Monica Yunus performed a lieder recital at Rollins, sponsored by the Marilyn Horne Foundation. The collaborative artist was Gerald Steichen on piano. The MHF supports the "art song" tradition by teaching and promoting young singers. I happen to be a lieder nut, I have dozens of lieder CD's and am glad for the MHF's efforts. Yunus mapped a great program including an anthology of Italian song, some Debussy favorites of mine, and some Rachmoninoff that I had never heard. She was born in Bangldesh to a Russian mother and loves to sing in Russian! Oh, she grew up in New Jersey, where many great people hail from! Yunus is a member of the Met Opera company.

I just finished reading Joe Dispenza's Evolve Your Brain. He is the "create your day" speaker in "What the Bleep Do We Know". He gives mountains of information about the chemistry of the brain & the mind-body complex. He explores how habits and reactions get "hard-wired", what the yogis call samskara. My interest is in how to change them, neuro-plasticity, and he provides a template for this. Some interesting cross-cultural intersections with the visualization techniques in Tibetan Buddhist meditation practices.

Ayers Family Christmas

Debbie, Jessica & I traveled to Lodi, WI for the Ayers' Family Christmas. Some 30 gathered for a great party organized by D's brother Greg & his wife Angie. We then had a lot of fun at Darlene & Tim's home with lots of nieces & nephews & presents. J spent an evening at a pizza party with all the cousins and had a nice time. Lodi had a heat wave, up from -15 degrees the prior week to the high twenties, hooray!

Jessica & I visited Grandmom on the way home from college. Grandmom was thrilled to see Jessica & we all had a great time. We spent some time at Oakleaf & had some meals there. We also had a nice dinner with Randy & Amy in Greenville.

Tibetans' Struggle (how's your microwave?)

Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastary-IN-EXILE performed at Rollins. The performance ended with a monk's emotional statement about the purpose of the tour: 1) to raise money to support the monks in EXILE, 2) to raise awareness of the Tibetan struggle for human rights, autonomy, and, dare we hope, freedom. He reminded us that since the Chinese Communist invasion & occupation: 6,500 monastaries, libraries & schools were destroyed, 1.2 million Tibetans have been murdered or tortured to death, the Tibetan language is forbidden in schools, the Chinese language is the only legal language of commerce, & in the cities Tibetans are being relocated to ghettos as ancient neighborhoods are demolished to build high rises to house Chinese immigrants. This is GENOCIDE, and it is being perpetrated by our largest trading partner (how many things do you own that say "Made in China"??). There is only one way to escape from Tibet into exile: walk out over the mountains, risking frost-bite, starvation or execution. Last year Tibetan nuns were gunned down in a pass in front of German mountain climbers who filmed it. Why would the Chinese be so flagrant? Because they can, with no consequence, because we need their toasters. How can you help? I focus on two organizations: The Tibet Fund, which provides food, shelter, medical & education care for exiles, and Int'l Campaign for Tibet, which works hard to free thousands of political prisoners & to lobby for basic human rights in Tibet. I know, I know, there are plenty of horrors around the world. But, here's an ancient, peaceful, spiritual land that is being systematically obliterated by the people who make the appliances and clothes in your home. It's worth your attention.

Food for the Brain/Heart/Soul

Watching lots of movies on the small screen these days. The Lives of Others blew me away, about a Stasi agent & the artists he eavesdrops on. "That's the best acting I have ever seen", I said out loud when the credits rolled. Tell No One was cool: a French "Fugitive" with some extra plot layers. Angel-A was quirky & fun: a leggy angel, in high heels and mini-skirt, dogs a lost soul, well played by Jamel Debbouze, to teach him to open his heart to life. Directed by Luc Besson who did the original La Femme Nikita. The Love Letter, oops, a book not a movie ("When I was your age television was called books!" -- name that movie...) Wonderful drawing of the character of a middle aged control-freak flirt who owns a books store and receives a love letter that might not have been intended for her. Written by Cathleen Schine, whose Rameau's Niece I enjoyed years ago. Finishing up The Other Side of You, Salley Vickers, a psychiatrist learns about being true to self & life from a suicide patient. Interesting references to Caravaggio. I much prefer Vickers' Instances of the Number Three, which is on my top ten: well written, surprising plot, great characters.

Mom's Birthday

The sibs and Mom gathered to celebrate her 91st birthday at Snowbird Lodge in the Smokey Mountains of NC. Mom is doing great and bearing the burdens of aging with wonderful grace. The sibs had fun playing blackjack on the porch, counting on our fingers. Randy got her a digital frame which we loaded with lots of pix of grand children & great grand children. Randy has been doing a great job of keeping the wheels on the cart with Mom in SC. Snowbird has great food, by the way.