Screwtape Reports Significant Temprature Decrease

The Cubs have just won the National League Pennant.  It's not over, though, they still need to win the World Series before we can say that Dante's theory of Hell being frozen over is factual. 

ANFSTD

George and Barbara go on their honeymoon to the Twin Cities and afterward Barbara gives birth to twins.  They go see the movie Three Coins in the Fountain and Barbara gives birth to triplets.  They vacation in the Four Corners and Barbara gives birth to quadruplets, and George divorces her after she suggests that they go visit the Thousand Islands. 

The Withered Flower

There was a flower once near my home.
I often went to find it.
It was stunted, dull, and badly withered
and choking weeds did bind it.  

I tried to to help the unfortunate plant 
As much as I could do.
I often went to keep it company 
And maybe pull the vines, too.  

The flower, I learned, had been oft uprooted,
Moved from place to place.  
This prevented it from getting
Sustenance from its space.  

One day the flower vanished away.
I did not know where to.  
I feared that it would die completely
And fade from memory too.  

But one day I saw it in another place
And, were my eyes deceived?  
The flower was thriving as never before.
I would never have believed

That this flower could ever revive and live.
But live it did, and thrived.
And I rejoiced to see it blooming,
Tell see it now alive.
 


 

Fifteen Years Later

I have little to nothing to say about the 9/11 attacks.  All I can say is that I was ten-years-old when it happened.  It was also my very first exposure to Islamic ideas, which meant that I feel into the prejudice trap.  It has taken me years to recognize that most Muslims are honest people who do not want to see their neighbors blown up.  But I have also learned just how complicated a lot of issues are, and that there is often no clear-cut answer to many of the questions today.  

I'd talk about what needs to be done, but I would only go off on a riff, so I will simply for those who lost families when the Twin Towers were destroyed. 

Johan Botha: 1965 to 2016

South African tenor Johan Botha died untimely at the age of 51 earlier today.  Let's just say that I'm glad I got to see him when I did.  While he was known for such roles as Calaf in Turandot or Florestan in Fidelio, I'll always remember him the title roles of Otello and Tannhäuser.  He was what is known as a Heldentenor or "Hero Tenor", a very heavy tenor voice for which such roles as Siegfried and Tristan are written.  

I do regret that this guy is gone.  He was an amazing singer and I was looking forward to hearing more from him.  It's one thing when a famous person goes in their old age after a long life, but it's a completely different thing when someone dies in the middle of their career.  May his soul forever rest. 

THE GONDOLIERS: A Strange Case Of Royal Confusion

So the Madison Savoyards did The Gondoliers, or The King of Barataria this evening.  This being a Gilbert and Sullivan farce means that I can't do a plot-line play-by-play, but can only give a bare summary.  

The story is as follows.  Two young men work as gondoliers in Venice, and one of them just so happens to be the long-lost heir to the throne of the island kingdom of Barataria.  The question, however, is which one is it?  Add to the mix the two young ladies who marry the gondoliers, the Duke of Plaza Toro whose daughter had been married by proxy to the prince when they were babies, and a secret hidden by the prince's old nursemaid, and you have quite a chaotic situation on your hands!  Suffice it to say that the whole is settles in the typical Gilbert and Sullivan fashion--a plot twist that is just absurd and hilarious as the rest of the story.  

Overall the performance was good.  The only issues came with the occasional stumble over the rhythm (which is to be expected every now and then), and one young woman lost her voice, but they tried having the substitute singing in the pit rather than just offstage which made the lyrics hard to hear.  

The acting was good even the voices stumbled a bit.  the chemistry between the couples was especially good.  Case in point comes at the very beginning when all the country girls are vying for the attentions of Giuseppe and Marco.  When the two guys choose Tessa and Gianetta for their brides, the other girls react with jealousy before reluctantly letting the rest of the gondoliers comfort them.  "Dance a Cachucha" and "There lived a King" count as the main highlights of the opera for me.  
      
Heck, forget about the acting.  Once again, it's the costumes stole the show for me.  The country girls in their romantic little dresses and the gondoliers in their breeches and waistcoats were so much fun to watch.  And the Duchess of Plaza Toro's dress was a piece of caricaturish piece of hilariousness.  I think it accidentally hit poor Giuseppe in the midriff during the Act 2 gavotte.  

Whole some parts could have been done better, overall it was a good performance.

Medieval Times Pros And Cons

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament is a place for those who want to experience a meal with live entertainment.  I went for the first time today and had a good time.  I've decided to make a list of pros and cons just so that I would know what to expect in the future. 

Pros: 
1. The food is good, if a little inauthentic.  Just be mindful of the portion size.

2. The Tournament.  Shaw's Death, what a wonderful tournament!  Granted it's scripted from the start, but then again you don't want to hurt the horsemen.  

3. The little fair before the show.  I just wish I had visited the Torture Museum is all.

4. If you get the V.I.P. Royalty package, you get a front-row seat.

Cons:
1. Wearing those tacky paper crowns.  They clash horribly with my outfit (Red crown with an olive green shirt?  Fashion crime city!).  The Royalty package includes getting your picture taken with the king.  While not a problem in of itself, I can't stand to see myself wearing a paper crown!

2. Being addressed as "My Lady" (or "My Lord" if you're a guy).  That just gets irritating.  

3. Do we really have to keep the lanyard?  

4. The announcer is overly dramatic.  

That's my impression of it.