No accountants were harmed in the writing of this post
About a month before the launch of this site, I started showing test versions to friends and soliciting their comments; no page received half as many as the bio. These were, ahem, wide-ranging, with “very amusing,” on one end of the spectrum, and “are you out of your stinking mind?” on the other. Thought-provokingly in the middle was the following: “I like your bio - but what on earth do you have against accountants??”
I should probably pay more attention to my friends, as the other day no less august a source than the CBC quoted me, eliciting this nettled but polite response. (I would take exception to the description of the Schumann and Grieg concerti as BORING, but I’m not really operating from a strong position here.)
So, the time has come to set the record straight: not only do I have nothing against accountants, I’m very grateful that they exist, doing work that is in fact both necessary and creative, and which, given the avalanche of papers I refer to rather optimistically as my “files,” clearly I have no aptitude for. (I might add that my grandfather was an accountant, but I fear that might have a certain “some of my best friends are jewish”/”not that there’s anything wrong with that” flavor.) And when I contemplate what I put my accountant through annually at tax time, I really have to wonder what I was thinking picking this fight…
So, for the profession-based bigotry, a sincere apology. And suggestions for how I might replace the sentence in question will be welcomed.
February 12th, 2008 at 7:15 am
I refer you, dear friend, to the following article:
http://newsweaver.ie/cpa/e_article000626704.cfm?x=b11,0,w
Admittedly though, “I’ll quit and become an administrative secretary” doesn’t have the same ring to it.
how about Taxidermy?
February 14th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Some of your best friends are Jewish accountants? Is that really what you meant to say?
February 17th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
How does a girl go about asking Jonathan Biss to go on a date with her? From this website, it seems he is pretty busy, traveling all over, and who knows, maybe he already has someone. But he is just so cute, I have to try something. I’m serious; this is not a prank (that would be mean). So, please, help me figure out how to ask him directly, like what’s a good email address to reach him that isn’t as public as a blog? Thanks to whomever takes the time to answer this, and keep your fingers crossed!
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:32 am
We just saw you at SF Symphony @ Flint Center! Thanks for schlepping all the way down the Peninsula to play for us! It was a great concert. I smiled from the first note of the Divertimento until the last chord of the “Prague”. Tell Bloomie that we’re all very impressed with his ability to conduct without a score.
March 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
“if I ever stop finding music challenging and life-altering, I’ll quit and become an accountant.”
Just remove “challenging and.” I mean, no one can seriously contend that being an accountant is “life-altering”, can they? Really? That IS the profession where you count things, write down the sum, and then call Mother for dinner, right? Besides, isn’t it redundant? Can a lifetime pursuit be life-altering if it’s not challenging? Now, a lawyer: there’s a challenging AND life-altering career. But you probably meant more in a positive direction.
And when are you going to answer that win-a-date-with-Jonathan question? It’s gone March already!
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Yeah, I’m waiting for the answer to the date question, too. And, are you EVER going to join Facebook?
March 4th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
ok jonathan biss. Here’s the story: I saw you last fall at the Philharmonic. I was in the fourth row, in the center, so I had a good look at you. The way you made faces and bobbed up and down as you played was compmletely adorable. Then, I was in a relationship (I know it’s bad, but you were really hot!). I got out of it just before Valentine’s Day this year, and a few days later remembered how I saw you, and tried to figure how to ask you out. Not wanting to be a stalker person, I only spent, like, five minutes searching, and found the blog posting opportunity. So please, answer the date question!
March 5th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Oh, go on, answer the question, please, for our entertainment’s sake
Will be attenting your concert on Saturday in Glasgow, good luck and hope you enjoy.
Regards
March 8th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I have a feeling that this girl asking for a date is genuinely interested and she sounds sweet. Will you ever be playing a concert in south florida. i hope to hear you live someday.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Yeah, me too - I hope it works out for her. But still, please keep us posted
Anyway, just wanted to say to you, Jonathan, that you were magnificent last night in Glasgow, bravo maestro. I sat on front row, way to the left of the stage, and although the sound was not optimal from there, it was one of the best concert experiences I ever had! I had no idea what to expect from you, but I left the concert hall in a state of shock. I was physically shaking; that’s the impact you had on me. Your touch was so sensitive, delicate, fragile, youthful, vulnerable, playful and wonderful all at the same time. Never had I imagined you could produce such a sound; I was really carried away. So, if you and Miriam decide it wasn’t meant to be, please get in tocuh with me!
Good luck with the rest of the season. I’m away to get all your recordings now!
Regards from a new fan in Scotland
March 9th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
P.s. I just saw you’ll be playing in Denmark in May, and incidentally, I’m going home in May too. So, I shall probably come to hear you in Louisiana. Yeah, I’m not a stalker at all…
March 9th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Ooh, this is all very interesting. Did all of you looking for a date know that Jonathan’s mother’s name is Miriam? I think that would make for an interesting, and Freudian, twist if it all works out.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Yeah, well, my name is not Miriam
However, I am reading psychology this very moment