On Saturday we were part of colgaffneyis contingent at the Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games. mia_mcdavid had just woven a 15 yard length of tartan, a custom commission for our friend AC. Here is Mia, wrapped up in her work.
( Picture behind cut )

Flanders and Swann: The Gas Man Cometh

(Lyrics)

This is weird and scary.

Weaponizing Mozart: How Britain is using classical music as a form of social control

Via Slashdot

Our assignment for today was to write a fable as Gaeilge. I cannot come up with any kind of original story even in English. However, one of the vocabulary suggestions reminded me of an Eric Bogle song. I thought the secret for success in mathematics should also work in Irish.
Bhí cat duine éigin ar thaobh an bhótair. Bhí an cat marbh agus an- ( Read more... )

mia_mcdavid is in Chicagoland this weekend, and called me with the news.

Norman Pellegrini: In Memoriam
The Last Great Oak Falls - Norm Pellegrini is dead

My family moved to Chicago in 1957, when I was 6 years old. I lived there and considered it home until mia_mcdavid and I moved to Minnesota in 1998. Throughout those 41 years WFMT, the Midnight Special and Norm ( Read more... )

Irish Class, March 2, 2009 Rang Gaeilge, 2ú lá mí Márta 2009

Am coigilte sholas na lae an 8ú lá Márta.
Daylight Savings Time on March 8.
Am time m3 coigilt saving f2 /keg'il'tə/ (Wes), /kog'əl't'/ (FP) solas light m1
Wes ( Read more... )

It was actually just above freezing in downtown Minneapolis today, and I varied my skyway walk by going outside for a few blocks (without a coat). On Nicollet Mall I saw someone casting breadcrumbs on the sidewalk for the birds, and I felt the urge to burst into song (Lyrics hereOf course, it is all a snare and a delusion. This is Minnesota. On ( Read more... )

From Medical hoax: 'Cello scrotum' was just a test tickle.

"Sir, Though I have not come across 'guitar nipple' as reported by Dr. P. Curtis, I did once come across a case of 'cello scrotum' caused by irritation from the body of the cello. The patient in question was a professional musician and played in rehearsal, practice, or concert for several ( Read more... )

Today, in the traditional Church calendar, is the Feast of St. Nicholas. I might have completely forgotten about it, but

1. Our Music Director at St. Mary's focused on it for the devotions at the beginning of today's choir workshop, and
   
2. One of my old friends from Stanford posted about it today in her blog.
   

I did do some shopping today, but managed to dodge all the mall traffic. One of my errands was to buy a few groceries for a pasta dish with (obviously) leftover turkey. Like last year I heard this song on the radio, this time just before going into Cub Foods. The family is safe: As before, I don't think I will draw any inspiration for tonight's ( Read more... )