Monday Review: Five Recent Amusements

1. The Paris Piano Trio
My aunt told me about a classical trio coming to the local library to perform. I had not been to our Regional Library's auditorium since the lecture on Darfur. It's a nice, intimate venue for talks, choirs, skits, and chamber music. The Paris Piano Trio includes Régis Pasquier (violin), Roland Pidoux (cello), and Jean-Claude Pennetier (piano). Considering they have been playing music together for half of their lives, they are still very lively, very connected to one another. In such a small performing hall, you can see more clearly the way they communicate with eye signals, elbow lifts, head nodding, etc. They all still feel the emotion of the music as well... they are the kinds of musicians that play songs with their entire bodies. They played Robert Schumann's Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 63 first. The violin was definitely showcased in this piece and the violinist was truly impressive. Second, they played Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, Op.67 by Dmitri Shostakovich. This musical offering was definitely my favorite. It had amazing character and a storyteller quality to it. The third piece was the most disappointing part of the evening (well, that and the badly written descriptions in the program); Piano Trio in B Major, Op.8 by Johannes Brahms. The musicians were playing their hearts out, but the music was repetitive and boring. All in all, I thought it was a great way to spend a random Wednesday night.

2. Lars and the Real Girl
You know, I can only say so much about this movie. If I say too much, you might get uncomfortable and not want to see it. But, you should. It's weird... I mean, it's Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer, the Prom King and Queen of performers in weird films. Still, I think it's provocative and surprising. You definitely walk away with an uplifted feeling. So, I won't say anything else. It would be too weird. Just watch it. Give it a chance. Anya had to put the movie in my purse and make sure I walked out with it to get me to see it... and I'm not entirely disappointed that she succeeded.

3. Yoga + Magazine
Any magazine, even the good ones you really like, can't be great all the time. The last Yoga + I received was uninspiring. The one that arrived in the mail today is, on the other hand, very interesting. There's a little more Indian philosophy and less physicality in this issue. There is the discussion, for instance, of actual Tantric yoga (it has nothing to do with bizarre sex rituals), of sacred activism (in the form of peaceably reaching out to those in need like Mother Teresa), natural tips for insomniacs, and meditations for emotional healing. I was most drawn to an article on touch. As a yoga teacher, I am very reserved about touching people. People have been known to walk up to the front desk and say, "I don't want anyone to touch me." While in most day to day circumstances I would feel the exact same way, the touch of a yoga teacher can be both helpful and healing. Aside from the fact that you learn about trust in a safe environment, a firm touch drawing you into the correct posture makes you feel protected. I appreciated the chance to explore this idea in this article.

4. Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
I was never a huge fan of The History Channel. If I wanted to watch a lecture, I could go to school. But Terry Jones, one of the Monty Python boys, hosts a fun special mini-series on iconic figures of the Middle Ages. He basically explores the reality behind the myth of The Knight (not as chivalrous as Chrétien de Troyes would have you believe), The Damsel (not the Victorian sissy that you might imagine), The Alchemist (he's not totally cracked---medieval scientists and doctors still made contributions to medicine), etc. You get to learn about something that busts up your movie illusions and feel fine with it because you have Python-esque delightfully irreverent drawings to tickle you on the way down that wake up call. I could probably quibble with a few points here and there on the research into the "historical truth," but there's nothing major worth mentioning. He talks to interesting specialists and uses plenty of manuscript writings to explain his findings. And it's fun... there's a castle in each episode and a mocking skit to illustrate the myths to frame the story (how very medieval...).

5. Barbara Gabowitz's Scrapbook, 1953-1958

My professor charged our Life Writing class to use autobiographical material to create fictional characters. I chose the scrapbook of a teenaged girl in which she documented her experiences over several summers at a Jewish summer camp. It was rather amusing. It's all about her various boyfriends. She dated three guys named Barry, two guys named Jerry, a Jackie, a Mark, a Jules, and so on. There are tons of love letters between these young people... and they're pathetic. It's pretty funny - saying such grand, large things and clearly not having a clue what they mean. The grammar and penmanship are atrocious. They only guy with a personality, based on the content of his letters, was the one poor schmuck in whom Babbi had no real interest (she said she "played him for a sucker"). What was peculiar and a little disturbing about my findings were the number of dance invitations and mock marriage licenses. Organized, encouraged dating seemed to be the way of this camp. According to David, it's still kind of like that now, but in the 50s, there were pre-made invitations in which a boy could fill in the names and send to the girl he wanted to take to yet another ridiculously themed dance. I haven't seen so much themed occasions since elementary school... barn dances, sweetheart dances, cabarets, etc. And this Babbi piled up more than one invite per dance. The mock marriage licenses were signed by rabbis! Everyone was encouraged to "play house" so to speak... which means Babbi has been divorced three times and married about four! It was... an educational experience.

(PS: Referring back to Sunday, 4 out of 20 tasks on my To-Do List this week have been completed.)


(Images borrowed from www.main.nc.us, http://blogs.multcolib.org, www.himalayaninstitute.org, http://divxplanet.com, and http://blingkits.com.)