Well. Where to begin?
I guess you could say the last few episodes of Game of Thrones have been eventful, to put it mildly. And since I have started my new job (not to mention my part-time academy class), I have not done a lot of writing here on our blog. So it’s time to do some catching up.
Continue reading “Catching up with Game of Thrones, Part One”
The greater Boston community of Early Music folks is coming together tomorrow night to do something that, in my many years here, is pretty much unprecedented. We’re getting together to give our time, talent, and treasure for the benefit of another musician.
Tom Zajac is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher. He’s a musical powerhouse and also just a really nice guy. As it sometimes happens with the vagaries of nature, he’s had a series of totally necessary medical procedures and uncomfortable surgeries that have left him unable to keep up with his usual number of gigs, teaching assignments, and concerts. That means that despite what insurance is covering, he’s facing an income gap.
We’re trying to fix that.
Tomorrow night at 6:00pm as a part of the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Concert Series friends of Tom Zajac will present Battaglia d’Amor: A Benefit Concert for Tom Zajac, an All Star Lineup of groups in concert at First Lutheran Church, Boston. For those of you playing along at home, that’s 299 Berkeley Street Boston, MA 02116 in the heart of the Back Bay.
Are you ready for this? This is the list of performers. It’s like a rock star list of the early music groups from Boston and beyond. Here they are, in no particular order:
If you’re planning on attending, please RSVP here. We’re expecting this to be completely sold out and SRO. Admission is a suggested donation of $20, though you’re welcome to give more if you are able. All money will go directly to Tom. Everyone, all performers, staff, the venue, and the publicity from BEMF, is all being donated on his behalf. Everything.
If you can’t attend and would still like to help out, there’s a GoFundMe page set up here. We’re almost at our goal. If you can help out, please do. Ideally we’d like to smash that goal to pieces.
I’ll be there tomorrow night working front of house on behalf of Cappella Clausura and Meravelha. In advance I’d like to thank you for your help and for being a part of this fantastic community effort.
~Kelly
After the post I wrote most recently and some discussions I’ve had with people in various parts of my life, I’ve run across a fair number of people who seem to think that this schedule I’ve been living, this logging of 60-70 hours of work a week, minimum, is fun. That I do it because I like it and that somehow I’m not aware that it is inherently bad for me.
They are so, SO very wrong. But they refuse to understand that this has been a matter of survival. This has been the way that I’ve adapted to keep us afloat and alive and not living on the streets. So few people truly understand that our economy here in the US has fundamentally changed. Geoff and I are living proof that the old way, each having one job, having some security in that job, buying a house, and then eventually retiring just isn’t the way things work anymore.
John Scalzi always has great things to say, but this is spot on. Read it and take notes. `Kelly
Today my wife and I went into our lawyer’s office and updated our everything, including wills, living wills, donor registries and so on. Why did we do this? Because at this point in our life we have a fair number of assets, and given my recent deal, it’s likely we’ll have more in the future. Moreover, as a creative person, I have a considerable amount of intellectual property, which will need to be attended to if something should happen to me. If Krissy and I didn’t specify what was to become of all of that, it would be up to the state to deal with it. No offense to the state, but I don’t know it all that well. So Krissy and I have made sure that our own wishes for everything are in legal documents and up to date. Now there is no confusion about our wishes.
I frequently harangue…
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Regular readers will recall that a little while back I said we’d be away for a while due to the death of a friend. Truth be told, his loss was, at the time, the latest in a long string of Very Hard Things 2015 had handed us.
It seems, however, that June might bright A New Hope. (Sorry) But, before we get to the good stuff, let’s go over where we’ve been, shall we?
I am a big fan of The Young Turks, and I really like the What the Flick? reviews of Game of Thrones. I have been watching their reviews of the Season Five episodes, and one conversation intrigued me. Cenk Ugyur made a comment that he missed some of the bad guys that died in Season Four, especially Joffrey (whom he particularly loathed) and Tywin Lannister. That led to an interesting debate over who was more evil, and they even asked in the comments, “Who is more evil: Tywin Lannister or Littlefinger?”
That got me thinking about my own views of who the most evil people are in Westeros now that Joffrey, Lord Tywin, and the Mountain are dead. And there are definitely some good candidates.
Continue reading “Still plenty of villains left in Westeros”
This most recent episode, “Kill the Boy”, featured the goings-on in the North quite a bit, so needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. We seem to be moving ever closer towards the confrontation between Stannis and the Boltons. Winter is indeed coming.
Continue reading “The latest on Stannis and the North in GoT”
If you haven’t gotten a Mother’s Day gift yet (and what are you waiting for, I mean really) or a graduation/birthday/yay winter is over gift then this weekend is the perfect time. Cambridge Open Studios is happening all over Cambridge from 12-6 tomorrow and Sunday. Check out the downloadable guide here.
There’s even a free shuttle to get you from place to place. Yep, free.
I’ll be exhibiting in the same place where I was last year, the gallery at Cambridge College at 1000 Mass Ave. There will be music, free food and drink, and we’ll have dancers who will be demonstrating their art throughout the day as well. We’ve also got some student artists from Cambridge Rindge and Latin showcasing their photography which is super cool.
Come on by, invite a friend or three or bring your mom. It’s going to be a beautiful weekend.
See you there!
~Kelly
I have a post percolating in my brain about Game of Thrones. Geoff and I have both been working crazy schedules between his school schedule and interviewing for work and my endless work schedule.
Then Jay died on Saturday.
Jay was really Carron’s friend, but he was a larger than life person who made the world a happier, better, and funnier place for being in it. I knew Jay through Carron but both Geoff and I had met him and like him immensely. He was Carron’s brother from another mother and circumstances in life had left him in a position to always make sure that Carron had what she needed if there wasn’t enough work that month. He was generous, giving, hilariously funny, and kind. Everything you’d want in a best friend and separated at birth brother.
Jay was violently murdered on Saturday in Mexico. No, I won’t link to the article or any photos. We don’t want or need to remember him that way. I choose to remember him as the kind man who made Carron so happy and and who was so good to so many people. I choose to remember the man who loved animals and always had a dog nearby. The man who contributed to animal charities and animal rescue.
So we’ll probably be a little sporadic in posting around here for a while. Between our schedules and the fact that a giant hole has been torn in Carron’s world, Game of Thrones posts can wait. We have funeral preparations to make, emails to send, and people to contact.
Requiem in aeternam, Jay.
~Kelly
Saturday May 2nd at 8:00 pm in Lindsey Chapel, Emmanuel Church 15 Newbury St, Boston RSVP here via Facebook.
Sunday May 3rd at 4:00 pm in Eliot Church of Newton 474 Centre Street, Newton, MA RSVP here via Facebook.
Featuring the Music of Hildegard von Bingen, Arvo Pärt, Eric Whitacre, and a premiere of Hilary Tann‘s exuberant “Exultet” for reed quintet and double chorus, arranged especially for Cappella Clausura, and with special guest Peggy Pearson, oboe. Hilary will be at each concert and will stay after each performance for a post concert talk-back with the audience.
Our May 3rd concert is a part of Newton’s May Festival of the Arts
TICKETS:
OR, you can get a serious discount if you buy tickets in advance.
Because you’ve read to the end of this post and because you’re a friend of this blog, if you use the password FRIENDSOFKELLY at either of the links above, May 2nd or May 3rd, you’ll get advance tickets to either concert for just $10 each.
That’s less than half price for a general admission ticket purchased at the door. The best part is that you can share this discout with anyone you like. Spread the wealth and invite your friends in on the deal too!
The Books are Taking Over... 