I was going through some folders on my Mac and I came across this photo. I think I grabbed it a few months ago with the intention of putting it on the blog at some point. Well, no time like the present, as they say.
Capriccio Italien
When I was growing up, we had a record album from the Reader’s Digest called The Festival of Light Classical Music. It had pretty much what you might expect. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The 1812 Overture, Bolero, all the famous, easily digestible pieces. And it had Chaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien. Though, like nearly everyone else, it mis-transliterated Chaikovsky’s name. Chaikovsky had … Continue reading Capriccio Italien
The Day the Network Died
Have I ever told the story of what composer Max Reger wrote to a critic who gave him a negative review? He wrote: “Ich sitze in dem kleinsten Zimmer in meinem Hause. Ich habe Ihre Kritik vor mir. Im nächsten Augenblick wird sie hinter mir sein!” (“I am sitting in the smallest room of my … Continue reading The Day the Network Died
Trust No One
A while back I did a few posts about the biblical Herods, and I had intended to follow up with one about Herod Agrippa, the last of the biblical Herods, but I never got around to it. If you ever watched the TV series I, Claudius or read the books that it’s based on, then you're … Continue reading Trust No One
Dummy With the Wig on Top
Time for another Randy!
Writing by Hand Makes Us Think Better
I’ve been holding onto this web page for months with the intention of writing about it, so perhaps the time has come. I’ve seen reports from time to time over the past few years that many schools were no longer teaching cursive writing, and I thought that was foolish in the extreme. It seems to … Continue reading Writing by Hand Makes Us Think Better
The One With Aaron Sorkin
The guest on episode 753 of Scriptnotes is the legendary Aaron Sorkin, known for A Few Good Men, The West Wing, The Social Network and the forthcoming The Social Reckoning. John and Aaron discuss several of his most famous works and even take apart individual scenes. Then the topic turns to the forthcoming film and … Continue reading The One With Aaron Sorkin
My Top Ten TV Shows of the 20th Century – #10
This is the tenth and final post of a series. The previous posts are: #1: The Howdy Doody Show#2: 77 Sunset Strip#3: The Edge of Night#4: The Defenders#5: That Was The Week That Was#6: The Dick Van Dyke Show#7: The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour#8: The Mary Tyle Moore Show#9: St. Elsewhere#10: The West Wing I … Continue reading My Top Ten TV Shows of the 20th Century – #10
Chicken or Beef?
A few days ago CJ wrote about her preference for chicken or beef or something else and came firmly down on the side of chicken: Chicken chicken chicken chicken. Hands down. Although I do love seafood but don’t have the chance to eat it fresh very often. When I was growing up we raised our … Continue reading Chicken or Beef?
Priscilla
Priscilla ought to be a model. When I asked if I could take her picture she not only consented, but she struck a pose and held it. So all three pics look practically identical. Priscilla and her roomie Mike moved into the house a few doors up the street back in December. She had an … Continue reading Priscilla