Tag: Classical Music

Seven Things I Love (4-19-2021)

  1. 1. This Cover of VOGUE Magazine – The world was given Amanda Gorman in 1998 but so many of us were unaware of this gifted woman until January 20, 2020. Thank goodness President Biden chose her as his Inaugural Poet! Good job Vogue – keep going – let’s see scientists and artists and teachers and healthcare workers and activists and environmentalists and small-business owners and single Moms and… on the cover.
May, 2021 Cover of VOGUE Magazine

2. This Graphic Showing what “Reasonable Police Officers” said as the Trial of Derek Chauvin Regarding Use of Unreasonable Force – I can’t say I love this but I appreciate that someone put it together. I have listened to a good portion of the trial and happened to turn it on today right at the point where the defense attorney was discussion this specific topic in their closing arguments. It was infuriating listening to him try to manipulate and twist his words to make it sound as though what Chauvin did was at all reasonable, even after so many officers had said it wasn’t. I only pray the jury sees through his legal speak.

3. This Comic Book Artist – I actually saw these a few years ago but ran across them again and needed to share. The artist’s name is Francois Schuiten. He illustrated a series of comic books called Obscure Cities, written by his longtime friend, writer Benoit Peeters.

As you can see, the artwork is magnificent. For years the only way to get them in the US was in black and white and in the original French but the good news is, just this year, Penguin began releasing them in English and in full-color! I’ve ordered one already from my local bookshop.

[found on MessyNessyChic]

4. These Selections of Brahms – Famous individuals from the music world choose their favorite five-minutes of Johannes Brahms. A fantastic way to become accustomed to Brahm’s music if you are unfamiliar or reacquaint yourself if it’s been a while. [From the New York Times]

5. This Television Series from a Series of Novels – The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness (A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life) were published between 2011 and 2014. This series is based on the three books with each season covering one of the books. Two seasons have been aired so far, the second season only recently becoming available. I was able to watch it via Prime with my AMC subscription but if you have a Sundance subscription that is another option.

People have often compared this series to Twilight and Harry Potter, the former because of the vampires and other creatures in the story and the latter because of the literary aspects, and I can see why they would, but as a friend of mine said, these are more mature, grown-up versions of the stories – more complicated, more clever.

And I don’t think I mentioned that there is time travelling. The second season is spent mostly in Tudor London while the first season is mostly in modern day Oxford (or Venice or the French countryside.) The entire show is a treat to watch.

6. This Email from Kitsch Regarding Mother’s Day Promotions – I’ve never received anything like this before and I really wish more businesses would follow suit! There are a multitude of reasons why Mother’s Day is difficult for me. Being bombarded by ads and promotions (not just in my inbox but on television and radio too) for nearly the a full month before the actual holiday, makes it all the more difficult.

Email from Kitsch

7. This Sneak Peak of a Bourbon Street Chemist (with Products Made Entirely in Felt) – I love Lucy Sparrow’s art. She works primarily with felt and wool and often creates life-sized recreations of everyday objects.

Her latest exhibit is at the Lyndsey Ingram Gallery and you can see a nice overview at the video below. You can purchase the items at the NFS (or National Felt Service, which is Lucy’s spin on the UK’s NHS or National Health Service.) As they are pieces of art, they are not inexpensive.

Here’s another exhibit she did in a deli in New York with seafood.

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Five Things I Love (6-15-2020)

  1. 1. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man – former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho started a series of videos to create a safe space for discussion about race and racism. For white people who want to educate themselves (and that should be all of us), this is an excellent resource.
  1. 2. Hildegard von Blingin’ – I don’t know much about this Hildegard but she is taking modern songs and giving them a medieval twist. She’s done four covers so far – ‘Creep’ by Radiohead, ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga, ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster the People and ‘What is Love’ by Haddaway.

3. This article about 13 Virtual Train Trips you can enjoy right now. PINCH ME!!!

Swiss Red Train Bernina Express pass on Brusio Viaduct. It is a spectacular helicoidal stone bridge that fits the surrounding landscape
and is located on the Bernina railway not far from Brusio railway station in Canton Grisons, Italy.

4. Karolina Zebrowska – I’ve included a video from this incredibly talented, clever, and funny Polish director, historian, and film maker before but she is so eclectic I thought I’d share a new one that I’ve run across…

In this video, Zebrowska has used her love of vintage clothing and created a 1940s (and one 1960s) look for several of ‘The Office’ cast members. She’s SPOT ON! If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll love it.

5. This Cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason – I can’t even describe what his music does to my heart.

5. These Hand Soaps – you know, when you have to wash your hands a few dozen times a day, it’s not a bad idea to invest in a hand soap that not only make the experience more pleasant (smell so nice) but aren’t so harsh on your hands. Here are three of my favorites:

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Hand Soap – I love the Peppermint scent, $3.99
A la Maison de Provence Liquid Soap – I’m currently usinhe Provence lemon but I am going to try either the Lavender Aloe or Rose Lilac next. They are super foamy, all natural ingredients, and have oil added which makes my hands feel soft afterward, price varies (depends upon where you buy it)
Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash – this is pricey but the bottle is big and will last a while. Think about how often you wash you hands and how important it is to protect your skin (it is, after all, the largest organ on your body!), $39.00

6. [BONUS] The Art of JP Cummings this digital artist creates fictional, vintage inspired buildings and rooms that are so inviting you will wish you could walk into them.

Drapnell Reference Library – Tinder Colony by JP Cummings
Indica Mansion – North Bransle – 3rd Floor Reading Room by JP Cummings

I’m so happy to be celebrating PRIDE MONTH but after today’s historic Supreme Court decision there’s really something big for LGBTQ people and their allies to cheer about! Love=Love. WHOO HOO!!!