I’m sure Sigurd would approve of the weekend I just had. Not a lot of killing, but excellent feasting and fellowship.<\/p>\n
I’ve been TOO bogged down, and I have thoroughly missed hanging out with friends old and new. This Thanksgiving was a friend thanksgiving rather than a family one. It was very very nice.<\/p>\n
Since I also did a lot of christmas shopping this weekend, I was feeling far more benevolent than usual. Well, according to lots of experts, a lot of us were feeling the Christmas spirit.Sales are supposed to be way up this weekend. I am looking forward to the pleasure in my friend’s and family’s eyes when they open the presents I get them.<\/p>\n
I am a very social animal. Being around good friends revitalizes me. I now feel all recharged and ready to tackle new things. This, In reference to my blog, has caused me to look again at all the books I am in the MIDDLE of reading.<\/p>\n
I’m still in the middle of
\nThe Proud Tower, by Barbara Tuchman.
\nMiddleMarch by George Elliot
\nThe Prophet by Khalil Gibran
\nThe Battle for God by Karen Armstrong
\nThe Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynman
\nThe Prince by Machiavelli<\/p>\n
Hmm…There’s more, but I’m not at home and I don’t remember what they are.<\/p>\n
I just finished reading, but have not yet reviewed:
\nThe Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
\nCatch 22 by Joseph Heller
\nThe Voyages of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting<\/p>\n
All of these I think are very worthy of being reviewed, but they are meatier than I have time to just dash off..Interestingly, Dr. Dolittle is the trickiest.<\/p>\n
But what I am really excited about is this poster they are selling at the library…It is a poster\/timeline\/graph of all the major musical composers since the 1400s. It gives their names and their major works and places them in proximity with other contemporary composers.<\/p>\n
This is tremendous! I mean, It’s not like this information didn’t exist before. But sometimes, the way information is presented can make all the difference.<\/p>\n
I believe that music can convey the sense of an idea or an emotion in ways that other mediums cannot. I may say to you, “the 1600s in Europe was a time of humanistic exploration, with intense interest in rational exploration and characterized by a sense of self-confidence.”<\/p>\n
That’s very dry.<\/p>\n
But if I hear the music from that period, and put it into the context of what I know of the history and literature and art and architecture of the period, music can add a depth and fullness and richness to my partly formulated understanding. I am looking for that click, that “Oh!” moment, the moment when the discrete facts coalesce into a fluid understanding.<\/p>\n
I would like to have a sense of the progression of the last 6 centuries. It takes much less time to listen to music than it does to read large tomes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I’m sure Sigurd would approve of the weekend I just had. Not a lot of killing, but excellent feasting and fellowship. I’ve been TOO bogged down, and I have thoroughly missed hanging out with friends old and new. This Thanksgiving … Continue reading