Traditionally sung in the Vatican during Holy Week on Wednesday and Good Friday, the Miserere Mei was most likely composed during the 1630s by Gregorio Allegri under the reign of Pope Urban VIII. This exquisite setting of Psalm 51 was jealously guarded by the Vatican: it is said that anyone who wrote the music down and tried to share or perform it elsewhere—outside of the Holy Week setting in the Sistine Chapel—would be punished by excommunication. The form in which this piece has come down to us has been altered by the passage of time: different transcriptions at different times [...] Read more »
A Grown-Up Library
You know when you’re a kid, and you think it’s going to be so wonderful to be a grown-up? You can hardly hold yourself together in anticipation of the great adult life that will be yours as soon as your little limbs and torso and feet and hands just get with the program and grow already. Oh, the glamor! Ah, the freedom! And finally, at long last—the overwhelming excitement of your first taste of independence and adulthood! But unfortunately the charms of adulthood can start to pale pretty quickly once the bills, the errands, the perpetual lack of both sleep [...] Read more »
Jackpot, jackpot!
My husband is indeed a modern American. Along with about 250 million other Americans, he decided to buy a lottery ticket yesterday (I’m totally speculating about the numbers at this point—in fact, I made them up wholesale). Then he realized he would need to be responsible with the earnings he would inevitably win, so he figured out a quick budgetary guide to assist him in managing his sure-to-come new windfall. But alas, the next morning it fell upon my shoulders to delicately inform him that according to Facebook, his jackpot…hadn’t materialized. My husband promptly decided an immediate protest of the [...] Read more »
“Oh, give me a home/Where the buffalo roam”
I grew up in North Dakota. It was often said (prior to the recent oil boom, anyway) that North Dakota had more bison than people. This opinion was most frequently intoned by East Coast “scientists” of overly-graviteous demeanor and overly-unctous, mournful tone. They would then follow up with their latest and most clearly brilliant plan to turn North Dakota into a wildlife preserve so the buffalo (another term for bison) could freely roam. Upon finding out that the latest of this string of earnest scientists was from the fine state of New Jersey, North Dakotans mumbled that they’d be happy [...] Read more »
Eternal life in heaven through social networking?
While growing up in Christianity—and as a practicing Christian throughout my adult years—I have heard numerous discussions regarding where we spend eternity and how each of us ends up getting there. Various Christians—committed people who thoughtfully practice their faith—have argued about these issues for literally millennia now. Despite the fact that these are committed people who thoughtfully practice their faith, traditions within Christianity have still differed on the levels of importance each facet of the Christian journey has, and how that in turn affects our hope of spending eternity with an all-wise, all-omnipotent, all-loving, and all-just God. As you can [...] Read more »
Free Lessons
I believe in lifelong learning. As such, I am going to share this rich gift of a free voice lesson with you. A friend on a social network shared this, uh, er, um, well, words simply don’t do it justice! At any rate, please do enjoy this free 5-minute voice lesson. And be aware that every voice teacher worth their salt will disagree with every single aspect of the ideology and the exercises and the explanations given in this 5-minute free voice lesson (courtesy of YouTube). But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the rich hilarity of it all. P.S. [...] Read more »
On Hosannas and Ammo Belts
In this season of Lent, I have recently been reminded that Palm Sunday can mean very different things to different people. Perhaps the Protestant Christian church has been slightly remiss in presenting the season of Lent (including Palm Sunday) with the kind of clarity that leads to understanding. Maybe Sunday schools could revisit how they are presenting and teaching this particular season of the church year. I submit this (possible) case in point: For some reason I think the “hosannas” have been a bit lost in translation on this one… Read more »
Don’t Let Your Skirt Fly Too High Today
Happy St. Patty’s Day, everyone! Stay safe and be courteous~ Read more »
On Easy Replaceability
My self-esteem has taken a real hit today, courtesy of that ever-helpful YouTube. Why? Because I now realize that anytime I need a sub for my job as a music teacher, I can just ask my dog Pugsley to step in for me. Now, as much as I love Pugsley and wish him every success, it’s still painful to realize that despite years of training and experience, I am indeed replaceable. By a dog, no less. The evidence can be found right here: Read more »
Monday Coffee Posting
Yup. Agreed. How about you? Happy Monday, everyone! ; ) Read more »
A few quotes for early March
An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way~~Charles Bukowski Because the thing about love is that we can’t control whether we get it, but we can control whether we give it~~Lisa Scottoline Stress cannot exist in the presence of pie~~David Mamet When you wake up in the morning, Pooh, said Piglet at last, what’s the first thing you say to yourself? What’s for breakfast? said Pooh. What do you say, Piglet? I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today? said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. It’s the [...] Read more »
On Math as Violation of Separation of Church and State
I now know why teaching math in school is such a clear violation of the separation of church and state. But I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t realize this until after Calvin explained it so well. Here he is to explain why: Read more »
Real Men Don’t
Just a few deeply sobering statistics: 1) An estimated one million children are forced to work in the global sex industry every year 2) The global sex slavery market generates a $39 billion profit annually 3) Selling young girls is more profitable than trafficking drugs or weapons To find out more about what you can do, check out the Not For Sale site, along with many other groups, sites, and campaigns as well. (For example, here’s a list Oprah compiled of ways you can help abolish modern-day female slavery.) This conversation will be continuing throughout this next year… Read more »
The Times, They Are A-Changin’
Yep, some things just aren’t what they used to be… Read more »
For All My ESL Students
I am very certain that all of the ESL students whom I’ve taught would wholeheartedly agree with this graphic. English can be really messed-up sometimes. Sheesh! : ) Enjoy~ Read more »