March 27, 2022

As the program behind me suggests, I saw Carmen last night. It was my first time seeing it, and while I loved the music, it took me some time to process the final act, in which the powerful, independent heroine allows herself to be stabbed to death by her jealous lover after his tantrum over her refusal to take him back has consumed the latter half of the act. The best thing I can say about this ending is that it begs for a 21st century reboot, because in its original form, Bizet and his librettist crafted the mother of all #MeToo stories.

 

 

March 26, 2022

Today is the fifth anniversary of my first eBay sale: $300 for this LP. The market for vinyl has grown even more frenzied since then. There are currently two copies of this LP for sale on the Discogs site, for example, the lesser of which is listed for $615. My copy was sealed. Clearing out most of my collection was necessary for a couple of reasons, and of course there was no way of knowing how things would develop, but nonetheless it's hard not to wonder what if I'd held off for a few more years?

 

March 12, 2022

Outside Heinz Hall last night.  #StandWithUkraine

March 12, 2022

What to make for dinner for this coming week started with a question: what to do with a leftover half-head of red cabbage? The answer that eventually emerged was go Hungarian. Things devolved from there, and I wound up with a menu of Tripe Pörkölt (a stew with paprika and caraway seeds, and onions fried in lard), stewed cabbage, and boiled potatoes. I recognize that to many, that likely sounds like a particularly cruel version of culinary purgatory.  #OffalNotAwful