Anna Bolena in New York

I had looked on several occasions, but hadn’t been able to find any available tickets to Anna Netrebko’s Anna Bolena at the Metropolitan Opera. By chance, I mentioned it in passing to Jo, an old elementary school friend now living in New York.

She went to the website for a look and excitedly pinged me. Four tickets available!!! After just a moment’s hesitation, we snapped them up. Then, I went to look for flights. Hehe.

It was so so so good! First of all, I had read a lot of reviews that panned the staging, and the critics openly wondered about Peter Gelb’s push for non-operatic directors to produce operas. But I really loved the set. Yes it was grey, but I thought the somber colors suited the tone of the opera, and in any case, the lighting was really excellent. Very dramatic.

We enjoyed a performance from an evenly strong cast too. It was thrilling to be able to hear Anna Netrebko live, after having only heard her in movie theaters and at home for so long. Her voice was true and clear, soaring effortlessly to the upper levels of the balcony where we were seated. Her mad scene aria was out of this world. For a few whole stanzas, she sang completely unsupported. Gave me the goose pimples. As soon as her last notes died away, the audience as one erupted in a frenzy. Most exciting!!!

As we walked out of the enormous, plush theater, I felt a pang of regret, and a tinge of jealousy. Haha for a moment (or two) I wished I lived in NYC too, so I could have regular access to this beautiful opera house and it’s stellar line up of international stars. (And access to the hundreds and hundreds of good eateries too, but that is another story).

Oh well. Given the crazy high standard of living, I think it is still cheaper for us to live elsewhere and make the occasional sojourn to the city. There’s the Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Florez production of Elisir d’Amore this spring, and I have to say I am quite tempted to make another trip out.

On the first day of 2012…

We hit the climbing gym right when it opened, correctly betting that everyone else would be too hungover to get started on their new year resolutions. It was so fun having the place to ourselves, being able to climb whatever route we fancied without having to stand in line.

Afterwards, we went to an Indian restaurant around the corner. You know it’s a great find when all the other tables are Indian. Mmm!

And in the evening, my ex-roommate/Jeff’s ex-coworker stopped by for a visit. It was a riot catching up with all the new adventures she’s been up to since moving from the city.

On a whim, we headed to the cinema across the street, and caught The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Great relaxing way to usher in the year.

Taking Stock of 2012

I got lazy with the Christmas cards this year. Not that I sent any last year. But as I thought through writing an imaginary card, I couldn’t think of anything that made this year remarkable especially compared with friends have gotten married, had kids, finished graduate school, moved to new cities, started new jobs, or found new companies.

Oh I’ve had a ton of fun. Travelled plenty – we ushered in the year in New Zealand, over oysters we picked at abandon by our beach campsite. We took a harried and packed week long trip to Spain where we sampled tons of sangria and tapas, skied, and immersed ourselves in the history and architecture of the Moors. Skied in Colorado. Climbed in Kentucky and Arkansas. Canoed the Boundary Waters. Drank our way through Paso Robles and Washington. Hiked the mountains in Seattle and Vancouver. Explored the cultural side of Santa Fe and New York. Enjoyed a gorgeous late fall in DC and finished up the year skiing in Colorado.

Within the city, I’ve enjoyed lots of opera, and got hooked on the trapeze. Sailed a little – not too much this year because I got sidetracked by the trapeze. Drank a lot of wine and read a lot of books. Enjoyed visits from old friends from afar.

If 2011 was the year of the new job and new home, this was a year of fun, fun and more fun. I didn’t set any expectations or aspirations for the year, and consequently, looking back, feel that this has been somewhat an aimless year.

Going into 2012 though, it’s time to stop smelling the flowers and instead re-examine my priorities and goals. I need to figure out how to progress in my career, or what I need to do to change track, especially if our goal is to move out west within the next 5 years.

Will begin by picking up the CFA again… Haha. While I’m unsure if finance figures into the longer term, the content covered will be useful for my current work. If anything too, the intensive studying should help me refocus and get me off hours spent web surfing in the evenings.

Stock Taking in Prior Years:

1. 2010

2. 2009, right before my move back to Chicago

3. 2008

4. 2007

5. 2006

6. 2005

Morning of Circus Arts

Since the indoor trapeze rig in Chicago is still not yet open, I’ve been looking to get my trapeze fix wherever I can. I think Jeff’s given up on the trapeze, but he was game enough to sign up for the silks class. At the last minute, we were able to convince his brother Joe to sign up for the trampoline class around the same time (although I think he didn’t think it was really his cup of tea, after bouncing around for a good part of an hour).

I continued to work on my swing and layout. I think it’s amazing that I’ve caught that trick twice before – Brian and Steve are really excellent catchers and linesmen respectively to help me make those two catches before, because I think my swing still needs a ton of work. But the staff at the NYC rig were really, really great – they were very generous and helpful with tips on how I can better improve my technique. Towards the end, they were even trying to convince me to change my air ticket, so I could stay for a couple more days of tutelage. Haha.

It was a great workout! Perfect excuse for later pigging out at The Cannibal, where I met up with an elementary school friend and her boyfriend to catch up on old times over the most delicious Trappist ale and heaping plates of pig’s head, veal and other assorted meat.

Thanksgiving in the Potomac

We headed over to my aunt’s place in Potomac, MD, for Thanksgiving again this year.

Christmas is overrated, and over commercialized. I hated Chinese New Years, when I had to visit with the seemingly endless parade of relatives and family friends whom I don’t particularly care for. But Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, a time to gather, give thanks (never mind the irony of the pilgrims), and eat. And eat.

Eat we did. The moment we arrived at my aunt’s, she fed us nonstop. For lunch, there was the tender-fall-off-the-bone braised ribs, pate, prosciutto con melon, before we moved on to the feast: the most succulent and juicy turkey yet, topped with sweet onion dip, cranberry sauce and gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a most delicious stuffing with roasted chestnuts, and a trying-to-be-healthy-but-not-really side of prosciutto wrapped asparagus spears. And she made three different kinds of dessert: a most mouth-watering warm pecan pie, a light raspberry and cream tart, and apple pie.

We went to bed stuffed that night.

In the morning, I strove to work some of the food off with a trapeze class in DC. Loved the tent set up! After a month of not flying, I got sore quickly, but it felt awesome to be swinging again. Counting down till I can swing on a regular basis in Chicago again, but till then, I will be flying in NYC in a couple weeks. Hehe.

My aunt invited over for dinner, the parents of my cousin’s ex-boyfriend of 12 years ago (?!?!?). She whipped up Mee Siam, one of my favorite sweet and sour and spicy vermicelli dishes. Jeff helped himself to two full servings, it was so good. Then she broke out her famous trifle. Hehe. Can I just say aww! These are two dishes she will make during Thanksgiving weekend every year, because she knows my weakness for them.

We made it a point to go for a long stroll along the Potomac River Saturday morning – after we had helped ourselves to generous servings of the leftovers from the evening before. The weather was amazingly gorgeous out for so late in the year – a t-shirt sufficed in the sun.

In the afternoon, while I lounged in the sun by the pond, Jeff tried his hand at making cream puffs and home brewed ginger tea under my aunt’s guidance (yummy!). More food! Had to walk it off again after; we strolled around the neighborhood, admiring some of the more ostentatious houses with their Corinthian columns and fancy driveways.

We picked up N in the evening, and she helped my aunt make a lovely dinner of roast lamb and brussels sprouts while Jeff and I took a much needed nap.

The plan Sunday was to take advantage of the continued spate of warm weather and go for a hike, but we wound up staying through the night watching the entire season of The Game of Thrones. It was nearly 8am and bright by the time we crawled into bed, exhausted. Somehow, that’s the story of Thanksgiving every year – eat a ton, then veg out in front of the TV. Rinse, sleep and repeat.

What a great weekend!

Last weekend flying outdoors

It is currently snowing non-stop in New York. Thankfully, I am in Chicago, where though cold, it is sunny. I went on the flying trapeze again by the lake this afternoon, and spent two glorious hours swinging in the alternating warm and chilly breeze.

Practiced my swings as usual, and as usual, I need to wait before the call to hollow and sweep. But thankfully, it’s getting better, slowly but surely. And I caught my layout again today, proving that last week’s catch wasn’t a fluke!

This is the last weekend the rig will be out, until next spring. I’m glad I got to fly again… the next time I do so will be end November, when the indoor rig opens and when I head over to my aunt’s place in DC – where they also have a rig. Hehe. At first, I toyed with the idea of flying on Sunday too, but my hands are feeling hot, raw, and ripped. I’ve finally torn through the skin of one of my calluses. Hopefully, climbing tomorrow shouldn’t hurt too much.

Acrobat Sublime

Acrobat Sublime

The author event advertised by the U of C alumni magazine caught my eye – “Private Acts: The Acrobat Sublime”. An alumni, Harriet Heyman, had published a book of essays and captivating and surreal photographs of acrobats across the country, and was hosting a short session at the Newberry Library this evening. Intrigued, I walked over after work to check it out.

The event was sparsely attended, but it was an interesting evening anyway. Harriet shared an excerpt from her book in which she spoke of her first experience on the flying trapeze, and how she never looked back since. Acey Harper, her photographer, then walked us through a series of photographs he took for the book, which featured almost nude acrobats hurtling through air or in incredible contortionist poses in diverse landscapes from the natural to the man-made. At the end, they even had a couple of acrobats and a juggler spinning spools perform for us.

I bought a copy of the coffee table book – the pictures are stunning and mesmerizing to look at.

Caught my Layout!

Ecstatic!!!

I was hoping with all my heart to get catch the layout before the outdoor season ended for trapeze. I’ve been practicing the trick for a few lessons now, but for the first time today, I felt confident of it. I flew last night as well, but messed up the moves several times. Once, I let go of the bar way too early, and it was only because of Steve’s agile grasp of the ropes that I didn’t fly face first into the net.

The trick felt good this morning though. I was able to wait and listen to all the commands, and then Steve put me on the first rise, so I could get even more height off my trick. It felt a little scary at first, to look down into the net from a higher perspective, although, to think about it, that’s pretty much the view everyone else has already anyway. Haha.

No idea how I screwed up the color setting for the video, but whatever. Compared to the chill and darkness of the night before, this was a beautiful and crisp autumn morning to fly. I had to take off my fleece jacket a little into the class as the sun warmed up.

I’m thrilled! What an absolutely delightful way to finish off the season! Now I have no regrets.

From Flying Trapeze

Swinging to get the height

From Flying Trapeze

Setting

From Flying Trapeze

Reaching

From Flying Trapeze

Caught!

Working that Layout

From Flying Trapeze

(Click on the picture to get to the video)

Chilly evening at the rig. Worked some more on the layout – my goal is to try to throw a successful catch before the rig closes at the end of next week. Fingers crossed really tightly that that’ll happen. Haha, I couldn’t even catch the backend hocks off today, and it’s supposed to be a simple knee hang trick! I think part of what it is is that I didn’t arch and look up enough, but both Eric and I are on the shorter side too, so it makes grabbing hands that much harder. Boo.

Hehe, and I kind of screwed up my schedule and booked myself on three classes this week. Not that I’m complaining! Can’t wait for Thursday’s all catching class.

Halloween Themed Flying Trapeze Performance

Halloween Themed Flying Trapeze show tonight! It was so much fun. We came dressed up, for the most part, as ghoulish characters… There were 3 mummies, a vampire, a bat, a zombie, a couple of pumpkins etc. I went as the devil, with horns, a mask, and red wings. Hehe.

I threw the penny roll twice to Brian but didn’t catch. My knees somehow struck the back of the bar when I somersaulted off on the first attempt, and I forgot to look up at the catcher’s bar on my second attempt. I did catch the backend planche though, and I totally dig the music I chose to fly to: Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries. Hehe, I felt like a superhero flying off the platform to the music!