10 posts tagged “qotd”

Have you ever experienced road rage?
Submitted by Question of the Day.

Well, that's a fun one. You see, I don't drive. But I still get to feel the rage – let me count the ways:

1. Drivers who think that because the only living soul in sight is a pedestrian, they don't need to use their turning indicators. Hey, I'm interested in where and whether you're turning too, especially if I'm waiting to cross the road.
2. Drivers who aim for puddles when it's been raining heavily. Dumb. And unfriendly.
3. Drivers who stop for me to cross in front of them when it's evident that I have stopped to wait for them to pass so I can cross behind them.

Here's one for the ladies:  What's in your handbag right now? 
Submitted by Kadeeae.

My "handbag" is in fact the lovely chocolate coloured shoulder bag that has taken me from work to concerts and just about most places that aren't casual since 2003. Not a handbag exactly, but not a satchel or a briefcase either. (Looks a little like the Arielle.) Perfect.
The techie stuff: mobile phone, PDA, iPod and in-ear monitors, flash drive
The prepared for all occasions stuff: folding umbrella; tissues; crystal nail file; tiny purse that manages to hold chapstick, travel toothbrush with mini toothpaste, lipgloss, earplugs, eyedrops, toothpick, tampon, panty liner, glasses cleaning cloth, bandaids, nurofen, lip and eyebrow pencils, and an aromatherapy roll-on.
The writing implements: Rotring Freeway ballpoint pen, Lamy fountain pen, Staedtler clutch pencil
The "access" stuff: keys, work pass
The CDs (at the moment): a recording of Celibidache conducting Ravel; a recording of an interview that I have to edit
In a simple Lantern Paper zipped fabric "stationery satchel" (which, incidentally, sort of matches the aforementioned folding umbrella): Moleskine Cahier medium lined notebook for research notes, a fundraising brochure for an orchestra I don't work for, some health insurance documents that I need to act on, and something I found on the printer at work that horrified me at first and now just makes me laugh.
The paper stuff: business cards in an embossed aluminium case, Remo General Store 2008 Pocket Planner, Moleskine grid pocket notebook, Moleskine volant lined notebook (for library/catalogue searches), Moleskine red weekly pocket diary (which I actually leave at work during the week but take home on weekends to plan), homemade Circa hipster PDA (modelled on the Levenger variety) that I'm experimenting with, and in a slim plastic file various work papers that I really need to weed big time!
And finally: my wallet with money, cards, public transport tickets, etc.

Conclusion? I probably carry more than I really need to, especially on the accumulated paper and notebooks front. I'm a Moleskine tragic, it goes with saying, and I believe in using good pens – always.

Tell us the story behind one of the text messages or voicemails you have saved in your phone.

One of my few saved text messages purports to have come from Alban. That is, Alban Berg, Viennese composer. I was about to talk about his Violin Concerto to an audience of concertgoers that evening. His message said:

Don't tell them all my secrets!
Alban

Well I didn't tell them all his secrets, just some. Even though he died in 1935, so the message surely couldn't have come from him, could it?

What are you most grateful for in your life right now?
Submitted by Becca-Pink.

I'm supremely grateful that I spent the first 14 years of my life without a television. 

What are five words you really like? 
Submitted by purplesque.

wherewithal,
concatenation,
encyclopædia [yes, spelled that way and with the ligature; "mediæval" too],
queue,
parallel

What are you saving up for? 
Submitted by Star. 

I'm saving up for a piano!

Although flute is my major instrument, piano has always been the instrument that gives me the purest pleasure. I can play anything and have all the music, not just the melody; I can accompany myself singing (or others); I can use it to get to know a piece inside out or just to amuse myself. It's been two years since I had a piano in my home, and I'm really missing it.

How far from your last home do you live? Why did you move and are you glad you did? 
Submitted by Matthew 25.

I now live about 15,358 km (9,543 miles) from my previous home. At present I consider myself "back home" – in the country where I was born, raised and educated. I moved overseas to work for three years. Ultimately, it was a fantastic experience: very stimulating and I met some wonderful people. But it's definitely great to be home! So I was glad to move away, and glad to return; no regrets either way.

What was the best post or blog you read?

I read a lot of good blogs – most are written by passionate people with a genuine gift for communicating that passion. There's I Love Typography by a British typographer and graphic designer living in Japan – it's not only passionate but beautiful to behold. And Everyday Matters by another artist, Danny Gregory, who has a tremendous story and a powerful gift. And although it's closer to being an online commonplace book than a blog, there's wonderful stimulation to be had at Arts & Letters Daily, edited by Denis Dutton.

But mostly my blog roll is filled with bloggers who are passionate about classical music. Some are well known already: The New Yorker's music critic Alex Ross over at The Rest is Noise (also the name of his book, which Time has ranked in the top 10 books for 2007 – not bad for a book about 20th-century classical music); and composer and critic Greg Sandow ruffing feathers and thinking aloud about The Future of Classical Music. On the anonymous, or ostensibly anonymous, front there's the young Antipodean opera buff at Prima la musica, poi le parole [that's "first the music, then the words", which is also the title of a short opera by Mozart's supposed nemesis Antonio Salieri], and the insightful Stumbling on Melons, also Antipodean.

My blog discovery for 2007 was another anonymous one: appealing in its clarity of thinking, precision of expression and astuteness of observation. Tonic Blotter - averting boredom, as he says, since 2006. Like the Stumbling on Melons guy, Mr Tonic Blotter (MK) is a lawyer by training. His writing on music-making in the Chicago area (and elsewhere) is always fascinating to read. And he takes the most beautiful bird photographs too.

And on Vox? I always get tremendous pleasure from the delectable photographs by fellow stationery addict Patrick Ng at Scription.

What are your favorite websites and resources for travel planning?

Resources? The one thing I couldn't do without it is a tool I was introduced to about five years ago: the Wardrobe Grid. It's really very simple - I do mine in Excel, but it can be done on paper too.

In brief, potential travel garments are entered into the grid on the X and Y axes. Everything that hangs from your shoulders goes on the X axis (coat, jackets, dresses, tops - one item per column) and everything that hangs from your waist goes on the Y axis (pants, skirts - one item per row). Each item on the X axis gets a number as well (since some of these things can be worn together); if you are in the habit of wearing skirts over pants then your Y axis items will need numbers too... ;-)

Then... if something on the X axis works well with something on the Y axis, colour in the square where they intersect. If tops 8 or 11 work well with a particular jacket and pants, write "8" and "11" in the square where the jacket and pants intersect as well. And so on. If a combination needs a particular pair of shoes or whatever, note that too.

Pretty soon, after charting how your clothes work together, you'll have an excellent idea of which garments will give you the greatest number of options and combinations. You'll also be able to spot the things that you won't wear so much because they only go with one other garment or require shoes that you won't wear with anything else.

All this is very handy when you're packing to ensure that you get the maximum number of possible outfits from the minimum number of garments.

Actually, such a grid on a larger scale is a very useful way of analysing your wardrobe generally - seeing which clothes are giving you best value and where the redundancies and "holes" are. But I mainly use it when planning what I'll pack for a journey.

The best instance of it working for me was when I moved internationally for a new job a few years ago. My main wardrobe, books, furniture etc. were going to take two or more months to arrive and there was a limit to what I could take with me on the  plane. By making a wardrobe grid and choosing clothes that I could combine in lots of different ways, I was able to get by at work for six weeks without feeling I was wearing the same thing every week. Towards the end of that time I made some comment about being glad when my other clothes would arrive, 'cause I was starting to get bored, and my boss commented that she hadn't even noticed that I was working from a limited wardrobe!

What is your earliest memory? 
Submitted by Megan.

The missing step.

I would have been about two or perhaps three. I was taken to our house, which was being built. The staircase had been put in, but one of the treads near the top was missing. I remember being lifted over it by one or both of my big sisters. Wonder if they remember this...?