Two sites worth your time, one playful, and one deadly serious:

- Deirdre Loughridge and Thomas Patteson are the curators of the Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments. Jules Verne, Jane Fonda, the Bull of Phalaris, and the Les Paulverizer, among many others, all find their place in the collection.

- Pianist Christopher Oldfather, one of the participants in my piano consortium project, has blogged about the aftermath of the mild stroke he suffered late last year. This is real Oliver Sacks territory, with the mysteries of the human body/mind interface being laid all too bare. I was intensely moved as I read about the challenges this admirable artist has been facing.