A little while back I had commented about how we were experiencing winter’s “last hurrah”.
Oh, man was I wrong.
Baritone or Bass needed 3/30 & 4/6 Cambridge, MA
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Central Sq, Cambridge is in need of a Baritone or Bass sub for Sunday services on 3/30 and 4/6. No weekday rehearsals are required, call is 9:00am and the service is over by 12:00pm. Pay is $50 per appearance. Preference is for one person to perform on both dates. Strong sight-reading and leadership skills are necessary, familiarity with Episcopal liturgy is desirable. St. Peter’s is accessible by the Red line, the 1 bus, and street and lot parking are available.
Please forward this announcement to interested parties. Responses can be directed to the Music Director, Josh Lawton.
~Kelly
Happy Dance
Sometimes we find things on the Intertubes that we just have to share with everyone. And these three are related. They are all different versions of people dancing to the song “Happy” by Pharrel Williams. The first is set in Tunisia, where the old Star Wars sets have become a tourist attraction. The second is set in Poland. The third is a school choir from Detroit, Michigan.
Enjoy!
-Geoff
Interim Organist needed ASAP
I just received this today. Please crosspost or forward to interested parties. Contact info is below.
~Kelly
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Southborough, MA is in immediate need of an interim Organist. This person will be responsible for playing in the 10:45am Sunday service and for working with the choir. This is an interim position that will serve until a new permanent Organist & Choirmaster is appointed.
For more information on St. Mark’s and this position please contact Rev. Phil LaBelle.
Winter’s last hurrah
We got a slight covering of snow today, maybe an inch or a little more. And the temperatures plummeted a good bit from the mid-50s we had the other day. Right now it is about 18 degrees Fahrenheit, and the temperature tonight will probably drop down to around 9 or 10 degrees.
So while I was doing laundry and crafting cover letters, I popped in a movie that is just about as far away from winter, cold, and reality* as I could get…
Sharknado.
Trying to enjoy life one day at a time
Well, after taking some time to process it, I guess I can go ahead and say (officially) that I am not going to the police academy this year. I just wasn’t high enough on the list, I guess. But the people involved in the process have been highly encouraging and supportive towards me, and so I will make another effort whenever they put together another class, either later this year or early next year.
In the meantime, it has been a humbling experience to get back into the job hunt full-time. And to be honest, a little depressing. But since I am Mr. Silver Lining, I am trying to find the bright side of the experience and move on.
So there’s a few things I am doing to keep myself entertained while I continue the (seemingly eternal) job hunt.
As Long As an Unlivable Wage Exists, Someone Will Be Forced to Earn It
And as long as there are people willing to believe that we should just be thankful for work of any kind, this will continue. As long as there are people in positions of power who fight to keep the disenfranchised that way, this will continue. As long as those who claim the power, the money, and the moral high ground continue to do this, this will continue. I can refuse to apply for all the high skill/low wage jobs I want, but it doesn’t get my family any farther away from the edge when I stand on principle, it just means that somebody else more desperate is going to end up taking that job.
Wake up, America.
~Kelly
Image by Bettmann/CORBIS
In a society that lacks solidarity, misfortune, except that of the most random kind, is viewed as the fault of those who suffer from it. If we believe that poorly compensated workers somehow deserve lousy wages, then we absolve ourselves of the impoverishment we have inflicted upon them. Edward McClelland notes (boldface mine):
If you try hard enough, you can usually come up with a reason a low-wage worker doesn’t deserve to earn a living. If Kim Brown had been willing to move to Cleveland, she would still have her Web support job; if she had chosen a more marketable major than creative writing, she might have found full-time work in Chicago. But no matter Brown’s life choices, her $8.50 an hour job would still exist, not providing a living for someone else.
This is why the belief that education is the primary way to reduce…
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OPEN MIC OPERA on Tuesday March 11 at 7 pm in Cambridge
This is happening at our church. If you’re available to come and sing or to come and listen please stop by. It sounds like great fun.
For Immediate Release- Tuesday, March 11, 2014, starting at 7:00 pm, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 838 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, the weekly “Tuesday Nights” concert series presents Open Mic Opera. Local opera singers, younger and older, amateur and professional, are invited to sing their hearts out. Collaborative pianist Juliet Cunningham, who has accompanied opera, oratorio and musical theater singers (and produced operas with her Janus Opera Company) will play whatever you bring. Suggested donation of $10 at the door. For more information about the weekly “Tuesday Nights” concert series please visit www.saintpeterscambridge.org/news-events/announcements/tuesdaynightconcertseries
Open mic opera? In Boston – the home of the Red Sox, the Bruins, the Celtics? Yes, and it isn’t new either. Many lovers of Italian food will remember a restaurant near Quincy Market that used to feature singing waiters. In other parts of the country, such as California, there have been restaurants with nights given over to singers performing opera arias and scenes for the past two to three decades, according to Duff Murphy, host of The Opera Show on Los Angeles’s radio station KUSC. In case you thought opera was just for the old folks, Murphy also has observed that it has become popular with many 20- and 30- somethings. Robert Hansen, executive director of the National Opera Association has been quoted to the effect that open mic opera is growing in popularity because “there is a huge population out there now of singers who want some sort of opportunity to sing, whether they make a living doing it, for pocket money or just for the love of singing.” Boston is brimming over with opera singers. This is an opportunity for them to strut their stuff in public, with encouragement and at no risk. All singers are welcome to participate, and you can bring your accompanist and audience with you.
Me, I’d probably bring some Musical Theatre just to shake things up a bit.
~Kelly
Two of my favorite things together in one web site
A few weeks ago my friend Teri sent me a link to something she thought would interest me – A Cozinha Mediaeval, or in English – the Medieval Kitchen. I can’t believe I hadn’t discovered it sooner – a web site that combines two of my favorite things: Portuguese cuisine and medieval history. Yet another reason for me to keep working on my Portuguese language skills, which are quite poor, sadly.
I have not yet had the chance to try any of the recipes that are on the site, but there are so many that look absolutely delicious: carne estufada (called stewed beef but actually a beef rib dish); and arroz frutado (a rice dish with fruit and almonds) are two of my favorites so far. And the site doesn’t stop with just recipes. There is a wealth of other information as well, such as senhor Djalma’s excellent essay on the myths of medieval cuisine and his review of a 15th century Portuguese cookbook that was reprinted in 1963 by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.
Enjoy!
-Geoff
Rerun is home, safe and sound
Rerun is home from Angell Animal Medical Center and we are glad to have him back. You should have seen Thumbelina react when Rerun came home. She danced a little circle around him and “kissed” him a lot. She’s so happy he is home. As are we all. I missed my furry little buddy. He has not fully recovered, and he has several medications that he has to take for a little while. But he is not vomiting anymore, and he has his appetite back.
-Geoff
The Books are Taking Over... 