Ancarett's Area

Radio Silence

2008-01-07T22:10:06Z

Gosh, I haven't posted here in nearly forever! Eep. It's hard to keep up the multi-blog lifestyle, I suppose. Anyway, new year, new post.

The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice

Michael Krondl

I'm reading for fun a bit more, I hope, in this slightly less chaotically busy term. First on my list and just about finished is this light little bit of non-fiction -- "The Taste of Conquest". I'm of two minds as to recommending it because, on the one hand, light, witty and interesting comments about food. On the other hand, it is so light, it is almost insubstantial. There's no real depth the the coverage of Venice (which is as much about modern Carnevale traditions as it is about the history of the spice trade) and the same pattern continues with each city Krondl discusses.

It's entertaining but not really at all educational. Now, of course, I may be biased as an academic but I've enjoyed some other popular non-fiction a bit more. This just seemed a bit too fractured and fragmented, however, to really accomplish the goals.

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Music in Me

2007-08-30T01:44:31Z

Dreamcatcher

Secret Garden

I'm constantly frustrated in music-buying. I get turned on to great artists by my friends and then can hardly find their works at local music stores. Even Amazon.ca often disappoints me! (They only have one of Vienna Teng's albums in stock and a few others available through their marketplace at widely variable prices.)

But the other week I actually found one album at our mall music store that I wanted: Dreamcatcher by Secret Garden. Very much in the folksy, romantic tradition of Clannad and the like. In other words, just my taste in music, hooray! It's not my favourite album by this group, but I do enjoy pretty much all the tracks.

Still, if it weren't for eMusic I would be in much worse shape. I can't say enough good things about their service. For a folk music fan it's a great selection. And getting all my music DRM free is more than worthwhile. In the last months I've downloaded Paul McCartney's latest, an live album by Bruce Cockburn, another by Planxty, some Shadow radio plays from the 30s and so on. All over the map and all fun, though!

I know I'm weird in that I don't use iTunes (nor do I want to do so -- it's such a pain to have your music "managed" for you by one particular kind of software and I don't own an iPod so I'd have to rip and reupload all the music to use my Sansa MP3 player, ugh!). I like being able to take my music collection to any computer and listen to it on my terms. And so it goes with the latest albums and downloads.

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The Queen

2007-06-03T19:37:17Z

The Queen

Picked up "The Queen" last week at the video store. It was only a few dollars more to buy the movie as opposed to renting it and I'm glad we made the choice.

I've been a fan of Helen Mirren since I first saw her in Shakespearean television productions in the 1970s or 80s (and, of course, I enjoyed her in "Excalibur"). And I'm a fond monarchist as any historian who works so much with the institution and families can be.

What I liked best about the movie was how plausible a characterisation of Queen Elizabeth they posited. Here is a woman for whom service is a mantra and stoicism is the greatest virtue, confronted with a society that wants public, ostentatious displays of torment and self-blame. The crisis of the death of Diana works out as a very illuminating insight into not just the queen, but also her new PM. Michael Sheen's Tony Blair was a surprising effective counterpoint to the monarch searching for a way to deal with her family and her situation.

This is one movie that will repay the rewatching!

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160: It's Only a Number

2007-03-27T19:55:07Z

Crystallyn, an old friend of mine, posted one of the most insightful essays on health, well-being, self-esteem and weight. She's also got a great link to a video rant, there, off of You Tube. Go! Read:
Fat Is Not a Four-Letter Word

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More on eMusic

2007-02-10T02:11:04Z

The Wind

Warren Zevon

I continue to love eMusic. My insanely cheap subscription still gives me plenty of DRM-free MP3 downloads each month and I was fortunate enough to stumble upon three Warren Zevon recordings I didn't yet have. So I downloaded "The WInd" in its entirety.

What a great recording! Lots of duets with some really interesting partners. And my absolute favourite version, ever, of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". I think I've listened to it a dozen times since downloading it between my PC and my MP3 player.

When we were dating, Mike took me out to a Warren Zevon concert in Toronto. It was a low-key performance with his usual range of music from the ridiculous to the sublime. It's one of my favourite memories of our courting and having these new(er) songs brings it all back.

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Vox Hunt: Personal Best

2007-01-16T17:42:43Z

Show us the best picture you took in 2006.
Submitted by Captured Moments.

DSC00687

Ozzie's about the most photogenic dog I've owned. Not from sheer beauty (that would be Goldie). No, his appeal is his expressiveness. He's the most put-upon, hard-done-by, pathetic spoiled dog I know and here he's obviously threatened by the arrival of an amazingly cute stuffed animal.

Don't worry, Ozzie. That cat's not half as cute as you!

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Gaudete

2006-12-13T05:03:30Z

I'm enjoying eMusic so very much as I reassemble my Steeleye Span music collection. All those worn-out cassette tapes, full of scratches and pops? Replaced by ever-handy mp3s of so many old favourites. *glee*

Below the Salt

Steeleye Span

The eMusic model's quite nice -- I can do whatever I want with the mp3s, copying them over to as many CDs or computers as needed. And they have so many of the obscure groups I know and love! I still have several more Span albums to reacquire this way before I move on to Fairport Convention, Silly Sisters and other old folkies, though I did also take a brief detour from my monthly download plans to snag a lovely live version of "Superman's Song".

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QotD: Heaven Scent

2006-11-01T20:08:45Z

What is your favorite scent?
Submitted by Erinen.

Oh, good question! Pumpkin pie would be high up on the list, closely followed by a bunch of related spice scents (cinnamon, cloves and ginger). Though I do have a candle from Yankee Candle that's cinnamon and vanilla which I just love to sniff.

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QotD: Name That Horse

2006-10-01T02:16:02Z

You've been through the desert on a horse with no name. Except your horse does have a name. What is it?
Submitted by edubya.vox.com.

His name was Sergeant Pepper (no, it wasn't my idea -- I was his third owner). I just called him Pepper. He was a leggy, slightly crazy blood bay thoroughbred with two white stockings, a star and a stripe. I last saw him in the spring of 1980.

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QotD: Surprise!

2006-09-30T02:27:40Z

Do you like surprises?

Hmmm. I'm of two minds. I love that people go to the effort to do something nice for me, so in that sense, surprises are nice. But sometimes you'll get a surprise when it's really not quite what you needed or could use at all. And you have to be all pleasant and thankful (and you are for the effort, really!) but it's just not your speed at all!

That's when surprises aren't great.

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