make a soup out of veggies that needed to be used (not nearly dead). Onion, celery, potato, tomato, summer squash, crimini mushrooms, baby spinach. With some fresh dill, because they sell dill in these enormous bunches that could feed half of eastern Europe. And a tbsp. or so of Better than Bouillon vegetarian concentrate. Seems to be working.