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An Auld Pet Peeve
It's December 31st. In just hours, 2008 will pant out its last breath, simultaneously breathing new life into 2009. All the news broadcasts and morning shows are reporting on the festivities about to begin. This annual ritual inevitably includes the broadcasting of several and various people attempting to sing "Auld Lang Syne." Attempting. ( Read more... ) -
Livemocha
I feel like I've been neglecting my study of the Italian language. I really like to practice a little everyday. Something... doing exercises in textbooks, using Rosetta Stone or other software, watching Italian T.V. on RAI, reading an Italian newspaper, listening to opera.... but something! If I miss more than a couple of days, I start to get ( Read more... ) -
New goggles
This morning I had my first eye exam in ...let's just say WAY too many years. Yep. Bifocals. I really am old. The whole experience was actually quite pleasant. I really like the doctor I saw. He's the same doctor I saw on my last visit... WAY too many years ago. I don't know why I've put this off for so long. Life just gets in the way, I ( Read more... ) -
Thanksgiving II
I don't get home often enough. Once a year, usually, sometimes twice.
My niece is growing like a weed! I get pictures, sure, but it's still a shock to see in person just how much she's grown between visits. My grandmother will be 96 years old next month. She's been in a nursing home for several years now as she cannot care for herself and ( Read more... ) -
Thanksgiving
Hitting the road early tomorrow morning for the eight hour drive home to Pennsylvania. Hope to be on the road by 4:00 o'clock a.m., so will need to hit the hay a bit early tonight. This also means I'll be offline at least through the weekend. Hope all of you who celebrate it have a Happy Thanksgiving.
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For you, I betrayed my homeland
Io son disonorato! Per te tradii la patria!
Last evening was the final class of the "Opera Lirica in Italiano" class I've been taking. We studied, then listened to the section of Aida, Act III, where Radamés and Aida talk of fleeing together to Ethiopia, Aida tricks Radamés into revealing the planned route of his soldiers to her father, Amonasro ( ( Read more... ) -
Violet
My Greataunt Violet has passed on. She lived a long and happy, if oftentimes hard life, raising her four children in rural Pennsylvania. In addition to caring for her own children, she also did what she could to help look after some her sister's six children (my father and his siblings) when her sister and brother-in-law divorced and couldn't ( Read more... ) -
Winterfylleþ
I held my Winterfylleþ blétsung last night. As it was just I, it was a small, quiet and much more introspective observance.
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Pipes
While I've long been enamoured of the píob mhór, I've more recently become enthralled with the uilleann pipes. I honestly don't know that much about them, other than that I love their sound. I really need to look into the feasibility of acquiring a set, or at least a "practice set"... cost, availability etc. I'd really love to give them a go! ( Read more... )