My favourite musical, bar none, is Frank Loesser's Guys & Dolls. My parents took me to see it at the National Theatre in London, it must have been in the early 1980s, and it was superb. I loved it so much that in 1990 when I noticed posters advertising a student production of it in a small town in Korea (where I happened to have wound up), I leapt at the chance to see it again - and even performed entirely in Korean it was still superb. My biggest regret is that I never got my act together to go and see the West End revival (starring Ewan McGregor, no less) a few years ago.
Naturally, then, when I found out Guys & Dolls, Jr would be playing at the Middle School, I had to have a ticket.
So - how did a cast of 11-14 year olds make out with the world's best ever stage musical?
Were they as good as that National Theatre production? Nope.
Were they as good as a bunch of Korean college students? Hmm - not quite.
But did those kids put their hearts and souls into every number? You betcha!
And did the audience raise the roof cheering at the end? Hell, yeah!
Star of the show? Ever-lovin' Adelaide, by a Broadway mile. But all the lead players did a fine, fine job.
And given that it was a musical and that I famously have trouble keeping it together during songs, one more question...
Not knowing a single one of these kids: did I cry?
Well, what do you think?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Talk of angels
The Boy and I walked to school this morning with our tongues hanging out - to catch snowflakes. Although it didn't last terribly long, more snow fell through the morning, and it was proper fluffy stuff that those romantically inclined might call "angel feathers".
Speaking of angels... At the end of our tour of the Hyde Collection on Saturday the guide (here they call them "docents") asked if we had any questions. I started wondering about the painting of an angel in the doorway of the music room. "Ah!" said the docent, "You mean the angel with attitude? Yes, that's an interesting one, isn't it - one of the oldest paintings in the collection [c1350]. Not what you'd expect of an angel at all, is it - arms folded and an expression like that!"
Speaking of angels... At the end of our tour of the Hyde Collection on Saturday the guide (here they call them "docents") asked if we had any questions. I started wondering about the painting of an angel in the doorway of the music room. "Ah!" said the docent, "You mean the angel with attitude? Yes, that's an interesting one, isn't it - one of the oldest paintings in the collection [c1350]. Not what you'd expect of an angel at all, is it - arms folded and an expression like that!"Though the docent couldn't enlighten me, and I suppose it's lost in the mists of time, I wonder what her story really is?
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Just desserts
The day started cheerily with our friends' annual Ice Cream for Breakfast Day celebration. Suitably stuffed with too many treats too early in the day, we headed on from there to Willard Mountain to ski off the excess.
Oh here we go, you may be thinking, jolly old skiing again. Ok for some.... Well, today's the day you get to enjoy a dash of schadenfreude for a change. We turned up and had ourselves all kitted out by the appointed time, only to learn that the lifts - all of them - had stopped working. A catastrophic power cut.
So, no jaunts down the mountainside for us this week. We hung around. My teacher gamely gave half a lesson on turning style to his small class on a very (very) slight slope, but otherwise classes were cancelled. A few people trudged halfway up the mountain on foot. Our kids made the best of it and messed about in the snow for a while, but all in all it was a disappointing shortened afternoon.
And now Sunday evening, which would usually be given over to conking out on the couch, stretches ahead of us full of time and energy we're not accustomed to having.
Oh here we go, you may be thinking, jolly old skiing again. Ok for some.... Well, today's the day you get to enjoy a dash of schadenfreude for a change. We turned up and had ourselves all kitted out by the appointed time, only to learn that the lifts - all of them - had stopped working. A catastrophic power cut.
So, no jaunts down the mountainside for us this week. We hung around. My teacher gamely gave half a lesson on turning style to his small class on a very (very) slight slope, but otherwise classes were cancelled. A few people trudged halfway up the mountain on foot. Our kids made the best of it and messed about in the snow for a while, but all in all it was a disappointing shortened afternoon.
And now Sunday evening, which would usually be given over to conking out on the couch, stretches ahead of us full of time and energy we're not accustomed to having.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Seek-and-go-Hyde
Every room contains treasures by some of the best-known European and American artists - a Degas here, a Renoir there, over there a Picasso, here a Whistler and a Winslow Homer. There are paintings by Reubens and El Greco. There are fine examples of religious art, landscapes, portraits, sculpture... Most are rather small, many are studies for bigger artworks. Everything was chosen to fit with the scale of the house. We toured the house by ourselves (almost the only visitors), then with a guide - we had her to ourselves, and enjoyed her genuine enthusiasm for the collection. Sometimes visiting a gallery can be an exhausting business - too much to see and take in. But we left the Hyde in a very happy mood, as if we'd just been treated to a well-proportioned meal made with quality ingredients - we'd enjoyed everything, and felt entirely satisfied.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Art for hearts' sake
As I mentioned back on MLK Day, the kids and I spent part of that day-off working on a craft project. Well, to be honest, it was mostly the Girl and me.
A lot of people here are into gift presentation in quite a big way, and things often come in gift-bags well packed with colourful tissue-paper. Being the hoarder that I am, I never throw any of it away (I can't shake off my that'll come in handy... mindset - I even save the paper party crowns out of Christmas crackers). I've accumulated a sackload of tissue over the years, and I decided we should put it to some use.
Using a technique I'd picked up once on a visit to the Albany Institute of History & Art children's art room, I had the kids spread watered-down glue on sheets of paper, and we overlaid it with strips of different coloured tissue. By overlapping the tissue we got some nice effects. With several sheets covered, we laid everything out to dry, then I flattened it all under heavy books.
A couple of days later, I got busy with scissors and cut out loads of heart-shapes.
Most of them have been turned into gift-tags. But I also thought some would look good arranged in a frame. What d'you reckon?
A lot of people here are into gift presentation in quite a big way, and things often come in gift-bags well packed with colourful tissue-paper. Being the hoarder that I am, I never throw any of it away (I can't shake off my that'll come in handy... mindset - I even save the paper party crowns out of Christmas crackers). I've accumulated a sackload of tissue over the years, and I decided we should put it to some use.
Using a technique I'd picked up once on a visit to the Albany Institute of History & Art children's art room, I had the kids spread watered-down glue on sheets of paper, and we overlaid it with strips of different coloured tissue. By overlapping the tissue we got some nice effects. With several sheets covered, we laid everything out to dry, then I flattened it all under heavy books.
A couple of days later, I got busy with scissors and cut out loads of heart-shapes.
Most of them have been turned into gift-tags. But I also thought some would look good arranged in a frame. What d'you reckon?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Boy story
It has been a big week for the Boy.
On Tuesday, the 4th Graders performed "Kidnastic" gym routines. Parents weren't invited, but the "kidnasts" had an audience of each other and all the 2nd Graders. Our Boy was in a team with a bunch of his mates and was, in his own words (and rather to his surprise, I think) "kind of like the star of the show". It sounds like they did some vaulting and some forward rolls and that sort of thing, to the tune of Party Rock Anthem, and their grand finale was...a human pyramid! And the Boy, being smallest kid in his group (in fact smallest in the whole class, if not the entire 4th Grade), was selected to stand on top! They pulled it off successfully, and the Boy was buzzing with excitement when he got home that afternoon. I'm rather hoping he'll invite his friends round for a re-enactment.
Tonight he has been performing again, at the 4th and 5th Grade Winter Concert. He was quite nervous about it, even though he was just one small voice among 210 in the combined choir. During the first couple of songs we couldn't even see him. Normally it is the lot of our children to be stuck right in the front row with the other, hm, less tall people. But somehow for this concert the Boy managed to wangle a place in the second row, rendering himself completely invisible. Just as well, perhaps, as we had somehow missed the "appropriate dress" memo for the event and he was one of the only children wearing a t-shirt (ah well - at least it was a clean t-shirt. And he had brushed his hair).
The concert was good, especially the South African freedom anthem that provided the rousing final chorus. Bravo to the excellent and ever-enthusiastic choir teacher, to the kids who put on a great show, and to our Boy for being part of it.
On Tuesday, the 4th Graders performed "Kidnastic" gym routines. Parents weren't invited, but the "kidnasts" had an audience of each other and all the 2nd Graders. Our Boy was in a team with a bunch of his mates and was, in his own words (and rather to his surprise, I think) "kind of like the star of the show". It sounds like they did some vaulting and some forward rolls and that sort of thing, to the tune of Party Rock Anthem, and their grand finale was...a human pyramid! And the Boy, being smallest kid in his group (in fact smallest in the whole class, if not the entire 4th Grade), was selected to stand on top! They pulled it off successfully, and the Boy was buzzing with excitement when he got home that afternoon. I'm rather hoping he'll invite his friends round for a re-enactment.
Tonight he has been performing again, at the 4th and 5th Grade Winter Concert. He was quite nervous about it, even though he was just one small voice among 210 in the combined choir. During the first couple of songs we couldn't even see him. Normally it is the lot of our children to be stuck right in the front row with the other, hm, less tall people. But somehow for this concert the Boy managed to wangle a place in the second row, rendering himself completely invisible. Just as well, perhaps, as we had somehow missed the "appropriate dress" memo for the event and he was one of the only children wearing a t-shirt (ah well - at least it was a clean t-shirt. And he had brushed his hair).
The concert was good, especially the South African freedom anthem that provided the rousing final chorus. Bravo to the excellent and ever-enthusiastic choir teacher, to the kids who put on a great show, and to our Boy for being part of it.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Kneadlessly simple and/or exceptionally dense
The bread was inspired by a book from the library, Kneadlessly Simple. The idea is that, just by leaving it standing for long enough, dough will rise by the action of yeast alone. So in fact I made oat-bread dough yesterday morning, and only got to the baking stage tonight.
It has turned out to be a little (ahem) dense - though perhaps not the densest thing in my home. I hadn't properly appreciated that when she instructed me to "leave the dough to rise in a cool place", by cool the author meant around 70F. Not cool as in the normal daytime temperature of my house (around the 62F mark). Hence not much rising went on. The bread is as light as a brick.
Ah well. If it proves to be inedible I can always use it to pelt the pesky squirrels who've destroyed yet another of our birdfeeders this week.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Art for laughs
Although he flew in quite late on Saturday, we all went to the airport to pick up the Man after his trip. We arrived a little early, so to pass the time we checked out the always interesting airport art gallery.
The current exhibition is LOL - Art that is seriously funny. The show really is pretty funny (even without my favourite faux-chandelier), and beyond me to describe in any detail here, so you'll just have to fly over there and take a look. And even take part:
Where Ginger Ertz's pipe-cleaner oeuvre used to hang, there is now dangling a huge "forest air-freshener" - designed for those who are tired of that outdoors piney aroma and would prefer their forest to smell like the inside of a car.
The current exhibition is LOL - Art that is seriously funny. The show really is pretty funny (even without my favourite faux-chandelier), and beyond me to describe in any detail here, so you'll just have to fly over there and take a look. And even take part:
Where Ginger Ertz's pipe-cleaner oeuvre used to hang, there is now dangling a huge "forest air-freshener" - designed for those who are tired of that outdoors piney aroma and would prefer their forest to smell like the inside of a car.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Portlandia
The Man writes...Portland, Oregon is close to the Cascade Mountains and the spectacular volcanos of Mount St Helens and Mount Hood, but unfortunately in my short stay there the clouds never lifted enough for me to appreciate the beauty of the area.
The City is very walkable and probably fun in summer, but on a damp Saturday morning in January almost the only other people I saw on the streets were the dozens who sadly had spent the night there. There was more life down by the Willamette river, fast flowing after all the recent rain, including joggers, cyclists and flocks of Canadian geese. There is also an attractive classical Chinese garden nearby.
Public transport is particularly good. Trams are free in the city centre, and they cunningly turn into light rail service in the suburbs and on the route to the airport. Also the airport boasts maybe the greenest multi-story car park you'll see.
The City is very walkable and probably fun in summer, but on a damp Saturday morning in January almost the only other people I saw on the streets were the dozens who sadly had spent the night there. There was more life down by the Willamette river, fast flowing after all the recent rain, including joggers, cyclists and flocks of Canadian geese. There is also an attractive classical Chinese garden nearby.
Public transport is particularly good. Trams are free in the city centre, and they cunningly turn into light rail service in the suburbs and on the route to the airport. Also the airport boasts maybe the greenest multi-story car park you'll see.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Hitting the slopes
We had another full-on, action-packed afternoon on the ski slopes today. The Girl made a couple of free runs when we first arrived, then after her 90-minute lesson she managed to hook up with a girl she'd skied with last year, and they kept going for another two hours at least, despite several dramatic-sounding white-outs - four and half hours solid skiing. The rest of us took a snack break at half-time, but we all went back to make more descents. The beautiful floodlit slopes might have been kept open specifically for us.
Everyone is pretty fearless, thinking nothing of Joe's Special, Billy O'Neill, the Dragon's Teeth and the Colonel. Except me. I'm quite content just tootling down the Bunny Hop, still not too inclined (geddit) for anything steeper. But I do feel like I make a little progress every week.
After the skiing marathon it seemed fair enough for the kids to order their own weight in fries. Strangely enough, no-one is very interested in dinner tonight.
Apparently the Boy's dangling-off-the-ski-lift adventure a couple of weeks ago has become the stuff of legend at Willard - the Girl's friend had heard about it even though she wasn't even there that day. Yikes. Now I'm even more relieved that I didn't see it happen.
Everyone is pretty fearless, thinking nothing of Joe's Special, Billy O'Neill, the Dragon's Teeth and the Colonel. Except me. I'm quite content just tootling down the Bunny Hop, still not too inclined (geddit) for anything steeper. But I do feel like I make a little progress every week.
After the skiing marathon it seemed fair enough for the kids to order their own weight in fries. Strangely enough, no-one is very interested in dinner tonight.
Apparently the Boy's dangling-off-the-ski-lift adventure a couple of weeks ago has become the stuff of legend at Willard - the Girl's friend had heard about it even though she wasn't even there that day. Yikes. Now I'm even more relieved that I didn't see it happen.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Enter the dragon
It wasn't snowing at 3:30am when I happened to get up and peek through the blinds. However, when I got up again a few hours later there was a two inch layer over everything. It continued to snow lightly for the rest of the morning, and it was very cold.
Too bad, then, that this was the day the Girl was booked to take part in the Skatefest event at the Empire State Plaza outdoor rink. She was signed up for a free group lesson and the chance to meet a couple of Olympic figure skaters, Sarah and Emily Hughes.
The snow had stopped by the time of the lesson, and the skaters just had to put up with the perishing cold. For the Girl, alas, the lesson wasn't a huge success as she rather fell between the levels of the classes being offered. But she enjoyed meeting the Hughes sisters.
From the rink we rushed across to main auditorium inside the Egg, to join friends at a Chinese New Year celebration. It was a two-hour show featuring members of the local Chinese community and friends, presenting a variety of music, song and dance. The musicians, who played both Chinese and Western classical pieces, were exceptionally good. The dances were colourful and well done - not quite Olympic Opening ceremony-type perfection, but not less enjoyable for that. Though it's not quite here yet, happy Year of the Dragon!
Late news: the Man is safely home.
Too bad, then, that this was the day the Girl was booked to take part in the Skatefest event at the Empire State Plaza outdoor rink. She was signed up for a free group lesson and the chance to meet a couple of Olympic figure skaters, Sarah and Emily Hughes.
The snow had stopped by the time of the lesson, and the skaters just had to put up with the perishing cold. For the Girl, alas, the lesson wasn't a huge success as she rather fell between the levels of the classes being offered. But she enjoyed meeting the Hughes sisters.
From the rink we rushed across to main auditorium inside the Egg, to join friends at a Chinese New Year celebration. It was a two-hour show featuring members of the local Chinese community and friends, presenting a variety of music, song and dance. The musicians, who played both Chinese and Western classical pieces, were exceptionally good. The dances were colourful and well done - not quite Olympic Opening ceremony-type perfection, but not less enjoyable for that. Though it's not quite here yet, happy Year of the Dragon!
Late news: the Man is safely home.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Toyotal Recall
I took the car in for a recall visit today. It's a Toyota, so it has recalls almost as often as I have dental appointments. This time it was something to do with the airbag sensors. I knew I'd have to wait an hour, so I took my knitting - no ban on knitting at the car dealership, I'm happy to say.
Inspired by the magic of wool and needles (it is a form of witchcraft, I think, this knitting lark) I then took myself off to a lovely nearby yarn store and did some yarn-yearning.
The kids have been on good form tonight - that Friday feeling, and some Saturday activities to feel excited about, including the return of Daddy (who called us tonight from a rain-soaked Portland, OR).
The Man adds...doesn't Albaniana come up with some great titles? My West Coast odyssey is coming to an end. For a couple of nights I was based on San Francisco bay near the airport. I dislike running, but a jog along the shore here was anything but dull, and made a refreshing change from winter in Albany.
The week has provided ample new material for my own planned debut book "Scientists and engineers are from Venus, Salesmen are from Mars". It was great tonight to run into an inspirational talk in Powell's by author Thomas Frank about his latest book "Pity the Billionaire", and about the failures of Democrats to stand up for and articulate their principles in the last four years.
Inspired by the magic of wool and needles (it is a form of witchcraft, I think, this knitting lark) I then took myself off to a lovely nearby yarn store and did some yarn-yearning.
The kids have been on good form tonight - that Friday feeling, and some Saturday activities to feel excited about, including the return of Daddy (who called us tonight from a rain-soaked Portland, OR).
The Man adds...doesn't Albaniana come up with some great titles? My West Coast odyssey is coming to an end. For a couple of nights I was based on San Francisco bay near the airport. I dislike running, but a jog along the shore here was anything but dull, and made a refreshing change from winter in Albany.
It has been very dry in California, and a little light drizzle yesterday was greeted by the local news like a storm from hell. Portland however is providing buckets of proper miserable British-type rain. So this evening I ducked for cover into the wonderful "Powell's City of Books". It claims to be the largest new and used book store in the world and it's impossible not to get happily lost in its warren of rooms.
The week has provided ample new material for my own planned debut book "Scientists and engineers are from Venus, Salesmen are from Mars". It was great tonight to run into an inspirational talk in Powell's by author Thomas Frank about his latest book "Pity the Billionaire", and about the failures of Democrats to stand up for and articulate their principles in the last four years.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Chilling out
It has felt very cold today - a bit of a breeze can make all the difference. And it has actually been very cold - only 7F when I walked to school with the Boy, which is plenty below freezing, so why my son insisted on walking along with his coat flapping open is anyone's guess.
No vital expeditions today, just some triangular circuits round town (home / library / ice-rink). During the day I made the trip on my own account. Later the Girl needed to get to the library to do her volunteer reading thing (ironically enough, the kid she was helping today was our next-door neighbour, so we could have stayed at home for that) then on to the rink for a skating lesson. The Boy, meanwhile, had gone home with a friend, but was conveniently located so that I could pick him up en route.
Other than that, a cup of coffee with Exile #2 (whose husband is, like mine, in California just now), and some crafty projects - because now and then it's good to spend the day doing that sort of thing if you have the chance.
No vital expeditions today, just some triangular circuits round town (home / library / ice-rink). During the day I made the trip on my own account. Later the Girl needed to get to the library to do her volunteer reading thing (ironically enough, the kid she was helping today was our next-door neighbour, so we could have stayed at home for that) then on to the rink for a skating lesson. The Boy, meanwhile, had gone home with a friend, but was conveniently located so that I could pick him up en route.
Other than that, a cup of coffee with Exile #2 (whose husband is, like mine, in California just now), and some crafty projects - because now and then it's good to spend the day doing that sort of thing if you have the chance.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Meetings
Not having had my fill of the DSS office yesterday, I was back there again this morning. My friends thought they had an interview lined up, though it turned out that they didn't. However, I'm glad we went as we ran into another volunteer who just happened to be there. J is something of a legendary mentor - she has been volunteering with USCRI for seven years, and seems to know most of the community from Burma. She was there with half a dozen families, helping each with their particular issues and problems. Anyway, she had time to give us some useful tips for addressing my friends' current difficulties, so it was a valuable encounter.
I had some breathing space in the afternoon, and among other things did some of that knitting I wasn't able to get round to yesterday. I'm learning cable-knitting - surprisingly easy and pleasingly impressive-looking (I'll maybe post a photo another time when I'm working on a less cantankerous computer).
This evening I've been at Five Rivers for a double dose of meetings - one planning an event in April and the other general Board business. With all the 40th anniversary events it's going to be a busy old year for the Friends, with meetings aplenty.
Oh, and yes, by some miracle I did succeed in getting the Girl off to school in time. Same challenge all over again tomorrow, of course...
I had some breathing space in the afternoon, and among other things did some of that knitting I wasn't able to get round to yesterday. I'm learning cable-knitting - surprisingly easy and pleasingly impressive-looking (I'll maybe post a photo another time when I'm working on a less cantankerous computer).
This evening I've been at Five Rivers for a double dose of meetings - one planning an event in April and the other general Board business. With all the 40th anniversary events it's going to be a busy old year for the Friends, with meetings aplenty.
Oh, and yes, by some miracle I did succeed in getting the Girl off to school in time. Same challenge all over again tomorrow, of course...
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Lethal knitting
Some of us may have been hoping for a snow delay, but it didn't happen, and the inch or so of snow that fell was washed away in the afternoon by plain old cold wet rain.
At least I was out of the nasty weather for most of the day, on an extended trip to the cosy and warm (airless and stuffy) DSS office. My refugee friends had a small amount of success today, but it took them at least four and half hours of waiting. Anticipating delays (all part of the slow-motion rollercoaster DSS experience), I'd brought along some knitting - but was told by the security guy at the door that I wasn't allowed to take out my knitting needles or yarn inside the building. Tcha.
Sadly for us, our Man has gone off on a trip. He just skyped me from Boston, but he'll be even further away by this time tomorrow. So, will I succeed in single-handedly getting my not-a-morning-person daughter out of bed and out the door in time to catch the school bus tomorrow morning? Come back next time and find out...
At least I was out of the nasty weather for most of the day, on an extended trip to the cosy and warm (airless and stuffy) DSS office. My refugee friends had a small amount of success today, but it took them at least four and half hours of waiting. Anticipating delays (all part of the slow-motion rollercoaster DSS experience), I'd brought along some knitting - but was told by the security guy at the door that I wasn't allowed to take out my knitting needles or yarn inside the building. Tcha.
Sadly for us, our Man has gone off on a trip. He just skyped me from Boston, but he'll be even further away by this time tomorrow. So, will I succeed in single-handedly getting my not-a-morning-person daughter out of bed and out the door in time to catch the school bus tomorrow morning? Come back next time and find out...
Monday, January 16, 2012
Long weekend
The kids were off school for Martin Luther King Day. We had a good time. We started on a craft project (more of that in a day or two when it has progressed). The Boy spent the afternoon with his buddy and the Girl and I went shopping, and marvelled at the Christmas items still clinging on at Jo-Ann's, now at a 90% discount.
The Boy came with me to the supermarket this evening. It was fine on the journey there, but snowing by the time we headed for home. The snow was blowing around on the road like sand in a windstorm. We have a winter weather advisory until 10am tomorrow, so it's anyone's guess what that will entail - snow followed by freezing rain was the last I heard. Could mean another snow delay for the schools, making it an even longer weekend.
The Man adds: in other news, when Albaniana was at the theatre the other night, the Girl negotiated with me to have an extra ten minutes on her Nintendo DS in return for eating her first brussel sprout, and went through with the bargain.
The Boy came with me to the supermarket this evening. It was fine on the journey there, but snowing by the time we headed for home. The snow was blowing around on the road like sand in a windstorm. We have a winter weather advisory until 10am tomorrow, so it's anyone's guess what that will entail - snow followed by freezing rain was the last I heard. Could mean another snow delay for the schools, making it an even longer weekend.
The Man adds: in other news, when Albaniana was at the theatre the other night, the Girl negotiated with me to have an extra ten minutes on her Nintendo DS in return for eating her first brussel sprout, and went through with the bargain.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Cool ski day
The warmest it got at Willard Mountain today was 10F. That's -12C, so you'll appreciate that it wasn't very warm at all.
Yet dressed appropriately, and catching a bit of sunshine, it was mostly a bearable cold. I don't know that the kids especially enjoyed their lessons, but mine was good. I feel like I'm gaining some control on my skis which makes me feel more confident - there were even odd moments when I was positively enjoying myself.
We continued skiing after most others had gone home - it's cool to have the mountain to yourself. Man and Girl even went on to make several more descents after the Boy and I finally gave in to the cold (my fingertips are still slightly numb). We should all sleep soundly tonight.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Bankable performance
A friend rang today and asked if I wanted to go with her to a jazz concert in Troy tonight. Jazz isn't usually my first choice in music, but then again it's not like I get many theatre invitations, so of course I said yes.
The venue was the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. I'd not been there before and was glad of the chance to visit and experience its famously excellent acoustics. The performer was Dee Dee Bridgewater, singing a tribute to Billie Holiday. She was a great performer, and eye-catching in her green sequinned dress, silver platforms and feathery green fake eyelashes. She loved being on stage. Her enthusiasm, and that of her band, was infectious and I was glad to be there.
The theatre was built in 1870, and as the name suggests it is above a bank. I don't know if this was common practice at one time, but anyway. It is still above a bank, now a branch of First Niagara. Walking by at street level you wouldn't necessarily realise the theatre was there, but how grand that it is and that it has been preserved for use to this day.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Austen powers
What are your top getting-to-sleep tips?
I discovered a couple today - although falling asleep in the middle of the day & again in the early evening wasn't really what I'd been planning. For your reference, in case you are hit with insomnia sometime, I recommend Mansfield Park as an excellently soporific read (I'm enjoying it well enough, just can't get through more than a couple of pages of Regency minutiae without dozing off - it's like hypnosis). And the animated movie Igor, which the Boy has out on DVD had a similar effect on me after dinner.
With that, I'm going to turn in now. But no doubt I'll find myself wide awake in the middle of the night - I guess I'd better take the Jane Austen compendium upstairs and keep it handy...
I discovered a couple today - although falling asleep in the middle of the day & again in the early evening wasn't really what I'd been planning. For your reference, in case you are hit with insomnia sometime, I recommend Mansfield Park as an excellently soporific read (I'm enjoying it well enough, just can't get through more than a couple of pages of Regency minutiae without dozing off - it's like hypnosis). And the animated movie Igor, which the Boy has out on DVD had a similar effect on me after dinner.
With that, I'm going to turn in now. But no doubt I'll find myself wide awake in the middle of the night - I guess I'd better take the Jane Austen compendium upstairs and keep it handy...
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Slushy bit
And so, at last, the long-awaited snow has arrived. A couple of inches fell overnight and into the morning and the kids got their two hour snow delay.
Nasty, wet horrible stuff it is, all slippy-sloppy and slushy. I can't think why I was so keen to have snow in the first place. Bring on summer...
However, perhaps it was the winteriness of the day that inspired me to head to the ice-rink in the afternoon. I haven't done so much skating this season, and came away quite stiff and achey. The Girl had a lesson this evening - she's getting so graceful. On the ice, that is. Her other favourite sport at the moment, which she's been doing at school every day with uncommon enthusiasm, is wrestling.
Nasty, wet horrible stuff it is, all slippy-sloppy and slushy. I can't think why I was so keen to have snow in the first place. Bring on summer...
However, perhaps it was the winteriness of the day that inspired me to head to the ice-rink in the afternoon. I haven't done so much skating this season, and came away quite stiff and achey. The Girl had a lesson this evening - she's getting so graceful. On the ice, that is. Her other favourite sport at the moment, which she's been doing at school every day with uncommon enthusiasm, is wrestling.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Winter mess
I've been at Five Rivers this evening. The Friends' Board got together to review its work, welcome new members and remind ourselves who's on which sub-committee. Turnout was good, which couldn't just have been because pizza and home-baked cookies were on offer. It's a nice Board to serve on, as everyone notes.
I had a cheery time at Five Rivers this morning, too, revising winter training. Normally we'd be out discovering tracks in the snow this time of year, but instead we got to examine deer hoofprints in mud, red squirrel larders (below) that wouldn't usually be visible and a surprising amount of greenery that shouldn't be around at all in January. It was cold, but a beautiful day to be out.
Tomorrow might not be so beautiful, for at long last we're expecting a winter storm! Or rather a "winter mess" as it's being billed: snow, sleet and freezing rain. The kids are holding out for a snow delay - we shall see.
I had a cheery time at Five Rivers this morning, too, revising winter training. Normally we'd be out discovering tracks in the snow this time of year, but instead we got to examine deer hoofprints in mud, red squirrel larders (below) that wouldn't usually be visible and a surprising amount of greenery that shouldn't be around at all in January. It was cold, but a beautiful day to be out.
Tomorrow might not be so beautiful, for at long last we're expecting a winter storm! Or rather a "winter mess" as it's being billed: snow, sleet and freezing rain. The kids are holding out for a snow delay - we shall see.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
DSS + 5R + PTA
Having had a couple of weeks off to indulge in cleaning out my enormous closets, polishing the chandelier etc, today Mrs Do-Gooder-of-this-Parish was out-and-about again with a vengeance.
I spent nearly two hours this morning at the DSS office attempting to help my refugee friends with a benefits issue. It was the usual soul-destroying experience and, sadly, for the time being we are none the wiser. But we did manage to get a useful answer from National Grid about an electricity billing question, and incidentally discovered that they offer a multi-lingual interpreting service which includes Burmese, so that's worth knowing.
This afternoon, a change of volunteering scene - I was at Five Rivers putting up an exhibition of nature photos taken by High School students. If only I'd remembered to take a camera with me (sigh), I'd share a picture with you.
And finally, I attended the PTA meeting at the Boy's school tonight. The remaining fundraising fair trade friendship bracelets are going to go on sale through the school store, so I'm no longer responsible for selling them off - yay!
I spent nearly two hours this morning at the DSS office attempting to help my refugee friends with a benefits issue. It was the usual soul-destroying experience and, sadly, for the time being we are none the wiser. But we did manage to get a useful answer from National Grid about an electricity billing question, and incidentally discovered that they offer a multi-lingual interpreting service which includes Burmese, so that's worth knowing.
This afternoon, a change of volunteering scene - I was at Five Rivers putting up an exhibition of nature photos taken by High School students. If only I'd remembered to take a camera with me (sigh), I'd share a picture with you.
And finally, I attended the PTA meeting at the Boy's school tonight. The remaining fundraising fair trade friendship bracelets are going to go on sale through the school store, so I'm no longer responsible for selling them off - yay!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Sweet little Santa
The Man is not usually much of a one for whimsical gifts, but this Christmas he was inspired to buy me this:
It's from Crisan, a coffee shop and "edible art gallery" on Lark Street in Albany.
Santa looks a bit scared, as well he might, given that it's now after Twelfth Night and he's made of marzipan.
It's from Crisan, a coffee shop and "edible art gallery" on Lark Street in Albany.
Santa looks a bit scared, as well he might, given that it's now after Twelfth Night and he's made of marzipan.
What does one do with an edible Santa when Christmas is over?
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Lift off
Back to the slopes today - ski season.
They'd made some more snow since last weekend, so Willard Mountain was looking like a reasonably respectable ski resort. The Girl, Boy and I split off into our different classes.
The Girl's lesson seemed to go ok, but the Boy ended up having a bit of an adventure with a ski lift. He started slipping off, and was only stopped from falling by getting his helmet stuck in the safety bar. He dangled in mid-air for a moment, until they stopped the lift. I hasten to add, he was only 4' off the ground at this point, but nevertheless he was quite shaken up. However, a bag of crisps with his Dad in the ski-lodge helped him recover his composure, and I'm proud to say that he got back on the lift and continued skiing for the rest of the afternoon.
I missed all the excitement (probably a good thing). In my class I was with three other not-very-daring adult skiers, which suited me just fine. We wended our way slowly down the mountain. I managed to cross my skis and fall over quite impressively three times, but didn't hurt myself. But I must say, fear of getting hurt does make me nervous, and I'm still only on the brink of regarding skiing as "fun". Not bad, though, skiing down after dusk with the mountain illuminated by floodlights and a beautiful full moon.
They'd made some more snow since last weekend, so Willard Mountain was looking like a reasonably respectable ski resort. The Girl, Boy and I split off into our different classes.
The Girl's lesson seemed to go ok, but the Boy ended up having a bit of an adventure with a ski lift. He started slipping off, and was only stopped from falling by getting his helmet stuck in the safety bar. He dangled in mid-air for a moment, until they stopped the lift. I hasten to add, he was only 4' off the ground at this point, but nevertheless he was quite shaken up. However, a bag of crisps with his Dad in the ski-lodge helped him recover his composure, and I'm proud to say that he got back on the lift and continued skiing for the rest of the afternoon.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Happy New Year - again
I didn't know it until this morning, but for the Karen people of Burma this is the year 2751. Karen refugees in the Capital District celebrated the New Year today at the Boys and Girls Club of Albany. My friends called first thing to invite me along, and I was able to attend part of the event.
A couple of hundred people were gathered, all in traditional woven dress. There were long speeches, in Karen and in English. There was singing, and dancing and a fashion show, or as the MC billed it, an "old fashion show" - Karen teenagers in national costume, posing demurely. Later there was feasting, too. People were clearly happy to be getting together to enjoy their culture, and I was happy (like many other local volunteers) to have the chance to join them, if only for a little while. You can see a few minutes of the action here.
This afternoon the Girl and Boy were otherwise occupied. The Man and I took ourselves off to the Albany Institute of History & Art - and ended up wishing we'd had the kids with us when we found the hands-on exhibition of popular toys from the '50s, '60's and '70s. (As it happened, the Exiles also visited the same exhibition today, sensibly equipped with a full quota of children.) Still, I personally enjoyed playing with the yo-yos and Slinkys, admiring the Pez collection and (as directed) sniffing the Play-doh.
It was a little odd seeing the toys of my childhood as a museum exhibit. Slightly depressing, in a way - but not as depressing as a book called "1,001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die", which I came across later today. I guess that's the exhibit my kids will get to visit nostalgically when they're my age - in a virtual museum, of course.
A couple of hundred people were gathered, all in traditional woven dress. There were long speeches, in Karen and in English. There was singing, and dancing and a fashion show, or as the MC billed it, an "old fashion show" - Karen teenagers in national costume, posing demurely. Later there was feasting, too. People were clearly happy to be getting together to enjoy their culture, and I was happy (like many other local volunteers) to have the chance to join them, if only for a little while. You can see a few minutes of the action here.
This afternoon the Girl and Boy were otherwise occupied. The Man and I took ourselves off to the Albany Institute of History & Art - and ended up wishing we'd had the kids with us when we found the hands-on exhibition of popular toys from the '50s, '60's and '70s. (As it happened, the Exiles also visited the same exhibition today, sensibly equipped with a full quota of children.) Still, I personally enjoyed playing with the yo-yos and Slinkys, admiring the Pez collection and (as directed) sniffing the Play-doh. It was a little odd seeing the toys of my childhood as a museum exhibit. Slightly depressing, in a way - but not as depressing as a book called "1,001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die", which I came across later today. I guess that's the exhibit my kids will get to visit nostalgically when they're my age - in a virtual museum, of course.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Let there be light
It's been a week of no meetings, no errands, no events to plan and only the merest bit of dental work. The Man had the car again today, so I was stuck at home. What to do with myself?
Clean the chandelier!
I'm not really a huge fan of chandeliers. They can look great in the right context and, you know, fine if you've got the staff - all that faceted glass is just a magnet for dust. So I would never think of installing one.
However, we inherited one with this house. It's not especially lovely, but as with anything if you live with it for long enough you kind of stop seeing it after a while. So we never bothered to change it. And I've never bothered to try and clean it - until this morning.
Whoa! What a revelation! It's like Blackpool illuminations now in our dining room - all twinkling with shiny light. I feel quite inspired. What should I clean next?
Clean the chandelier!
I'm not really a huge fan of chandeliers. They can look great in the right context and, you know, fine if you've got the staff - all that faceted glass is just a magnet for dust. So I would never think of installing one.
However, we inherited one with this house. It's not especially lovely, but as with anything if you live with it for long enough you kind of stop seeing it after a while. So we never bothered to change it. And I've never bothered to try and clean it - until this morning.
Whoa! What a revelation! It's like Blackpool illuminations now in our dining room - all twinkling with shiny light. I feel quite inspired. What should I clean next?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Missing the bus
I had a call from the Girl around home-time yesterday - she'd missed the school-bus, would I come and pick her up?
Well, it so happened that the Man had taken the car to work, so no, I couldn't come and pick her up. School is just over two miles from our house, and that's only half a mile more than I used to walk twice a day every single school day when I was the Girl's age, so my first impulse was to tell her to hoof it.
However, back when I was stomping to and from school the temperature was rarely if ever several degrees below freezing, as it was yesterday. And if it had been I'd have had the sense to have had a winter coat with me. Ay-ay-ay.
So I took pity on her - to an extent. I arranged for her to walk to her friend's house, only a mere shivering mile from the school, and her friend's mom very kindly drove her home. But that'll larn her - to take a coat, wear warmer trousers or, failing that, not to miss the bus again.
Well, it so happened that the Man had taken the car to work, so no, I couldn't come and pick her up. School is just over two miles from our house, and that's only half a mile more than I used to walk twice a day every single school day when I was the Girl's age, so my first impulse was to tell her to hoof it.
However, back when I was stomping to and from school the temperature was rarely if ever several degrees below freezing, as it was yesterday. And if it had been I'd have had the sense to have had a winter coat with me. Ay-ay-ay.
So I took pity on her - to an extent. I arranged for her to walk to her friend's house, only a mere shivering mile from the school, and her friend's mom very kindly drove her home. But that'll larn her - to take a coat, wear warmer trousers or, failing that, not to miss the bus again.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Freeze!
With temperatures set to be deep frozen all day, it seemed like a good opportunity to defrost our enormous (though actually smaller than average) fridge-freezer. I emptied all the food out into the icey-cold three-season room (there's a reason winter isn't one of its seasons).
I was reminded of my student days, when everyone used to keep a carton of milk on their windowsill during the colder months rather than trudge to the nearest communal fridge. Except today I was lugging out enough food to feed an entire hall of residence.
It took several hours for a year (maybe two)'s worth of accumulated ice to drip slowly out of the clogged-up ice-maker - and that was with help from a hair-dryer. But by this evening I was able to drag all the food back in and put it away, and we're once again able to listen to the merry ker-chunk of new ice-cubes crashing into the dispenser.
I was reminded of my student days, when everyone used to keep a carton of milk on their windowsill during the colder months rather than trudge to the nearest communal fridge. Except today I was lugging out enough food to feed an entire hall of residence.
It took several hours for a year (maybe two)'s worth of accumulated ice to drip slowly out of the clogged-up ice-maker - and that was with help from a hair-dryer. But by this evening I was able to drag all the food back in and put it away, and we're once again able to listen to the merry ker-chunk of new ice-cubes crashing into the dispenser.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Where the wild things are...
Rather a brutal start to the post-holiday - up at 6:30am to get the Girl ready for her skating lesson. And it was co-o-o-ld, and has remained so all day (it'll be even colder tonight). There'd been an attempt at overnight snow, just the lightest covering of white, which all disappeared during the day (more's the pity).
So, back to that Five Rivers project I mentioned yesterday. 2012 is the 40th anniversary of both the environmental centre and the Friends organization. A while back I booked the glass case at the local library for this month, thinking to start the year with some sort of display. I'd had something rather basic and simple in mind, but was happy enough when the director of the 5R Guided Schools Program came up with another suggestion.
It has been quite a challenge, I must admit, to realise a diorama of "Five Rivers in Winter - above and below ground" in a glass case 41 x 32 x 10", but I'm not too ashamed of the results. I'm sure a proper naturalist would point out hideous inaccuracies, and I daresay any self-respecting beaver would look askance at my lodge-building attempt, but given the restrictions of the available materials I don't think I've done badly. (I might go back and add a few more trees to the "aboveground" section.) I'm not holding my breath that it will inspire a mad rush of new Friends of Five Rivers members, but if it generates a little curiosity that's a good start.
So, back to that Five Rivers project I mentioned yesterday. 2012 is the 40th anniversary of both the environmental centre and the Friends organization. A while back I booked the glass case at the local library for this month, thinking to start the year with some sort of display. I'd had something rather basic and simple in mind, but was happy enough when the director of the 5R Guided Schools Program came up with another suggestion.
It has been quite a challenge, I must admit, to realise a diorama of "Five Rivers in Winter - above and below ground" in a glass case 41 x 32 x 10", but I'm not too ashamed of the results. I'm sure a proper naturalist would point out hideous inaccuracies, and I daresay any self-respecting beaver would look askance at my lodge-building attempt, but given the restrictions of the available materials I don't think I've done badly. (I might go back and add a few more trees to the "aboveground" section.) I'm not holding my breath that it will inspire a mad rush of new Friends of Five Rivers members, but if it generates a little curiosity that's a good start.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Bare mountain
Next weekend marks the start of our ski season at Willard Mountain, so on this last day of the holidays we headed over there to get measured up and pick up our lift passes.
Elsewise today, we've got on with things at home. I'm immersed in a Five Rivers project which is demanding quite a bit of crafty creativity from me (more on that tomorrow). The kids have sat down and written their Christmas thank you letters. We're all trying to come to terms with the fact that tomorrow we'll have to drag ourselves out of bed early and stagger back into our routines...
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Snowless New Year
A couple of shots taken on a balmy Spring New Year's Day, 2012. This is the "ice-rink" at the the local park...
...and here's the hill-of-death sledding slope. A little different from last winter.
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