2025.3.20. Emergence - PNB

3/20, Thursday, 7:30. Went to the ballet.

Dawn Patrol (World Premiere) | Price Suddarth
Afternoon of a Faun          | Jerome Robbins
Mopey                        | Marco Goecke
Emergence                    | Crystal Pite

I actually really like the new work "Dawn Patrol", even though I didn't associate it with fighter pilots before (or even after) reading the program notes. I also really like its music by Alfonso Peduto, fit the dance very well (commissioned for Dawn Patrol).

The middle 2 short works are interesting. Quite different. Especially Mopey, not ballet like, very jerky, but not bad.

Emergence, maybe I had too high expectation. I like the group syncopation. I sat at row H, could hear the dancers counting.

I like today's lighting, even though all too dark, except for "Afternoon of a Faun". I think the guy shouldn't wear white footwear for this piece, which showed the browning/dirt of the floor. Better use skin tone.

Went to the after-show Q&A. Today, we are fortunate to have Lucien Postlewaite who's been dancing with PNB since 2003! Most of his dancing peers now are half of his age. Will see where his long career takes him. Wish him all the best.

2025.3.20. Daffodil Day - 1st Day of Spring

3/20, Thursday. Anyone can pick up 4 stems of daffodils at Pike Place Market today. Despite of the rain, quite a lot of people. The line is long, but moves swiftly. The yellow paired with the purpil tulips I received last weekend makes the perfect Husky color.

2025.3.19. Author talk - The Inner Clock

3/19, Wednesday. 6:30pm. Seattle AWIS hosted a book talk by a local science writer Lynne Peeples on her new book: The Inner Clock - Living in Sync with Our Circadian Rhythms. Some takeaways:

• make day brighter (bluer light), and night darker (redder light)
• eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper
• make the time of sleep, eat, excerce more regular per day
• restricting food intake to daylight (reduce the time difference between the first and the last meal of the day)
• to reduce jet lag, stimulate with light more towards waking up, rather than closer to going to sleep

Not too many people came. Some were on Zoom. Not all women either. Those who came are very nice. I ended up chatting with an old guy who biked around world ~40 years ago. The president of AWIS, Tracy E. Popowics, gave a short speech. She's not a good speaker. I find the treasurer - Reitha Weeks very nice and she speaks well.

2025.3.16. Snow Geese and Daffodils at Skagit Valley

3/16, not as rainy as Saturday. Woke up late, headed out ~noon.

Washington state is the wintering ground of snow goose (smaller, orange beak, black wing tip) and trumpeter swan (larger with black beak). These are beautiful white birds scattered in Skagit Valley north of Seattle every winter. I think we are already too late now, maybe only this year, it's too warm. Not many birds. Saw a few small clusters ranging from 2 to ~20 in grassy fields close to I-5. Maybe better at the dusk and dawn. About a month ago, saw a trip report of large flocks in the same area. Went to Skagit Wildlife Refuge (state park Discovery Pass required). Saw quite a few herons, a lot of Avocet, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Mallard, 1 bufflehead, no white birds.

Good timing for daffodils. Found 2 large fields in peak bloom. Just lovely.

Drove to Deception Pass. Walked to Goose Rock's summit first. Not a bad view. A little muddy on the trail. Walk under the highway to get to the other side, in order to walk both ways on the bridge. Always great view here. The water is churning. Saw a seal happily float and swim. He has spots on his skin. Saw a large black bird diving into the churn of water. Cormarant? But it has a cream underside.

Only 3 of the 6 rest rooms at the parking lot were open. One is plugged. One has diarreah all over the garbage can - I don't know how it could be done.

Driving back to Seattle. Pouring around Everett. Clear sky in Seattle.

2025.3.15. Rite of Spring with Seattle Symphony

3/15, Saturday, 8pm. Seattle Symphony.

Brian Raphael Nabors ---- Upon Daybreak
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 22
                  Piano:  Jan Lisiecki
Igor Stravinsky --------- The Rite of Spring
              Conductor:  Peter Oundjian

The new work "Upon Daybreak" is large, a lot of sounds. Not bad, but neither memerable. Inspired by Maya Angelou's poem "A Brave and Startling Truth". I didn't like this poem. Doesn't rhyme at all. Nor did I like the title of the poem. I do like the title of this music poem, quite fitting to the work.

Mozart's Piano Concerto 22 has a very melancholy but pretty 2nd movement, a very familier and equally pretty 3rd movement. The pianist today, Lisiecki, is very skillful, and full of dynamics. However, he stares at the audience half of the time, very unnerving. Maybe he just wants to show off that he didn't need to look at his fingers.

I'm getting more and more comfortable each time I hear The Rite of Spring. Started to enjoy it, especially the first half. Today, the preconcert talk by the artistic director at Rainbow City Orchestra, made the work easier to understand. He also made us try to tap on the mark with a string of 3/4/5 beats, to appreciate the difficulty of dancing to this music.