Let's be frank: of course Christmas is a wonderful time of year because of the sense of family and the altruism and the attempt to highlight the inherent goodness of humanity, etc. But it is also wonderful because of the presents.

This Christmas, I got an iPod Touch. I was stunned. I hadn't been expecting anything of the sort, but my uncle pulled my ( Read more... )

A few days ago, I went and saw an opera with my dad. It was Puccini's Madama Butterfly, and it was wonderful. To lay all my cards out on the table, I am a classically trained singer (who's also done quite a few musicals). I've seriously studied for about five years, and I've sung all sorts of opera music, from La ci darem la mano (a gorgeous duet ( Read more... )