Monthly Archives: December 2011

Undeniable Charm

The first compact disc was a Billy Joel album released in 1982. Well before that, studios had been making recordings digitally and releasing them on analog LPs. From the moment the compact disc was released, long-playing albums were headed for … Continue reading

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Oh, Drat

I began making my tea—an Assam blend from Upton's—this morning as usual. Water on the boil, teapot warmed, tea measured into the teapot infuser; fill the teapot with boiling water, fasten on the lid, and then reach up to snag … Continue reading

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Fitzgerald Rex

I know why they do it. I sympathize. It’s short; it’s clearly written; it’s divided into ten tightly structured chapters; it has enough sex to titillate but is nonetheless G-rated by today’s debased standards; the author’s life provides a nanny-approved … Continue reading

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Artistic Types

Reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Stephen Jobs is an unsettling experience. Not that there's anything wrong with the book itself; it's well-written, meticulously researched, scrupulously fair, and a class act all the way around. The shakeup results from the constant … Continue reading

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Shake, Rattle, and Roll

We all get the late-night willies sometimes. Last night was my sometime, the first in a good long while. What sets off a case of the bedtime jitters? Too many thoughts crowding together, all vying for attention? Underlying anxieties? Maybe … Continue reading

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Oh, Sit Down

It's December. Messiahs are popping up hither and yon. Handel's beloved oratorio is to choruses what shopping is to Macy's: this is the time of year when they break even. Messiah keeps a lot of choruses in the black. Which … Continue reading

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Killer Bunnies

Perhaps it's a way of achieving balance. Perhaps it's a bad habit. Perhaps it points to some deep unresolved inner turmoil. Perhaps I'm making too much out of a trivial personal shortcoming. Allow me to explain, to confess, perhaps even … Continue reading

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An Unassigned Writer

Earlier this week I submitted my last paid writing assignment for this particular season, a program note on Handel’s Alexander’s Feast for the Philharmonia Baroque’s April 2012 concerts. That might give you an idea of the lead times required in … Continue reading

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Depression Cure, My Ass

There are people who are so deeply soaked in their own vat of opinion that they can't see when they're spouting nonsense. One of the more blatant examples comes with a well-meaning but ridiculous little article "5 Foods to Eat … Continue reading

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Reasonably Tidy

An article in today's New York Times strikes me as being more a documentation of mental illness and less an informative puff piece. It's all about those hyper-clean types who come all unglued on the subject of soap scum or … Continue reading

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