That’s a wrap!

Is anybody else ready to call “Cut!” on 2021? I know I am. Although quite a bit better than 2020 on several levels (the summer was epic!), the year is truly going out with a whimper and not a bang. As I write, I am lying in my sickbed in the dead of...

Christmas presence

It’s been quite a week. Omicron, the latest version of this hellish Coronavirus, is wreaking havoc on everything. It’s exposing global inequalities (yet again), it’s demonstrating our seeming inability to roll with the punches (while it’s...

All in all…

It’s been a rough week or two. My fledgling relationship ended, Omicron hit, classes in January are remote (after being announced as fully in-person for the first time in 2 years), and everybody’s Christmas parade of visits has gotten rained on. But! I am...

Listening

Why is it so hard for us to listen? Why do we so often listen to things that don’t serve us, and ignore the things that do? As I prepare for my first opera engagement in four (!!) years, I recognize the siren song of unwanted, yet persistent voices in my head....

Dark days

I’m a solstice baby. Yup. Born on the darkest day of the year. As the waning of the year (and my birthday) approaches, the last few weeks prior to the Big Day can feel very dark indeed, even though it should feel like cause for celebration. When my alarm goes...

Heart of courage

Heart of courage, Kimberly Barber (November 2021) Here’s a shoutout to all the artists out there who daily demonstrate their courage. To quote the Cowardly Lion in part (thanks, Jack Haley): “I could be kind of humanIf I only had a heart…I’d be...