Getting Lost

Don't ask me what I was doing there but I found myself in a very large military installation some time ago - it was nighttime, close to 10 pm. I don't know how it happened but I got lost trying to get out to the civilian side. Due to the time of day (night), there was little traffic on the fort's streets. After about thirty minutes of going to and fro and getting completely disoriented, I decided I would have to plan a strategy if I wanted to get out before running out of gas. I could have called someone but that would have been too embarrassing. Instead, I parked at an intersection and left my emergency blinkers on. Sure enough, after a while, a car passed by and stopped at the stop light where I was parked. I quickly jumped out of my car and without appearing too nervous, I told the soldier that I couldn't find my way out. He was very polite and told me exactly how to get to the nearest exit. You guessed it - I was a mere four blocks away from the exit but I am certain I would never have found it on my own. That's what happens when you don't know your way around. 

Eye gouging for IDIOTS

On an absolutely gorgeous day, I am reminded of the story of a poor music consumer. A man bought a Chinese violin (with case and bow included) for $32.75. The violin arrived but was not set up - basically, the bridge had not been set in place nor calibrated. He took it to a local shop to have it taken care of and was told it would run him $79.00 to have this done, plus TAX, of course. He then asked if they could also TUNE the violin, whereupon they said they would be glad to tune the instrument for him but he would need to pay an additional $39.00 for that - plus tax. He would owe them about $127.00 for the service he required and they could not offer him a discount because he was not a regular customer. 

Political Correctness Inc

What can I say about political correctness?





Not for me.

I Am Not A Critic But I Know What I Like

I was listening to performance of some work with the great Concertgebouw orchestra the other day - it was on YouTube. I am sure you will agree that the preponderance of listeners on that video channel are poorly-educated and small-minded persons - I am guessing about 98 percent or thereabouts. Then again, you might not agree with me about that but it matters not - not to me, anyway. I know whereof I speak and I cannot change my opinion about that. Now and again, one comes across a really intelligent comment, but those are few and far between, as the cliche goes. I am digressing. Sorry. My post is about my experience with the Concertgebouw post on YouTube. That particular performance was superb, as I expected. However, toward the end, a scramble in the strings (which probably lasted no more than three seconds but which my ear caught instantly) marred the ending just a trifle. I made a comment to that effect. Almost immediately, some person who obviously has little musical education, no ear training whatsoever, and poor manners attacked me for pointing that little fault out. Another moron jumped in and defended the first ninny. What to do? One cannot engage ignorant people in a dialogue - it would be like talking to or arguing with a chair. I enjoy pointing out errors when I hear them. Nothing is perfect - not even Heifetz. Hilary Hahn comes close - damn her.  

Summa Cum Laude

I was at a dinner the other evening. It wasn't for me but I was there. It was held to honor lots of people who had graduated in the top ten percentile in their college graduation classes. There was  - as expected - a cocktail hour before the dinner and, by chance, a man and his sister came to sit with us at our table. The man admitted he had graduated by the skin of his teeth but he was there as his sister's guest and because he had put a video presentation together for the college. I noted that there were very, very few luminaries among the top ten. They were all successful people but nothing extraordinary. The guy who got the biggest cheers was that man who had sat with us and who probably graduated in the bottom ten percent. It is well-known that many super-successful people are often not the ones who succeed in school. This was no exception. It's not the teachers who matter; it's the pupils. You could name ten or twenty extraordinary historical figures but you could never name who their teachers were. It matters, but not that much. As the 1800 tequila commercial says, "enough said." 

Accidents

According to one very reliable source, these things happen in America every single day: 

240 people die as a result of medical errors 

144 people die as a result of an accident at home 

130 people die as a result of a traffic accident 

110 people die as a result of accidental poisoning 

62 people die as a result of a fall 

49 people die victims of a homicide 

28 people die victims of a drunk driver 

9 people die as a result of drowning 

Maybe we can learn something from these numbers. They say that doctors bury their mistakes so maybe that is still true? Perhaps people should really watch where they are going to avoid being victims of accidents? People should learn how to swim or wear life jackets always? Don't hang around people who might kill you? Don't put strange stuff in your mouth and maybe, just maybe, you won't poison yourself? Nobody dies as a result of starvation so I guess that's a good thing. 

Filling up space and time - part two

I'm writing this just to post something on the first day of the year - that's all. I have my trusty vodka by my side.