My listening post this evening is in shambles. There’s wrapping paper, tissue paper, presents to wrap, and even a glass of white wine standing ready in case I get overwhelmed by it all. My wife is in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the gingerbread houses we’ll give as gifts Christmas Day. (They’re spectacular, … [Read more…]
My listening post this morning is with one of the most famous episodes of The Andy Griffith Show in the background: “Opie the Birdman” (Season Four, Episode One). If you ever get a chance to watch “Opie the Birdman,” do it. The last line of dialogue is one of the most famous – and poignant … [Read more…]
My listening post this evening is in the living room, with House, M.D. (Season 8 Episode 19 – “The C Word“) on TV, tree and trimmings glowing joyfully, and American conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), Wiener Philharmoniker and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor in my ears. Before I go any further, I’m going to … [Read more…]
My listening post this morning is at the Restaurant-Chain-That-Must-Not-Be-Named where I can watch a wide variety of people come and go, eat, chat, and enjoy each other’s company – all while the only thing I hear this morning is Austrian conductor Karl Bohm (1894-1981), Wiener Philharmoniker, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F major. The … [Read more…]
My listening post this morning is at a table, quite early in the morning, in a local franchise of the Restaurant-Chain-That-Must-Not-Be-Named. An Asiago bagel (toasted twice) with plain cream cheese, and this establishment’s signature Light Roast coffee are poised on my left. My trusty note pad and pen are similarly poised on my right. Both … [Read more…]
My listening post today is in the living room while the Disney movie Tangled plays in the background. The background is not for me. It’s for my wife. She’s in the kitchen cleaning, organizing, arranging (her love languages), and preparing for Thanksgiving dinner later this week. We are hosting it again this year. I’m sitting … [Read more…]
My listening post this morning is Baker Book House, the largest theological book store in the Midwest. This is an amazing place to work, get coffee, eat a scone, and browse rows and rows and rows and rows of books, especially used books. Anyway, here I am listing to Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), … [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…]
My listening post this morning (with Iron Maiden’s Powerslave album on low in the background) is overlooking the snow-covered balcony. The temperature outside is 30 degrees Fahrenheit, which is -1 Celsius. No matter how you measure it, it’s cold. Because I can barely hear Maiden in the background (it’s at the same level as music … [Read more…]
This morning, while I eat my tasty Midwestern Scramble at New Beginnings Restaurant, I look outside to see our first major snowfall of the season, sip quite tasty coffee that doesn’t seem to have a bottom because of the crack team of wait staff here, and I listen to Austrian conductor Karl Bohm, Wiener Philharmonica, … [Read more…]