Text 19704, 145 rader
Skriven 2012-01-08 15:13:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: new ears 42
===================
 NB> Richard and I ended up over at MJ's, and had "bubbly" and appetizers
 NB> with her.  Some years we've done it by choice, this year the plan had
 NB> been for a quiet evening at home ... but multiple aides called off, the
 NB> last half an hour after saying she'd cover... so the agency needed us
 NB> to cover (she's a 24/7 case)...

It was probably very good that you saw her, no matter what
the annoyance that caused the situation.

 ML> ** probably Mozart and Beethoven. As Helen cleverly invited
 ML> violinists, in all probability I will have to play viola -
 ML> which is okay as I love the sound of it, but less okay as it
 ML> is bigger, and the playing of it causes some physical pain.
 NB> How did that go?  Did you enjoy... and survive...?

Pretty well. I'd played on a 17" scale viola two nights before,
with a less eminent group, and I started to hurt very early on,
so much so that I had to quit. On NYE I played a 15 1/2" one
and felt much better, especially as the session was punctuated
by dinner and a piece in which I played first violin. Scale, for
those who don't know, is a measure of the length of the instrument,
measured various ways, which on a normally-proportioned viola
come out to the same number - one is string length, I forget what
the others are. I think body length is another.

 NB> Years ago, when my sister was taking violin lessons, her teacher
 NB> strung her violin with viola strings, I think because a viola was
 NB> needed for some group...   I have no idea how common a practice that
 NB> would have been or would be now... but it struck me sufficiently as odd
 NB> to have remembered it all these years...  ;)

The problem with that is that the chimera instrument sounds bad.
In order to produce the C 128 (or whatever it has evolved into),
the string has to be of a certain thickness, and with violin
length, the string isn't long enough to vibrate properly, so the
sound is more like dying cow than music.

==

 ML> With exceptions. I do recall a few cases in which people had
 ML> requested stopping but then afterwards obviously were offended
 ML> when cessation promptly occurred.
 NB> Which can be an obvious opening for the question, if one should then
 NB> procede after all... ;)

If nobody proceeded, there wouldn't be hordes of children
running around; also no harassment actions.

My brother e-mailed me about some kid who was arrested for
taking other people's SAT tests for them; he was caught because
the people who hired him got scores way above what was expected
of them. He was apparently sentenced to lots of community
service, which consisted of teaching underprivileged students
how to take the SAT tests. So my brother said (not telling me
what this kid was sentenced to do) that the punishment was
what he (Jonathan) really wanted to do. Okay, so what's that,
I asked. Here's the exchange - sequentially, each quote taken
from a separate e-mail. I'm reproducing pertinent bits here
for several reasons, not to bore anyone; one, documentation;
two, it's sort of pertinent; three: blowing off steam again.

==

 J> Meanwhile, this kid gets a good deal from the system.
 J> Apparently he did not spend much time in jail?  Instead,
 J> his "punishment" is to do something that I actually WANT
 J> to do ...

 M> What would that be?

 J> Actually I wouldn't do it because, unless the clients
 J> are all-male or all non-white, I will probably succumb
 J> to temptation.  Even if they be of legal age, I still
 J> would get fired for sexual harassument.
 J> Unless I get lucky enough to get a client to marry me.

 M> You didn't answer the question.

 J> To teach.  (Actually this guy gets to tutor underprivileged
 J> kids to prepare for the SAT.)

 M> Do you want to teach? If in a traditional school setting,
 M> you need various ed courses and stuff.
 M> By the way, I don't see why you're oblique about this,
 M> talking about temptation, sexual harassment, marriage,
 M> blah blah. It would be much easier for you to have said
 M> "I want to teach, what can I do about it?" E-mail is not
 M> a guessing game.

The person whom Jonathan refers to as his only friend, and
whom he has cc:ed on this conversation, chimes in.
 NR> You never told me why you didn't pursue teaching. Why not?

 J> I will ask students out on dates, especially if it is
 J> college-aged students.  If things don't work out, I get
 J> fired for sexual harassment.

 M> That sounds kind of far-fetched. Of course, if that's your
 M> concern (and I don't see it as a legitimate one, as what one
 M> thinks about doing and what one actually does are often
 M> quite different), you could go teach in an all-male school.

I kind of thought about escaping to the Shipps', but I figure
there's no real danger, except the confusion of unwillingly
visiting an alternative universe, and maybe I can attempt to
do a tiny bit of good in the next few days before I escape.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.07

      Title: Creamy Polenta (Microwave or Stove)
 Categories: Italian
   Servings: 4

  2 1/2 c  Water
    1/2 c  Yellow cornmeal
    1/2 ts Salt
      2 tb Grated Parmesan cheese
      1 ts Olive oil
    1/8 ts Black pepper

  Stir together the water, cornmeal, and salt in a microwave-safe 1-quart
  measure.  Microcook, uncovered, on HIGH for 5 minutes.  Whisk well. Cover
  with waxed paper.  Microcook on HIGH for an additional 5 minutes. Add the
  Parmesan, oil, and pepper; whisk until smooth.  Spoon onto plates to serve.

  STOVE:  Place water, salt, and oil in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to
  boiling.  Gradually whisk in the cornmeal.  Boil gently, stirring
  constantly, for 3 minutes.  Stir in the Parmesan and pepper.

  Makes 4 servings.

  Nutrient Value per Serving:

  85 Calories;  2 g Protein;  14 g Carbohydrate; 2 g Fat;  321 mg sodium; 2
  mg Cholesterol Exchanges: 3/4 starch/bread; 1/2 fat

  [FAMILY CIRCLE; Oct 16, 1990]

  Posted by Fred Peters.

MMMMM

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