I can't get enough of 'Hallelujah'

Last night's Olympic opening ceremony had many beautiful moments, including the flying boy and some of the native dancing. But what had me on the edge of my chair was k.d. lang's rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." It's a beautiful, haunting song-- not one I would expect to hear at an opening ceremony, by the way--and she really sold it. Last night's performance cannot be found on the internet, but YouTube has dozens of versions of the song including several by lang. There is a lovely, pure version in which she is backed by a single piano, but this one, at an awards show in 2007, comes closest to her Olympic performance.

A sweet new book

A designer friend has published a charming picture book, My Heart is Like a Zoo, featuring animal characters fashioned from brightly colored heart shapes. It's just out. In fact, two days ago I ordered it on Amazon for the grandkids and yesterday we got an invitation to next week's book launch party. It looks like a great gift for Valentine's Day (a little late, but blame it on the East Coast snowstorms) or for virtually any occasion.

Michael Hall, the author, works sometimes with paper and sometimes with computer graphics programs. He loves to animate his creations, and he's made a short video to introduce the book.



(Full disclosure: Nobody asked me to write this post. I do stand to earn 44 cents if you buy through the Amazon link. Make my day!)

Birthday Greeting...