random Monday
Sometimes random is the only way to blog, right?
1. No guesses on the "Desire for Hermitage" text setting? Really? Either you guys are lazy or no one's reading this, or I'm a bigger music nerd than I thought. Anyway, that poem is ancient - literally. It was written in Ireland in the 8th or 9th century, probably by a monk, and translated by Sean O'Faolain, then set to music by the great neo-Romantic American composer Samuel Barber. (You know...the guy who wrote Adagio for Strings? Barber was born March 9, 1910, so the centennial of his birth was celebrated last week.) "The Desire for Hermitage" is the last in a set of ten called Hermit Songs, which were written in the early 1950s and are part of the standard vocal repertoire today, and for good reason. They are wonderful pieces, especially when performed as a whole set. I highly recommend Barbara Bonney's recording.
2. Daniel seems to be adjusting to his new preschool. As far as I can tell he even likes it, but you know how kids are. They don't tell you anything. Today when I went to pick him up I said, as I always do, "Hey, buddy! How was school today?" and he replied, as always "I don't know." On the way home, after some prodding, I finally extracted the following information: for snack he had two graham crackers, one piece of cheese, and three raisins. I expect when he's a teenager he'll tell me even less.
3. I'm loving the time change. It's light until after 7 now! So what if the kids get up before dawn? They would anyway!
4. Today was the first really nice day we've had in months and months. It nearly cracked 60 degrees, so I celebrated by wearing flip-flops (and a fleece jacket because I'm not insane, though I have seen several people wearing shorts already). We also dumped some sand in the sandbox in the backyard, and Anya learned The Hard Way that it is not wise to eat a bowlful of goldfish crackers while playing in the sand. We spent some time cleaning half-chewed spit-out crackers from the new sand, and I may be cleaning sand out of her diaper tomorrow. Hey, it's all part of her education, right?
ETA picture:
5. Stu's birthday was Friday. He even took the day off, which is almost unheard of for him, unless we're traveling somewhere. So we essentially had a 3-day weekend all by ourselves, and it was so nice. Too bad we can't get used to it. You see, he also bought a Powerball ticket and wouldn't you know, it wasn't a winner! So much for dreams of early retirement. (Kidding. I know you're more likely to get stuck in a runaway Toyota than win the Powerball. The odds are pretty steep either way.) Anyway, we spent his birthday having a nice, quiet day together and making a smashing good dinner (homemade noodles with meatballs, salad, cake).
1. No guesses on the "Desire for Hermitage" text setting? Really? Either you guys are lazy or no one's reading this, or I'm a bigger music nerd than I thought. Anyway, that poem is ancient - literally. It was written in Ireland in the 8th or 9th century, probably by a monk, and translated by Sean O'Faolain, then set to music by the great neo-Romantic American composer Samuel Barber. (You know...the guy who wrote Adagio for Strings? Barber was born March 9, 1910, so the centennial of his birth was celebrated last week.) "The Desire for Hermitage" is the last in a set of ten called Hermit Songs, which were written in the early 1950s and are part of the standard vocal repertoire today, and for good reason. They are wonderful pieces, especially when performed as a whole set. I highly recommend Barbara Bonney's recording.
2. Daniel seems to be adjusting to his new preschool. As far as I can tell he even likes it, but you know how kids are. They don't tell you anything. Today when I went to pick him up I said, as I always do, "Hey, buddy! How was school today?" and he replied, as always "I don't know." On the way home, after some prodding, I finally extracted the following information: for snack he had two graham crackers, one piece of cheese, and three raisins. I expect when he's a teenager he'll tell me even less.
3. I'm loving the time change. It's light until after 7 now! So what if the kids get up before dawn? They would anyway!
4. Today was the first really nice day we've had in months and months. It nearly cracked 60 degrees, so I celebrated by wearing flip-flops (and a fleece jacket because I'm not insane, though I have seen several people wearing shorts already). We also dumped some sand in the sandbox in the backyard, and Anya learned The Hard Way that it is not wise to eat a bowlful of goldfish crackers while playing in the sand. We spent some time cleaning half-chewed spit-out crackers from the new sand, and I may be cleaning sand out of her diaper tomorrow. Hey, it's all part of her education, right?
ETA picture:
5. Stu's birthday was Friday. He even took the day off, which is almost unheard of for him, unless we're traveling somewhere. So we essentially had a 3-day weekend all by ourselves, and it was so nice. Too bad we can't get used to it. You see, he also bought a Powerball ticket and wouldn't you know, it wasn't a winner! So much for dreams of early retirement. (Kidding. I know you're more likely to get stuck in a runaway Toyota than win the Powerball. The odds are pretty steep either way.) Anyway, we spent his birthday having a nice, quiet day together and making a smashing good dinner (homemade noodles with meatballs, salad, cake).
Comments
Don't feel bad about daycare. My son has been going for a year now and still barely tells me much of what he did.
2. You are apparently a huge music nerd. But hey, at least this way, when you go shopping, you're not likely to forget your Chopin Liszt!
(ba-dum-bum)
(Really.)