More about Russia, and other Things....

Appropriately enough, since I'm going to Russia later this summer, this seems to be The Year of Russian Culture in Vancouver.  There was Eugene Onegin last week.  This week brought a new opera based on Gogol's short story called The Overcoat.  For those of you who don't know the premise, a poor bullied bureaucrat buys a new overcoat (with bonus money from his boss, for an idea that makes his fellow workers redundant, or, at least, deprives them of their raise).  It transforms his life, until it is stolen, after which he descends into madness.  Very Russian.  And very operatic.  I have seen it dramatized before, but it really works as an opera. 

A personal connection:  the wife of a colleague did the costumes, and a fine job she did too.

Jack and I agreed, I think, that to say we enjoyed it would be putting too fine a point on it - I, for one, don't "enjoy" modern music - but it worked dramatically, it was compelling, it was good theater, and I was glad I went.

And what could be more Russian than Chekov?  The Cherry Orchard was on at Jericho Playhouse, and off I went, in spite of the fact that I purportedly loathe Chekov.  (Chekov was the one who said, by the way (although not in this play) that if a gun is shown in the presented in the first Act, it must go off by the third.)  Back to the Cherry Orchard.  They did a fine job with it, I must say (although having recently seen the National Theater of London version in recent memory, it is hard to make do with a small local theater production), but it is still a play about silly people (the clueless aristocracy, the loyal servant, the wily peasant, the idealistic revolutionary), and I still don't care whether they get to Moscow (or, in this case, Paris).  But it did meet my basic criteria for theater - I am still thinking about it.....

Saturday, I was set to go to the North Shore (North Vancouver, for those of you from away) for a matinee by the North Shore Light Opera Society.   Since the traffic is so bad getting to the North Shore you basically have to pack a lunch to get there, and since it was Saturday, I decided to make a day of it. and have breakfast at the Lonsdale Quay before the performance. 

As you can see, it was a glorious, sunny day, and I had a lovely morning, wandering the shops and food stalls.

The Centennial Theater was a new venue for me, and I quite liked it.  And, of course, I love Sondheim.  Any Sondheim, really, but Into The Woods is one of my favourites.

Although based on a mash-up of the Grimm's fairy tales, it is really quite dark - as those fairy tales were, at heart.  Being a musical, there was a happy ending - sort of - but the moral of the story is "be careful what you wish for".

By the way, I saw the original on Broadway, with Mandy Potemkin and Bernadette Peters.  This wasn't that production, trust me, but fun nonetheless.  My only quibble was that the orchestra overshadowed the lyrics (and no, it wasn't just my hearing, there was twenty something sitting next to me, on the third row I should say, who couldn't make out the lyrics), and with Sondheim, the lyrics are everything.  They should have put the orchestra behind the stage....

Hey, maybe that's what I should do for my next career - directing.....

Anyway, one of the highlights was the fact that there were lots of children in the audience.  And yes, I quite remember that I loathe children.  However, these were very well behaved, enthusiastic, and, most important, the future audience for the theater.  I told every parent I could get hold of that I was impressed, not only with the children but with the parents for introducing the children to the theater at a young age.

Oh, and the quote of the production came from Prince Charming.  When being chastised for his wandering eye, the Prince says "but I was raised to be charming, not sincere....."

I have to admit that I had pouted a bit (hopefully not visibly) when friend John went on and on (as he does, bless him) about the "do" he was hosting for Mother's day.  Not that I give a fig about Mothers Day - or any other Hallmark holiday, for that matter - but it was the idea of not being invited....

But on Sunday morning (probably at the urging of his mother, but no matter) he called to invite me over, and even remembered to take my hamburger off the grill before it turned to charcoal...

Here are John and his mom, and sister Janet on the left...

.....and mom and dad.....

Also there were John's brother Peter, his girlfriend and her son.  I have known them all for a long time, and it was a lovely, relaxed afternoon. 

They hadn't seen the renos, though, and walked the few hundred yards to my place to do that.  You haven't seen them either, I guess, so....

The bookcases are new, built in...

(Probably not the best idea in the world to have bookcases in your bedroom in earthquake country, but, hey, I can think of worse things in the world than being buried in books.....)

The wood floors are new.....

..and, of course, the rugs to cover them....

....and then, of course, there's the deck and the view from it.....

....not my front door, but a neighboring one that I like better.....

Monday brought my last full day of work for now - I am out of work for a while - but I managed to forestall wholesale panic by planning a full week of other things.

It started with dinner with colleagues (and friends) Deidre and Susan.  Our first choice, The Dosa House, my neighborhood Indian restaurant (definitely NOT a white tablecloth type of place, but good food in a clean, family-run place - the kind I love taking people to) was closed on Monday.  We settled on The Flamingo House, my neighborhood Chinese place, instead.  No pictures, so you'll have to trust me that good food and good fun was had all around.

.....I am back to playing bridge twice a week with Alex, and it is good to see the old crowd.  A little disconcerting, though, as a significant handful were with us in the desert.....

....I'm also back to my regular evening walks - about 3 miles - along the river front.  This weeks' collection of flora was particularly stunning - spring will do that...

So.  What else?  In addition to reading back issues of the New Yorker  (passed on to me by friend Geoff before I left Palm Springs) and back issues of the Economist (carefully saved for me by John and duly passed on last week), I'm back to books.  There are two on the night table; the first is Ben Sasse's book called The Vanishing American Adult. So far, the best thing about it is the title.  I think it is heading towards the premise that we should step back from hedonism and go back to god, church, family and country, although I am not entirely sure - I keep on falling asleep, and reading the same paragraph over again - and again - and again...

The next one is better.  Someone left it in my office for me while I was gone (probably Brian - it is his kind of read).  It is called Anarchy and Old Dogs, by Colin Cotterill, and is a Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery (apparently there is another entire series about which I had no knowledge).  Dr. Siri is a reluctant 73 year old coroner of the newly formed republic of Laos, and Cotterill's descriptions of the country and people - of which I have zero prior knowledge - are wonderful.  I am quite enjoying it, although - in the nature of nightstand books - I keep falling asleep.... 

The other two are audio books, which I now download on my phone, and listen to while I walk.

I just finished The Great Game - The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia, by Peter Hopkirk.  It continued the Russian theme, as it is about the machinations of Russia and England for hegemony in the area.  A few too many battle descriptions for my liking, but fascinating nonetheless, and a period of history and part of the world that I previously knew very little about.  For you history buffs out there, I highly recommend it.

Finally, I'm now listening to The Big Lie by Dinesh D'Souza - Exposing the Nazi Roots of the American Left.  This one was a surprise - I ordered it on a whim, thinking it was one of the Trump expose books that are now out there - I guess I didn't see the subtitle (that's the trouble with trying to read ads on the phone....).  Lo and behold, it turns out to be a Trump apologist instead - imagine my shock and horror.  Amazingly enough, I am finding it quite interesting, certainly well written, well read and well analyzed.  Everyone always complains about living in silos - always reading and hearing people with our own point of view.  Well, I have broken out of my silo.  Detailed review to follow...

She's Baack - Again

I know, it has been too long, but it has been a busy and tiring and emotionally draining few weeks.  Indeed, I don't feel much like writing now.  However....

The week before I left Palm Springs was busier than I meant it to be.  For some reason, a lot of bridge was played.  Then there were the "last suppers" before I left.  These started with sometime bridge partner and new friend Sue...

Mexican was the obvious choice - I won't be getting any of that any time soon - so we went to Las Tablitas, my local go-to place for Mexican.  It was great, as usual, and it was good to get to know Sue in a bit more depth than one can manage at the bridge table.

Then there was dinner with Geoff.  He was batching it - his partner Marvin was off traveling - so we did dinner and Scrabble at his lovely (as you can see) place.

You can certainly see why they are ga ga over their dog Benji.  Even I have to admit he's cute, ill behaved as he is....

Also got a last minute visit from colleague and friend Lois and her hubby Alf.  They were, as always, easy guests, and I was thrilled to see them, even if only briefly.

Here. we are visiting my old standby, the Annenberg Estates (aka Sunnylands) ....

Yes, you are seeing that right.  It is a totem pole.  They (the Annenbergs) apparently saw one when visiting Canada, and had to have their own.  It must be nice to have money.....

And then it was time to leave.  I love everything about Palm Springs, even the airport....

Usually, by this time of year, I am ready to leave Palm Springs.  It is starting to get warm, and, really, I am ready to get back to work.  This year, not so much.

However, the trip back was as it should be - i.e., short and uneventful, and friend John was at the airport to meet me.  And  I loved seeing the renovations to my place which had been done in my absence.  (Pictures to follow.)

One thing I did miss in Palm Springs was Asian food.  So, no surprise, I arrived Saturday and had dim sum with colleague and friend Paul the next day.....

And then, back to the office on Monday.  Although it was great to see my colleagues, bad news quickly squelched my budding good humour.  No work, or at least not very much, and likely to be that way for the foreseeable future.  I quickly cancelled travel plans for 2019 - too late to cancel Russia for this year - I can't keep doing these expensive trips (Galapagos, Bayreuth and the Adriatic had been planned for 2019) without the extra income.  So, between that downer, and catching up with dental appointments, doctor's visit, filing taxes, sorting 6 months accumulation of mail, not to mention the rain - well, you can see why I wasn't terribly happy to be back.

A couple of bright spots lit up the week, though, including coffee with friend Eric, lunch with friend Mickey (in spite of long spaces between visits, our friendship seems to deepen each year), and bridge and sushi over at John's

....and, of course, another dim sum with friend Joyce.. 

You might notice a few of the usual suspects are missing - People have moved, as they do (no, no , deaths in this group yet).  Joyce and I had a good time catching up, though more people is always better for dim sum.

Got back to walking every night by the river...

Finally, some musical outings. Eugene Onegin, an opera by Tchaikovsky, was very well done by the Vancouver Opera, and I enjoyed the company of Judith, Caroline and Jack.  Really, grand opera in the grand style, just the way I like it.  Quote for the evening:  Routine is a gift from god sent to replace happiness....

The trouble with the opera, though, as I have said before, is that the intensity spoils you for real life.

And Monday, the Symphony, again with Jack, with De Falla and Ravel on the program, once again proving my theory that friends are a gift from god (this time, Jack) to drag you kicking and screaming to see and hear things you wouldn't do on your own.  Ravel was actually quite the revelation.  Not my favourite piece by a long shot, but very well done here, and with the outstanding solos, quite visual too.  Another wonderful evening.

So, getting sleepy, almost time for bed.  A few more items. 

Quite a change in the flora (note the absence of palm trees...)

Finally, by the end of 10 days. I have come back to being my usual glass half full kind of gal.  Perhaps it will not be an altogether bad thing for my to stop using the office for my social life and to develop one of my own.  In any event, I am willing to try. 

More anon....

Swan song from the desert - for now

Hard to believe I am leaving in six days.  I really am sorry to go this season; in seasons past, I have been more than ready to go by this time.  Part of it is the deepening of friendships here with the passage of the years, I think, and the comfort level of really knowing my way around.  ....

It really was a quiet week.  Dinner on Thursday with friend Geoff and his childhood friend Lee from Atlanta (I had met Lee previously when we were both visiting San Francisco - and Geoff - at the same time.)

Lee is quite a cultured guy...

....as is Geoff...

..so there was great conversation, as well as great food (we ate at Johnny Costa's, previously mentioned in these pages, and our current favourite for what we call "Mama Mia Italian", that is, Italian comfort food.)

Friday night was opening night for a world premiere of a play called Dare by gay playwright and activist Alan Baker.  I think you will hear more about this play.  The premise is that an old gay man, is in a nursing home - as it was put, one hour from Marin and one hour from Modesto.   He has been through Harvey Milk and the Castro and AIDS, and wants no more.  He has stopped eating.  He is therefore attended by a psychologist, a married gay psychologist.  A discussion of past and present ensues.  At first I thought it too preachy, but then I was rapt, and have been thinking about the issues raised ever since.  And that is my idea of a good play.

Let's be clear.  These are very amateur productions.  The acting is spotty (the old man was terrific, the doctor, not so much).  And the play is no Normal Heart or Angeles in America.  But it is a thoughtful look at gay life past and present, and worth seeing, if you get the chance.

Finished reading two books as well.  The first, a Japanese mystery in the Professor Galileo series, well known in Japan, but not to me.  Don't ask, I don't remember the author's name, although he is apparently one of the most read authors in Japan.  It was called a Midsummer's Equation, and I liked it.  I tend to like place and time specific novels - the descriptions of food eaten and cigarettes smoked and stops on the subway passed bring those places alive for me.  And not a bad little mystery either.

And yesterday, just finished The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides.  He wrote Middlesex a few years back, you might have read it (it was all over the New York Times Best Seller list.)  In this book, in the middles of a so-so book on upper middle class youth angst, is one of the most harrowing descriptions of what it is like to be a manic depressive that I have ever read.  Since that condition has tangentially touched my life in recent years, it was very meaningful to me, making an otherwise mediocre book worth while.

That's all folks.  Next time I write, I will be in rainy Vancouver (I have soaking up as much sun at the pool as I can at the pool to store up some vitamin D...)

Til then....

Hello, my name is Nora and I am an addict......

...and with nothing else to divert my attention, the addiction was out in full force.  I played bridge five times last week!  I remember reading - maybe in college? - that the way to train people - or at least mice - was not to be consistent, but, rather, variable in response.  That is, don't reward every time the mouse pushes the lever, but only enough to keep her interested.  So it is with bridge.  I go from first place to last with the flip of a calendar page, and I keep coming back for more!

Had friends Chaya, John and Jim for dinner...

.....and bridge, believe it or not.  However, it was not serious bridge, and it was a chance to get to know one another away from the hustle and bustle of the bridge club.  Everyone apparently had a good time, even though the meal itself was not an unqualified success.  (Chaya is a vegetarian, and I tried some new things.  The vegetable lasagna got a thumbs up, the scalloped potatoes, not so much.)

The only other social outing for me this week - except for bridge, of course, which is, surprisingly, very social in its desert incarnation -  was breakfast this morning with bridge partner Alex and his wife Vicki.  They wanted to introduce my to a Coachella Valley tradition, Keady's, a diner, really, but hugely popular since the 50's.  When they found out I had never been, they insisted.  I love diners, the atmosphere, the loud but friendly waitresses and staff, the retro food.  It was great!

Not much else, really,  Finished The Storm Before the Storm, about the beginning of the end of the Roman republic.  What is astounding is the similarities between then and now.  Huge disparity between rich and poor.  Great migration; fear of the dilution of the vote by allowing others to become citizens with the ability to vote; the rallies leading to violence, even the big lie:  "...this was an age when a lie was not a lie if a man had the audacity to keep asserting the lie was true....."  (sound familiar?)

Who said history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce?

I can't really recommend the book as a read - too many "sentences" without a verb (I'm sorry, that kind of thing bothers me - it distracts me from the message), and too many names.  Colleen McCullough's series of about 20 years ago was a better read, but I found the reminder about history was actually comforting.  We've lived through this before, and all of that.....

Next book up is called Improvement, by Joan Silber.  She has apparently been around for a while - 7 books to her credit, including some New York Times best sellers, but I had never heard of her before.  (Aren't libraries wonderful?)  I love finding "new" (to me) authors.  The plot (such as it is) is not that unusual.  One action by one person, and its ramifications affecting many others in unanticipated ways.  This is very well written, though, and I can't put it down......

Except for the New York Times today....

A few items up for next week, although not much.  I am starting to put things in order for my departure for Vancouver on April 28.  (I even brought a suitcase for Alex and Vicki to take back to Vancouver in their car...)  Sigh.

More anon.

Oops

Missed my usual Sunday post.  No particular reason, except that I was loggy from lying out in the sun, and couldn't rouse myself to do much of anything.

As advertised, things have been slowing down.  A lot of the snowbirds leave around now - fewer tables at the bridge games, no cars on the road, no lines at the restaurants, and, of course, fewer activities, cultural or otherwise.

Not totally bereft of activities, though.  I had coffee on El Paseo with new friend Nancy.  She and I met and chatted on several of the OLLI (for those of you who have already forgotten, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) activities, and decided that we might try rooming together for the Adriatic trip in 2019.  Have I mentioned that yet?  Anyway, more about it later - it is a long way away yet.  Suffice it to say that, as all of you singles out there know, a ship cabin is almost as expensive for one as for two, so it was worth exploring the idea of sharing.  After a delightful morning, we have pretty well agreed that we will be able to pull it off.  (She has earplugs just in case I snore - David said that I didn't, but then, he would never say anything bad about me, and I have gotten older since then - and she has other friends aboard with whom she can drink the copious amount of wine she alleges she consumes.  Well, as I said, more anon.

Tuesday was Jazz at the Rep, the first time I attended.  I wouldn't exactly call it a concert.  The venue was intimate, very informal; it was more like a jam session, with Peter Sprague on guitar and Leonard Patton on "drums" and vocals.  Both were excellent - Peter has worked with the likes of Chick Corea and Pat Metheny - and the audience was enthusiastic.  I could have done with less patter and more music, but, overall, a nice evening.  I will join them for their concerts next season.

Wednesday was the long-awaited Warner Brothers studio tour.  This was organized in conjunction with one of the OLLI movie courses this year.  I didn't attend this one, but all were invited on the trip, so we had a busload of 60 for the trip to Burbank.  Butch Epps, the instructor, had arranged for a movie about the original Warner brothers to amuse us on the 2 1/2 hour busride, and it was a big success, informative and full of Hollywood gossip as well, and who doesn't like Hollywood gossip.  We had lunch at the canteen (no stars, though), and had a three hour guided tour of the back lots and sound stages and sets and prop departments which make up a working studio.  Some highlights:

...the infamous Warner Brothers water tower, the original, with logo...

....the more infamous Bugs Bunny and friends.. (also known as the rabbit who made a studio...)

...our intrepid tour guide and jitney driver (we divided up into groups of 15, and each tour, as could be expected, was different.  Jessica, here, obviously loves the movies, and it was infectious....

...just one of many outdoor locations....

Warner Brothers also does the Marvel Comics movies.....

......as well as all things Harry Potter.....

...here, a pile of rejected scripts.....

..... and here, Nora holding an Oscar.  (They are surprisingly heavy....)

For all you old time movie buffs out there, Warner Brothers also put out the oldies but goodies such as Casablanca, the Maltese Falcon, Blade Runner, and many, many more.

So, after a coffee at Central Perk (Friends, anyone?  Yes, they do television too...), we were back on the bus with the 1938 Warner Brothers version of Robin Hood  to amuse us on the way home.

Altogether a successful trip.  Not only did the tour itself live up to expectations, it is very nice to - slowly, slowly - get to know some of the regulars on these trips, lots of varied backgrounds, but a coming thread of the love of learning.

Speaking of learning, Friday was the last class in the Canadian Voices series, this time about First Nations actors and singers, including Gary Farmer, Adam Beach and Irene Bedard, none of whom I had even heard of, which in and of itself is a statement.  In particular, we watched a film called Red Velvet, with Andrea Menard.  Not only does she have a voice like an angel, but it was a wonderful telling of the story of someone caught between two worlds.

So, fewer activities, more time for reading.  Pretty eclectic pickings at the library this time.  First, Wallis in Love, about Wallis Simpson and the future Edward VIII.  This was written by Andrew Morton, the royal watcher more famous for his biography of Princess Diana.  Pretty trashy, really, but I did learn (and/or confirm) some factoids, including the rampant anti-Semitism of the Royal House of Windsor.  Simpson probably saved the world from the rule of a Hitler-loving idiot!  Anyway, like most trashy books, I couldn't put it down....

Next was Fools and Mortals, by Bernard Cornwell, a wonderful piece of fluff around Shakespeare's London, the rise of the theater as we know it, and the creation of Midsummer Night's Dream.  Fiction, of course, but lots of clever allusions (to things like Equivocation, for example), and Queen Elizabeth's court.  Altogether delightful.

Finally, Death in St. Petersburg, by Tasha Alexander.  As you know, I am going to Russia this summer, hence the fascination for anything having to do with Russia in the title.  This one turned out well, a mystery set in 1900 tzarist Russia, specifically the Marinsky Theater and the Ballet Russe.  No great expenditure of little grey cells required, but lots of good descriptions of St. Petersburg and the Hermitage, and a good read.

Two final thoughts:

"A moral monopoly is the antithesis of a marketplace of ideas." Thomas Sowell

and, the final word...

"Worrying won't stop the bad stuff from happening, it just stops you from enjoying the good."  Charlie Brown

Which fits right in with my philosophy of not worrying about things I can't do anything about...

Trying to live in the moment

The weather has turned glorious, or, I should say, even more glorious, the days hot, the evenings balmy.  Instead of bemoaning the fact that I am leaving at the end of the month, I am trying to be aware of and enjoy each and every day.

In spite of my saying last time that this was not going to be a busy week, well, life intervened.

The musicals class on Tuesday went out with a bang, including talk about - and, of course, music from, Hair, Bob Fosse's contributions (Pajama Game - who knew? - Damn Yankees - ditto - Chicago, and All that Jazz), and Hamilton (amazingly enough, I was one of the few people in the class who had seen it).

Final recommendation on this:  Hamilton:  One Shot to Broadway, An Unauthorized Documentary.  Available on Netflix, I think.

Got a call from colleagues and friends Elaine and Andrew, in town for their annual outing.  I love them both madly - they have an appreciation for life, and know how to live it.  They chose the restaurant, Watercress, new to me, a Vietnamese restaurant down town.

Liked the decor; the food and service, not so much.  But the company was outstanding.  We caught up on the gossip from Vancouver, and all things Palm Springs, and laughed a lot, confirming the opinion of all three of us that Palm Springs is our happy place.

Wednesday morning, I had yet another food outing.  Barbara Seagram and hubby Alex (you might have noticed that, generally speaking, I do not use last names or other identifiers on this blog, for purposes of privacy.  However, Barbara is such a public figure - renowned Canadian Bridge teacher and guru - that I make an exception in her case, which I think falls under the rubric of "There is no such thing as bad publicity".) wanted to take the other Alex and me out to breakfast as a thank you for aforementioned book sales.  Alex's wife Vicki joined us (we ate at the Palms Cafe in Palm Desert, another new-to-me restaurant, but this one could be added to my list of go-to breakfast places) and we had quite a lively time.

Barbara and Alex are on the left, Vicki and Alex on the right.

Wednesday evening, met friends Marvin and Geoff at the Desert Rose Theater.  As I think I have mentioned before, this is our LGBTQ theater group.  Their theme this season is Romance:  Real or Imagined, and this was the weirdest offering yet, Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia.  Extra credit to anyone who has seen it before; I certainly had not.  (The only Albee play I have ever seen was Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.)  Did you know that Albee also worked on Breakfast at Tiffany's - The Musical?  Who knew?  The ads refer to this play as "shocking" and "provocative".  Provocative, maybe; shocking, not so much these days.  Anyway, well acted and directed, and it was great fun to have friends there to discuss it with after.

It was a roller coaster week for bridge, from highs of winning to the lows of coming in last, and enlivened by fellow-bridge-player Carolyn's Easter chapeau ....

.........and still more bridge lessons from everyone's favourite director, Jamie...

I did manage to finish two more books, one a piece of fluff, the other less so.  The piece of fluff - Elizabeth Peters The Painted Queen.  This is her last - she recently died - in the series about an intrepid Egyptologist and his equally intrepid wife.  I love them all for their backdrop of Egypt at the turn of the last century, when all the great archaeological finds were being made.  God, I hate it when your authors die on you.....

Next was a re-read of The Stone Diaries, by Carol Shield, a Canadian author.  I had read it many years - decades? - ago, but it was much more meaningful this time around, dealing as it does with the death of a matriarch, and, more to the point, the review of her life.  I was glad to reconnect with it.

And, finally, today's quote:  Life isn't about finding yourself.  it is about creating yourself."  Who wrote it?  George Bernard Shaw.

More next week.  Who would have thought there was so much to do in this sleepy little backwater?