Monday, October 14, 2013

Monday Musical Offering...crank up the bass!

For truly brain-case-wasting bass, there is only one way to go:


So, just like last year, we had a feral momcat produce a litter of kittens in our field.  We captured the kittens and the mom; we had hopes that the mom would be domesticable, since she was a potent rodenticide and didn't run away like last year's momcat.  (Until we captured her, we only ever saw the hind end of last year's momcat; this year's, I almost stepped on several times during my daily walks.) However, it was not to be; domesticity did not suit her, or at least being trapped did not, and she almost killed herself trying to get away.  She has, most likely, met the same fate as last year's momcat at the local animal shelter.

However, her three sons were the purringest kittens we'd ever met. We've kept two, hopefully as combination rodenticide/ housecats.  Stereo Left is Wedge (Brother E. wanted to discourage us from keeping any of the kittens; this kitten was the first one we captured, and E. warned us that he was the thin end of the wedge.)  Stereo Right is Spot (Because...well, we'll let you figure it out).  If you put your head between these two, the low-frequency vibrations will loosen your fillings and blur your vision--in the most satisfied, contented way.  In the photo, I am listening to a loop of the opening pedal-point of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Radio-head

The last couple of days saw me drive to Portland, and back, and again to Portland, and back...about 800 miles, and several hours getting lost or stuck in traffic.  One of the few things that makes such days tolerable is our trusty Sirius satellite radio, mostly tuned to the Met Opera Radio station, but occasionally tuned to NPR.  The news programming was about the lunatics taking over the asylum, and about people actually obtaining health insurance.  The opera du jour was Verdi's La Traviata.  So I found my mind wandering as I drove through the pouring rain in the Willamette Valley, listening to Violetta delicately coughing her lungs out while moaning "E tardi!" ...
"...She's a courtesan so she's self-employed, and she's definitely got a pre-existing condition--and who knows, maybe syphilis--but now that the exchanges are open, she shouldn't have to sell all of her belongings to get Dr. Grenvil to come and visit her...a good course of antibiotics, she and Alfredo might have a future..."