H a n n a h C o l l i n s

I’ll be remodeling and moving this site in early 2012. In the meantime, please feel free to explore the debris (at your own risk)!

A recent trip to Germany and my impending departure from the Netherlands has put me into full-blown tourist mode… taking pictures, shooting videos, recording soundclips… participating in that classic human obsession of attempting to preserve everything for posterity. While in this mindset, it seems a shame not to add olfactory experiences to the mix.  It is funny to think about capturing aromas, putting them in albums, posting them on facebook (actually, there are already people who capture smells professionally). If it were possible, my album for Spring 2011 would definitely include amazing Korean food prepared by my roommates, the North Sea, Swiss lilacs, and German currywurst. Photos will have to suffice for now.

I learned a quick lesson in the importance of checking local media sources (or at least staying somewhat in touch with society) in Fall 2009 when I completely missed my first Daylight Saving Time shift in The Hague. At the time, I didn’t realize how messy the global DST picture is and had no idea that certain regions switch on different dates or not at all. I guess if I had grown up in Arizona, I might have known better.

Anyway, we finally jumped ahead over the weekend and it’s nice to have light in the evenings again. Perfect for Opening Day baseball! More EFTC coming soon…

Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’

Introducing Empirical Findings of a Traveling Cellist, my doodles on the joys and sorrows of life as a cellist in guidebook format. I will periodically post new drawings here and in the EFTC archive on the left.  Enjoy!

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All Images Copyright 2011 Hannah Collins

Two of my lifelong favorite things together! Now, if I could play Beethoven string quartets on this cello while eating dark chocolate at a baseball game, that would really be the ultimate… or maybe just too weird.

I saw a Nathan Sawaya lego sculpture exhibit at the National Museum of Play (home of the Toy Hall of Fame) in Rochester, NY a year ago. Amazing stuff. Another Legomaster worth checking out is Sean Kenney. No matter how you feel about the Yankees, this Lego Yankee Stadium is pretty awesome.

It was the windiest I’ve ever seen it here last weekend. Fortunately, this particular batch of wind stopped shy of being outright dangerous and only made life a little bit more exciting for a few days by stealing laundry off the lines, throwing unsuspecting birds into reverse, and blowing bikers off the path and/or off their bikes. Walking down the street with a cello on your back under such conditions is a little bit like windsurfing. I definitely had to grab hold of the nearest lamppost more than once to stay upright.

Speaking of being blown away (I know, what a segue, right?), I recently saw the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for the first time playing a crowd-pleasing, pre-tour program of Rossini, Mozart and Beethoven with Mariss Jansons and Lief Ove Andsnes. I can certainly see why they have been getting so much positive buzz in recent years. So often orchestra concerts feel like lukewarm rituals where the musicians and audience members go through all of the proper motions, each trying to stay awake, managing only occasionally to connect with each other along the way. This concert was genuinely exciting, partially because of the energetic and spirited style of the orchestra, but possibly even more because of the feeling of sincere involvement and enjoyment in the audience. Everyone was awake and actually listening! It was like being at a rock concert where the crowd knows all of the band’s greatest hits, can’t wait to hear what’s next, and might just start singing along at any point. It’s great to know that that’s how they do things at the Concertgebouw.

Back to our theme of the day:

Art Tatum – Ill Wind (Arlen/Koehler)

After six weeks in the States filled with decadent holiday dining, “hearty” roadtrip fare and group cooking extravaganzas, I am back to my own private adventures in pauper-chic cuisine. After being reminded of how much I enjoy a good (and good for you!) dose of roasted brussels sprouts on New Year’s Eve in New York, I was happy to find that they are at least twice as good and twice as cheap in Den Haag. It turns out that the Netherlands is one of the world’s largest producers of brussels sprouts. Of course here, with Brussels only 100 miles down the road, they’re just called spruitjes. As always, plenty of good cooking info can be found online:

…in other news…
While spending time in the U.S., particularly the former New Amsterdam, I now find myself hyper-alert to the presence of Dutch names and influences that I had only been somewhat passively aware of before. I am also surprised by how often I hear people speaking Dutch in New York. Last month I noticed conversations in a Greyhound bus, on a downtown 2 train, at the Wafels & Dinges truck, and during intermission at the Metropolitan Opera (in the last instance I had my suspicions when I saw two extremely tall gentlemen stepping into the aisle). Even if they were all tourists, it seemed like an impressive rate!

Well, Happy New Year Everyone!
[one month late for most of you, but two days early for some!]

It has certainly been a touch painful on re-entry to Europe this week due to stronger than usual jet lag.

Here’s a Tune for Tuesday:

Chet Baker – There Will Never Be Another You (Warren/Gordon)