LIBATIONS FOR THE SEASON—AND OTHERWISE
’TIS THE SEASON to be jolly. And, only in moderation, of course, alcoholic beverages comes to mind, especially their origins and etymology. Herewith, in no particular order, are several libations … Continue reading
CHRISTMAS MEALS GALORE
CHRISTMAS DAY is less than two weeks away. In preparation thereof, I’m reading The Annotated Christmas Carol to get the inside story of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. Wife Dottie and … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES, 1996—WITH A GOOGLE TIME MACHINE
“LOS ANGELES is just New York lying down,” said English original Quentin Crisp. And I wish I knew exactly how he meant that. In fact, though, a lot of Los … Continue reading
MANY FLUTES ARE MAGICAL
MOZART’S DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, The Magic Flute, is an opera that has been magical in many ways. When it premiered in 1791, it was a linguistic breakaway that also spilled the … Continue reading
GEORGIAN DIGS, PART III: THE ROYAL PAVILION AT BRIGHTON
IN THE late 18th century, Brighton was an eight-hour trip from London to England’s south seacoast, 58 miles. George, Prince of Wales, later to become King George IV, liked the … Continue reading
GEORGIAN SHENANNIGANS, PART II: ENGLAND’S GOLDEN AGE OF CARICATURE
IF EVER there was a royal personage ripe for caricature, it was George, Prince of Wales, later succeeding his father to become King George IV. A wonderful scalliwag, George had … Continue reading
GEORGE, PRINCE OF WALES, ROYAL SCALLIWAG: PART I
QUEEN ELIZABETH II spoke of her Annus Horribilis of 1992, but it pales in comparison with the goings-on of George, Prince of Wales, prior to his becoming King George IV … Continue reading
LULUS ON MY MIND
I SEEM to be encountering an inordinate number of Lulus in my life. SiriusXM “Radio Classics” just broadcast “Too Many Crooks,” a segment of Orson Welles’ The Lives of Harry … Continue reading
OPERA—THROUGH OLBINSKI’S EYES
IF YOU’RE into opera, it’s likely you’ve seen an album cover, poster or set design by Rafal Olbinski. Works of this Polish-born American artist have earned many awards from his … Continue reading
SAY AGAIN IN “ALICE”
ENGLISH MATHEMATICIAN Charles Lutwidge Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll really started something 150 years ago with his 1865 publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. There have been many movies, including the … Continue reading
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