lessons of the month

Animals, Books, Computers, Humour, Life, Music, Pets, Programming, Reviews, Society

This month has flown right by, but not without some learning experiences. Here are some things I learned:

  • Never give Schr?die flea medicine while wearing a decent shirt; she still has back claws.
  • There is a limit as to how much milk one can ingest in the span of three minutes.
  • High school kids that play in pit bands are really cool.
  • The Comfort Inn is not that comfortable.
  • It can take 50 minutes to drive 5 miles when there is night construction on I-95.
  • Always make a backup of a database table before you do anything to it.
  • Agatha Christie is still a good read.
  • Some vampire cable shows should never have been made.

Good luck, Constantine

Family, Life, Music, Reviews

Watching the Tony’s and trying to do homeworkat the same time. (Guess what’s getting more of my attention.) The West Side Story dance number was excellent! I can’t wait to do that show again.

Here’s Constantine and Kerri, a few years ago, after Rent in Boston.

Kerri has been in love with him since then. We had to watch nearly an entire season of American Idol because Constantine was on it! It confirmed my suspicions that I would hate the show, but I was really impressed that Constantine made it as far as he did.

Hope you win tonight, Constantine!!

Free Listening to New Music at Carnegie Hall!

Music, Reviews

The Carnegie Hall website is offering free listening (and in some cases, free downloads) of new music commissioned by them. Visit http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/sound_insights/works/commissions/wrk_commissions.html to listen.

Maybe I’m prejudiced by being a clarinet player and all, but I highly recommend Gumboots for Clarinet and String Quartet by David Bruce, played on bass and Bb clarinet by Todd Palmer. I sure wish that piece was available for download. David Bruce talks about the piece on his website. This is one score I HAVE to have!

Five Chairs and One Table by Daniel Bernard Roumain is for (what sounds like) a wind octet, and has some really cool bassoon in it!

John Adams has a really good piece up called Son of Chamber Symphony. Not quite as captivating as The Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for Orchestra, but very powerful. I listened to it three times in a row, and found it better with each listen.