Pure genius

Listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFPzYNrQigg&feature=related



Even if you don't like opera, you have to admit that this performance of "Di quella pira" from the opera "Il Trovatore" by Giuseppe Verdi is magnificent. Luciano Pavarotti was the great tenor of his time, and, for me, the great tenor of all time. His phrasing in Italian was absolutely gorgeous. His French was also pretty good (check out "Ah mes amis" from Donizetti's "La fille du regiment", also available on You Tube...see note below).



I adored Pavarotti. I only saw him in one opera, Puccini's "Tosca" in Philadelphia. Those of us who lived in the Philadelphia area during the height of Pavarotti's career were so lucky. He spent a lot of time in Philly; it's where his international voice competition was based. I saw him in recital many, many times. And I have to thank my Italian language teachers in high school, John Mazzotta and especially Cesarina DeCesero for their part in bringing opera into my life. It's certainly not the only music I listen to, it's not even what I listen to most these days, but I'm pretty sure I feel the most emotion when I put on a Pavarotti recording. Of course, when you do that you are often gifted with another great singer in the process: Joan Sutherland, Mirella Freni, Placido Domingo, Marilyn Horne.



Beautiful stuff.

While you're at You Tube you might feel the need to check out the other performances of "Di quella pira" while you're there. Please do. Once you do, you will truly understand why this one is so very special. Also, I do recommend checking out this: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=c6NkMeR2Z0M. It's a little long, but this is the famous "La fille du regiment" aria with 9 high C's.

Watch your toolkit

No matter where you are it is important to keep an eye on your tools. The expensive ones often get stolen. Sometimes they get lost in space http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081120/ap_on_sc/space_shuttle. Other times, a little Beagle named Fred will go into your bag (he'd have gotten to it even if it had been zipped up) and slip out a screwdriver and gnaw that hard plastic handle to shreds. That's what he did the other day when Lee and Dutchie (not Deb's Dutch, the other Dutch) came to finish up a couple of things on the bathroom and the thermostat. Dutchie thought it was hysterical; of course, it wasn't his screwdriver. But Lee laughed, too. My dogs have grown accustomed to these fellas being here, and all of the guys have been so nice and patient with the dogs. They were well-behaved, but the guys working on the bathroom have had to be extra careful coming in and out of the house and ultra-aware of the things they leave laying about (much to Fred's chagrin). We're about done now. Bailey is going to miss hanging with the guys. If he was a 'real' boy he'd have helped them out every single day.

Goodness, there is so much good reading out there

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111802886.html

The article speaks for itself. Well said. But the Republicans won't listen.

Whew!

My pal Darryl's nightmare scenario will not come true. Ted Stevens has lost his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate from Alaska. Darryl had posited that Stevens would win re-election and then be forced to leave the Senate once his appeals on his conviction on federal corruption charges were exhausted. At that point, Darryl had suggested the nightmare scenario that Sarah Palin would then appoint herself to complete the remaining 6 years of the term. The thought of that kind of visibility for this ultimate opportunist was too much to think about. Luckily, we can put that out of our heads; I still get shivers thinking about it. I figured she'd go back to Alaska and we wouldn't hear much from her again. Man, that voice could gag a maggot!

Bye Sarah. Don't let the door hit ya.

Of course, Stevens hasn't conceded yet, and there could be a recount. I shall not hold my breath on this one until the deed is truly done.

Here I go again!

My friends, you might think that with Barack Obama's victory over the Republicans I would be happy as a clam and ready to leave behind my criticisms of George Bush and his idiotic decision-making over these years. And I was happy to take that path, but this decision by the Bureau of Land Management to lease large portions of eastern Utah for oil and gas extraction has forced me into a u-turn.

Above is a photo that I took last year at Arches National Park. This is what the BLM under George Bush thinks is okay to jeopardize, dirtying up the landscape, marring the natural beauty and wonder of vast expanses of wilderness. I feel so lucky to have been able to make this trip; the west is a wonder and something every American should have the chance to see. That there are those who do not think that these are areas that need to be preserved for us and for posterity...I just don't understand this thinking. Don't we do enough marring the landscape in areas that we have to look at every day? I'd like to think we can leave it at that and not leave our smudges on every spot of beauty in this country.

Robert Redford posted an opinion that says better than I could my feeling on this subject. And as he notes, there is hope, as Obama has expressed his desire to reverse these leases once he takes office. I will be hoping this can happen. Meanwhile, if you can, schedule yourself a trip out to see some of the majesty that this country has to offer. In our lifetimes, ersosion, and hopefully dumb ideas like this, won't have a chance to change the beautiful land that awaits you on your roadtrip.

Happy trails!

Oops! I meant to include the link to Redford's opinion piece. Here it is :http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-redford/americans-rejected-drill_b_144499.html

Ramblings on the week ahead

For someone who is currently not working I sure do manage to pack in a full week on occasion. This morning I am awaiting the arrival of Larry my bathroom contractor. The expansion of the half bath to a guest suite with a full bath is complete and now I have to pay for it. Ugh. :-( But that's okay, I knew it was coming. A long time coming. But it's done and it's lovely and it's particularly lovely to not have to share a bathroom with my sister, when I don't have guests, of course.

This afternoon I take Miller to the groomer. While he's being groomed so will I; I am overdue for a haircut.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is my last class in the Cornell University Essex and Clinton County's Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Volunteer program (boy is THAT a mouthful). :-( I LOVE this class and don't want it to end. I spent yesterday afternoon with two of my compadres in the class, sisters who live in Crown Point near the Champlain Bridge. They are two of SIXTEEN children. Yikes! I stopped at Flo's place first to tour the family farm (and visit with her husband and son and beautiful Collie Sparky) and then we went over to Jeannette's to have lunch with her family. We three have been commiserating (re: griping) about the fact that the gardening class had to end. But we have a year's worth of volunteering coming up, including monthly meetings, so that will be cool.

Wednesday will be Bailey and Fred's turn at the groomer. I can't do all three of them together - that would surely drive me to drink (more). And they are overdue for their grooming, especially their nails, so I fit them in as soon as I could. Separately, thank you very much.

I may or may not have an evening event for MoveOn.org members in my area this Thursday. There are active groups over in Burlington, VT but none over on this side of the lake, so, if I get any RSVPs, we'll have a gathering. We'll probably have some champagne in celebration of the elections. Champagne has been an ongoing theme at my house since the election, as those who are in the know might already have surmised.

I think Friday is open.

Prop 8, Gay Marriage, and Why Can't People Mind Their Own Business?

I just spent a little time over at Andrew Sullivan's blog, looking at all the photos and reports coming in from the hundreds of protests organized throughout the country in protest of the passage of Prop 8 in California and other restrictions against gay and lesbian freedoms in other states.

I have always had what I think is a very simple and straightforward question about this: Why is it my business if someone wants to get married? Isn't that something that really is only the business of the two people engaging in marriage? Okay, maybe their families and closest friends can have some impact - though no real say, because, like, it's none of their business, either - but really, this is a private issue. Gays and lesbians marrying has absolutely nothing to do with how YOU (or I) choose to lead your life, get married in your own right, have or adopt and then raise your children. I will never understand why anyone thinks they have the right to tell me what to do. You can have an opinion...it is, after all, a free country. But what a gay or lesbian couple does has zero impact on YOUR life. Why should it?

The inaugural post

You see, for those of you who know me, you're probably thinking one of two things with the title of this post:

1) Jeez, here she goes with the Obama inaugural stuff already (requisite eye roll)

- or -

2) It's about time she started a blog.


But also, as those of you who know me well already know, I am usually late to the technical revolution. Yes, I understand how odd that sounds coming from a former software consultant. But it is what it is. And I say former software consultant as in "not currently consulting". I leave that option open for the future, but it is a back-burner reality for now.

I don't have all that much to say for my first blog post. Don't let that worry you, though. I am sure to have more to say as life goes on. I usually do. And I reserve the right to comment on whatever tickles my funny bone, or not so "humerus" bone, depending on the day.

I also haven't got a feel yet for how often I'll be posting here. I reckon often, but I'm new to this whole blogging thing, and I'm still working on the page itself, which is a totally fun thing to do. What should I link to that represents me and my interests? I've started with a few: The Daily Puppy, of course. Andrew Sullivan's blog, for now. There will be others. And I have a link here to my friend Darryl's blog over in Jay, NY. He's the one what got me started on my blog, so many thanks to Darryl, aka Dutch, aka my sister Deb's boyfriend. My posts will definitely reflect my location here in the tiny Adirondack/Champlain Valley town of Willsboro; Dutch's perspective is some 45 minutes closer to Lake Placid.

So, for those of you who find the blog? Enjoy! I hope to present more interesting and response-worthy posts in the future.

Oh, and you might be wondering about the fellas at the top of the screen. They would be my boys, from left to right: Fred, Miller, Boo and Bailey. Boo is no longer with us, but is definitely still with us in spirit. The winter is approaching fast and with the first significant snowfall we will all be thinking about how much he would have loved living up here. He was born to live in snow country.

Peace.