Back to index of "this and that in my life" pages by Donald Sauter.
Dedicated to the proposition that every thought that's ever been thunk may be of interest to some crazy fool . . .
ME: Subject: another blockage Thought I would test my current web searching abilities on "february 14 1847" for a Beatles tie-in. Couldn't find anything in a few minutes. Some things never change. You've already been through both inventors of the sewing machine, so that can't be it (unless there's a third.) Not sure about the subject line "circus in 1968". I did discover tonight that if you crumble up some old chocolate that you don't really want, and you dribble some honey over it that you're trying to get rid of, the result is quite spectacular. I suppose this has never been invented before because who ever heard of candy you have to eat with a spoon. I guess the trick is to get the honey on the inside. I offered to work with Rashard (1st grade) at school on a regular basis. His teacher was very enthusiastic about my offer. I'm planning to go in Tuesdays and Thursdays, just for an hour, or however long I can keep his attention. Thursdays I'll hang around to help kids in the computer lab. ME: When I used to subscribe to the newspaper, I always set aside the Sunday comics without reading them. I heard that Peanuts is coming to an end now, so I thought now's the time to try to auction off that pile of comics on ebay. I have one dinky little bid (the minimum) so far, but for some reason people generally wait till the end to bid. I vaguely remember hearing about that peanut butter restaurant. A week or so ago I was listening to my college radio station, WMUC. They played a song that had a good pop feel to it. Then the dj came on and said his sidekick wanted to hear the rest of the album. He said the first person to call in with a yea or a nay would decide. I don't think they really expected anybody to call, but I did and said, sure, play the whole thing. Which they did. Ah, good ol' college radio. Don't remember the name of the band, though. ME: I looked in on George's greeting card. I can assure you it's perfectly g-rated (that means for little kids, even). "Make love not war" was a saying protestors used back in the Vietnam war days. That's all it is, an anti-war slogan. THEE: Chocolate and Honey. Sounds pretty good. Messy but tasty. Who said the honey has to be inside? Sounds like a clever marketing gimick to me. I remember you mentioning Rashard. That's great that you're going to help him...sort of like a 'Big Brother'. Did you see the movie 'American History X'? Powerful film...based on all the racial hatred you hear about all the time. But basically... the kids were influenced by adults...good or bad. Yeah, Peanuts are no more. I read the good-bye strip on Friday night...when part of the Sunday paper was delivered here. Did you hear that Charles Schultz died BEFORE the Sunday paper came out on Sunday! Eerie timing. I finally ordered something online...I ordered the paperback books by F.Paul Wilson I can't find anywhere else. Hope I have no problems. My DJ said he buys stuff online all the time... that $120 sun glasses can be gotten online for $33. Oh, I asked him if he ever plays the Waterboys...and he said no. THEE: Subject: Comics Hi!! This is a great auction item --should do great!! In case you didn't know, these could all go Bookrate which is $13.07 for 40#... just trying to help!! Have fun!! :0}......terri<>< THEE: I hope you checked out what happened on Feb. 14, 1847. Tomorrow, something happens to John when he's 24 that happened to me when I was 16. I saw the circus at the Coliseum in 1968. I'm very proud of the fact that I missed the Beatles' performance there by less than five years. I'm enjoying (really!) Robyn Hitchcock's latest CD, "Jewels for Sophia." Alas, as you may have heard, Charles M. Schulz died on Saturday. Will that affect your auction? THEE: Subject: Little Red-Headed Tina I'm sure that gag about the Little Red-Headed Girl is a shot at Tina-Louise. "Just listening to "Sally Was a Legend" from Hitch's new CD. He's back! ME: Subject: rant Here's the letter I sent to the Dept. of Juvenile Justice. Usually, when I write something in anger, the next day I'll calm down and make it more level-headed. In this case, I still don't regret leaving the anger in. What do you think? Feb 10 2000 Vickie Mitchell, Area Director Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice 14735 Main St. Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 Dear Ms. Mitchell, I want to share with you my recent experience with the Department of Juvenile Justice. This is mostly in the spirit of "for what it's worth", although you will find two specific requests in the body of this letter. I have a friend A who has three sons, two of which, B and C were summoned into the DJJ office in Largo on February 8 2000. I was there because I gave the three of them a ride (A does not have a car), and to lend a friend some support. The charges against the two boys were, 1) destruction of property, 2) truant, and 3) nongovernable. The destruction of property was a kicked door. I wasn't at the scene of the crime, but on the day it happened I picked up A (who had to leave work) to get her two sons from the police station. Four boys were picked up by the police: A and B and Roberto and Ian. I don't know the last names of the last two. B, Roberto and Ian were together when Ian kicked the door. C was not with them. He was by himself in A's apartment. All accounts are consistent with the previous statements; nothing has been presented that would contradict them in any way. The police found it easiest to lump them all together, placing equal guilt on all of them. They can do that. They have the power. And guns. A policeman entered (burst in?) A's apartment and took aim at C. In my opinion, that seems excessive for a case of truancy - and might not be the best way to get young people to respect authority. But that's just me. (It also seems inconsistent with police action - or, more to the point, complete lack thereof - in cases involving serious crimes, such as when A was forced into a car some months ago, taken to her bank and forced to withdraw all of her money, $1400, for the robbers. Or when I tried to tell a police officer that A's former husband, with a warrant out for his arrest for not paying child support, was in a certain building. I could go on.) All four boys were called into DJJ at Largo on the same morning. Three showed up; B and C with their mother, and Roberto with his father. Ian did not show up. I don't have complaint IDs for the others, but they should be easy find with the information supplied here. The intake officer was Ms. Horsey. She decided to hold a conference with everybody present instead of handling each case individually. Ms. Horsey immediately presented herself as someone full of her own power. I guess that's what happens when you give someone power. Her style was to ask a question and then immediately shoot down anything any of the boys said in answer to her question. She didn't care about any of the details of the incident. As was the case with the police, she obviously derived great satisfaction at being in a position to declare everyone equally guilty of whatever she wanted. She began by asking who did what. When she was told that only Ian kicked the door, she was in her element. That's exactly what she wanted to hear. The sarcasm came gushing out. "Oh, I see! The one who isn't here did it? Isn't that always the case?" And, turning to B while pointing at Roberto, "I suppose if he weren't here you would say he did it?" B calmly answered, "It wouldn't matter who's here; I would tell you the truth." In the event, no one except Ms. Horsey had much to say in the meeting. For example, I don't think C spoke a word, even to say that he wasn't anywhere near the scene of the crime. What would be the point? He would only be asking to be shot down. I have serious doubts that prejudging a case is a good way - or a lousy way, even - of getting at the truth or serving justice. So she declared everyone equally guilty. She can do that. She demanded a payment of $175 (how much of that is restitution and how much is fine, I don't know.) She can do that. She didn't care how she got the money. Well, she wouldn't accept personal checks, because she said she didn't want to have to chase after us if it was bad. (I wouldn't have guessed that that was part of her job description.) Oh yeah, and she wouldn't accept cash. (Doesn't trust the U.S. government? I don't know.) Anything to make things harder for people who already have enough hardships, I guess. From the way she talked, I honestly thought the cashiers check or money order was to be made out to her personally. Ms. Horsey didn't care how the guilty parties divided the fine. She graciously let them divide it any way they saw fit, BUT... if she didn't get the whole thing, she would take the case to court. The blackmail went like this. "If I don't get the money, I will send the case to court and you will have to hire an attorney, which will cost you in the vicinity of $1600. So just paying up is a much better deal. You can understand that, right?" Now remember, the one person responsible for the destruction wasn't even present, so expecting him, without even being told, to send in his 25% (much less, 100%) share would be pure insanity. So the fine was split with A paying 2/3 and Roberto's father paying 1/3. Sounds like a shake-down to me. And if there is a single, specific, main issue in all of this, it is this: was Ms. Horsey telling the truth when she said that if the case were to go to court that the defendents would be forced to hire an attorney? I need an answer to that. I'm not sure I trust everything she said. For instance, she made all of the boys and their parents sign a "Consent For Informal Adjustment and Supervision" form. She didn't explain what they were signing, or allow any time for reading it. Just sign there, and hand it back. I did read it after we left the office. The last paragraph says, "It is further understood and agreed that if it is determined the Informal Adjustment [i.e., shakedown] cannot be completed satisfactorily, the Intake Officer, with supervisory approval, may terminate the Informal Adjustment, authorize the filing of a petition and forward the complaint to the Office of the State's Attorney for possible Court action." Ms. Horsey definitely did not say anything about "supervisory approval". She left no doubt that it was her decision alone. She also made it clear that court action would be definite, not "possible." To summarize, I am very disturbed that the DJJ, with all of its resources and manpower, seems not to care about the specific problems a juvenile may have. Catch a kid; nail him (or more specifically, nail his parents. Both parents also lost a day's wages.) It doesn't matter what for, really. In this case, if you need help, the problem is that B is often truant, and C almost always. Is there anything you can do about that? Or are you like a police department that struts around all big and tough, handing out parking tickets, setting up speed traps (and sticking guns in the face of kids playing hooky)? Your mickey mouse shakedowns, besides being a joke, only create more problems for the parents. (You wouldn't know, but I do, that A deserves a medal for all she has done for her kids under unthinkably difficult circumstances.) Finally, I want to be informed of whatever action is eventually taken against Ian. Is he off the hook now that DJJ has put on its little show and got paid off, or is there, by any chance, an actual concern for justice in your department? ME: Subject: guitar pieces for concert Here are my pieces for the program: Scraps from the Opera (1868) arr. Justin Holland Faust Waltz (Gounod, 1859) (1819-1887) Norma (Bellini, 1831) Bob Wysong, guitar Donald Sauter, guitar La Manola (P. Henrion) arr. Justin Holland, 1860 Edna N. Simms, soprano Donald Sauter, guitar Any chance the guitars can go first? There's a lot of setting up to do, plus tuning. And if there's room in the program, could you print a short note about Holland? Justin Holland (1819-1887) - civil rights activist, linguist and teacher of the piano, flute and guitar. Holland was the foremost American guitarist of his generation, with over 350 published works. ME: Subject: catching up I've started volunteering at the elementary school again, and it has done wonders for my mood. Besides roving around the computer lab helping kids here and there about half a day a week, I'm working regularly with a 1st-grader named Rashard who needs a little catching up. Most people who have dealt with him also mention his "anger", but I've seen almost none of that. We have a great time. We got a nice snow down here a few weeks ago. Some of it is still lingering in spite of many warm days recently. I got in 3 good sledding sessions. (Could have had more, but I was starting to wear out.) I took A and 2 of her boys to the Department of Juvenile Justice last week. They hadn't done anything serious. As always, when I see any part of our justice system in action from the inside, I just about explode with frustration and anger. I wrote a letter about it to the area director of the DJJ. I'm thinking of putting it on the web, too. Man, when I see the imbeciles who somehow get in a position to judge the rest of us... I got a Hself a website, and put her writings up on it. The story has a long way to go, and I'm disappointed I can't nudge her to get it all done. When it's finished, then maybe we can start worrying about getting it translated. I am actually very impressed with her internet skills, considering I gave her an old dinosaur of a computer, and she has to do everything the "hard way", like me. She figured many things out on her own. ME: nouns: person (red), place (blue), thing (green) Ah ha, somehow I had never connected the circus poster with the first half of the 1800s - always thought '70s or '80s. Ah ha, "circus in 1968". Now I know. Don't believe I'd heard that one before. I finally wrapped up Porgy And Bess. I think I could fit the highlights on a 12" 45 (personally speaking, of course.) And I didn't even like the story. Should be called Porgy And No Bess. Having much more delightful results with my recent haul from the library. [Wow! Since then Porgy & Bess has become one of my favorites! An American masterpiece!] I suppose that guy who died the day before the MASH guy was a MASH guy who played the same role on tv? That was quite a surprise about Charles M. Schulz. I had gone to the Washington Post site Sunday night for a completely different reason (obviously). I mean, I only visit their site every few months, so it was quite a coincidence. I hope people notice that my auction predates his death. I see there are about 3600 Peanuts items out there now. I was hoping to get maybe $20, but the minimum bid is ok, too. I got an email from someone saying what a great auction it is, but I don't see people killing each other for it. I went in to school today for the sole purpose of working with Rashard. It was good. I'm sure I've found my calling (or *a* calling), but I need a helping hand from someone inside the system (as always.) ME: Subject: 39 cent burgers No, never heard of American History X. Sounds very interesting, although I worry it could be way too intense for my fragile constitution. My auction of [years' worth of] Sunday comics is up to a whopping $11.50. Heading down tomorrow to visit my friend in Dale City, Va. We always whoop it up with dinner at the McDonald's there. It's the coolest one I've ever been in. It has a real juke box - and you don't have to put money in! THEE: Subject: Busy times You're a true mench for working with Rashad. (Mench--Yiddish for honorable man.) I honor thee for helping a kid who needs it. Talk about incidents that could change history! The assassination attempt on Roosevelt was something I'd only heard about vaguely. I was glad I found a good web site on it, though I'm still not sure what the mayor of Chicago was doing in Miami. Did you visit the web site? The stricken mayor, who had tumbled from the car, is said to have screamed something like, "Get the president away to safety!" Roosevelt, however, made the driver stop the car and help the mayor back in. Roosevelt held him on the way to the hospital. That's two stand-up guys, or menches. Last night, I taught and it went pretty well. I discovered that one of my students was Hungarian so, of course, I asked her what Bogar means. Her English was poor (that's why she's in my class, of course) but I get the idea it means "black dog." Fair enough. THEE: Re: 39 cent burgers Hope you got the 'bad bath' you wanted. Ha! I wish you luck on your Peanuts stuff...but is $11 worth all the hassle of dealing with someone over postage, etc? I have these old He-Man Castles. Hself wanted to give them away, or trash them, but I insisted on bringing them to the new house. He finally thought they might be worth money. BUT, I don't want to try to auction them. I still think they are cool. I'm planning on keeping the characters. I know...I'm nuts. But when I'm 66... maybe I'll have time to play with them again. It's 'The Quiet Sear'....yet it's a play on words. Jay Morgans told me it's like a burning observation of people in a bus station...so it could be sear or seer....in a way. ME: a milkman moment I seem to remember some discussion of the confusion surrounding Segovia's birthday. I put my money on March. Coincidentally, I saw a picture of him in his 20s in a book about Heitor Villa- Lobos at LC today. Don't know how to describe the effect, but the picture stopped me in my tracks. Re: the Dylan/Cash sessions. The thought of becoming a Dylan scholar has always made me tremble. In comparison, becoming an expert on opera would be like watching a cartoon. I didn't know about the Johnny Cash special you mentioned. Have you seen it? I know the two of them recorded a lot of songs because I heard WMUC play a 45 or so minute set once. I about annihilated you once by trying to play a few minutes of hightlights. Since my last letter, I've listened to Sweet Apple Trax, volumes 1 and 2, and watched Let It Be in my head to the beat of In A Play Anyway. Ahhh, opera and Get Back boots... is there a need for anything else? Down in the Dale City McDonalds, Hself and I always pick songs on the jukebox to test each other. Actually, I play about 90% of the selections. I fired up California Girls, and Hself said California Dreaming (as would half the population). He even hung on to that as his "final answer" a few times when I said "nope". Bumped into Zakiya, one of my 2nd-graders, in the grocery store tonight. The kids make you feel like such a celebrity. I should do more grocery shopping at normal times. If it were something you could put on scales, I'll bet you'd find that Rashard is doing more for me than the other way around. Your teaching anecdote reminds me of Hself. In her new job, she sometimes gets called on as a Spanish/English translator. Of course, everybody is always surprised to see fluent Spanish come pouring out of her. It generally makes for a humorous situation. P.S. I got quite a shock when I checked my auction tonight - maybe there *will* be something for you. ME: You're right, selling something on ebay is *work*. What happened to me, and I suppose to others, too, is that you just get started on it without thinking through everything involved. And then it's too late to turn back. (Another way of looking at it is that it's recreational, not work. I mean, you could be watching tv instead.) Luckily, I had just the right size box around the house. And I had a friend do some scanning for me, and I just brought a few comics along. Where I really started to lose it was composing the item description itself. Man, that was as much work as any of my web pages! Anyhow, the auction will be closing in a few minutes, and when I logged on it was up to $91. Funny thing is, the satisfaction comes more from having put up something that caught people's interest. $91 *might* be minimum wage for all the work involved. Still, it's nicer than $10! By all means, *don't* sell off He-Man Castles that you plan to use in the nursing home. I didn't *run* for president last time, and I'm not *running* for president this time - although I *did* register with the FEC again. I'm not lifting a finger (much less a foot), besides answering questions people may ask. Because of the internet, things *are* much different this time. People *do* come to you. A variety of organizations have sent me questionnaires to answer. I'm happy to do that, and then I add it to my web page that collects such things. Pooey. I forgot about how the Waterboys came up. I thought you mentioned them because you knew them. That's why I was trying to impress you with my "amazing" Waterboys knowledge, which is nothing, really. I had jotted some notes on the album when I listened to it a long time ago. And on top of that, I see a fatal typo in my previous letter! "I hope you tell your dj friend to play them [Waterboys] for me!" was supposed to be, "I hope you *didn't* tell..." Everything's relative and, given my exciting life, and one could accurately say Hself and I "whoop it up" at the Dale City McDonalds. The jukebox really is great fun. Some of the labels have been torn off, so punching buttons gives you a mystery song. I've been compiling a list of these songs, and I tape it to the jukebox. There's also a moon-face Ray Charles who sits at a piano, but he never comes to life anymore to start playing. Oh yeah, know what I had for dinner? *4* regular burgers, and nothing else. That's living! ME: BIG batch of comics Hi felinedesign! I just heard from ebay that my auction ended. We're talking about: Item # 256852598 (BIG batch of Sunday Comics - with Peanuts!) Thanks so much for the interest in my auction! The final price was $102.50. Book rate postage is $13.07. That makes the total $115.57. Thanks again! THEE: Another chart-topper by Brian Matthew I've now put all my 45s up on eBay. I did really well with some of them. I just got back from the post office, where I mailed five of them, three within the U.S., one to England, and one to Canada. Postage, insurance, and whatever else cost me $16.95. That sure eats into profits. Next week I hope to delve into my comic book collection for more profitable eBay postings. Congratulations on your auction. We're going to the Arena Stage this afternoon to see "Guys and Dolls." After many years' delay, MCA finally released "BBC Sessions" by the Who, last Tuesday. I'm listening to it now. I hope Brian Matthew gets paid by the minute because he's really all over it, which makes me happy. THEE: Subject: the infamous donald sauter First...you are in the newspaper as a presidential candidate... then you are spotted shopping by one of your 2nd graders!! That cool though that the kids treat you right. You're probably one of their favorite teachers. So, your Peanut comics are up to $91!! Maybe I should think about giving up my castles. Funny, but I was talking about Peanuts to my kids...and they had NO idea what I was talking about!! They always called that stuff 'Charlie Brown'. I think all the videos that were made about the strip was called 'Charlie Brown something...' I had an uncle named Charlie Brown. He was married to my father's sister. Just a useless piece of trivia for you. BUT...that means I am Charlie Brown's niece!! Pretty amazing about your involvement with organizations during your presidential thing. I don't know why you used * * so many things in this latest letter. I prefer '...' In case you hadn't noticed... You know...if you take the mystery away from that jukebox... by taping the proper names onto the spots...you may be infringing on someone else's enjoyment of the unknown... just a thought. Sort of a reverse vandalism. Just kidding ;-) THEE: Hi Donald; Looks like I missed a golden opportunity, I was just in DC, but between business and sites, I didn't go into the Library of Congress. I contacted a member of the Washington Guitar Society when I was there but he wasn't able to suggest anything. I do swap music, via the net, I'll send a list if your interested let me know. ME: Re: guitar music I'm very curious about what your collection is like. Sure send your list, if that's no bother, otherwise, just a few sentences about it. I have been wondering why there are apparently so few people thrilled about guitar music. My situation is that there is so much public domain music at the Library of Congress, that finding music from other sources is not high on my priority list. It'll be a long time - probably never - before I'm finished scouring LC. I *wwould* like to complete my Justin Holland collection, if you can help there. If there are pieces in my collection you really need, please ask me. I'm also curious about who you talked to in the Washington Guitar Society. I can't imagine who would have *not* put you in touch with me. I had been loading the newsletter with LC goodies for years. ME: decent radio Driving up to Baltimore County today, I was listening to the doo- wop program on WTMD. The dj had Pookie Hudson and the Spaniels in the studio. He said that we could have met them at the record convention in Arbutus this morning (Sunday). Reminded me we have to make an effort to get up there, eh? The Spaniels recorded on Vee-Jay, and one of the songs they played was Peace Of Mind. Another good one went, "Aw my Tina, sweet sixteen-a, a beauty queen-a, in her blue jean-as." That's poetry. I'll be playing a few pieces at the Black Composers Concert at Catholic University on Saturday, February 26 2000 at 3:00. You are cordially invited. It's in the Ward Recital Hall, which is directly behind the Basilica. Here's my bits: Scraps from the Opera (1868) arr. Justin Holland Faust Waltz (Gounod, 1859) (1819-1887) Norma (Bellini, 1831) Bob Wysong, guitar Donald Sauter, guitar La Manola (Henrion) arr. Justin Holland, 1860 Edna N. Simms, soprano Donald Sauter, guitar You put up all your singles one-by-one, with a graphic, I guess? Whew, that sounds like a lot of work, although I'll bet you had it down to a well-oiled science. How many singles was it? Did you pay postage for all of them? ME: Subject: * Well, my auction ended at $102.50. Nothing to get excited over if you view it as "work". Now, if I had many big batches of comics to put up on a regular basis, and got into a groove, it could make a little spending change. Alas, it was a one-shot. When I use asterisk pairs, the implication is *emphasis*, in every way equivalent to italics. I think that's more or less a standard, based on how I see them used in discussion groups. It's always a few months between trips to Dale City, so I'm sure my little lists won't survive the whole time. They can have it *both* ways, some days perusing a list, some days a shot in the dark. It's actually a disappointment to me how few people go up to the jukebox to punch buttons. I can keep it hopping by myself, but in a perfect world there should be a long queue. Heard that your mom and my pop are tied at 32-32 in Phase 10, with my mom at 30. I'm rooting for your mom. THEE: Decency I've been away from Arbutus for far too long! If, as I claimed, Feb. 11 is the busiest day for the Beatles year in and year out, Feb. 22 is the best date year in and year out to judge the Beatles' progression from 1963 to 1969. I hope you'll see what I mean tomorrow. THEE: Black Composers Concert Program The tentative program of the Black Composers Concert is attached to this message. Please review the program and contact me for any corrections or additions to the program. I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday. The Annual Black Composers Concert Karen Marie Egypt, Coordinator Edna Sims, Mistress of Ceremonies Saturday, February 26, 2000 3:00 p.m. Ward Recital Hall Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit arr. H.T. Burleigh Edna N. Sims, soprano Karen Marie Egypt, piano A Night in Tunisia John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie God Bless The Child Billie Holiday Misty Erroll Garner Constantine Efantis, piano Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child arr. H.T. Burleigh Deep River arr. H. T. Burleigh Elyse Schuette, soprano Karen Marie Egypt, piano Spring Intermezzo Betty Jackson King Sonatina Op. 1, No. 1 Eurydice Osterman II Cantabile III Allegro Con Fuoco Sharon Shafer, piano Selections Students of the Duke Ellington School of the Performing Arts Intermission La Manola (P. Henrion) arr. Justin Holland Edna N. Sims, soprano Donald Sauter, guitar Scraps from the Opera (1868) arr. Justin Holland Faust Waltz (Gounod, 1859) Norma (Bellini, 1831) Donald Sauter, guitar Bob Wysong, guitar A Medley of Spirituals Negro Spirituals Marcia McIntyre, violin Theme and Variations from Sonata No. 1 George Walker Rhapsody from Five Sketches Noah Ryder Victoria Alma Castello, piano Cardozo Songs (poems by JoAnn Harris) Mark Fax Love The Refused Only Dreams Selfishness Advice To A Child Sharon Shafer, soprano Deep River arr. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Karen Marie Egypt, piano The Deserted Garden Florence Price Spiritual (O, Mourner, Mourner & Swing Low, Sweet Chariot)Clarence Cameron White Pilgrim Song (Somebody's Knocking At Your Door) Clarence Cameron White Phyllis Fleming, violin Elmer Booze, piano The Negro Speaks of Rivers Howard Swanson Since You Went Away James Weldon Johnson Black Piano William Grant Still Karl Gipson, tenor David Chapman, piano This program is sponsored by The Office of Multicultural & Special Services and CUA Program Board with assistance from The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. ME: punchinello funny fellow How can you see when I'm online??? I log on to a "guest" account with the Maryland Sailor system. I thought that kept me pretty anonymous. Hmmmm.... I went in to school today to "work" with Rashard, but he was absent. (Hope he's not trying to avoid me. I thought we were pals.) The teacher was apologetic, and maybe a little worried I was put out, but I just said, "How about Christopher, then?" She said, "Sure!" Christopher's even harder to get a right answer out of than Rashard, but I guess he's not viewed as having any sort of emotional problem. So I plunked down across from Christopher (in Rashard's chair) and a little girl runs up and gives me a big hug. I find out her name is Lenell, and it was, in fact, her very first day there. Her family had just come up from Texas. Have no idea why she took to me like that, but she pulled up a chair right there. I looked over her assignments in math and reading, which were near-perfect, as opposed to Christopher's, which didn't have a single answer indicating he even knew what they wanted him to do. I mean, not even *wrong* - I couldn't get him to understand you're supposed to put one of the 3 supplied choices in the blanks. Lenell pulled open her book and read me the first story - on a near-adult level. In fact, I think the story was meant to be read to the kids, which the teacher did to the reading group a while later. Anyhow, another fun day. Started getting to know Pagliacci today. Potent story, as for most operas. Has a great final line. After everybody gets stabbed to death at the end, Pagliaccio turns to the audience and says, "The comedy is ended!" So far, it does show similarities with Cavalleria Rusticana. No wonder they put both of 'em on 3 LPs in one big ol' boxed set. Vinyl is good for you. ME: Did I ever mention that in Trovatore, old dying Azucena tells Conti di Luna that he just executed his brother with only 24 seconds to go? I like Zaragossa. I never knew where it was, besides in Spain somewhere, but it's where Gaspar Sanz's guitar book was published in 1672 (or thereabouts). Some kindly drivers alerted me to a speed trap today that would probably have caught me otherwise. I would have never guessed the speed limit was 25 on such a wide, straight rod. THEE: punchinello funny fellow Obviously...you have a way with females. TOO cute about that little girl who seems to have fallen in love with you immediately. I don't understand the mail contacts online either. I could see the detroit one...since it was the one you sent mail from...not the donaldsauter one. Now...don't get excited...it's not like you showed me your SS#....oh...yeah...you did... I think I know one song from Pagliacci...I use to have some opera/piano book...might have gotten it from the library. I don't remember the story...but the song went 'laugh now, pagliacci...though your heart is breaking'...something like that. THEE: I was pleased to find your "modernized" tablature of Mudarra's works on the internet. Many of the fantasias are pieces that I've been wanting to learn (other than the much overplayed and overinterpreted # 10) for years. I have not had the chance to research the rest of the site but will do so this weekend. Thanks again for all your good work! THEE: The comedy has not yet begun! So, what's the deal? Harrison born on Feb. 24 or 25? The beloved web says both, depending on who you ask. I need a straight answer! I'm going to buy a DVD player tomorrow. I need to because the movie "Dumb and Dumber" (1994) has a Beatle reference on it and I only have it on DVD. I have to tape it for you. My boss once explained to me why "Pagliacci" and "Cavalleria Rusticana" are usually packed together. Is it just because they're both short? Possibly. ME: a quick one while I'm still up/cav and pag I put my money on the birthday George had all of his life until a few years ago when he changed it. I think that was the 25th, right? I'm having tremendous static problems on my phone. Thought it was the phone, so bought a new one and the problem's still there. Amazed that my modem can make any sense of what it gets. It does slow things down a lot for me on the 'net. Pagliacci came out of the same mold as Cavalleria Rusticana. Besides same length and similar layout (there's an intermezzo at the same spot in both) and similar style of music, they are both example of "verismo", meaning real-life plots instead of mythology and royalty, etc. Cav had its premiere on May 17 1890, Pag May 22 1892. I have to wonder what Mascagni had to say about Leoncavallo. By the way, feel free to restore the "I" to Pagliacci - I can hardly say it without, now. ME: final answer is... abcdefg... Great memory about the Pagliacci song - yep, that's the one every tenor everywhere belts out. It precedes the play the clowns are about to perform, which mimics exactly what has been going on in their real lives. Canio's wife is fixin to run off with another man, so his character Pagliaccio goes a little berserk in their little comedy. Hself's reaction reminds me of when I played a Sorrells Pickard song for my buddy Hself. Said he didn't like it. When pressed for a reason he said he thought it was a lousy song. Criminy, everything about it's top notch. Anyhow, that ruined my fun. Some people go out to great lengths to not enjoy something. The kids will be doing a production of Who Wants To Be Millionaire at school tomorrow. Should be funny. THEE: Subject: George, George, whoops, George I'm going to rely on the info I found here: http://www.eskimo.com/~cathy/hariontour/hariFAQ.htm That seems authoritative enough. THEE: Re: final answer is... abcdefg... Amazing what I remember from things...like that Pagliacci song. Hmm...I have trivia upon trivia stored in here...somewhere. I hope you get a laugh from my Mosh Pit Yellow Ledbetter. I do include a cuss word...so don't play it in front of your young pupils. It's also a little violent. And Hself will hate it. Play it for him one day when you are ticked with him. Sorrell will sounds SOOOO good after me. That Who wants to be a Millionaire thing at school sounds like fun. Do you get to be Regis? I can see you doing the 'is that your final answer???' line. ME: what year did roots air a b c or d Wondrous news on the static front. Not only did the phone company fix it, they didn't have to come inside, so there's no charge. In fact, they did it while I wasn't even at home. So you can imagine what a pleasant surprise that was, after you start thinking of everything that can go wrong, like them not even showing up, or them insisting to check inside the house even if they know they don't need to, or all manner of false accusations. So now I can take the new phone I bought back (and get my 10 bucks back.) I was at a singer friend's place rehearsing our song for a Black Composers Concert at Catholic University on Saturday. The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire show at school this morning had lots of good laughs, but was as painfully slow moving as the real mccoy. (I've only ever been inflicted with about 45 minutes of it in the background at my sister's house.) The mc had the part down pat, and even had a tape of that dumb space music. One teacher was great as a telephoned life-line - took it right down to 29.6 seconds with small talk before saying her answer. The poor little girl contestant was going absolutely frantic. ME: hard evidence(?) Whereas I am looking right now at a copy of a certified copy of an Entry Of Birth for George Harrison which says "Twenty fifth February 1943", please feel free to reuse yesterday's title for the newsletter. The certified copy itself is dated July 17 1968. ME: Subject: p.s. Lenell kept finding excuses this morning to go across the hall to the computer lab so she could hug me. ME: more finds at lc I'm still poking around the Library of Congress ocassionally. I've been doing more exploring than copying, but I've accumulated another small batch of music I was wondering if you'd be interested in. This isn't a "hard sell", but I need to ask you before I incorporate the new stuff into my collection. Once that happens, it would be extremely difficult to bring your collection in line with mine again. (I kind of like the idea of having my collection duplicated somewhere.) The new material is in the same vein as the first batch - maybe even a little higher class. It's still mostly arrangements, but there's a larger ratio of European to American. I'll send a complete list of pieces in a separate email. As always, there's lots of fun little discoveries, or at least questions raised, going through the pieces. For instance, do you have the Siegfried Behrend collection that includes a Bolero attributed to Sor? I found the original, but it doesn't mention Sor. There are some "national songs" that also popped up in Diabelli's arrangements from Auber's Muette di Portici. There's an arrangement of First Love by Wallerstein. Name sounded familiar, and yes, it is the same piece as Un Premier Amour Redowa, arranged by Holland. (I get a big kick out of comparing arrangements.) Speaking of Holland, I had a very nice phone chat with Ernie Jackson, who put out an edition of Holland pieces. He is a great guy; I hope you have reason to meet or talk to him some day. We exchanged a few Holland pieces in our collections. In fact, the 2 Holland pieces you see in this new batch are from him. I'll be playing a few Holland things at a Black Composers Concert this Saturday - the Faust Waltz and one of the Normas with my guitar partner Bob, and one of the songs, La Manola, with singer friend Edna. THEE: Looking for a Beatles gif file from 1960-1965 I have searched everywhere for the Beatles picture in a red and white stripe nightshirt from the cover of Playboy Magazine Feb. 1965.Where can I find it? This is for my class. I am a student in the CIS 172 Intro to the Internet class. This is a requirement of Test # 1. THEE: Presidential Election 2000 I was doing research on the prospective candidates for the Office of President of the United States of America -- and I came across your name and across your website. I read with great interest your Unarchy position, and was quite fascinated by your thinking. I can not yet say that I agree -- I would need more time to digest what you had to say -- but I was curious particularly about your candidacy. What do you mean that you are running for President? What does it take to run for President? Do you have a picture? The reason I am asking is that I am in a government class, and we are doing research on a particular candidate. I have selected you because your philosophy seems most fascinating to me, and I want to learn more about your position. One of the requirements for this project is a picture of the candidate. Can you send me a picture of yourself? Best wishes and good luck in your struggle to educate America! You have my support! (Thought not necessarily my vote.) THEE: "You and Me for President" Here is the notes I wrote for my presentation of your candidacy tomorrow in class. I hope I have presented your position satisfactorily. Let me know if anything is false or misleading. Keep up the fight for Truth. "You and Me for President" Reported by Dan Hussain ("Under the assumption that agreement or disagreement with the issues presented is not to be assumed") 29 February 2000 Campaign slogan: Mr. Sauter's campaign slogan will be "You and Me for President" Direct quote from conversation with Mr. Sauter "I am an enthusiastic classical guitar player, scrabble player, and Beatle fan." Another direction quote from online conversation with Mr. Sauter, "Initiate a discussion about whether there is any better way to determine what's "good" and what's "bad" than majority will." Proclamation: I have tried best to present here what I understand is Mr. Sauter's position on government. I have written here freely, and no doubt included a lot of my own thinking. It should also be clear that I do not endorse nor oppose Mr. Sauter. Do not even assume that I agree with anything written here. These are just Food for Thought. Issues Donald Sauter has a very simple (and elegant?) proposal for the federal government and society. He sees his position as both logically sound, moral, and practical and efficient. The idea is very simple Every government decision will be made by majority will. What does that mean? It means that every law/practice/act to be done by government will be put to a direct, referendum vote to the populace. Specifically, Mr. Sauter proposes the following single plank to his whole campaign: The president will act according to the majority will. The ultimate goal, of course, is to eliminate government and replace it with "competing" private firms. In practice, if elected President (And this is a big if), Mr. Sauter promises to make no act until a vote of the people has been taken. Then, he will act on the vote of the simple majority. Sauter has the fascinating position that requiring a supermajority for any action (such as the conviction or acquittal of a convict) stalls action and puts a gridlock into the system. According to Mr. Sauter's proposal, which he calls Unarchy, every action requires a simple majority vote - no more, and no less. Mr. Sauter's position really challenges us to whether or not we really believe in democracy. Do we really believe in the majority's right and intelligence to make proper choices and decisions? Or do we think that a "guided-minority" should direct American politics - a minority that "knows better" or "has greater qualifications" or "is more intelligent" or simply, "has more time to think"? That assertion goes to the heart of the democratic question, and Mr. Sauter has raised it in his candidacy for President. Unfortunately, the majority of the media is ignoring it. (To the peril of politics.) So the question really is: Can the majority make a moral, just, fair decision? Mr. Sauter's position is that it is the only thing that can. To think that a minority has the right to impose its position on the majority is absurd, and flies in the face of democracy. History has been the increasing acknowledgement of Everyman's capabilities to Think, to Act, and to Chose - Wisely, Rationally, and Objectively. These are abilities that are not reserved to a Select Minority, But rather, belong to the each Individual Human Being. These are qualities that can be fostered and nourished in all people. The Majority is Rational, Wise, and Just - but only if it chooses to! It is time for American's to assert their Individual Dignity, Intelligence, and Self-Reliability and Strength by standing up for their ability to Chose their Destiny. And that is a vote for Unarchy. [No, unarchy is the perfect system of justice.] ME: you and me for president Thanks for taking an interest in my ideas. I don't think of myself as "running" for president. I'm just putting an idea out there for everyone's consideration. If one day the New York Times stumbles on it and says, "Wow, this is great!", so be it. If not, so be it. All it takes to register one's candidacy is filling out a very short and simple form and mailing it to the Federal Election Commission. To be honest, I don't know why there aren't a million candidates! Make sure you understand that unarchy is *not* my presidential platform. Take a careful look at http://www.geocities.com/donaldsauter/prez.htm and http://www.geocities.com/donaldsauter/elec2000.htm I've never held an office before. My "qualifications" are that I am perfectly happy to let majority will dictate every presidential action. There is a picture of me at my website, although I have no links to it. Go to http://www.donaldsauter.com/dsmw.jpg You can find personal information about me in my resume: http://www.donaldsauter.com/resume.htm Mosey around my website and you will find many "pieces of information" about me. For instance, I am an enthusiastic classical guitar player, scrabble player and Beatle fan. You'll see in my resume that I volunteer time at the local elementary school, working mostly with first- and second-graders. Send all your classmates to my website! Also, initiate a discussion about whether there is any better way to determine what's "good" and what's "bad" than majority will. ME: Looking for a Beatles gif file from 1960-1965 I'm afraid that I've misled you - the cover picture features a female model in the nightshirt, not the Beatles. I associate the cover picture strongly with the Beatles since they are mentioned on the cover, and the issue contains their interview, but they are not pictured on the cover. I'm sorry to send you on a wild goose chase! By the way, I wish someone could track down a picture of the uncropped Beatles VI album cover photo. See my page http://www.donaldsauter.com/beatles-vi-cover.htm ME: you and me... I just read your paper on my candidacy. I like it. In many instances I felt like, "I wish I had said that!" In one or 2 instances I thought you had ever so slightly "put words in my mouth", but nothing serious enough to worry about. The only big mistake is that my presidential platform is *not* unarchy. Unarchy is my vision of all government being reduced to nothing but a simple system of justice based on common sense and conscience - no laws, lawmakers, lawyers or judges; only juries casting votes. They argument is, whatever happens within the framework of people treating each other fairly is ok. When that time comes, we may all live in mansions, or all in cardboard boxes, or the whole spectrum of everything in between - and it will be all right. My presidential platform relates to unarchy only in that it would be the first teeny-tiny baby step in getting people to see that they don't have to live in fear of majority rule. Thanks again for your interest. I'm flattered! ME: Thanks again for the enthusiastic support at the guitar recital last Saturday. It really means a lot. I count up 9 people who came at my invitation. I remember last year there weren't any. Had a bizarre dream 2 nights ago where I was getting furious for some reason - and I was wrecking Berliner gramophones! (What does that mean?) Did you say you had color pics from the Scott expedition in your possession? If so, feel free to bring them along tonight. Bought a few more records at the library today. I'm embarrassed to admit, yes, once again, I paid an unthinkable 50 cents per disk. I guess they know a sucker when they see one. Was baffled at the name "Burnell" as the discoverer of pulsars. I had never heard anything other than Jocelyn Bell. Wonder when she got married. You know, I began working at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory not many years after the discovery of pulsars. There was an exciting atmosphere in radio astronomy then. (May still be; I don't know.) ME: gris and backus I got the latest Soundboard yesterday. Haven't had a chance to go through it, but just thought I'd mention the big kick I got out of the cover. I guess some computer went haywire with a digitized version of the original? It happened that a guitar friend was visiting at the time, and the cover goof-up brought to mind the horror story of your Guitar In America anthology. I dug out your interview by Fred Noad. If it helps any, we feel your pain. On the plus side, we had a few chuckles. I hope that's ok, what with the passage of time and all. Of course, I always head straight for "Return With Us Now". You say Backus's name is new to you, so I guess you forgot a small mention in an earlier Soundboard? In the 5th installment of the Fiset letters (letter XVII, SB winter 1991, page 27), Fiset writes: "Also am working up Strauss Autograph Waltzes arr. by Backus which are exquisite on guitar..." So we know at least one person could play it! (Assuming Fiset finished working it up.) I noticed an error in the waltz on page 6, staff 3, measure 4, where the C's should be C# (I think). While I'm writing, I invite you to look over the public domain guitar music on my page: http://www.donaldsauter.com/lcgtr.htm If *anything* looks like it might go good in Soundboard, just ask. How about Sousa's Liberty Bell March and/or Hail To The Spirit Of Liberty March for the summer issue? A friend tells me the former is used as the theme music for one of those British comedy tv shows (I forget which). Also would like to offer, as always, my services restoring any music you want to put in the Soundboard in facsimile. I think I've developed a good knack for doctoring music. (This isn't a complaint about the Strauss waltz. Its original was obviously in fine shape.) THEE: Take Linda Surfing That's a weird dream, man. You love the old grammophones, but you want to clear them away and embrace the latest technology! I'm a trained mental health professional. You can trust my analysis. (No you can't.) I found a pretty good page about the pulsar discoverer. It may answer some of your questions about where she is now. It's at http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level1/bell.html. It says she has one child, a son. I'm warming to the Beach Boys book I'm reading, "The Nearest Faraway Place." Today I read just a little about Jan and Dean's early semi-concept LP, "Take Linda Surfing." I'm fairly sure you've told me in the past that it's THAT Linda. I may have to bring a Jan and Dean CD with me tonight. THEE: gris and backus Good for you to remember that Fiset reference! It never crossed my mind. Yes, those Cs on page 6 you mention should probably be sharps. (You find this a lot in old prints, where the engraver forgets that a barline cancels an accidental in a previous measure). Have you figured out what the "+" signs represent? Yes, I did notice that cover and could have made a fuss when I saw the blueline. But as the magazine was already two months late and it would have taken another month at least to fix the problem, I just let it go. In the original, you can just see the legs of a table on which this cubist guitar. When I sent the print, I drew arrows, so whoever would know which way was up. Don't know what happened in the cropping: the table legs got dropped and then the whole thing was turned kind of sideways. The Liberty Bell March was the Monty Python theme. I think a Sousa march might be nice for the summer issue. THEE: Beatle Significa Hi, I am going to be selling some Beatles items at the March 2000 Beatlfest and I was wonder if you still had a case of the Beatles Significa left. I only have a few left from the last case. I want to sell some and give some away to other who purchase items at my table. Let me know if you have some left. The Beatlefest is March 24 THEE: Re: you and me... I have presented your position & your candidacy to my AP Government class in high school. The presentation went very well, and I have recieved very positive feedback and interest in your candidacy. It seems that people are interested in new and "different" ideas. I have been in conversation with the other students and with my teacher (Mr. Jones), and they were wanted me to ask you if you would be willing to come to our class and talk to us about your position & your candidacy. I go to a high school called Richland Senior High School, and we are located in Johnstown, PA. The address of our school is 220 Highfield Avenue, Johnstown, PA 15904. We are about 3 hours away from Washington, D.C. to give you a sense of where we are located. Would you want to come to our school one day and give a talk to our class? Thanks. PS -- The Mars Society is a space-advocacy group. Our position is that the best investment that governments and private corporations over the world can make is a manned mission to Mars. Specifically, we seek to increase funding for Space Science, Research, & Development. Visit us at http://www.marssociety.org/ THEE: what year did roots air a b c or d I think Roots aired in 1976. I know I was living at ... Maybe 1975....near there. Roots trivia that I remember...Kunta Kinte...Lamar Burton... get's half his foot cut off for trying to escape. Kunta's daughter's name meant 'stay put'. The daughter spits in the cup of water she gives her old childhood friend when they are old. Gosh, Lenell is so funny! I mean, you are certainly a nice guy, but why is she so nuts over you! Kind of weird. Maybe it's the age though. We were at a birthday party for one of my grandkids, and one of David's great-nieces went nuts over him. Guess she doesn't usually get attention from nice men. Or...maybe it's just some unexplainable thing. Pheromones. Yeah, that must be it. She's already addicted to you. Glad your phone was repaired with no hassle or expense. That is almost unheard of!! Guess you are at your concert now. Hope it went well. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is so slow. I've gotten into it once or twice if David is watching it with me. Wonder why the public loves it so much. Jeopardy is faster....maybe it is the slow pace they like. Life is so stressful. I worked last weekend...which means I got a day off during the week. I took last Monday off. Today, I am still so UN-relaxed. Course, sometimes game shows like that are more anxious than relaxing...as you wait for the outcome. Strange phenomena...people are weird. ME: Subject: sousa I'll put the 2 Sousa marches I mentioned in the mail shortly, probably with some or all of the other ones I have. They are all unmarked and pristine. (I treat my 1st-generation copies of LC music as archival.) Most of these marches indicate an optional second guitar part which don't seem to be at LC. Still, the main guitar part is written to be stand-alone. No, I don't know what the + signs are for in the Backus arrangement. I know I use completely different fingerings from Backus in that section. I doubt you're inclined to dwell on it, but I viewed it as sort of a mental puzzle. Comparing the SB cover with the picture on page 67, it looks like the cropping itself was not all that severe - about 1/4 inch off the left side, and about 3/16 off the right side of the b&w picture. The remainder was rotated 90 degrees and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d to fit the designated space on the cover. Actually, both table legs are there, but the left one is hard to recognize because the bit of table *top* was cropped. If the Soundboard gets too far behind schedule, my 2 cents is don't worry about it - just skip an issue. It always takes me by surprise when it pops up in my mailbox anyway. It's not like I look for it on a particular day. Since I last wrote, I've enjoyed Piece Sur Un Theme Bulgare and Swing Along. ME: Subject: darn, subject block again Thanks for the fine visit. On an ordinary evening, the straight- edged record would have been the highlight, but it had insurmountable competition tonight, including but not limited to Figaro's theme song, Jim!, a bogus Linda, and new-phase strawberry shortcake. The science projects were displayed at school today. I liked one that proved that baths use less water than showers. I've been trying to tell people this all my life. On the other hand, I had to look askance at the one that proved that baths use *more* water than showers. I'm sure the experimenter was led on by a preformed conclusion. There was one that really pulled the rug out from under my physics-based persona. It proved that a balloon filled with air weighs more than an uninflated one. There was a picture, even, of the filled balloon pulling its side of the scale down. Looks like I'll have to try this myself. THEE: Re: gris and backus Well, I paid a visit to your LOC site and must say that it sounds like you've been one busy beaver. There's one thing I fail to get, though. You say you have focused all your attention on classes M129, M128, and 125 (the arrangements) and have left the original material alone. Could I ask your thinking behind this? I have no difficulty with transcriptions, but I think the original stuff has even more interest, being the instrument's legitimate repertoire. ME: Subject: invitation I am sincerely flattered by your invitation to visit your school and talk about my candidacy. I have to decline for 2 main reasons. First, I am not really very comfortable at public speaking, and, to be honest, there really is not much more to say than what you have already reported to your class. Second, I wouldn't do it for the reason that I don't want to give the appearance of having anything in common with those guys you see on the front of the newspaper every day embarrassing and humiliating themselves in their all-consuming quest for power. Keep in mind that I would decline an interview with the New York Times, or an invitation to the Oprah show. Talking with you was fun because that was on the level of friends, as opposed to actual campaigning. I hope that makes some sense, even though visiting your school is a far cry from promoting my candidacy. By the way, could I have your permission to put your report up on my website? I have a page devoted to answering questions from people and organizations; it would be nice to have a page that gathers things that have been written about my idea. THEE: Subject: president Too bad you can't come -- my class was hoping to seeing you and discussing some of your ideas with you. Feel free to post the stuff that I wrote about you on your website. Good luck for the future! THEE: The bum's mush Proof my brain is turning to mush: Well, first, you will be very surprised (not) to hear that that darn record wouldn't play on either of my turntables. If I lean back right now, I can featch it out of the trashcan behind me. Hself had to remind me that several months after I bought that LP, Hself Q gave me another copy as a Christmas present, not knowing I already had it. So, where is my second copy? I think it's in Q's basement, waiting to be photographed for eBay. Q thinks I successfully sold it at their April 1998 yard sale. Stay tuned! Even though this "Linda" thing is going to be a big problem, I'm really enjoying my book now. THEE: Re: The Laxton's Superb Awards! Congratulations! Your Beatles site has been chosen to be nominated in the Third Annual Laxton's Superb Awards! The premiere Beatles Web Site award on the net has you nominated in the following category: Best Beatles Journalism Site Attached you'll find a "nominee" banner which you can use to lead your visitors to the About.com Beatles site. It's not necessary for you to put this on your site, but it WILL increase your chances of winning. There's also a "nominee" jpg for those of you who need a smaller image. If you choose to add either image to your site, please make sure it points to this exact URL: http://beatles.about.com/library/weekly/aa030400.htm This will ensure that you send them to the precise voting place, where they can e-mail me their vote. Visitors can ALSO vote for you there as Web Site Of The Year. DEADLINE FOR VOTING IS MIDNIGHT EST, MARCH 31ST, 2000. Please also change any "Mining Co." references on your site to "About.com." If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me! And thanks for creating such a great site! ME: Subject: on the way I got your latest package of goodies on the way today. It's great. (I can vouch for it!) Here's a few comments on what you'll find. (This is probably more for my pleasure than your own necessity.) You'll see the European editions are on the top, even though I put them last in the list I sent you. Otherwise, the list should be in agreement with the stack of music. (Let me know if you want the list again.) All the pieces in the list have been incorporated into my main list, but I haven't uploaded the latest version to my website yet. The Coste arr. of Lucia di Lamermoor may look horrible, but, believe me, I've improved it a million percent. In the original the staff lines were half missing and the background speckling almost overwhelmed the music. When you see dark edges, as in the Cuttoli, it means a tightly bound edition that wouldn't lie flat on the copier. I can live with it. Had a lot of fun with the Barbier di Siviglia, after listening to the opera. (I think it's the same key.) Go as fast as you can, and just play the graces as glissandos. Those single notes 2/3 down page 6 are the famous "Figaro, figaro, figaro..." The anonymous Bolero is the one I mentioned I have attributed to Sor in a collection by Siegfried Behrend. Compare some of the pieces in the Guitar Album (Lafleur) with similar ones in Diabelli's arangement of La Muette di Portici. I wonder what the story is. Also, I think the anonymous arranger did a nice job. For example, just to look at it, I wouldn't see anything special in God Save the King, but it sounds very good - nice bass line. I'll admit I still haven't found the groove with Bane's personal "tuneing". This is one I got from copyright deposit, not the music division's collection. I guess the Largo by Handel and Dead March From Saul are only the 2nd and 3rd Baroque pieces I've found in all of this music. Compare Brachet's arrangement of Traumbilder with the first of "3 German Airs" by Hayden found on the LC American Memories website. Does Hail Columbia sound like Itsy Bitsy Spider? Frey's Carnival Of Venice is one I found and copied years ago, which explains my measure numbers. It was in the guitar trio class. La Savane and Morningstar Waltz are courtesy of Ernie Jackson. I did major doctoring on what he sent me to create masters. Janon's Heimweh also came from the copyright warehouse. In one of the Fiset letters in Soundboard (winter 89-90, p21) he says the intro Romero slapped on Souvenir d'Amerique came from Ferrer's Home Sweet Home. Without a doubt, I'm the world's biggest T. P. Trinkaus fan. I get such a kick playing songs from the Top 40 at the turn of the century. If it weren't for Trinkaus, I would never have had a chance to hear it. Is Wailand the same as Weiland? El Zapateado we already met in the Guitar Album. Finally, First Love by Wallerstein you already have arranged by Holland, called Un Premier Amour Redowa. ME: hooray for arrangements I copied 3 Sousa marches for you today: The Liberty Bell; Stars And Stripes Forever; and Hail To The Spirit Of Liberty. They were the most patriotic titles of the 12 or so Sousa arrangements I have. I figure before I seal up the envelope and send it off I'd ask if there's anything else you see that you might want, either for yourself or the Soundboard. Knock yourself out! About going for the arrangements at LC first, I tried to explain my wacky reasons in an essay on my web page. It seemed to me like it would be a lot of fun - and it has been! It gives such a fantastic window on the wider music scene of that era - serious, popular and that all-American hybrid stuff. Don't ask me why, but for old guitar music, I feel like arrangements *are* bona fide guitar compositions. If Yamashita arranges Lucia di Lamermoor for guitar, that's "just" a transcription, but if Coste or Dorn did - that's guitar music! Also, with arrangements, you'd expect the quality of the music to be higher, in general. Think of Hayden's originals versus his arrangements. Also, the LC collection of originals is so overwhelming, where would I start??? I'd have to be *very* selective, and for me that would require taking my guitar in (which I did for years, actually) to decide which pieces make the cut. (The irony is, if I've played it at the library, why copy it?) With a "junky" little arrangement, at least you know you're getting a taste of music that was somehow important at the time. Any of that make any sense? Anyhow, if I live to be 120, I might make a dent in the guitar originals at LC. Also, if my guitar philanthropist steps forward and coughs up a paltry minimum wage for me to dig up guitar music at LC and make it available to the world, I'd start today, with gusto! ME: Finally got full payment for my "big batch of Sunday comics" today and sent that off. Also sent off a batch of guitar music to a guitarist who has been buying what I dig out of LC. Also returned the size L shiny blue shirt that I didn't need because size M fit well. I'm in the money. Made another batch of split pea soup today. Wonder how many pounds of that 8-pound ham are still in my freezer. Listened to the first 2 sides of your Irish album - and noted the highlights. Why won't somebody hire me to separate wheat from chaff, music-wise? Do you have any reliable info on the actual popularity of Pachelbel's Canon through the years. I believe I read that it was "discovered" in the 1930s. Why this is important to me is that the 2 variations Justin Holland wrote on Nearer My God To Thee in the 1860s sound to me a lot like the Canon. I turned down an invitation to talk to a high school class in Pennsylvania about my candidacy. Guess I'll get roughed up at the airport now. [That's a jokey Beatles in the Philipines reference.] THEE: hooray for arrangements I have no complaints as far as transcriptions, although I am sometimes uneasy when I see a guitar program that is made up of nothing but: Bach, Chopin, Albeniz, and so on. It rather suggests that the guitar doesn't have a legitimate repertoire of its own and must accumulate one by "cradle robbing." Chopin, in particular, was such an idiomatic piano composer -- just think of the way he used the damper -- that whatever one does is apt to come out differently. Nice perhaps, but different. Still, a good arrangement can be a thing of beauty and perfectly legitimate. There is no doubt that the guitarists of whom we speak were better arrangers than composers. Furthermore, the homophonic styles of the 19th century allowed arrangements to be carried off easily, and much of what we're talking about here is really lighter, salon music. I also see your point of having to limit yourself. To tackle the entire holdings of the LofC would, indeed, open a can of worms. Like you, I think Trinkhaus did some good work (do you know anything about him biographically?) and a couple of those titles are just irresistible. Also, if you ever run across a copy of A.J. Weidt's "Down the Mississippi: Banjo Imitation," let me know! Please consider providing: Bane//Bane's Grand March Bane// Boston visit waltz Fiset/Saint-Saens/Romance sans paroles Trinkhaus/Perrin/Ma afro-Mexician queen Trinkhaus/Whitney/The donkey laugh THEE: Back at the libes I had a fine time at the Library of Congress today. I tracked down nine articles for Hself (from a list of 11), including two on microfilm. Incidentally, someone told me toward the end of my researches that my card expired 15 months ago. The only Doyle article I requested was unavailable. I read about 100 pages of "The Nearest Faraway Place" while I waited, so I consider the day successful. I had visions of you cringing as I OK'd each of my lousy (but readable) photocopies. It was good to be back. I meant to ask you about your 2000 campaign. I know nada about the history of "Canon." I always thought it was rediscovered just in time for the film "To Fly." I'm glad you got your pay for you Sunday comics. I'm putting comic books up these days and they're selling, though not for huge sums. ME: 20 words per minute I've now finished 8 sides of your Irish album. It's gonna be a very good "best of" tape (assuming you stick to the script.) Got a refill order for a carton of Beatle games. My dealer who sets up in Meadowlands does so well, I should try to find one dealer in each of the Beatlefest cities. My website just got a nomination for the Laxton's Superb award as best Beatles journalism site. Voting ends Mar 31. I have a guitar arrangement of a Rossini aria called "Di Tanti Palpiti" which is identified as coming from Barbiere di Siviglia. Well, I've listened to the whole opera several times now, and nothing jumped out as sounding like this guitar piece. In fact, I've just gone through the 1st 5 sides again, trying to hear it. (Shades of "Figaro, Figaro...") Oh yeah, I also skimmed the libretto about 4 times for those words, without luck. So, tonight, I did a web search - and it turns out Di Tanti Palpiti is from Tancredi! The other neat thing was the surprise I got when the Alta Vista's 7th hit was my own web page listing my guitar music from LC! If I read a 100 pages of *anything* "while I waited", that would imply a week's wait for something. ME: Subject: pearl jam, opera Thanks for the tape! It's a lot of fun - just like being there in the mosh pit! (Hold it, what's so fun about that???) Do I detect that you actually recorded a fresh performance for my tape? That would explain Hself's groans, as opposed to if you just dubbed an old recording. Finally got full payment for my "big batch of Sunday comics" and sent that off. The first check didn't include postage, so I had to email for that. Where are people's heads? A high schooler in Pa. did a report on my candidacy. It went over so well that they invited me to come to the school to give a talk. I had to turn them down. I explained that I would turn down the New York Times and the Oprah show, too. I don't want to look like a Don Quixote or something. I'm just putting an idea out there. Glad that *somebody* agrees with me about the torturous slow pace of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. p.s. Funniest little Lenell anecdote from last week was when I was walking out of the computer lab, and she was first in the line getting ready to leave her classroom, and she sees me and comes running out for a hug, and the teacher, who is already going a little crazy getting the kids to line up, yells, "Where are *you* going!?" Then she looks out and sees it was me, and just laughs. THEE: inquiry Dear Donald, firgst of all pleasge forgsive me twhe bxroken keybxoard. I have the follotwing inquiry: are you atware of gsome potpourris for cello and guitar, besides Bobrowisz, Matiegka, and Dotzauer? Many thanks in advance. ME: Going into school tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to work in Ms. Kelley's 1st-grade class. I start with two, but before you know it, 5 or 6 kids are climbing over my head. ME: Subject: music on the way Your little batch of music is on its way. You picked some real winners. I squelched the urge to pile on more. My tendency is to think along the lines, "If he wants this, he'd get a kick out of this one, too!" Both pieces by Bane are good and playable, although I, personally, have to change a lot of fingerings. You'll also see a strange high G to be played open, or as a harmonic, I suppose, in the first part of the Grand March. But in some cases it's hard or impossible to play as a harmonic. The real eyebrow raiser is a section that reminds me of the middle section of Villa-Lobos's Etude 1. And, on top of that, there's a section of the Boston Visit Valse that reminds me of the *outer* sections of the Villa-Lobos Etude. There's an E minor melody that slides up and down the 4th string. This is stacking the deck, but play the treble chords in that section as 8th notes. In the Boston Visit, I think the low E in page 1, staff 6, measure 6 should be a G. That's the only mistake I found in all 5 pieces. Fiset's arrangement of the Saint-Saens Romance is an exercise in frustration (for me.) When I plug away at it, I can almost get it to sound like something, but since I never made a copy to finger, I have to start from scratch every time I come back to it. I remember solving each problem spot, but never getting it to flow. Fiset talks about it in SB spring 90, page 35, 36. I wonder if Mr. Sheppard was totally candid about the piece to Fiset. I seem to remember somewhere else in the letters Sheppard admitted having trouble playing something which I'm betting was a lot easier than the Romance. There weren't fancy covers for any of the pieces, except for the Fiset, which you already have. I used the best full-service copier in my area, but when I got home I took a closer and saw that it shifted the images to the right and up, even lopping off the top of a few page numbers. It also copied lighter than it ever has before. If it had been a big job, I would have had them run my test pattern first. I suspect the rest of the world wouldn't see anything wrong with them, but I am very picky about copies. On that subject, the music pages for the Sousa pieces are equal to or better than the original, but the covers are very slightly inferior to my 1st-generation copies. Again, I don't think the rest of the world would notice, but if you want 1st-gen copies for any of the Sousa covers (for Soundboard, say), just ask. Nope, I don't know anything about Trinkaus. In fact, anything I *do* know about American guitarists comes from you. I'd be more than happy to take a look for the Weidt piece next time I go down LC. By the way, is it well known in the guitar world that the guitar is used in the Barbier di Siviglia? I never knew it. In a score published in 1860, there's a note saying the guitar part in the autograph is in a different hand from Rossini's. I wonder whose. THEE: Subject: Re: on the way Thanks for all of the info! I'm really looking forward to getting the package. I've still got a big pile to of music to read from the last batch you sent! (Piano and guitar stuff). Anyway, I really appreciate all of your hard work. Please keep me informed of any new finds! Sorry to be so brief but I'm now preparing for a concert in San Francisco that's next week. I'm playing a piece called YAWP by Belinda Reynolds. It's really cool but it ain't easy! Should be fun. ME: ##@!*$@* primaries! Walked all the way to school on Tuesday, and realized something was up when there was not a single vehicle in the parking lot. If you want to waste some of your life on the Laxton's Superb awards, you can start here: http://www.donaldsauter.com/index.html#beatles Believe me, my efforts are *nothing* compared to Allan Pollacks' analyses of Beatle songs - which are as fascinating and understandable as they are scholarly. By the way, the image file you'll see there is about the same size as my little dinky b&w Sears guitar images. Who the heck would waste money on a stinky album with only 27 "greatest hits". Just kidding, of course. You are now the excited owner of a "Best of" Irish tape. It's a goodie; I'm gonna have trouble handing it over. In the interim, I'm trying to make myself sick of it (with no progress so far.) In an effort to always correct wrong things I've said, "Nadel" in German means needle, not nail, which is Nagel. I remembered Nagel/nail before going to my dictionary, but had forgotten Nadel/needle. ME: Sorry about all the obscure jargon in the last email. LC = Library of Congress, my favorite playground. Yep, Barbier di Siviglia = Barber of Seville. Don't I sound distinguished talking Italian? Yep, Tancredi is another Rossini opera, about which I know nutting (except the title.) The 100-year-old guitar arrangement identified the piece as coming from Barber of Seville, in letters as big as life, but it was really Tancredi. Laxton is not a person, I mean he probably was a person, but Laxton's Superb is a type of apple. It was used as the working title for one of the Beatles' songs, but I forget which one right now. It was kind of a joke, tossing around apple names after forming Apple, with the Granny Smith apple on the label. By the way, since more people might be visiting my site while the Laxton's Superb voting is on, I put up another web page today about a great play I saw years ago called John, Paul, George, Ringo... & Bert. It's at: http://www.donaldsauter.com/john-paul-george-ringo-bert.htm The photo worked! I downloaded your attachment and fired it up in an image viewer. (Can you imagine anything so primitive?) The house looks beautiful to me. By the way, what I've settled on as a name with the kids is Mr. Don. I never like Mr. or any titles (read my web page), but I guess it wouldn't be appropriate for the kids to be calling just one adult at school by just his first name. On the music front, I borrowed an album of a variety of Irish music from my friend Hself who buys all kinds of crazy records. This one had a mere 150 songs on it. David's wife floated the idea of making a "best of" compilation, so as a favor I noted the best tracks as I went through it and created a 37 song "best of" tape. It's great, and I never felt any particular affinity for Irish music. Yes I got a kick out of your Mosh Pit YL song! And even moreso after reading about the inspiration for it. THEE: Subject: These things happen (I sent my pithy message to myself from work this morning. it was meant for you.) Subject: Voting! Sorry the Democratic process got in your way on Tuesday. These things happen. I still enjoy voting, so i knew the day was coming up. Speaking of the Democratic process, thanks for the Laxton's link. I'm going to vote from home tonight, but I'm not telling who I'm voting for. Where do you stand on this whole Three Tenors biz? THEE: Best beatles journailsim site Great idea for a Beatles Journalism contest. I vote for the Unarchy site. Thank you. THEE: Subject: Thanks for the goodies! The music arrived, and was lots of fun to try out. I always get excited when I get some odd-ball stuff like this to fool around with. Thanks so much. Let me know if there is some way I can return the favor. I really haven't had much time to look at this material. I frankly don't know quite what to make out of "Bane's Grand March." I don't think those Gs are harmonics, and this piece doesn't seem to involve scordatura. I even considered the idea of a drone G string, sort of like on the five-string banjo. And there's something funny about all those drone Bs just before the A Major section. Well, as I say, I haven't had much time to look at any of this, so I'll let you know if anything clicks. I can't say I made much of "Stars and Stripes" the first time through, either. I notice it was set by Charles Henlein, who (like Hayden) has struck me as a bit of a hack. Then I noticed that if I took it in two, rather than four, it sounded much better. So, change the time signature from C to alla breve. "The Liberty Bell" is indeed the theme of "Monty Pyton's Flying Circus." THEE: Re: #$@%&$#@ primaries! Well, I checked out the kids report on you...and your web about your candidacy, and I was hit with how similar 'customer defined' and your 'majority will decide' policies are...and how much of a cop-out they seem too. The 'customer defined' line was used every paragraph when the lab bought a computer system. For almost every question... the sales person said, 'that's customer defined' and smiled happily...but the reality was a LOT of work for the poor supervisors. I know your 'majority decides' idea is pure democracy...but just the way friction messes up laws of motion...apathy destroys democracy. I almost didn't vote this week...since I figured...what's one lousy vote. Oh you sound tre distinguished talking Italian... Mr.Don. Reminds me of Brando in the Godfather. Oh, did I ever tell you that 99% of all entertainment magazines have a Brando reference in them? That's my own theory...and it's stood the test of time. Glad you liked my Mosh Pit YL song. Speaking of PJ concerts... turns out people have to pick up fan club tickets AT the Venues in Europe with a photo ID. I'm hoping this won't happen in the USA. I have 3 memberships...mine, one in my mom's name...one in Hself's name. I was planning on trading the second ticket with my PJ 'bodyguard/concert bud' in Waldorf. BUT, if you have to have photo ID to pick up the tickets...I can only use one of mine. Don't think I can pass for my mom this year...maybe next year. I could drag Hself to a concert...but I'd rather not. I'm kind of ticked at PJ for this mess. Extra fan club memberships is one of my 'guilty pleasures'. Seems they are trying to avoid scalpers getting these tickets, but even if I just had one membership, going to a ticket place before a concert SUCKS!!! ME: Subject: greaseman TO: letterstoed@washpost.com Mar 12 2000 Dear Post, Boo hoo hoo for Doug Tracht a.k.a. Greaseman. If he were any sort of man he would do the right, good and honorable thing and go and off and kill himself. Donald Sauter. 9316 Wyatt Drive; Lanham MD 20706. (301) 577-5589. ME: a jug of punch Had a good day at LC on Friday. They gave me permission to copy some pages from a big, old bound volume full of rare american guitar music, and I figured, well, might as well get everything I can while the getting is good. Positioning fat volumes on a copy machine can be very difficult, but I came up with a method that gives excellent 2nd-generation masters. And I can use the 1st- gen copies to play from and mark up. Also had an amazing success finding a piece requested by the editor of Soundboard. I tracked it down (with difficulty) in the copyright catalog. It had a 1903 copyright date, which turns out to be the only year of copyright holdings that are still at LC - and it was there! The miracle is how the copyright date came up in small chat with a librarian there, and she knew about the special case of 1903. Up to almost the Pa. line on Sunday for the birthday party of a great-nephew. Got caught in traffic behind a terrible accident. It involved a fatality, and we saw them put the shroud on the car with the dead person in it. I had never known of that procedure. Been playing kickball and jokari with the neighborhood kids. See I typoed in the last email - there were *37* greatest hits on the Irish album. Good news - I have managed to get a little tired of parts of the tape. Finally took the plunge into La Boheme without having the whole story digested. Like the music fine. This is one of the older albums and the sound quality was disappointing at first, but now I don't notice it. I never did find any english translation of the libretto on the web. I can't say that I really knew you counted yourself out as a live rock fan. I suspect you've had many great concert experiences. I've even had a few, which I should try to remember and write down so it will be documented in case I go on my usual anti-live pop music rant. Two that come to mind were the Troggs and the Characters. Is the 3 Tenors still going strong and/or in the news? Is that why you ask? I have no problem with my 3 Tenors experience, which was one tv special a long time ago, and a a tape a friend gave me. It only has a few cringe-inducing songs on it. ME: hiyo silver What does your Harvard Dictionary have to say about William Tell? Peter Danner asked, "Also, if you ever run across a copy of A.J. Weidt's "Down the Mississippi: Banjo Imitation," let me know!" I found it for him at the library on Friday. It's an amazing story! THEE: music on the way Well, I've been having much fun reading through that music you sent me. The "Boston Visit" is especially nice. I love those slurs at the top of page two. That solo on the D string that reminded you of Villa Lobos also reminded me of Tarrega. Bass melodies were indeed "stock" items, but this one in the middle voice is very effective. Bane's other piece, the Grand March, strikes me as odd. I'm not sure I understand it yet, especially the last line of the first page. The opening sounds best to me if you just play those Gs down an octave on the open third string. That would explain a lot (plus making things much easier to play). In the two places with the triplet (two measures from the Fine) the second D needed a natural sign. Bane, of course, used a lot of that so-called "Saxton System" with the guitar tuned C-G-D-G-B-D, but I doubt this is one of those, since it wouldn't explain that open G. The other piece giving me trouble is the Saint-Saens/Fiset, but think it ought to nice once I have figured it out. Must go back and read what Fiset has to say about it in the Sheppard letters. Some additional fingerings are needed -- such as knowing the first two-note chord (the two Es) sound best played on the fifth & sixth strings (at least to me they do). Anyway, I think I've figured out all the harmonics. Must find out more about T.P. Trinkhaus. Notice he sometimes worked with a certain George J. Trinkhaus. A brother? ME: and another thing A few more things relating to Monday night's discussions: 1. I've replayed the liar/truth-teller puzzle in my head, and I believe it screams for further discussion. 2. Let me tell you about my long distance service(s). I feel sure it beats - by a significant amount - what you were describing. 3. Scrabble came up, and no doubt we've talked scrabble before, but I invite your verbal comments on my scrabble web page. I think it's a powerhouse, but what do outsiders think? http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble.htm 4. Also wanted to revisit Monday night's confirmation call, about the laugh at the end. THEE: Comments on unarchy I admire your creativity with this approach, but i think it obvious that you haven't completely thought this idea through. It has many holes that would quickly lead to total failure. By pondering this one question, you will surely see my point (and quickly delete all references to unarchy on your web page). I challenge you to send me back an intelegent answer to this question: How would unarchy deal with the issue of abortion? Since the public is devided fairly evenly on this issue, any sampling of people will have a 50-50 chance of convicting the perpetrator. Furthermore, since the sentence is also administered by the jury, some juries will impose the death penalty for murder, while others will get off scott free. What happens then????? Laws rule!! THEE: binaural Do you know anything about the recording technique called binaural? Pearl Jam's new album is called 'binaural'. They used Tchad Blake as their producer. I'm hoping I like the outcome...but it sounds weird reading about it. ME: trying to catch up... Hey, don't mix that "customer defined" jazz up with democracy :) . I hear it all the time and it drives me buggy. Like if you go into a store to buy a tape deck with a microphone input and you find they don't make them like that anymore and the salesman points to all the tape decks on the shelves and "explains" that that's what the people buy. Of course! Because that's what they sell! Same with why all stereo components are so jet black you can't tell which button is which. Same with why tv is nothing but bathroom humor for 9-year-olds. Etc. Remember, so-called "apathy" is really just a vote for the status quo. Nothing wrong with that (says me.) By the way, a vote for me is... a vote for *3* PJ fan club memberships - no questions asked! Uh oh, is "Mr. Don" a Godfather joke or tie-in that many people would make? I only saw a few minutes of the movie, and don't know who Brando is. Life would have been so simple if I could have just been Donald to everybody to my grave, sigh. THEE: Subject: None! You had good luck at the Library of Congress on Friday? I had good luck on Saturday! I got six Arthur Conan Doyle articles, including three newspaper clippings from microfilm. Alas, I was only able to track down five of 10 articles Hself wanted, which was my whole point for being there. That car accident you saw sounds awful. I have two Three Tenors performances on a DVD, and I thought I better tape them for you. I ordered an oratorio by Handel from the Musical heritage Society. I already have one of his operas, but I haven't listened to it yet. My current album of the week is "Roots of British Rock," which we bought during our last visit to that record store in your neck of the woods. I have the exact date of our visit at home, but I believe it was sometime in october 1997. Time flies! Hself bought us a new printer yesterday. She really does need it to churn out the kind of paper she's churning out these days. We're really spending money like we have some. I have a feeling that's not smart. THEE: Subject: Copyright, Donny! I've been giving you that explanation for how copyright law works for years! Haven't I been telling you that Apple's lawyers could beat up your lawyers, and that's why they can send threatening letters all around? (Ugh! It shouldn't be this way!) THEE: Re: MY ALWAYS FRIEND OF MY HEART I really love the way she writes English - something very elegant about it; its really very poetic. Like "NEVER THINGS ARE ALL RIGHT ALWAYS SOMETHING." What was that line she wrote in her first E-mail to you telling you about her new fiance? It was a really cool turn of the phrase. THEE: Subject: hiyo BANAL Guillaume Tell. Opera in four acts by Rossini, produced in Paris, 1829. Setting: Switzerland, early 14th century. The overture was a popular orchestral concert selection until made banal by association with various radio programs and motion pictures. THEE: By the way, I also voted your site as best Web site (even though it was not one of the nominations). ME: Subject: poetry It warms my heart to hear you compliment Hself's writing style. It has the same effect on me, which is why I wanted to share it with somebody, I guess. > What was that line she wrote in her first E-mail to you telling you about her new fiance? It was a really cool turn of the phrase. Maybe: AND I FIND A MAN WANT TO MERRIED ME, WE BEEN CLOSE TO The one that gave me a lump in my throat was, "...and I is tired to be byself." Yes, the aria La Donna e Mobile is the one we discussed. The count sings it off in the distance on a night-time stroll while Rigoletto thinks he's got the count's corpse in the bag. All of the italian in that discussion was just aria titles, so I wouldn't accuse them of being snobbish. Remember, it was the opera discussion group, and it's standard for arias to go by their original titles. ME: Subject: the true meaning of I was always confused by the difference between binaural and stereo myself, figuring they were probably synonymous. But I found a website that explains it pretty clearly. Binaural is "true-to-life" sound reproduction. HeadWize - Article: Taking Sound In Another Direction by John Sunier URL: http://www.headwize.com/articles/sunier2_art.htm Poor little Lenell got into mild trouble today for coming over to the computer lab so many times, ostensibly to sharpen her pencil. The substitute for the class in the lab told her to cut it out. I explained later to the substitute what the deal was with Lenell, and she had a laugh. ME: testing your memory Do you remember where else we met "banal" in the Harvard Dictionary? THEE: Are you saying that Ferranti composed the Carnival of Venice, or just an arrangement for guitar? ME: Subject: carnival of venice As far as I know, the composer of the Carnival of Venice is lost to history. I've been curious about this myself, and I've never seen anyone name a composer, even where it would be very appropriate to do so. What I wonder is if Paganini was the *first* to compose variations on the theme. There is a book by Fuld that tells the origins of many, many well-known songs. I suppose I've looked in it for The Carnival Of Venice, but I can't say for sure. I personally think it's appropriate to give Ferranti full composer credit for all of his super-charged variations. In my own cataloging system, I give composer credit to the arranger of a folk tune, as opposed to calling it "anonymous". THEE: Re: taking the cold PS. Thought of you when I drove by the Sugar Shack yesterday and saw all the smoke coming out -- they are cooking up this season's maple syrup. Perhaps one will come in your direction! THEE: Re: trying to catch up... I liked your rant about 'customer defined' stuff. Kind of reverses the 'supply and demand' idea. Instead of us wanting something, and buying it. They supply it, and create a demand for it. Oh, I was reading an angry article about the Benneton clothing ads. Have you seen any of these? They are against capital punishment, and have little sweet interviews with people on death row. The problem, the families of the victims are very upset. I don't buy name brand clothing anyway...but the ads do seem sick. Hmm...3 PJ memberships...no questions asked. Yeah, you've got my vote! Worked for Schmoke years ago when Chicken Little (or some Chicken place)...gave out free dinner coupons to anyone that voted. Neopotism. My favorite Ice Cream flavor. I don't know if people will think 'Godfather/Marlon Brando when you are called 'Mr.Don'. He was called Don Corleone. If you watched the beginning of the original Godfather, Brando was the 50ish man playing with a cat behind a desk. And...to me...you will always be Donald...if that helps. Yipes!! That's terrible about the traffic fatality. Cars are really dangerous. Daily I'm aware of that. People drive like they forget what can happen. I don't know what jokari is. Thanks for that great web on the binaural stuff. It really explained it well. I'm feeling so much better about the PJ stuff now. Oh, rumor time. There is a rumor...that PJ might be on Letterman 4/12. If it's confirmed... I'll tell you....if you care. You going to have to find a way to be less irresistable to Lenell...what can I say. Cute that she's already found a way around the system using a pencil.
 
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