Lessons in death - respecting our elders and preparing for the inevitable

My piano teacher, Vera Lendvay, passed away this week. She taught me classical piano starting from 3rd grade until I was a junior in high school, and was the singular, most formative force on my musical development. An incredibly vibrant lady, born in Hungary, Mrs. Lendvay (as I always called, even to the end) shared her boundless love of music with generations of piano students in Richmond, VA. She survived two husbands, but it was the death of the second that marked her decline. Despite her ever slowing reaction times, she still drove her Acura RL like a bat out of hell.

Living life by flirting with death

I was introduced this week to the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy), and spent some time learning more about it. This was for many years one of the world's most prestigious motorcycle races, with the first one being run back in 1907. The winner of that race, Charlie Collier, rode a 100cc Matchless motorcycle, and finished in 4 hours and 8 minutes with an average speed of 38.21 mph. The latest record set by John McGuinness was in 2007, and he finished the race in 17 minutes 22 seconds at an average speed of 130.35 mph (209.78 kmh).