Chicago-based Actor / Violinist

Links for August 6, 2009

Chicago Sinfonietta 2009-2010 Season

I just launched the new pages for next season. Some interesting stuff this year, including my favorite Beethoven symphony (7) and another that I’m surprised I’ve never played (9). Incidentally, this means I’ll have finally performed all nine symphonies.

The Last Road North

Beautiful photos taken along Alaska’s haul road.

A List Apart: Issue 289

I pretty much always want to redesign my site. These two pieces in A List Apart only reinforce that desire. Really should make time for this.

Comments closed

Links for July 16, 2009

Disorderly genius: How chaos drives the brain

“Hovering on the edge of chaos provides brains with their amazing capacity to process information and rapidly adapt to our ever-changing environment, but what happens if we stray either side of the boundary?”

Buy a Diesel (or Hybrid) And $ave

In Ireland last month, we were lucky enough to rent an Octavia TDI made by Škoda (VW’s Czech subsidiary). It was a fantastic car to drive, plus diesel is both more ubiquitous and less expensive in Europe (relative to gasoline). Perhaps our next car will be a VW Jetta SportWagen TDI.

Comments closed

Links for July 8, 2009

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: Let’s all take a deep breath and get some perspective

Fake Steve is back and he’s better than ever.

grain edit

Nice design inspiration blog.

Comments closed

Mickey Belden, 1938-2009

Mickey BeldenSlideshow

Mom in November, 2007

“Mickey” Sandra Duane Riley Belden, 70, died July 1, 2009, in Gloria’s Golden Heart Assisted Living, in Anchorage after suffering from a brain tumor.

A memorial service was held 2:00 pm Sunday, July 5, 2009, at UAA Fine Arts Building, Music Recital Hall with the Venerable Norman H.V. Elliott officiating. She will be inurned at Anchorage Memorial Park Columbarium at a later date.

Mrs. Belden was born November 27, 1938, in Belleville, Kansas to the late William Orville and Mildred Irene Harding Riley. In 1956, she graduated from Belleville High School and went on to Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas where she graduated with a Bachelors of Music in Voice in 1960 and a Bachelors of Music in Education in 1961. Mrs. Belden received a Master of Education in Adult Education from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1999.

From 1960-1973 Mrs. Belden was a music teacher in the Kansas Public School System and then went on to be a records clerk at the University of North Texas, Denton from 1973-1978. In 1978 she and her family moved to Anchorage where she worked at Anchorage Community College and University of Alaska Anchorage from 1978-1992 as a records clerk. She is most well-known, however, for being instructor of voice at ACC and UAA from 1980-2009.

Mickey was past president of the Anchorage Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and she was a long-time member of the Col. John Mitchell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Mickey was a wonderful singer, inspired teacher to countless students, a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, and true friend. She took passionate interest in music, the arts and education. She was a voracious reader and water aerobics fanatic. We’ll miss her wry humor and her open approach to the people she met and to the challenges and opportunities she encountered.

She is survived by her husband, George Ross Belden; sons, Steven Ross (Rhea Richmond) Belden of Ninilchik, Alaska and David George (Mary-Terese Cozzola) Belden of Chicago, Illinois; grandchildren, Anneliese Mazatlana, Severn Rhead, and Esme Hedera Belmond all of Ninilchik, AK; aunt Betty Ann Cwik of Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

A memorial scholarship fund will be established at UAA in the near future.

Leave a comment

Links for June 24, 2009

The Spirit of the Globe

We saw this “As You Like It” just a couple weeks ago, and I’d agree that it’s a beautiful production. And while it’s not as violent as Brantley suggests, the wrestling scene is quite exciting.

Requests to the Right Ear Are More Successful Than to the Left

“What’s surprising about the study is that ear choice had such a decided impact on the behavior of participants in a natural, or as the researchers put it, ecological, setting. Why would people feel more generous when their right ears are addressed?”

Comments closed

Links for June 21, 2009

Not Your Grandma’s Online Dictionary

Wordnik may be addictive. If you’re into language. Words. Etymology. Synonyms. Antonyms. Homonyms.

What is a Browser?

This is disturbing, mostly because even I’m having a difficult time coming up with a clear, simple definition. Of course, I know perfectly well what a browser is, but I’m not sure I could really explain it to my grandmother. In the end, though, people really shouldn’t have to care about what they use to access the internet.

{ via Tim Van Damme }

Comments closed
  • About

    I'm an actor and violinist. I live in Chicago. If you find this gripping, then you might want to read some more…
  • Contact

    your name

    your email

    subject

    message

    What instrument do I play? 

  • Twitter