I DIDN'T have my own car to drive, to start with. As noted, I was experiencing great angst about it all, but with the help of friend Alex, found a trustworthy mechanic (apparently not an oxymoron), and off it went. Meanwhile, Alex gave me his car (now a spare) to drive...
.....yes, that is me. It suits me, don't you think? An oldie, but a goodie, just like me....
I DIDN'T go to zumba on Tuesday either, but I had an excuse - it was the first of three spring classes on The Broadway Musical, from Showboat to Sondheim, from Hair to Hamilton. The instructor, Cash Baxter (great name, isn't it?) was one I had taken classes with previously, most recently on Art Theft and Forgery. He is a funny old codger, full of stories, one of those whose classes I would take whatever the subject. I hadn't realized, though, that he had actually acted (and directed too, I think) on Broadway in the good old days. It proved to be as much fun as I suspected it would be, and I am looking forward to the next two sessions.
I did NOT go to the "meet and greet" dinner at Mario's hosted by the Canadian Club on Tuesday evening. People at these things, in spite of the title, seem to come in two's, and I wasn't up for it. (I found out later that, indeed, there were some single people, but they did not come alone, two sisters coming together, for example, or a momentarily single person coming with a friend. Oh, well.)
I DID play bridge with Alex and Chaya on Monday and Wednesday respectively (in the first successfully, in terms of master points, in the second not so successfully in that regard, but successful in terms of having a good time) - everyone loves to come to our table, as we are so clearly having fun. (NO bridge with Robin on Friday - children and grandchildren visiting - what an excuse, I mean, really?)
I DID go to the Met broadcast of Rossini's Semiramide. For me, it was a mixed success. They perform this opera about once every twenty five years (the last time I saw it was in San Francisco in the 80's, with Marilyn Horne and Monserrat Caballe), because it requires five strong singers (including a trouser role) and massive staging. In the Met's production, the voices were all glorious, although their acting skills left something to be desired. The trouser role in particular spent all her time looking at the prompter instead of the audience. (That, of course, is one of the pitfalls of HD - you can see clearly things that would not have been so noticeable in the audience, even in orchestra seats...) The music was glorious too - the orchestra did a great job. I found the costumes tacky, though (again, something that wouldn't have been so noticeable in the house), and the staging seemed tired, even though it was (reasonably) new. Finally, while with Mozart there are never too many notes for me, Rossini did seem to have too many - it seemed interminable!
And while we are talking about opera, how about James Levine, let go from the Met due to allegations of sexual impropriety, and now suing. What a stupid, stupid man. (And yes, I fully recognize all that he did for the Metropolitan Opera and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, as well as other orchestras around the world.) I am not a big believer in trial by accusation, as most of you know (shades of Salem and witches), but these are not anonymous accusations, but named persons with corroborated stories, and now it will all come out in the front pages of the New York Times. It is likely true, as Levine alleges, that Gelb (the general manager of the Met) has been trying to get Levine out for years. Well, he should have left years ago. He has been sick, his conducting has recently, by all accounts, been erratic, and he looks like a drooling idiot. Why can't people just stop while their reputations are still intact?
Like Tillerson. But that's another story for another day.
So, I DID go to zumba on Thursday(I wish I could attach audio....)
I DID go to my other spring class on Friday, this one entitled Canadian Voices, with Gary Walter as the instructor. As with the desert, because I didn't grow up there, I always feel as though I am missing something in Canada. Hence, the course. The first lesson, he talked about an interesting mixture of performers (Stuart McLean, Peter Gzoski, John Barton), writers (Pierre Berton) and businessmen who influenced Canadian life for the better (Jim Pattison and Mel Cooper). Next session focuses more on the writers (from Steven Leacock and Robert Service to Michael Ondaatje; the third will be the by-now obligatory women and native voices. Perhaps not as successful as some of my other choices, but hey, it can't hurt
!
And I DID go an opening at the Galen Art Museum on Friday evening, although it was a near thing. I almost didn't go - see reasons above - but I was tempted by a new show of photographs (new and old) of the desert, not to mention free cocktails and appies.
I have been hanging around the art crowd for long enough now (I am a member of both the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Galen) that I know lots of the people (they tend to frequent bridge and the opera and theater events too, of course, and even some of the classes). So I spend about an hour being social (even under those favourable circumstances, that is about all I can bear...) and then, when it got dark and chilly, went inside to see the photos. The old ones - circa 1925 - were by Stephan H Willard - no, I hadn't heard of him before either - the new ones by a variety of photographers I had also never heard of (strange, how we learn the names of artists in other mediums but photographers, not so much).
Anyway, there were a lot of interesting - and moving - photographers. And yes, I tried to put into practice the idea of "seeing slowly", that is letting the pictures draw me, spending more time with them then I would have normally, and trying not to be distracted by either the well meaning wall plaques and the people around me. All in all, a lovely evening (again, coming home with the top down, the balmy air and the stars, a perfect finish).
Saturday, in spite of the fact it was a gorgeous sunny day, I spent it indoors playing two sessions of bridge. (The excuse was that it was too windy to be outdoors, as indeed it was - it often is this time of year) I played in the morning with usual partner Alex, and in the afternoon with a pick-up partner, here for a week from Idaho. It is always a trick - so to speak - reconciling different styles of bridge and different conventions in the fifteen minutes usually available, but she was a lovely lady, and we had a great time. And I came in the money (metaphorically, of course - I would be very poor if I played bridge for money) both morning and afternoon, which might be a first for me!!!
Which brings me to today, my sitting in the sun with my coffee and my New York Times day (not so much wind today).
We did have a dump of rain for a few hours - note I said a few hours, not a few days, Vancouverites - and so I thought I would show you our mountains with snow on the top....
....this is just how I like my snow. Closer to home, however, the flowers are blooming...
......and the birds are making a racket...
All in all, a lovely week, marred only by the making of my plane reservation to return to Vancouver on April 28. Don't get me wrong, it will be great to see my friends in Vancouver, but I am having such a wonderful time here, and the season seems to have flown by.....
.....yes, that is me. It suits me, don't you think? An oldie, but a goodie, just like me....
I DIDN'T go to zumba on Tuesday either, but I had an excuse - it was the first of three spring classes on The Broadway Musical, from Showboat to Sondheim, from Hair to Hamilton. The instructor, Cash Baxter (great name, isn't it?) was one I had taken classes with previously, most recently on Art Theft and Forgery. He is a funny old codger, full of stories, one of those whose classes I would take whatever the subject. I hadn't realized, though, that he had actually acted (and directed too, I think) on Broadway in the good old days. It proved to be as much fun as I suspected it would be, and I am looking forward to the next two sessions.
I did NOT go to the "meet and greet" dinner at Mario's hosted by the Canadian Club on Tuesday evening. People at these things, in spite of the title, seem to come in two's, and I wasn't up for it. (I found out later that, indeed, there were some single people, but they did not come alone, two sisters coming together, for example, or a momentarily single person coming with a friend. Oh, well.)
I DID play bridge with Alex and Chaya on Monday and Wednesday respectively (in the first successfully, in terms of master points, in the second not so successfully in that regard, but successful in terms of having a good time) - everyone loves to come to our table, as we are so clearly having fun. (NO bridge with Robin on Friday - children and grandchildren visiting - what an excuse, I mean, really?)
I DID go to the Met broadcast of Rossini's Semiramide. For me, it was a mixed success. They perform this opera about once every twenty five years (the last time I saw it was in San Francisco in the 80's, with Marilyn Horne and Monserrat Caballe), because it requires five strong singers (including a trouser role) and massive staging. In the Met's production, the voices were all glorious, although their acting skills left something to be desired. The trouser role in particular spent all her time looking at the prompter instead of the audience. (That, of course, is one of the pitfalls of HD - you can see clearly things that would not have been so noticeable in the audience, even in orchestra seats...) The music was glorious too - the orchestra did a great job. I found the costumes tacky, though (again, something that wouldn't have been so noticeable in the house), and the staging seemed tired, even though it was (reasonably) new. Finally, while with Mozart there are never too many notes for me, Rossini did seem to have too many - it seemed interminable!
And while we are talking about opera, how about James Levine, let go from the Met due to allegations of sexual impropriety, and now suing. What a stupid, stupid man. (And yes, I fully recognize all that he did for the Metropolitan Opera and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, as well as other orchestras around the world.) I am not a big believer in trial by accusation, as most of you know (shades of Salem and witches), but these are not anonymous accusations, but named persons with corroborated stories, and now it will all come out in the front pages of the New York Times. It is likely true, as Levine alleges, that Gelb (the general manager of the Met) has been trying to get Levine out for years. Well, he should have left years ago. He has been sick, his conducting has recently, by all accounts, been erratic, and he looks like a drooling idiot. Why can't people just stop while their reputations are still intact?
Like Tillerson. But that's another story for another day.
I DID go to my other spring class on Friday, this one entitled Canadian Voices, with Gary Walter as the instructor. As with the desert, because I didn't grow up there, I always feel as though I am missing something in Canada. Hence, the course. The first lesson, he talked about an interesting mixture of performers (Stuart McLean, Peter Gzoski, John Barton), writers (Pierre Berton) and businessmen who influenced Canadian life for the better (Jim Pattison and Mel Cooper). Next session focuses more on the writers (from Steven Leacock and Robert Service to Michael Ondaatje; the third will be the by-now obligatory women and native voices. Perhaps not as successful as some of my other choices, but hey, it can't hurt
!
And I DID go an opening at the Galen Art Museum on Friday evening, although it was a near thing. I almost didn't go - see reasons above - but I was tempted by a new show of photographs (new and old) of the desert, not to mention free cocktails and appies.
I have been hanging around the art crowd for long enough now (I am a member of both the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Galen) that I know lots of the people (they tend to frequent bridge and the opera and theater events too, of course, and even some of the classes). So I spend about an hour being social (even under those favourable circumstances, that is about all I can bear...) and then, when it got dark and chilly, went inside to see the photos. The old ones - circa 1925 - were by Stephan H Willard - no, I hadn't heard of him before either - the new ones by a variety of photographers I had also never heard of (strange, how we learn the names of artists in other mediums but photographers, not so much).
Anyway, there were a lot of interesting - and moving - photographers. And yes, I tried to put into practice the idea of "seeing slowly", that is letting the pictures draw me, spending more time with them then I would have normally, and trying not to be distracted by either the well meaning wall plaques and the people around me. All in all, a lovely evening (again, coming home with the top down, the balmy air and the stars, a perfect finish).
Saturday, in spite of the fact it was a gorgeous sunny day, I spent it indoors playing two sessions of bridge. (The excuse was that it was too windy to be outdoors, as indeed it was - it often is this time of year) I played in the morning with usual partner Alex, and in the afternoon with a pick-up partner, here for a week from Idaho. It is always a trick - so to speak - reconciling different styles of bridge and different conventions in the fifteen minutes usually available, but she was a lovely lady, and we had a great time. And I came in the money (metaphorically, of course - I would be very poor if I played bridge for money) both morning and afternoon, which might be a first for me!!!
Which brings me to today, my sitting in the sun with my coffee and my New York Times day (not so much wind today).
We did have a dump of rain for a few hours - note I said a few hours, not a few days, Vancouverites - and so I thought I would show you our mountains with snow on the top....
....this is just how I like my snow. Closer to home, however, the flowers are blooming...
......and the birds are making a racket...
All in all, a lovely week, marred only by the making of my plane reservation to return to Vancouver on April 28. Don't get me wrong, it will be great to see my friends in Vancouver, but I am having such a wonderful time here, and the season seems to have flown by.....
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