My listening post this evening is with another kombucha to my right, John Suchet’s book Beethoven: The Man Revealed to my left, and in the background is Season 1, Episode 3 (“Sally and the Lab Technician”) of the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show – for my money, the best-written, best acted TV series of all … [Read more…]
With the Penny Marshall film Big playing in the background, I’m drinking a kombucha, eating a Caesar salad, and listening to… Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink (1929- ), the London Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor. I’ve encountered Maestro Haitink eight times previous to this evening, on… Day 8. Rating:”Meh!” Day 26. … [Read more…]
My listening post this morning is with the classic 1954 holiday movie White Christmas (the first movie filmed in VistaVision) in the background, this year’s Christmas tree (as yet undecorated) on my right, a fresh sliced avocado on the table beside me on my right, a cup of fresh-brewed coffee on my left, and German … [Read more…]
I love getting up early. In fact, the earlier the better. I have a specific morning ritual that goes like this: I wake up at 5:01 (I always set my alarm for the :01 after whatever time; I like the specific-ness of it). I sit in meditation for 20-30 minutes. I make and imbibe 2-3 … [Read more…]
My listening post this morning is in a tiny house in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. If you look really closely at Vincent van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night, just to the right of the steeple, you can see me. I’m wearing a red beret. Just kidding. Actually, my listening post this morning is inside a steamer trunk. It’s … [Read more…]
My listening post today is overlooking the lake on a bleak, cold, snowy early November. The temperature is 28° (that’s -2°C to all my overseas friends). It may not be the coldest November in Michigan history. But it ranks right up there. This winter is going to be a bitch. Thankfully, it’s the perfect day … [Read more…]
While Season Four Episode Four (“Guardian Angels” – which, coincidentally, aired nearly 11 years ago today) of the TV series House plays in the background, and our cat languishes in the middle rung of his “cat tower,” I’m listening to German conductor Eugen Jochum (1902-1987), the London Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in … [Read more…]
This afternoon, I have the pleasure (or maybe not; time will tell) of listening to Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink (1929- ), the London Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major. I’m going to get right down to it. I’ve encountered Maestro Haitink five times previously, on… Day 8. Rating:”Meh!” Day 26. Rating:”Huzzah!” … [Read more…]
This morning, I am listening to German conductor Eugen Jochum (1902-1987), the London Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor. I have encountered Maestro Jochum four times previous to this morning, on… Day 9. Rating: “Huzzah!” Day 27. Rating: Not quite Meh, but not Huzzah! either Day 45. Rating: “Huzzah!” Day 63. … [Read more…]
This morning, sitting on the porch sans flowers (they’ve been ripped out and the pots made ready for winter storage), I listen to Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink (1929- ), the London Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor. October is my favorite month. It’s the most colorful (at least, here in Michigan), … [Read more…]