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Actress and singer Mitzi Gaynor has died. She was 93, and she was one of the very last remaining stars with ties to the great era of the Hollywood movie musical. Her biggest role was likely South Pacific, the Rodgers-and-Hammerstein classic (which I may have never actually seen all the way through, it’s not lodged in my memory all that well at all), which is set in–of course!–the islands of the South Pacific during World War II. This particular song is the one from that show which I know best, though I am abashed to admit that it’s not because ofDown the rabbit hole….

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Dame Judith Weir is a British composer with whose work I am entirely unfamiliar except for the present work, which I just heard for the first time the other day. But my lack of knowledge of Weir’s music shouldn’t be taken as any kind of statement of her skill, because her work is apparently of sufficient renown in the United Kingdom that Queen Elizabeth II actually named her Master of the King’s Music, a post which is analogous to a Poet Laureate but for composers. Weir held this post for a ten year term which just ended earlier this year.Down the rabbit hole….

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At the end of my adventures I was drinking a case of sixteen-ounce tallboys a night, and there’s one novel, Cujo, that I barely remember writing at all. I don’t say that with pride or shame, only with a vague sense of sorrow and loss. I like that book. I wish I could remember enjoying the good parts as I put them down on the page. At the worst of it I no longer wanted to drink and no longer wanted to be sober, either. I felt evicted from life. At the start of the road back I just triedDown the rabbit hole….

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In: On Dogs and Dog Life, On Tools of Various Trades
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A coworker recommended a company to me a while back, knowing my love of flashlights. Hold on, let’s start here: one of my favorite paintings at the Buffalo AKG Museum. Nice, huh? I like the suggested motion in the dog’s figure and in the leash. I always linger on this one when I get to where it hangs in the museum. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, flashlights. (Yes, the painting is relevant. Bear with me.) The flashlight company is called OLight, and my coworker likes to tell me–rather mischievously–when they’re running sales. Whenever he says this, my response isDown the rabbit hole….

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In: On Nature, Photographic Documentation
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Last night, the amazing Aurora Borealis: This morning, Orion in all his glory: I took both of these Ophelia (my phone), by the way! As much as I love Miranda, the Lumix FZ1000ii, phone cameras are amazing these days…and in truth, I haven’t really done much at all with Miranda in night and low-light settings. Hopefully this winter! Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….

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Born on this date in 1813: Giuseppe Verdi, one of the greatest of all composers and a titan of the operatic stage. Many composers lived short lives in ill health and little acclaim, but not so Verdi: he lived to be 87 and was such a beloved figure in Italy that when he died, over 300,000 people attended his funeral. I’m sad to admit that I don’t know Verdi’s operas very well at all, but this particular excerpt is a favorite of mine. Here is the “Triumphal March” from Aida. Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….