It constantly amazes how the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know. In any aspect of my life or education, there hasn’t been a single exception to that general rule. (At least not that I can think of.) That’s both incredibly exciting and also frustrating at times. Sort of brings to mind…
Ever since I moved a little more than a month ago, I’ve been thinking about the process of becoming familiar with a new place. Everything from big things, like making sure you turn down the right street on your way home from work, down to the small things, like the specific way you have to…
So I have been spending a large portion of my free time in the last week or so brushing up on some piano pieces and, in some ways, becoming reacquainted with the instrument. It’s been a very long time since I really spent this much time and effort at the piano. Between that, and all…
Here are a few things I’m grateful for today: My piano. I have enjoyed playing so much, and am so grateful for the music I can bring into my apartment. Along those lines, I’m grateful for all the recorded music I have available to listen to in the background as I am cooking or reading.…
So I have been playing more piano in the last few days than I have played in a decade. Actually, more like thirteen or fourteen years. It’s been fun to look at some of my [very] old music from my final few years of taking piano lessons. I’ve been playing away – Grieg, Bach, Beethoven,…
Short post today, as all my free time has been spent playing my new piano! I am very excited to have a piano in my apartment and am really looking forward to learning new music and brushing up on old pieces that I haven’t played in months or years. So ever since Saturday, Bach has…
I’ve seen Greta Gerwig’s new adaptation of Little Women twice now. First in January, a week after it was first released, and one earlier this month after its digital release. And it’s been on my mind a lot. It’s difficult to put my finger exactly on why I think it works so well, but here my…
I never liked Bach when I was growing up. I thought he was incredibly boring. I played a few Bach pieces (very simple ones) on the piano as I was taking lessons, and they were always some of my least favorite classical pieces I played. My 14-year-old self was pretty convinced that Bach was just…
With all the chaos going on right now, I’ve heard a lot of people say something along the lines, “Now is not the time to read apocalyptic fiction, or books about pandemics.” The idea being that when you’re going through something difficult, you don’t necessarily want to read about it (or watch a film about…
The title character of Jane Austen’s Emma is not exactly given many kind words by readers and critics. She’s described as selfish, entitled, spoiled, and unkind. And perhaps those characterizations are true, to some degree. I mean, Jane Austen, after writing Emma, even said she had created “a heroine whom no one but myself will much…
Well, this isn’t the kind of March madness I think any of us were expecting. Let’s recap the last week, shall we? A global pandemic. (No need to dwell on the details of that as I’m sure we’ve heard them reiterated to death. I’ll just add that as someone who falls into a high risk…
I started 2019 determined to embrace the hobby-hopper in me. I’m the kind of person who dabbles in an activity or topic for a time and then moves on to other hobbies or interests before coming back to something months or even years later. As I started 2019, I set a goal to honor that.…
For a large part of this year, I worked full time at a living history site as a costumed historical interpreter. This was something I absolutely dreamed about growing up, but never thought I would actually have the opportunity to do. I have always loved history (I’ve written before about how I’m drawn to old…
Each day this month, I am taking one painting (chosen from an art book I have) and writing a brief text about it in a little notebook. It’s been a great exercise so far, and I wanted to write a blog post about one of the paintings I chose this week: The Creation of Adam by…
Dear Future Self, I suppose you are more acquainted with me than I am with you. We may not even have that much in common, for all I know. After all, my Self on page 15 of my life was different than my Self on page 20 or 27. But even so, I still think…