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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Rereading Books

Being a list-maker and someone who prefers not to fly by the seat of her pants, I have a list of topics I might cover on my blog. As far as my “something wonderful” posts go, I want to cover books, music, movies, and other things that most of my readers may not have encountered. […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: An Early Version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

You may be familiar with the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. But did you know that this musical was originally a cantata written for an English boys’ school? I was fortunate enough to grow up on the 1971 Scepter Records release, and I listened to it […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: “Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto” (“Sakamoto desu ga?”)

I think it’s safe to say that most American adults don’t watch anime — with the exception, perhaps, of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. I don’t plan to try to convert my readers into dedicated viewers, but there are some gems out there. One of them is a short series called “Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto” (“Sakamoto […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Tea Duelling

  I first heard about tea duelling in 2012 at Teslacon, a steampunk convention in Wisconsin. [Note: I use the British spelling for “tea duelling.”] Major Tinker (John Naylor’s steampunk persona) is one of two men who created tea duelling. He was present at the con that year, eager to share the relatively new sport with […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Thomas Sanders’ Vines

My teenager, who loves to show me her favorite Vines, was the first one to let me know that Twitter is shutting Vine down. While some businesses used Vine in an attempt to reach their audiences, it was really a place for people to share six-second stories and short, funny skits. Like other social media channels, […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Pop Culture Happy Hour and the Slate Culture Gabfest

Like many people, I got sucked into the world of podcasts by Serial. Now I’m subscribed to nine active podcasts. Of these, two of my favorites are round-table discussions on culture. NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and the Slate Culture Gabfest are very similar to each other — to the point where they sometimes cover […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Sneaky Cards

I ran across Sneaky Cards at Mischief, a geeky toy shop in St. Paul that is something wonderful in and of itself. The blurb on the box describes the game as an interactive scavenger hunt, and the sample card instructs “Take a selfie with a total stranger. When you do: Hand them this card.” I’m an introvert, […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Slow-burn Sci-fi/Fantasy Romances

Unless you count Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte (I don’t), I rarely pick up romance novels. I do, however, enjoy sci-fi and fantasy novels that have romance thrown in. And I want the romance to be the slow-burning kind, the kind that makes you scream at the protagonists, “Come on! Just kiss already! Declare your […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre

I don’t intend to post frequently about wonderful things associated with a particular location, but sometimes a performance or place is too special not to mention. One of these is Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. Sharmanka is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It has relatives, such as glockenspiel clocks with moving figures and animated Christmas displays […]

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Bruce Cockburn

If the name “Bruce Cockburn” doesn’t bring certain songs to mind, take some time this week to sample his music. He’s prolific, original, and a brilliant lyricist and musician… my favorite singer-songwriter, hands down. U2 gave him a nod in “God, Part II” when they (mis)quoted possibly the best line from all of his lyrics: […]