May Girl's Night Out
This Friday Jen F., her cousin Jill, and I went out to the Waterfront for a girl's night out. After meeting Jen's mom, aunt, and nieces, we dined at the Fish Market, being certain to get the Snickers-like ice cream pie/bombe for dessert. We walked around, noting how much of the waterfront looked Disney-esque, and watched Poseidon. We remembered some of the actors and actresses from the Poseidon Adventure, then went in to see the movie.
The Loew's Waterfront Theatres have some of the best seating (not to mention the Surround Sound) in Pittsburgh: Stadium seating with large upholstered chairs with spring-like reclining backs. We enjoyed the movie, and decided that we should do this more often.
Volunteering--Pittsburgh Folk Festival
Yesterday and today Mom and Dad and I---along with the de las Alas--volunteered for the PAMS (of SW Pennsylvania) booth at the 50th Annual Pittsburgh International Folk Festival. All the items were donated in support of the cause to raise funds for the annual medical missions in the Philippines. This was the first year that PAMS had a booth at the Folk Festival. Quite a number of people stopped by, including William, Marissa, and their houseguests; some of my friends from Pitt, UPMC, the library, Marietta, et al.
I wore my garb to Mass today and received quite a few nice compliments on my dress. The Folk Festival was, as always, a wonderful occasion with delicious food from around the world, people, music, dance, crafts, etc. Right now I would like to just fall asleep.
St. Paul Cathedral--Blue Sunday
This past Sunday was Blue Sunday at St. Paul's Cathedral to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. Fr. Tom Burke's father, William Burke, gave the introductory remarks. The Mass was said by Bishop Donald W. Wuerl, sung by the choir, with other officers singing "God Bless America;" playing an echoed rendition of "Taps," singing "Danny Boy," and piping "Amazing Grace" (while giving a rifle salute after the roll call of officers). The service was a solemn occasion attended by hundreds.
Gardening
This lunchtime Marissa and I prepared some flower beds next to their front walk for planting flowers--impatiens, marigolds, petunias, and other flowering plants. I spent most of my time preparing the beds, and Marissa planted the flowers in the bed with the appropriate sun exposure. It was fun, and I hope to be able to help William and Marissa with their garden throughout the summer. I noted that this time next year Twinkle would be watching us put in the garden, too.
Pittsburgh Folk Festival
This coming (Memorial Day) weekend is the 50th Annual Pittsburgh Folk Festival. It promises to be a great event, with international folk dance, music, food, crafts, and friends. I'll be volunteering again this year, and really look forward to this spectacular event. This is such a great international event that when we were in elementary school our family travelled about three hours to the Pittsburgh Folk Festival, and we had a wonderful time.
I will be volunteering Saturday, when the Pinoy dancers will be performing most of their dances. They will be performing
pasigin, itik-itik, and maglalatik,
janggay, and the difficult singkil,
banga, and lanceros de negros,
as well as
slow tinikling and the ever-popular fast tinikling.
Some of the Pinoy dances are some of the more popular dances of the whole Festival.
Mimi Ain't Got TB!!
So, Mimi ain't got TB. My tuberculin skin test last week showed no/low exposure to tuberculosis. Also, I got a call from human resources today to get a photo ID badge, too. So I'll be starting at the beginning of next month. So, there it is, Rodolfo et al.!
Dining Out--Friends, Wellesley Friends
I met up with my friend Sue for lunch yesterday. We dined at a Middle Eastern restaurant, on gyro salad. It was delicious and nutritious. The mint vinaigrette salad dressing and cucumber dressing completed the green salad. We enjoyed the food and discussing everything from how best friends can be soo helpful to how I chose to go to Wellesley College for my undergraduate education.
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I met up with Kelly U., Thuy L., and Stephanie G. for the Wellesley alumnae group at the Silk Elephant in Squirrel Hill for drinks/tapas/salads/ and dinner that night. It was a fun evening, discussing some work life, and lots about our social lives. We spent a lot of time laughing and agreed that we would get together for a tea or wine tasting. Debbie R. also showed up after work, and spent some time chatting with us. It never ceases to amaze me how we tend to fall into comfortable conversations with other Wellesley alumnae based solely on the fact that we went to the same college and currently live in the same geographic area.
Forbidden Broadway--Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
This Thursday Mom, Dad, and I went to the Cabaret at Theater Square to see Forbidden Broadway by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Originally, this production was off-Broadway, and it makes fun of various Broadway shows and actors, including Annie, Hello Dolly, Little Shop of Horrors, Man of La Mancha, recent Disney (Beauty and the Beast, Lion King), Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific, Cats, Mary Poppins, Phantom of the Opera, and others. An impersonation of Robert Goulet was particularly amusing.
The show starred Christiana Craig-Dukes, Joe Domencic, Christine Laitta, and Marcus Stevens. The actors and actresses were appealingly humorous, often appearing as caricatures of the Broadway actors. The musical director, Deana Muro, was brilliant as the pianist.
We enjoyed the seats at the floor with tea and chocolate mousse cake. We had seen Forever Plaid last December and thoroughly enjoyed it in the Cabaret setting, too.
A Rainy Day
Today was a gently rainy day--a good day for planting flower seeds!
My day started with a physical for work, including filling out pages of paperwork, peeing in a cup, having blood drawn, and setting a TB skin test.
Then Marissa and I cleared a space and prepared the soil for planting perennial flower seeds of various colors. I next met Jen in Oakland for a late lunch/early dinner of pad Thai, we walked to Phipps Conservatory garden and gift shop, and back home where I changed out of my gardening pants. Our CAC friend Brian picked us up for ice cream in Greenfield, then we headed to Schenley Park for some CAC volleyball and fun on the swings.
What a full, fun-filled day!
Happy Mom's Day 2006
Happy Mom's Day to all you moms and moms-to-be out there! I gave mom a book called Mothers and Daughters on this special day.
Today, this overcast and rainy morning, was the Susan Komen Breast Cancer walk in Schenley Park. The walk, when first started many years ago, had ~3500 participants. It is estimated that more than ten times that number participated today. Mom and I--though not CA survivors--will wear bright pink today for breast cancer awareness.
William and Marissa will join us later today for "a late lunch"/tea time/"early supper." Lots of delicious items at the buffet....
Homewood Library--Celebration of Reading
I met William and Marissa for lunch at the Greek Food Festival at St. Nicholas's Cathedral. We dined with William's coworker, Judy, and were certain to get sufficient desserts. William and I watched an outdoor art installation at Carnegie Mellon University, and sandwiched between lunch and his meeting we stopped at itinerant-sidewalk-used book man's boxes on the CMU campus.
Tonight, William and Marissa, Dad and Mom, and I went to the celebration of reading at the Carnegie Library of Homewood. I was greeted at the door by Diane C., and by Mr. Wilkinson of the Security department. Diane is on a committee for Black literature in Pittsburgh. We were treated to African drumming, to a poetry reading and a lyrical dance performance by two Westinghouse High School students, to a signed/emotive poetry recitation by Vanessa German, to a commentary on the placement of the casinos by Kimberly Ellis (Dr. Goddess), and to introductions to various books by their respective authors.
I love the Homewood Library--it was the last neighborhood Carnegie Library built, as it was Andrew Carnegie's neighborhood. He requested that the walls be lined in wood. Even after the renovations, it still retains a character all its own. I had visited there back in '98 when Beginning with Books was still on the top floor (with the ballroom) and there was no HVAC system. Then-head librarian Joyce Broadus stood with her closely cropped hair in her office on the main floor with all her office windows open in the middle of summer. After 2000, one of my classes worked on suggestions for the consumer health collection, one of the best in the area for a predominantly African-American audience.
Karaoke/Minus One Fun at the Albas
Last night William and Marissa and I had dinner over at Mom and Dad's. We had a squash dish with coconut milk, fish in soy sauce, vegetable and crab meat torta, eggplant, fried and plain rice, and a fresh tropical fruit salad. After dinner, we all took turns singing karaoke. A fun time was had by all.
Cochlear Implants, Maya Angelou on GMA
I watched Good Morning America this morning, with a human interest story on a family with cochlear implants in Palo Alto, California, and a feature on Maya Angelou's newest poem for Mother's Day. The story about cochlear implants featured the children and how their lives were different because of the implants. The story ended with the youngest child finishing his surgery for his second implant, and an interview of the surgeon. The implications for the Deaf community were briefly discussed, and it was stressed that cochlear implants are a matter of choice.
Another story on Good Morning America was an interview of the poet Dr. Maya Angelou by Diane Sawyer. Ms. Sawyer inquired as to whether the sentiment of mothers for their children is love or something else, too. Dr. Angelou answered, "It's love---it's not indulgence....Love may be the matter that holds the stars in the firmament....Love affords you the ability to be courageous." She also read selections from her recently-published poem for Mother's Day.
Dining out--CAC, Newman Center friends
Pittsburgh's weather the past couple of weeks has been cool and dry, similar to a late spring in a Mediterranaean climate. I have been enjoying the weather and the longer days. Dad's been asking me why I've been rising so early, and I've attributed it to the earlier sunrises--even before Daylight Savings Time had kicked in. I haven't had a chance to dine outside this year until yesterday.
Yesterday was a day dining out. Jen F. and I had a late lunch at our favorite Mexican place on Forbes Avenue. We sat outside while enjoying our huge burritos. We ran into Dan, who had just had Mexican food across the street. We talked about his training he'd just completed, training for a job I'll also be starting this summer. There are OSHA and HIPAA tests, clearances, and a physical. It should be a good job, working for the insurance arm of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
After lunch we headed to the neighborhood bike shop, as I strive to make my bike more hip-friendly (see previous post, BAD). We chatted with the two Pittsburgh bicycle police officers there--whom I thanked for their presence in the neighborhood--while waiting for the shop owner to return. After arriving, he described how I could convert my handlebars.
I was curious about the new carousel in the new Schenley Park Plaza between the Carnegie Library Main branch and Hillman Library, so we headed there afterwards and enjoyed the park. We waited for her bus to arrive in front of the Painting Pachyderm air sculpture in front of the Carnegie Museum of Art. This is part of the Inflatable Art for Pittsburgh Roars project by the Sprout Fund.
I attended a meeting with Cecilia, Yvonne, Jonathan, and Jeff at the Newman Center, and we headed to the St. Nicholas Cathedral Greek Food Festival. I have certain Greek foods which I prefer, mainly because my good friend from high school, Lori Gibson, prepared them for Julie Duncan and me; and I have a fondness for them. I selected those foods from the long list at the Food Festival, and we all found a seat with a good view of the food line and young dancers in front of the band. We had a laughter-filled evening, and Jeff shared his book signed by Christopher West with us.
St. Paul's Cathedral Concert Series--St. Paul Cathedral Choir, vocal soloists, string octet, and organ
Today, after singing the noon Mass, the St. Paul Cathedral choir with other musicians held the penultimate performance in the 2005-2006 St. Paul's Cathedral Concert Series in Pittsburgh.
The choir was joined by several guest performers, as well as vocal soloists, a string octet, and Adam J. Brakel on the organ. The vocal soloists were Linda Ortenzo and Candace Erb (sopr.), Brent Alexander (tenor), and Thomas Carraher (baritone). The string octet was composed of David Seward, Crystal Lennartz, Jami Bale, and Galina Istomin (violin); Jennifer Gerhard, Doug Lischner (viola); Anne Simpson (cello), Jeff Mangone (bass). We were conducted by Donald K. Fellows, Cathedral music director.
The program consisted of:
How Lovely Are the Messengers, from St. Paul (Mendelssohn)
Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618 (Mozart)
Laudate Dominum, from Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K. 339 (Mozart), with Candace Erb (soprano)
Locus Iste (A. Bruckner)
Organ Prelude and Fugue in B Major, Opus 7 (Dupre); Adam Brakel (organ)
Mass in G--Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei (Schubert); with Linda Ortenzo (soprano), Brent Alexander (tenor); and Thomas Carraher (baritone)
Jesus So Lowly (Harold Freidell)
Organ Tu Es petra (Henri Mulet); Adam Brakel (organ)
Who is the One We Love the Most (Carl Schalk)
"Hallelujah" from Christ on the Mount of Olives (Beethoven)
I found the last three pieces for mixed voices to be the most challenging from both a technical and expressive standpoint, but I think we performed them quite capably. I spoke with Bob F. at the after-concert party and said that I found the Beethoven "Hallelujah" technically demanding, requiring lots of energy---and it was the last piece of the program! Bob F. agreed, saying that he had performed a later Beethoven piece that "just when you thought it couldn't get any more difficult, you turn the page and it is!"
By the way, the after-concert party was quite enjoyable, with delicious foods, company, music, and art chez Don's. Everyone was relaxed now that the concert was over.
Edwin's Birthday
Yesterday Mom, Dad, and I stopped by to pick up William and Marissa at their house to go to Edwin's birthday party. Charles was there, and we caught up with him, as well as admired W+M's new furniture purchase and latest printed photos. We bid Charles adieu, and then headed out to Edwin and Malou's.
Before the party, William asked how we knew Edwin and Malou--they were the first Filipinos whom we had met when we first arrived in Pittsburgh, and we had met them at Church/the Cathedral. We arrived at their house in the suburbs with cars and trucks parked up and down the street, kids running around the yard, and the dining room full to the brim with well-wishing friends. We stood around one of the tables groaning under the weight of food in the dining room, replete with two fish dishes (escabeche and fish w/ soy), two types of pancit, lasagna, bola bola, crunchy raw veggies, barbequed chicken, rice, sweet and sour dishes, embutido/morkon (meat roll), lumpia, et al., all surrounding the lechon centerpiece. There were two more tables of food loaded with desserts (leche plan, suman, cassava bibinka, watermelon, coconut pastries), and a cake with his photograph reproduced in the icing. Before making the rounds of the tables we all sang a couple of rousing rounds of "Happy Birthday" while videocams panned the rooms.
We all enjoyed dining, and the company. William and Marissa had a chance to meet some of our friends from around Pittsburgh, including Fanny and John, Cherry, and Leila. As we ate, more and more people arrived, and we had a chance to chat and visit with a few more people before "musical chairs" became evident. Finally, we wished Edwin a happy birthday once more, and commented on the t-shirt he was wearing after coming indoors after a round of basketball. It translated to, "How not to be a hen-pecked husband..." and we all appreciated the words of sage advice before taking leave of the party.
Sacred Heart School--Presentations on the Philippines
This Wednesday I made four forty-minute presentations on the Philippines for various middle school classes at Sacred Heart School in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. I brought a slide show (with animations), Christmas decorations and other realia, and recorded popular music. The students were all very attentive during the presentations and asked good questions. The faculty were wonderful, too--we lunched with them over a delicious catered spread, and the principal lent her computer for my slide show presentation! It truly was a pleasure to deliver my talks to these students at their school.
Practice, practice, practice
Happy CInco de Mayo!
So, I survived the 2005-2006 school year, my first one as an instructor at Pitt. The last couple of weeks were devoted to administering finals, grading finals, and getting grades to students. Whew! What a relief that's over!
As I have for a couple decades, I remind my students at the beginning of the semester that taking a science course requires practice, practice, practice--just as athletes practice their sport or as musicians practice their instrument, the science student practices solving problems.
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St. Paul's Cathedral Choir has been practicing our program for the May 7th, 2006 concert. The choir will be joined by vocal soloists, Adam on the organ, and a string group. Don will direct all of us. Included on the program are pieces by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert's Mass in G, Beethoven, Bruckner, a favorite by Friedell and Schalk. Last night was a practice in the Cathedral space with Adam accompanying us. Tonight we will have practice with the string group.
