Ed's Place

In the Bleak Midwinter

2011-12-23T21:53:00.005-05:00

Orchestral piece, from a song on a poem by Christina Rossetti.

This video has the text over the images; a duplicate version but without the text is HERE

In memoriam: Edward Koehler (1948-2011)

2011-01-13T08:58:00.004-05:00

My beloved friend Ed Koehler (musician, librarian, massage therapist) passed away Saturday morning, January 8, 2011, after suffering a stroke the preceding afternoon at our home in Jacksonville, Florida. He requested that there be no services held in his behalf, and his younger sister Claudette and I respect that. But I hope some of you who knew and felt affection for him will pause a few moments and think fondly of him.

For a tribute page to Ed Koehler, please visit https://sites.google.com/site/edwardlein/Home/edward-koehler-1948-2011

Dark Eyes - Piano Trio by Edward Lein

2010-07-24T13:10:00.001-04:00

Dark Eyes - Piano Trio by Edward Lein

Un Dulcito -- SoundCloud versions...

2010-07-14T10:16:00.002-04:00

Hoodoo (Samba, for strings) by Edward Lein

Tangle (Tango, for strings) by Edward Lein

La llorona (for strings) by Edward Lein

Rumor (Rumba for strings) by Edward Lein

April 17, 2010

2010-04-17T20:15:00.002-04:00

In the new house for 6 months now, and spring is here!

CLICK HERE for Gallery

English Versions of Song & Aria Texts

2010-04-05T17:02:00.005-04:00

Translations/Versifications
English Versions of Song & Aria Texts

The linked English versions of various sung texts mostly have been made to use in program notes I have written. But, first off, let me state that I am not fluent in any language other than English. My versions have depended on literal translations of others and online translation tools for the meaning of the words. What I have attempted is to take the literal and translate it into poetry, usually as free verse, but sometimes also using the rhyme schemes of the original poetry.

For all texts/translations/versifications of the following go to http://sites.google.com/site/edwardlein/Home/translations, or click on the individual title:

•Berlioz / Gautier : Les nuits d'ete
•Conti: Il mio bel foco
•La llorona (The Weeping Woman) (Folk song)
•Mozart/Metastasio: L'amerò, sarò costante
•Poulenc/Apollinaire: Hôtel
•Poulenc/Apollinaire: Rosemonde
•Poulenc/Apollinaire: Voyage à Paris
•Poulenc/Vilmorin: Mazurka (English version only)
•Puccini: Donde lieta uscì
•Puccini: Chi bel il sogno di Doretta
•Ravel / Klingsor: Shéhérazade
•Santoliquido: 'I canti della sera'
•Verdi / Piave: La donna è mobile

House exterior

2009-11-18T15:34:00.004-05:00

The Ashram's Progress

2009-11-16T08:34:00.003-05:00

Well, we've been in about a month now.

Interior slideshow of the progress...

The New House

2009-10-22T10:26:00.003-04:00

Here's a before and after (still a work in progress...) pic of the living room to the new place. The big furniture is being moved tomorrow... Everything here was hauled in the back of a Ford Focus & a Honda CRV !

New House prospect !

2009-08-20T09:10:00.006-04:00

I got verbal confirmation (still nothing in writing ...) that my bid on this house has been accepted! Keep your fingers crossed for me that all goes well with the contracts, inspections, etc.! It's on the west side of Jacksonville, off of 103rd Street (west of I-295), and it's right on a creek!

More EXTERIOR pictures HERE

INTERIOR pictures (the color scheme will change ...)

"Hoodoo" performed by the kids at Prelude Chamber Music Camp

2009-06-20T12:52:00.002-04:00

June 19, 2009: Vernon Humbert conducts the Camp's PRIMO ORCHESTRA in the first ever performance of Hoodoo -- Great job, especially considering that the mostly middle and high school students played this after only 3-4 brief rehearsals, on top of all their other camp activities!

Free, Fill-in-the-blanks Resumé Maker

2009-06-17T17:49:00.006-04:00

Ed's Resumé Maker is on a free server and was down for a while, but it's back online!

Sadly, a lot of folks need it now...

http://edsplace.coolfreepages.com/resumemaker.html

Beginner's Guide to XHTML (ne HTML)

2009-06-17T16:34:00.008-04:00

The brief (but pretty thorough, imho) introduction to basic HTML coding is available online: Ed's Guide to Beginning XHTML. It's a free online tutorial that at least can get you started (if anybody's still interested with all th wysiwyg page builders available...)

The thing is, most of the page builders will let you edit the html code so you can include things they don't have buttons for. If you know how.

Although it dates from a 2003 workshop for Jacksonville Public Library staff, the coding information is still current (despite some side references to Netscape browsers and IE6).

CONTENTS:
Ed's Guide to Beginning XHTML
Ed's Guide (Printable Version)
HTML Root, HEAD and BODY Tags
Basic Tags for Text Markup
Tags for Adding Links and Images
Tags for Adding Tables and Lists
"Core" Standard Attributes
Complete CSS Reference
Webpage Template
plus
HTML Color Codes
Color Calculator
Character Entity References

An English translation & versification of Théophile Gautier's 'Absence,' from Berlioz's "Les nuits d'ete"

2009-06-12T12:30:00.022-04:00

CLICK HERE for the entire set of six poems

Revisions to the original translation (below) will be found at the above link.

IV. Absence

Reviens, reviens, ma bien-aimée!
Comme une fleur loin du soleil,
La fleur de ma vie est fermée
Loin de ton sourire vermeil.

Entre nos coeurs quelle distance!
Tant d'espace entre nos baisers!
Ô sort amer! ô dure absence!
Ô grands désirs inapaisés!

Reviens, reviens, ma bien-aimée!
Comme une fleur loin du soleil,
La fleur de ma vie est fermée
Loin de ton sourire vermeil.

D'ici 1à-bas, que de campagnes,
Que de villes et de hameaux,
Que de vallons et de montagnes,
A lasser le pied des chevaux!

Reviens, reviens, ma bien-aimée!
Comme une fleur loin du soleil,
La fleur de ma vie est fermée
Loin de ton sourire vermeil.

IV. Absence

Return, return, my own belovéd!
As closes the sun-lorn posy,
Thus has my life's flower been closéd
Sans thy smiling lips, e'er rosy.

Between our hearts looms such a distance!
Vast space our kisses separates!
O bitter fate! O cruelest absence!
O great desire that ne'er abates!

Return, return, my own belovéd!
As closes the sun-lorn posy,
Thus has my life's flower been closéd
Sans thy smiling lips, e'er rosy.

'Twixt here and yon, the wide countryside,
And towns and villages impede;
The valleys low and the mountains high
Jade e'en the most surefooted steed!

Return, return, my own belovéd!
As closes the sun-lorn posy,
Thus has my life's flower been closéd
Sans thy smiling lips, e'er rosy.

English translation/versification of Théophile Gautier's 'Sur les Lagunes' (from Berlioz's 'Les nuits d'été')

2009-06-11T15:43:00.024-04:00

CLICK HERE for the entire set of six poems

III. Sur les lagunes. Lamento	III. On the Lagoons. Lament.
Ma belle amie est morte: Je pleurerai toujours; Sous la tombe elle emporte Mon âme et mes amours. Dans le ciel, sans m'attendre Elle s'en retourna; L'ange qui l'emmena Ne voulut pas me prendre. Que mon sort est amer! Ah! sans amour, s'en aller sur la mer!	My belovéd is dead: Evermore will I weep; Within her graveyard bed My soul, my love she’ll keep. Heav’n-bound without me, she Hath there return’d once more; But th' angel who her bore, Alas, would not bear me. My bitter destiny! Ah! Without love, to go once more to sea!
La blanche créature Est couchée au cerceuil. Comme dans la nature Tout me paraît en deuil! La colombe oubliée Pleure et songe à l'absent; Mon âme pleure et sent Qu'elle est dépareillée. Que mon sort est amer! Ah! sans amour, s'en aller sur la mer!	Wherefore the white creature Is in her coffin laid, And the whole of nature In mourning seems array'd. The dove cries out, forlorn: Of her now gone he dreams; Yet weeps my soul, which seems Itself in pieces torn. My bitter destiny! Ah! Without love, to go once more to sea!
Sur moi la nuit immense S'étend comme un linceul; Je chante ma romance Que le ciel entend seul. Ah! comme elle était belle Et comme je l'aimais! Je n'aimerai jamais Une femme autant qu'elle. Que mon sort est amer! Ah! sans amour, s'en aller sur la mer!	Night’s vast sky hangs draping Like a death-shroud o’er me; My lovelorn song I sing Yet heard by heav’n only. Ah! She indeed was fair, And I loved naught but her! I shall love no other As much: none doth compare. My bitter destiny! Ah! Without love, to go once more to sea!

English translation of Theophile Gautier's 'Au cimetière' (from Berlioz's 'Les nuits d’ été')

2009-06-07T18:28:00.041-04:00

I translated/versified three of the songs from Les nuits d’ été for a recent concert at the Library. Here's another of the poems in an English version by me. Note that this is meant to be a poetical rendering of the text, adapting Gautier's poetic scheme and the conventions of the time (Berlioz wrote his songs in 1847) as best I could -- but this is not at all meant as a "singable" version to fit Berlioz's music. (And I must say that this text leant itself less easily to an English rendering than the first three I did ...)

CLICK HERE for the entire set of six poems

The 1st, 3rd and last verses of the poem were also set by Henri Duparc in his song, Lamento.

This English version (©2009, E. Lein) may be freely used for nonprofit educational purposes such as student recitals, but please give credit and let me know!

Au cimetière : Claire du lune [Lamento]	At the Cemetery : Moonlight [Lament]
Connaissez-vous la blanche tombe, Où flotte avec un son plaintif L'ombre d'un if? Sur l'if une pâle colombe, Triste et seule au soleil couchant, Chante son chant:	Knowest thou the tomb of white Whither wafts the sound of sorrow Neath th' yew's shadow? Upon the yew a pale dove lights; Sad and lone, to the western sun He sings his song:
Un air maladivement tendre, À la fois charmant et fatal, Qui vous fait mal Et qu'on voudrait toujours entendre; Un air comme en soupire aux cieux L'ange amoureux.	'Tis a morbid though tender air, Both at once charming and baneful, Seeming painful, Yet one we wish ever to hear-- Like a heav'nly air, sighed from above, Of th' angel's love.
On dirait que l'âme éveillée Pleure sous terre à l'unisson De la chanson, Et du malheur d'être oubliée Se plaint dans un roucoulement Bien doucement.	'Twould seem that the soul, now wakened, Weeps from under the earth, along With the dove's song; And mournful of being forsaken Laments with a cooing whimper, softly whispered.
Sur les ailes de la musique On sent lentement revenir Un souvenir. Une ombre, une forme angélique, Passe dans un rayon tremblant, En voile blanc.	On the wings of such music One feels returning yet slowly A memory. A shadow, its form angelic, Passes in a shimmering light, All veiled in white.
Les belles de nuit demicloses Jettent leur parfum faible et doux Autour de vous, Et le fantôme aux molles poses Murmure en vous tendant les bras: Tu reviendras!	The moonflower's blossoms, half closed, Breathe out their perfume, faint and sweet, All around thee; And the softly amorphous ghost Murmurs to thee with arms out-thrust: "Return thou must!"
Oh! jamais plus près de la tombe, Je n'irai, quand descend le soir Au manteau noir, Écouter la pâle colombe Chanter sur la pointe de l'if Son chant plaintif.	Oh! Ne'er again would I closely move Nearby that tomb as night lets fall Its black'ning shawl, To listen to the pallid dove Singing there, from atop the yew, His plaintive tune.

New song: "Summer Wind," on a poem by William Cullen Bryant

2009-06-04T12:46:00.020-04:00

This is the latest piece I'm working on. CLICK HERE for complete vocal part.

Here's the origianl text, but the typography is altered from the original poem--the added line breaks indicate the various sections of the musical structure.
(CLICK HERE To see the original layout of poem)

SUMMER WIND

It is a sultry day ; the sun has drunk
The dew that lay upon the morning grass ;
There is no rustling in the lofty elm
That canopies my dwelling, and its shade
Scarce cools me.
All is silent, save the faint
And interrupted murmur of the bee,
Settling on the sick flowers, and then again
Instantly on the wing.
The plants around
Feel the too potent fervors : the tall maize
Rolls up its long green leaves ; the clover droops
Its tender foliage, and declines its blooms.

But far in the fierce sunshine tower the hills,
With all their growth of woods, silent and stern,
As if the scortching heat and dazzling light
Were but an element they loved.
Bright clouds,
Motionless pillars of the brazen heaven--
Their bases on the mountains--their white tops
Shining in the far ether--fire the air
With a reflected radiance, and make turn
The gazer's eye away.
For me, I lie
Languidly in the shade, where the thick turf,
Yet virgin from the kisses of the sun,
Retains some freshness, and I woo the wind
That still delays its coming.
Why so slow,
Gentle and voluble spirit of the air?
Oh, come and breathe upon the fainting earth
Coolness and life.
Is it that in his caves
He hears me? See, on yonder woody ridge,
The pine is bending his proud top, and now,
Among the nearer groves, chesnut and oak
Are tossing their green boughs about.
[WALTZ]
He comes ;
Lo, where the grassy meadow runs in waves!
The deep distressful silence of the scene
Breaks up with mingling of unnumbered sounds
And universal motion.
He is come,
Shaking a shower of blossoms from the shrubs,
And bearing on their fragrance ;
and he brings
Music of birds, and rustling of young boughs,
And sound of swaying branches, and the voice
Of distant waterfalls.
All the green herbs
Are stirring in his breath ;
a thousand flowers,
By the road-side and the borders of the brook,
Nod gayly to each other ;
glossy leaves
Are twinkling in the sun, as if the dew
Were on them yet, and silver waters break
Into small waves and sparkle
as he comes.

Berlioz "Les nuits d’été" & Santoliquido "I canti della sera" -- English Translations

2009-06-04T12:27:00.014-04:00

Below are notes and new English translations I made for the song texts for a recent Music @ Main program featuring mezzo-soprano Anne Richie.

CLICK HERE for the entire set of six French poems by Gautier as set by Berlioz, along with the new English translation/versification

The side-by-side original text with the English version also displayed on the concert blog page: http://mainconcerts.blogspot.com/2009/05/526-615-pm-anne-elise-richie.html

Program Notes, by Ed Lein, Music Librarian

The French Romantic Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was among the most progressive composers of his era, and his original blending of symphonic forms with dramatic narrative, coupled with his keen insight into orchestration, had profound influence on the creative development of such luminaries as Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt. As a composer, Berlioz was never very popular with the French musical establishment, and despite his early successes he had difficulty getting his later works performed unless he paid for the concerts himself. But he did enjoy success as an author and music critic, and gained international fame as a conductor. In 1850 he was appointed Head Librarian of the Paris Conservatoire, which provided not only financial stability, but also something of an ironic twist to his biography. As a youth Berlioz had been sent to Paris to attend medical school, but rather than study human anatomy (which repulsed the young Hector) he preferred to study music scores, so he would sneak into—and then be kicked out of—the very library he would later manage. Especially famous for his Symphonie fantastique (1830) and Grande Messe des morts (Requiem Mass, 1837), Berlioz wrote about 50 songs with piano or guitar accompaniment, and among these the six songs from Les nuits d’ete (“The Nights of Summer”), Op. 7 (1841, orchestrated 1856) are easily the best known. Although the lyrics of all the opus 7 songs are by the influential French poet and critic Théophile Gautier (1811-1872), apparently the composer’s original intent was not that they be performed as a song cycle. Instead, he conceived them as separate songs to be performed variously by tenor, baritone, contralto, and mezzo-soprano, and was only later (but easily) convinced to orchestrate the whole set by an admiring music publisher. The selections this evening are the first, second and sixth songs from the set. Villanelle, a rustic song, joyously welcomes the returning spring with renewed hopefulness as the countryside begins to reawaken. In Le spectre de la rose (“The Ghost of the Rose”), a fading blossom at first seems to lament having been cut down in its prime, only to rejoice in its happy fate of having adorned the belle of the ball as its perfume lingers on. In the concluding barcarolle, L'île inconnue ("The Unknown Island"), a flirtatious gondolier asks his pretty young passenger to imagine which exotic shores she'd like to be whisked away to--she responds, "To the faithful shore where we're always in love!"

SELECTIONS FROM ...
Les nuits d’été on poems by Théophile Gautier Villanelle Quand viendra la saison nouvelle, Quand auront disparu les froids, Tous les deux nous irons, ma belle, Pour cueillir le muguet aux bois. Sous nos pieds égrénant les perles Que l'on voit, au matin trembler, Nous irons écouter les merles Siffler. Le printemps est venu, ma belle; C'est le mois des amants béni; Et l'oiseau, satinant son aile, Dit vers au rebord du nid. Oh! Viens donc sur ce banc de mousse, Pour parler de nos beaux amours, Et dis-moi de ta voix si douce: “Toujours!” Loin, bien loin égarant nos courses, Faisons fuir le lapin caché, Et le daim, au miroir des sources Admirant son grand bois penché; Puis chez nous, tout heureux, tout aises, En paniers, en laçant nos doigts, Revenons, rapportant des fraises, Des bois.	The Nights of Summer English version ©2009, by Edward Lein (Notify/credit if reprinting) Villanelle When the new season ventures here, When it drives away the cold wind, Into the woods we shall go, dear, There lilies of the valley to find. Where, underfoot, dew shines like pearls Seen shimmering in the morning sun, We’ll listen to the whistling blackbirds' New song. The springtime has come, my darling, 'Tis the month that all lovers have blest; And the bird, his satin wings preening, Sings verses perched high on his nest. Oh! Come sit on the bank so mossy, We'll speak of our sweet loves all day, And you’ll whisper to me so softly: “Always!” We’ll trod far off the footpath, wandering And frightening the hare from his form, And a deer, at the mirror-like spring Admiring his great branching horns. Then home again, all sound, all merry, Bringing baskets, our fingers entwined, Returning with fresh strawberries Grown wild.
Le spectre de la rose Soulève ta paupière close Qu'effleure un songe virginal; Je suis le spectre d'une rose Que tu portais hier au bal. Tu me pris encore emperlée Des pleurs d'argent de l'arrosoir, Et parmi la fête étoilée Tu me promenas tout le soir. Ô toi qui de ma mort fus cause, Sans que tu puisses le chasser, Toutes les nuits mon spectre rose A ton chevet viendra danser. Mais ne crains rien, je ne réclame Ni messe ni De profundis; Ce léger parfum est mon âme, Et j'arrive du paradis. Mon destin fut digne d'envie, Et pour avoir un sort si beau, Plus d'un aurait donné sa vie Car sur ton sein j'ai mon tombeau, Et sur l'albâtre où je repose Un poète avec un baiser Écrivit: "Ci-gît une rose Que tous les rois vont jalouser."	The Ghost of the Rose Open those eyelids now closed, Soft-touched by a maiden’s pure dream; I am the ghost of the rose That you wore to the ball yester-even. You snipped me while yet I was pearly With the watering can’s silvery tears, And about the glittering soirée You paraded me under the stars. O to thou who brought about my death (For to chase death away you’ve no chance), Every night my rose-colored wraith Will appear at thy bedside and dance. But fear not, for I am now owed Neither Mass nor De profundis. This fragile perfume is my soul, And I’ve arrived here from paradise. My destiny was to be envied, And to suffer so lovely a fate More than one would gladly have died, For thy bosom became my grave; And on the alabaster where I repose The poet there with his soft kiss Has inscribed: "Here lies the rose Who made even emperors jealous."
L’île inconnue Dites, la jeune belle, Où voulez-vous aller? La voile enfle son aile, La brise va souffler! L'aviron est d'ivoire Le pavillon de moiré, Le gouvernail d'or fin; J'ai pour lest une orange, Pour voile une aile d'ange, Pour mousse un séraphin. Dites, la jeune belle, Où voulez-vous aller? La voile enfle son aile, La brise va souffler! Est-ce dans la Baltique, Dans la mer Pacifique, Dans l'île de Java? Ou bien est-ce en Norvège, Cueillir la fleur de neige, Ou la fleur d'Angsoka? Dites, la jeune belle Où voulez-vous aller? Menez-moi, dit la belle, A la rive fidèle Où l'on aime toujours. ---Cette rive, ma chère, On ne la connaît guère Au pays des amours. Où voulez-vous aller? La brise va souffler!	The Unknown Island Tell me, my dear young thing, Where might you wish to go? The sail unfurls its wing, The breeze begins to blow! The oar’s made of ivory The flag of silk moiré, A golden helm most fine; For ballast I have oranges, For sails, the wings of angels, For shipmate, a seraphim. Tell me, my dear young thing, Where might you wish to go? The sail unfurls its wing, The breeze begins to blow! Might it be the Baltic? Or the wide Pacific? To the Isle of Java? Or to Norway might we go To cull flowers in the snow, Or a bloom from Angsoka? Tell me, my dear young thing, Where might you wish to go? “Carry me,” said the beauty, “To that shore where truly We’ll find eternal love.” --That certain shore, my dear, Is rarely known, I fear, In the realm of love. Where might you wish to go? The breeze begins to blow!

CLICK HERE for another translation of Les nuits d’été.

CLICK HERE to see Janet Baker sing a Villanelle excerpt on youtube.
CLICK HERE to see Janet Baker sing Le spectre de la rose on youtube.
CLICK HERE to see Janet Baker sing L'île inconnue on youtube.

Italian composer Francesco Santoliquido (1883-1971) completed the music and lyrics of his earliest surviving songs, I canti della sera (“The Songs of the Evening”) in 1908. They were published by Ricordi in 1912, and the journal Musical America recommended them “as the finest of modern concert songs” in 1922. But in addition to composing, Santoliquido published books of verse and short stories, and in 1937 and 1938 he penned several fascist, anti-Semitic articles, and also decried musical modernism. As a result he was effectively ostracized from the progressive arts community. Ironically, his third wife, pianist Ornella Pulti Santoliquido, had been a student of Alfredo Casella (a prominent Jewish-Italian composer and a particular target of Francesco's), and she became known as an advocate of modern music. As these four evocative "evening songs" demonstrate, Santoliquido’s early style blends characteristics of Debussy and Richard Strauss (by way of Puccini!), but they do not yet show the influence of the Arabic music that colored his later works, the result of a nine-year sojourn to North Africa which began in 1912. The first song, L’assiola canta (“The Horned Owl Sings”), is an invitation to share an intimate walk through the woods on a still, starry evening, interrupted only by the mournful sigh of an owl. Alba di luna sul bosco (“Moonrise over the Woods”) artfully depicts the appearance of a red moon over the forest and it’s shimmering reflection caught on the surface of a pond; this in turn leads the poet to reflect on the surrounding vast stillness and peace, and how such a perfect sense of communion mirrors, or perhaps even inspires newly found love. As its title suggests, the mood of Tristezze crepuscolare (“Twilight Gloom”) changes from peaceful contemplation to sorrowful angst and agitation as the incessant pealing of evening church bells unearths painful memories of a lost love. The final song, L’incontro (“The Encounter”), ends the cycle on a more hopeful note as it relates the happy reunion of a couple who years before had enjoyed a similar twilight flirtation, with evening bells and sqwaking seabirds now heard in the distance, just the same as before. The accompaniment includes rhythmic patterns similar to those used in the preceding songs, perhaps suggestive of the imperfectly-recalled memories mentioned in the lyrics.

I canti della sera ("The Songs of the Evening")

Italian lyrics by the composer (1908)
English translations by Ed Lein (©2009, E. Lein -- please notify and credit if reprinting)

L'assiolo canta

Vieni! Sul bosco splende serena
la notte dell’estate e l’assiolo canta.
Vieni, ti voglio dir quel che non dissi mai.
E sul sentiero fioriscono le stelle, magici fiori.
Inoltriamoci insieme e là nel folto ti dirò
perchè piansi una triste sera che non c’eri.
Inoltriamoci insieme. Un mistero c’invita,
Odi: l’assiolo canta.

The Horned Owl Sings

O come! The summer night shines so serene
above the woods and the horned owl sings.
So come, I wish to tell you what I've never said before.
Above our path the stars are blooming, like magic flowers.
We'll enter together and there in the thicket I'll tell you
why I cried one sad twilight when you were gone.
So let's enter together. A mystery invites us--
O hear: the horned owl sings.

Alba di luna sul bosco

Guarda, la luna nasce tutta rossa
come una fiamma congelata nel cielo,
Lo stagno la riflette e l’acqua
mossa dal vento
Par rabbrividire al gelo.
Che pace immensa, Il bosco addormentato,
si riflette nello stagno.
Quanto silenzio intorno!
Dimmi: È un tramonto o un’alba per l’amor?

Moonrise Over the Woods

Look, the moon appears all red
like a frozen flame in the heavens,
reflected on the pond where the water
shimmers in the wind
as if shivering from the cold.
Such immense peace, the sleeping wood,
itself reflected in the pool.
Such great silence surrounds us!
Tell me: Is this the twilight or the dawning of love?

Tristezza crepuscolare

È la sera.
Dalla terra bagnata sale l’odore delle foglie morte.
È l’ora delle campane,
è l’ora in cui respiro
il vano profumo d’un amore passato.
E sogno e piango.
È la sera.
È la sera, una sera piena di campane,
una sera piena di profumi,
una sera piena di ricordi e di tristezze morte.
Piangete, piangete campane della sera,
empite tutto il cielo di malinconia.
Ah! Piangete ancor…
Questa è l’ora dei ricordi,
è l’ora in cui l’antica flamma s’accende
nel cuore disperatamente e lo brucia.
Campane.
Odore di foglie morte.
Tristezze dissepolte!

Twilight Gloom

It's the evening.
Out of the damp earth rises the smell of dead leaves.
It's the hour of pealing bells,
it's a time to breathe
the faded perfume of a bygone love.
And I dream and I weep.
It's the evening.
It's the evening, an evening full of bells,
an evening full of perfumes,
an evening full of memories and death's own sadness.
Weep, O weep you bells of the evening,
fill the vastness of heaven with melancholy.
Ah! Weep again …
This is the hour of remembrance,
it's the time when the old flame engulfs
my desperate heart and ignites it.
Pealing bells.
The smell of dead leaves.
Sorrows unearthed!

L’incontro

Non mi ricordo più quando noi c’incontrammo
la prima volta ma fu certo una lontana sera
tutta soffusa di pallide tristezze
lungo un benigno mar!
A noi giungevano di lontano
suoni di campane e di greggi
ed una pace strana ci veniva dal mare.
Questo rammento!
Cosa dicemmo quel giorno Io rammentate?
Io non ricordo più.
Ma che importa?
Oggi mi fiorisce nel cuore
la dolcezza appassita di quell’ora lontana.
E m’è dolce stringere nella mia
la vostra mano bianca
e parlarvi d’amor,
anch’oggi vengono di lontano
suoni di campane e di greggi
e anch’oggi il mar come allora ci sorride
lontano.
Ma oggi forse m’amate un poco,
non sorridete più.
Ah! La vostra mano trema.
Se oggi le belle labbra voi mi darete
non scorderemo più questa dolce ora d'amor!

The Encounter

I no longer remember when it was that we met,
but surely the first time was a bygone dusk
perfused with faded sadness
along a friendly sea!
The sounds of bells and birds
came to us from afar
and a strange peace washed over us from the sea.
I do remember that!
Do you remember what I said that day?
I no longer recall.
But who cares?
Today my heart blooms
with sweet passion from that time long past.
It's so sweet for me to clasp
your white hand in mine
and speak to you of love,
for today, just as then, there comes from afar
the sounds of bells and birds,
with the sea, just as then, smiling at us
in the distance.
But maybe today you love me a little--
you're not smiling now ...
Ah! Your hand trembles.
If you'll give me your beautiful lips today
we will never forget this sweet moment of love!

MP3s at alternate site

2009-03-15T20:22:00.062-04:00

The Google players are rather fickle of late. Here is a link to a string orchestra version of Hoodoo (the 1st movement): http://home.comcast.net/~edward_lein/hoodoo-strings.mp3

Un Dulcito: La Llorona

String orchestra version: http://home.comcast.net/~edward_lein/La_llorona-strings.mp3

The third movement of Un Dulcito (i.e., "A Little Latin American Sweet"), for violin and cello, is a chaconne-like setting of the Mexican folk song, La llorona, combined with the Latin hymn from the mass for the dead, the Dies irae.

The legend of the Weeping Woman (more of a ghost story really) varies throughout Latin America, and there are even some American versions of the tale (including one set in Kansas City). Essentially, a beautiful woman sets her sites on a wealthy man, but he rejects her because he doesn't want to be saddled with her several children. She decides she really, really wants the man, so she drowns her children--in some versions the man rejects her again, horrified by her monstrous behavior; and in others she is overcome by remorse and grief at what she has done. In all versions, she ends up drowning herself, and her spirit is doomed to wander the waterways in search of her children, tearfully wailing throughout eternity. (The story usually ends as a cautionary tale for other children--behave and don't venture near the water or La Llorona ["la yah-ROHN-nah"] may mistake you for one of her own children and pull you beneath the waves!)

There are a number of different versions of lyrics for the tune, which mostly seem to have very little to do with the legend. Here are some selected verses in English versions (i.e., not entirely literal translations) by me. The original Spanish words with the English are at http://sites.google.com/site/edwardlein/Home/translations/la-llorona-the-weeping-woman.

They call me black-hearted, Llorona, Llorona,
black-hearted, and one who beguiles.
And like jalapeños burn you, Llorona,
you'll pay if you yield to my wiles.

They think I don't feel the pain, Llorona,
because they can't see me cry.
Yet even the dead are tearless, Llorona,
and their sorrow is greater than mine.

If the heavens were mine, Llorona, Llorona,
for you I’d pull all the stars down.
I’d place the moon there at your feet, Llorona,
and take the sun’s rays for your crown.

O take pity on me, Llorona, Llorona,
and down to the river let's go.
Hold me closely inside your shawl, Llorona,
for I think I shall die in the cold.

To a Savior who bore the world's pain, Llorona,
I confided my horrible grief.
But my sorrowful suffering was such, Llorona,
that it made even Jesus weep.

Translations ©2009-2010, E. Lein

Upcoming Music @ Main Concerts

2009-03-08T07:44:00.004-04:00

http://jplmusic.blogspot.com/

#23 "We’re out of the woods, we’re out of the dark, we’re out of the night!"

2008-12-11T15:14:00.023-05:00

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
The biggest deal for me was finding out how easy it is to use blogs, and to discover that by using them and other free hosting services (flickr, YouTube, last.fm) you can create a fully-developed web presence without having to spend a dime!

"Just try and stay out of my way. Just try! I'll get you, my pretty and your little dog too!"

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
As with others, the program has encouraged me to examine a little more closely all these things you hear in passing and try to ignore, but really can't afford to.

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."

3. Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
See 1., above.

"Oh, don't cry! You'll rust so dreadfully. Here's your oil can."

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Like others have noted, one hour is not enough time for many of the assignments. Also, bandwidth issues offer a major challenge, not only in completing the assignments--many of which were better completed away from work--but in putting the various applications to productive use in the Library. If we develop these web 2.0 resources with the current limitations of RAM and connection speed, we are setting ourselves up for failure: we will be sorely challenged developing applications in an efficient manner; and, if our customers, particularly of the in-house variety, can't get them to work properly the results will be counterproductive.

"The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side. Oh joy! Rapture! I got a brain! How can I ever thank you enough?"

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?
I guess it really depends on what's being examined, but, yes. This has been among the most useful of any of the job-required training courses I've taken (and I've been with the city more than a couple of decades...).

#21 Personal. On. Demand.

2008-12-11T07:35:00.011-05:00

'Nuff said...

Well, probably not 'nuff to complete this exercise.

Didn't much care for the iTunes podcast directory. I googled "podcast directory" and tried podcastdirectory.com and their listings for Jacksonville -- not too many, and the one I listened too had two brothers phoning it in--one in Hollywood (CA) and the other (the host) somewhere in New Jersey. What up?

Searched Google again for library podcasts--subscribed to something from the Library of Congress--it is our MotherShip, no? Went back and tried podcastalley, under comedy, but chose a reference! feed: Ask a Ninja: You got questions. Ninja got answers. (I learned about Salameanders and cutting off parts that don't grow back...).

So now I understand the best way to deal with problem customers.

#22 Nightmare on Main Street

2008-12-10T16:44:00.037-05:00

I skipped JPL2.0 #21 -- will wait till I get home. Would take too long here-- bandwidth issues.

Blithely on to exercise #22:

To establish an Overdrive account, you must first create your account through the JPL website. I know you’re tired of creating user names and passwords, but we're almost there!

I go to the Overdrive page to set up my account. Yes, yes. I am almost there ...

Only, no account set-up in sight on site. Is this a hideous trap?! But she seemed so nice.

I go for Help! Need...Quickstart! No mention of creating Overdrive accounts to log-in, nothing. Nothing. FAQ! N-o-t-h-i-n-g!

Where to turn? I'm lost...gasping...sinking...

Can't watch the Guided tour. It -- won't -- load. No alternate print version offered.

The sky darkens. Melonee approaches--is she too among the lost? I ask for help--She must know--What? She's been this way before! Thank heaven! Only... She looks at the web page, looks at me, at the web page -- can't find -- anything! Nothing! "Something should be done."

No way out--can't...breathe--AAArghhh!

Epilogue
"So," I ask, but none is left to hear, "If you need to log-in to use the service, why is there no mention of this on our web page? Isn't that a 'basic.' Do you set up a new account, or is it already there, included in the same login/password you use for everything else? It seems the latter is true (the usual worked for me, anyway) -- if so, we should proclaim it: 'If you have a card you have access!'"

The MYSTERY of setting up an account aside, I probably won't use Overdrive unless I get an mp3 player that works through my car speakers--driving is the only time I listen to books.

But the site really should mention about registering/logging in, or registration should be made more obvious it it's hidden somewhere. Also, the 1-2-3 Quickstart steps should be listed first thing, without having to stumble on them along the way. No wonder customers are confused.

#20 All right, Mr. DeMille ...

2008-12-10T14:40:00.010-05:00

I'm ready for my close-up...

Ah, the good ol' daze. ...
Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance: "All is prepared / Stay, Frederic, stay"

From a February 1988 "Ex Libris" concert in the old Main Library...soprano Judy Wade and I accompanied by Rosalind McEnulty. Everything went pretty well except near the end Ros chose a quicker tempo than we had rehearsed...But tempo shmempo! look how thin I am! YouTube is great because this is how posterity will remember me, even if now ... "I am big. It's the pictures that got small"!

In response to #20, the Library could use YouTube for various types of promotions-- program ads, booktalks, demonstrations (like self-check), etc. We could give video tours of facilities, public art, special collections. Endless possibilities!

#19 And the Winner Is...

2008-12-10T13:25:00.019-05:00

When asked to explore a site from among this years Web 2.0 Award winners at SEOmoz.org, not being in a mood for surprises (let's save those for Santa) I looked under MUSIC and chose their #1 site: last.fm It's a great site, only...

Don't try this at work.

At least in the afternoon because it requires bandwidth which the City connection and/or the crappy PCs (and my resulting blood pressure) can't handle. I couldn't find anyway to pause the streaming until the entire file loads, so if you don't have enough bandwidth you'll get a thousand, give or take, stops and starts as a recording progresses.

Started as a legal music-sharing substitute for Napster, last.fm is a site where musicians or record labels can share their music--excertps, full tracks, even complete albums. You don't have to set up a free account to listen, but if you start an account you can set up a personal library of recordings. Much music is free to listen to, and you can set up an account to buy mp3 downloads. (Perfect for when we get our players for participating in JPL 2.0)

I set up an artist account and uploaded two albums of original compositions I recently compiled:

http://www.last.fm/music/Edward+Lein/+albums

Please listen to some of my FREE tracks some time, and invite a friend ...

They apparently made some big improvements to the site lately, so typically a lot of the stuff that used to work doesn't work now. Progress. For instance, for newly added accounts (like mine) the tags don't currently get indexed. But they know about the problems and they will be fixed (sooner I hope than later, since it isn't Cheers and everybody doesn't know my name so no one will ever find my stuff...unless you go and tell your friends...), and the old (pre-improvement) entries still work.

I only looked at classical stuff, but for many composers you can listen to entire albums for free, or at least hear representative works. It's pretty incredible.

Holiday Concert in Brunswick, GA : 8pm on Monday, 12/15/08

2008-12-07T20:58:00.005-05:00

The Coastal Symphony of Georgia is including a piece I wrote-- "In the Bleak Midwinter"--on their program!

#18: 1st Go with Zoho

2008-12-07T11:28:00.010-05:00

Go ZOHO! or ZOHO shmo-ho?

This is my first go with , and an immediate annoyance is with page set-up. The margin settings are in percentages -- no one mentioned that there would be math ... Why not use the more common inches (or centimeters for the rest of the world)?

Exactly what percentage of the height would you need to set the top and bottom margins to to get the same margin width as 10% of the width left and right margins? Also, what happens with the actual margin size if you switch from portrait to landscape? The HELP info doesn't seem to care. This is all rhetorical so don't send me your worksheets, but I'm just saying...

In actuality, it doesn't seem that changing the top and bottom margin settings makes any difference anyway--I haven't experimented with different settings enough to really know what's going on, but at first glance changing these settings doesn't seem to have an effect on printing anyway.

"Preview" and "Page View" seem to do the same thing and neither shows you how the printed page will really look--except, you can go directly to a PDF from "Page View" and see the page margins that way.

But when you do either "Preview" or "Page View" there is no instruction on how to get back to the document to continue typing. (All you have to do is to reopen the document, but until you figure this out, it seems like you're just stuck with what you have.)

However, that you have the option to export as PDF is fabulous.

Everything else seems good, too, and it's great that all these formatting features are available for free, and that you can allow collaborative editing online.

The unlimited online storage will diminish to 1GB when the site finishes testing and goes commercial (at which point you can buy more storage), but even 1GB seems pretty good. And it means Library customers who use it to type up a resumé can save it even though they never have a flash drive or disk ...

#17: PB, hold the J

2008-11-24T19:45:00.007-05:00

photo: C. Mariani

Very similar to editing blogger blogs, using the JPL Learning 2.0 sandbox at PBwiki was a smooth (not chunky) experience. Put in mind of food, I even added a Favorite Recipes page!

#16 Wiki stick it:

2008-11-24T16:58:00.016-05:00

photo: Getty/daylife

(Achieve a speedy gymnastic dismount triumph ... )
Though I'm too much of a control freak to wholeheartedly endorse universal editing by anonymous (potential) reprobates, there is a lot to be said for sharing community information -- our own E*vanced calendar offers a wealth of up-to-date information about Library programs and events that would overwhelm an individual webmaster.
Besides community calendars, I like collaborative subject guides and pathfinders, and multi-perspective reviewing. Also for event planning--how great would an online sign-up be for holiday potlucks? I'm all for immediate gratification (as long as there is at least some accountability and oversight).

#15 Library 2.0 : Embracing the Internet

2008-11-18T14:04:00.013-05:00

Public Libraries continue a noble purpose: to provide community access to resources that would otherwise be unavailable.

Often this boils down to money-- most individuals can't afford vast libraries of diverse materials on their own, so they pool their money (in the form of taxes) and share what they buy (in the form of public libraries).

Unless the capitalistic nature of our society is radically altered it is unlikely that new and desirable resources will ever become freely available to everyone. So, regardless of the formats the resources take, the need for public libraries (in one form or another) will continue.

And, as always, public libraries will collect what their constituents want and develop the most effective means to deliver the goods.

Digital formats are part of the evolution of information-sharing, not really a revolution (granted, the evolution has speeded up considerably since the heyday of the papyrus scroll). So I'm not worried-- libraries and librarians aren't facing extinction but will continue to evolve as well. The more information that is available, the more people need teams of information professionals to help them find what they seek.

We (JPL) have embraced digital formats and work to expand our digital collections. The Internet provides the ideal avenue for digital delivery, and we try to take full advantage of it, including granting free access to non-residents via free eCards. Only ...

Our immediate problem is marketing-- we have all these really great databases and online services available, and are providing more and more downloadable materials. But sooo many people remain unaware of them, even those who routinely use the Internet for virtually everything (pun intended).

Another thing-- why don't we (JPL) have scanners so we can e-mail copies from print items rather than faxing them? (E-mail is one of the most universally accepted delivery methods, is one of the greatest advantages the Internet offers, and is way more reliable than using outdated fax machines--not taking advantage of the available technology just doesn't make sense.)

Festival of Trees

2008-11-18T09:55:00.025-05:00

The Main Library is hosting the Junior League of Jacksonville's annual Festival of Trees November 4 - January 7.

The decorations for most trees are based on specific books or stories, including:

Make Way for Ducklings

The Night Before Christmas

The Little Engine That Could

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Little House on the Prairie

Bob the Builder

The Yearling

The Legend of Bagger Vance

Mr. Peabody’s Apples

The Secret Garden

Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella

How do Dinosaurs Go to School

Around the World in 80 Days

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Tony’s Bread

#14 Not a Book by Dale Brown ...

2008-11-17T19:22:00.018-05:00

I guess there's a need for Technorati, but it's very comprehensiveness, i.e., hoarding masses of swine amid a few pearls (too bad the URL "dogpile" was already taken ...), undermines its usefulness in finding reliable information. In fairness, though, at least they let you change the "level of authority" for the blogs included in a search.

As for searching "Library 2.0," when I finally figured out how to control the search (entire blog vs. tags only) for blogs with "a lot of authority" (a celebration is planned each year on 11/18@7:15am), I got 1,052 results for "search the entire post", and only 259 hits for "tags only"; the blog directory didn't get that specific -- "Web 2.0" is a close as you get, but I was surprised that it gets that close since the directory is limited to pretty broad headings. (I guess I'm too old-fashioned, but I wish they had a big index of suggested tags.)

TIP: The easiest way I could find to change between searching complete blogs to just tags is to:
1. Search your term using the SEARCH box on the Technorati home page, and then
2. Use the CHANGE link to set your parameters:

CLICK to enlarge
I was a little surprised by some of the popular searches because they include names of a few folks I've never heard of. But I had no real expectations so there were no big surprises with the "most popular" blogs, except that I would have expected more celebrity gossip than political news, but maybe everybody's still keyed up from the elections...

#13

2008-11-17T17:13:00.006-05:00

The first thing I noticed is that the URL has changed to the more user-friendly http://delicious.com.

I'm so used to e-mailing myself URLs to include in the jplstaff Ready Ref pages and in my own Guide to the Best Internet Resources that it will take me a while to get used to the delicious-ness of this site. But I certainly see advantages to having a handy, universally accessible place to store favorites, and expect I will create an account of my own. It could also prove useful in group projects as a central place to store references.

#11 Pottery Barn

2008-11-10T19:28:00.003-05:00

check out My Spelling Books

(Library Thing might be useful if you could inventory DVDs & CDs...)

#10 : Tasteful saying ....

2008-11-10T18:06:00.011-05:00

Recipes for fun at http://www.redkid.net/generator/soup/sign.php

Beauty secret ...

Create a masterpiece at http://www.txt2pic.com/toons/4.htm

Pawlitical animal...

2008-11-06T15:16:00.002-05:00

Click for mysavannahcottage pattern info.

JPL 2.0 #9: Finding Feeds

2008-11-03T17:56:00.011-05:00

Poster available from despair.com

This exercise was really quite depressing, and this despair.com poster pretty much sums up my experience.

Bloglines' Search Tool seems reasonable enough--I searched "classical music" and immediately added a feed from the New York Times, and will likely add others using this tool.

Feedster wouldn't load.

Topix.net really made me nervous -- FOX has set a terrible precedent by distributing unverified opinion as "news" and the political posts that dominated Topix "most popular" stories seem only too eager to join this bandwagon. I'll stick with Reuters and NPR for credible news.

The seemingly indiscriminate nature of sources included in both Syndic8 and Technorati has no appeal to me. I'd rather find sources with some degree of accountability, or at least some that come recommended by folks whose judgement can be respected (e.g., visit some of JPL's Recommended Websites of particular interest and look for newsfeeds on them). There is too much chaff with the wheat for me to find these other sites very useful.

This is America and I do believe that everybody is entitled to an opinion. But really. So many bloggers try mightliy to disprove this. (Op.cit despair.com)

JPL 2.0 exercise #8 : RSS & Newsfeeds

2008-11-03T16:38:00.006-05:00

Why it's just like Christmas...

The initial set-up at Bloglines was a breeze (especially after viewing a couple of brief videoclips: RSS in Plain English and Adding Rss Feeds to Bloglines), and it was easy as pie to subscribe to blogs by whatever method presented itself.

But enabling the public sharing of my blogroll using the instructions included with both the JPL 2.0 post and from Bloglines was impossible for me on my own because there was never any mention that you must create a Bloglines user name separate from the email address used to sign in, or how to go about creating a Bloglines user name -- Refman Greg had to clue me into this or I never could have finished.

DO THIS: 1. Create your account at bloglines.com & login.
2. Once at http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs, click on Account in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Click on Blog Settings
4. Make up and type in a new, unique username.
5. Next to Show my Blogroll, choose Yes, publish my Blogroll
6. Click on Save Changes

After doing this, the formula http://www.bloglines.com/public/USERNAME will work.

My blogroll may been seen at http://www.bloglines.com/public/EdLein.

Then again, accuracy is not really the issue in certain places ...

2008-10-29T16:19:00.000-04:00

Source: Bethi Claus

Technological Heads Up -- DTV Deadline: 2/7/2009

2008-10-28T10:27:00.002-04:00

All-digital treehouse?
Photo by PGP Design

Federal law requires that all full-power television broadcast stations switch to an all digital format beginning February 7, 2009. So on February 8 the old analog frequencies will no longer be used to transmit any TV shows, but instead will be used for public safety broadcasts, and also some of the freed-up frequencies can then be applied to anticipated new commercial wireless services.

Most TV sets purchased before May 25, 2007, were not required to include digital tuners (or warn you of the absence), so unless you bought your TV within the last year and a half chances are you will want to get a digital-to-analog set-top converter box. Just in case the cable goes out ...

If you have a commercial cable or satellite TV service, its converter box does bypass the immediate need. But you never know. So between January 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, all U.S. households may request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is administering the coupon program. For more information, visit the NTIA website at www.dtv2009.gov.

TIP: these coupons will expire 90 days after mailing.

Pukin' Punkish Punkin

2008-10-27T19:50:00.002-04:00

vomiting-pumpkin
Originally uploaded by www.iamspartacus.co.uk

or,

Squeamish
Squalid
Squash?

Sick of traditional pumpkin pie? Then why not try one of these ...

You'll be gorging gorgeous gourds!

More marvelous morsels at: Ed's Favorite Recipes

Magic Spells (just in time for Hallowe'en...)

2008-10-27T15:57:00.000-04:00

This didn't work for me the first time I tried it...While exploring some of the Flickr-related mashups for JPL2.0, I used the speller at http://metaatem.net/words/, but I couldn't get

the html code to copy/display properly. So I went on to create this kaleidoscope-type image of the Music@Main flyer on a different site, but then I lost the URL to that site... So I tried the spelling one again and it worked like, well, like a charm!

Music @ Main : Polish Music for Violin & Piano

2008-10-27T14:36:00.011-04:00

Programming classical music concerts at the Main Library has given me the opportunity to meet a great many of the First Coast's finest musicians. This image publicizes the next scheduled MUSIC@MAIN concert, which will take place on December 8, 2008, at 6:15 p.m.

The program will feature two world-class performers, each of whom has played concerts at the Main Library, but this will be the first time they will appear together on the stage of the Library's Hicks Auditorium.

Piotr Szewczyk is a Polish-born violinist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra who regularly performs at various venues throught the United States and Europe (I believe he is currently in or on his way to Munich). Jacksonville native Christine Clark is an award-winning pianist who is President of Friday Musicale, and who appears frequently in solo recitals and with many of the area's finest instrumentalists.
CLICK HERE for bios of the artists

Mark your calendars--you won't want to miss this concert!

The 7½ Habits of Lifelong Learning

2008-10-20T16:06:00.000-04:00

Photo by melcsee
The City provides its employees at least 24 hours a year of educational opportunities, and among those the Library encourages staff to follow a 9-hour interactive online course to learn about Web 2.0 applications, both to better help customers understand the popular Internet applications available and to enhance communication with the public and among staff via the Internet. The JPL Learning 2.0 course is based on a similar program out of Charlotte, NC.

These "7½ Habits" are reviewed in this "Learning 2.0" training:

5 Habits in action ... Photo by NanaJanet1954

Habit 1: Begin with a goal in mind
Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning
Habit 3: View problems as challenges
Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox
Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage
Habit 7: Teach and mentor others
Habit 7-1/2: PLAY!

I expect that Habit 3 is both the easiest and the hardest for me ...

Photo by DanStorey14

Easiest because I like finding answers, solutions and work-arounds relating to new problems; but
Hardest if the problem is a recurring one that isn't really under my control -- e.g., I have less and less patience with the same problems and issues over and over again, such as continually having to remind different customers working at library PCs to turn down the volume !

"Ready Reference" web page goes public

2008-10-20T12:57:00.000-04:00

Photo by Judith Sweet

Being editor of the homepage for Library Reference staff has provided me the opportunity to discover firsthand a lot of very useful websites. I have created a single-screen public web page that organizes many of these, plus some additional "civilian" websites of interest especially to Jacksonville residents. "Ed's Guide to the Best Internet Resources" is available at http://home.comcast.net/~edward_lein/refsites.html
-- I'd love feedback on how to make it more useful!

Ed's Place

In the Bleak Midwinter

In memoriam: Edward Koehler (1948-2011)

Dark Eyes - Piano Trio by Edward Lein

Un Dulcito -- SoundCloud versions...

April 17, 2010

English Versions of Song & Aria Texts

House exterior

The Ashram's Progress

The New House

New House prospect !

"Hoodoo" performed by the kids at Prelude Chamber Music Camp

Free, Fill-in-the-blanks Resumé Maker

Beginner's Guide to XHTML (ne HTML)

An English translation & versification of Théophile Gautier's 'Absence,' from Berlioz's "Les nuits d'ete"

CLICK HERE for the entire set of six poems

English translation/versification of Théophile Gautier's 'Sur les Lagunes' (from Berlioz's 'Les nuits d'été')

CLICK HERE for the entire set of six poems

English translation of Theophile Gautier's 'Au cimetière' (from Berlioz's 'Les nuits d’ été')

CLICK HERE for the entire set of six poems

New song: "Summer Wind," on a poem by William Cullen Bryant

Berlioz "Les nuits d’été" & Santoliquido "I canti della sera" -- English Translations

CLICK HERE for the entire set of six French poems by Gautier as set by Berlioz, along with the new English translation/versification

MP3s at alternate site

Un Dulcito: La Llorona

Upcoming Music @ Main Concerts

http://jplmusic.blogspot.com/

#23 "We’re out of the woods, we’re out of the dark, we’re out of the night!"

"Just try and stay out of my way. Just try! I'll get you, my pretty and your little dog too!"

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."

"Oh, don't cry! You'll rust so dreadfully. Here's your oil can."

"The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side. Oh joy! Rapture! I got a brain! How can I ever thank you enough?"

#21 Personal. On. Demand.

#22 Nightmare on Main Street

#20 All right, Mr. DeMille ...

#19 And the Winner Is...

Holiday Concert in Brunswick, GA : 8pm on Monday, 12/15/08

#18: 1st Go with Zoho

#17: PB, hold the J

#16 Wiki stick it:

#15 Library 2.0 : Embracing the Internet

Festival of Trees

#14 Not a Book by Dale Brown ...

#13

#11 Pottery Barn

#10 : Tasteful saying ....

Beauty secret ...

Pawlitical animal...

JPL 2.0 #9: Finding Feeds

JPL 2.0 exercise #8 : RSS & Newsfeeds

Why it's just like Christmas...

Then again, accuracy is not really the issue in certain places ...

Technological Heads Up -- DTV Deadline: 2/7/2009

Pukin' Punkish Punkin

Squeamish Squalid Squash?

Magic Spells (just in time for Hallowe'en...)

Music @ Main : Polish Music for Violin & Piano

The 7½ Habits of Lifelong Learning

"Ready Reference" web page goes public

Squeamish
Squalid
Squash?