Split personality. Liking the arts, especially opera, and hockey and Los Toros. I know, I know THAT one is non pc currently. But I can't help it saw some in Spain and got hooked, but good.
But on the other hand right now opera and hockey are in the forefront!
Alas, tomorrow morning it's time to pack up and drive back. But today was a simple hot, sunny and relaxing interlude in the hill country near San Antonio... and so needed after seeing the less than stellar Rampage game.
Looking forward to Icehogs vs Aeros and a house full of screaming, rapping, texting if not jumping around, kids having a great time munching popcorn, chips and other such 'nutricious' foods for which the parents gave them money.
I kinda enjoy seeing munchkins and older ones having a cool time, being a) away from school..most important, eh? b) at the opera or c) at the hockey game.
And for a couple hours we don't have to think on 'leaks' and such negative news.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire transposed into NOW?
Hurrah for diverting entertainment!
Maria Theresa, Walpurga, Amalia, Christina, by the Grace of God, Dowager Empress of the Romans, Queen of Hungary, of Bohemia, of Dalmatia, of Croatia, of Slavonia, of Galicia, of Lodomeria, etc.; Archduchess of Austria; Duchess of Burgundy, of Styria, of Carinthia and of Carniola; Grand Princess of Transylvania; Margravine of Moravia; Duchess of Brabant, of Limburg, of Luxemburg, of Guelders, of Württemberg, of Upper and Lower Silesia, of Milan, of Mantua, of Parma, of Piacenza, of Guastalla, of Auschwitz and of Zator; Princess of Swabia; Princely Countess of Habsburg, of Flanders, of Tyrol, of Hennegau, of Kyburg, of Gorizia and of Gradisca; Margravine of Burgau, of Upper and Lower Lusatia; Countess of Namur; Lady of the Wendish Mark and of Mechlin; Dowager Duchess of Lorraine and Bar, Dowager Grand Duchess of Tuscany
230 years ago Maria Theresa of Austria died at 63!
As the oldest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, she was Archduches of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. To allow her to succeed, her father Charles VI, he issued the Pragmatic Sanction, which led to the War of the Austrian Succession in 1740.
Her education, mostly by priests, did not effectively prepare her to rule. This young woman was allowed to marry for love Duke Francis Stephen of Lorraine in 1736, an unusual thing to do, since in those days a future ruler married for the good of country and empire. So that France might not object to the prospect of an eventual incorporation of Lorraine into the empire, Francis Stephen was forced to exchange his beloved province for the rather less valuable Tuscany.
After a happy marriage of 3 years which produced only 3 daughters Maria Theresa's father died and without preparation to rule, the young woman of 23 succeeded to the throne.
Initially, Francis Stephen was designated co-regent. He was charged with restoring the finances of the empire, a task to which he brought considerable ability but not the time necessary to do it. The treasury was empty, the army had not been well supported. Her father's long time political advisor Prince Eugene of Savoy had warned that Austria's neighbors would not recognize the obligations they had subscribed to in the Pragmatic Sanction. And in the ensuing squabbles for territory, Bavaria, supported by France, laid claims to a considerable portion of the Hapsburg lands. On the other hand, Spain wanted the empire's Italian territories.
Into the fray now enters the newly minted Frederick II of Prussia, offering to support Maria Theresa. To pay for this help Austria would cede to Prussia her province of Silesia. Vienna rejected this demand.
Frederick then sent his troops into Silesia in December 1740. Bavaria and France soon joined in, and the 8-year War of the Austrian Succession was underway. After some inital successes, Frederick II did not want a French hegemony in central Europe. So he agreed to an armistice and Austria was, in 1742, able to concentrate its forces against the French and Bavarians, whom they threw out of Bohemia.
Frederick came back into the war in 1744, withdrew again the next year, in which, the Bavarian Charles VII having died, Francis Stephen was elected Holy Roman Emperor, ruling as Francis I. The war was ended at last in 1748, Austria having to give up Silesia to Prussia, also losing the Italian districts of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla to France. The loss of Silesia, the mineral rich province of all, was very painful for Austria.
Maria Theresa's reign was instrumental in financial (The Maria Theresa thaler (MTT) is a silverbullion-coin that has been used in world trade continuously since it was first minted in 1741) and educational reforms, promoting commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganized the army, all of which strengthened Austria's resources. Having learned her job under the most difficult conditions during the war, she had soon found among the members of the high court aristocracy a number of able men. Among whom, men such as counts Sinzendorf, Sylva-Tarouca, and Kaunitz, were placed in responsible positions as administrator of the governmental reforms.
The actual work of reform, with the explicit end of strengthening Austria, was given to Silesian Count Frederick William Haugwitz whose aim was to centralize. Provincial Estates were shorn of their authority. Industry, seen as a producer of wealth to help the state, was given the go ahead. This system produced excellent results in the provinces, including an increase in military contributions by the districts of 150 percent. Hungary nobility, being as usual, contrary, ensured that the system was not successfully employed there. Kaunitz, who felt he was the better 'saviour' continued to undermine Haugwitz.
Finally,1753 saw Kaunitz elevated to state chancellor of foreign policy with unrestricted powers. As Austrian ambassador to France, he had convinced himself that Austria's defeat in the recent war had been due to bad selection of allies, primarily the idea that England did not help Austria. His main goal was to block in Prussia with a strong coalition of Saxony, Sweden, and Russia. In 1755 Kaunitz's diplomacy succeeded in the formation of an alliance with Austria's old enemy France. Prussia and England joined forces and since Frederick II was not giving up, in1756 he opened hostilities which were to become known as the Seven Years War. 1762 the death of Empress Elisabeth brought about a Russian withdrawal from the war, resulting in a hopeless situation for Austria and so in 1763 peace was concluded, and Silesia stayed Prussian.
Marie Antoinette
Despite the fact that Maria Theresa developed the habit of governing autocratically, excluding Francis Stephen, the marriage was a happy one. The birth of Archduke Joseph in 1741 assured the male succession. 16 children in all were born to the couple in the 20 years of marriage. Barely taking time out to give birth she had seven during the long struggle for Austria's survival, alone! Maria Theresa was rather shrewd in arranging politically advantageous marriages for her children. "Tu Felix Austria Nube".. alas the fate of one is only too well known. Maria Antonia (left picture), forever after known as Marie Antoinette of France who went to the gallows during the French Revolution.
After the Emperor died of a stroke, Maria Theresa was inconsolable. For some time she thought of turning the government over to Joseph, who was then 24. Her ministers, with Kaunitz in the lead, managed to dissuade her from retiring to a monastery. But returning to public life, she seemed a different woman, wearing only black. She gave up participating in the events of what had been a lighthearted court; and religious devotion to religion seemed to come very close being fanatical and even bigoted.
At his father's death Joseph had been appointed co-regent. A compromise between his autocratic mother and Joseph was arrived, he was to take charge of army reform and to share with Kaunitz the responsibility of making foreign policy.
Archduke, later Emperor Joseph
The 15 years of the co-regency were a time of continual struggle between mother (a reactionary) and son (a progressive). The archduke was in favor of religious toleration, anathema to his mother. Maria Theresa took a distinctly more favorable stance to peasant emancipation than Joseph. She opposed Joseph's attempt to acquire Bavaria, which, as she had feared, led to war with Prussia in 1778. Since Joseph was rather inept as war strategist and in foreign affairs, she was successful in negotiating a peace that gave the Innviertel to Austria.
Although it is true that throughout the co-regency Joseph wanted to instigate changes, some of the major reforms of the period are undoubtedly due to the desires of Maria Theresa, especially the new penal code of 1768 and of the abolition of judicial torture in 1776, standardizing both judicial proceedings and punishments. Even though deeply religious, Maria Theresa strongly defended the rights of the state vis-à-vis the Church.
Resulting in 1777 in the banishment of the Society of Jesus, when Maria Theresa joined a number of other European monarchs in taking this step But of course, the Jesuits didn't fade away, they came back soon enough!
Emperial Happy Family
During the months of 1780 Maria Theresa's health gave out. She died on November 29 of that year, probably of a heart condition which may not surprise anyone after years of stress in war and peace, 16 children, some of whom died before her, and the loss of her beloved Husband!
Tu Felix Austria, mit Galgenhumor (a kind of sad/funny/realistic/sarcastic kind of humor endemic to Vienna specifically ;-) or so we Viennese think):
One expected a bit more from the number 1 seeded Rampage.
But their production in the first period lacked cohesion, their offense play seemed not just disoriented but simply missing, although "Soft Spot" MB ALMOST got a shorthanded goal.
The Ads netminder Jeremy Smith, soon to be 21 years old, had it somewhat easy to keep the Rampage from scoring in the first period, despite 10 shots on goal. The Admirals sailed ahead with 2 pp goals by Mueller and Begin.
The 2. period started with Admirals 2 up on Rampage 0.
But then the "bulls" stormed back in the 2nd. with 3 goals by Prucha, Watkins and Beaudoin (ppgoal) whilst peppering Smith with 18 shots to lead 3-2 going into the third.
And that's all she wrote, Admirals bounced back strongly with goals by Bourque, Klasen and an empty net goal to win the game 5-3 in regulation.
Alas a shot by Ebbett (Rampage) hit the post-it would have given the Rampage a 4-2 lead.
Unfortunately, Rampage blew several chances to score on 6 pp.
They managed just the1 by Beaudoin, who now has 24 pts.
They seemed troubled in penalty kills.
That allowed the Admirals to convert 3 pps of 4 into goals.
Montoya was the Rampage net minder, stopping 27 of 31.
Admirals' Smith stopped a respectable 33 of 36!
Otherwise the drive on this sunny cool Sunday morning was uneventful.
We arrived relaxed after the obligatory stop at Buccee's for coffee, fudge and well, you know,
plus 2 stretch stops before that.
Now we'll enjoy a misty-rainy (predicted) day in the Texas hill country. Correction it is HOT, real HOT, sunny, a real stunner poolside
while sipping a nice Texas Red! LOL
We head back to Cowtown on Tuesday for a meeting of the HGO Lucia Hospitality committee on Wednesday, and the Aeros's Thursday Morning game to 'celebrate' Better Half's birthday ...lol! AND some photos from Sunday's game.
After which we once more head West for (need to stock up on some Texas Reds) Winery and museum visits and 2 Hockey games (yep, more hockey) in Austin.
BTW.. it seems that young Jared Spurgeon will celebrate his birthday (it was just a few days ago) by being recalled to the Wild! Wow, what a good chance for this 5'8 tall defender.
The game started with a goal for Aeros.
As a comic interlude Scandella did a 'breakdance' after being bumped into,
but which did not result in a penalty.
But then Gillies got away with a couple instances of interference and/or boarding, so it sorta balanced out.
The Referee Terry Koharski did called a slew of penalties on the Rampage
The Aeros had 9 - count them - 9 Power Plays (two of which were 3 on 5) - resulting in two goals.
Sprawling keeps the puck away ;-)
Hackett in goal made 21 saves,
but Rampage scored an empty netter to end the game in regulation 5-3.
The Aeros Scorers:
1 goal in 1. Wellman, Noreau, Spurgeon;
2 goal in 2. Noreau, Spurgeon, Almond; and
3. goal in 3. by Mc Bride, Wellman, Fredheim.
Daoust as usual in place, but missed opportunity to score.
Another save by Hackett
Rampage was undoubtedly the better team.
Despite having more penalties, they made great effort in penalty killing plays.
Their passing was also to their advantage as was their speed, and their coordination.
Although the Aeros admittedly have dramatically improved on their power plays,
but perhaps some more work is needed.
It seemed to me, the Aeros have been cured from previous 'please pass the puck' attitude.
And that IS a good thing.
With this loss they slide back into 5th.
How will they handle the Milwaukee Admirals tomorrow?
Is he outskating puck?
Personally, I felt the Aeros battled honorably, even though out skated and out foxed by the Rampage.
Nrs. 62 and 26 in pursuit of the puck ;-)
Both teams played aggressively, Rampage with just that soupcon more power.
It does not surprise me that they are firmly in First Place in the West.
In 'Storm Warning', a comparable slender volume, author Jack Higgins,
manages to cram onto only 237 pages,
a veritable maelstrom of emotions played out to a background of a dual war.
War between forces of enemy countries.
War between forces of nature, as in oceans wild, and frail humans.
A Wagnerian seeming epic of words without music.
There are acts of kindness, omission, devotion (both religious and human).
There are present indomitable spirits, leniency, willfulness and heroism.
There are base acts, acts of platonic love, of sexual love (hinted at-mostly).
There is hope writ large, and despair.
All on an old sailing ship-a Barkentine (left) that seems to be held together mostly by hope and wishes.
There is always wishful thinking, a belief in god and in the good of humans.
You name it, the author covers it all.
No one is truly fleshed out in this cast of hundreds.
All's only just touched upon, but then the prolific author
had only 237 pages do it on.
It's written well, it draws the reader in to finish it in a short time.
It casts down, but yet raises hopes that all's not lost.
That humankind is not yet done with, despite the horrors of war of both sorts.
It's the kind of a book to read on Thanksgiving Day.
Thankful to be in the South, a bit of a cold South.
And NO driving snow and lashings of wind and waves!
Imagine those gale force 10 winds effecting a tall, old and leaky, wooden sailing ship:
There was NO question which I rather listened to, or saw, for that matter.
Jerina Photo of previous game showing Daoust
But the Aeros apparently did play a respectable game, scoring once in every period!
With Daoust getting the 3rd * of the Game for one goal and two assists. Noreau and Di Salvatore also got 2 pts each -
1 goal and 1 assist.
Unfortunately, Kalus lost his temper again and sat out 12 minutes -roughing plus misconduct.
While Maria Guleghina's voice of steel (!) posed the 3 questions,
and Marcello Giordani's clarion tenor kept everyone awake (Nessun Dorma),
even though the truly sumptious scenery and staging drew all eyes,
Christmas cards were addressed, nevertheless, and put aside to be stamped,
especially the ones going overseeas.
You see, IF I get them into the mail the first week in December,
I can be pretty sure they will arrive BEFORE Christmas :-)!
Unless, they make a detour to Australia, then back to Texas,
in which case they WILL arrive sometime the next year! A late delivery?
Or a, so to speak, early, very early, next year delivery :-)!
Enough for this morning-
into the kitchen I must,
for the preparation of the feast!
The cranberries are waiting!
And tomorrow is another game right here, at home, vs Rampage
(it's also the drop the toys off for Kids Unlimited day),
then on Saturday vs Milwaukie. Go Aeros! :-)!
Especially the emphasis on Turkey, Cranberries, Pecan Pie.
I still can't quite savor PIE-any pie.
Cakes -Yes.
Petit Fours - Yes.
Bon Bons - Yes.
Ice cream - Yes, tripled, but pie?
Back 'home' there is a harvest fest.. but it's NOT a legal holiday.
Schools and Government offices are NOT closed.
It is celebrated more in the thought than reality.
Maybe in the countryside there is some rejoicing.! That backbreaking labor of harvesting is done with!
Anyway,
saying THANKS is always a good thing.
Give thanks to friends.
For the abundance of foods from around the world.
Being healthy,
able to enjoy the 'finer ' things in life...
such as hockey opera, music, los toros...ahem!
And whatever you feel needs a BIG THANK YOU and HUGS!
Both big guys, Matt Kassian and Justin Falk,
have been recalled to Minnesota for the next game.
And will miss Thanksgiving in Cowtown with friends and family.
But hey, playing NHL games beats family turkey feast, plus they've celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving Day in October, already.
While Casey Wellman is coming back and has/will bring with him some cold air for
Friday's Aeros Game :-) vs. The Rampage from San Antonio.
That will be an exciting game, I am sure.
And the first for Better Half and I in several weeks!
We had almost suffered withdrawal symptoms, were it not for Games On TV and Radio... lol.
It's just not quite the same as being there in person, hearing the crunch, the thumps,
the yelling and the cursing of officiating personel...especially certain ones :-)!
More on that afterwards with photos I hope.
And then we are off to San Antonio for the Rampage vs Milwaukie game over the weekend.
And scooping out the new Riverwalk edition plus the Egyptian Exhibit at the SA Art Museum..what fun!
And not to forget the obligatory stop at Buccee's...both ways!
Robert Schumann, also known as Robert Alexander Schumann,
(8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856)
was a German composer, aesthete, influential music critic and also one of the most representative composers of the Romantic era.
Schumann wanted to be a virtuoso pianist.
A hand injury kept him from realizing that goal.
Instead he focused his musical energies on composition,
which were written exclusively for the piano until 1840.
Later on works for piano and orchestra;
many lieder (songs for voice and piano)-
here Baritone Markus Werba: Faust by Schumann-;
four symphonies,
an only opera, Genoveva, Op. 81, written in 1848,
lacking dramatic qualities it has not remained in the repertoire;
other orchestral, choral, and chamber works were also completed.
Schumann wrote about music in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New Journal for Music), in Leipzig.
In 1840, Schumann married, over her father's protests, Wieck's daughter Clara, also a composer with a considerable concert career.
Here the Alesi Ensemble of Salzburg with Clara Schumann's
Piano Trio Op. 17 in G-minor- a very romantic piece.
During the last two years of his life Robert Schumann requested to be confined to a mental institution, after an attempted suicide, .
Schumann was known to have said - perhaps in recognition of his own depressive moments: "To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist"
Did you know that:
Green - Error Score,
Red - Correct Score
Before taking up music as a serious profession, Schumann wrote novels. Of his two attempts, Juniusabende was completed in 1826; Selene was not completed.
Schumann’s name translates into English as Bob Cobbler,
Schumann came from a solid bourgeois background: his father was a writer, publisher and bookseller.
In 1956, the East German postal service issued a pair of postage stamps featuring Schumann's portrait. Unfortunately, the score in the background was by Franz Schubert (similar name, wrong country).
When the Wild win, the Aeros win!
When the Wild loose, the Aeros loose!
Kalus/Jerina
Or so it seems to me...probably JUST coincidence ;-)!
Gillies/artandhockey
Last night's "Two Lone Rangers"
Gillies
and
Kalus
(on a PP) managed to score in the third,
upholding the Aeros' Honor vs 'last seeded' Chicago Wolves.
Ouzas
"New" goalie Michael Ouzas made 13 respectable (afterall he had to travel, had to sit on the bench, had to get used to a new system/teammates-so he may have been a bit 'rusty') saves, after Khudobin was pulled. Alas, he had to 'eat the loss' after 'being thrown to Wolves', so to speak!
Was Khudobin showing off his speciality?
"When he is good, he is VERY, VERY good, when he is bad, he is...ahem, well! "
Of course he could've been pulled to conserve him for this afternoon's
"Pooches Day game" at home! Who knows for sure, we are all just guessing.
But, when it comes to our team ;-) -
I'm with Janis Joplin and say "Stay with me, Baby"
The Aeros, surprisingly, had a strong come back in the third after non-events in 1. and 2.
'NUF SAID!
Interestingly,
Stars' Richard Bachman (5th) ''outsaved' (to date), followed by Rampage's Climie (6th) and Aeros' Khudobin (7th). Regretfully, none of our Aeros made it into the AHL's top 37 skaters list, as of today.
Forget about a spot on AHL's top scorer list or leader list.
Beaudoin and Locke/Trask
On the positive side, especially for his fans,
Mathieu Beaudoin (Nr. 6 in AHL top scorer list) having earned a
more than respectable 21 pts in 19 games.
and his Rampage are still firmly in the lead.
Former Aeros' fan favorite Corey Locke, with 27 pts in 18 games,
continues to 'own' the AHL top scorer list's Nr. One spot.
So much for the morining morning of a sunny Sunday!
Vor kurzem las ich mal wieder Goethe, und da stach das folgende Gedicht mir ins Auge...
so gebe ich es unten wieder zur Ergoetzung der verehrten Leser meiner Gedanken und Ueberlegungen.
Wie bekannt er auch ist fuer seine Poesie und Drama, war er aber auch gewandt in technologischen Lehren. Er schrieb, zum Beispiel, "Die Theorie der Farben", in dem er feststellte, dass, durch ein Prism gesehen, Farben an hell-dunklen Raendern zuerst aufscheinen, und dann erst das Spektrum dort auftaucht, wo diese farbigen Raender sich ueberschneiden.
Eines seiner oft verwendeten Zitate:
"Freue Dich, wann immer Du kannst;
Leide, wann immer Du musst!"
Die Oper FAUST macht Goethe auch im Opernbereich bekannt
Der Musensohn
Durch Feld und Wald zu schweifen, Mein Liedchen wegzupfeifen, So geht's von Ort zu Ort! Und nach dem Takte reget Und nach dem Maß beweget
Goalie Michael Ouzas (G)
On Loan from the Las Vegas Wranglers Nr.29 to Houston, signed to a PTO, will wear Nr.33
Shoots: L Height: 5-10 Weight: 190 Birthdate: 1985-08-30 Birthplace: Hamilton, ON
Is in his third professional season, second with Las Vegas.
Signed AHL contract with Toronto on 5/29/09 .
Signed Amateur Try-Out Agreement with Toronto (AHL)4/8/08 . . .
Led University of New Brunswick to consecutive National Finals, capturing gold medal in 2007-08 and silver medal in 2006-07 .
Was named a 2007-08 CIS All-Canadian and an AUS First-Team All Star .
Appeared in 129 career OHL games from 2002-2006, and in 2005, was named OHL Goaltender of the Year
Michael Ouzas after a fight
His Stats are:
Season Team GP GA Mins Saves GAA SV% W L OTL SOL T SO
2010-11 Regular Season Las Vegas Wranglers 6 13 365 157 2.14 0.924 5 1 0 0 0 0
2009-10 Regular Season Las Vegas Wranglers 42 135 2444 1164 3.31 0.896 17 19 2 2 0 1
2008-09 Regular Season Reading Royals 28 89 1520 825 3.51 0.903 10 16 0 0 0 1
2008-09 Regular Season Fresno Falcons 18 48 1075 459 2.68 0.905 10 6 1 0 0 2
TOTALS 94 285 5404 2605 3.16 0.901 42 42 3 2 0 4
Tonight the Aeros lead 3-0 over the Griffins in the 2.
Khudobin in goal made 27 saves, Ouzas is his back up. That may mean Hackett is injured? Absent for personal reasons, we are told.
Thus far the goals were: DiSalvatore with McBride in the 1.,
Palmer with Noreau and Broda (PP); and Noreau with Daoust and DiSalvatore (PP) in 2.
With Binda as Referee the number of penalties is mounting,a total of 9 for the Aeros and 6 for Griffins.
Noreau, in the Third, gets another PP goal (with DiSalvatore and Spurgeon).
Aeros are now 4 Griffins 0 with about 3 minutes remaining.
Fredheim with Gillies for a 5-0 win.
Khudobin has another shut out and moves to the Number 4 spot in the AHL with 4 wins, 4 losses and 1 SOl and 1 SOW in 10 games played.
Aeros pressured the Griffins in the second with 12 SoG, after a slow start,
but kept the pressure going with 30 SoG.
Which could mean Aeros move into 4th spot (depending on the outcome of the Peoria game tonight)
which is the spot the Aeros need to be at season end to gain a play off spot.
Just some numbers to keep you up on the stats:
Palmer has moved into the top slot with 11 pts, followed by DiSalvatore and Noreau each with 10, Daoust amd McMillan have 9 each, Kalus and Broda 7, Almond and Peters 6, Gillies and Prosser 5.
On Sunday it's back to the TC for a 'Stars'crossed meet with dogs.
Quite a three day stretch for our guys, eh?
But Nr. 44 is back, and Lampman most likely will be in the line up as well. Can we hope for some fresh energy and positive results by these two, even as Scandella is kept up North.
Meanwhile, I totally blew it!
It, the chance to get 'high' at the MFAH...
artandhockey photo
well, what else would you call sipping free champagne while you shop? With a discount, no less?
So,the copy of Rodin's Kiss and other sculptures are perfectly safe.. still there. They wouldn't have fit into shopping bags, anyway!
That was last evening!
I had it on my calendar.
BUT somehow I thought last evening was this evening.. :-D?
So what else is new!
Ah, yes, in order to save the City of Houston has decided NOT to buy any more public art to
grace parks and spaces in front of government buildings.
Although .. ah well, I'll not go there.
Just saying 'The Arts' again the stepchild, and that bugs me!
Because feeding the soul and minds is not deemed important?
manages to cram onto only 237 pages, 
Ich kann sie kaum erwarten,
