January 8
Rallying




Listening to: Pavarotti and Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo

Reading: Soft Focus Jane Ann Krentz

Weather: 40, sunny

Trivia: Why does a teakettle make louder and louder noise as it heats up, then suddenly go quiet just before it boils?

The noise is caused by cavitation or, put simply, bubbles form and then they pop. When you heat water o the stove, the layer at the bottom is the first to boil, turning into gas. This water vapor collects into little bubbles, which rise toward the surface, passing through cooler water as they travel. This lower water causes the vapor to recondense into liquid, which, in turn, causes the bubbles to collapse, whereupon they make a noise. As more water vapor is formed and bubble production increases, the noise gets louder. Eventually, the water is uniformly hot, and the bubbles can make it to the top without popping, so there's a brief absence of noise. Then, as the vapor pressure builds up sufficiently, it leaks out through the whistle in the top of the kettle, making a really loud noise. So, next time you're brewing a pot of hot water, you can explain the miracle of cavitation to them.

Cool word: spoof [n., v. SPOOF]

A spoof is a bit of nonsense or tomfoolery, or it is a gentle satire, and to spoof is to deceive or carry out a spoof. Example: "The hilarious spoof of 'Star Trek' was the best sketch of the evening." This word started out as the name of a card game invented in the 1880s by Arthur Roberts, a British comedian. As one might expect of a game invented by a comedian, Spoof was a humorous game that included elements of trickery and pretense. By 1889, the word was being used in a more general sense to indicate nonsense, trickery or deceit, with a negative connotation. It was not until the 1920s that the lighter sense of "gentle satire" appeared. Today both meanings are considered valid.



I am feeling much much better today. I felt rotten when I woke up, but as the day has gone on I’ve actually started to feel healthy. Except for the fact that I am really tired. Which is stupid considering I’ve done nothing.

But at least I feel as if there is hope that this miserable disease is on it’s way out.

It’s been a long two weeks.



Of course, the fact that I stayed in again today, went nowhere and did nothing, leaves me with nothing interesting to say. And also leaves me with a grammatically poor sentence.

I really was a slug today. I finished up a few of those cards and bookmarks I was making, played a bit more with that enamel powder and watched too much HGTV. There really was nothing to watch on TV today.

I listened to my new CDs for quite a while and am not sure about this Pavarotti and friends thing.

It’s kind of weird to listen to , as his voice really doesn’t blend with any of these pop people he’s performing with. I can’t decide what I think about his duet with Joe Cocker. Pavarotti with the magnificent voice with Joe Cocker of no voice? It’s a bit odd. Actually most of it is kind of strange. One of the tracks is "The Thrill is Gone" with B.B. King.

Think about that. Pavarotti with B.B./ King. Interesting dichotomy in any case. I can’t say I dislike the recording, but I’m not in love with it either. I think I’m sitting here trying to dissect it. I should just be able to enjoy the music.

Pavarotti certainly makes no attempt to blend with the other singers, his voice is way out there. But I’m not sure he can pull back to blend, or it might be his way of letting everyone know that he is "The Star". Streisand tends to do this too. She’ll be singing a harmony but so loudly that you can’t hear the melody. This is really true in her duet of "Music of the Night" with Michael Crawford.

Other performers understand how to blend. It’s true on the two Sinatra duets CDs, and on the George Martin "In My Life" CD. And the Sinatra stuff had to have been difficult to do, as the people singing the duets never met or sang with him, it was all done electronically.



I heard from Dee and apparently today’s coaching was swell. I’m glad to hear it. She also did voice placement, which means that I’ll have no place to stand when I return. I hate that, but figured that would be the case. She’ll stick me off to the side again.

Sigh.

Tomorrow I have to meet Cathy and Martha for lunch, as it’s Cathy’s birthday next week. It’ll be a shock to the system to put on makeup and decent clothes.

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Horoscope
-Aries-

MIND YOUR STARS!

Try to push forward with any career plans you have, and fast. This is the time to strike; your iron may never again be so hot. It's a good day for career advancement. Others may look to you as the authority about a particular problem they may be having -- which won't escape the attention of your boss! Approving eyes are on what you do, and you may find yourself with a delicious possibility for advancement and material rewards. Only one caution -- take care that you don't come off as pushy or as a climber when you state your career dreams.