Christmas eve eve

 

I was able to get all of my reading in this morning: Finnegans Wake, Greek Study, a music history I am reading and the book on Madison. Part of the reason for this is that Eileen ran the dishwasher last night so I didn’t have to get up and do dishes as I sometimes do. Yesterday Eileen spent most of the day with Barb. They hemmed the towels that Eileen wove. I groceryshopped and in the late afternoon took the long walk to Mom’s nursing home and ended up at church for a short organ rehearsal. When I returned home, Barb was napping preparing for a long night of work.

The book I am reading on music history (How to Listen to Great Muisc: A Guide to Its History, Culture, and Heart by Robert Greenberg is an overview of the topic for a general reader, not necessarily for musicians. Greenberg knows his stuff and keeps references to a decent minimum. But curiously all of his historical references to the classic history, A History of Western Music by Grout/Palisca, refer to the FOURTH edition. I own copies of this book in its third and sixth edition. The seventh is available. I wonder why Greenberg uses an old edition for his references even though his book was published in 2011. I googled this question but couldn’t find an answer. There is now a ninth edition which adds another author: J. Peter Burkholder. It’s an expensive little bugger (over $100 new). Maybe I’ll buy it with my music allowance in 2016.

Windows Privacy Tweaker – Phrozen Software

My techie quasi relative Anthony Wesley (boyfriend of my nephew Ben) put a link up on Facebooger recommending this software. Nowhere does it indicate it might speed up a modest computer. I’m contemplating running it.

Lead Belly Tribute Concert Coming to Carnegie Hall in February – The New York Times

Leadbelly is a favorite of mine.

The Year’s Biggest Social Justice Stories – The New York Times

Charles Blow knows Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; Michelle Alexander and Dan Savage? Cool. Each of them lists social justice stories from 2015 they thing are important in this article.

‘Nut Country’ and ‘Right Out of California’ – The New York Times

This is one of those book reviews worth reading for its own sake. Sam Tanenhaus sketches the history of the conservative movement these two books cover. Interesting to learn that Steinbeck changed the original Mexican workers to white people to broaden the effect of his novels.

Anger: An American History – The New York Times

Good old American hate, it’s a tradition.

 

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