Blogus Maximus

Fair warning - there's going be a whole lot of blog posts in a row...

Of course, this warning will be buried by the time the others get here, so it's a moot point, but it's the thought that counts.

Wow.

I'm not a "pass it on" kind of guy. When someone sends me an email that says "pass this on," I generally don't. I figure my inbox is overstuffed, so I'd rather not fill up someone else's.

However, every once in a while, something comes along that needs to be shared. My friend Suzie posted this on her blog, and I was very moved by it. So, I'll pass it along. Besides, I've never tried embedding a video before. :-D Thanks, Suzie!

A moment of perfect beauty...

Very brief music lesson here...

Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is one of the most haunting pieces on the planet. If you've never experienced it, run (don't walk) to the library, the store, iTunes, wherever you get your tunes and listen to it. I'll wait...........

Cool, eh? I thought you'd like it.

What you may not know is that Barber also scored a vocal version of this piece, "Agnus Dei." Gorgeous, and tremendously hard, considering the voices are doing the work of the strings, but strings don't have to breathe. I've heard a few renditions of this work, and it's equally as chilling as the string version.

But the one I listened to tonight took my breath away. Found it on iTunes, by Richard Marlow and the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge from the album Allegri: Miserere. Slower than any vocal version I've heard, with massive chords and amazing voices. The climax of the piece (starting about 6:20 and on) left me speechless, especially the almost dead silent chord following the big one. Whoa...

A moment of perfect beauty indeed. :-D

Is it REALLY worth it???

Lovely vacation, off to Missouri and then to Tennessee. Caught up with family & friends, and listened to a really great book in the car.

Then the homecoming:

1)Our furnace is not working, but we knew that when we left. Came home to a COLD house.

2) Dog gate broken - very old, so no biggie there.

3) Dehumidifier broken, also already known.

BUT>>>>

4) Hot water heater failed, resulting in much water in basement and no hot water for a much-needed shower upon getting home. And it's Saturday, so who the HECK do we call to get it fixed. And we now have a LOT of wet stuff to clean out of the basement. And hopefully we didn't end up with a colony of mold to live with.

So, I ask you - was vacation worth it?... :-/

More celebriDrivel

Ah, Tina Fey. That pinnacle of thespian accomplishment. Ranks right up there with the immortal Adam Sandler in my list. So, here's what she had to say in regard to all the attention on her SNL impression of Gov. Palin at that widely-panned self-congratulatory sleaze fest known as the Emmys:

"Fey herself, who has gotten so much attention for her impression of Palin on "Saturday Night Live," said she hopes the VP hopeful will be out of her life very soon.

"I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5, so if anyone could help me be done playing her on Nov. 5, that would be good for me," Fey said, adding that she was totally resistant in acknowledging her uncanny physical resemblance to Palin until her young daughter turned on the TV and teased "that's mummy."

Simple solution: join the masses who've already turned off the tube, watch the ratings drop, and bingo - she's done playing anybody. Easy. Quick. And really REALLY painless. Or, save us the effort and just drop her butt right now. It's in her best intrests, really - if she doesn't want to play someone anymore, all she has to do is get out of our faces.

And take a few of your friends with you, Tina...