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Showing posts from May, 2012

End of May list

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Once again, things I have wanted to say are piling up, and now I am going to throw it all down at once. 1. Talking to my therapist as if I were writing a blog (non-interactive) is tedious for all involved. 2. The choke in artichokes is not dangerous, and the word actually comes from the Ligurian word for pine cone . 3. Choosing between online degree programs and in person degree programs is not easy, especially if it is not exactly the same program. The University of Massachusetts, Boston, has an online degree in Applied Linguistics , while Rhode Island College has a Master's in Teaching of English as a Second Language . The first is ostensibly more geared toward theory, and the second toward practical, sociological and historical classroom issues. At first glance, the applied linguistics degree sounds more interesting for me (always love the geekier side of things) but here is a negative review. Positive one here , and discussion here . I am taking one class from each pla

Improving on the fiddle

I had my first violin lesson when I was about ten or eleven. I loved the violin. But I was really terrible at it. No one at home played any instruments, and I only ever practiced the day of, and maybe the day before, my lesson. My violin teacher once told me that I "looked right" playing it. Another later told me that maybe I should try the viola, because it was easier to hit the right notes... But what I always really wanted to do with it was to play the fiddle in a blues band. Or just sit around and jam in a Celtic Ceilidh (pronounced kaylee). It is a real pleasure to have my weekly fiddle classes with Cathy Clasper-Torch and five other students. It feels almost like a jam, aside from our extremely slow speed. This week we worked more on Soldier's Joy (earlier post about that here ), trying to find a way to play it fast without being sloppy, and to drone on the D string or the E without sounding to labored. Haven't mastered either of those yet. Here's my tea

Crow flight animation

I think having two children at home is getting to me. I keep filming crows flying. And here's my animation study on that flight:

Lucy flight

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From my good friends Anu and Anurag:

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