Dear Reader –
Depending on your circumstances, this week will signal the imminent end of freedom, the dreaded return of colder weather, or perhaps the welcome return of routine. I hope you’re feeling OK about it.
*All hyperlinks in bold.
The Big Thing
If the big job last week was to get the album finished, this week it’s to put the finishing touches to the teaching timetable for the new term. Another sign that summer is coming to an end.
But with every ending comes a beginning, and September, along with January and June, is one of my favourite times of the year to start something new. Or figure out a better way to do the things we already do.
And so I’m enjoying this book at the moment - the author describes it not as a how-to book, but rather a when-to book. It’s full of interesting anecdotes and useful tips regarding things like why the afternoon can be dangerous, what time of the day is best to exercise, and the ideal length of a daytime nap.
AND it opens with a great Miles Davis quote - ‘time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing’.
Where else but Sligo?
Ransboro, end of August 1996.
My sister was heading to secondary school for the first time and so we rented Forrest Gump on video and watched it as a treat the night before. She headed off the next morning and I must have had a couple more days of holidays, because I remember asking my parents if I could hold onto the video for the morning. Not with the purpose of watching the film again, but to try and pick out the melody of the piano theme playing through the opening scene that had caught my ear. It’s beautiful - have a listen.
It was around the time I began trying to work out melodies by ear, and so I rewound and fast-fowarded that VHS over and over again, determined firstly to pick out the tune, and then the altogether more difficult part of the left hand. Our piano must have been out of tune, because it was only when I went to play it with the Sligo Academy of Music Sinfionetta more than 20 years later that I realised it was in the key of G, not Ab as that piano had misinformed me all that time previously.
It’s a lovely memory from this time of year.
What’s New?
As mentioned last week, I do hope to announce something exciting for adults who like to play piano and/or sing over the next few weeks. I’m just waiting to hear from our government as to what will be within public health guidelines. More for you as soon as I have it.
Limerick won the All-Ireland hurling championship last Sunday for the third time in four years, and they look like they are here to stay. In 2018 they won their first All-Ireland in 45 years by a point with a score of 3-16. On Sunday last they had beaten that score BY HALF-TIME (3-18), and went on to win by 16 points. Scary.
Back to the book mentioned in The Big Thing - the opening chapter contains two interesting mind puzzles. Have a go and I’ll give the answers next week. I got one wrong - but as the book would say, maybe I just attempted it at the wrong time of the day!
Meet Linda. She’s 31 years old, single, outspoken and very bright. In college, Linda majored in philosophy. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice, and participated in antinuclear demonstrations. Before I tell you more about Linda, let me ask you a question about her. Which is more likely?
Linda is a bank teller.
Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement.
Ernesto is a dealer in antique coins. One day someone brings him a beautiful bronze coin. The coin has an emperor’s head on one side and the date 544BC stamped on the other. Ernesto examines the coin - but instead of buying it, he calls the police. Why?
Finally…
Surely the quintessential end-of-summer song…from our 2020 Summer and Sunshine Theme Night…
Till next time - Kieran.
