These past four years between blogs (FOUR YEARS!), I’ve been writing for other people, mostly for the International Horn Society – editing other people’s work, writing introductions, translating in and out of English and cleaning up translations, bringing the beautiful creativity of members of the global horn community to a wider audience. It’s volunteer work […]
The Tribe of the White Sneaker Read More »
As daylight spreads over the scenes of yesterday evening’s unspeakably horrific series of terrorist attacks in Paris, people all over the world struggle to find a response in their own minds and hearts. I’ve seen varied reactions on social media in the past several hours. Most of my friends and acquaintances have answered with a combination of
The Firebird (2004 article) – a response to the aftermath of terrorism Read More »
People who have dedicated their lives to the arts, or simply devoted themselves to making their lives a work of art, know well the feeling of reaching out towards inspiration, towards excellence. This yearning for that undefinable something has an ill-tempered neighbor, Mr. Frustration. He wears many masks: the composition that dies half-written because “I
The creativity pas-de-deux Read More »
Early June is the apotheosis of the strawberry in this part of Europe – you can hardly turn around twice without spying them in the markets, peeking out behind garden fences, even growing wild in the forest. (Few things in this world taste better than wild strawberries plucked on a hike in the woods.) Inspired
Happy Red Quinoa, Fennel, and Strawberry Salad Read More »
Luxembourg, my adopted home, is a crossroads for many culinary traditions, but Mexican cuisine isn’t among them. My husband is a San Antonio native as well as a gifted Tex-Mex cook (you’ll also rarely find a better Käsespätzle or Züri geschnetzeltes than the ones he can put together.) So we often get a “hankering” for
Vegan Refried Black Beans in my Luxembourg Kitchen Read More »
This afternoon, 10 (mostly) Americans gathered at our friend’s 300-year-old farmhouse in Lorraine to celebrate Easter the traditional way: consuming copious quantities of home-cooked food together. We had a couple vegetarians in our midst and based our feast on vegan delicacies, if you don’t count the marvellous braised lamb prepared by our host. I’ve been
Vegan Almond Butter Hummus, or painting with a restricted palate Read More »
For months now, I keep telling myself that it’s time to jumpstart this blog again after a hiatus of over a year, as the sheer act of bringing reflections and thoughts to (virtual) paper has always been a joy. Each time, the impulse died with the internal dialogue, “Too much has happened to write down”
Thoughts on perfection vs. excellence and the American Horn Quartet’s final year Read More »
Every September in Luxembourg, local residents find a large, orange transparent sack shoved through the mailbox (or sometimes, dumped unceremoniously on the ground somewhere in the vicinity of the front door.) This is the time to go through closets, locate items we no longer wear and wish to donate to charity, and pack them
I’ve just had the pleasure of spending a couple free days in Paris between performances with the OPL at the Opéra Comique. Our Sunday show fell on my birthday, so Kerry and I stayed afterwards and indulged in an Ethiopian feast at one of our favorite restaurants in the Latin Quarter. We found a very cute
(Over)view from the rooftops of Paris Read More »
The quote “You are human beings, not human doings” has been attributed to various sources – little wonder, really, as we can all relate in times of intense activity. Indeed, until quite recently, I’ve felt like a tetherball with Luxembourg as the pole, constantly spiraling towards and away by rail and by plane. I think
