BLondelOG

MMM food!

2008-09-22T17:27:42Z

From kublakahn

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

And here's my list, with comments in parentheses.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp (I want to try it though!)
9. Borscht (just a spoonful so far - at Rein's last week)
10. Baba ghanoush (Massis makes the best!)
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi (don't think so anyway)
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (?? I don't think so)
17. Black truffle (YUM!!!!)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (Why does it have to taste so good?)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (ooh that sounds good!)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea (Too much for tea, goes better on scones.)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail (thank you Craigie Street)
41. Curried goat
42. ~~Whole insects~~ (No Fear Factor for me thank you!)
43. ~~Phaal~~ (I like my tongue un-melted..)
44. Goat’s milk (even bathed in it!)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (I think so?)
46. ~~Fugu~~ (Too much Bottomfeeder reading for me)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (I've had the Ume Sake though)
53. Abalone (And probably won't unless I'm sure of how and where it was caught)
54. Paneer (Thanks to Jaya!)
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle (I need to try this soon!)
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips (Vegan friends in college)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. ~~Kaolin~~ (Q: Is this really just clay? yes - in some countries they mix it with a bit of salt and lard - it's all they can afford...)
64. ~~Currywurst~~ (eeuu)
65. Durian (but I don't want to cut it up...)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Haggis ( I think Scrapple counts)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette (Chitlin's while I was still in Charlotte)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill - I'm not opposed in principle... but you have to be careful
76. Baijiu
~~77. Hostess Fruit Pie~~ (hello HFCS!)
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini - although beware... too many can cause you to be very silly
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (someday...)
~~85. Kobe beef~~ -unless I'm in the Hyugo prefecture and have seen how the farm is run...
86. Hare (well... rabbit)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate (I've had some damn fine chocolate, but I don't know if it was Criollo) - ditto
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab (messy little things, and I'm not sure they are worth all the effort)
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish (hooray Redbones.... though I wonder now where it comes from...)
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - No, but I've had Tia Maria..
100. Snake

flaxenlenape @ 2008-08-12T12:29:00

2008-08-12T16:31:36Z

Olympics worthy commercial

Next Eurovision Entry from Finland?

2008-07-10T01:18:18Z

Honestly - I found this by searching on Medieval Song...

Note the costumes...

Yes Mom, I would jump off the bridge...

2008-06-29T19:45:29Z

The book meme from rogairedubh, birchfire and brynmck

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - I think I liked Brave New World better; thought I get them confused (don't read them at the same time...)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare--I've read most of them at this point, but can't say that I've read them all - ditto for me
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell - I know I've seen the movie... and I'm pretty sure we read the book too... but I can't remember, so I probably should read it (again)
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - I feel as though this is some how compulsory and I've managed to cut class...
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams -- Hooray for British humor!!! - Listening to it on CD is also lots of fun
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - never really felt the need to
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens - I think...
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini -- partly due to the peer pressure of seeing so many heads buried in this book on the T
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden - To read linearly again - we discussed it in a class and I've seen the movie
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown -- And then he opened the box.... Chapter 3 ... SERIOUSLY... not to mention the plot is EXACTLY the same as Angels and Demons ( I got through about 10 pages of that and had to stop)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - Though admittedly a very long time ago
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
52 Dune - Frank Herbert - I liked the first 2 books
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen -what can I say? I love Jane Austen... I admit it freely =)
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth - I think I need to borrow An Equal Music too
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck - although I'm not sure... again we discussed this is a class, but I don't know if I actually read it.
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt -- it's twisted? I think I may need to borrow this one too ;~)
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - I read this in London because I was going through books too quickly (Helen Fielding, Jane Austen and Nick Hornby), so I picked the biggest classic discount on the rack... again - not so sure I really like the characters in this one either.
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville - honestly... a whole chapter on ropes...wtf?! and where did my main character go?
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson - read this on the flight back from living in London - my timing could not have been more perfect!
75 Ulysses - James Joyce --I read this in HS... should probably at least skim it again.
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath - only because I never actually read it during summer reading in HS
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - I think I may have missed one or two... this was during my Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes days...
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare - isn't this part of the Complete Works??
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo - as a whole in English, in reduced 3rd yr French and as a Script... and I've managed to see it twice on Broadway

Oh those tasty beans...

2008-03-11T15:48:27Z

I've been meaning to make this since I first read the post. I even went so far as to go out and buy the TJ's beans Brandon likes to use, but one thing or another came up and I never quite got around to it. Well, last night I just wanted something quick but comforting and warm, betwixt library musicology/analysis session and torturing Maddie with my vocal meanderings... So, beans just seemed the thing. However, I'm not a fan of spicy things and I wanted to use what I had in the house, so I did a bit of my own doctoring... and boy was that a tasty dinner! Rich, but not too heavy, a dash of chocolate (you're not really surprised are you?), a few sprigs of Cilantro, Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage (also TJ's) some Fage yogurt and some crusty Viennese Bread. Nearly a hobo's dinner, but a hobo with foodie leanings. The presentation was even pretty! I took a picture, but I ran out of batteries (and time) so I'll have to post that later.

Oh! you want the recipe? Silly me... Here you are Beans a la Orangette a la Boblette.

Olive Oil
1/2 a medium red onion, chopped
1 small clove garlic, crush and coarsely chopped
1 Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Sausage
1 Can Trader Joe's Organic Black Beans with juices
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp Cumin
2-3 Tbs Roasted Garlic Salsa, medium
~1/4 cup dark chocolate. (I used 72% Ghiradelli Fondue chips -it's what I had...)
2 tsp Fresh Cilantro chopped
Fage 2% Plain Greek Yogurt

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until a bit browned and tender. Add Garlic and sausage a few minutes before the onion is done. Next add the whole can of beans, juices and all. Toss in spices, salsa and chocolate. Let that get 'bubbly' , then reduce to simmer for a few, stirring occasionally, while you chop up the Cilantro and slice up some bread and cheese to serve along side. Make sure the chocolate is all melted, remove the pot from heat , transfer to your dish of choice (I went with the classic Campbell's Soup mug) and top with a spoonful of yogurt and a sprinkle of Cilantro (to taste). Serve with the bread and cheese. This would, of course, be great with a beer too, or a nice deep red.

Eh "Voyla"! Enjoy.

Cats!

2007-11-20T17:14:34Z

So... lately they've been complete terrors... well Madeleine anyway, Louis is near saintly in comparison... but these are some great kitty shots, so I thought I'd share..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20952063@N02/sets/72157603226976651

Let's go back in time

2007-08-28T17:08:15Z

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be.

1. Who was your best friend?
Matty, Kara

2.What sports did you play?
Tae-kwon-do, volleyball and softball

3. What kind of car did you drive?
1994 Geo Prism, Black - The POVIAD (Parently Owned Vehicle I'm Allowed to Drive)

4. It's Friday night, where were you?
Nubble Light with Matty, calculating the necessary tensile strength of stomach muscles, such that one would not be pulled in half in a black hole (ignoring that whole vacuum thing ...) - Then driving to the 24hr Wal-Mart and sharing a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the parking lot.

5. Were you a party animal?
Nope - didn't have time, plus people just assumed I wasn't interested.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
No - people found me intimidating

7. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?
Jazz Band, 2 local bands (ska was big back then), Jazz Choir, Select Choir and Concert Choir.

8. Were you a nerd?
Kinda? but I was a jock too... and a social butterfly - we didn't really do the social/peer hierarchy thing at my school, it was too small.

9. Did you get suspended/expelled?
I had a couple of detentions for improper dress code and once the whole choir was late for our next classes due to an extended dress rehearsal and we all got detentions.

10. Can you sing the fight song?
When the Saints Go Marching In... yeah I think I remember it. ;~)

11. Who were your favorite teachers?
Mrs. LaForce (Brenda) - music teacher, friend, gossiper, match maker - she opened my eyes and ears to jazz
Doc McGrew - the absolute coolest Chemistry teacher ever! I actually pulled an A- and I HATE chemistry.
Mr.Bennett - Class adviser, home room teacher and math teacher extraordinaire.
Mr and Mrs. Collins - both had very different approaches to English teaching - but both amazing in their own rights.
Mr. Holtz - Dude! He let us do Electromagnesis! and Pedigrees with Fruit Flies and our early morning/Weekend AP prep classes always involved giant D&D coffees

12. Where did you sit during lunch?
I had ~3 by the time I got to senior year - depending one which one, and the time of year I was either in the cafe socializing or in the music room practicing for All States.

13.What was your school's full name?
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

14. School mascot?
A Saint... very original... - but a saint in knight's armour... apparently we weren't passifists

15. Did you go to Prom?
Yep - Frank Jones Center Baby - doesn't get classier than that. ;~)

16. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
hm... no - I think it all turned out pretty much as it should, and it was fun - but I'm glad to be a bit older and much less naive.

17. What do you remember most about graduation?
Matty and my mother having a screaming fight in the Wal-Mart parking lot and then when Dad I returned they were hugging and talking like old friends... (long story)

18. What was your favorite class?
Hm... AP English? Or Select Choir... or AP Bio... tough call.

19. Where were you on senior skip day?
HA - right like a Catholic school would let us even think of having a Senior Skip Day.

20. Did you have a job your senior year?
Not during school - my parents didn't allow it - but in the summer I worked at Water Country... I think it's a rite of passage if you live on the seacoast as a teenager.

21. Where did you go most often for lunch?
The cafe - going off campus was strictly forboden.

22. Have you gained weight since then?
I think I'm about the same... at least if we're talking the end of senior year (silly teenage girl - I starved myself for prom and graduation...) but over all - I'm thinner than I was then.

23. What did you do after graduation?
Last Blast - again Catholic school - they weren't about to leave us up to our own devices.

24. When did you graduate?
1999

25. Who was your Senior prom date?
Matty - always go with a best friend - it turns out so much better!

26. Are you going to your 10 year reunion?
Probably... not sure yet though.

28. What was your favorite thing to eat at lunch?
Everyday - yogurt and pretzels.(if I ate lunch...)

29. Who was your boy/girlfriend?
Neal for most of the year... oh Neal - he meant well.

30. What was your favorite memory your senior year?
Oh man ... that was my favorite year... Highlights? Ben & Jerry's with Matty, driving to Boston to play puhdiddle with Matty, reciting Monty Python with my lunch buddies, making the Phantom of the Opera music video with Billy and Neil... It was a pretty good year, - minus the constant fighting with Mom...

31. Did you like how you looked in your senior picture?
At the time yes - but now... Seriously?? PLUCK YOUR EYEBROWS! and a navy blue velvet, short sleeved moc-turtle neck... oh I had not yet found my style sense...

32. Who will repost this after you?
??

33. How have you changed since high school?
Less ego, less weight, much wiser, perhaps a little sadder for it, more accepting of myself and others, less prone to starving myself to fit into a dress... less prone to pushing myself so hard that I get Mono... Basically I've grown up - as is usually the case.

flaxenlenape @ 2007-08-14T13:11:00

2007-08-14T17:39:33Z

-RED-
1. Closest red thing to you? A pen
2. Has anyone ever cheated on you in a relationship? Yes, but all is forgiven
3. Last thing to make you MAD!? Dude from Wisconsin in a BMW who tried to kill me several times on 16 last night... grr
4. Are you a fan of romance? Total sucker... though you wouldn't guess - and it has to be genuine.
5. Have you ever been in love? Yes - see above
6. Do you have a temper? Occasionally - it's a bit slow

-ORANGE-
1. Closest orange thing to you? my Walmart Nalgene imitation
2. Do you like to burn things? Candles!!
3. Do you dress up for Halloween? multiple times - I love costumes!
4. Are you usually a warm-hearted person? I think so - but I supposed that's best left to be judged by someone other than me.
5. Do you prefer the single life or the security of a relationship? Both have their good and bad points.
6. What would your superpower be? Flying?

-YELLOW-
1. Closest yellow thing to you? a Post-It note
2. The happiest time[s] of your life? Too many to list. =) But recent highlights? BEMF's Psyche, Dining @ Craigie St, getting my new job (yes of course it makes the list), Walking from Inman Sq to China Town, getting new cats...
3. Favorite holiday? Used to be Halloween - but now I think the little obscure ones that involve old traditions, food and friends are best.
4. Are you a coward? Don't think so - I usual stand up for things I feel strongly about.
5. Do you burn or tan? Tan - well I get pink and then the next day I'm tan. Thank Goodness for that Lenape blood!
6. Do you want children? ?? Not now, but who knows what the future will bring.
7. What makes you feel warm and safe? Friends

-GREEN-
1. Closest green thing to you? A Sierra Mist Free bottle
2. Do you care about the environment? Of course
3. Are you jealous of anyone right now? People working outside today - 'tis a beaut!
4. Are you a lucky person? Life's been good to me - but I don't know if that's luck or karma or ?? the ether of the universe? Who knows?
5. Do you always want what you can’t have? Sometimes - though not usually. I am fairly quick to realize why it is that I can't have whatever I'm wanting, and the logic of it is enough to stop the wanting...
6. Think of six green things that make you happy! Green peppers, Olives, Fresh cut grass, Green things that D*n cooks, Mint Ice cream and Mt Auburn Cemetery's lush and ancient vegetation
7. Are you Irish? Mostly - but by ancestry not by birth

-BLUE-
1. Closest blue thing to you? Microsoft Update background
2. Are you good at calming people down? Sometimes - sometimes it's just a lost cause
3. Do you like the sea? Love, need, can't live without
4. What was the last thing that made you cry? Life... sometimes you just need a good cry
5. Are you a logical thinker? "One head thinks like a train, one head thinks like a fairy flying circles round the train." thoroughbass
6. Can you sleep easily? totally depends on circumstances and location
7. Do you prefer the beach or the woods? See - I live in New England so that I don't have to make that choice...

-PURPLE-
1. Closest purple thing to you? Another Post-It note
2. Like being treated to expensive things? Yes, of course, though I'm perfectly happy to be the one treating as well.
3. Do you like mysterious things? I love a good mystery
5. Ever met anyone in royalty? I've met people who thought they were. I hope that if I ever meet one who actually is - they'll be better behaved...
6. Are you creative? Are you asking if I'm messy?
7. Are you a lonely person? Not typically - but there are moments.

-PINK-
1. Closest pink thing to you? Yep - you guessed it - a Post-It note...
2. Do you like sweet things? Mmmm Chocolate
3. Like play-fighting? Sparing? yes - "wrestling" with a certain someone... yes <wink wink>
4. Are you sensitive?Again I think so - but you'd really have to ask someone else to see if it's true
5. Do you like punk music? Some...
6. What is your favorite flower? Calla Lily
7. Does anyone have a crush on you? Am I omniscient?

-BLACK-
1. Closest black thing to you? My keyboard
2. Do you like morbid things? depends on what the morbid thing is.
3. Do you like being underground? sometimes - though I can see where the T may start to wear on me in that regard.
4. Are you afraid of death? Not really. I don't want to die just now as there is so much more I want to do, and say and see and hear... etc but as an eventual certainty it doesn't really scare me.
5. Do you prefer neutral or vibrant colors? neutral vibrant colors? is that allowed? Lavender, Sage, Cream...etc
6. What is your worst sin? Gluttany... I know too many good cooks and darn it food is tastey!
7. What’s your favorite text ever? Not a fair question!

OPERA -- HUB indeed

2007-06-20T16:53:16Z

One might think that after all the opera madness last week between BEMF and the OperaHub inaugural production of Idomeneo, I'd be completely opera-ed out. But Nay! In-fact I am strangely energized and looking forward to and for future operatic adventures... or ventures as is the case with OperaHub.

The only bad thing in all of this is that the two happened in the same week so my BEMF 2007 experience was rather limited (Fantastic! -but limited)

Idomeneo went off marvelously. Not without flaws, mind you. However, for an inaugural production on relatively few rehearsals with a mesh of pros and amateurs... it was really quite something. We 'sold out' (tickets were free) both nights, and people actually came and filled all but maybe 5 seats each night, and we were turning people away initially. (crazy!)Sometimes having so many people so close to the action caused a bit of a traffic jam in getting in to places, but that was something we could only find out by doing. The musical aspect was really quite good and got better by Saturday - we had some Doppler-esque issues on Friday, but they seemed to have resolved themselves by Saturday. Thank goodness for good ears and self motivation! The leads were pretty amazing in their own right - my stand out favorite was Elettra (Natalie Polito)- the girl is going places.

In stark contrast to the chicken wire, 4x4, white sheets, 'bloody' t-shirts, and blue war paint of the OperaHub production (on a $2200 budget) was the BEMF production of Lully's Psyche; in which any chicken wire (if it was used) was well covered under layers of silks, chiffons, rhinestones and satins...etc etc - all the opulence one would expect from a fully staged Baroque opera on a $2 million dollar budget... not exactly shoe string eh?

The evening began with me running around picking up my dress from the dry-cleaner's ~ 10 minutes before I had to get in my car and go downtown - but that all worked out and I ended up having a bit of time to breathe as I waited for rogairedubh and K*r*n of VIINaCl fame to arrive from their own fringe concert (and a brief pint at the 7s). And I just have to say, people in Boston really are very nice, if you give them the chance. I stood there in the middle of the common, swathed in my black satin gown, all done up and very obviously waiting for someone. People kept stopping, even pausing cell phone conversations, to tell me how nice I looked. =D Not a bad way to start the evening. AND rogairedubh, knowing I had planned on the gown, even arrived in a tux! just to 'match' me. What a gentleman!

Now to the opera --- WOW - first and foremost - I have to get that out of the way. Louis XIV would have been fully approved. The costumes were positively sumptuous, the orchestra was fabulous, of course, the singers were wonderful (Carolyn Sampson (Psyche) is quickly becoming one of my favorite sopranos) and to top it all off - I actually knew some of those people! To include the first voice we heard: a certain T*ss W*k*m. Brava! It was agreed that the whole situation really quite suited her.

So - highlights: The little magic they did with Mirrors in changing Amour from his immortal form to his mortal form. Carolyn Sampson - just amazing, as I think I mentioned before. The two sisters at the beginning - great voices and so much fun to watch - they really brought in the comic aspect. Seat belts on the flying thrown... too funny. The Dancing Devils. Cute Cupid Girls (the children in this production were really quite talented). The Marital quarrel between Venus and Vulcan. Oh and the Cyclops - funny little fellas!
And 'The things that made you go hm...' Well part of this can be attributed to being up a bit high in the balcony - but the dangling serpent... seems he could have been a bit more menacing and less like a recently caught garden variety. Bored Trumpeters... though really someone should have warned them. The 'Boogie Board of Destiny' REALLY... with a $2mil budget, THAT's what you come up with to shuttle Psyche off to the River Styx? The set up of the program could have made it a little easier to figure out who was who. In most cases I was able to sort it out based on my fascination with Greek/Roman myth at age 10, but an 'in order of appearance' would have been good, if they were going to bother to list them all by scene anyway.

All in all though - I was thoroughly impressed and even after 3+ hours pressed against the netting of my dress, I was sad it came to an end.

2009 is so far away... At least there won't be opera going on at the same time. I talked with the OperaHub folks and that won't be a conflict anymore... thank goodness.

Well - work beckons... Adieu..

I'd rather be at the opera...

2007-06-11T17:39:34Z

Someday I really need to learn how to do all the fancy formatting that you folks do.

Anyhoo... I was apparently too good of a QA engineer last week and now have nothing to work on, because I found bugs in all of my projects and delegated all the other work, which previously I didn't have time to do, to my guys in Minsk. SOOO... here I am posting..

The choral season is finally coming to a close - which is a welcome relief, though I know I will soon miss the regularity. I'm HORRIBLE about practicing on my own... yeah yeah I know... I'm working on it. I'm making a commitment to do fewer choral ensembles in the fall, so I really need to get off my duff and get a regular practice schedule going here.

Oh - which reminds me - I'm hoping/planning to do a French themed recital in the early fall. I'm open to anything there - so if you have some ideas, shoot em my way. I'm still learning how to find new rep... so suggestions are most welcome, if pointers towards other new stuff if nothing else.

Now - to my subject - This week is all opera all the time for me - and I'm absolutely loving it! Who knew? And what a combination - Lully and Mozart - I'm a happy Soprano/Opera audience member.

First - Mozart - There's a new kid in town, or on the opera scene to be more precise.OperaHub is a new chamber opera group here in Boston and I'm performing in the chorus for their inaugural production of W.A. Mozart's Idomeneo. Now when I first got in with this group, I wasn't sure precisely if this was going to be something I'd really want to be telling y'all about, or even continue to particpate in. As it turns out - I'm really enjoying myself. The musicianship is really quite good (aside from the occasional bass or tenor who loses all sense of tonal and/or rhythmic center... men! what can you do? ;~P ), the staging is certainly non-traditional, but really well designed for the space and the goals of the company. Our director is a bit of an up-and-coming in the staged theatre/music world and the leads are all really good. They really understand what they are singing and convey, not only the meaning, but the intensity (in all it's Tragic Greek glory) to the audience. I'm really quite impressed. And all this after having only put it together for the first time (and not even in its entirety) on Saturday. Anyhoo - if you're not busy on Friday June 15 or Saturday June 16 - it's definitely worth checking it out. And the best part (well for the audience) - it's FREE! Though - do be fore-warned, we just had a big write up in the Globe and ticket reservations (it's a small space so we're asking that people email to reserve their tickets, even though they are free) are really going quickly. So act now!

And for the Grande Fete this week... The BEMF 2007 opening night (!) production of Lully's Psyche. This was my birthday present to myself, and I just can't wait to take off the wrapping! I've decided to go all-out girlie and pulled out the black satin ball gown that's been hanging in my closet for 6 years - never worn. I got it tailored and cleaned (one simply can not show up to the opera in a dusty gown)and now just need to figure out the hair. No prom hair though... I promise. And no tiaras... I'm just not that kind of diva. I feel like a 16 year old the night before prom... it's sorta fun. rogairedubh will be my obliging escort for the evening, after performing in his own BEMF fringe Concert. This shall prove to be quite the music filled evening, me thinks. Now if only it wouldn't rain...
I will be sure to fill y'all in on all the splendidly Baroque details!

Well - I suppose I should do something work related... I'll edit a test plan or something.

My Poetry Form

2007-04-18T21:52:35Z

I'm terza rima, and I talk and smile.
Where others lock their rhymes and thoughts away
I let mine out, and chatter all the while.

I'm rarely on my own - a wasted day
Is any day that's spent without a friend,
With nothing much to do or hear or say.

I like to be with people, and depend
On company for being entertained;
Which seems a good solution, in the end.

What Poetry Form Are You?

Kitties!!

2007-04-04T17:07:49Z

I know it's been a long time (not that anyone has been holding there breath) but life's been a bit busy as of late... though rogairedubh seems to have found time to write... ok so maybe I'm just lazy, or negligent. Anyhoo.. moving along

The reason for this brief post is to announce to the world (Hello World!) that I have 2 new kitties! Madeleine Peyroux - a 6 month old little muted calico kitty (actually she looks a bit like the kitty in my user pic... weird) and Louis Armstrong - a 10 month old black and white tuxedo kitty, with a black nose and goatee. Pictures will have to be posted later as I'm still doing battle with my new PC, sadly infected with the annoyance that is Vista... but that's a whole other topic. So! Kitties!

So there you are - perhaps I will find a moment to write more later... once I get over the urge to run whenever I get within 2 feet of my PC at home.

Mut!

2006-12-18T20:59:54Z

Revels season is behind, before and definitely upon us... or me at least. We opened on Friday to a full and enthusiastic house. We sang songs of Christmas trees and Holly, we danced to the pizzacato base lines of a certain Renaissonics Violone player (apparently this is a secrete talent of his...), we ate (well pretended to on stage anyway) and were generally merry German folk; and for an extra special treat, a certain blonde understudy was called up from the chorus to sing Mut! throughout the weekend.

G**rg* had asked me on Tuesday last if I would be the understudy. I, of course, agreed. Just for good measure, I even scheduled a lesson with M*r** to go over pronunciation, staging, phrasing...etc. We had a fantastic lesson - I should have tight deadlines more often! Still after all of this I figured I would not be singing this any time soon.

Friday afternoon rolled around and I had just laid down for a wee winter's nap, when my phone rang with an unknown number. I almost let it go, but curiousity got the best of me - It was M*rsh* (the stage manager) calling to inform me that J*n*n was not coming that night and I was on. (EEK!) We had a few run throughs with the band pre-show, flubbing some words, and shaking like a leaf, but it went alright - and then we were on! It actually went fairly well. I flipped a few word orders, and was more nervous and reserved in my performance than I would have preferred, but all-in-all it was ... well exhilerating. 1200 people in Sanders theatre... pretty cool.

J*n*n ending up skipping out on the rest of the performances over the weekend as well (though no one told me until I got to the theatre...) so I was able to try new things and settle into it a bit over the next 4 shows. Luckily my Dad came to one of those performances, so someone got to see it - well someone in addition to the ~5000-6000 attendees. Supposedly J*n*n will be back on Thursday, though I'm hoping not... rogairedubh is coming on Thursday , as are two of my best friends... So here's hoping the diva wants one more nights rest before embarking on 11 more shows.

Music shall all your cares beguile

2006-08-30T04:22:13Z

Yesterday I auditioned for Boston Cecilia at All Saints Church in Brookline. This was my third audition for the 2006/2007 choir season here in Boston and over the summer I had begun to feel a bit discouraged about my whole grand scheme of moving to Boston 'for the music'. I had begun to wonder if I should indeed heed the old adage and not 'quit my day job'. Well that may still be the case, but at least it would seem people might be interested in my musical endeavors after the day job.

I sang Music for Awhile - an oldie but goodie and knew something was at least ok - as one of the fellows sitting at the table across the piano from me was smiling rather pleasantly as I hit my second note. Always an encouraging sign. Plus an appreciative audience is so much easier to sing for. So after a few sight singing exercises (Thank you Bill Kempster...)they ushered me out into the hall and asked that I wait there while they discussed - I was going to get an answer that night! And really don't you think all auditions should be like this? No waiting by phone or email wrought with doubts and self criticisms, or perhaps false or misplaced elation. Just in and out, yes or no. It's so much more brutal I suppose, but in away more humane. So long as they don't cut you off after two notes (la la .. yes thank, thank you, that will be all) it can't be that bad.

At any rate - D****d T*****s came out and informed me that they would be 'delighted' if I would join the group. Which would have been all I needed to hear to make my night, but he continued! He said after hearing me sing he knew I was 'a perfect Cecilia soprano' and went on to compliment my tone and pitch. Always nice to be flattered! Now I don't know how much Cecilia matters on that grand stage that is the Boston music scene, but for a moment there in that staircase landing I felt like a star; like maybe 'moving to Boston for the music' was going to work out after all. And who knows the vast majority of that remains to be seen, but for now I'm one happy soprano.

This fall and winter are going to be just mad with rehearsals and performances (Revels has a knack for sucking up what free time one finds during the holiday hustle and bustle) but at least this year they will all be taking place in the same state, where I will also be sleeping. Now if I could just find an apartment...

Bored at Work

2006-08-16T20:27:22Z

OK so after months of lurking about on here I was told that I had better get an account or quit lurking. So here I am emerging from the shadows, and writing into the great ether of the web...

It's a gorgeous day here on the Seacoast of NH; the sort of day that makes me wonder why a person wouldn't want to just stay here forever... but so far this has been my home 'forever' so I think maybe it's time to stretch out a bit and explore something new. (yes I'm aware that the 'HUB' really isn't all that new in comparison, but what can you do? ...baby steps)

I'm not really sure what else to write in here just yet, and I'm feeling a might guilty for doing this at work - though there is nothing else going on - so I'm off for the night. There is laundry to be done and a biking to do on this fabulous day.