Paxton’s Family

Life QotW: These Routes Were Made for Walking...

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:55:12 -0600

Walkscore.com recently ranked America's most walkable neighborhoods and cities. Where does your hometown land in the rankings? And how much do you actually find yourself walking instead of driving?

My neighborhood scored a 69, which puts it in the "somewhat walkable" category. I very rarely walk here, though. Yes, many things are nearby. But to walk to them, I'd have to go down either Clayton (which has a fair amount of gang-related activity) or Cliffside (which doesn't even have much of a shoulder, let alone sidewalks). And then I'd have to walk on Main and/or 20th, both very busy streets with no sidewalks and lots of commercial driveways and parking lots. Also, my main nearby destination is Safeway, and I usually buy more there than I can carry. So it just makes more sense to drive. I just try to plan my trips for greatest efficiency, which is easier to do due to the close proximity of so many businesses.

Just checking out some of my old neighborhoods:

Muskego, WI: 40, car-dependent

Springfield, MO (north side): 62, 52, and 63, somewhat walkable

Springfield, MO (south side): 74, very walkable

Springfield, MO (east side): 63, somewhat walkable

Columbia, MO: 85, very walkable; 34, car-dependent

Marshall, MO: 57, somewhat walkable

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Still Not an Operatic Convert

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:56:01 -0600

Last night I attended the Santa Fe Opera's opening night of Radamisto, a Baroque opera composed by Handel. I love Baroque music, Handel's in particular. I thoroughly enjoyed the overture. And then ::sigh:: they started singing. I guess it was to be expected.

Of course, these were highly skilled singers. And I suppose I was mostly impressed by their abilities. The main exception to this was David Daniels in the title role; his voice had an edge to it that set my teeth on, well, edge. It didn't help that it was so high. I liked the richness of Luca Pisaroni's and Kevin Murphy's voices, but all that high-pitched caterwauling (albeit very talented caterwauling) just made it harder to hear the orchestra. And I didn't like Tigrane being sung by a female. Yes, I know this casting was traditional, but I don't have to like it. And I don't. So there.

Speaking of Heidi Stober as Tigrane....WTF was up with her costume?? The other performers were attired in beautiful costumes that were vaguely, if not altogether consistently, Oriental. I'm not sure I liked these costuming choices in the big picture, but at least they kinda sorta suited each other and the story. Kinda. Sorta. But Ms Stober came onstage looking like Wardrobe had lost her costume, so they put her in what they had handy, which was what John Rhys-Davies wore in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Except that, as an interesting flourish, Ms Stober wore Birkenstock sandals.

At intermission, I heard quite a bit of complaining about the staging, and I'm not sure exactly what they meant by this. I rather liked the set design, which depended heavily on creative lighting and the use of mirrors. But the blocking was odd in a thoroughly uninspired fashion. There were portions of the performance during which I was more visually entertained by the flickering of the Los Alamos city lights in the distance. And when I returned to my seat after intermission (which featured a spectacular moonrise and a pleasant breeze), I noticed that the audience had thinned considerably. (I had paid my $83, though, and I was going to stay for the whole thing, no matter what.)

So, yes, I remain an unrepentant opera philistine. But the venue is quite nice, with fantastic acoustics, a helpful electronic libretto system, and a beautiful setting, so I expect I will give the SFO another try next season, perhaps with a less obscure production. In the meantime, I'm anxious to see what the professional reviewers made of this one.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotW: My Commute

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:49:01 -0600

How do you travel to and from work - personal vehicle, bus, subway/train, pedal power? What does it cost you per week in gas or fares?
Submitted by Jan.

I drive my personal vehicle, a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser that still tends to get 25-30 mpg.

Ténèbre at White Sands

(Her name is Ténèbre.) I don't have a whole lot of choice, as my job is in the next town, 10 miles away, and there's nothing workable as far as mass transit goes. On occasion, I do carpool with Pax, who works in the same complex I do, but our schedules are different enough that we only do that when my girl is at the dealer for her well baby visit or something. I have gone to a four-day workweek, though, which saves a little bit of money.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Vox Hunt: Vive la France!

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:59:01 -0600

In honor of Bastille Day, show us something French.

Fleur-de-Lis Macro

I bought this brooch whilst out visiting castles in the Loire Valley in 1989.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Vox Hunt: Tagged, You're It.

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:52:54 -0600

Show us a name tag.
Submitted by [this is connie].

HELLO my name is

I happened upon this tag, affixed to an electrical box, whilst wandering about downtown Denver.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:33:06 -0600

July is national ice cream month! What's your favorite flavor?
Submitted by LittleWiseOne.

Phish Food, Phish Food, yummy yummy Phish Food!

Phish Food, Phish Food, eat it up, yum!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:21:46 -0600

Travels in the Scriptorium: A Novel

Paul Auster

I borrowed this novel on CD from the library. It wasn't terribly long -- only 4 CDs, I think -- but it was generally tedious and ultimately disappointing. Not quite an "and then he woke up" copout of an ending, but close. Based on some of the comments I read in other reviews of this book, I suspect it might have greater appeal to those who are already familiar with some of the characters in Auster's other books. But if you aren't already a Paul Auster fan, I'd recommend giving this one a miss.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Culture QotW: Play Time

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:06:12 -0600

What's your favorite play and why?

This is a tough one, but I think I'm going to have to go with The Foreigner. For starters, it's just friggin' hilarious. But it also has a good message about xenophobia, and I like the theme of the dangers of making assumptions about people. I'm always a little wary of recommending things that I loved in high school, as I often revisit them and discover they were actually rubbish. We recently read through this for TEA's playbill committee, though, and it definitely stands the test of time.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Entertainment QotW: Movie Prices

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:19:49 -0600

How much does a ticket cost at your usual movie theater? Does the price affect the number of movies you see at the theater?
Submitted by Kristie.

When our power went out Sunday evening, we went to the Allen 8, and tix for WALL-E cost $7.50 each. I think matinée showings are $5 or $6 each. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty cheap entertainment, so no, the ticket prices don't have nearly as much of an effect on our movie-going habits as other factors, such as the cost-benefit ratio of putting up with annoying audience members to getting to see cool f/x on the big screen. No, where cost factors in is at the concession stand, but do I really need a soda and a tub of popcorn? No, of course not, so I try not to go to the cinema hungry, and I limit concession purchases to those times when I feel like I need to splurge on the whole movie-going experience. And that limitation is pretty easy to bear since the popcorn at the Allen Theaters is just not that good.

Wall-E [Theatrical Release]

WALL-E, BTW, is worth going to see at the cinema. Pax & I both enjoyed it a lot. It's sweet, it's funny, and it's thought-provoking. Though the very fact that some of this thought needs to be provoked is a little sad.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Vox Hunt: 70s Flashback

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:40:48 -0600

Show us something in your house from the 1970s.

Kevin & Me in a Paperweight

I think this paperweight was a Boy Scout project circa 1973. Mom was a den mother for Kevin's troop, and I vaguely remember her showing the boys how to pour clear plastic goo and assorted doodads (such as photographs) into molds to make paperweights. This one seems to have suffered an air bubble.

I also distinctly remember that photo session. I hated that dress. The smocking at the top itched something awful, so I kept trying to take the dress off, much to the photographer's consternation. It's a little hard to tell, due to the degradation of the photo, but I have the hem of the dress gathered into my chubby little hands, ready for another removal attempt.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend