I may have gotten a bit of TV religion last night. Eileen and I watched three episodes of “Game of Thrones” on my new laptop. Ever  since I saw this huge self contained monitor/computer at Best Buy Ihave been wondering whether we might be better off watching TV online and getting rid of Cable. It’s on sale for about $500. It has a 20″ screen and would make a good TV for Eileen and me. I found the program on http://www.cucirca.com/ along with tons of others. Since we just spent a ton of money on my tooth and Christmas, I think we will delay purchasing something like this for a while. In the meantime, we will continue to see what we can do with just accessing TV programs with the laptop. Finished a volume of Mary Oliver poems this morning. I think I like this poet quite a bit and will continue to read her. Have begun volumes of poetry by Ursula K. Leguin and Lucille Clifton. These are two interesting poets to read simultaneously. Clifton died last year. My brother was familiar with her work, but I had never heard of her till I picked up her book last week at the library. Le Guin is a long time favorite writer of mine. I have read many of her novels but little of her poetry. Both books are collections which are sort of an overview of these two poets’ work. I think they proceed chronologically through each poet’s opus. I have to say that Clifton seems so far (about 80 pages in) to have one basic voice and that Le Guin is more literary and wide ranging in her poetry writing than Clifton. It’s probably comparing apples and oranges. Yesterday (and today so far) was a Bach/Shostakovich day at the piano. I have playing from both of their collections of preludes and fugues. Shostakovich  obviously has Bach in his head as he writes his collection of preludes and fugues. I think Shostakovich does a good job coming up with beautiful and interesting music in this genre. And of course playing Bach is always an unbelievable experience. Yesterday I played the Prelude and Fugue in Eb from Book II of the Well Tempered Clavier over and over. Each repetition revealed something new to me in the music. That’s how I experience Bach. I move deeper and deeper into his music and find more and more in it even after an initial dizzying experience the first time through. *********************************************************************************************************************

Mike Auldridge Dies at 73 – Lent Dobro Fresh Elegance – NYTimes.com

As I was reading the New York Times yesterday and treadmilling I utilized my laptop to look up music on Spotify as I read about it in the obituaries. Marva Whitney, 68, Singer in the James Brown Revue – NYTimes.com       The result was a whimsical playlist

Ray Collins of the Mothers of Invention Dies – NYTimes.com

I read in the obituary of Ray Collins that one of the first records Zappa released was Hey Nelda.

Ned and Nelda were Zappa and Collins. And there it was on Spotify to add to my whimsical list. Joy by Zadie Smith | The New York Review of Books Then there was this essay by Zadie Smith which mentioned all kinds of music I didn’t recognize. I especially liked “Can I Kick It?” by a Tribe Called Quest and music by Q-Tip and The Streets. Man do I feel spoiled to be able to so quickly access the music I read and am curious about. *******************************************************************************************************

Times Reporter in China Is Forced to Leave Over Visa Issue – NYTimes.com

Elizabeth mentioned this to me. Also that Philip Pan, the NYT bureau chief whose wife she recently had lunch with and whose book In Out of Mao’s Shadow she has read and which I am reading, is also in danger of not having his visa renewed. ********************************************************************************************************

Protester Wounded by Gunmen in Egypt – NYTimes.com

Government thugs in other countries have been background noise in the news ever since I have been paying attention. *********************************************************************************************************

California Man Held in Burning of Homeless Woman – NYTimes.com

This kind of violence on the helpless and unwanted seems to me to be an action on the evil extremes of humanity. ********************************************************************************************************