There are several websites I visit every single day—Small Town Newspaper, I Can Has Cheezburger, Postcards from Yo Momma, and The Writer's Almanac. Actually, I don't always go to the Almanac site because I listen to its podcast, and a day is not complete until I have heard it.
The Writer's Almanac is a daily dose of Garrison Keillor. He tells you whose birthday it is and why they are notable, or he tells you what interesting thing happened on any given day in history, and then he reads a poem. There is something about his voice and the way he delivers his message that makes everything all right, and there is something about a daily poem that reminds you that all the stuff that goes on in the news is just surface clutter compared to the good things people can create and think and feel.
One of things I love about listening to The Writer's Almanac more so than reading it is the piano playing in the background. It's a tune that has embedded itself in my head, and I find myself humming it out of the blue. I investigated and found out it's an old Danish folk melody called Ge Mig En Dag, or Give Me A Day. In recent years it has been turned into a hymn—Once Led to Your Font ("font" meaning a fountain or spring or a basin holding baptismal water, not the Times New Roman variety).
I bought the book with the tune in it, so you can hear this old Danish melody and let it sink into your head, too. There is a more advanced arrangement in this same book, but I'm not ready for you to hear that yet. The extra stuff you hear in the background is my cat Tiger rubbing his chin on the laptop as I recorded.
The Writer's Almanac is a daily dose of Garrison Keillor. He tells you whose birthday it is and why they are notable, or he tells you what interesting thing happened on any given day in history, and then he reads a poem. There is something about his voice and the way he delivers his message that makes everything all right, and there is something about a daily poem that reminds you that all the stuff that goes on in the news is just surface clutter compared to the good things people can create and think and feel.
One of things I love about listening to The Writer's Almanac more so than reading it is the piano playing in the background. It's a tune that has embedded itself in my head, and I find myself humming it out of the blue. I investigated and found out it's an old Danish folk melody called Ge Mig En Dag, or Give Me A Day. In recent years it has been turned into a hymn—Once Led to Your Font ("font" meaning a fountain or spring or a basin holding baptismal water, not the Times New Roman variety).
I bought the book with the tune in it, so you can hear this old Danish melody and let it sink into your head, too. There is a more advanced arrangement in this same book, but I'm not ready for you to hear that yet. The extra stuff you hear in the background is my cat Tiger rubbing his chin on the laptop as I recorded.
Comments
I love the Writer's Almanac, too. It's a great way to start the day.
So cool to hear your accompanist joining in on "fluffy chin".
I was listening to the Charlie Brown theme in the car with my kids last night and I thought I'd come home and try to figure out the main melodies on my piano. I promptly forgot that until just now so I think I'l mosy on over. It will certainly not be blogworthy fodder but it might be a fun exercise. ;)