Bathory

I saw a really remarkable film the other night that was here as part of an EU film festival. Admittedly I went not because I knew anything about the film but because it was from Slovakia and about a castle a stone's throw from Stara Tura where I lived for over two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I wanted to reconnect with some Slovak friends here in the area and reminisce a bit -- my expectations were not high. However, I was surprised with a really remarkable film and a discussion afterward with the director, Juraj Jakubisko, and his wife.

Bathory -- see the homepage for the trailer and more information -- was a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours. Edgy, insightful, provocative. The film managed to call to question this woman's character and the life she might have lived, a very different story than those I heard when I visited Cachtice Hrad back in the day.

To beat it all, I managed to snag a film poster autographed by Jakubisko as I left the cinema. My final recommendation: go see it if you are able (and the language of the film is English, disappointing for me who had hoped to fill my ears with a couple of hours of Slovak, but perhaps an enticement for those skeptical of long foreign films in strange languages).

Brrr. A chilly walk on the Mall

From Walkathon

This morning was an invigorating start to my weekend. I got up bright and early (with the birds, as my father would say) to join 25,000 other participants from the VA, DC, and MD area for a fund-raising walk on the Mall for the homeless. Sponsored by Fanny Mae (irony here?), the Help the Homeless Walkathon raises money for DC's estimated 12,000 homeless. I grumbled to get out of bed this morning, dressed in multiple warm layers of clothing, and hoofed it to catch the Metro, all before a civil hour on a Saturday. The temperature was just about freezing at 28F (-2C). A chilly but cloudless and sunny morning -- we could see our breath as we waited on the National Mall to register and gather. Toes and fingers slowly became sore and numb from the cool air. It felt good to get moving, even if we only walked 5K (app. 3 miles).

From Walkathon

Tons of people were in good spirits -- we had groups singing, cheerleaders, a percussion ensemble, jugglers, and a marching band to cheer us on. All said and done with at the end of the event around 10:30 a.m., I grabbed the complementary water, rubbed together my frozen digits, and headed back to the Metro to my cozy home for a hot cup of coffee and a rest. I can't help but wonder... how does it feel when you don't have a heat, hot water, a bed, or a home? I cannot even begin to imagine. I thank God for all the big and small blessings in my life -- and I must keep reminding myself that they are only mine to share with others.

Let Freedom Sing!

I am soooo jazzed! Tonight, I went to rehearsal for the Let Freedom Ring Choir, a project choir that is organized for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration here in DC in January. When I signed up for this event -- open to all Georgetown students, staff, faculty, and community members -- I wasn't sure how serious the choir would be or how balanced its representation would be. I was welcomed and pleasantly surprised at our first meeting. The singing was FUN and very accessible. There were a good number of students but also staff and faculty. The choir is very multi-age, multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-talented. King would have been proud of the composition of such a musical group celebrating his life, I think.

We are singing a number of tunes, but the one we rehearsed was written by the choir director, Rev. Nolan Williams, Jr. His attitude was creative and inspiring. I think we all felt like a community that wanted to sing for him and for each other. His leadership style was fantastic (I will have to do some observation in future rehearsals, but I was wholly fascinated by his friendly yet down-to-business way of approaching our rehearsal). He is an inspiring community leader in his own right, I have no doubt.

We will be practicing the entire week before the holiday, but the culminating event takes place in the Kennedy Center with a top-secret guest artist and Nuttin' But Strings. I imagine that one very inspirational presidential elect might also be present at the event as inauguration day follows MLK day this year. And, donned in my choir robe, I'll get a first-hand experience of the whole thing. Stands my hair on end with excitement!

Stand by for my debut at the Kennedy Center on January 19. I think we do get some complementary tickets and there is some floor space in my studio, so let me know if you'll be around and would like to join in the festivities over that weekend.

Make new friends but keep the old..

One is silver and the other's gold.

Remember that one from Brownies? What truer words could a girl scout speak?

From VIsit to Ela Nov. 2008

I drove about 3 hours down to Virginia Beach last weekend to visit a friend from my time in Romania who has relocated to the U.S. to teach in our K-12 system for 3 years. An incredibly brave and commendable adventure, no doubt. But my friend Ela is one of the most up-beat and good-hearted people I know. Funny thing is, I never imagined meeting her here in the U.S., and I never imagined living on the same coast. Life is so incredible sometimes -- it puts people in our paths that we would never expect. Isn't that cool? Anyway, Ela and her lovely husband met me in Virginia Beach to catch up on the last years and see some sites. We took in colonial Jamestowne and Williamsburg and refreshed our memory of American history. In the meantime, we remembered our friendship and had a great time admiring fall scenery, exploring replicas of the ships that sailed here from the Old World, sword fighting with colonists, talking with indigenous people, and eating copious amounts of cheesy "colonized" pizza.

From VIsit to Ela Nov. 2008

The makings of a great fall weekend. Indeed one is silver
and the other is gold.

VIsit to Ela Nov. 2008

November 4, 2008

VOTE.

There's just nothing else to say today.

Novemberings

This is a shameless catch-up post, my current ramblings, and just a general torrent of the nuttiness that churns around in my head night and day. Here it is!

From Oktoberfest in Washington

The best part of October? Oktoberfest, of course! A successful scavenger hunt that some friends and I did in August won us free tickets to the German Embassy black tie affair here in DC a couple of weeks ago. Yes, you read it right: "black tie." A hilarious juxtaposition of formality and tradition, we had ladies and gents dressed to impress side by side with a slide show of beer guzzling Germans in Munich, picnic tables and benches, polka music, and traditionally dressed dancers.

From Oktoberfest in Washington

We could taste beers from diffeent parts of Germany and eat some delectable wurst, fleischsalat, and sauerkraut. Mmm. Upon entry, we were handed our beer steins (large mugs) and proceed tasting beer and enjoying the evening. We even got in some group dancing with instructions! Fun, memorable, and probably more than a bit different from the happenings in Munich each fall. Prost!

The second most memorable thing about October besides debt crises, stock market crashes, intensive election campaigning, and Oktoberfest? Halloween, of course! I forgot how much fun this holiday is. Although it seems like every country I've lived in has tried half-heartedly to import the holiday, I think Halloween is best celebrated where it belongs. I think that my feelings about Halloween when I was abroad could best be described as careful enthusiasm. Among colleagues and friends upset that the commercial American holidays were taking root and replacing local festivities, I downplayed how much I love Halloween. Here, I was shocked at the amount of attention the holiday receives (because it is the first of the many commercial winter holidays?). Walking into Target, I couldn't believe all of the candy, accessories, cards, decor, and gear. Wowsers -- since when was Halloween a time when you had to buy lots of stuff? I resisted needless purchased and did what all good haunts do for the holidays, I rummaged through my closet for "junk." Problem is that I don't have much junk (yet) as a newly relocated Washingtonian. I cobbled something together as a fortune teller and headed out with Tarot cards in hand to join in the celebration with a fun group of friends. Boo!

November has just begun, but that does not mean that I don't have commentary. The leaves are in full color -- gorgeous hues of red, orange, and yellow! I cannot remember such a beautiful fall with so many different shades. The landscape is so different here with so many more deciduous trees than in my home state of Wyoming. I'm enjoying observations of squirrels skittering around and the gentle fall temperature (and light) changes. We've had some spectacular days. Yesterday, I joined forces with a couple of other local adventurers to get out of the city and enjoy the day. We headed out about 90 miles to Luray Caverns. Although the caves were crowded with other opportunistic fall travelers, they were still full of spectacular stalagmites and curtains and other formations. Of note was a reflection pond in which you could see the ceiling perfectly mirrored (I've tried to capture it in my pictures, below) and an organ that strikes hollow stalagmites of different sizes to create a tone. Fantastic! Afterwards, we enjoyed a sunny Saturday drive through Shenandoah National Park, a fresh apple stand, and a wine tasting en route. Fabulous drive, great weather, and outstanding company -- what a great way to enter November!

What other Novemberings? These days, I'm thinking about some of the following topics (but will wait to elaborate for another day):

• those candycorn-like pumpkin candies and how some people think they are really disgusting but I really enjoy them and will be sad to finish them up.
  
• holiday season -- my favorite time of the year... Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. What surprises are in store?
• voting and how much I am ready to see a result from such an exciting (and long) campaign cycle. By the way, I voted absentee last week and almost cried (cheesy, I know). Although I had to wait in line for over an hour, people kept pouring in. Young people, old people, pretty people, professional people, a woman in her bathrobe (?)... this is an exciting year for change and I have my fingers sorely crossed for a successful future path for our nation's politics. Another cool feature of voting here in Arlington was that we had nifty touch-screen voting machines that made it easy and super quick. Now, if only they had had a few more to make those lines shorter.
• shopping. I don't move overseas with sweaters. They are too bulky and heavy. This means that when the weather changes (and it is), I need some new things to keep me warm. I wish I could say that I enjoyed driving in traffic to search for overpriced parking in a teeny place and then fight congested malls in search of the perfect fall/winter wear was my idea of a fun way to spend an afternoon. It's not. It's just not. And I've still got goosebumps just thinking about the necessary trip.
• biking is such a great way to blow off some steam about things like shopping (or at least it is a great way to avoid shopping). I had such a therapeutic ride today down the Potomac towards Mt. Vernon. I really should push my helmet-clad self out the door a bit more often and a bit more readily. The morning biking commute is still great, by the way.
• exotic vegetables and fruits that I bought at a newly-discovered international foods market last week are making trips to my refrigerator more fun. Persimmons, papaya, mango, pomegranate, eggplant, Thai okra, sweet potatoes, fresh noodles. Yum. That said, I should go fix up a bit for dinner.

Guten apetit! (Did I mention ... ich lerne Deutch jetz!)