Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · 8d

I raised a windowblind that we usually keep closed, and the cat thinks I got him a new streaming service. #catsofbluesky #cats #easilyamused

Black cat sitting intently staring out the window at the side of the neighbor's house.

1 17 110

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · 19d

This is amazing. And yes, I've been immersed in the Habsburg Empire of the late 18th century for the last few years, so right up my alley. I look forward to digging in.

1

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · 23d

Tonight: check out this webinar Greg Sandow and I are leading about singing actors, acting singers, and the myth that today's opera performances are better acted than those of the past. Register here: jussibjorlingsociety.org/events/midge...

The Myth of "Park and Bark" with Anne Midgette & Greg Sandow — Jussi Bjorling Society

Thursday, September 18, 7pm - 8:30pm EST GUEST SPEAKER SERIES WEBINAR Members - FREE Non-Members - $35 Join former Washington Post chief classical music critic Anne Midgette and composer, vet...

jussibjorlingsociety.org

1 6

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Sep 8

Following up on the Met Opera and the Saudis - @voiceteachernyc.bsky.social wrote a great essay with plenty of outrage to spare. blog.liberatedvoice.studio/bondage/

Bondage

Artists are, by and large, progressives. We believe in equal rights for women, civil rights for LGBTQ individuals, and fair representation on our stages. Saudi Arabia’s rulers do not, and Metropolitan...

blog.liberatedvoice.studio

1 3 9

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Sep 8

😂😂😂 Actual lol - love that show.

1

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Sep 7

Donations compensate, but there's a fundamental difference when, for instance, all the employees of an opera house are full-time government employees on government-scale salaries, as they are in Germany. That gives a security & freedom from having to chase an audience that no US house can match.

1 2

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Sep 7

Doug McLennan once said criticism should be like a watering-hole, where people with different opinions can gather. I quote that all the time. It's not about thumbs up/down, but sparking discussion. We know there's not one "right" opinion about art; why pretend that's what criticism should offer?

1 2 20

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Sep 7

"The Jeff Bezos Grand Tier." As the Met contracts with Amazon Prime for its streaming services. It's so plausible it might be true already 🤪

2 5

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Sep 4

So the Metropolitan Opera can castigate Anna Netrebko and get on its high horse about Ukraine -- and then get in bed with the Saudis? And at this point it seems everyone is too punch-drunk even to be outraged.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/a...

The Met Opera Turns to Saudi Arabia to Help Solve Its Financial Woes

www.nytimes.com

4 15 52

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Aug 12

chatgpt.com/s/m_689bc1df...

Not sure if this will come through. ChatGPT struggled.

Violinist with Banana Bow

chatgpt.com

1 2

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Aug 12

Peak August, unlocked. (No, I didn't bake it, but I bought it at the local orchard, which has its own virtues.)

A piece of peach-blueberry-cherry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a ceramic plate

2 9

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Aug 12

🤣🤣🤣❤️🍌

3

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Jul 27

Thanks for letting me know. I reported one yesterday - hope it was the same one...

1 2

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Jun 23

Possibly my favorite AI mis-call ever.

An AI overview that says the name "Midgette" is most commonly associated with a low-maintenance ornamental shrub.

3

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · May 28

My 13-year-old just told me he found a great way for a kid to earn money: you can get paid to write reviews about things on Netflix. I pointed out that he was sitting at the table with two parents who had supported themselves for years by writing reviews. He was unimpressed. 🤣🤣🤣

4 130

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · May 23

Wordle 1,434 3/6*

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I don't usually share Wordle results, but this one made me cackle.

1 3

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · May 21

"What have you done with the sun?!"

Two cats, one black and one white, sit just inside an open door looking out at the rain.

6 95

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · May 19

😳😱🤮🐭

2

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · May 8

I fly a lot, and I've learned the drill: take off shoes, computer out of bag. So this morning I took off a shoe - and noticed no one else was. Then the TSA lady yelled at me - "Did you hear anyone tell you to take off your shoes?" as if, where would I have gotten such an odd idea. 🤣 #timeschange

7 2 53

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Apr 27

Yup! I would have gone on but I'd hit my character limit 🤣

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Apr 26

Well Bold Fork Books is only cookbooks. The comic book store and the kids' bookstore are easy too. That leaves 17... can you think of 17 other genres and get one each? 😁 Biography. Literary fiction. Science fiction. Nonfiction. Mystery. Nonfiction. Thriller. Young adult. Fantasy. Romance. Self help.

2

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Apr 20

Tananarive Due rocks!!!

2

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Apr 18

Oh gosh, mine looks and acts very much the same, except that his jam is pushing me gently but insistently with one paw at 4 am ("Mom! You awake? How about now?").

3

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Apr 18

TFW you are searching online for a cheap household item you once bought at IKEA, and you find it listed as "Vintage IKEA item from the second half of the 20th century" for $60 #ifeelold #notselling 🤣🤣

11

Anne Midgette @classicalbeat.bsky.social · Apr 13

Is anyone else finding that various GPS apps are having more trouble locating their house? I live directly on a fairly main street in DC, and increasingly people are being directed to the alley behind my house, or spots a block or more up or down the street. Just me?