Archive for November, 2013

FriendsHolidaysMovies

November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving Morning

Tags: , , ,

It’s Thanksgiving Morning.  We all do this day differently.  Not everyone loves the big, jovial family dinners.  Not everyone even wants a big, jovial family.  One of my students this week told me that the best Thanksgiving she ever had was spent with her dog, a bottle of champagne, and a box of chocolates.  There  Read the Rest…

Choir SingingDogsFriendsSongs

November 20, 2013

On Her Journey

Tags: , , , ,

I knew I’d be writing this post at some point but I thought I had another few weeks.  Last night a friend named Karen died.  For the ten years I was music director at the church, Karen had been popping her gum in the pew and feeding dog biscuits to Marvin, her Miniature Pinscher. As  Read the Rest…

BooksLiteraturePoemsPsychoanalysisSpiritualityThe Norton Anthology

November 15, 2013

Fun With Mephistophilis

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I remember being vaguely amused by Doctor Faustus when I was in college, but the language was difficult for a 20 year old. Reading about the antics of Faust and Mephistopheles as I plowed through the verbiage was rather like trying earnestly to understand a joke.  I worked at understanding it and had it explained  Read the Rest…

BooksLiteraturePoemsThe Norton Anthology

November 10, 2013

Doin’ the Norton (volume one)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve been reading The Norton Anthology of English Literature Volume 1 in stealth because I wasn’t sure I wanted to declare it A Project. But I have gotten passed the metaphysical poets and am rounding the 18th century so I think it’s a done, if not finished, deal. I was completely sucked in by Chaucer.  Read the Rest…

FriendsHolidaysLiteraturePoemsShakespeareSongs

November 1, 2013

A Session of Sweet Silence

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I wanted to go for a walk to see the jack 0′ lanterns and to join the ghouls in the neighborhood last night but I was tired when I finished teaching. So I dumped the last of the Halloween candy on the last few children who rang my door bell, had a Scotch, and went  Read the Rest…