Home of the Brave
“The Star Spangled Banner” is frequently a painful listen. At an octave and a half, the range is just a bit too wide to be comfortable for a typical singer.
Nala
Fortunately, Nala rather liked me as well, which was very good news because Nala was not always the easiest cat to deal with in her younger years.
Playoffs
The playoff system used in North American professional team sports is about the worst way I can imagine to determine a league championship.
The Funeral Singer
I may not have known anything at all about the person in the casket before the service begins. But during the hour that follows I will get to know her.
Violence and Choice in Dishonored
Now, I’m not going to pretend that how one chooses to play a video game necessarily says anything meaningful about their personal moral character.
January
The potential deposit return on the cascade of empty soda bottles spilling out of the front hall closet is likely sufficient to pay my wife’s bus fare for the next three semesters.
On The Last of Us
The Last of Us was gripping and unpredictable, it was emotionally draining, and it ended not with a happy victory or a heroic sacrifice, but with cowardly decisions made by broken characters.
Favorite vs. Best
Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords might be your favorite musical comedy act, but are they really the best?
Reflections on Singing and the Budget Shortfall
Alumni Choir has meant a lot to me. It’s been a source of comfort and joy during difficult times. A relief from stress during busy weeks. A chance to spread joy and peace to others.
Cooked
For I, dear reader, have a confession: I never learned to cook. Or bake, or grill, or fry. Like not ever. Like not at all.
Steely Dan at The Fox
That relentless perfectionism is a big reason why, 35 years after their commercial peak and 10 years since their last studio album, Steely Dan is still such an incredible live act.
The Motley Marketeer
It was the summer of 2012, and I had not had a great two years, employment-wise. Since graduating in 2010 I had been stringing together part-time gigs and freelance work with, at best, mixed success. The previous year my primary income came from cleaning schools 20...
