knowles.1
America's Guy Fawkes
"Remember, remember, the fifth of November / "Gunpowder, treason, and plot." Growing up in a small village outside of Oxford, the...
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The University of Life
An occasional blog to encourage those who are considering retirement that the water is fine, and to reassure those who have already retired that it was worth it. To begin, start by clicking the book on the right.
To follow the "University of Life" blog, click in the box marked "Email" and enter your address. Then click the arrow in the pink box: the words "Thanks for following the blog!" will appear.
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knowles.1
Sep 23, 202026 min read
The Ruth Stone
It was the evening of Friday September 18. Jen and I had found perhaps the best glaze for lamb chops of all time: bourbon, brown...
433 views3 comments
knowles.1
Aug 31, 202010 min read
Starry Night
At the end of Ulysses, Stephen and Bloom go outside to take a leak. This is the moment in "Ithaca" of homecoming, when the personal,...
82 views1 comment
knowles.1
Jul 31, 20206 min read
The Sex Issue
It's about time, some of you must be saying. When is he going to admit that playing music is the only satisfactory substitute for sex? ...
182 views0 comments
knowles.1
Jun 30, 20207 min read
The Queen Stage
I've had occasion to compare Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier to the Tour de France before. Some stages of the Tour are so difficult that...
96 views0 comments
knowles.1
Jun 1, 20209 min read
Goldengrove
It's June, and the A-flat/G# Sequence in Book 1 of The Well-Tempered Klavier is up. I'm recording four pieces each month - last month...
107 views0 comments
knowles.1
May 1, 20203 min read
Barley Break
The G Sequence in Book 1 of The Well-Tempered Klavier is up. I'm planning to record the 4 in each set (Major Prelude & Fugue, Minor...
111 views0 comments
knowles.1
Apr 14, 20203 min read
A Day at the Races
One of the many blessings of this quarantine season is the discovery of virtual musicianship - the sight of 69 members of the Royal...
74 views0 comments
knowles.1
Mar 23, 20206 min read
Out on a Limb
On Sunday, The Observer ran a story on a Finnish man who had to cut his tree down. He dressed his two brothers in images of celebration...
214 views1 comment
knowles.1
Mar 17, 20204 min read
Escape from Helsinki
Update: A week after these events, the author left Finland himself, and is happily at home with his quarantined spouse. It all starts...
157 views0 comments
knowles.1
Feb 3, 20201 min read
2020: A Bach Odyssey
First half finished! For links to the music recorded in February 2020, click on the image above. The recordings are now available as a...
106 views0 comments
knowles.1
Jan 31, 20204 min read
The Well-Tempered February
Update: For the music and commentaries to this project, go here: "The Well-Tempered February" You'll find a recording of each piece and...
172 views1 comment
knowles.1
Jan 19, 20204 min read
Top Ten Reasons to Live in Finland
TOP TEN REASONS TO LIVE IN FINLAND 10. They Color Code Everything When you pay for a bus pass they ask you to choose between an entire...
347 views2 comments
knowles.1
Jan 9, 20204 min read
Left Behind
The Icelandic people are fed up with me leaving things behind in buses. This time it was a hat and a turtle (a kind of circular neck...
122 views1 comment
knowles.1
Dec 23, 20192 min read
A Christmas Carol
The 12 Days of Retirement On the first day of retirement, my new life gave to me: A puzzle of Notre-Dame in 3-D! On the second day of...
150 views1 comment
knowles.1
Dec 6, 20195 min read
A Perfect Spy
I have bionic ears. I can hear the song on the car radio three streets away. The bass two seats down is actually singing in tune. I...
101 views0 comments
knowles.1
Nov 21, 20196 min read
Prelude in C
The first of a series of short essays based on the 24 Preludes and Fugues in Book I of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. The rest are...
159 views1 comment
knowles.1
Nov 5, 20196 min read
The Return of the King
On November 2, 2019, our cat went missing. On January 11, 2021, fully one year, two months, and nine days later, he showed up again at...
447 views3 comments
knowles.1
Oct 17, 20191 min read
Breaking News
This post has been found in copyright infringement and has been withdrawn on 7/29/24.
123 views2 comments
knowles.1
Oct 11, 20196 min read
Phantom Thread
(This post is dedicated to Mark Conroy, Nan Johnson, and Chris Zacher, English Department colleagues who died this summer shortly after...
222 views2 comments
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