Two articles worth reading

This is the best single article I've ever read on the ordeal of searching for an instrument, the challenges of determining an old instrument's authenticity, the strange world of instrument pricing, and what an instrument means to a player. I wish Brinton much luck. (via Cello Chat)

And this essay by Roger Ebert is a poignant look at a late-career professional transition, and (as he looks back at his relationship with Gene Siskel) captures beautifully how a true friendship can include exasperation as well as love. The best relationships exist in a context of a love so big it can encomapss every emotion.