Here's a quote that I wanted to include in my book review, but it was too long:

Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other elements of this world, about the motion and orbit of the stars and even their size and relative positions, about the predictable eclipses of the sun and moon, the cycles of the years and the seasons, about the kinds of animals, shrubs, stones, and so forth, and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but that people outside the household of faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men. If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason? Reckless and incompetent expounders of Holy Scripture bring untold trouble and sorrow on their wiser brethren when they are caught in one of their mischievous false opinions and are taken to task by those who are not bound by the authority of our sacred books. For then, to defend their utterly foolish and obviously untrue statements, they will try to call upon Holy Scripture for proof and even recite from memory many passages which they think support their position, although they understand neither what they say nor the things about which they make assertion.

-- Augustine of Hippo, The Literal Meaning of Genesis. vol. 1, Ancient Christian Writers., vol. 41, Translated and annotated by John Hammond Taylor, S.J. New York: Paulist Press, 1982

Augustine wrote that 1600 years ago.

If you are a fan of Plinko on the Price is Right then you are really going to dig this game. Simply drop the coin and watch it fall. There is some added strategy involved since there are spots that catch your coin and you can then shoot it back up the course. This is how you really get your score up.

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. Things have been busy at work, and with all the wedding talk going on in our office, I haven't had a lot of free time to post.

A couple of weeks ago, for the noon concert, they had a series of opera scenes. I guess the vocal major is getting so large now that they don't have enough parts (besides the chorus) to give the underclassmen. So now they're having this recital at the end of the spring semester, in which the less experienced vocal majors learn the part for a complete scene. The scenes are fully staged and performed in costume, and before each scene, someone explains the set up.

This is the first type of this recital the department has set up, and I'd have to say it was one of my favorite noon concerts of the year. The performances included scenes from The Marriage of Figaro and Cosi fan tutte by Mozart, Carmen by Bizet, and The Merry Wives by Nicolai.

Some of the performers definitely seem destined for bigger stages. One of my favorites was the maid in the scene from Cosi fan tutte, who stole the show, not just because her role was so fun, but because her voice was consistent and had a great tone, all while she flitted around the stage with an awesome dramatic performance. The theatrics of the two women in the Merry Wives was very entertaining (loved the staging). And the girl who played Carmen was able to give a very effective performance while reclining on the ground.

All in all, a great half hour of show, and it definitely makes me want to check out the spring opera next year. I always mean to go but haven't been able to find someone to go with me (it's more pricey than most people prefer).

One question, though. Are all college operas performed in English? I really prefer to see an opera in its original language, with subtitles. Maybe I prefer subtitles just because, in opera, it's not always easy to understand what's being sung (even when it's in English). But there's something special about the way the words flow in their original form as well. I think I'd like to see the students try a little more in foreign languages (we know they can do it because the chorus has done it in the past), but maybe a full opera would be too much of a challenge..

Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman

Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby by whytheluckystiff