"I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph." - Shirley Temple

No post Saturday evening. I was just too pooped from a day full of chores and projects. My brain had powered down by 8:00 but I made it all the way to 9:00 before going to bed.
I am such an old person.

While buzzing around the house I listened to "Live From the Met," the live weekly broadcast of an opera from the NY Metropolitan Opera House on the local NPR station. It really is a pretty good program. At the beginning of the broadcast they go through the story line, explain the main characters, and describe the set - what the audience will see. In between acts they interview one of the main characters and talk about the production.

Pam calls opera "screaming ladies" but I enjoy it and wish I had the money and opportunity to go to live performances. (They're pricey even in places like Phoenix. In NY? Forgettaboutit.)

During yesterday's performance I heard a word I didn't know and looked it up. Turns out "brava" is the feminine form and is the appropriate exclamation after a woman's solo or duet. Assuming she nailed it, as opposed to scream.

A long time ago I read someone's description of the difference between an opera and a musical. In the latter the focus is the story which is set to music - songs at key points with dialog in between. An opera is about the music and the story serves as the device to hold the composition together.

While we're on the subject, did you see or read Barbara Streisand's interview on NBC? I read excerpts online where the headline was "I'm not a diva." She cited as evidence that around the house she wears blue jeans and old T-shirts.
Somebody buy the lady a dictionary.

The Paperwhites are just about finished, which is a good thing because they outgrew their ability to remain upright. I'd read that adding some rubbing alcohol to the water keeps them from getting too tall but I forgot to do that until it was too late. At this point even a little blue pill isn't going to help.

I like Top Gear, but only the original BBC version. The U.S. knock-off isn't nearly as good. It's the #1 rated BBC show in the UK and the three hosts are rock stars over there. Big following here in the U.S. too from people like me who watch it on cable. Jeremy Clarkson is chief among the three and exemplifies the dry British sense of humor.
Here is a brief segment from a recent show about the Reliant Robin, a strange vehicle made and sold in Britain back in the day. Enjoy.

But if you didn't watch that, you gotta watch these two short videos. (see below)

Our son Josh and his wife (our daughter) Aubri are both involved in Crossfit and compete in inter-gym competitions. Saturday Josh competed in one over in the east valley that was actually a double competition. The first was something called the Strong Man Medley that's similar to the "strong man" competitions on TV. You can watch just the first half of this video because Josh is done by that point. Aubri is taking the video and it's difficult to see the first segment because of where she's standing, but he's lifting cement orbs onto a platform. Each orb is heavier than the one before. I don't remember how heavy he said the last one was but I *think* it was about 250 pounds. The rest in easier to see because he's coming toward the camera.

The second video is the "King Kong" competition. Incredible. Again, I can't remember the specific amount of weight, but it's pretty obviously "heavy."

Needless to say, we're VERY proud of him. He has the body type for this kind of thing (which he obviously did NOT get from his father) but he has put in an incredible amount of work to build this kind of strength and agility. He and Aubri train with commitment and dedication, and live/eat consistent with their fitness goals.

That's one of the things about Crossfit. It's about fitness, not just strength. Whole body movements, agility, speed, athleticism... Yes, he's scary ripped, but that's coincidental to the fitness objective. It's not about how you look, it's about how you are.

Outstanding, Josh.