Doing my favorite thing this morning, abandoning an opening course halfway through on Chessable to start a new one, goodbye 1.e4 e5 hello Sicilian

What's the purpose of saying that there's no position so extreme that someone could lose your vote? Especially this far out? You're effectively giving possible candidates the all clear to move as far right as they'd like. This seems foolish.

I used to dread the caro kann, and now with the Panov C6 is thrilling! it doesnt always go THIS well but this was a fun one

I'm watching myself become one of those people that's obsessed with Frank Zappa. I listened to The Yellow Shark, Joe's Garage, and Hot Rats yesterday, loved them so much I'm just going chronological now. Freak Out was good, Absolutely Free is amazing. Stravinsky Refs galore in track 3.

Saw Bugonia, absolutely loved it, and what a huge moment for contrabassoonists everywhere! not often you hear that featured

If you abandon the game instead of resigning on chess.com you should lose double the elo.

I sacrificed, THE ROOOOOOOK! #chess is there any kind of chess BlueSky community? Thinking of doing a 100 days of chess type of thing

And he sacrifices THE ROOOOOOOOOOK

The Ruy Lopez opening is so annoying to play against that I am just going to start using it myself. #chess

What was your favorite early clas NOT in your eventual major. Mine was Ethnomusicology: an introduction to folk music.

I am wondering what Natalie Wynn (contrapoints) could’ve said about Israel that wouldn’t have resulted in an internet dogpile.

There are only three political positions in America today 1) I like the fascism 2) I'll acquiesce to the fascism (reasons for this one vary: cowardice, access, denial, misguidedly thinking that acquiescence is savvy, etc) 3) I oppose the fascism The rest is details

Ohio State announces it is now a joke.

Don’t ask my elo but just know I’m way prouder of this checkmate than I should be

If equal temperament has 1,000,000 haters, I am one of them. If equal temperament has 1 hater, it is me. If equal temperament has 0 haters, I am dead.

I think it’s time to reverse the curse everyone, we need to go back before the early modern era and set things right, I will be attempting to turn back time by playing the lute and using only 16th century chess openings, do your part.

Something that surprises me about having a 13 year old dog is that I have to tell him to slow down so he doesn’t get hurt. A truly bizarre combination of geriatric and toddler behavior

Every time I see Musk’s name in media it should be formatted like this Elon Musk, who recently gave 2 Nazi salutes, …

“Clap on 2&4 never on 1&3!” Hey. Stop clapping! You’re bothering me

I just finished Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle. I liked it a lot but mostly I just want to say that I finished it because it’s almost 3000 pages long.

That’s here. That’s home. That’s us.

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT: Assigned Media will be doing our first ever live Twitch stream this Monday. Our trans journalists are counterprogramming the Trump inauguration. They'll play games, goof off, answer questions, and update you on the news, occasionally. We've even got a special guest!

Halfway through the final novel of Neal Stephenson’s baroque cycle, and/or halfway through the 7th of 8 novels of the BC. Has anyone read this? I love it. I wish someone with actual credentials would do a historical series unpacking the history of the era the book is focused on.

Listening to a 1978 recording of Histoire du Soldat conducted by stokowski, probably one of my all time favorite pieces and if you’re a bassoonist incredibly fun to play (and wickedly hard!). Loren Glickman is crushing it on this record-although I haven’t gotten to the ragtime yet…

I say we rename Beethoven’s Große Fugue as one of the following Beethoven’s Fat Ass Fugue Big ‘n’ Juicy Fugue Oh that fugue? She thicc. Gyat-DAMN that fugue! Dat fugue doe Big Ol’ Fugue Who’s with me!?

Have you always wanted to Capture the sounds of great music? Well now thanks to Funk and Wagnalls Family Library of Great Music, you can! I love finding things like this, especially ones with all the parts but I hate how tempted I am to track down all 24! More details in the alt texts

Lock me up if you want to but I think harpsichord sounds really dumb when paired with modern instruments. No one’s more of a period ensemble girly than me (ok some of you probably are). But with a modern flute, bassoon, and tourte bows? it just sounds like a tinkly annoyance behind everyone.

I just finished traveling across the country by plane with a toddler in tow. This clarified something for me; We should build high speed rail not because it'd produce far less pollution and be cheaper than flying. We should build high speed rail because flying has become abusively degrading.

Fred Rodgers on the importance of making something even if other people don't think it's good had me crying this morning. Passing it along for anyone else that might need it.

Listening to Sinfonia Domestica, a digital recording from 1984 but it was also 75 cents. Perfectly good as a placeholder til I can find a better recording of it.

#Spinning Mahler 2 conducted by Bruno Walter. I have Bernstein’s coming in the mail in a few days and wanted to refamiliarize myself with it. Great performance, and I hadn’t realized the liner notes were written by Walter, I’ve put some excerpts in the alt text as usual #vinyl

The media should be asking why, in almost every comment thread about the fatal shooting of the United Healthcare CEO, most of the comments are either supportive of the shooter's actions, or are of the "well, that's what you get", variety.

What’s y’all’s favorite Brahms 3 recording? I’m listening to Bruno Walter’s 1960 recording right now and it’s amazing

Brahms Clarinet Quintet and reedmaking this afternoon, recorded in 1985. Amazing playing and a pretty good sound on this one, pressed after Nonesuch went ✨digital✨ #spinning #vinyl

I don’t want to be to dramatic but if you don’t like this album then you don’t like me. Cooking another meal for some friends and myself so I have leftovers today

Spinning this speakers corner reissue of a MLP record. I think sometimes in classical recordings certain LPs catch fire for the sound quality, but that alone won’t carry a performance and I’m not sure it does in this case. Does have an amazing sound to it though. the Brahms Trio is an amazing work

It is Thursday my dudes

Spinning Alpensinfonie today, been on kind of a Strauss kick lately. The beginning of this was pretty out of tune but smooth sailing since then. It’s a famously hard opening for bassoonists I’m sure it’s not easy for anyone, excerpts of liner notes in the alt text if you’re curious #vinyl #classical

I have a stack of albums that I’ve yet to listen to and jot down some notes about, and today I pulled this baddy out of them! A DGG tulip that I had no idea was in there. Seems to be the 1966 reissue of the original 59 recording, sounds amazing and the #vinyl is easily NM. Got lucky with this one!

Harris ran as a top cop, held trans rights at a distance, never discussed her racial/gender identity, tacked right on immigration. Her platform was a combo of Vibes, defense of democracy & civil rights, the "opportunity economy." There was no niche social justice talk, she campaigned w/ Liz Cheney.

Spinning Rachmaninoff’s 1st symphony this morning, Ormandy/philly on a Columbia 2 eye. It’s in really great shape. Not my favorite Rach symphony but it’s fun, and not too long for a single LP like 2 is, only about 20-22 minutes per side. #vinyl #classical

This statue of Bach from Baldwin Wallace is serving

If anyone needs cane or bassoon reeds and lives near Berea or Cleveland, I’m set up in the Lobby of Kulas Musical Arts Building at Baldwin Wallace University, stop by!

Hello new followers! I swear this image isn’t about you, this is about those other followers that I have no idea who they are. Not you though. You’re one of the good ones, I can tell.

Afternoon walk before the sun goes down, Ohio and I are not on good terms but I always love the Cuyahoga Valley NP

I am seeing more and more opinions bubbling up about how throwing trans people to the wolves would be a winning strategy for Democrats, and I just want to quickly say: Fuck off with that absolute dog shit.

Doing my reedmaking job, practicing the lute, playing stardew valley. Attempting to not think for at least the remainder of the week.

another data point to support that chasing Republicans does not win elections.