Let’s face it: life can’t be all about reading classic mystery after classic mystery, matching wits with Peter Wimsey and Hercule Poirot and Inspector French to solve some puzzles. Sometimes you just have to step back and . . . solve some puzzles! Fortunately, the folks at the British Library are aware of this! They … Continue reading G.A.DIVERTISSEMENT
Life
FELICITATIONS, DAME AGATHA!
You may not be reading this until tomorrow (Monday) because I’m sure that, like everyone else, you’re outside celebrating Agatha Christie’s one-hundred-twenty-eighth-and-one-day birthday! Some fools posted yesterday during the pre-celebratory festivities, but the real fans are out there right now, spreading the cheer about the world’s most famous mystery writer. Okay, look, I had a really busy … Continue reading FELICITATIONS, DAME AGATHA!
GOING OCD ON MY GAD
Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to three blogger pals discuss John Dickson Carr on the podcast that two of them host on a bimonthly basis. Dan, of The Reader Is Warned, is an artist, and JJ, of The Invisible Event, is a mathematician, so between them they brought a lively blend of stats … Continue reading GOING OCD ON MY GAD
A MESSAGE TO MICHAEL (ON A TWO-TOON DAY)
You can tell summer vacation is going well when it races by. I’ve been busy! I’ve been playing a LOT of bridge. I wish I was getting better faster . . . but I do have to mention that I came in second a week ago in the 99er’s division at a local tournament. (Gimme a … Continue reading A MESSAGE TO MICHAEL (ON A TWO-TOON DAY)
THEATRICAL OCTET, PART FOUR: Strangers in a Strange Land
I went to New York this summer under the apprehension that the theatre world was in a bit of trouble. Tourism has been down in the Big Apple for several years now, and the high box office numbers point not to full houses and a play in every house but to exhorbitant ticket prices at … Continue reading THEATRICAL OCTET, PART FOUR: Strangers in a Strange Land
THEATRICAL OCTET, PART THREE: Social Upheaval on Broad
We view art through a lens that includes social context. It’s the reason you can see a movie or a painting or a play multiple times and have different reactions. As I explained yesterday, two classics became problem plays in light of the raucous atmosphere that has been generated over the past year and a … Continue reading THEATRICAL OCTET, PART THREE: Social Upheaval on Broad
THEATRICAL OCTET, PART TWO: Reconstructing the Classics
I consider myself lucky to be in New York when Bartlett Sher has directed a musical. His determination to tackle the great classics of musical theatre with the same loving care he puts into opera has proven a boon to audiences. I only saw South Pacific on tour, but I caught the original cast on … Continue reading THEATRICAL OCTET, PART TWO: Reconstructing the Classics
THEATRICAL OCTET, PART ONE: Save the Children
Yes, thank you, I had a very nice trip to New York. We even had a weekend of glorious weather, with no humidity, cool breezes and (relatively) fresh air. And thanks again for understanding my desire to not sit in front of the laptop every night, putting words together to describe my feelings about the … Continue reading THEATRICAL OCTET, PART ONE: Save the Children
JULY FIRST – LEARNING TO LET IT GO
Can you believe 2018 is halfway over? Given some of the stuff we’ve had to suffer through involving world affairs, watching the news for an hour can seem endless. Yet the days flow by so quickly! I just blinked, and my first month of summer vacation is over! So . . . Happy July, everybody! … Continue reading JULY FIRST – LEARNING TO LET IT GO
THE FUNNIEST MAN ON RADIO
At work, I’m not known for my technical savvy. When something breaks (well, more often, it’s not broken; I just don’t know how to work it), I turn to those more inclined to understand this crazy fast-paced, world of swiping and Insta-chatting: my students. (Special thanks to Alyssa and her dad, who keep on helping … Continue reading THE FUNNIEST MAN ON RADIO
Ah Sweet Mystery! 