Palmyra excursion

In church last week, a member of the temple presidency came to speak to our ward.  We live in the Palmyra temple district.  Strangely enough, he and his wife spoke about the importance of attending the temple.  What a surprise!  All kidding aside, the message was loud and clear to me and Desiree.  We needed to go to the temple.  We had not been since very shortly before we left Salt Lake City in May.  As it was then the very end of September we knew it was long overdue.  We made plans to go that Wednesday night since I didn't have rehearsal.  It's a three hour drive, so Desiree had to leave work a bit early to make it.  (She was temping for the opera company that week.)

As we were leaving home, we checked to see if we had our recommends.  Desiree's eagle eyes spotted our foolish deficiency.  Our recommends had expired at the end of April.  Color us embarrassed!  It seems even stranger since our bishop in Salt Lake asked us if we needed them renewed before we left.  We blissfully and ignorantly said we were just fine.  So now we needed to make a decision.  We felt strongly that we should go to the temple, but were not able to go in.  Should we go anyway?  Since the Palmyra temple is located practically next door to the Sacred Grove, we decided to follow the promptings of the Spirit and go on the errand anyway, even if we were not able to fulfill it entirely.

By the time we got to Palmyra it was very dark.  We made a brief stop at the grounds of the temple.  It is beautiful there.  The windows all have gold and green stained-glass representations of trees in them.  The grounds are very colorful and perfectly manicured.  It was great to be there even if we couldn't go inside.  Then we went to the grove.  Since it was dark, we used a flash light to go down the somewhat lengthy path that leads to it.  There was no one else there.  This was kind of a comfort to me and Desiree since we both have a mild aversion to tour guides at Church history sites.

Honestly, the path was kind of scary.  The woods are frightening at night when the mist is gathering.  Perhaps if I had been there before it would have been different.  Maybe if I wasn't from the suburbs of Salt Lake where "woods" is more likely a last name than a topographical occurrence I would have been more at ease.  In any case, I was aware of every tiny noise around us as we started our journey down a path to what we hoped would be a place of spiritual enlightenment.  The clearness of the path laid out before us by people who knew the way was a quieting comfort.

We arrived at a small area that served as an outdoor chapel, with log pews facing the area where Priesthood leaders no doubt instruct and inspire those who want to enter the sacred area ahead.  Right before we stepped into the small clearing among the trees where Joseph saw his first vision, a foghorn went off in the distance.  It startled us.  Quite a lot.  We held our breaths in the way one does when frightened in an unfamiliar, foggy, dark wood.  But since we had come this far already, we decided to see the grove regardless of reservations and fears.  We stepped through the curtain of foliage into the sacred area and almost immediately the heavens opened and rain fell.  It seemed to me to be a gift from above.  I then realized that the foghorn was to warn us of the coming storm.  The canopy above sheltered us for the few moments we stood and felt that we were in a special place.  I felt giddy as we ran back through the rain to our car in the parking lot.

God watches us and gives us what is good for us even if it isn't exactly what we expect at the time.

Charlie Chaplin

When Desiree and I first moved to Binghamton, we had little to do.  There were a few days before I had any rehearsals and Desiree had no job (as you all know from her previous post).  We had no TV reception, we didn't have internet and we didn't know anybody in town.  It was pretty dull.  But across the street from us is the Broome County Public Library.  Ah ha!  Entertainment!  All those books just waiting to be read!  So we checked out some movies to watch.  (Insert ironic facial expression here.)

But I don't feel badly about this decision in the least because the movies we checked out were of Olympian significance in the world of film and in our American (and world) culture.  We watched 4 movies written by, directed by, and starring Charles Chaplin.  Let me just say; this guy was an absolute genius.

The first film we watched was "The Gold Rush."  Chaplin made this movie as a silent film originally, but re-released it decades later with his own original score and narration replacing the text panels common to silent films.  Next was "The Great Dictator," in which Chaplin first spoke.   We next "Modern Times," which was released before "The Great Dictator" but in which Chaplin first sang.  Most recently we saw "Limelight," which was his last film made in the U.S.

Each of these movies is a masterpiece.  I think the word "masterpiece" can be over-used since in theory, an artist should only produce one work to define him or her as a true artist, but I can't help it.  Each of them is a masterpiece.  I had the erroneous conception that Chaplin only made short films with little to no significant plot.  I also thought they were all written by someone else.  I further thought that he only played the "Little Tramp" character with whom he is so permanently identified.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The plots of these four films are not only his own creations, they each have a distinct voice and powerful message.  Each is evocative of a tone and theme that speak as resonantly today as they did at the time.  I can't recommend enough a viewing of each of these jewels.

The cool thing about watching these movies (besides the movies themselves) was the special features disc available with each film.  From them I learned a good deal about Chaplin's life.  There is one thing that I cannot pass up mentioning:  Charlie Chaplin, the undisputedly best loved and most famous film maker of his day was banned from the United States during the McCarthy trials of the late 40's and early 50's.  He returned to his native England and returned only to receive an Oscar for which he was only allowed to stay for a few short days.  He had lived and worked in the U.S. for 40 years.  I was absolutely crushed to hear our beautiful country had done something so coldhearted to a man whose only work was to make the whole world smile.  

Luckily those days of ideological intolerance are past.   Today careers of good-hearted men and women aren't smeared by insensitive stereotypes and accusations.  It would be a tragedy if a vocal minority of purportedly morally high-minded people convinced the rest of us that those who are well-intentioned are evil just because they are looking forward to a brighter future.

Livin' on Love

We have been in Binghamton one month and I still don't have a job.  It has been so much fun!  Ever since we got married we have been trying to figure out how to "live on love."  We used to say that we needed a wife... someone to cook and clean for us while we were busy being students and working.  Now, we have begun saying we need a husband to get a job that pays a little more than it pays to be establishing a career as an opera singer.

It has been so much fun just kicking around and spending lots of time together.  We have been playing board games, going for long walks along the river, taking drives to explore some of the surrounding area, having good conversations and spending time with friends from the opera company and church.

When Anthony is gone to rehearsal, I take great pleasure in cleaning our apartment and making fabulous meals... just this morning, Anthony told me that people in the opera company had begun asking when they were going to be invited over to eat the great meals I have been creating.  I guess word has spread that I have been going crazy in the kitchen.  It has been so much fun!  In the last couple of weeks I have made enough food to feed an army... and think we almost have.  I have been experimenting with new recipe I have wanted to try for a while and have just not had the time.  The result is usually that after getting the ingredients, when I am ready to start the preparations I realize "this recipe is not for two people... it is for six... or eight."  This would not normally be a problem, but one of the things I have been looking forward to each day has been making dinner, so leftovers kind of put a damper on things.  The result has been that we are having people over for dinner almost all the time.  It has been nice to get to know people in this way.

I think I could really get used to this... too bad the savings will be running out in not too long.  Besides that, I don't think that "living on our savings account" is the same as "living on love," oh well.  It has been fun... not to mention that while I have been able to get creative with our menu Anthony doesn't suggest going out to eat nearly as often.  I am loving this.

From Anthony: Two for the price of one!

Here's another oldie but goody back-log.  But this time it's a double-header!  Have fun with two topics in one.  There are comments left by people from the first time I posted this at the bottom.

Friday, June 06, 2008

hot

Must... write... blog... in... June!

For real. I really feel like I have to write a blog this month. I usually wait until something presents itself in a way that demands a written response. But today I just wanna write a blog, dang it!

So the topic du jour- Heat wave in Ohio. It's hot. And it's wicked humid here. We're talking over 90% humidity. And for a guy from Utah, that's more humid than a box of humid humidity with a side-order of humid. My skin is sticking to everything and I'm a pile of disgusting sweat. I stink all the time which really grosses me out.

Whenever I go to a really extreme climate (which isn't that often unless you consider living in Utah for approximately 27 years) I always think about what crazy kind of people settled those areas way back in the day. Like, think of living in Siberia in the 1700's or something like that. How did those people survive that crazy climate without all the exciting conveniences we have our modern world? Comparatively, living in humid Ohio in the early 21st century seems pretty easy.

I guess that brings me to another point I have visited several times on this blog; things really are relative. If I think my life sucks, it probably does for me, even if it may seem great to other people from the outside. Luckily, I don't think my life sucks. I'm probably right.

Well folks, that's it. Tune in next time for a discussion of how I always forget how strange I can come across to people.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

As promised...

I really don't love it when people brag about how weird they are. "I'm totally wild and crazy!" "You've never met anyone like me!" "I can't stand people who don't want to be the center of attention all the time! I mean... what?" You know the kind- the folks who really, really, really need attention and can't get it by simply being good at something or by being nice. They have to resort to wearing funny hats all the time or coining really loud and obnoxious catch phrases instead.

I know that may seem like a strange thing for me to say because I often seem to come across that exact way. But here's what I'm getting at- I really don't try for it. I try to behave myself. It turns out I'm just a... well... weird-o.

Right now I work with singers and assorted other artsy sorts all day everyday. This is part of the problem. Hanging out on a regular basis with people like this only gives me permission to continue to act like a freak because I rarely go too far beyond the bounds of what any of the rest of them have seen or have actually done themselves. The rest of the problem comes when I get back into the land of reality and suddenly have to switch gears to "don't-embarrass-Desiree-Anthony."

When artsy people would be laughing along with me or just not even noticing anything strange at all, normal people laugh their heads off or just leave the room and won't speak to me.

So that leads me back to my original point- I really don't love it when people talk about how strange they are, and that includes myself. I hate feeling like I'm a big freak whose life looks like a big act to get laughs or reactions.

Discuss.

Micky Jo: In highschool I was totally afride to talk to most people, so instead I died my hair every color and cut my hair in crazy ways. I liked being the freak because I knew people were talking about me and I didn't have to really talk to them. Now days I am the loudest person I know. I guess I am trying to make up for all the time I wasn't talking. 

I would love to be noticed for what I can do but the problem is I am not musicaly inclined (unless you count gutair hero), I am not a great actress, I can't really write and I insist on hanging out with the artsy types (like you) who with out trying at all make me feel very small. So to make up for it I am loud and crazy.

I know it drives people crazy and I kinda like that too. 

Maybe the problem isn't the loud and crazy people it is people like you who are to talented for there own good. Stop being so amazing Anthony and I will stop being crazy. (I would love to see either one of us try it....who do you think it would kill first)

ATB: Your comment is better than my blog! I love it. 

Desiree seems to have the same sort of feeling when hanging around with the artsy-types. When she went to study in France last summer, she found ways to branch out and feel less like a "small" person. So I don't need to be less talented and you don't need to stop being crazy, we just need to go to France a lot.

Sissy: I have no idea what either o' you are talking about.

 

From Anthony: Delaware

I was going to post a blog from the myspace site as a "classic" (meaning "re-run"), but I'm so enamoured of this Delaware concept that I think a new essay I wrote last night will pre-empt it.  Here it is:

As Desiree and I drove across the country this year, we played a game.  It was the “see-a-license-plate-from-every-state-in-the-country” game.  We have actually played it two years in a row.  The rules are these: 1. we have from the time we leave home until the time we arrive back home again to see all fifty, and 2. we must both be present in order to count the plate (though only one of us need actually see it).  Since we started from our old apartment right by a college campus that has lots of out-of-state cars parked by it, and spent the summer at a music festival that attracts people from all over the country, we had a great deal of success.  This year we saw all of them except for Delaware.  Last year we found all of them except for Hawaii and Delaware.  This is the part where every reader should say to him or herself, “What!?  They didn’t see Delaware either year?  Isn’t Delaware like… a state?  One of the lower 48?”  And I would reply, “Yes, reader!  Delaware is in fact the first state!  It would stand to reason that it still exists today and is issuing license plates to its residents.”

For a long time I made fun of Wyoming.  Part of this is because I was in a car accident there in 2001 and found everyone we dealt with there to be less than pleasant.  But part of it is because there doesn’t seem to be much of anything there.  I actually saw a cartoon lampooning this once.  It showed a map of the U.S that omitted Wyoming and everything still looked surprisingly complete without it.  I think I shall soon have to cease this mockery and take up mockery of Delaware instead.  How on Earth could we see a plate from every state but Delaware?  It defies the imagination!

I remember looking at license plates when I was a kid.  They all followed a simple pattern then.  Each plate had a background color and a different color for the type.  There were no real illustrations, except maybe for a little insignia between the letter part and the number part.  I think in those days, Pennsylvania had a little blue keystone on its yellow background.  Utah was just plain black and white if I recall.  But now all the states have fancy plates with lots of colors and intricate illustrations.  And those are just the regular ones!  I’m not even talking about the “specialty plates.”  For instance, Michigan is now white with a blue banner across the top.  The word “Michigan” is then inlaid in white in that little banner.  But there’s also a Michigan that looks like some sort of crazy Renoir painting screwed to the back of every other SUV from Ann Arbor.  Or how about the cute little New Jersey plate that has a little cartoon kitty and puppy on it to symbolize some sort of donation to the humane society?  I remember when the really snazzy “Ski Utah” plate came out.  I’ve only skied once, but I still thought the plate was pretty cool.  And I’ve always gone for the one with delicate arch on it.  I like the orange and blue together I guess.

But let me tell you about Delaware’s plate.  True, in order to do that I would have to confess that I have actually seen one.  And that means admitting that there probably still is a Delaware out there lurking on the Eastern seaboard.  Alright, I admit it all.  Sort of.  Here’s the tale of seeing a Delaware plate.  Immediately after Desiree and I pulled into our parking lot last year (thus officially ending the game) I walked across the street and saw a little dinky trailer with a nasty Delaware license plate hanging off it’s rear corner.  I ran inside to get Desiree so that she could witness the grime-coated wonder.  It was gross yellow with a non-descript dark-ish color for the lettering.  It was too late to officially be part of the game (of course… rude), but I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt even though it was so ugly.  Trailer plates are often ugly even from states that traditionally have nice plates.  And often they don’t get renewed for decades, so the old-fashioned bi-chromatic ones can linger long into the Technicolor era.  So I waited for the next summer to see Delaware redeem itself.

Well, it didn’t.  It was the one lousy plate we didn’t see this summer.  A week after the game was over, I finally saw one.  Two of them right next to each other, ironically.  But since we live in another college town I shouldn’t have been too surprised.  And I shouldn’t have been surprised that it was butt ugly either.  Two-tone, non-illustrated, puke-colored Delaware.

Yeah.  I think Delaware is my new state to make fun of.

back-logging: from Anthony

I just finished looking at Brian Tanner's blog.  He blogs a lot.  It made me wish I blogged more.  So instead of blogging more, I'm just going to re-post a blog here that was originally written for my blog on myspace.  That's the easy way around things.

A little about the way I approach blogging.  I usually don't like to narrate much about my life.  I prefer to talk about ideas that have been on my mind.  I also like to keep them rather brief.  Additionally- I am media-tarded.  I have no idea how to put cool pictures or film clips into them.  I just write a little something in the hopes that it will provoke some sort of discussion.  I posted this particular blog on July 15th.

Perhaps the transfer of back-logged myspace blogs signals the end of myspace blogs altogether.  I'm not sure.  We'll see what happens.  But for now, here is the blog entitled "too cool for school."

"Ohio Light Opera does a little Fourth of July concert on the town square of Wooster Ohio every year. We put together a few little patriotic choral numbers and the orchestra plays. It's really... cheesy... and awesome. I mean both of those adjectives with all my heart. This year we did an Irving Berlin medley and an Armed Forces salute. The music is not great. It's cheesy. But when we stand up on those risers and look out at the veterans stand up and be recognized and then sing to them... that's awesome in the real sense of the word.

The guy I stood next to runs wardrobe for the company and also plays little parts in a few of the shows every season. He had in his music folder a photo of his son who just joined the army last year. He may have thought it was cheesy, but you couldn't tell. He gladly stood up, proud to be an American and said God bless the USA.

Then we went to see the town fireworks display. Keep in mind, this is Wooster Ohio. Of course, that doesn't mean anything to most people. That's my point. The town is small enough that most people don't know it exists. So you'd kinda expect a wimpy fireworks display. Nope. It rocked. These people got it. This is our nation's frickin' birthday! Let's shoot the wad to say happy birthday to Uncle Sam! There maybe problems in Capitol Hill and in the White House, but we don't need to pretend we're too cool for America.

The Wooster Independence Day celebration isn't the only thing that has got me on the anti-too-cool-for-school rant. Singing operetta sure helps. None of these shows are Shakespeare. Some of them are kinda (or a lot) deficient in the theme, plot, and dialogue departments. But nothing sends an audience running away screaming better than the actors apologizing for the material. If we can just get past our too-cool mentality, we enjoy the shows and so do the audience.

Last on the "let's not pretend we're above everything" checklist comes from subbing as the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School teacher at church on Sunday. I got to stand up and tell people how excited I am to have the Book of Mormon in my life. I didn't use the Afterglow church voice for it either. I'm proud to report that I could use the same voice I use to tell people how excited I am for LOST to come back in the fall to tell people how much I love the Book of Mormon. I don't have to pretend to be cool about church. I really love it.

It feels awesome to not have to be cool."

I understand that ended with a split infinitive, but oh well.  Discuss.

Randomness

I am sitting here in Ohio thinking. "If I was in Utah, I could go to fireworks tonight." It's pioneer day, but only in Utah.  

Things that are happening here... OLO is finally in REP (meaning that there are no more rehearsals, just performances).  Yesterday the last show "Marinka: The Mayerling Story" opened. Anthony is not in that one, but it means that none of the people we live with have rehearsal any more... and it is going to be good.  

Here is a picture of the people we are living with this summer., we all get along very well. and are have a nice time sharing "family dinner" and good conversations.

On the front row from left to Right: Carissa, Sahara, Anthony, Amanda O. 

On the back row from left to Right: Amanda K., Jack, Paul

The picture was taken after the 4th of July concert that OLO puts on for the town of Wooster every year.  I hope to have more pictures to post soon.  The only thing is that I have misplaced our camera, and until I find it, or people we are here with post pictures online this is about all we have.  I hope to post more soon anyway.