Mr. B visit

My college roommate was in town for the Gay Games, and stayed with us for a couple of night. Went out to Ping Pong, and met his Chicago boyfriend.

House Theatre Benefit

Ira Glass (This American Life) and Peter Sagal (Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me) were the guest stars, and did a version of "Born to Run." (Or was it Thunder Road?) We learned the meaning of Vincemus Malum, bid on and got a week at a vacation house in Taos, and a good time was had by all. All done in great House style.

Boulder and Aspen

Did a work trip to Aspen (aren't we fancy) and stopped in to see Mom going and coming.

Sondheim in the Park

We've really enjoyed going to the Grant Park Music series, and this was a highlight. Great performance, and at curtain call, Sondheim was in the audience, and came up to the stage!

Gary Griffin, Director; George Hearn, Judy Kaye, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Brian d’Arcy James, Liz Callaway, and Danny Gurwin, Vocalists

Program:

Overture
A Weekend In The Country
Pretty Lady
Johanna
Not A Day Goes By
Multitudes Of Amy’s
Ballad Of Sweeney Todd
Epiphany
A Little Priest
Comedy Tonight
You Could Drive A Person Crazy
Agony
Getting Married Today
Marry Me A Little
Send In The Clowns

NYC trip

We did a trip to NYC in celebration of our 18/23/33 anniversary. (18 years of marriage, 23 years of living together, and 33 years of knowing each other.)

It was the weekend before the real dates, but it was what we could swing, and a great trip. The theme was vaguely "Porcelain." (I think I read somewhere that this was a "modern" theme for the 18th anniversary, but I could be making this up.)

Anyway, the reason for the trip was the exhibition of Boulder ceramics legend Betty Woodman at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a very nice small, show, but gave a good sense of the range of her work. We stayed at the Shoreham Hotel primarily to be just steps away from our favorite restaurant Menchanko Tei.

Other highlights. Guo-Qiang on the Roof: Transparent Monument: a noon smoke at the Metropolitan. Dinner in Chinatown. The History Boys.

Fourth of July...we didn't go forth

A pretty low key Independence Day. Ms. S had to work both Saturday and Monday, so I went into work on Monday too. We bought a cool LED fan at Jewel...but didn't make it to the fireworks...again. Ummm...hot, sweaty crowds...love it.

The Thumb

Over Labor Day, I aggravated my thumb. A combo of Bike the Drive, putting in the garden, and other household projects. Seemed minor, but I kept irritating it to the point where I couldn't write. And a development guy who can't pen a hand-written thank you note...well, it's all over. Find a new career. Went the doctor, and for two weeks full-time, and part-time after that, I'm in this contraption. Upcoming photos of event will document my progress. Talk to the hand...uh thumb...uh cast-like-thing.

Mozart with the Monks at Grant Park

.
.
.
.
.


"This evening's Tibetan Mozart Requiem, presented in celebration of the composer's 250th birthday, grew from the Grant Park Music Festival's mission to serve Chicago's rich cultural heritage and to expand its audience's knowledge of the city's diverse cultures through innovative programming.

At several points in the Tibetan Mozart Requiem, members of the Buddhist Drepung Loseling Monastery of Atlanta will perform traditional chants using a "multi-phonic" vocal technique developed through years of practice that allows the intonation of "many sounds" simultaneously across a three-octave range by a single voice. The performance, inspired by a similar venture by the Stuttgart Philharmonic in 1996, was designed to juxtapose Western classical music and theological interpretations of death and redemption with those of Tibetan Buddhist culture, tenets central to both religions.

"By juxtaposing the forms of artistic expression and the liturgies of two different religions," His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, "one may arrive at an unexpected understanding of the affinities as well as the special characteristics of these two traditions."

So, it wasn't really incorporated--just the Monks doing their thing in between sections of Mozart.


MOZART Piano Concerto in Major, K. 503
MOZART Requeim Mass, K. 626 (Levin version)
Tibet Chant
Introit
Kyrie
Dies Irae
Tibet Chant
Tuba Mirum
Rex Tremendae
Tibet Chant
Recordare
Confutatis
Lacrimosa
Tibet Chant
Domine Jesu
Hostias
Sanctuas
Tibet Chant
Benedictus
Agnus Dei
Tibet Chant
Lux Aeterna

Ms. S's Mom and Ms. G in town

Concert in Grant Park with the Joffrey, Architecture Foundation boat tour, dinner in Little Italy, King Tut at the Field, Bahai Temple, dinner at Thai Pastry were just some of the highlights of this whirlwind visit.

Cubs v. Astros Bleachers

"Carlos Zambrano stifled the Astros for seven innings, allowing one run on five hits and striking out five, but Houston tagged Bob Howry and benefited from a costly error in the eighth to steal one from the Cubs. Jacque Jones homered and Juan Pierre set a new career high with four steals."






.
.





We sat in the Bleachers, but because we came late, we sat in the last row, under the scoreboard. It was shady and cool. Cool. (The theme seemed to be red on the girls, blue on the boys...)

Hecuba with the Goodbye Girl

A relentless production (lots of yelling), a good cast, a good script, but Marsha Mason didn't cut it for me. Can't put my finger on it, but it was the believability thing.

The Boy Detective Fails

First, check out this video prologue.
















House took on the challenge of staging a novel, it was all over the place, but still great. Jake, where did that accent come from???

Lettice and Lovage at the Court

We were both thinking we might make an early exit after a long week, but this production kept us to the end. A little over the top, but fun.

Henry IV Part I and II

A six hour marathon production of the Henry IV plays back to back with a dinner break. This production will go on the the Royal Shakespeare as part of their "present the entire canon in a year" festival. We both thought it was a pretty strong production. Hotspur was hot. And my trainer, Mr. H., had some cool cameos.

Alumni Weekend Is All About the Golf Carts

OK, so my main interest in alumni weekend was the award to James Q. Wilson, since generally grad students don't get caught up in reunions.

Still...for me, it's all about who gets to drive the golf carts. Watch out if anyone with the initials J. J. is behind the wheel.