Saturday, June 19, 2021

"Petite Mort" Pas de Deux - Jiří Kylián

 

I remember having Cable TV in the early 1990s - maybe 1992. Late at night on an obscure channel, they had classic culture shorts, often featuring works by the Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián. 

It was my instant opinion then that Jiří Kylián must be the world's best living ballet choreographer. 

I still don't know much about the ballet choreographers of the world, so I'm sticking to my initial impression. Everything Kylián touches is magic!

Friday, June 18, 2021

Marc Shark At The Zoo - 4

Sacramento Gay Men's Chorus Meets Again

I know some of the folks here: (see video at link)

Potential Tropical Cyclone Three Moves Into the Gulf Coast

Wet:
Although the disturbance has wind speeds of tropical storm intensity, it has not been named a tropical storm yet since its center is ill defined and broad as evident in the Air Force Hurricane Hunter data and surface observations. Regardless of its status, heavy rains and tropical-storm-force winds are spreading across portions of the northern Gulf coast, and these conditions will spread inland through tonight.

Walt in SC Had a Stressful Day

All this crap was on his street:
Aiken County Sheriff Office Deputies responding to the scene of a shooting incident ended up in a standoff with a man in his home.
Aiken County Deputies responded to the home on the 1100 block of Ridgemont Drive Friday morning following a report of a shooting incident at that location.
Upon arrival, the subject, now identified as Brian Keith Salter, had barricaded himself inside the home.
After several hours, the stand-off ended around 5:30 p.m. without any injuries.
Salter reportedly surrendered without incident after deputies made visual contact with him.
He has been taken to the Aiken County Detention Center to be booked on discharging a firearm into a dwelling and aggravated breach of the peace
No word on what’s caused the incident.

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Sacramento Zoo - June 17, 2021

View of Highway 99 From 5th Avenue

Here is a view of Highway 99 from the 5th Avenue overcrossing. Since the highway was closed for several days for the replacement of the 21st Avenue bridge, I was surprised to see northbound traffic, but I guess there was no reason not to have it - the northbound cars were driving away from 21st Avenue. I was kind of looking forward to taking the bike onto a big, empty freeway, just for fun.

Duly Warned

Ominous "Breaking Bad" Echoes in My Neighborhood

 


Taking Flight at the Sacramento Zoo

 


Return of the Possum

Could it be? Yes it is! Tonight, on our nightly walk, Jasper and I saw a possum! 

Back in 2005, possums were common in this neighborhood, but they vanished around 2010, and were replaced by raccoons. Now raccoons seem scarce. 

It’s that big pendulum at work again!

Albuquerque Marks 50th Anniversary of Uprising

I never expected to see a bit of Albuquerque history on Axios, but here it is! After the unrest of the Sixties, people had a pretty good sense of their rights. They wouldn't take crap from the police.
Activists in Albuquerque this week commemorated the 50th anniversary of one of the first modern Mexican American rebellions against police over discrimination and harassment.
Why it matters: The "Albuquerque uprising" is part of the forgotten history of protests against police mistreatment of Latinos in the 1960s and 1970s. Since the murder of George Floyd, Latino advocates have tried to draw attention to that history and the often-overlooked police violence against Hispanics today.

Sunday, June 13, 2021

"In The Heights"

Rachel and I went to the theater. Have you ever heard of those? You can see movies there!

   

 Interesting article on Director John Chu:
Though Chu is a film director, it may be more appropriate to think of the 41-year-old as a magician whose favorite trick is injecting wonder into stories, even those grounded in reality. His movies are maximalist feats of controlled chaos committed to celluloid: Dance-offs are staged in the pouring rain, weddings take place in indoor jungles, and a neighborhood gossip session turns into a Busby Berkeley–style number at the local pool. With his most recent film, the 2018 hit Crazy Rich Asians, Chu showed that he could, through the same sleight of hand, revive a stale genre while providing a launchpad for Asian movie stars and mainstream Asian stories. The movie became the highest-grossing romantic comedy in a decade, while its cast—the first all-Asian ensemble in a studio film in 25 years—went on to score a slew of magazine covers and prestigious leading roles. 
Not to give away the secret, but Chu’s guiding principle is a simple one: Music, movement, and marvel can translate ideas in ways dialogue cannot. “Words are not sufficient,” he told me over Zoom recently. “For me, three notes can say what a paragraph could never say. One picture can say what a whole [essay] can’t say.”

 

I really liked the musical number "96,000."

   

 And "Paciencia y Fe"

 

Dance Tonight (Jerry Ropero Classic House Remix) - The Terri Green Project

So, we are supposedly in a new Golden Age of Disco, but it doesn't feel quite right yet - discos aren't open, the new tunes aren't quite right, the vibe is off, etc. So, what we need now is a self-consciously nostalgic new tune as a reference point. Like this tune!

 

I've Been Looking at Real Estate

Thinking I should leave this two-level house before I get, like, old. So, been looking, in Carmichael. I can sell my house for a killing, but I get killed on the opposite end too. First, I'm looking at my house's weaknesses. A fellow will come next Friday to give the foundation an inspection.

All Lives Matter/Black Lives Matter