Saw this on Fark.com - hilarious!
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Happy New Year!
I've been thinking about this past year, as is customary at this time of year, and I've realized it was a rather average year. I didn't travel as much as I would have liked, but that's nothing new, and I certainly haven't accomplished what I would have liked, but I think that I am on the right track.
This year I:
- finished grad school
- started a new job
- "vacationed" in the Florida Keys (if you can call a trip with one's grandparents a vacation)
- started a blog
- took a cruise on a NOAA research vessel
- bought a pair of kick-ass knee high boots (which I have wanted for a while)
- enjoyed a weekend in NYC
I'll not be unhappy to see 2005 turn into 2006.
Next year I will/hope to:
- get closer to my dream job (like by doing a rotation there)
- enjoy my vacation on St John
- celebrate my fifth wedding anniversary
- learn to make kick-ass espresso, cappuccino, and lattes
- go fishing on the Chesapeake with my grandfather
- go on a hurricane flight
- renovate my kitchen (with enormous amounts of help)
- finish decorating/furnishing a room in my house completely
- get SCUBA certified
This year I:
- finished grad school
- started a new job
- "vacationed" in the Florida Keys (if you can call a trip with one's grandparents a vacation)
- started a blog
- took a cruise on a NOAA research vessel
- bought a pair of kick-ass knee high boots (which I have wanted for a while)
- enjoyed a weekend in NYC
I'll not be unhappy to see 2005 turn into 2006.
Next year I will/hope to:
- get closer to my dream job (like by doing a rotation there)
- enjoy my vacation on St John
- celebrate my fifth wedding anniversary
- learn to make kick-ass espresso, cappuccino, and lattes
- go fishing on the Chesapeake with my grandfather
- go on a hurricane flight
- renovate my kitchen (with enormous amounts of help)
- finish decorating/furnishing a room in my house completely
- get SCUBA certified
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Penso all'Italia.
This week has brought a multitude of reminders of Italy - I've been reading the fantastic The City of Falling Angels, which deals with Venice, the burning of La Fenice, and a variety of Venetian characters. It has made me want to move to Venice for a short while and write my own novel. Last night I received my annual Christmas calendar of Tuscany from Francesco - my friend from Florence. And just this morning, a man noticed my Tuscany calendar (I have to have some inspiration at/ to work) and we chatted for the entire train ride... apparently he is in the midst of renovating a house near Viareggio - which is not too far from Pisa.
You could include my current obsession with cappuccino and espresso into the mix, and what results is a girl with Italy on the mind. Somewhat better than Georgia in my opinion.
Edited to correct the grammar of my title and the spelling of cappuccino. I have been contacted by the Italian authorities and asked not to bastardize their beautiful language further
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Nuturing my addiction
I have been trying to avoid spending $$ at Starbucks for my coffee by trying my hand at brewing my own at home. I have a cheap little Krups steam-powered espresso machine that is completely inconsistent in terms of the quality of the espresso that comes out (I could never drink a shot of espresso straight from this machine... it has to be part of milk-based drink).
So now that Ray and I have regularly been trying to enjoy an evening coffee (usually cappuchino/latte/mocha-esque) we're thinking of getting a more serious machine. I am amazed at the variety of option and how complicated making espresso at home can be. We can't just buy a machine - we have to buy a grinder and a tamper and an assortment of other gadgets to try and make the perfect shot. Well, we probably won't get that crazy at first... we'll start small and simple and work our way up the scale.
I'm considering the Gaggia 35008 Carezza Espresso Machine, about $175 from Amazon if I order before Dec 31. I could easily spend 3 times that - but I don't know how long we'll stick with this latest obsession. I don't think that we'll get a grinder right now... I'll have to see how I like getting more serious about coffee. And how quickly caffine-buzzed sleepless late nights get old.
The influence from having had the best cappuccino ever in NYC is pervasive though.
Say what?
According to this article in the New York Times, New Jersey actually is home to a few winerys. Color me shocked - despite its "Garden State" moniker, I would never equate New Jersey farmland with the vineyards of France or Italy. Apparently, one of those vineyards is located not too terribly far from where I grew up. Although I am deeply suspicious of the quality of New Jersey wine (I have had Pennsylvania and Virginia wine - and all I can say about those is yuck!) maybe, just maybe, I'll give it one try.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas all. Our Christmas started last night - my dad came down and we had dinner and exchanged gifts. For this first time since we moved into our house 3 years ago we actually decorated a bit for the holidays. Namely we hung some garland over the mantel and put two tiny little (fake) trees on either side of the fireplace. It's festive enough.
I gave DH his gift last night, and he was suitably surprised. He gave me season 1 of the Amazing Race on DVD, Hero on DVD and The City of Falling Angels - in addition to renewing my Economist subscription. I gave him a stuffed walrus and a gift card to Apple. Yes, it was enough for him to buy an iPod with, although I don't know if that's really what he wants. I think than when they start putting Intel chips into the Macs he's gonna want one of those.
Today we leave for Gramma & PopPop's house. We got them a new TV - but I don't know how we are going to fit it in the car. We had to put it in the front seat to get it home from the store. We didn't bother wrapping it... I guess we'll figure something out. We'll stay there overnight for Christmas dinner, then come home tomorrow night.
Monday we're off to DH's parents to see them and my brother- and sister-in-law. What fun!
There is entirely too much driving for us to do over the holidays. I hope that your holidays are a lot less travel-intense than ours!
Merry Christmas.
P.S. - Christine, that Lenox story is the most awful thing! Those bastards! Now two families have had their Christmas ruined (yours and the family whose ceramic thing you got!)
Friday, December 23, 2005
Super cute panda pic
Here's a super cute pic of the little panda born at the National Zoo in DC. This may be the cutest thing I have ever seen!
Check out the Washington Post's gallery of panda images. I can understand how some people have become addicted to the "Panda Cam." Check out this unbelievably cute video.
Ultimate frustration
I guess that I can post this now since the jig is essentially up. I had ordered a Christmas gift for DH a week ago, which was supposed to be delivered today. Unfortunately we are also having a new couch delivered today, which mean that DH was going to be home when his gift was going to be delivered.
This situation has caused an inordinate amount of stress for me. I tried calling the company, from whom I ordered DH's gift, but was told that as it had already been shipped, I needed to make alternate delivery arrangements with the delivery company. However, the "status" of the package has consistently showed as "unavailable" on the delivery company's website (and when talking with their customer service people) until I got to work this morning. When I saw that the package had already made it to Rockville, I called as soon as possible to get them to either 1) redirect delivery to me here at work; 2)deliver to my neighbors (I spoke with them last night about it); or 3) hold the package at their facility until I could pick it up this afternoon. The most important goal was to avoid having DH see the return address on the package, at which point it would be nearly obvious as to what it was.
First answer I got was that they would hold the package at their distribution facility in Rockville, which was perfect. Then I got a call from the distribution facility telling me that the package was already with the driver. So I asked them to please deliver to my next door neighbor - and faxed them a request to verify. No sooner did I fax that over when I called home to check on DH, and in the background I hear the doorbell ring. Go figure, it was the delivery guy with the package.
So I asked DH, in one last, desparate attempt to hold onto the secret, whether there was a return address on the envelope. There was. Game over.
All that work, all that stress, all ruined! Argh!!!!
Happy Holidays!
This situation has caused an inordinate amount of stress for me. I tried calling the company, from whom I ordered DH's gift, but was told that as it had already been shipped, I needed to make alternate delivery arrangements with the delivery company. However, the "status" of the package has consistently showed as "unavailable" on the delivery company's website (and when talking with their customer service people) until I got to work this morning. When I saw that the package had already made it to Rockville, I called as soon as possible to get them to either 1) redirect delivery to me here at work; 2)deliver to my neighbors (I spoke with them last night about it); or 3) hold the package at their facility until I could pick it up this afternoon. The most important goal was to avoid having DH see the return address on the package, at which point it would be nearly obvious as to what it was.
First answer I got was that they would hold the package at their distribution facility in Rockville, which was perfect. Then I got a call from the distribution facility telling me that the package was already with the driver. So I asked them to please deliver to my next door neighbor - and faxed them a request to verify. No sooner did I fax that over when I called home to check on DH, and in the background I hear the doorbell ring. Go figure, it was the delivery guy with the package.
So I asked DH, in one last, desparate attempt to hold onto the secret, whether there was a return address on the envelope. There was. Game over.
All that work, all that stress, all ruined! Argh!!!!
Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Womanhood - the benefits of membership
I pride myself on being a progressive woman; I believe in choice in all its forms, from motherhood and career to gender roles, etc. There are moments, however, when I am glad that the rest of the world has not yet progressed fully.
This evening I got into my car and discovered that I had left my lights one, the result being a dead battery. DH was stuck somewhere in NoVA on the beltway, and the rest of the passengers from the MARC train had already left the parking lot. There was one lone soul waiting for a ride, so I went over to him and, in my most feminine (but not baby-like!!) voice, asked if he was waiting for someone, and if so whether that person might help me jump start my car.
"I gotta check if he's got cables," was the sullen reply. I replied that I had cables, I just needed the jump. "I don't know" he said. Clearly, there was no help coming from this friendly chap.
Next, I flagged down one a driving school car (the parking lot is frequently used by driving schools to teach kids how to parallel park). Unfortunately, the sign on the car said "Escuela de los driving" or some other Spanish thing that I don't know. He tried, God Bless Him, and we spoke in that strange communication style used by people who don't really understand each other. I didn't read the directions on the cables, he hooked them up to both positive and negative posts on my battery and his, and George (my 1995 Saturn with 175k miles) failed to revive.
After my friendly Spanish driving instructor left, I saw the NIST MARC shuttle van pull up. I skittered over to see whether he might help me. Again, in my most helpless, feminine voice, I asked if he could give me a jump start. He said "No problem" in a strangely feminine voice for a big black guy.
Once he pulled up beside my car, I asked him whether he had ever done this before. "Yeah, I've done this a million times." Now I should mention that he was driving one of those big 16 passenger vans, and I had just finished reading my little Saturn owner's guide book from the glove compartment, warning that I should only jump from a 12 volt battery otherwise I risk an explosion. I am very nervous about the whole electricity thing - really, I won't even use the phone near the bathtub (not that I think that that should happen anyway).
Anyway he went ahead and hooked up his battery, and then hooked the cables up to mine - again hooking up both cables to both battery posts. "I think that the instructions said to hook the negative cable up to a heavy metal part of the car" I warned. "Don't worry about it." he said, "go ahead and try to start the car." This while showers of sparks are coming from the negative post of my battery.
Now at this moment, I was really nervous that his much more powerful battery and that shower of sparks were going to cause an imminent explosion. I was scared to touch any metal part of my car (good thing Saturns are mostly plastic) and I barely pulled on my door handle. When I stuck the key in the ignition, I was convinced the whole car was going to explode.
After three grinding tries, George roared back to life - no explosion or anything. I'm not ashamed to admit that I jumped out of my car and yelled "Yeah! It started" like a little kid who just got a favorite gift at Christmas. The guy then laughed heartily at me (probably more from my silly fears than my jumping up and down) and went on his merry way - saying "Don't turn the car off until you get home."
Now, there are certain jobs that I do feel men must do without question: kill bugs, take out the trash, check out scary noises at night, and deal with car problems. I am glad that as a woman, I am not expected to do things like hook up battery cables and know how to jump start a car. And that men respond to a woman in distress (well, most men). The day feminism has gone to far is the day that I have to kill a bug, take out the trash, or am expected to know how to jump start my own car.
This evening I got into my car and discovered that I had left my lights one, the result being a dead battery. DH was stuck somewhere in NoVA on the beltway, and the rest of the passengers from the MARC train had already left the parking lot. There was one lone soul waiting for a ride, so I went over to him and, in my most feminine (but not baby-like!!) voice, asked if he was waiting for someone, and if so whether that person might help me jump start my car.
"I gotta check if he's got cables," was the sullen reply. I replied that I had cables, I just needed the jump. "I don't know" he said. Clearly, there was no help coming from this friendly chap.
Next, I flagged down one a driving school car (the parking lot is frequently used by driving schools to teach kids how to parallel park). Unfortunately, the sign on the car said "Escuela de los driving" or some other Spanish thing that I don't know. He tried, God Bless Him, and we spoke in that strange communication style used by people who don't really understand each other. I didn't read the directions on the cables, he hooked them up to both positive and negative posts on my battery and his, and George (my 1995 Saturn with 175k miles) failed to revive.
After my friendly Spanish driving instructor left, I saw the NIST MARC shuttle van pull up. I skittered over to see whether he might help me. Again, in my most helpless, feminine voice, I asked if he could give me a jump start. He said "No problem" in a strangely feminine voice for a big black guy.
Once he pulled up beside my car, I asked him whether he had ever done this before. "Yeah, I've done this a million times." Now I should mention that he was driving one of those big 16 passenger vans, and I had just finished reading my little Saturn owner's guide book from the glove compartment, warning that I should only jump from a 12 volt battery otherwise I risk an explosion. I am very nervous about the whole electricity thing - really, I won't even use the phone near the bathtub (not that I think that that should happen anyway).
Anyway he went ahead and hooked up his battery, and then hooked the cables up to mine - again hooking up both cables to both battery posts. "I think that the instructions said to hook the negative cable up to a heavy metal part of the car" I warned. "Don't worry about it." he said, "go ahead and try to start the car." This while showers of sparks are coming from the negative post of my battery.
Now at this moment, I was really nervous that his much more powerful battery and that shower of sparks were going to cause an imminent explosion. I was scared to touch any metal part of my car (good thing Saturns are mostly plastic) and I barely pulled on my door handle. When I stuck the key in the ignition, I was convinced the whole car was going to explode.
After three grinding tries, George roared back to life - no explosion or anything. I'm not ashamed to admit that I jumped out of my car and yelled "Yeah! It started" like a little kid who just got a favorite gift at Christmas. The guy then laughed heartily at me (probably more from my silly fears than my jumping up and down) and went on his merry way - saying "Don't turn the car off until you get home."
Now, there are certain jobs that I do feel men must do without question: kill bugs, take out the trash, check out scary noises at night, and deal with car problems. I am glad that as a woman, I am not expected to do things like hook up battery cables and know how to jump start a car. And that men respond to a woman in distress (well, most men). The day feminism has gone to far is the day that I have to kill a bug, take out the trash, or am expected to know how to jump start my own car.
Explaining the meat thermometer gift..
The meat thermometer is kind of an inside joke - not really a very funny one though. One year DH's parents were making chicken or turkey or something and weren't sure whether it was done. So I suggested that they test it with a meat thermometer to see. Turns out they didn't own a meat thermometer - which totally blew my mind.
Of course, that fact also explained why the food was usually overcooked and dry as a bone.
We gave them a meat thermometer one year - and found out later that my FIL had been using it to check the temperature of the radiator fluid in his car.
So there you go.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Don't shop harder, shop smarter!
So, DH and I somehow managed to get 90% of our Christmas shopping done between 5:00 and 9:30 tonight. We stopped at Target (tar-zhey) for a gift certificate and a meat thermometer. The meat thermometer goes with the Omaha steaks gift certificate we got for DH's parents earlier this evening - clearly we were completely out of ideas. A stop at Home Depot for another gift certificate and a magazine - then a quick return to Home Depot for light bulbs that we forgot to get the first go 'round. Finally a stop at Borders for threeooks.
Of course, we forgot to get two gifts at Target, and I still have to get a little something for my grandparents and my dad (looks like it is going to be a NOAA christmas). But those are just the little gifts so that everyone has something to unwrap.
I would have to say that this may in fact have been the most efficient shopping expedition ever!
Oops... I forgot
Now that I have settled a bit after our hectic weekend in NYC, I've remembered several events/things of note that I should mention:
#1 - A very sincere THANK YOU to the San Diego Chargers for defeating the Indianapolis Colts, ensuring that the unmatched record of the 1972 Dolphins undefeated season will live on another year. I would also like to note that the Miami Dolphins beat the Chargers just last weekend. And the Cowboys really bit the big one this weekend! Good sports weekend all around.
#2 - Afghan food is really tasty. DH and I had the opportunity to try this really interesting cuisine Friday night. Love the rice and the bread - to die for. It's flavorful without being hot spicy. The rice was actually quite sweet tasting, tasting like cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom with carrot curls. Yummy.
#3 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art are big, really big. They are actually a bit mind-numbing after a while, so pick a theme that you want to explore and stick with it. Watch out for the naked family in the MoMA.
#4 - WTF is up with all of the tolls from north of Baltimore through New Jersey on 95. Is there any reason why the bridge over the Susquehanna? in northern Maryland needs to cost $5 to cross, and why the hell am I paying $2 BOTH WAYS on 95 in Delaware. What lunacy.
#5 - My sincere apologies to the family sitting next to us at Don Pablos in Moorestown, NJ, Sunday afternoon who overheard our late lunch/early dinner conversation with friends about birth control, sex education, and related topics. It was probably a little too adult for your kids, and we were laughing rather loudly.
#1 - A very sincere THANK YOU to the San Diego Chargers for defeating the Indianapolis Colts, ensuring that the unmatched record of the 1972 Dolphins undefeated season will live on another year. I would also like to note that the Miami Dolphins beat the Chargers just last weekend. And the Cowboys really bit the big one this weekend! Good sports weekend all around.
#2 - Afghan food is really tasty. DH and I had the opportunity to try this really interesting cuisine Friday night. Love the rice and the bread - to die for. It's flavorful without being hot spicy. The rice was actually quite sweet tasting, tasting like cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom with carrot curls. Yummy.
#3 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art are big, really big. They are actually a bit mind-numbing after a while, so pick a theme that you want to explore and stick with it. Watch out for the naked family in the MoMA.
#4 - WTF is up with all of the tolls from north of Baltimore through New Jersey on 95. Is there any reason why the bridge over the Susquehanna? in northern Maryland needs to cost $5 to cross, and why the hell am I paying $2 BOTH WAYS on 95 in Delaware. What lunacy.
#5 - My sincere apologies to the family sitting next to us at Don Pablos in Moorestown, NJ, Sunday afternoon who overheard our late lunch/early dinner conversation with friends about birth control, sex education, and related topics. It was probably a little too adult for your kids, and we were laughing rather loudly.
Almost there...
It's another Wednesday, another halfway point in the week between the last weekend and the next. Of course, there will be no rest for the wicked this weekend. I feel absolutely no Christmas spirit this year, to be honest. It's just more stress and work than it should be. When are we going to visit family, what are we going to get for people, how many hours can we spend traveling from destination to destination.
At least the next two weeks will be short ones, followed by yet another short week in January with the MLK weekend.
Lots of people have asked me whether or not I am happy that I went to NYC last week - thus avoiding the transit strike going on right now. Actually, it isn't too nig of a deal. We only took the subway twice, and I actually think it would have been kind of neat to be in the city at a time like this. From what I read in the NYTimes, people are generally just dealing with the inconvienence as best they can.
Anyway, tonight I hope to get almost the rest of the Christmas shopping done. We'll see how well this pans out.
At least the next two weeks will be short ones, followed by yet another short week in January with the MLK weekend.
Lots of people have asked me whether or not I am happy that I went to NYC last week - thus avoiding the transit strike going on right now. Actually, it isn't too nig of a deal. We only took the subway twice, and I actually think it would have been kind of neat to be in the city at a time like this. From what I read in the NYTimes, people are generally just dealing with the inconvienence as best they can.
Anyway, tonight I hope to get almost the rest of the Christmas shopping done. We'll see how well this pans out.
Monday, December 19, 2005
The most worthless week of all
I realized today yet again how much more civilized the Europeans are in comparison with Americans. First of all, because they get so many weeks of vacation, they normally don't work at all around the Christmas and New Year's holidays. This, to me, make perfect sense. Because really, is anyone doing work for the next two weeks - real work - or are they just working to look busy until after the holidays have passed.
Today we had our office holiday party for the better part of the day, 11:30 - 3:00. It included a White Elephant gift exchange with the most convoluted and confusing rules I have ever seen. For the first time ever in one of these things I actually did alright. I got a decent-sized Starbuck's travel mug, and no one "exchanged" with me. I think that the right tactic in these things is to go for the middle ground - a gift that's decent enough to be useful but not interesting enough to be in high demand. Apparently the high demand gift for this crowd was a bottle of wine. I brought in a decent New Zealand Sauvingnon Blanc (not my favorite - but decent nonetheless.) and it must have changed hands at least a dozen times. Other popular gifts were $15 gift cards for Starbucks (people must have done some last minute shopping at Starbucks right before the party), a Chia Homer, and a box of Belgian Truffles (goodness knows how old they actually were).
All in all, not a bad way to re-enter the work week after a glorious weekend in NYC.
Enjoying Opera - Five easy tips for beginners
For some reason, opera has the reputation as being snotty and highbrow, for rich, old Upper East Side grande dames and stuffy old white men.
I’m here to tell you that opera is as accessible and enjoyable as great classical symphonies and Broadway musicals. Get over your fears about not understanding the language! Here are my tips (developed from trying to convince my DH to go and enjoy opera) on how to really enjoy opera as a beginner.
#1 – Choose your first opera carefully; select an opera with a story that is easy to follow and music that you recognize. (For example: almost everyone knows the Toreador song from Carmen – trust me, you know more arias and opera themes than you know.) This way, you won’t have to focus on understanding in detail what is going on, you can sit back and enjoy the music.
#2 – Familiarize yourself with the story as much as possible beforehand. Opera is not like a movie or TV show with a straightforward plot, character development, and quick and witty dialogue. You wouldn’t listen to Beethoven’s symphonies expecting non-repetitious, well-paced story advancement from beginning to conclusion; don’t expect it either from an opera, which is simply another form of musical expression. If you know the story, you’ll know basically what the characters are singing about and feel the emotion of the music, rather looking for expression of emotion from their words.
#3 – Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know the language. Even people who speak the language that the opera is being performed in don’t always understand what’s being said (think of listening to music on the radio – do you necessarily understand or catch every word; does understanding the lyrics even matter if the music is good?). Which leads to tip #4…
#4 – When possible, ignore the subtitles. This is, I think, one of the best tips I can offer. At the Met, I could turn my subtitles off and concentrate on the music and performance, and enjoyed the experience that much more. Concentrating on understanding what is being said will only frustrate you and distract from what’s important – the music.
#5 – Don’t worry about not loving opera. Just like rap and country music aren’t for everyone, opera is also not for everyone. The important thing to remember here is not to immediately think that you won’t like opera because you don’t understand the language, think it’s too highbrow, etc. Try listening to a few famous songs from a few famous operas, and if you enjoy the music think about going to see it performed live. Just remember to keep your expectations realistic about what an opera performance is and what it isn’t. It isn’t a play, it isn’t a movie, it isn’t about character development or erudite dialogue or advancing plotlines. It’s a performance of music and singing in support of a basic story.
If I could add a tip #6 – don’t ignore opera because you think that you can’t afford tickets Going to the opera isn’t that expensive – especially compared with Broadway musicals these days. I just want to encourage you all to go out and enjoy an opera!
I’m here to tell you that opera is as accessible and enjoyable as great classical symphonies and Broadway musicals. Get over your fears about not understanding the language! Here are my tips (developed from trying to convince my DH to go and enjoy opera) on how to really enjoy opera as a beginner.
#1 – Choose your first opera carefully; select an opera with a story that is easy to follow and music that you recognize. (For example: almost everyone knows the Toreador song from Carmen – trust me, you know more arias and opera themes than you know.) This way, you won’t have to focus on understanding in detail what is going on, you can sit back and enjoy the music.
#2 – Familiarize yourself with the story as much as possible beforehand. Opera is not like a movie or TV show with a straightforward plot, character development, and quick and witty dialogue. You wouldn’t listen to Beethoven’s symphonies expecting non-repetitious, well-paced story advancement from beginning to conclusion; don’t expect it either from an opera, which is simply another form of musical expression. If you know the story, you’ll know basically what the characters are singing about and feel the emotion of the music, rather looking for expression of emotion from their words.
#3 – Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know the language. Even people who speak the language that the opera is being performed in don’t always understand what’s being said (think of listening to music on the radio – do you necessarily understand or catch every word; does understanding the lyrics even matter if the music is good?). Which leads to tip #4…
#4 – When possible, ignore the subtitles. This is, I think, one of the best tips I can offer. At the Met, I could turn my subtitles off and concentrate on the music and performance, and enjoyed the experience that much more. Concentrating on understanding what is being said will only frustrate you and distract from what’s important – the music.
#5 – Don’t worry about not loving opera. Just like rap and country music aren’t for everyone, opera is also not for everyone. The important thing to remember here is not to immediately think that you won’t like opera because you don’t understand the language, think it’s too highbrow, etc. Try listening to a few famous songs from a few famous operas, and if you enjoy the music think about going to see it performed live. Just remember to keep your expectations realistic about what an opera performance is and what it isn’t. It isn’t a play, it isn’t a movie, it isn’t about character development or erudite dialogue or advancing plotlines. It’s a performance of music and singing in support of a basic story.
If I could add a tip #6 – don’t ignore opera because you think that you can’t afford tickets Going to the opera isn’t that expensive – especially compared with Broadway musicals these days. I just want to encourage you all to go out and enjoy an opera!
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York
New York is without a doubt one of the greatest cities on earth. DH and I had a blast this weekend. Visted MoMA Friday night, which had some of the most interesting and the most baffling exhibits I’ve ever seen. Saturday morning we hit the Metropolitan Museum of Art – primarily for the Fra Angelico exhibition, which was fantastic (oh how I miss Florence). Saturday night was Carmen - again totally fantastic. The singers playing the lead roles of Carmen and Don Jose were not as strong, in my humble opinion, as the singers playing Michäel and Escamillo (Michäel’s solo aria in Act III was unbelievable). I love the city, and I need to find a way to move there!
Our apartment was very New York – small and stylish, in a great neighborhood with excellent street-activity-watching potential. Loved it, can’t wait to do it again soon!
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Free at last!
No more work for the week! We're off the NYC for the weekend, and of course the powers that be couldn't let it be easy. There's a coating of ice on everything around here, including my car at the train station, which meant that I had to stand out in the (literally) freezing rain to scrape it off. Of course there was slush all over the parking lot and ice on the platform, so that meant when I wasn't skidding and nearly falling walking I was trying to avoid giant slush puddles and ruining my super-cute shoes. But none of that matters! The weekend has arrived early for me, and I don't care that the driveway is a giant ice rink and my gas guage is on empty.
Toreador-a la la la la la... I'm already there.
It's just another day
Today is a good day - tomorrow I am taking off for NYC, I have a few things to do today to keep the day moving by, I got myself a Gingerbread Latte this morning (a reward for waiting 20 minutes outside in the freezing cold for the train) and generally I seem to be in better spirits.
I watched Project Runway again last night... I am so ashamed. But the designers (male more than female) are such bitches, it's hilarious. They designed outfits for Barbie last night, and although my favorite outfit didn't win (show above), the one that did was pretty awesome.
I can't believe that I am getting taken in by this show. It has to be the openly confrontational and snarky manner of the hosts and judges, because nothing gets by them. I love their directness, and Tim Gunn reminds me of a character from SNL that Phil Hartman used to play (can't remember the character, but what a delicous bitch).
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
And on the left you can see where Brownie did a heck of a job!
Apparently, in the spirit of true capitalism and entreprenuership, a tour company will start offering tours of New Orleans that highlight the destruction wrought by hurricane Katrina. You won't be permitted to stop and take photographs, but because 10% of the $35 ticket price goes to relief efforts, you won't have to feel any guilt about your schadenfreude.
Actually, this reminds me of an idea I had a while ago for a novel tour company. My idea was too bring people into the "bad" sections of town - in a bulletproof van of course - as part of a tour that would specialize in "showing people the side of the city they see on the news, not in tourist brochures." I bet you that hundreds, maybe thousands, would sign up to go on a midnight - 2am tour of some of the worst sections of our cities, just to see first-hand what happens, as long as they could be assured of their complete safety. Imagine going through Camden, West Philadelphia, Anacostia & SE DC at that time of night. Pretty scary, but probably also pretty interesting and eye opening to those whose perception of these realities is limited to Hollywood movies and nightly news reports.
Actually, this reminds me of an idea I had a while ago for a novel tour company. My idea was too bring people into the "bad" sections of town - in a bulletproof van of course - as part of a tour that would specialize in "showing people the side of the city they see on the news, not in tourist brochures." I bet you that hundreds, maybe thousands, would sign up to go on a midnight - 2am tour of some of the worst sections of our cities, just to see first-hand what happens, as long as they could be assured of their complete safety. Imagine going through Camden, West Philadelphia, Anacostia & SE DC at that time of night. Pretty scary, but probably also pretty interesting and eye opening to those whose perception of these realities is limited to Hollywood movies and nightly news reports.
Too much information?
I've just been reading this article in the Post, and I've learned that as a civil servant (although how civil I actually am is certainly in question) my name, job category, pay grade, and salary are public informations. Because your tax dollars support me - you deserve the right to know all about me.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. Technically speaking, my(and your) tax dollars pay for DH, but because he works for a private-sector company, you don't know how much he makes (you only know the $$ amount of the contract that was awarded to DH's company).
In 1816, when this law was apparently enacted, I guess that the information was much less likely to be used for nefarious ends. In this day and age of identity theft and all that, I'd be much more comfortable if my information were available by FOIA (Freedom of Information Act)request only, rather than open public knowledge.
Edited to add: I know that the database of all of our info exists because of FOIA - but I wish that people looking for that information would have to show a specific reason why they needed my particular information (or that of my department, or agency) before they could know it. This TRAC database just leaves a bad taste in my mouth
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. Technically speaking, my(and your) tax dollars pay for DH, but because he works for a private-sector company, you don't know how much he makes (you only know the $$ amount of the contract that was awarded to DH's company).
In 1816, when this law was apparently enacted, I guess that the information was much less likely to be used for nefarious ends. In this day and age of identity theft and all that, I'd be much more comfortable if my information were available by FOIA (Freedom of Information Act)request only, rather than open public knowledge.
Edited to add: I know that the database of all of our info exists because of FOIA - but I wish that people looking for that information would have to show a specific reason why they needed my particular information (or that of my department, or agency) before they could know it. This TRAC database just leaves a bad taste in my mouth
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