Thursday, January 31, 2013

Squeezy birds 2

And then, just as quickly

Following a 25-minute commute that took 50 minutes and which featured a downpour ...


No ice skating today


This rain is the sheets

As the temperature increased during the overnight, and the rain went sideways for a while. Taft Avenue, the source of the second selective deforesting, is without power. Not seen: a rabbit by the bush next to the shed.



Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Just a few hours later



Carriage return

Check this out. All for the want of a carriage return; did Mussorgsky orchestrate my piece?

La nebbia

Yes, our word nebulous comes from the Italian word for fog. Deal with it.

Today, on top of the fog, there is a thin coating of ice on select sidewalks and driveway. More work for me!



Sunday, January 27, 2013

Wyner premiere

My former colleague Yehudi Wyner had a premiere of a new piano quartet in Concord today, and I went with John Aylward. It was packed. And the piece is marvelous.


White Assabet

Beff took this picture with my phone on our morning walk.


Saturday, January 26, 2013

The secret of perfect risotto

Anything that needs 22 minutes in an 1100-watt microwave must be worth waiting for.


French potato chip flavors

This picture was taken two years ago. In France. Odd that mustard pickle is not moutarde cornichon, and that salt & vinegar is not sel et vinaigre. And incidentally, the moutarde pickle chip's flavor is awesomely weird.

On the other hand, I heartily encourage the reader to ask for nature chips at your next picnic.


More colors of the day


Friday, January 25, 2013

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Groovy 2

Also it works fine on my PowerBook at home.


And my iMac.


Grooviness

I installed AirServer on my office computer so that, in the absence of our nonexistent Document Camera, I could use the iPad as a portable displayer of student work. With AirServer on, whatever displays on the iPad displays full-screen on the computer.

So, point the iPad camera at the monitor it's taken over, and grooviness ensues. That thing where the picture snaps and the animation moves it to the lower left corner? Mind blowage.






Tuesday, January 22, 2013

We used to listen to this a lot

Bad movie. Mediocre soundtrack. Great title track. And unavailable on iTunes and all the streaming services. Something we still say a lot: I got tropical birds. Did ya see 'em? The title tune is by Herbie Hancock, with rap by "The Don". I sure hope that doesn't mean Don Martino, because I know he rapped better than that.

It's a well kept secret that in the '90s, most people's heads were slightly large for their bodies.

Driveway art


Colors of the day


Sunday, January 20, 2013

Spring in winter

Holiday weekend, and the temperature is springlike in advance of what is predicted to be the coldest air here in four years. Four! Years! Remember how cold it was for Obama's first inauguration?

Also, no, match.com, I'm not single.


We chose to walk the trails on Summer Hill as the roundabout way to Shaw's and the video store.


Thus encountering a black snake.


And a notification of a Ted talk.


I reencountered, faded, the game I don't know the rules for, took a turn, and won.


Later, we did some mordents.


With the snow melted — again — I wore sneakers for likely the last time in quite a while.

Stairing contest


Thursday, January 17, 2013

You first.


Steve S.'s autograph


Obs! Avstand

All the préludes in Book II are entitled Mind the Gap. John Mackey, currently in Norway, recently added to my pile of Mind the Gap kitsch.

That's one small step for commuters. One giant leap for my nefarious plan.


On a related note, from Christmas 2011.


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Progress?

January 2012

January 2013


Dream Act

Several nights ago I dreamed of Timothy McAllister playing this lick. By rule, it will be incorporated into the piano quartet I am currently working on.