Spring's Door Bell

Spring is almost here, and there are several unmistakable signs of it's impending arrival. The snow is melting and leaving hundreds of muddy lawns all around the city, I can ride with the windows slightly down and the "door-bell bird" has started singing again.

For years I wondered what kind of bird made that whistle-y call that sounded like a doorbell. Seriously. YEARS. And then last fall, I finally figured it out. I was at the Garden Room on the East side, and they had the complete line of Audubon Stuffed Birds. This is a collection of plush birds which, when you squeeze them, make their authentic sound. I tried all of them, in hopes of identifying the elusive "door-bell" bird.

Northern Cardinal? no.
Bald Eagle? no.
Swamp Sparrow? no.
Eastern Bluebird? no.
Snowy Owl? no.
Black Capped Chickadee? YES!

Finally, I had a name and a face to put with that most unique call. So, now that spring is coming and my little neighbors have returned, I feel like I know them -- and whenever I hear them whistle, I whistle back.

Total Cost: The stuffed birds cost $9 a piece, but I didn't buy one. The satisfaction of finally knowing was good enough for me.

Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov

I mentioned earlier about the field trip to the CSO. I forgot to mention what they played. It was Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto 2, and it was amazing. At the very beginning, the piano starts out with several bell like chords which break into a series of rolling notes that are finally accompanied by the violins -- I had chills. So beautiful! (Listen and watch here.)

During the tour of the stage we learned that the first person to play that piece in Symphony Hall was Rachmaninov himself. What would that have been like?! The day we were there, the pianist was Kirill Gerstein, and I'm sure he was just as good.

Total Cost: $0 for the live concert, $10 to download the entire piece from iTunes.

Give Me a Lecture

Anne Fadiman is one of my favorite writers. I’ve read Ex Libris a couple of times, and frequently quote from it when I’m trying to sound funny AND smart. So, when I heard that she would be speaking at MCW about her book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” I knew that I had to go. (I haven’t read it yet, but I know the gist of the story.)

I like lectures and book tours. They are a great way to get involved with the community AND learn something new. Since this particular lecture was given at the medical college it was primarily directed toward members of the health care community, but even as an “outsider” I still gleaned some important points that I can apply to my own work. For example, she said that doctors should try to see the illness from the patient’s point of view. This can be done by asking “you” questions – how do you feel? what do you think caused this illness? what are you trying to improve your health? Each of these questions allow the patient to be more involved in the care process. As for myself, I can ask these questions to students to let them be more involved in the learning process – how do you feel about class? what do you not understand? what are you doing to understand it better?

After the lecture, there was reception where I discussed with friends and had Ms. Fadiman sign my notebook. All in all, a good Monday night.

Total Cost: $0 for pearls of wisdom and three cookies (yes, I had three).

MSO Mondays

The first Monday of every month is MSO Monday at Alterra (a local coffee shop). They invite a small group from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to perform at one of their locations around the city. I went for the first time the other night, and it was fabulous – on several levels.

First: Location

This month’s mini-concert was held at the Alterra Foundry in the Fifth Ward. The building was originally the Kramer International Foundry, but has now been converted into offices, etc. The coffee shop was designed in a post-industrial style in deference to the buildings original purpose and also to Milwaukee’s blue collar heritage. The effect is very nice.

Second: Food

I got a turkey club sandwich. The presentation was lovely, and I would have taken a picture, but I was really hungry, and it was yummy and …

Third: The Music

Lots of coffee shops have live music, but how many have a string quartet playing Rossini’s “Six Sonatas”?! I hesitate to say that it was enchanting … but it really was. People were gathered around with wide eyes and half smiles. Even two cops, who had stopped for coffee while patrolling their beat, paused to listen. When it was over, we all mingled with the musicians, asked questions and got another cup of something warm.

Fourth: Total Cost
$5 for the sandwich.

Until next month!