SYTYCD 4 some favorites from the auditions so far

Phillip Chbeeb (Pacman)

Hokuto "Hok" Konishi

Faina Savich and her brother Stanislav:

When Jamal was asked to come back and show some swing dancing, he did:

International Ballroom represents! Anya and Pasha

ETA: Brandon the clogger!

Transitioning

from PC to Mac. The opportunity to upgrade at work was a chance to switch, so I finally overcame my inertia and decided to dump the Piece of C*** that has cost me so many hours of troubleshooting this past year (viruses, spyware, screen freezes, rebooting, disappearing video drivers, the blue window of death). The idea of having to deal with the rollout of a buggy Vista plus the upcoming changes in Office made my eyes roll back in my head. The more I use multimedia stuff in class, the more sense it makes to use Mac as well. For my purposes, at least (not being a gamer or a hardware geek)


Of course, if I were really a geek, I'd try for Linux.


I'm sure there will be some kinks to work out, but there is a lot of online support as well as the folks at the store where I bought the Macbook for home.

Blue Moon

This Thursday, May 31, there will be a blue moon: a second full moon in a month. This sweet little video in honor of the blue moon uses a recording I love by Billie Holiday of the song "Blue Moon". I

Summer by the lakes in Minneapolis

It's really summer! Nine of us rented three canoes and a kayak, and paddled from Lake Calhoun through the tunnel to Lake of the Isles, around the island, and on through the little canal to Cedar Lake. We all brought food and had a picnic at the beach that used to be the nude beach (Hidden Beach) but that is now pretty much a family picnic site. The kids all got in the water with all their clothes on, while we lay on the sand looking at the caterpillars.

The wind was against us on the way back, but the ice cream cones at the Tin Fish were a great reward. There were lots of folks in kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, and every third boat had a little dog riding along. We saw a heron fishing, mallards with ducklings, dragonflies, turtles, and lots of folks fishing.
Noodling around on YouTube, I found this video of kids jumping off the bridge into Lake of the Isles. It looks cool and fun, but that water is shallow. Scary.

"Paris, je t'aime"

Paris, la visite:


The first time I was in Paris, I was 17 and on my way to spend a year in France. I've been back many times, and I lived there between college and graduate school. Most of the trips I made were when I had almost no money, so a lot of my memories of Paris involve walking, looking, the Metro, and counting my money carefully to see if I would have coffee or eat that day. And of course, I know "Paris" through all the books I've read, through films (Les enfants du paradis was one of dozens), art, and the many expensive copies of Le Nouvel Observateur, printed on special lighter paper for international mail, that I bought for years after I returned to the States so that I could keep up with the news in the days before electronic communication made it possible to see Paris through a photo a day blog.
"J'aime me promenes sur les grands boulevards" sung by Yves Montand

The last time I went was a few years ago with my daughter, after an absence of many years. It was the first time I'd been able to see Paris as a tourist with a little money in my pocket, and I loved it. So today I plan to see the film Paris, je t'aime: a series of five-minute films done by great directors, with amazing actors. I think they were each offered an arrondisement, and based their stories on the neighborhoods. I lived for a while in a maid's room in a very expensive apartment complex in the 17ieme; one of the rooms down the hall was rented by a Brazilian prostitute who worked the Bois de Boulogne to get money for his sex change operation. I had a job as a part-time nanny for a very wealthy couple in the building, but I also worked from time to time as a housecleaner, or as the replacement for the couple who were the "gardiens de l'immeuble," walking their Great Dane, sorting the mail, washing floors in the lobby, raking out the trash chutes and putting out the trash bins (you'd be amazed what rich people throw away!), helping people out if the elevators got stuck. It was an amazing opportunity to see how a wide range of people in Paris lived. If I were better at staying in touch with people, I'd have lots of connections there now.
But I am not going to Paris this year. I'm going to Amsterdam, to fulfill a childhood dream, and because of this song:

tango on my mind

From the film by Sally Potter, Tango Lesson:

Gotan Project:

the showpiece of Carlos Saura's film, Tango:

International Standard Dancesport Championship (not argentine)

Estrella Morente sings the great tango "Volver" (that Penelope Cruz lip-synced in the movie):

Searching for dessert.

Last night I joined some friends for a celebration dinner. Instead of choosing a fancy restaurant, we went to a cozy favorite that one of my friends just loves, Jasmine Deli on Nicollet Ave (that's "Eat Street" for the Chamber of Commerce). It's Vietnamese, smaller and homier than Quang's just down the street. When we got there, the place was jammed, and our faces fell. Would we have to wait, as if we were living in San Francisco? How un-Minneapolis! But a second later, two groups of people rose and walked out, leaving us with a choice of table. It was 7 PM, after all, rather late for the Midwestern dinner hour. The food was good, fresh and home-style Vietnamese cooking. But then we wanted dessert, so we decided to rendez-vous at Lucia's Bakery, where the desserts are incredibly yummy. It had just closed, and there was a half-hour wait for a table at Lucia's wine bar and restuarant next door, so we walked over to Cafe Barbette, another reliable favorite (mmmm, banana Nutella crepe! mmm!). That was even more crowded--a 45-minute wait! I'm glad that two of my favorite restaurants are hopping at 8:30 on a Thursday night, but where were we going to have dessert without having to walk or drive any more?

Well, Lunds supermarket was only a block away, so we went to their bakery, bought a few treats, and sat upstairs in the space that used to be a juice bar with the coffee we'd bought at the adjoining Caribou. It was quiet, we had our choice of tables, and though the pastries weren't as good as Barbette's Nutella banana crepe, they hit the spot.

Tithing to Disney

Tonight, I will pay my annual tithe to the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean Empire. "Yargh hargh fiddle-dee-deee, being a pirate is alright by me!" Here's the mashup of POTC and Lazytown's "you are a pirate!" song


But the movie we are really waiting for is Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. In anticipation, here is HP and Bananaphone ("ring ring ring ring ring ring ring--Bananaphone!")

I missed May Day this year

But Ana and Jose have posted some gorgeous pictures! Check them out. Here's a clip of a wolf from the parade:

Literecy Cat is Amaized...

First I learned what emo meant; now, I've been turned on to cat macros, lolcats and invisible bikes.
Anil Dash explains the lolcats phenomenon in "Cats Can Has Grammar." I sent Dave McRaney's article to my linguist friends because it analyzes leetspeak. It is featured on the site I Can Has Cheezburgers?. Of course, there is a Flickrpool of cat macros.

But my current favorite manifestation is loltheorists over at Livejournal (featuring Socrates, Judith Butlers, Nietzsche, Searle, Derrida, and many more!) Of course, now we must revisit the Monty Python International Philosophers match (Germany vs. Greece).

Here's a cat macro I made of Leo with the image from the first post to this blog ("Don't make me use the eyebeams!")

Carrie and Charlie's wedding

I wish I had pictures from the wedding to post here, but I forgot my camera!

The wedding was glorious--perfect weather, beautiful flowers, great music and food, and lots of love from family and friends. I hope the bride and groom enjoyed it as much as we did. They looked absolutely radiant and happy.

Local police collaborate with ICE harrassment of Latinos in Minneapolis

Just as immigration "reform" bills are being discussed in Washington, federal goons are working to terrorize and intimidate Latinos, whether they be US citizens, immigrants with proper documentation, or undocumented workers. These actions have resulted in the separation of children from their families, even the detention of children as if they were criminals! The ACLU is presenting a lawsuit to publicize just one of the many cases in which children in particular have been subjected to government abuse.

Now we can add Minneapolis to the list. A staffer from the Resource Center of the Americas reports:

On Saturday, May 19, agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) launched an operation which hit various areas of the Latino community including the Mercado Central area in south Minneapolis. According to witnesses, agents stopped pedestrians on the sidewalks and began moving into apartments and the Guayaquil restaurant demanding identification and verification of immigration status of anyone looking “Latino.” Anglo bystanders were ignored or moved aside. The Minneapolis Police Department played a key role in facilitating the ICE operation.

This Twin Cities Planet story reports how, on Saturday, agents began stopping people on the street near the Mercado Central, a thriving Latino business area on Lake street, systematically asking all dark-skinned people for citizenship documents while ignoring White people. An emergency response group gathered to document the proceedings. This action violates a City ordinance, and is a blatant exercise of coercive power to try to intimidate the Minneapolis community, which has rallied in support of folks affected by raids in Minnesota towns where meat-packing plants are housed.

Minneapolis has enacted an immigration separation ordinance, which says in essence that city police should not ask about immigration status except when directly relevant to a criminal investigation—making police involvement in this operation illegal. Mayor R. T. Rybak, who has one of the staunchest defenders of the separation ordinance, said he is inviting community members to make available any video or photos of the event. He plans to review the materials today and Tuesday. From the mayor’s prepared statement: “The role of the police officer is to protect and serve every person who is in Minneapolis. We know that if there is a fear that reporting something to the police could jeopardize someone immigration status…then people will not come forward with the information that we need to know.”

This MPR report gives some more context to the Minnesota situation.

Frida Kahlo show comes to the Walker Art Center in October

Frida's coming to the Walker! Here's the press release:

Frida Kahlo Centennial Exhibition to Premiere at Walker Art Center and Travel to Philadelphia and San Francisco

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907–1954), the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, in association with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), will present a major exhibition of the artist’s paintings spanning her career. Curated by art historian and world-renowned Kahlo biographer Hayden Herrera and Walker Associate Curator Elizabeth Carpenter, Frida Kahlo premieres at the Walker October 27, 2007–January 20, 2008, before traveling to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and SFMOMA.

Few artists have captured the public’s imagination with the force of Frida Kahlo. Making clear her powerful influence on artists working today, Frida Kahlo will include some 50 paintings from the very beginning of her career in 1926 to the year of her death in 1954. While concentrating on Kahlo’s hauntingly seductive and often brutal self-portraits, it also will include those particular portraits and still lifes which amplify her own sense of identity. As Kahlo’s artistic practice progressed, her images grew in confidence and complexity, reflecting both her private obsessions and political concerns.

In addition to the paintings, the exhibition will feature iconic images of Frida Kahlo by preeminent photographers of the period from the Vicente Wolf Photography Collection as well as personal snapshots with family and friends from the artist’s own photo albums, some of which have never before been published or exhibited. The photographs pose fascinating questions about an artist who was both the consummate manufacturer of her own image and a beguiling and willing photographic subject.

A major publication with newly commissioned essays, bibliography, exhibition history, and illustrated timeline, will accompany the exhibition.

Exhibition Tour

Premiere
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
October 27, 2007–January 20, 2008

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mid-February–Mid-May, 2008

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California
June 14–September 16, 2008

Because Frida Kahlo was born in 1907, 100 years ago, Frida fans world-wide are oganizing an amazing array of artistic events inspired by her life, her work, and her myths. The most up-to-date news about all things Frida can be found at the website Frida Kahlo and Contemporary Thought, as usual. It is a fan site, and posts a disclaimer about not being official, but I have found it endlessly useful and fascinating, and I thank the site owner Daniela Falini for her labor of love. The site functions with frames, so you can't link directly to the sub-categories, but here is a list: I encourage Frida fans to explore the links in the side bar:

• Frida news (archives going back to the year 2000)
• Frida paintings (including both online sites and museum sites)
• Frida cult (which is currently featuring news about the 2007 centennary shows world-wide)
• a brief biography
• some critical essays
• "the most complete bibliography on the Web"
• Frida and the contemporary arts (dance, theater, fashion, cinema) comics about Frida; exhibitions (permanent and temporary)
• "friends" which has a host of related links.

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day was May 12

Hey, I missed it! Apparently, National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day was May 12, and I had no idea (because I was in Grading Jail). So, now that I've turned in my grades, I have declared today my own personal fibromyalgia awareness day.

The National Fibromyalgia Assosciation was founded by people like me, who had bounced from doctor to doctor, trying to find an explanation for painful and debilitating symptoms, without success. Things are different now, but most folks I know still don't have a clear understanding of the condition. I have been reluctant to talk in depth about it to most people I know, because quite often they respond with discomfort; either they think I'm whining, or they feel compelled to tell me to "do something" and are irritated with me when I don't do it, or they simply aren't interested. This means that there are times when I need things, and I don't get my needs met because I don't ask. I need to work on this, because it's getting in my way, especially at work.

Some folks whose blogs I read on a regular basis talk about living with cancer or multiple sclerosis at various stages of diagnosis and treatment. They have spoken honestly and painfully about their experiences with doctors and hospitals, with treatments which are sometimes more painful and difficult than the illness, about their fears and anger, about what helps and doesn't help in their interactions with well-intentioned or not so well-intentioned "helpers." Many of the folks who comment relate their own stories, most of us try to send good wishes, good vibes, and sometimes presents or money to help out, but many times, the most important thing we do is listen and say something like "yeah, I hear you, this is hard."

I don't have cancer, and although I've had some scary moments after mammograms when I've been called back for second images, I haven't had to face that life-altering moment of a diagnosis with a life-threatening disease. But I do have a chronic illnesses, and I have had to deal with the search for a diagnosis, my own denial about how these diseases have changed my life. I have to manage the symptoms, the confusion and anger that can come when I need help but am unable or afraid to ask for it. I have also had to give up on the idea that I will be able to do the kind of work that my job requires for "success." This last part has been especially hard for me, because my job constantly requires evaluation, competition, and I know many folks who do the kind of work I do in much more difficult situations. It is a challenge to see my situation for what it is, without invidious comparisons that distort my self-image.

Something I can do for myself today: bookmark some FM sites on this blog, spend some time reading up on the latest research at National Fibromyalgio Research Association site, take a walk around the lake, eat well, drink lots of water.

I went to the web page of my health provider and did a search for the word "fibromyalgia" and come up with this: "No results found for fibromyalgia." This is bizarre, as my doctor has been treating many patients with FM for years. But a patient looking to find a doctor with some knowledge of FM has no way of knowing that.
Maybe I need to do some raising of awareness with them?

A little drama on my way home

Yesterday morning, I was driving home when I saw a pickup truck ahead of me that looked as if it were attempting to pull into a parking space. Its nose was near the curb, but the back was blocking the lane. I didn't see any turn signal flashing, but that wasn't unusual. It wasn't moving, either, which was. Other cars were passing it, and I prepared to do so as well, but something wasn't right. As I got closer, I noticed that the driver was slumped against the window, and just as I was about to pass, he toppled over onto the passenger seat. I flashed on the time a friend and I had seen a man through the window of a restaurant, sitting at a table, but in such a way that we immediately realized he was dead, and his family had not yet realized it. I was afraid the driver might have had a heart attack or a stroke, so I pulled over as soon as I could, put on my flashers, and ran back to see. His door was unlocked and I opened it to see him sprawled onto the passenger side. I couldn't tell if he was alive, so I tapped him on the leg and called out to him. He moved, and then sat up, looking confused. I repeated, are you all right? because he didn't seem to understand that something was wrong. Then I realized that he was just plain stinking drunk, and I mean stinking. I told him he needed to give me the keys and get out of the truck because he couldn't drive. He wasn't belligerent, but he wasn't having any of it, either. We went back and forth a few times, and I told him I was going to call the police, even as I remembered that my cell phone was at home. He mumbled something, then started the car and drove away--I couldn't stop him. I jumped back in my car and got home as soon as I could, just a few minutes away, and called it in to 911. I was sick that I hadn't been able to keep him from driving away--he was blind drunk, but I didn't want to try to lean into the cab across his body to grab the keys from him because I would have been placing myself in danger, and I'm not prepared to fight with anyone, let alone someone twice my size. I was able to see his license as he drove away, and was able to tell the dispatcher which way he was going. She said, Uh oh, sounds like other folks are calling him in, too.

So I have no idea what happened, if he was pulled over, if he caused an accident, ran over a pedestrian. I have to hope that because other calls were coming in, that the police were able to get him off the road. I haven't seen any stories in the paper, so I'm hoping they hauled his drunk ass off to jail and that he will have his license yanked or worse. It wasn't even noon and he was blind drunk.

Drunk driving is a huge issue here in Minnesota, as it is everywhere, even though the state has a lower rate of alcohol-realted fatalities that others. Penalities have been toughened recently (over great protest).

I ended a relationship with a man because of his drinking, and this brought back all the anger, sorrow and frustration that being involved with an alcoholic entails. He was arrested for DUI, but never took responsibility for it. I learned a lot in that relationship, but it also broke my heart.

Dancing with the stars v. dancesport (aka competitive ballroom dance)

Apolo Anton Ohno and his pro partner Julianne Hough dance the quickstep in the DWTS semi-finals. She is only 18 and is the only American to have been a Champion at Blackpool. That is the dance equivalent of Apolo's Olympic gold medals.

His dancing has improved exponentially during the season, and they are wonderful in this routine. If he had a few months more, you'd see his top line become more stretched out, less of his chin out, but he's amazing for someone who just started dancing a few months ago! All the competitors in the semi-finals danced well, even the obnoxious ones.

Here, for comparison, is video of quickstep solos with judge commentary at the World DanceSport Championships. You can see that the dance requires incredible speed and absolutely sudden stops, total control of the feet but freedom and flow in the top. The second couple is AMAZING!

And here's the incredibly hot cha cha from Apolo and Julianne. The judge who says it;s too raunchy is actually the only real ballroom judge of the three, and he knows that Latin routines are always sexy, but some folks in the ballroom world don't like the tendency to emphasize speed over technique. It think he wasn't just complaining about the raunch of the dancing (really, the song), but the fact that she has cleverly choreographed the routine to showcase what he does best (speed, precision, exuberance, hotttness) and down-played the fact that he does not yet know how to do the Latin motion in the cha cha basics--he does good hip action in a lot of movements, but there's not actually a lot of cha-cha in this dance. Often the judges are telling the pros what they want to see in the choreography or teaching when they make their remarks. But who cares? the crowd thinks they're great!

For comparison, here's my favorite amateur couple, Eugene and Maria (I've seen them dance a few times at the USABDA finals) doing rumba and a little cha cha. Every movement is totally connected, even in the transitions from inhumanly fast to immobile, and they each show the way that Latin motion involves a complete movement through the whole body as the weight changes, not just a shift from foot to foot. I wish I could find a clip with a clearer quality.

Things I learned in school this semester

To all my Senior Seminar students who completed their projects and graduated this semester: Congratulations, and best wishes! It was a pleasure to work with you on topics that were important to you. A sample of some of the things I learned from you this semester:

Judeo-espaniol (ladino), the language spoken by the Jews who were expelled from Spain;

Hugo Chavez and the polarization of opinions about him and his programs, and the educational missions in Venezuela;

Mexico's educational system and recent changes;

more about bilingual education in the context of colonization in the Americas;

the new law in Spain concerning violence against women and the incredible film Te doy mis ojos.

There are many more I could mention, but I still have three more papers to grade.

Good luck to all of you!

A walk in the woods

On Sunday we took a walk in a wildlife conservation area near Chubb Lake. First we tramped through a prairie that is being replanted with oaks, then we entered the woods to look for mushrooms. It was a perfect day. Loren pointed out all the poison oak, Charlie pointed to the ticks climbing his legs, and I resolutely decided to forge ahead and enjoy the bird songs,
the dappled light

the critters,

the wildflowers. We came across this shy wild orchid in the woods. We were looking morels. Those who knew about such things showed us how to look for just the right dead or dying elm tree around whose base to search for the magical ring of mushrooms. We did end up finding a few; here's a handsome one. It's so well disguised that you might not see it, and then suddenly it's right in front of your nose:

UPDATE: Here's a little video clip that gives a much better idea of what it's like to hunt for morels

Portalrubio in Spring

Well, friends and family, we miss Blas, but we talk to him by video cam on the computer and he sends us marvelous photos from his village in Teruel where he spent the weekend with his parents and his sister's family. After years of drought-like conditions, there has been more rain, and the flowers of this dry, mountainous area are lovely. There is water in the little pond, and in the arroyo. The village's fountain is running with clear delicious water, and it is time to plant the garden.
This is a view of the village taken from afar, during a hike.
Primi is by the fountain. The water comes from one of the underground springs in the area; it is what made the village live for hundreds of years.
Alba next to the apple tree in bloom. The little apples from this tree are treasures that we eat with fondness during the winter.
Preparing for planting in the garden behind the house. Maybe this year will be better than last, when it was too dry for more than garlic and potatoes. During the cold months, the population of the village has shrunk to just a shadow of its former self, as folks have moved to find greater opportunities, education and a different life in the cities. But in the summer, the village is cooler than the city, and in August the village will be full of life, as folks come from Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, and even Minnesota for the fiestas.

I *heart* my mom, by The Roches

What do you want for mother's day, mom?

May I humbly request that my child and my students learn of the example of Lt. Ehren Watada, listen to his words, and think about how to make them real?


Tomorrow I'm going to meditate on what mother's day is really about for me: the care we must give to the future of life on this planet, demanding peace, and continuing to work to end this evil war. Mombo is sponsoring its Mother's Day Peace celebration at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, where there will be a reading of Julia Ward Howe's Mother's day proclamation.

The First Mother's Day proclaimed in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe
was a passionate demand for disarmament and peace.

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or tears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have taught them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of the devastated earth, a voice goes up with our own. It says, "Disarm, Disarm!"

The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail & commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesars but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.

I am grateful that my mother is healthy and happy. When I called her yesterday, she was in the middle of two painting projects. One is a series of botanical paintings of fruit and their blossoms. There is a school of botanical painting not far from here I live. I would love it if my mother came and took a class while she stayed with us. I love her joy in her creativity, and I'm deeply grateful for all of the gifts she has given to me as my mother, and most of all my idealism and joy in life.

Talent show performances

Oh, nostalgia! I danced with a group of girls in my high school talent show way back in 1974. My dance performance at this year's event took me back. Jose sent me a link to a YouTube video, The Evolution of Dance, that is so famous it is now imitated by kids in talent shows across the country. There are the versions of this video that imitate the original: The Science Teacher, the two cute dancer girls, the two Jr. High School boys One of the charming things about the kids is that they've probably never seen the dances, films, or videos that the first several bits are imitating, so they just don't get the Saturday Night Fever walk.

Then there are the updaters: kids who start with the imitation, but then throw in the dances their audience will recognize (at least the kids, if not the teachers):


The third kid over is a great dancer:


This is simply awesome!


Not dancing, but this is from this year's talent show at my high school alma mater. You will not believe this what this kid can do!

The inner juke-box, now with YouTube

I spent six years living with a lyric baritone so I listened to a lot of opera and art song. YouTube is great, because now I can see some of the artists I used to just hear. Here's a sampler:

Tito Schippa, he of the voce bianca; he doesn't have the volume or ringing tones of other famous tenors, but he had such control.


Cesare Siepi, a real basso profundo, singing in the role of Don Giovanni. I saw him perform in Don Carlo when he was over 70 years old, and he still sounded incredible.


And here is a very young up-and-coming tenor, who will probably go on to have a big career, Stephen Costelloe, performing in one of those great Verdi oom paa paa crowd-pleasing roles. What a lovely voice, and he hits some amazing high notes at the end.

Le Nozze di Figaro

Tomorrow, as a birthday gift for two friends, I am taking them to see The Marriage of Figaro at the Minnesota Opera. the performance has received good reviews. I used to live with a singer who performed the role of Figaro in an English language production of this opera in the Bay Area years ago, so I've seen the opera rehearsed and performed many times, and I never tire of it. I'm taking my daughter as well; she has already seen a few operas, and enjoyed them. My mother took me to the opera in San Francisco as a child, often standing room, and I have very fond memories of those times spent with her.

Here's a clip with Ileana Cotrubas as Susana, Kiri Te Kanawa as the Countess, and Frederika Von Stade as Cherubino (an ideal cast).


Here's Ruggiero Raimondi as Count Almaviva:


and here is the amazing finale. The count's "Contessa, perdono" never fails to give me goosebumps.


I was also fortunate enough to see a production in Paris with Kiri Te Kanawa, many many years ago, when I was a poor student (I think it was 1975) living in Paris with a different boyfriend, not a singer. It was her Paris Opera debut, and opera fans were eager to here this rising young soprano.

We stood in a huge line for hours in front of the Garnier Opera House, waiting for the rush tickets to go on sale. As this was France, as soon as the ticket windows opened, the previously orderly line quickly became a mob as people tried to get in front. By the time we arrived, the only tickets left were "san visibilite" up in the nose bleed boxes (you were seated at the back of narrow boxes on the upper level and couldn't see the stage), but we took them.
The night of the opera, we were in awe of the Opera House itself, the elegant crowd (look! there's Susan Sontag coming down the stairs!), and the glorious performances. During the first intermission, we ran into an acquaintance, who informed us that there were extra seats in a center balcony box where he was seated with an older gentleman who had season tickets. He invited us to join them, and we were then able to enjoy the rest of the opera from the very best seats in the house. Kiri Te Kanawa was glorious in the role of the Countess, and the notoriously difficult French crowd was effusive in its applause. I'll never forget that experience.

"I like being bad! It makes me happy!"

I did my parental duty and joined two other adults in escorting our 12-year old kids to the MOA to see Spiderman III. We sat a few rows behind them, so they could kibbitz without being mortified by their parental units. Talk about cheese! There was one moment in the film when I guffawed but I had to stifle it because I was in danger of violating my vow not to sing, dance, or laugh in a funny way. But I couldn't help it: Peter Parker goes and gets contaminated by this blobby stuff from outer space, which has the effect of making him a jerk. This is signaled by a different hairdo and a little eyeliner: Emo Peter Parker!
Here's a mash-up clip someone has already put up with just the right Hawthorne Heights song.

And here is our household's favorite emo anthem, by My Chemical Romance:

Police riot in LA, attack families and reporters

LAPD: criminals, thugs, savages. The department is already under court orders for their police riots in 2000. Yet we have to go to Democracy Now! and YouTube to find reporters putting the story together about how the LAPD attacked unarmed, peaceful marchers with clubs, rubber bullets and tear gas.
Footage, interviews and analysis corroborate eyewitness stories of acts of terror and brutality by police, while the mainstream press only shows us images of the Chief of Police saying that some "inappropriate" things happened. Watch this video. Some people in this country know we are already living in a police state, but a lot of others think everything is fine because these images are carefully hidden from us. The police deliberately targeted reporters and cameramen in an ongoing effort to intimidate the media. This is not new. Why should the press have to sue, AGAIN, to get some kind of accountabiility? I know that the Mayor of LA is sickened by this. What's he going to be able to do to punish the perpetrators of this state violence against citizens exercising their rights?

Hard truths

Thanks to the tireless folks at Impeach for Peace, for this local freeway message.
SF Mike over at Civic Center tells us that Retired General Odom calls for the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq.

Nezua gives us El Grito for today's Cinco de Mayo.

I took a visitor to the Walker Art Center to spend time at the exhibit of Kara Walker's work. The show is almost unbearable, but we have to look.

Lovely spam!

OOO! I got my first comment spam! Does this mean I've arrived?

dancing with the...stars?

I'm going to perform in a talent show on Thursday. Here's the announcement

"About our next performer, the judges agree:
Randy, Yo, check it out. It was little pitchy in spots, I don't know, dude, but I liked it, you know?
Paula: You're a, you're a thoroughbred.
Simon. I have to be honest with you, it was a little Karaoke for me. Hate the outfit.

Oops, sorry, wrong judges:
Carrie Ann: 10!
Len: 10!
that Italian guy: 10!

Momo and her pro partner MR will perform a dance sampler of ballroom and social dances. A prize will be awarded to the person who can correctly name all the dances."

In my dreams, I am dancing with Apolo! Rawr.