charles barrow's writing

So anyway, it was a really wet start to the day, and that is all the excuse I needed to stay inside and finish the book I was reading, Find Me by Andre Aciman. I don't do that as often as I'd like, sit and read all morning, but I'm glad that I did, and I decided to feel no guilt about it. The only downside is that I now have to choose another book to read, and I've decided on a re-read, so it's either going to be Howards End by E.M. Forster, or The History of Mr Polly by H.G. Wells. I've read both of these twice each before and I love them equally. I've been trying to decide between them all day, and I can't, so I think the best way to solve this crisis is to read the first line of each and let my gut decide on that evidence alone. I've only just noticed that both writers use two initials instead of a first name. Do I even know their first names? After I finished reading, I picked up a drawing (of fishes) that I had started a month, or more, ago and ...

I never considered myself a fan of Barbershop Quartet singing. All the straw boaters, waist coats and harmonising, moon, spoon, and June. Then recently I discovered Ringmasters. The only non-North American winners of the World Championship, which they won in 2012. They hail from Sweden. Here then, are four Swedes, singing in English, with French accents. The song is from Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast. They are singing this for comedic effect, but that shouldn't disguise the fact that this is extraordinarily accomplished. They make it look easy. That is their super-power. If you've ever tried singing harmony with a few other people, you'll appreciate just how good this is. And if you haven't ever tried singing harmony with a few other people then, trust me, to achieve this wall of sound (without the benefit of music to support your voices, supply the pitch or the tempo at which to sing) is truly astounding. I return to this (and their other performances) regular...