The Show Goes On

Last Saturday I participated in Matthew Carter Service Day (a day of volunteering in memory of a first-year Baylor med student who was murdered in a carjacking in 2003). I spent the morning at the Houston Food Bank sorting nonperishable items into disaster relief boxes. As many clusters of volunteers rapidly filled their boxes on wooden pallets, we soon ran low on canned vegetables and then bottled water. I was reminded of the mad dash for nonperishables pre-Hurricane Ike. The difference was, instead of groups' fighting over supplies to fill their boxes first, they shared supplies and helped each other out. This might seem like a trivial or expected observation, but it was really refreshing to see people working together toward a common goal without competition, selfishness, or pride.

Last week was the final full week of classes before the Block 2 test. YIKES!

Yesterday, I went to the season opener for the Houston Grand Opera with my friend Risa and her boyfriend Jon. It was a double-header: Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. The former had an especially fabulous set. Though it got off to a slow start, the play boasted a particularly affecting vignette of a mournful Santuzza praying while the orchestra played a moving song and the lighting expertly illuminated her supplicating form. I also got a kick out of the large chorus numbers; how did they fit so many people on stage!? The second feature presentation was very memorable: impeccable casting, singing, acting, and overall theatrics. The highlight for me was Canio's heartbreaking soliloquy... so well done! Though I can't recapture the exact performance (which was very powerful), I can direct you to a couple performances on youtube:
(best part 1:13-1:20) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn_eS2XFZ5g
(best part 2:06-2:14) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky271W94VHA

Finally, today was a series of ups and downs:
UP - I let myself sleep in; 8 hours of blissful slumber for the first time in weeks!
DOWN - Wentworth got into the Halloween candy. He'll live, but he's had some nasty visits to the litter box.
UP - My new stove arrived!
DOWN - The dishwasher broke. Yes, really.
UP (hopefully) - SNL with Sarah Palin