Welcome to a Chronicle of Culture
Posted in Books, Cuisine, Music, Politics, Science, Travel, Visual arts on Apr 18th, 2010
I read The Sunday New York Times, so you don’t have to
First music of the day: June Christy’s Something Cool, a 1955 record that introduced the “vocal cool” period, and one of the excellent pieces of old vinyl that I picked up during my new favorite holiday, Saturday’s Record Store Day. “I don’t ordinarily drink [...]
Posted in Books, Music, Philosophy, Politics, Science, Sports on Mar 28th, 2010
I read the Sunday New York Times, so you don’t have to: March 28
First music of the day: The Mozart opera Idomeneo. By 10 a.m., three chickens are being slowly oak-smoked on the grill. It will be a good day.
1, I’ve been waiting all week, like a kid the week leading up to Christmas Day, [...]
Posted in Cuisine, Life During Wartime, Literature, Music, Politics, Sports on Feb 28th, 2010
I read The Sunday Times, so you don’t have to: Feb. 28
Good morning. I made Grandma Spevak’s sausage yesterday, grinding the meat and stuffing the hog casings myself. Now the house still smells like garlic and pork fat. Let’s get to The Times:
1, Media reports immediately following Barack Obama’s Thursday health care summit left [...]
Posted in Books, Music, Philosophy, Politics, Visual arts on Feb 7th, 2010
I read The Sunday Times, so you don’t have to: Feb. 7
First music of the day, Kenny Garrett’s Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane. Let’s start off with a few stories from the from the front page of The New York Times that are about groups who would love to control your life, rather than [...]
Posted in Life During Wartime, Philosophy, Politics, Sports, Visual arts on Jan 24th, 2010
I read the Sunday Times, so you don’t have to: Jan. 24
“If you want to know about the gay politician, if you want to know how to drive your car, if you want to know about the new sex position, you can read it in the Sunday papers, read it in the Sunday papers.” – [...]
Posted in Cuisine, Literature, Music, Politics, Sports, Travel on Jan 17th, 2010
I read the Sunday Times, so you don’t have to: Jan. 17
I’ve brewed the coffee (from Papua New Guinea) and sat down with The New York Times this morning after making a profoundly puzzling music choice for the stereo: Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells.
1, Today, this is all that matters: “As Aid Pours In, Haiti Struggles [...]
Posted in Books, Literature, Politics, Visual arts on Dec 21st, 2009
I read the Sunday New York Times, So You Don’t Have To: Dec. 20
1, Senate Democrats announced they have the 60 votes to move past the Republican health-reform blockade. It’s not what we needed – some of those senators exacted their pints of blood before they gave their vote – but the forces aligned against [...]