We went to the opera on Saturday. At a movie theater! The Metropolitan Opera in New York has figured out how to send a high definition broadcast of their Saturday matinee to various movie theaters around the country, and one of those is south of Scranton, and thus reasonably near us. It's a wonderful experience -- a narrow-ender's dream, as everyone there is self-selected as an opera nut. That was probably a mainstream interest 70 years ago (particularly in my old neighborhood in South Philadelphia), but these days it's a bit arcane. And old -- I love feeling "young" in a big group, and I do in opera audiences in the U.S. (Strangely, I'm probably the statistical average in London, where there seem to be as many twenty- and thirty-somethings in the audience at Covent Garden as old age pensioners or OAPs, which is British shorthand for the AARP set.)
In addition to being allowed to slurp a gigantic $4.00 soda throughout the performance (we eschewed the popcorn), there are social advantages to attending the opera in the hinterlands. I find it pays off to be friendly at these things, so I'm willing to chat without forcing myself on someone. Sure enough, Eileen, the woman to my right was a very youthful 70 (or so), and not only shared an interest in opera (she and her husband Edwin have some role in a local group called Mostly Opera) but she also plays bridge -- another of my once-common, now-waning interests. I made sure she had my and Starman's cards before the lights went down; I love networking!
The opera was glorious, btw. Well, the story is pretty silly (and set during the English civil war, complete with Roundheads and Cavaliers) but the singing was sublime. Anna Netrebko sang Elvira; she's the perfect soprano for the sort of intense close-ups you get with these broadcasts: stunningly pretty in the Catherine Zeta-Jones/Jennifer Connolly/Colbie Smulders school of creamy complexion, perfect symmetry and dark hair beauty. And she had a very pretty manicure. That's how close up the close ups are! Starman (who's British, you'll recall) and I had a good laugh over the Italian versions of the names: Queen Henrietta becomes Queen Enrichetta (sounds like coffee creamer put out by the folks who make Ensure for seniors), Arthur Talbot is Arturo, and there's actually Sir Bruno (Ali G.'s friend, mysteriously knighted?). Oh, and they had Beverly "Bubbles" Sills doing the commentary with Margaret Juntwait -- Bubbles is a hoot!
Next up: Placido Domingo, who is Not Young, as the First Emperor. Love the opera at the multiplex!
Resolution Big Board time! Job: I got tired of waiting for the office manager at the law firm to acknowledge my existence, so I sent an e-mail to the one partner whose name I had. See, I'd been clever and asked Stobex to ask the folks at his firm if anyone knew anyone at the target firm. And someone did -- they had lovely things to say about a senior partner at the target firm, so I sent the SP an e-mail quoting the lovely things, explaining about the office manager's silence and asking SP who I might send my resume to. He replied immediately and said to send it to him, as he was the head of complex litigation. Sweet! (I did try to be gracious about the office manager, suggesting perhaps she was sick or busy or both; I don't want to be a nasty bitch about her and then get the job -- she probably controls the number of pens you're allowed to have, or something!)
Exercise: Another walk so we're at 7.8 miles across the board. The full circuit took about 1 hour 15 min., which is faster than our walk together last Tuesday, but longer than mine on my own. But Starman confirmed that I'm walking faster, so that's a good thing.
Backlog: Good news: Down to only five SI (from a high of 28) and current with TV Guide & Entertainment Weekly. Bad news: Another New Yorker added to Godzilla!
Demonslations: Nothing much to report.
Off now to run errands, go to lunch and see a movie. More work on the craft room to follow.
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