Anticipation

In the last couple of days, spring and summer plans are starting to develop.  Is there anything better than the anticipation of a great getaway? 

I'm have a number of exciting trips in the works, of varying lengths. Some hints:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

Any guesses?

Very important topic

Forget Qaddafi, Charlie Sheen, and the potential government shutdown.  I know you've all been waiting for my thoughts on the Most Important News Item of Our Time or At Least This Week, which is that Hines Ward--Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Super Bowl MVP and two-time champion, and owner of one knee-weakening smile--is going to be on the new season of Dancing with the Stars.

I know, I can't believe it either.  This is worrisome, because it means that I am going to have to start watching the show again.  I gave it up a couple of seasons ago (in favor of So You Think You Can Dance, admittedly) because it was just too much of a time commitment.  It is, in fact, rather like American Idol in that way--multiple hours per week, a results show that is filled entirely with fluff until the last four minutes when they reveal who has been cut, and "very special performances" by artists of varying levels of talent and contemporary relevance (dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, yes.  Michael Bolton?  I think not).

Anyway.  Athletes generally fare well in the competition--witness the three Olympic gold medalists who have won: Kristi Yamaguchi (gold medalist in figure skating), Apolo Anton Ohno (multiple medalist in short track speed skating), and Shawn Johnson (gold medalist in gymnastics)--and of course recent Olympic gold medal figure skater Evan Lysacek, who came in a very close second this last season.

Football players, current and retired, are nothing new on Dancing with the Stars, though their talent level has varied widely.  Emmitt Smith won Season 3 (controversial though it was), Jets linebacker Jason Taylor was runner up to Kristi Yamaguchi in Season 6, and legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice was runner up in Season 2.  They were all quite good.  Retired Raiders and Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp even made it to the top three in Season 7, though I maintain that he had no business making it as far as he did.  

So anyway, it could go either way. I will be watching, at least for the first few weeks, because I can't NOT cheer (and vote) for the delightful Hines Ward.

Hines "Twinkle Toes" Ward

Things That Are Awesome: NPR's First Listen

One of the great things about working for a performing arts company is that everyone, to a person, loves music.  And not just loves it, but has definite opinions about it, has their own preferences.  We're all reformed band and chorus nerds, vocal performance majors or conservatory graduates, who now work in arts administration.  Our executive assistant is an honest to goodness opera singer who also conducts her church gospel choir.  The production manager is a fan of classic rock, but has, since he began working here, been developing a deep appreciation for great classical music.  (A vocal recital by a famous mezzo-soprano last week utterly floored him.)  You're as likely to hear Strauss symphonies coming from the office of the director of classical programming as The Decemberists.

I spend my days alternating between Pandora, Grooveshark, and D.C.'s local classical station.  But recently, I've become obsessed with the music offerings on NPR's website, notably the Tiny Desk Concerts (best name ever) and First Listen. 

First Listen, for instance, is entirely responsible for my new obsession with Adele and her new album 21, which I listen to daily.  As I type this, I'm streaming the new album by a group called The Low Anthem, who I'd never heard of until this morning.  They played in DC last night and caused my Facebook feed to explode with rapturous posts. And, if you're a regular Tiny Desk Concert watcher/listener, you probably weren't at all surprised at jazz bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding's recent Best New Artist win at the Grammys. The music editors over there in the NPR music department clearly have their fingers on the pulse of music scene today--from soul to jazz to punk rock to classical. The program archives are brimming with amazing artists, some you've heard of, some you haven't yet but will soon.

So. Need to bring a little joy to your workday? Check out Tiny Desk Concerts and First Listen series.  There's something for everyone! 

Impulse buys

Picture it: it's late on a Saturday night, and two 20-something women are sitting at home, 900 miles away from each other, each peering anxiously at their respective computer screens and closely monitoring the text messages on their phones.

Some background: in perusing the theater and concert options for a possible trip to New York this spring, I stumbled across this.  I had heard that NPH was doing Company with the New York Philharmonic, but I had not yet seen the rest of the cast listing: Anika Noni Rose, Martha Plimpton, and... the amazing Patti LuPone.

I sent Ashley an email: "Ha ha, we should go to this! You're obsessed with Sondheim, I adore Neil Patrick Harris. Let's do it!" I was mostly kidding, as Ash lives in Missour-ah, and I live in D.C.  And really, who randomly buys concert tickets--to a nearly sold-out show in another part of the country--on a Saturday night with no advance planning?  That's just crazy talk.

Then I left to meet friends for dinner.  But little did I know, somewhere between the crusty bread and the tiramisu, Jason (Ash's husband) caught wind of my hairbrained idea, handed her a credit card, and said, "Go buy the tickets."  Because among Jason's many excellent qualities is that he is an enabler. 

But! Problem: what about Jules? Let's call Jules! No answer. Let's text Jules! No answer. Let's text Jules' HUSBAND, Michael, and have him tell her to call us.  Which is how, by 11pm East Coast time, we wound up staring at our computers, desperately hoping that the handful of remaining tickets remaining in our price category didn't disappear before we had a chance to buy them. Luckily, Jules got our frantic message and called, wondering why we were wigging out at nearly midnight on a weekend.

By midnight, we had the tickets and an inability to sleep due to the excitement. 

So. Yesterday I bought a pair of shoes I don't really need and ungodly expensive tickets to a show in New York. How was YOUR Saturday?

The 50 Books Project

My old high school friend Brian is in town, and last night he came over for chili and Spirited Conversation, which is our specialty. We spent high school firmly entrenched on the opposite ends of the political and theological spectrums and would argue for hours over everything from the 2000 presidential candidates to whether the sky is blue. He is one of my most loyal and awesome friends, and we can talk for hours.  Last night we covered:

• Hockey (If you had to pick, who would you draft, Ovechkin or Crosby?)
• The Harry Potter books (Which is the best and why?)
• Public scandal by famous figures (specifically Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, and the Dixie Chicks)
• The relevance of the British royal family (contemporary vs historical)
• Gustavo Dudamel (What? I can work him in anywhere.)
• Marriage, and regional attitudes toward it
• Oscar-nominated films (Which is more deserving of Best Picture, The King's Speech or The Social Network? Neither of us have seen Black Swan.)
• Books

Which brings me to the point of this post. I'm not much for new year's resolutions, as I generally abandon them two weeks into the year, but this year I set a goal for myself.  After a relatively lazy year of reading in 2010, I've commenced what I've dubbed The 50 Books Project. In 2011, I resolve to read at least 50 books--nearly one a week.  I feel that it's a realistic goal, notwithstanding the fact that one of the books on my to-read pile is--still--the 1,488-page A Suitable Boy. That alone will take me a month at the least.  So I've got work to do.

I'm keeping track of my reading through the very addictive Goodreads, with which I am obsessed, and so far I've read six books this year:

Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)
Safe Passage (I. Cook)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (R. Skloot) -- Fascinating, thought-provoking study on medical ethics and race relations.
Eighteen Acres (N. Wallace)
One Day (D. Nicholls) -- Loved, until three chapters from the end, when I nearly threw it out the window.  But then I loved it again.
The Hunger Games (S. Collins) -- Ya'll.  This book.  I hadn't heard of the Hunger Games trilogy until the third one came out a few months ago and people were like "FINALLY! IT'S HERE!" Clearly I'd missed something.  But oh, this book. I read it in 24 hours.  So, so excellent.

So tell me, everyone, what have you read and loved recently?

Things that happened this weekend

I did my taxes.

I read the entirety of the first Hunger Games book, which was seriously excellent.

The Steelers won the AFC Championship and are going to the Super Bowl, HELL YEAH, leading to a flurry of text messages amongst the family and a discussion with my 18-year-old cousin about the extreme attractiveness of coach Mike Tomlin.

 

My sister got engaged!  That actually happened Friday night, but I wasn't allowed to talk about it. But it's Facebook-official now, so word is out.  No date is set yet, but--combined with the other two weddings already on my calendar--it's gearing up to be The Year of the Wedding: Redux. Stay tuned!

Waiting

It's nearly 6pm. After a day of baking, wrapping, listening to Lessons and Carols from Kings College, Cambridge, and not getting out of pajamas (save for a last-second run to the grocery store--mayday! where are the tomatoes for the minestrone soup?!), we're in the quiet hours before everything begins.

It's our usual Christmas Eve routine. Dad is at the church for the early family service. Mom and G are napping.  In an hour or so, Dad will get home, we'll have our traditional Christmas Eve supper of soup, salad, and bread, and we'll get dressed for the church--my favorite service, my favorite two hours of the whole year.

But for now, it's quiet in the house. The presents are wrapped. The fire is lit. The table is set. We're ready.

Merry Christmas to all of you!