Verne Edquist (1931–2020)

He was Glenn Gould’s piano tuner. The New York Times has an obituary. Better: from the Glenn Gould Foundation, an appreciation by the writer Katie Hafner. An excerpt:

Over the years Verne collected dozens of tools. Some he bought from old-timers, and others he adapted from other trades. He had surgical forceps and dental explorers, which made dandy hooks, opticians’ screwdrivers for adjusting harpsichords, barber scissors for trimming felt, and shoemaker pegs for plugging holes. From the welding trade he took soapstone, a dry lubricant for the buckskin that can squeak in the action of older pianos.

There’s a filmed interview too.

Superspreader

It’s not just the rallies. A study from the Cornell Alliance for Science finds that Donald Trump* is the “single largest driver” of misinformation about COVID-19. From a New York Times article:

Mentions of Mr. Trump made up nearly 38 percent of the overall “misinformation conversation,” making the president the largest driver of the “infodemic” — falsehoods involving the pandemic.

Trump* = death. Vote as if your life depends on it.

Winking Owl — hoo?

Yes, hoo’s behind Aldi’s Winking Owl wines? Here’s an answer , along with much more about Winking Owl. I’m happy to see that I’m not alone in my judgment: Shiraz good, Cab bad.

*SIGH*

[Peanuts, October 4, 1973. Click for a larger view.]

Peppermint Patty has been staying at Charlie Brown’s (“Chuck’s”) house while her father is away.

Yesterday’s Peanuts is today’s Peanuts. Only the screens have changed. Today’s strip makes me want to pop some corn and take out my stamp collection. Wait — what stamp collection?

A squirrel speaks

It was standing next to a flowerpot. “Strange as it may seem,” the squirrel said, “Eddie Cantor may be growing in that flowerpot.”

I think they must have put something in the flu shot. Or in the Winking Owl Shiraz.

Related reading
All OCA dream posts (Pinboard)

[Aldi’s Winking Owl Shiraz — $2.95! — is surprisingly, genuinely good. The Cab? Not good at all.]

“There was this thing”

W.G. Sebald, from “Dark Night Sallies Forth,” in Against Nature, trans. Michael Hamburger (New York: Modern Library, 2003).

For a moment in this strange, beautiful autobiographical poem, Sebald seems to turn into John Ashbery.

Related reading
All OCA Sebald posts (Pinboard)

Theater of War via Zoom

Antigone in Ferguson :

A groundbreaking project that fuses dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of Sophocles’ Antigone with live choral music performed by a diverse choir, from St. Louis, Missouri and New York City culminating in powerful, healing discussions about racialized violence, police brutality, systemic oppression, gender-based violence, health inequality, and social justice.

October 2, 4:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. and October 17, 5:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. CDT

*

Theater of War for Frontline Medical Providers :

An innovative project that presents dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of scenes from ancient Greek plays to help nurses, doctors, EMS, first responders, administrators, and other heath care providers engage in healing, constructive discussions about the unique challenges and stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic. This event will use Sophocles’s Philoctetes and Women of Trachis to create a vocabulary for discussing themes such as personal risk, death/dying, grief, deviation from standards of care, abandonment, helplessness, and complex ethical decisions.

October 7, 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. CDT

*

The King Lear Project :

Streamlined readings of scenes from Shakespeare’s King Lear to engage diverse audiences — including older adults, caregivers, and family members — in open, healing, constructive discussions about the challenges of aging, dementia, and caring for friends and loved ones.

October 14, 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. CDT

*

Mothers of the Movement :

A conversation with Gwen Carr and Valerie Bell about their tireless work as Mothers of the Movement.

October 15, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. CDT

Follow the links to register for these free events.

Debate advice

I will quote a piece of advice that I offered in 2008:

The best choice for watching a presidential or vice-presidential debate is C-SPAN. Why? C-SPAN’s continuous split-screen lets you see both participants at all times, allowing for all sorts of observations about body language and facial expression.

I trust the split-screen view will be available once again in 2020.

*

8:55 p.m.: And I trust that you have the beverages of your choice on hand.

*

9:29 p.m.: “If we get the votes, it’s gonna be all over”: the best thing I’ve heard all night, from Joe Biden.

*

9:39 p.m: Elaine: “This has been an or-fucking-deal.”

Is shitshow one word or two? One. Trump* tonight reminded me of the asshole who sits in the back of a classroom and makes snarky, vicious remarks, one after another after another. Throw him out.

See 8:55 p.m.: And perhaps a sandwich.

Mystery actor

[Click for a larger view.]

Recgonize her? (I didn’t.) Leave your best guess in a comment. I’ll drop a hint if necessary.

More mystery actors (Collect them all!)
? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ?

[Garner’s Modern English Usage notes that “support for actress seems to be eroding.” I use actor.]

Meta, they wrote

From the Murder, She Wrote episode “Widow, Weep for Me” (September 29, 1985):

“Will you please come with me at once, ma’am? The Inspector wants to see you at the hotel.”

“Why? What’s happened?”

“There’s been another murder, ma’am.”

Where Jessica Fletcher goes, murder follows. It’s difficult to think that Mrs. Fletcher’s question and her look of surprise are not a writerly joke.

Here’s a YouTube clip with this dialogue.