I passed my prelim!! The exam actually went reasonably well yesterday...guess all that studying paid off. Once I dig myself out from this pile of other work and errands that has accumulated, I can actually relax a bit.

I've been listening to Parsifal over the last couple of days...not seriously, just sort of in the background, trying to absorb it just a bit. The music really moves slowly (even for Wagner), but if you're in the right mindset, it feels like just the right leisurely pace. Anyway, it will take me a while to really get inside the work, but it's been promising so far.