Maybe Start Of Monsoon

So, as the heat wave starts, cumulus clouds make an appearance in parts of NM. I thought that was because NM is picking up debris from disintegrating Hurricane Cosme, but that's maybe tomorrow. Instead, it appears from NAM precipitable water model output that water vapor is slowly infiltrating the state.

Bev Likes "Cats"

And cats too, presumably:

With this production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats,” DMTC proves that not only can it act and sing, but by golly, those guys can dance! While DMTC displayed great dancing by some members in its Elly award winning “Chicago,” in this production, directed by Steve Isaacson and choreograhed by Pamela Lourentzos, a cast of 25 dances. And does it beautifully, starting with the jaw-dropping “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats” and continuing throughout the show.

"Cats" was inspired by T.S. Eliot's 1939 collection of children's poems entitled "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats." The songs are used primarily as a vehicle for introducing new cats and new musical numbers. Those looking for an actual “plot” will be confused. If there is any plot at all, it is the very slight mystery surrounding which cat Old Deuteronomy (Nathan Lacy), the leader of the cats, will choose to go to the “Heaviside Layer” to be reborn.

...Essential to the success of “Cats” are the costumes and makeup, transforming actors into cats. Jean Henderson stresses that especially for this show she is the costume coordinator, not the costume designer, and thanks El Dorado Musical Theater and River City Theater Companies for loan of costumes. Costume painting was done by Jennifer Nachmanoff with wigs by Amanda Walker and assistant Christina Gross. Erika Wilson and her son did make-up workshops.

...When he sheds his long old cat fur and becomes Gus, the theater cat, reminiscing about his years in the theater he displays a strong, booming voice and a poise that befits that of a beloved theater mascot. (“His grandest creation as he loves to tell / Was Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the Fell” has been an earworm in my head for days now!)

Andrea Eve Thorpe was an outstanding Grizzabella, the motheaten former glamour cat, who hopes to be chosen to go to the "Heaviside Layer.” Her "Memory," the big hit from this show, was hauntingly beautiful.

Likewise Sarah Farkas as Munkustrap, Jenny Plasse as Bombalurina, and Ben Whitlatch as Bustopher Jones gave first rate performances.

Gabe Avila as Skimbleshanks, the cat on the railway train, gave a crisp performance that was a delight.

Mind-Numbing Insomnia

Last several nights. An agony.

I'm also trying to complete the Indices to my Recall book. I'm about 1/3 done populating them. But it's worst drudgery, and it may be instrumental in keeping me awake.

Sleep, the final frontier....

Things Are Bad For NM When You Have To Count On Hurricane Moisture Plumes To Even Think About Rain

¡Ándale, Cosme!:

Cosme is centered about 365 miles (585 kilometers) south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and is moving northwest near 18 mph (30 kph).

The Only Scandal About The IRS Scandal Is That We Are Such Chumps For Falling For It

Nothing-burger:

An internal IRS document obtained by The Associated Press said that besides “tea party,” lists used by screeners to pick groups for close examination also included the terms “Israel,” ”Progressive” and “Occupy.” The document said an investigation into why specific terms were included was still underway.

Dead Last

Not surprised, somehow:

After circling the drain for more than two decades, New Mexico finally got sucked in, coming in last in a national survey ranking childhood well-being.

Finished Fourth Draft Of Recall Election Book

Even uploaded it to Amazon, and they had just a few minor problems with it.

Only problems now are the Indices. Should I use the Microsoft Indexing function, or continue with the laborious hand-crafted ones I made?

I'll go with the hand-crafted ones. They are eccentric and probably not very useful, as opposed to the standard but also not very useful features of the Microsoft Word approach.

Lot of labor to finish them, though. Days to go, before I rest....

"Cats" - Sunday Afternoon At DMTC

Show Off - The Drowsy Chaperone - Tony Awards

Step One Dance Studio - 2013 Annual Student Showcase

Saturday afternoon, June 22, 2013 at Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove, CA. I missed the Petite performance in the morning: this was the Grande performance

Slide show to start.


There were a variety of styles on display. There were two numbers that seemed very close the style of CORE dance company.

There was one dance displaying ten little girls dancing a number to "Show Off" from "The Drowsy Chaperone." Presumably it was Broadway's Sutton Foster singing, but I thought it would close a vast cosmic arc if Foster's Broadway replacement, Mara Davi, had been singing. That would have been awesome!

Silas Wheeler sure got lots of opportunities to dance, even when he was outmatched by the talents of the girls surrounding him! It's great being the rare guy studying dance!

Taylor Payne is becoming one fine dancer!

The senior girls get framed certificates.

One of the girls could do quadruple pirouettes!

I was surprised to see Brandyn Matsumoto dancing. (If I'm not mistaken, he makes sandwiches at my local Subway restaurant.)

Bows

Teachers get recognized at Bows.

Miss Krystle. Yay, Miss Krystle!

Final bows, with teachers at the front.


I don't have much contact with the Dance Staff at Step One (mostly just with the Fitness Staff), so this was the first time I got a chance to appreciate what a nice job Naimah Kisoki has done since taking charge of the ballet program a year ago at Step One. Naimah Kisoki was formerly with Dance Theatre of Harlem, and she is readily conveying to eager students all she knows about dancing! She has just started making a deep impression on the dance scene here in Sacramento!

Cat Hears A Dinner Bell

This morning, I laid out the daily bird seed and watched the pigeons congregate. Then, while backing out of my driveway, I saw a cat come running over too. I chased the cat away, but the temptation os so many vulnerable birds may be irresistible to a feline.