Some Christmas Links

I've pretty much refrained from doing any "work" today, Boxing Day; instead I've been starting to catch up on the blog and other online reading that's taken a back seat lately to holiday preparations, music, and the usual last-minute, end-of-the-year deadlines from clients. It's instructive for me to notice how hard it is NOT to push myself to "accomplish" something all the time, especially when I've been really busy. It's been both nice and weird to laze around the studio today with no particular goal; basically I start out feeling pretty disconcerted on days like that, and then, once I realize why I feel adrift, give myself permission to actually take the day off. Not something that comes naturally. Anyway: here are a few of the places I stopped and lingered at today:

Geoffrey Hill's poem, "Christmas Trees," about Dietrich Bonhoeffer watching aircraft strikes from his prison cell. From RB at "such stuff."

An essay by Karen Armstrong reflects on the political motivations of the authors of the biblical "infant narratives"  - and considers what meaning the season may have for us today. (op/ed from the L.A. Times.)

Paula's crimson journey: 630-700 nm.

A video performance of the whole Charpentier Messe de Minuit pour Noel (we did only the Gloria, (Part 1, starting at about 8 minutes) the Sanctus and Benedictus, and Agnus Dei on Christmas Eve) by the Moscow Oratorio, Alexander Tsaliuk conducting (in four parts.)

"Wanting to be Someone Else": Adam Shatz talks about the novels of Orhan Pamuk, including the newly-released English translation of "The Museum of Innocence," (which I did not get for Christmas) in the London Review of Books.

Soon I'm going home (in the freezing rain) to eat leftovers from last night's dinner and, I hope, curl up under a comforter for the rest of the evening with some knitting or a book. Hope you had a relaxing day today too.

Comments

[dale]

(o)

[Kim]

I really just LOVE Karen Armstrong. Going over to read that one right away. Thanks, Beth!