I was surprised to hear this folk song amidst the pomp of the formal ceremony...
Category: life
Nourishing Beauty on a Cloudy Day
We arrived at The Cafe at Thistle Farms on a cloudy Sunday afternoon in early March. As my family added baby decorations to the space, I paused...
I’m Still Learning from MIT
...When my dissertation prospectus was approved, I often checked the MIT website for any academic or administrative job my qualifications or experience might fit. "...The intellectual spirit of this place has significantly influenced me..." I wrote in one of two cover letters...
Living Among Confederates
"I see Confederates everyday," I said to a friend last weekend. My two regulars are an unnamed artillery loader on my walk to work and a Revolutionary War Veteran who became a Confederate cavalry leader on my drive from my neighborhood to a main thoroughfare. I have not lived in Richmond, Virginia long enough to… Continue reading Living Among Confederates
What Bright Spots Accompany the Moon
a photo of Mercury from MESSENGER, NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center a poem inspired by my view on the evening of June 15, 2018 with special thanks to my father who often paused to walk into the front yard and look up at the stars and… Continue reading What Bright Spots Accompany the Moon
A Shift in My Creativity
The book Silence and Beauty is part-memoir and part-exegesis of Endo's novel Silence and the intersections it leads to among Japanese culture, Western culture, Christianity, and art. Last week, I paused after reading this quote to ponder what moment would be Ground Zero for my current music-making. It was...
Echoes of Hamilton
"Hey, it's Lafayette," I said and smiled as if referring to a friendly acquaintance. I recognized his recorded voice at the gift shop at The Kennedy Center last weekend: the opening song of Hamilton was playing in the background. After the music's dramatic buildup and split-second pause, I sang along with the name "Alexander Hamilton"… Continue reading Echoes of Hamilton
The Men Who Fried Eggs
My parents do not fry eggs because they prefer the well-doneness of scrambling and boiling. Thus, I was in awe as a teenager when spending the night with a middle-aged couple from church resulted in a fried egg for breakfast. The wife had to go work earlier than the husband, so he was the one… Continue reading The Men Who Fried Eggs
A Year Without NYC
2017 was the first year I did not go to New York City since 2005. When I started graduate school at Stony Brook University on Long Island, I first visited the city to celebrate my birthday...
Ars Arvole 