Can't blame it on the Jersey

The Aeros, fresh off a SO win over The Rivermen,
did not do as well 'at home' in Minnesota.
And no, I was NOT wearing the jersey while listening to the game action.
Because, as much as Better Half and I tried, we could not make the 'watch the Aeros game live for FREE on 'http://www.wild.com'/ work. So back we went to listen to THE VOICE!

Thus we came in a bit late when we heard the softly spoken words 'they score'.
Oh dear - and we heard that again in the second.
Then the shout "HE SCORED" - Almond.
And in the Third another whispered 'they score'


We were stunned to hear about a serious injury to Tyler Cuma, who since drafted, has suffered three knee injuries, an elbow injury, a lower body injury and a stress fracture to his  foot, Well I remember that he started his Aeros season on the injured list.

Per Russo's and other bloggers, he has sustained an injury to his ACl. 
     
                                         We wish you a speedy recovery, Tyler Cuma. 

Get well quick, there's lot more skating to do!
Meanwhile go rest !

There IS life after death

or so the TAA (Texas Apartment Association) has us believe.

And I quote:

"Death of Sole Resident:

if you are the sole resident, upon your death you may terminate the Lease Contract without penalty with at least 30 days written notice.

You will be liable for payment of rent until the latter of: (1) termination date, or (2) until all possessions in the apartment are removed.

You will be liable for all rents, charges, and damages to the apartment until it is vacated, and any removal and storage costs."

Now this just confirms that there has to be life after death, doesn't it.

Apartment owners do believe in life and, especially, banking after death. 

And will not penalize your ghost for terminating the lease contract but only  IF your ghost sends a written notice at least within 30 days of your death!  

If you are unable to 'spirit away' all earthly possessions, 

your ghost will have to pay for rents, removals and storage!

And should a poltergeist inflict damages to the apartment, look out!
Your ghost will be liable for that as well. 
And all that from purgatory, heaven or hell, whichever applies.

                    Esteemed Authors of such contracts should really think over their verbiage

BEFORE including it into any 'legal' document!

After all once dead, one is unable to do anything, in writing or otherwise!

Verdi and his singers..

A great Verdi singer has to have profoundness, beautiful singing and secure technique.
Carlo Bergonzi may have been THE true Verdian Tenor, but the expressive voice of Mario Del Monaco embodies a Verdian tenor as well, not as beautiful, but more powerful!

In all Verdi's operas, there should be real drama because that is really what his operas are all about.

Baritones in Verdi operas have their spots in the limelights for sure.

                                        

All Verdian  singers need to show great lyricism paired with dramatic passion.

Basses must be able to portray such agonizing characters as in Don Carlo and Others.

                                                         
Verdi, for sure, must have been in love with sopranos, a wide variety at that.

His greatest music is written for sopranos.
His Gilda and others are innocent, naive  but with a hint of - shall I say - stubbornness?
A Violetta must have a good technique, yet be able to portray all  diverse parts of the role.

Anna Netrebko is often quoted as saying: 'One needs four voices to sing Traviata'.

Verdi’s mezzo roles demand varied,  often contradictory, expressions while singing beautifully some of the greatest music ever written.                      

                          

Leonora in Trovatore needs a rich, strong voice, with darkened shadows.

Singing Elisabetta, Desdemona, Aida and Leonora (Forza del Destino)  calls for a highly dramatic soprano with soft lyrical ability.

All in all, a true Verdian interpreter must be an actor.

S/he must be able to convey all aspects of Verdi's roles to the listener.
And that, requires above all a feeling for the music, impeccable  vocal technique and security in one's talent.
                                                    

It's official..

Carson McMillan

The Aeros won again! 
And I was NOT wearing an Aeros Jersey, again :-)!

4-1 over the Hogs! Empty Netter by McMillan makes it 4!

They sure kept the Hogs penned up!

Of course, their play improved with the addition of Ortmeyer and  O'Sullivan.

Of course, they have found a formula that works!

Of course, the goalies are living up to their reputations.

Of course, the coaches' system has taken root.

Of course, there have not been too many injuries.

Of course, it can't be that Kalus is a scratch all the time now,  with no reports of injuries.

Of course, the parent team, the Wild, are also healthy, and winning for the most part.



Gotta be that,not wearing my Aeros Jersey :-)  

Afterall I am here!

And they played there!

 Wearing anything but the Aeros Jersey - THEY WIN!

Wearing the Aeros Jersey - they loose.

Of course I am just kidding?

It does seem uncanny, however.

And since today of all days, I am into Verdi - I'll just celebrate with this (from Verdi's Aida)-

there's definitely no Aeros Jerseys in sight ;-)!





Sing, scream, belt, play it...

                                                     The RED, WHITE and BLUE of it.

                                               Just another thing that bugs me, again ! 

Another 'butchery' - ahem - personalized

interpretation by a celebrity singer of The Anthem.

                                                       Here's the disputed version (ahem)

And here a younger version (at 8!) with the correct wording.

Yes, I do know that the Anthem is one of the world's most difficult one to sing properly.

It - to my ears - sounds a lot better just in its instrumental form, and a lot more dignified! 

                                       As  in this version by US Marine Corps Band:

And that, cher readers, is how I feel.

You can agree or not - that IS your privilege !

A day without...

yes, without opera and hockey.
That is Opera live!
And hockey in town.
But playing a CD or DVD is never far so that's what I did.
An old relatively unknown-to-most favorite:
THAIS by Jules Massenet born May 12, 1842 – died August 13, 1912,
(he actually composed 31 operas, only a few are performed nowadays among them Thais, Werther, El Cid) but the Met did it not too long ago.
This production is from the La Fenice in Venice, conducted by Marcello Viotti,
with Eva Mei as Thais, Michele Pertussi as Athanael, William Joyner as Nicias,
Christopher Fel as Palemon, Christine Buffle as Crobyle...
solo violin :  Roberto Baraldi.
So other than Mei, Pertussi and Joyner, not a stellar cast.
Here is an excerpt from this production:
I think Mei sounds rather ethereal for a former courtesan (;-) while Pertussi's voice echos with suppressed longing, don't you? 

But the ever intriguing theme of sinner's salvation is still an interesting subject.
And the eternal lure of sex only a 'saint' can overcome as did Athanael resisting,
with difficulties I may say, in this opera.
Anyway it was a refreshing afternoon at the Opera-at-home! 
Highly recommended if one has nothing else on the menu!

Massenet was also prolific in composing orchestral pieces,piano solos, Lieder and oratorios..a veritable smorgasbord of music..for sure:

Aeros loose two to Minnesota.. but sent them back already!

Almond with Locks ;-)!(artandhockey)

Just seen:
Cody ALMOND (as posted earlier) and now officially confirmed
and Justin FALK are called up to Minnesota 

Falk (Jerina)

will soon enjoy subfreezing temperatures for a while :-)! 
Well, they did get a preparatory taste two days ago here In 'balmy' Texas.

Today's morning news: 
They are back in Houston!
Gee whiz.. did they have a chance to unpack at all before being shipped back to Houston?

Hey, its hard enough to post here,
but when things change that fast ...
one is, after all, neither wizzard nor witch! And the crystal ball is a bit under the weather!


Minnies' loss - Houston's gain,
we won't quibble about THIS development, eh, fans?

Stars outshine Barons with photos

Was it the loss vs Aeros in Houston?
Was it the safe drive home?

Whatever it was, The Stars, and goalie Richard Bachman,
shut out the OKC Barons last night 3-0 in Cedar Park.
With many of the Stars top players called up to Dallas, and others injured, the roster showed unfamiliar names, such as Derlage, Mouillierat, all young and eager, it seemed.
Bachman, in his inimical, style, stopped all 30 SoG the Barons threw at him.
In place of the usual scorers, Ondre Roman scored twice (one a PP) in the first. In the second no team scored, and the Stars' Brandon Segal made it 3-0 in the third.

Gerber, in goal for the Barons, looked very twitchy to me.
He skated, he skittled, he shuffled, he twitched, hitched his shoulders, he rolled his head,
and went deep into the net to 'hibernate' when not called out for the defense! As I said, twitchy!

The play went smoothly, few penalties called..which always makes for a fast paced game.
Photos will be up after we return  to Houston (BTW The drive was DRY, sunny almost hot!).

Concentration Personified -Bachman

Nailed that one!

And let me just get that, too.



Ondreij Roman, the scorer of 2



Why is Gerber skipping ?



The speed of the game is evident here!




Vandervelde tells Bachman what he thinks about not letting anything in :-)?!

Whoosh....Attack and Defense

 Martin Gerber On watch



Speedy Ref?

 It's Over

Pics are posted after we return home from our afternoon with "Dead Man Walking".

Icy Texas.......... with addendum

well, it was, this morning.
We know since Better Half  'skated' out to get the Morning Paper!

We are supposed to leave for Austin to be with "The Italian Girl In Algiers" at the ALO tonight.
"L'Italiana en Algeri" is a comic opera by Gioacchino Rossini. 
Who, it is said, composed it in his early years and in only 18 days!

 

The Ouverture is well known and frequently performed as start up to orchestral concerts.
Rossini admired Franz Joseph Haydn's music and included in his works many 'surprises' as did 'Papa' Haydn, especiallly with his Surprise Symphony!

 

It's show piece for a mezzo as the leading lady, which IS rare.
Below the finale with Marilyn Horne:

Most lower female voices are assigned to cameo or subservient roles.

It's just been announced on TXDot Roads Update that parts of I-10,
and I-35 in Austin, are shut down. Although, the reports may be exagerated?
One does not expect this sort here in 'balmy' Texas, right?
Guess we'll stay put, donate the cost of the tickets to charity, that is ALO!  

And listen to the Aeros Game via The Voice whilst sipping our favorite Viognier!

From a previous Aeros/Stars Game in Houston!

I guess the Stars will make down here safely.
Aeros are to practise at SLICE and not brave the trip to the TC twice in a day!
Aeros may be without :
Cody Almond  (call up to the Wild?) and Casey Wellman (injury again).

The conditions of the roads in Houston WERE greatly exagerated. Went out and found things dry.. but COLD! BRRRRRRRRR is the word.
Temperatures to drop even further into "artic condition" 
(that is for Houstonians).
Perhaps, a taste of what Minneapolis may offer when the Aeros play at

                     'their Wild home' bench later this month ...

Horror..lost without...

Just this day, clicking on the 'usual web spot' for glimpses of games played the world over, and what popped up?

ZILCH, NADA, NICHTS.

No more hockey, soccer, football, wrestling 

With German, French and English commentaries.

What fun that was to hear: "Und er schiebt den Puck" or "Jetzt laeuft er schnell zum Netz"

And, for all I know, there were comments in Hungarian, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovak, Czech, Russian.

So go and watch no more!

Need more details go to the link below.

http://torrentfreak.com/u-s-seizes-sports-streaming-sites-in-super-bowl-crackdown-110202

So now, it is back to the ones with the deepest pockets who can pay beaucoup $$$$ to watch hockey in other languages (lol) and squint to see the mice scurrying around a rink somewhere!



Lost without it!



Auctioning off the Rookies....

.... always THE highlight at the Annual Booster Club Players Appreciation Banquet..

We do so appreciate the rookies.
All 10 of them.
That's coaches and staff, too!
Yep.

The live auctions of
"Lunch with the Rookies" and
"The Jersey of Nr. 62"
went fast, real fast. All thanks to 'rookie' Denver Wilson,

who has his auction patter down pat.

FYI: As a (former?) rodeo roper and aspiring livestock
(do rookies count?) auctioneer(he'll head to Wisconsin ? this summer to hone this patter, he told us), he rattled off increments of 25s and 50s, so before we all knew it the price shot up and up and, bingo, 'Kids Unlimited' were richer by some $ 1000's.

Well, even Better Half got in on the auction action, but stopped when the 'jersey of Daoust' hit a certain high (somewhat beyond our budget limit).

After all we had already bid, and won (I kept an eagle eye on them),
3 silent auction items.

• Such as Braden Holtby's signed Photo to keep the puck, he signed last year at play offs in Austin, company.In a recent interview Holtby (21 yrs)when asked about The Water Squirt as Holtby squirts water out of his bottle during stoppages in play, picks out one  specific drop from the spray, and follows it to the ground with his eyes. BTW I did not see that last year "Actually, that looks a little weird," he admitted. "If you can focus in on something, it sharpens up your vision." "I think everyone else is scared of looking weird," he said. "I don't really care, as long as it helps me stop the puck."

• Better Half - being a goalie fan - got Harding's 04-05 Aeros season stick, signed by what looked about a third to a half of the then team(now proudly displayed on the study door...open it too fast and the stick sets off an alarm).
• And last but not least a Symphony/Restaurant package..after all artandhockey must have some art (musical and culinary) somewhere? The question now is do we choose Shostakovitch or Mahler?

All in all, the atmosphere inside the Country club was

warm (so nice) and friendly. Lots of joshing among players and coaches, and pleasantries from players to fans made for a good event. And thankfully, NO long winded speeches by any one.

The two kids from KU did well, kept it short and sweet. 

But a bit emotional..tears were observed flowing.

Is someone really asking me

to remember things BEFORE 1925?
Wow, I know I am OLD but that old? Just kidding.
A Cousin once removed by marriage or twice removed,  or whatever these people are called. He is married to the daughter of the daughter of my father's older brother!

Any way, he just emailed me from across the big pond to dig into my memory and come up with dates of births and deaths, as the case maybe.
It's always so predictable.
Someone retires and - hey presto -
he starts Ahnenforschung or Family Tree research.
Keep in mind these usually are people with 'hostages to the future'.
   
Never having any such, this urge to record for posterity the 'whos, whens, whats and whys' seem - to me - utterly non productive. Who resally really gives a damn?
I was born, I live, I shall die! 

Well, I do know the dates of my birth,
my better half's birth, our marriage. 

I am sorry to report that dates of our deaths are not yet available! 
Unless of course our ghosts are hanging around.


Mine?The Lady on the Stairs?
Actually this purports to be an image of THE BROWN LADY.





His? A body in the chair?
An image of LORD COMBERMERE'S  GHOST?

So, should I brave the freezing world out there to look though the documents stored at the bank for posterity?

Hmm, what posterity?

Not yet. Maybe next week.

He can wait. 

What's his hurry!

He is so much younger than I - after all!



All Stars 2011 -

in just a few words-no hype, no awesome, no huge, no other hyper attributes/adjectives here.

Somehow it hits me wrong that in the news everything is labeled awesome, huge, and other such hype.

Never mind that certain words have faded in and out in our vocabulary.

Remember: RAD? Remember COOL?

Ah well, maybe you, cher reader, is too young to remember those and others.

Right now everything is just AWESOME!

And one more thing that bugs me:

Why am I good?

When asked how are you?

As opposed to bad?

I am doing well, thank you.

NOT doing good...

unless of course, I am donating time and money to a worthy cause :-)

The AHL:

All Star game is over. East wins over West 11-8

Beaudoin second from right (no points)



Noreau no points

Locke 2 assists







The NHL:

All Star game is over as well with team Lidstrom winning over team Staal with 11-10 in a shoot out.