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Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category

Dumpy Old Man Hunt

Posted in Culture, tagged , , , , on 21 Apr 2015| 4 Comments »

Dragons AheadYesterday, my wife reached the limit of her patience and dragged me out to shop for new clothes.

She thinks I dress like a dumpy old man…which I do because, well, because I am a dumpy old man. Personally, I never look at my ass–ever–so if my pants are baggy in the rear, it’s of little consequence to me. My wife, as it turns out, looks at my ass a lot, and has strong opinions on what I use to cover it and now, tired of me covering my backside with enough cloth to rig a small sailboat, she was determined to change the status quo that I’d so assiduously preserved.

With this as preamble, I got stuffed in the car and trundled off on a clothes-shopping expedition. I had little say in the matter, other than to unequivocally refuse to set foot in Target. My experiences there have been…unpleasant, exceeded only by dim, nightmarish memories of similar expeditions to K-Mart. She could drive up to the door of Target, but I knew she was physically unable to drag me inside.

So she took me to Kohl’s. (more…)

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No One Thing

Posted in Culture, tagged , on 20 Apr 2015| 2 Comments »

Simple LivingLast week, a co-worker entered the elevator. As we descended, she asked, “So, are you still writing your little books?”

[Hrmnmrmnm.]

My wife and I have a phrase.

We got it from the movie Keeping the Faith (one of my favorite rom-coms: it’s about a rabbi, a priest, and a high-powered businesswoman, played by Ben Stiller, Edward Norton, and Jenna Elfman). In one scene, the rabbi is going on a date (yes, single rabbis can do that) and in making small talk, he expresses mild surprise at her strong interest in fitness. During this exchange his date, Ali (played by Lisa Edelstein), admonishes him: “No one thing defines me.”

It’s the high point in a scene of brilliantly comic awkwardness that immediately went into our private lexicon. Modified for our personal use (we don’t include the gut-punch), we use this phrase whenever one of us does something a little out of character, exhibits a new interest, or in some way surprises the other. Here. Try it with me…

Finger up. “No one thing.” (more…)

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Getting my Music Geek On

Posted in Hi Tech, Music, tagged , , , , , on 17 Apr 2015| Leave a Comment »

The world of classical music has changed a lot, since I was last playing on a regular basis. I mean a lot.

forScoreExample 1: When I got my viola repaired I purchased a backup-bow. It is not made of pernambuco wood. In fact, it is not made of wood at all. It’s made of carbon fiber. Carbon fiber!

Example 2: I can get sheet music online, in digital format, and display the music on my iPad. A lot of parts in the public domain can be found, free of charge, too. No more stacks of oversized sheets cluttering my office.

This second item is very exciting to me–I can have Symphonic Karaoke sessions!–but I was not satisfied with the way the standard iPad applications (iBooks, Kindle, DocsToGo, etc.) handled sheet music, so I went in search of a more suitable application. (more…)

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Changing the Conversation

Posted in Politics, tagged , , , on 08 Apr 2015| 3 Comments »

La Sainte MadeleineThe USA is beginning another of its quadrennial conversations.

Whassat? You weren’t aware that we had regular national conversations? Not to worry; most folks aren’t aware of it either, but we do have them. You probably know them better by their more common name, the General Election, where every four years we have this big national discussion in which we ask questions, listen to opinions, and (in theory) provide answers in the form of votes.

The problem: We’re not all asking the same questions, and in my opinion, we’re not asking the correct questions, either. (more…)

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At Last, My Arm Is Complete Again

Posted in Music, tagged , , , , on 30 Mar 2015| 5 Comments »

NataliaWhile I’m taking a hiatus from writing (and if you didn’t realize I’m on hiatus, you haven’t been paying attention), I’ve been reconnecting with the musical avocation I put down when I picked up the author’s pen.

David T Stone and company did an excellent job repairing my instruments, including fixing the divots left in my viola when a mic boom fell on us during a performance. Natalia (my viola) looks wonderful, and my violin is once again in playing condition.

I, however, am not. (more…)

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Let Me Get This Straight

Posted in Culture, Politics, tagged , , , , on 28 Mar 2015| 1 Comment »

I’ve been on vacation/sick as a dog for the past week, and a ton of topics have stacked up, but this Indiana…thing…has taken up all my thinking time and must be addressed first.

If you’re not aware, this week, Indiana’s governor Mike Pence signed a law that will allow businesses to turn away anyone if serving that customer would place a “significant burden” on the business owner’s religious beliefs. Setting aside its incredibly vague and non-quantifiable language, the context and timing of this bill–as well as that of similar laws/bills in nineteen other states–is squarely aimed at allowing businesses to discriminate against members of the LGBT community. In the wake of the SCOTUS Hobby Lobby decision, so-called “religious freedom” is being used as a holy cudgel with which to beat secular society over the head, and give religious zealots carte blanche to foist their particular beliefs on non-believers.

Here’s the thing: You have a right to your religious beliefs–undoubtedly and without question–but you do not have a right to run a business in any way you see fit. Your faith is your own, but your business is a secular enterprise, and if it is open to the public, that’s with whom it must treat: the public.

All of the public. Not just the part of the public you like. (more…)

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Cat Gut and Horse Hair

Posted in Music, tagged , , , , , on 10 Mar 2015| 3 Comments »

SwordleafThe last time I walked into David T. Stone‘s luthier shop, I didn’t have much money. It was a quarter century ago, and I was going through tough financial times. My wife’s health prevented her from working outside the home, we were suffering through a long string of cheap but unreliable cars, and we were trying simultaneously to pay off our credit card debt and save the down payment on a house, all on a single salary. So, back then, when I brought my viola into David’s shop, I was just there for the bare minimum.

As a semi-professional musician (principal viola for the Bellevue Philharmonic and member of a couple working string quartets), the bare minimum meant two things: cat-gut and horse-hair.

Strings and bows.   (more…)

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