Bartolomeo Cristoferi had intended to construct a harpsichord, but when his bag of tools fell into the wooden body of the half-finished instrument he was building, he instead changed the course of musical history. The clamor of tiny hammers striking metal strings was unique — deep and grand. Indeed, the sound struck a chord in Cristofori, and it inspired him to substitute the plucking mechanism of the harpsichord with the hammers in his tool bag. Isn’t it amazing that the din of Cristoferi’s falling tools would become the sound of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” and “Fur Elise”? Each weight on a key translates to the strike of a hammer on…
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Our Kitchen Leads to Oatmeal Cookies!
Our kitchen is yellow and orange, warm like the sunlight that streams through the windows at five o’clock on a Saturday afternoon and hits the side of my face as I sit at the table, puzzling over a quadratic equation or flourishing a green highlighter over Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. My dad sits at the table, reading BBC History Magazine, a Beethoven piano concerto or a Brahms serenade playing in the background. He taps a finger against the page in time to the music, every so often looking up to share with my mom and me an interesting fact he has just read. My…
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A Refuge in the Middle of Los Angeles
Griffith Park lies in the East Santa Monica Mountains, a 4,200-acre area about five miles from Downtown Los Angeles and fifteen from the Pacific Ocean. The park is not landscaped; rather, Griffith Park preserves the chaparral terrain native to California and provides a refuge from the city. The park is home to Griffith Observatory – a popular tourist attraction built in 1935. The observatory is an impressive sight with its white columns and grey dome. The views are of rippling hills and the landscape is largely native coastal brush land, with plant species including oak, redwood and eucalyptus trees. Park visitors may sight coyotes, hawks, rabbits and deer, some of the many animals…
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Sherlock Holmes Meets the Amazing Mary Russell
I met mystery author Laurie R. King during the production of Mysterious California, my parents’ 2008 documentary. Now, five years later, I have discovered Ms. King’s wonderful Mary Russell series. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice begins the series with 15-year-old Mary Russell meeting the retired Sherlock Holmes in 1915. The two immediately become a team. Mary Russell is inquisitive, clever, and recently orphaned; Holmes is in desperate need of a mind equal to his in logic and deduction. Soon, they are travelling across England, first to solve the mysterious illness of a wealthy neighbor, then on the trail of a kidnapper, and finally to solve their most difficult case of all, one that…
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A Surprising Witness to the End of the Civil War
After a trip to Charleston, South Carolina in the spring of my eighth grade year, I wrote about what I had learned about the Civil War both from our trip and reading non-fiction and fiction texts about the tumultuous time. One text was a storybook titled “The Silent Witness: A True Story of the Civil War” (written by Robin Friedman and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola), which is the amazing story of a rag doll, who ended up being a surprising witness to the end of the war. Here’s an excerpt from my writing: The end of the war came in a small town in Virginia called Appomattox Courthouse, in…
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Rembrandt’s Diary
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Until recently, when I would hear somebody mention Rembrandt, only one thing came to mind, “Oh yes, the artist.” That was all I knew: Rembrandt was an artist in another place at another time. Then I took a class at The Getty Center titled, “Becoming Rembrandt: Exploring The Man, The Myth, and The Legend.” Beneath the surface of every creation, whether music, writing, or art, there are always stories. Sometimes these stories aren’t apparent, but every so often they jump out at you immediately. This is the case with Rembrandt’s paintings. Take one glance at one of his portraits and you immediately get the feel of…
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Natalie Teaches Us How to Make Deodorant
You can do this on your own or with a friend, or maybe even host a “Deodorant-Making Party” with friends, who will be delighted to take home what might be the loveliest, most useful and pampering party favor they’ve ever received. You need 3-4 ingredients to make your own container of deodorant, which will surprise you by its effectiveness, pleasant scent, and cost (approximately $1.50 for one container that is the same size as store-bought). It is so easy to make that we wonder why we haven’t been doing this for years. (We even tested effectiveness after a sweaty ballet class!) Here’s the simple recipe. No need to be exact. …
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Knit On!
I’ve been knitting for 8 years, more than half my life, but have only recently discovered that I enjoy teaching people how to knit. After having made multiple scarves, a hat and a sweater, this year I became president of my high school’s knitting club. So far, twenty students have joined and the two meetings we’ve had have been fun and productive. Suddenly students are walking down halls with balls of yarn and knitting needles in hand. In a few weeks, we’ll have our first knit-in when we will knit scarves to donate to a local homeless shelter. Lots of people have developed a fondness for knitting, including Russell Crowe, Julia…
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From Los Angeles to Glasgow
First read Pamela’s post “Strangers on a Train” (so that you know who Andy is :-)) Thursday, July 19, 2012 Dear Andy, Thank you so much for your letter! Keeping the postal service going is a most enjoyable endeavor, since it involves writing long letters (and purchasing interesting stamps; I’ve put two of my favorite on this envelope). I wish I could send a little California weather along with this letter to you in dreich (that really is a wonderful word!) Scotland. In fact, our summer’s been a bit long in coming too. Our “June gloom” disappeared towards the end of June then reappeared in July. We have now, however,…
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Lego Land in the Attic
My friend Maddie and I have been playing with Legos together for three years, ever since we first constructed a miniature Harry Potter world in our attic, which is like an indoor treehouse. With the additions of the Burrow, Diagon Alley, and Platform 9 ¾, it has quickly expanded across the braided rug into a disorganized but wonderful labyrinth. Yesterday, we decided to organize and re-build our Hogwarts Express train track, and challenged ourselves with the goal of engineering a bridge that was high enough to allow the train to pass underneath and strong enough to support its weight. We succeeded! Imagine my delight when Sophie’s World, my assigned summer…
