notes

1. For yesterday's dinner, to go with the ravioli, I sauteed spinach in a little butter, with more than a little crushed garlic mixed in. Nothing unusual about that; I make this all the time. What's noteworthy is that it's about to be ten years now since our memorable trip to Rome, from whose delectable restaurants I learned this recipe. From that vacation, the closest thing to adventurous we've ever taken, the things I remember best are that glorious in situ Italian food, and the stunning ecclesiastical architecture, which confirmed my adherence to the theory that architecture is frozen music.

2. Our once-hapless classical radio station, KDFC, continues making amends for itself with full-length works and interesting programming. Last night the imaginative theme for the major evening programming items was "not quite by Beethoven," and in addition to Brahms' First Symphony (known as "Beethoven's Tenth" to its boosters at the time), the whole enormous thing, we actually got the Jena Symphony, a work hardly anybody has played in half a century, since the inscription "par L. van Beethoven" scrawled on one of the original manuscripts was proved to be a put-on.

3. To another local church ethnic festival today. I won't say which one, because I'm not exactly recommending it. I go to these for the food. This was not bad, especially the dessert which I brought home to share with B., but the event was half-assed. The staff at the food counters were totally disorganized, and the idea of having forks around had not quite sunk in. There was nothing else there besides a religious-books table and a jumble sale; most of the jumble had nothing to do with the local ethnicity. And as I was rushing out, I heard one staff member exclaim to another, "We have a health inspector emergency!" I did not stay to hear more; some things are better not known.