This weekend we celebrated our anniversary. A highlight was a trip to the Metropolitan Opera, on my local bucket list. I love that we still have grand occasions and spaces like this: tuxes, chandeliers, gold, red velvet, broad curving staircases. Rituals and visuals that dial up your expectations, call your attention to share something outside yourself.
As for the opera itself, we saw Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which I’ve only heard a few excerpts of – the overture and the Commendatore’s re-entrance Great music and great singing (an untrained ear on this part), but I struggled in the second act a bit, where it felt like the momentum lagged. I was most disappointed by the bland staging, tough. Just like the spare set in the production of The Tempest I saw last year. It was all solid blue-greys colors and empty planes, uniform costuming. The transformation at the end was nice, but saving it for the very last few moments made for a leaden visual experience for most of the run – “It’s a famine of beauty, honey!”
“Crudele? Ah! no mio bene” was my favorite aria. There’s a romance to the lyrics, and an earthy practicality: the loving, patient, compromise sometimes needed when committing to a shared vision.
Worked late a lot this week. It eventually caught up with me – I wonder if it contributed to my late-week sniffles? – but i don’t regret it. I had a thought that maybe I’ve been leaving too much buffer, not enough pressure. I default that way, a natural caution and conscientiousness. But it leaves opportunities on the table.
Books
Sense and Sensibility. Finished this yesterday and loved it. I’d rank it below Pride & Prejudice, along with most other books.
Running
A steady but lighter week, tapering a bit before a race next Sunday. This morning was a map-filling run to finish off the last few streets in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood.
Around the Web
Brian Eno in conversation with Ezra Klein. A fun idea: “Children learn through play and adults play through art” (of course not the only way). And this was nicely put: “When we look at any piece of art, we are not looking just at that piece of art; we are looking at this piece of art in terms of our personal history. It’s like you are hearing the latest sentence in a conversation you’ve been having for your whole life.”
Alain de Botton in conversation with David Perell. On following the news too closely: “Our inner lives have been industrialized.”
“A lot of anxiety can disappear if you stop trying to solve things once and for all and just accept that some questions are meant to be asked.”
“Parties are a public service“.
“If it hurts, do it more often.”
“Technologists and techno-optimists need to realize that the way we talk about innovation in articles, in ads, and in manifestos is often suboptimal for the goal of trying to convince skeptics of the value of progress.”
Selling Lemons: The hidden costs of the meta game. “If a buyer can’t distinguish between good and bad, everything gets priced somewhere in the middle. If you’re selling junk, this is fantastic news”
“Absent legacy-media prestige or any earlier outdated marker of status, a way to distinguish yourself, to exhibit prestige, is to be an ambassador for a more prestigious brand.” and We are the slop.
Music
Curtis Harding, Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt. Self-described “slop ‘n’ soul” that grows on me day by day. I like the lead guitar in “The Winter Soldier“.
Star Feminine Band, Jusqu’au bout du monde. Upbeat, Beninese garage rock. Big fan, check out the title track.
Marshall Allen, The Omniverse Oriki. Heavily chant-inflected noise, jazz, exploration? Didn’t click.
Daryl Johns, Daryl Johns. Throwback-y pop/muzak/mall jazz/sitcom intro music, calling back to Sting or Toto or Rick Springfield or the like. “I’m So Serious” is a good example.
Clipse, Let God Sort Em Out. “E.B.I.T.D.A.” is so, so fun.
Witchcraft, Idag. Open bluesy metal that made me think of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, etc..
Christopher Stark, Fire Ecologies. Orchestral spookiness. I like the ticking-clock edginess of “Scene 4: Infernal Dance“.
A co-worker mentioned Midland, “Final Credits” as a favorite. (Dance music is often great for work, too. Discuss.)
Two albums from Takashi Kokubo, like vaguely dark and sentimental lullabies with nature sounds: Forest and Gaiaphilia.
Movies
Crimson Peak. The third time I’ve seen it (first, second). Love it. Horror needs more romance – passions heighten danger!
TV
Line of Duty, s4e5–6. I love this show.
Alien: Earth, s1e3. Circled back for one last try. The cyborg guy is intriguing, but for the most part it’s just not working for me.
Mark Larson 