She plays Medea later this week

All right. Below find the first attempt at a classical mix CD: not by any means comprehensive, but at least it isn't composed solely of Dead Can Dance and the Mountain Goats. Thanks especially to watermelontail, xterminal, rushthatspeaks, and lignota, even if the music you recommended wound up nowhere near the playlist below. I am still glad to know it exists.

The fireworks on Friday, as seen from the roof of my grandfather's girlfriend's building next to Symphony Hall, were terrific. We made strawberry ice cream in accordance with the sacred observance of John Adams. Then I spent all the next day with some kind of transient bug: I felt like I was running a fever, but I was two degrees cold. This is fortunately no longer the case. I am still sorry that sparklers are outlawed in Massachusetts, though. The current legislation has absolutely no effect on the number of beer-fueled fireworks in the street, and somehow I think it would take ingenuity to blow one's fingers off with a sparkler.

( Even Aphrodite, she's got nothing on me. )