The recent preoccupation with the physical causes of psychic afflictions partly explains Sacks's popularity, but that shouldn't obscure how much the author's exquisite intuition contributes to his literary and diagnostic skill.

The cadenzas tried out - and yes, everything seemed to be happening in the moment - clever little counterpoints and referred unobtrusively to Mr. Bell's recent preoccupation with fiddling in country styles.

He conceded that the Windsor project would be a departure from his recent preoccupation with beings from outer space.

Étoile Polaire," to music by Philip Glass, is typical of Mr. Feld's most recent preoccupation with geometric line and form and repetition.

Oh, she supposed she must have had some idea of what all his recent preoccupation had meant, must have known there was a reason why he was never after her at night anymore.

The Mass is notable for its assimilation of Baroque contrapuntal elements - further evidence of Mozart's recent preoccupation with Bach and Handel.

In this suite of four pieces, the composer continues his recent preoccupation with exploring the aesthetic and sound of Romantic piano music, especially that of Schumann and Liszt.

Pelli's design, for example, draws from a recent avant-garde preoccupation with folded planes.

'Oh, good,' said Garvin, 'I was afraid you'd forgotten about things like that, with your recent preoccupations.'

And while there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the recent preoccupation with customer service has improved the travel experience for some customers, it is probably still too early to declare it a success.