Last night I went with a group of friends to hear the Berlin Philharmonic play some ballet pieces by Stravinsky and a Bach concerto for oboe d’amore (Baroque oboe). First of all, the Philharmonic hall is a wonder in and of itself. Designed by Hans Scharoun and built in 1963, the hall was a bitContinue reading “Berlin Philharmonic: Stravinsky & Bach (with extra-credit Handel)”
Author Archives: mourningdove
Living In…Spirited Away
My aesthetic has a definite bimodal distribution. On the one hand, I like really spare, open (but not necessarily minimalist) monochromatic spaces–which you can see in my Seoul Villa post. On the other hand, I’m irresistibly drawn to spaces and objects with a pronounced “more is more” aesthetic–dark, rich, ornate, with a lot of redsContinue reading “Living In…Spirited Away”
Letter of Recommendation: Rebecca Roanhorse
Rebecca Roanhorse is a fantasy writer who draws on her indigenous heritage and her experience living in the Navajo (Diné) Nation to create really unique speculative worlds. So far I’ve read two of her books: Trail of Lightning and Black Sun, and I recommend them both. Trail of Lightning takes place in a speculative post-apocalypticContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Rebecca Roanhorse”
Aikido and Rhetoric: Virtue
The Art of Peace is based on four great virtues: Bravery, Wisdom, Love, and Friendship, symbolized by Fire, Earth, Heaven, and Water. Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace For the orator to produce conviction three qualities are necessary; for, independently of demonstrations, the things which induce belief are three in number. These qualities are goodContinue reading “Aikido and Rhetoric: Virtue”
Ceramics Saturdays: The Porcelain Cabinet at Charlottenburg
So, Edmund de Waal covers this history at length in White Road, but during the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe, rich people collected Chinese and Japanese porcelain like crazy–like it was toilet paper during the pandemic; like there was a zombie apocalypse on, and the only things that could stop zombies were teacups. SoContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: The Porcelain Cabinet at Charlottenburg”
Field Trip Fridays: Charlottenburg
Not the most auspicious day to visit the sprawling Neoclassical Prussian castle and grounds, but it was still interesting, particularly the little exhibition of German Romanticist paintings in the New Pavilion. I’m sure Germans consider Caspar David Friedrich schlocky, but man, could he paint. And since my working definition of art is “Things I can’tContinue reading “Field Trip Fridays: Charlottenburg”
German Word of the Week: Glückspilz
A glückspilz is someone who’s happy-go-lucky: sort of a cross between the American expressions “Pollyanna” and “lucky devil.” It transliterates “happy/lucky mushroom” and is, in fact, the German name of the (poisonous!) flycap or fly agaric that Euro-American kids associate with fairytales and gnomes–the one with the red cap and white spots. As a metaphor,Continue reading “German Word of the Week: Glückspilz”
Winter Soups: Curried Squash with Popcorn and Apple
The weather in Berlin continues to suck, shocking exactly no one. So, when I got back from a long bike ride today (more on that tomorrow), I was thoroughly chilled and craving hot soup. My local grocery store has these pretty Red Hokkaido squashes that look like smallish, bumpy pumpkins (I think they’re in theContinue reading “Winter Soups: Curried Squash with Popcorn and Apple”
Berliner Dom
The largest Protestant church in Germany dominates the Museumsinsel in the center of Berlin. The site of the Hohenzollern dynastic crypt and one church or another since the 1400s, it now boasts a hulking Baroque Revival cathedral built at the turn of last century by Emperor Wilhelm II. It’s not a pretty church. Constructed onContinue reading “Berliner Dom”
Aikido and Rhetoric: Waking Up
The Art of Peace is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On occasion the Voice of Peace resounds like thunder, jolting human beings out of their stupor. Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace It is the thunderbolt that steers the course of allContinue reading “Aikido and Rhetoric: Waking Up”
The Rookery 