Author: Finious

A Sherlock Holmes Day & Review: Sherlock (Season 3)

By sheer luck, today has been Sherlock Holmes day for me…

First: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes was born on this day in 1854.

Second: I watched the first two episodes of season three of the BBC series Sherlock.

While the new Sherlock episodes were fun and quite good, considering that there are only a total of three episodes in the entire season and I just watched two-thirds of them, where are the MYSTERIES? The mysteries should be the CENTER of any Sherlock Holmes tale. The ones that have appeared so far seem to be like appetizers to a meal that is never provided. I have an idea where they may go with the last episode, but really… So much wasted potential.

006:365:2014 One of Those Days collage

006:365:2014 One of Those Days collage

006:365:2014 One of Those Days collage

Most people’s Monday is my Saturday. And it was a cold day off, which called out for… Well, this.

I predict I will soon be completely out of 365 photo ideas, as I keep finding myself throwing them into montages and blowing all the “go to” shots in one go.

Music: Beethoven’s Response to a Critic

Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven composed a short (15 minutes long) orchestral work called “Wellington’s Victory” or “The Battle of Vitoria” (Op. 91) in 1813. Wellington’s Victory is now often compared to another famous “battle piece”, namely Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”, as both call for the use of a large “percussion battery” including muskets and artillery, and by opposite “sides” of the orchestra playing the national themes of the opposing armies.

Like a lot of Beethoven’s work it has been called a hodgepodge of styles and an “atrocious potboiler”. I of course love it! You can listen to it here (with full muskets and cannons, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the Herbert Von Karajan,) and judge for yourself.

The reason I bring it up is that I happened to discover a response by Beethoven to similar criticism to this piece that he was receiving in his day. Read on for Beethoven’s Surprising Response→

004:365:2014 Any Port In A Storm

4:365:2014 Any Port In A Storm

004:365:2014 Any Port In A Storm

“I’d rather be beside you in a storm, then safe and warm by myself.” – I’d Rather by Luthor Vandross

Saw this sad pair of pigeons huddled under the eaves for shelter on my way home from work. Not really my style of music, but the Vandross quote was just too appropriate to pass up.

Yesterday in Denver, CO it was in the 60’s and I actually wore shorts for a while. Today, 4-5 inches of snow. Tomorrow they are saying the high temperature will only be 19 degrees with a low of -1 degree. BRRRRRR!