Monday, September 22, 2003

Coincidences


Today was going to be all about PPD -- Post Play Depression -- and the TinyTuna. Morning events have changed all that. The short version on TinyTuna? She's exhausted, but otherwise fine. We haven't gotten the bucket of tears we did when she finished "The Sound of Music". I'm sure it will come.

Coincidences. Oh my. The online community of the world never ceases to amaze me. Toiling away in my office, I start to chatting with Rappy about Blogs and such. She gives me a link to her former diary, and I read through several very funny postings. I heart Rappy. In one of her entries, she discusses meeting Deborah who runs Chicklit. A billion sirens go off in my head. Chicklit! Schubert! Obscure Spanish Painters! "What?" You may ask. Let me explain.

A musicologist colleague of mine is on sabbatical writing his book on Schubert. He has been trying, so far unsuccessfully, to find information on a particular painting by a particular artist entitled "A Melody of Schubert." Keep in mind, the picture is nothing spectacular. Picture several women romantically schlumpffed around a piano, and you'll have the right idea. One of the women looks heavenward with a face that says "did I leave the oven on?" Another two sit on the other side, one holding her head in a true Tylenol moment and the other one comforting her as if to say, "it's almost over dear". A third woman plays the violin, and the fourth is at the piano, no doubt trying to work "Heart and Soul" into the Adagio movement of the Schubert sonata. Over the summer my musicologist colleague ran across a copy of this particular painting on the web. The website? Chicklit. He tried to get information, but all emails bounced back. I took the picture back with me to work and we searched the art library indexes but came up empty-handed. Sniff.

I stop Rappy in mid-chat and begin raving like a madTuna about her entry. Who is Deborah? Does Rappy know Deborah or have email access? I'm Indiana Jonesing like crazy at my desk. Rappy comes through. Does she know her? Yes, she's met her. Does she have her email? Sure she does. Haven't I ever read any of Deborah's recaps on Television Without Pity? Oh. My. God. That's the Deborah? It's the TWoP Deborah? Hell yes, I read her recaps! She got to interview Vern. I grovel appropriately at my desk at the very thought. (Totally off-topic to "Coincidences" -- I just notice that Trading Spaces got shoved into Permanent Hiatus Status. What the hell? *sigh*) Anyway. It's that Deborah. Rappy gives me her email, and I write immediately, including the appropriate amounts of fellow recapper kudos, followed up with this long explanation of my search for the origins of said Schubert picture. I thank her profusely for her time, and pray to the email Gods as I press [send].

She answers! She knows the book, has the book, gives me the citation and tells me the page. Perhaps Deborah is a librarian at heart. I dash to the stacks, and there it is. Plain as day. Yeah team. GreenTuna, Rappy and Deborah unite to fight the forces of failed research. I feel like I should start singing "It's a Small World Afterall". But I don't because might go into diabetic shock (no, I'm not) from the saccharine. I am, however, still amazed. Thanks computer. You came through again.

Speaking of Rappy. I must give some turnabout kudos. I started recapping on Hamster Time not knowing what the freak I was doing, and pretending to write like a lot of other people wrote who I thought were really, really, really funny (Rappy, HighwayGirl, Overgme, Tsylist...Everybody else...I'm talking about you). There are boards and there are bored-s. HamsterTime is smart, witty, and always a good read -- despite the lameness of the Big Brother houseguests. During the nine months we Hamster recappers rejuvenate our creative juices, I'll be busy reading Rappy's page , as well as squatting over at HighwayGirls board Looking Good board.

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