If it snows, I’m making a snow angel. Such a great gift to give yourself. 10/10, strongly recommended.
Other highlights and happenings from the previous week…
Art
I love these weavings from Elsa Pärs-Berglund. Tremendous work.
I also love these woodcuts by Gorden Mortensen. The crisp lines and gentle saturation remind me of the work I often see in the Masterpieces of Japan feed.
Running
Had my first 25º run of the year last week. So fun! So cold! New fleecy running tights make a big difference. Some dicy, icy weather killed my usual routine, but bright side: hesitantly embraced the treadmill and… it wasn’t so bad! Worse in memory than reality.
This week I’ll be doing a cool Bakline race starting in my neighborhood and finishing in Manhattan. What makes it extra-cool is that you can enter in a “prediction” group, and the winner is the person with the most accurate estimate of their finish time. No pace gadgets allowed! Should be a blast.
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
Convention and disagreement in how maps are shaded. (thanks, James)
Hakeem Olajuwon is the NBA’s all-time leader in 5×5 games with six
Hakeem is also the all-time leader in:
– 5×4 games (24) (D. Robinson 13)
– 5×3 games (94) (Robinson 73)
– 5×2 games (327) (Robinson 224)
– 5×1 games (787) (K. Garnett 723)
Music
Lou Reed’s Hudson River Wind Meditations was re-issued, and Move Your Heart is a great place to start listening. The album made me think of a couple from the 1970s – Catherine Christer Hennix’s 1976 Electric Harpsichord, and the 1972 The Wind Harp – Song from the Hill.
“Soave sia il vento” from Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” was a revelation. My soul has been renewed. And building on that, I had a blast listening to this on repeat and making ChatGPT tell me about it.
M: So that opera “Cosi fan tutte”, what’s that song “Soave sia il vento” about?
CGPT: “Soave sia il vento” is a renowned trio from Mozart’s opera “Così fan tutte”. This beautiful piece is often praised for its melodic and harmonic beauty. In the context of the opera, it occurs relatively early in Act I.
The song is a moment of serene and tender beauty. The characters Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi, and Dorabella are at the shore, bidding farewell to Ferrando and Guglielmo, who are pretending to leave for war (as part of Don Alfonso’s scheme to test the sisters’ fidelity). The lyrics express a wish for the winds to be gentle and the waves to be kind during their journey. The words translate to something like: “May the wind be gentle, may the waves be calm, and may every element respond benignly to our desire.”
The trio is a sublime example of Mozart’s ability to convey deep emotion and a sense of peace through music. The harmonious blending of the three voices, along with the orchestral accompaniment, creates a soothing and contemplative atmosphere. This piece reflects the themes of love, loyalty, and the bittersweet farewells that are central to the opera’s narrative.
…and on from there digging into music theory, operatic conventions, similar works in music history. Opera tutor on demand, very cool.
Otherwise, I loaded up on Gramophone’s best of 2023 list, and have been gorging on old stuff recorded anew.
Books
Lord of Chaos, continued. Almost 2/3 done, chipping away before bed.
School
Finished my project for Data Structures & Algorithms II. Exhausting and satisfying. Now transitioning into Linux en route to an LPI certification.
TV
X-Files, s1e13, “Beyond the Sea”, s1e14 “Gender Bender”, and s1e15 “Lazarus”. This has been a really tough few episodes for Scully! Manipulated by a death row psychic, hypnotized and assaulted by a religious zealot, ex-boyfriend’s dead body possessed with a killer’s soul. Phew!
Fargo, s1e1. Felt too similar to the film, but just colder, darker, nastier. Couldn’t find the levity or warmth I appreciated in the original. I hear the full run is great, but I just couldn’t continue with it.
True Detective, s3e1-2. Off to a good start, I’d say.
Movies
Rewatched Love & Friendship, an understated chamber comedy with Kate Beckinsale starring as a selfish, plotting antiheroine. Incredible costumes and a lovely soundtrack. (Previously).
Pulse is turn-of-the-century internet horror. Love this kind of horror where things are just… off. In one scene a person walks too slowly. In another, someone stands up in a way you know is wrong. Visceral, but rather than grisly. Admirable work on a lower budget, with horrible things revealed just with change of lighting or perspective, but in the frame the whole time. And I those beautiful beige-box computers did make me the slightest bit nostalgic.
Mark Larson 