Professor Carol
Travel begins next week—travel not to conferences, feet propped up on the dashboard with my goodie bags of chips, sunflower seeds, computer paraphenalia, and spare shoes on the floor (Hank drives in case you were wondering). No, this travel begins inside a metal tube pushed … Read more
In a new paragraph, if not chapter, of my life, I am now working with a touring agency located in Sydney, Australia. They specialize in tours with intense cultural, historical, and scientific content. As you might guess, I’m excited! A bit of back story. I … Read more
What do I do with my slide box? There it sits, all c. 35 pounds of steel, awaiting its fate. Probably a “Repurposing Your 35mm Slide Cabinet” website exists somewhere on the internet (I’m afraid to look). If so, the suggestions will likely include jewelry … Read more
In a surprisingly harmonious session, four of us in the family sat down January 1st to craft New Year’s Resolutions. An idea came to me to create worksheets to help the process along: a page with questions asking what we wanted to “work on” or … Read more
As we look toward Christmas Eve and the beginning of the Twelve Days of Christmas leading to Epiphany, may I suggest, once again, this beloved short masterpiece, Amahl and the Night Visitors. I can think of no musical work more perfectly crafted, more lovely, or … Read more
This post appeared a few years ago in our Advent Calendar. I have been lecturing on a Rhine tour and have now just arrived in Weimar. I am flooded with memories of the many Christmases my family spent here (but sadly not this year). So, … Read more
Today, Dec. 5, on the fifth day of Advent, let’s consider a tradition that occurs tomorrow (Dec. 6th)—the commemoration of an historical figure who is actually an old friend to most of us. Shoes and socks are important items. In Jesus’s world, the sandal reigned supreme. But for most … Read more
Do you remember waiting for those broadcasts? Our single chance annually to see Amahl and the Night Visitors? And afterwards, did you, too, run around singing: “This is my box, this is my box, I never travel without my box!”? Or dance your version of … Read more
It may be Pumpkin-Spice season (or Peppermint, for the eager-beavers), but around here it’s Book Season. True, book season runs 12 months a year. Still, something about the first cold grey skies looming above leafless trees drives a person to seek a cozy chair, a … Read more
I am watching a rehearsal of the Nielsen Symphony No. 3 “Espansiva,” written in 1911 by the late-Romantic Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931). Leading the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra is an elegant, tall woman named Michelle Merrill. Her efficient techniques for rehearsal are laced with quiet … Read more