Monthly Archives: September 2009

Writing in brief

I’ve recently put finishing touches on a series of extremely short liner notes for a CD project. The word limit was downright appalling: 150 words per piece. That’s one basic-length paragraph, maybe a half-dozen sentences or so. How does one … Continue reading

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Tippy Tappy

We all know folks who are incredibly picky about something, usually something that doesn’t seem all that important to others. I have a friend who turns making coffee into a magnificent ritual: he gets his fancy-schmanzy beans custom-roasted (in small … Continue reading

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Sibelius 6

I’ve been a fan and user of the music notation software Sibelius ever since it first appeared here in the U.S. for Windows-based computers, eventually coming out in a Mac version. (Prior to that it had been available only for … Continue reading

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Sourpuss

A question for the day: why would I, after having been the recipient of a prime seat to a performance of Puccini’s Il Trittico, emerge from the Opera House spitting tacks and frothing with venom—dissatisfied, frustrated, and even a little … Continue reading

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Time Off

For the workaholics amongst us, leisure time may well be one of the thorniest challenges around. How to use those hours or days off, those times when nothing in particular is scheduled, without transforming leisure into productivity or, assuming we … Continue reading

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Puccini’s Penny Dreadfuls

Of late I’ve been listening to Puccini’s trilogy of one-act operas Il Trittico, featuring Il Tabarro (The Cloak), Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica), and Gianni Schicchi. No doubt about it, the three operas are lots of fun. (Well, except for cringing … Continue reading

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Snow Leopard: Mostly Good

Geek irrationality notwithstanding, upgrading one’s computer operating system ranks at about the level of life importance as clearing out the hall closet, i.e., you can live quite well without ever doing it. Plenty of folks get by just fine with … Continue reading

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Why the long face?

The school year has begun in earnest and my time, so recently profuse and unallocated, has become a precious commodity not to be squandered. But it’s a three-day weekend, and I’ll be doggoned if I’m going to make like a … Continue reading

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