BISQC, day 6
Aug. 30th, 2025 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calimacThe last round of the Banff International String Quartet Competition before the nine competitors are trimmed to three finalists was today. And it took pretty much all of today to play it.
Each contestant had to play 1) the first movement only of one of the big & great Beethoven or Schubert quartets: in practice, it was one of Beethoven's three Op. 59 quartets commissioned by Count Razumovsky, or one of Schubert's three last quartets; 2) a modern 20th century quartet selected from a curated list.
Magenta gave the First Razumovsky a strong and dedicated reading, while Viatores rendered it more crabbed and contrapuntal. Hana did the only Second Razumovsky, making it brisk and compact. Poiesis made the Third Razumovsky, like Magenta's First, big and dramatic, while Elmire's was more relaxed and expansive. For the Schuberts, Cong played the Rosamunde slowly and as gently as the music would permit. (Disaster struck when the violist broke a string just before the second theme. They stopped, left the stage, came back five minutes later and started over, even more slowly than before.) Kairi in Death and the Maiden were good but a little dry. Arete's G Major was frustrating: quiet parts were so slow and soulful as to lose the thread, while the dramatic parts were so frantic as to lose the thread in the other direction. Nerida also played the G Major, and they got the balance right, as well as equipping the piece with effective fluttering sounds for tremelos.
For the modern round, 3 of the 9 competitors chose a Bartók quartet. (My first time, it was 8 of 10.) Of these, the best was Poiesis's Fifth. It was wild and woolly and quite daring, fit to occupy a minor place among the great Banff Bartók performances of the past. Or at least what I heard of it was: a large part was ripped out of my livestream by an internet connection failure, and the recording isn't yet up on the website as I write. Elmire in the Second was interesting, finding an amazing amount of melodic grace in it but not neglecting that it's not all like that. And Hana's Third was just a typical Bartók performance, impressive but not exciting or ingratiating.
Two quartets picked another Banff modern favorite, Janáček's First. Kairi was determined to make it as lyrical as possible, even dampening out the dissonant squawks that litter parts of the piece. As with Nerida in Schubert, somebody else got the balance right: this time it was Cong, who were even lusher in places, but that only made for the better contrast between the elements.
The other four picked singletons. Of these, by far the best - to my considerable surprise, both because this group has been iffy and normally I detest this piece - was the Magenta in Ligeti's First. They found coherence in this random collection of ticks, and they made it fun to listen to. Nerida in Britten's First was impressive in this odd experimental composition, ranging from spooky to exciting. Hindemith's Fifth is the only one I'd never heard before, a cross between his early modernist and mid-period academic music which the Viatores seemed to handle pretty well. The disappointment was the Arete in Berg's Lyric Suite. I know this piece can be attractive, but their version was just cold and alienating atonality with no redeeming features.
The three finalists will probably be announced about an hour from now. Toting up my evaluations, I'd vote for Nerida and Poiesis, with probably Elmire for a third. Based on past experience, maybe one of those will actually make it. The judges' criteria are different from mine.
Each contestant had to play 1) the first movement only of one of the big & great Beethoven or Schubert quartets: in practice, it was one of Beethoven's three Op. 59 quartets commissioned by Count Razumovsky, or one of Schubert's three last quartets; 2) a modern 20th century quartet selected from a curated list.
Magenta gave the First Razumovsky a strong and dedicated reading, while Viatores rendered it more crabbed and contrapuntal. Hana did the only Second Razumovsky, making it brisk and compact. Poiesis made the Third Razumovsky, like Magenta's First, big and dramatic, while Elmire's was more relaxed and expansive. For the Schuberts, Cong played the Rosamunde slowly and as gently as the music would permit. (Disaster struck when the violist broke a string just before the second theme. They stopped, left the stage, came back five minutes later and started over, even more slowly than before.) Kairi in Death and the Maiden were good but a little dry. Arete's G Major was frustrating: quiet parts were so slow and soulful as to lose the thread, while the dramatic parts were so frantic as to lose the thread in the other direction. Nerida also played the G Major, and they got the balance right, as well as equipping the piece with effective fluttering sounds for tremelos.
For the modern round, 3 of the 9 competitors chose a Bartók quartet. (My first time, it was 8 of 10.) Of these, the best was Poiesis's Fifth. It was wild and woolly and quite daring, fit to occupy a minor place among the great Banff Bartók performances of the past. Or at least what I heard of it was: a large part was ripped out of my livestream by an internet connection failure, and the recording isn't yet up on the website as I write. Elmire in the Second was interesting, finding an amazing amount of melodic grace in it but not neglecting that it's not all like that. And Hana's Third was just a typical Bartók performance, impressive but not exciting or ingratiating.
Two quartets picked another Banff modern favorite, Janáček's First. Kairi was determined to make it as lyrical as possible, even dampening out the dissonant squawks that litter parts of the piece. As with Nerida in Schubert, somebody else got the balance right: this time it was Cong, who were even lusher in places, but that only made for the better contrast between the elements.
The other four picked singletons. Of these, by far the best - to my considerable surprise, both because this group has been iffy and normally I detest this piece - was the Magenta in Ligeti's First. They found coherence in this random collection of ticks, and they made it fun to listen to. Nerida in Britten's First was impressive in this odd experimental composition, ranging from spooky to exciting. Hindemith's Fifth is the only one I'd never heard before, a cross between his early modernist and mid-period academic music which the Viatores seemed to handle pretty well. The disappointment was the Arete in Berg's Lyric Suite. I know this piece can be attractive, but their version was just cold and alienating atonality with no redeeming features.
The three finalists will probably be announced about an hour from now. Toting up my evaluations, I'd vote for Nerida and Poiesis, with probably Elmire for a third. Based on past experience, maybe one of those will actually make it. The judges' criteria are different from mine.
short sleep
Aug. 31st, 2025 11:38 amtielanI wonder if I'm going to run short of sleep for the entirety of the holiday.
IDK. Maybe I could have a rest on Tuesday? Theoretically speaking.
IDK. Maybe I could have a rest on Tuesday? Theoretically speaking.
MCU100 - a weekly drabble challenge
Aug. 30th, 2025 11:17 pmflareonfury posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
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mcu100 is a weekly drabble challenge for the Marvel Cinematic Universe!o1. Join the community & you can JOIN AT ANYTIME!!
o2. Read the rules/FAQ. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
o3. Once you're a member and have read the rules, be prepared to join a team.
o4. Start writing once the prompt is posted! & Earn points for your team to win!
o5. If your team wins, you get a badge!
This first prompt will last two weeks, from August 16th to 30.
Museums and Cemeteries
Aug. 30th, 2025 09:07 pmcornerofmadnessIt was an amusing start to the day. Well...didn't start amusing. I was woken up early than I wanted by noise. When I got to the Hamptons' comp breakfast I see that the room is filled. I sit down with my fresh made sweet potato waffle (with hot apple topping) with what has to be a pro/semi pro soccer team from Jamaica (since they all seemed to be later 20s early 30s, definitely NOT college aged) and they're watching soccer as they eat and shouting at the screen and each other like we're in a sports bar. Also I was the only one not on the team sitting there
I could not have asked for a better day. So cool and with a nice light breeze as I headed to Carillon Historical Park/A> It's 65 acres of recreated (for the most part) village where all the buildings are little museums. The big welcome building had a stein collection of over 400 steins, history on several major innovators in Dayton including the Wright Brothers (naturally), Patterson (who did national cash registers) and Deeds (who was the one to donate the 57 bell carillon tower) There was bits about the brother's inventions (also there were animatronic 'innovators' telling their stories (those uncanny valley things freak me out).
There was 90 of those gorgeous antique cash registers, things of beauty as well as function (I rather miss that in the modern age). there were some old cars in there too and the world's most confusion carousel with just bizarre shit (though in a later picture of Wilbur I know understand the St Bernard style dog one), there was a cash register (had I gotten on I would have ridden that, it's the non moving bench one for grandma) cans of pop, chip bags, various animals.
From there I bought the 5 dollar train ride just to a) sit and enjoy the cool weather b) see the park and that was fun. From there I started investigating the offerings including (but not limited to) an antique fire truck car show (including two belgians and their fire carriage), Newcome tavern from 1796, a one room school house from the 1800s, the last surviving remnant of the Watervliet Shaker village, a horse barn (no horses), the hetzel summer kitchen and the really interesting stuff was:
Sugar Camp Waves cabin. I had no idea there were WAVES doing code breaking in Dayton in WWII
Gem City Letter press - which is an operational print shop (you can get a printed souvenier (I didn't))
The great 1913 flood exhibit. I had no idea Dayton was flooded up to 20 feet and horses were on the roofs because they swam there (more than a thousand drowned, poor things)
Dayton Cyclery that had some cool old bikes
The transportation center with some really cool old train cars and trolleys
The Wright Brothers national museum which included their No. 5 flyer which Orville felt was their best one. It was bigger than I imagined. Also I had no idea that Wilbur died so young (45 of typhoid fever)
The history on the hill interpretive center talking about the Hopewell people and the fact that this hill had been a small pox quarantine hospital (and after that for prostitutes with STDS)
I wish I remembered that Carillon Brewing had food and I'd have skipped the overpriced, underwhelming food trucks (I was still a little hungry and got a giant pretzel, nibbling on those leftovers now). They brew historical recipes and the one I got, coriander ale, was one of them, low abv, nice pale ale (not my usual choice) brewed with peppers and you could feel that.
From there I went to America’s Packard Museum I think the 20s-early 40s Packards were sexy cars. They were luxury, easily 3-5 times the price of an average car. The post WWII cars are less great (not a fan of the carribbean) they have one from the Godfather. They have one from a woman who wanted it kept for her when she returned from beyond the grave (the family kept it until 2015 when it came to the museum). The museum itself is from 1917 and was a Packard dealership.
I wanted to go next to Calvary Cemetery which I saw references to at the historical park. (this is not the cemetery I planned to go to) I put it in my new GPS (I can't use my phone. It's decided it doesn't know what the internet is) and it wants me to go to KY (that is not close). What I didn't know was that the Calvary in Moraine OH WAS the right one (that's a neighborhood, or sucked up suburb)
So I came home to the hotel for tea and relaxing and looking up the damn address. Here's the kick in the head. When I came out of the historical park I turned left on Patterson. If I had LOOKED right I would have seen the damn thing. It's right behind the park. Head desk (it's only like 7 miles so it's not a big deal). This is a CATHOLIC in all caps cemetery. Okay yes I've seen ones with more crucifixes but this had some truly interesting stuff.
What sucked it was the cloudless sky. SO many pictures are probably sun glared to death (I don't know. I haven't looked yet, you'll get pics another day). There were a few things I've rarely seen (btw do watch the video at the above link to know why I wanted to see it) lots of Mary statues by herself (one with cherubs at her feet which is unusual and another with her standing on the world crushing the serpent, much more familiar, how many times did I have to kiss that statue?) one family had stylized rosaries on their head stones. Some had historical markers (which was cool),found a whole mess of Nun graves, an entire section of baby graves (will use that picture the next time I bitch about Trump and RFK). There was even a brand new mausoleum. I swear to god I didn't know people were still making them!! (built about 20 years ago. They're still awaiting the fourth member or she choose to go elsewhere. She's my parents age so she could still be out there)
I went to dinner at Jimmie's Ladder 11 a bar/restaurant in an 1800s firehouse. It was good. I had their namesake sandwich (basically a reuben and a rachel in one sandwich) which was good. I wasn't going to drink but I decided I wanted the Grandma's Puddin' cocktail. Probably should have went with no drink. Don't get me wrong. It was tasty but a little small for the price. Putting it here for my own reference Giffard Banane du Brésil Liqueur, Five Farms Irish Cream, Oyo Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka, Cream
Now I'm in for the night (too tired to swim), off to the airforce stuff tomorrow.
I could not have asked for a better day. So cool and with a nice light breeze as I headed to Carillon Historical Park/A> It's 65 acres of recreated (for the most part) village where all the buildings are little museums. The big welcome building had a stein collection of over 400 steins, history on several major innovators in Dayton including the Wright Brothers (naturally), Patterson (who did national cash registers) and Deeds (who was the one to donate the 57 bell carillon tower) There was bits about the brother's inventions (also there were animatronic 'innovators' telling their stories (those uncanny valley things freak me out).
There was 90 of those gorgeous antique cash registers, things of beauty as well as function (I rather miss that in the modern age). there were some old cars in there too and the world's most confusion carousel with just bizarre shit (though in a later picture of Wilbur I know understand the St Bernard style dog one), there was a cash register (had I gotten on I would have ridden that, it's the non moving bench one for grandma) cans of pop, chip bags, various animals.
From there I bought the 5 dollar train ride just to a) sit and enjoy the cool weather b) see the park and that was fun. From there I started investigating the offerings including (but not limited to) an antique fire truck car show (including two belgians and their fire carriage), Newcome tavern from 1796, a one room school house from the 1800s, the last surviving remnant of the Watervliet Shaker village, a horse barn (no horses), the hetzel summer kitchen and the really interesting stuff was:
Sugar Camp Waves cabin. I had no idea there were WAVES doing code breaking in Dayton in WWII
Gem City Letter press - which is an operational print shop (you can get a printed souvenier (I didn't))
The great 1913 flood exhibit. I had no idea Dayton was flooded up to 20 feet and horses were on the roofs because they swam there (more than a thousand drowned, poor things)
Dayton Cyclery that had some cool old bikes
The transportation center with some really cool old train cars and trolleys
The Wright Brothers national museum which included their No. 5 flyer which Orville felt was their best one. It was bigger than I imagined. Also I had no idea that Wilbur died so young (45 of typhoid fever)
The history on the hill interpretive center talking about the Hopewell people and the fact that this hill had been a small pox quarantine hospital (and after that for prostitutes with STDS)
I wish I remembered that Carillon Brewing had food and I'd have skipped the overpriced, underwhelming food trucks (I was still a little hungry and got a giant pretzel, nibbling on those leftovers now). They brew historical recipes and the one I got, coriander ale, was one of them, low abv, nice pale ale (not my usual choice) brewed with peppers and you could feel that.
From there I went to America’s Packard Museum I think the 20s-early 40s Packards were sexy cars. They were luxury, easily 3-5 times the price of an average car. The post WWII cars are less great (not a fan of the carribbean) they have one from the Godfather. They have one from a woman who wanted it kept for her when she returned from beyond the grave (the family kept it until 2015 when it came to the museum). The museum itself is from 1917 and was a Packard dealership.
I wanted to go next to Calvary Cemetery which I saw references to at the historical park. (this is not the cemetery I planned to go to) I put it in my new GPS (I can't use my phone. It's decided it doesn't know what the internet is) and it wants me to go to KY (that is not close). What I didn't know was that the Calvary in Moraine OH WAS the right one (that's a neighborhood, or sucked up suburb)
So I came home to the hotel for tea and relaxing and looking up the damn address. Here's the kick in the head. When I came out of the historical park I turned left on Patterson. If I had LOOKED right I would have seen the damn thing. It's right behind the park. Head desk (it's only like 7 miles so it's not a big deal). This is a CATHOLIC in all caps cemetery. Okay yes I've seen ones with more crucifixes but this had some truly interesting stuff.
What sucked it was the cloudless sky. SO many pictures are probably sun glared to death (I don't know. I haven't looked yet, you'll get pics another day). There were a few things I've rarely seen (btw do watch the video at the above link to know why I wanted to see it) lots of Mary statues by herself (one with cherubs at her feet which is unusual and another with her standing on the world crushing the serpent, much more familiar, how many times did I have to kiss that statue?) one family had stylized rosaries on their head stones. Some had historical markers (which was cool),found a whole mess of Nun graves, an entire section of baby graves (will use that picture the next time I bitch about Trump and RFK). There was even a brand new mausoleum. I swear to god I didn't know people were still making them!! (built about 20 years ago. They're still awaiting the fourth member or she choose to go elsewhere. She's my parents age so she could still be out there)
I went to dinner at Jimmie's Ladder 11 a bar/restaurant in an 1800s firehouse. It was good. I had their namesake sandwich (basically a reuben and a rachel in one sandwich) which was good. I wasn't going to drink but I decided I wanted the Grandma's Puddin' cocktail. Probably should have went with no drink. Don't get me wrong. It was tasty but a little small for the price. Putting it here for my own reference Giffard Banane du Brésil Liqueur, Five Farms Irish Cream, Oyo Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka, Cream
Now I'm in for the night (too tired to swim), off to the airforce stuff tomorrow.
September is Transformers Month for me
Aug. 30th, 2025 10:00 pmsenmutI thought it might be nice to offer my old stuff in advance, as some concepts and OCs are popping into the upcoming fics.
( series and solo fics of note )
( series and solo fics of note )
New semester first week homework status
Aug. 30th, 2025 09:24 pmsoc_puppetReading: One chapter of each textbook: Done!
Two to five page autobiography for Human Services: About half done? It's a little over a page, and I've covered a lot of the material I'm supposed to.
Due date: Sunday night, 11:59pm
Watch video for Social Problems: Done
Take notes on video for Social Problems, including at least three observations on specific time stamps: Not yet
Due date: Sunday night, 11:59pm
I'm going to try and get my autobiography at least another quarter done tonight, and then I might call it quits for the evening.
Two to five page autobiography for Human Services: About half done? It's a little over a page, and I've covered a lot of the material I'm supposed to.
Due date: Sunday night, 11:59pm
Watch video for Social Problems: Done
Take notes on video for Social Problems, including at least three observations on specific time stamps: Not yet
Due date: Sunday night, 11:59pm
I'm going to try and get my autobiography at least another quarter done tonight, and then I might call it quits for the evening.
Spicy Challenge: Torchwood: Spicing things up
Aug. 31st, 2025 12:16 pmm_findlow posting in fan_flashworksTitle: Spicing things up
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 620 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 489 - Amnesty, using Challenge 54 - Spicy
Summary: Ianto is having difficulty enjoying Jack’s cooking.
( Read more... )
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 620 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 489 - Amnesty, using Challenge 54 - Spicy
Summary: Ianto is having difficulty enjoying Jack’s cooking.
( Read more... )
10 out of 20 - All for the Game - Neil Josten - The Reason Why
Aug. 30th, 2025 09:00 pmcmk418 posting in sweetandshortTitle: The Reason Why
Fandom: All for the Game
Characters: Neil Josten, mentions of Andrew Minyard
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 113
Prompt: Special
Summary: Neil knows why he gives Andrew the truth
( The Reason Why )
Fandom: All for the Game
Characters: Neil Josten, mentions of Andrew Minyard
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 113
Prompt: Special
Summary: Neil knows why he gives Andrew the truth
( The Reason Why )
10 out of 20 - Desert Hearts - Vivian Bell - A New Beginning
Aug. 30th, 2025 08:56 pmcmk418 posting in sweetandshortTitle: A New Beginning
Fandom: Desert Hearts
Characters: Vivian Bell
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 157
Prompt: Beginning
Summary: Vivian's thoughts during the first semester after Reno
( A New Beginning )
Fandom: Desert Hearts
Characters: Vivian Bell
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 157
Prompt: Beginning
Summary: Vivian's thoughts during the first semester after Reno
( A New Beginning )
10 out of 20 - Barry - Barry Berkman - Feelings
Aug. 30th, 2025 08:50 pmcmk418 posting in sweetandshortTitle: Feelings
Fandom: Barry
Character: Barry Berkman
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 151
Prompt: Loss
Summary: Barry keeps a tight lid on his feelings
( Feelings )
Fandom: Barry
Character: Barry Berkman
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 151
Prompt: Loss
Summary: Barry keeps a tight lid on his feelings
( Feelings )
Day 30 - Back To The Beginning
Aug. 30th, 2025 09:47 pmgrundyscribblingTitle: Back To The Beginning
Author: Grundy
Rating: FR13
Crossover: LotR/Silmarillion
Summary: Guess who's back?
Word Count: 1530
Note: Did I skip a fair bit timeline-wise to get here? Yes. Anariel had plenty of fun and adventure in Formenos before I hurried things back to Tirion. But I was hoping to get here this Fic A Day. Also, it won the poll. (Not that I explained to anyone that was what the poll was about.) And I wanted to do that before the last day...
( Back To The Beginning )
Author: Grundy
Rating: FR13
Crossover: LotR/Silmarillion
Summary: Guess who's back?
Word Count: 1530
Note: Did I skip a fair bit timeline-wise to get here? Yes. Anariel had plenty of fun and adventure in Formenos before I hurried things back to Tirion. But I was hoping to get here this Fic A Day. Also, it won the poll. (Not that I explained to anyone that was what the poll was about.) And I wanted to do that before the last day...
( Back To The Beginning )
10 out of 20 - Barry - Monroe Fuches - In Control
Aug. 30th, 2025 08:45 pmcmk418 posting in sweetandshortTitle: In Control
Fandom: Barry
Characters: Monroe Fuches, mentions of Barry Berkman and Gene Cousineau
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 173
Prompt: Direction
Summary: Fuches should be the only person telling Barry what to do
( In Control )
Fandom: Barry
Characters: Monroe Fuches, mentions of Barry Berkman and Gene Cousineau
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 173
Prompt: Direction
Summary: Fuches should be the only person telling Barry what to do
( In Control )
10 out of 20 - OZ (HBO) - Augustus Hill & Miguel Alvarez - Advantages
Aug. 30th, 2025 08:39 pmcmk418 posting in sweetandshortTitle: Advantages
Fandom: OZ (HBO)
Characters: Augustus Hill & Miguel Alvarez
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 159
Prompt: Hunger
Warnings: Mentions of offscreen cannabalism
Summary: Hill questions Alvarez's choice of roommate
( Advantages )
Fandom: OZ (HBO)
Characters: Augustus Hill & Miguel Alvarez
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 159
Prompt: Hunger
Warnings: Mentions of offscreen cannabalism
Summary: Hill questions Alvarez's choice of roommate
( Advantages )
20 Meowvelous Memes of Brain-Cell-Lacking Cats Because Ignorance Is Bliss
Aug. 30th, 2025 04:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
icanhascheezburger_feedCats may look like they have it all figured out, strutting around like furry masterminds plotting world domination, but sometimes it's clear they're operating with about three brain cells total… and two of them are on vacation. One moment, a cat is perched majestically like the king or queen of the jungle, and the next, they're chasing a speck of dust as if it's a mortal enemy. They'll leap onto the counter with the grace of an Olympic gymnast, only to immediately miscalculate and slide off like a clumsy cartoon.
Ask them to solve the mystery of why their toy ended up under the couch? Forget it. That brain cell is busy staring into space. Wondering why they sprint at 3 a.m. as if the floor is lava? That's the remaining brain cell, just vibin'.
Still, it's part of their charm. Cats may not be winning any awards for logic, but their delightful chaos keeps their humans laughing. After all, who needs brain cells when you've got toe beans, whiskers, and unlimited cattitude?
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So, the title said something about the Argonaughts or maybe the Hugonuts?
Sep. 1st, 2025 06:04 pmconulyMe, using correct spelling: Those are two entirely different groups of people. Is there any way you can narrow this down even a little?
Them, repeating the wrong spelling: Nope, absolutely not!
**************************
( Read more... )
Them, repeating the wrong spelling: Nope, absolutely not!
( Read more... )
more voters needed
Aug. 30th, 2025 05:16 pmluminousdaze posting in iconthatHi, just a reminder that this is the last day to vote in Challenge 196: Rainbow Pass-It-On 3 - Voting.
There are almost 100 great icons to choose from and as of now some colors are tied and a few are very close, so more voters would be great!
Thanks in advance.
There are almost 100 great icons to choose from and as of now some colors are tied and a few are very close, so more voters would be great!
Thanks in advance.