Blog Debts

The weekend before last we were culturally and socially so active I meant to write several short blog posts. Since I had Grad School Doom hanging over my head (in form of a colloquium on May Day), I never got around writing them. Now that I aced the colloquium (yessssssss), it's time to deliver at least a short summary of the weekend.

Thursday: We went to see the recording of This American Life (episode 379, which aired this past weekend. If you didn't catch it, download the podcast, and do it this week, while it's free!). We weren't actually in NYC, where host Ira Glass and his guests performed, but saw a live screening/streaming (whatchamacallit?) of the event here in a movie theater in Boston (in Revere, to be precise), together with our friends Minh and Jerrel. The show was great. I was particularly excited to see sex columnist Dan Savage again.

Friday: We went to the BLO to see Don Giovanni--one of my all-time favorite operas. (Another one being Carmen, which happens to be on the BLO's calendar next season.) Erik first had his reservations about the stage setting that evoked the 1950s rather than the late 18th century, but I think the production was overall a great success. I'm not going to say much about the performers (who were great, period. The singers, the musicians, the conductor--everyone was great. Susanna Phillips, Heather Johnson, Christopher Schaldenbrand--great great great), but instead complain about the audience and their lack of appropriate attire. I'd love for the BLO to enforce a dress code: I just don't think jeans and tennis shoes are acceptable! Argh.

Sunday: Erik's friends from the golden CAM days happened to be in Boston for the day, and we had brunch with Lisa and Jesus, Eve and Johnny, and Marcel at Aquitaine (really good food and worth the long wait). We really like the Back Bay area, and our little group spent all afternoon exploring it as well as walking to and around the Commons, which was extra-lovely because it was the first warm day we've had this year.