Back in Mountain View

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We've been back at Google in Mountain View for the past several weeks. Catherine and I put together a "honeymoon highlights" album.

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West Side Story, St Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Alvin Ailey "Uptown"

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West Side Story I saw the full West Side Story at yesterday's matinee (I'd only seen the second half before). The first half has much more dancing. I got a rush seeing the song "America" and the dancing. Excellent singers all round. Josefina Scaglione, a 22-year-old opera-trained singer from Argentina, played an excellent Maria. She was really into the emotions of the part. I loved it. I'll see it again with my sister if she wants to see it. Picture of John Overgaard, me, Kate, Uncle Vince in front of West Side Story St Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center Uncle Vince and my cousin Kate and I visited St Patrick's Cathedral and walked through Rockefeller Center before West Side Story. I'm surprised to find such a large cathedral so near the bustling theater district. Picture of Kate and Uncle Vince in front of Rockefeller Center Alvin Ailey "Uptown" Harlem Renaissance celebration In the evening, my mom and I saw Alvin Ailey perform a ...
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3 musicals on Sunday: In the Heights, West Side Story, Next to Normal

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I saw three shows on Sunday: In The Heights, West Side Story, and Next to Normal. In The Heights matinee let out during West Side Story's intermission, so I joined my parents for the second half of West Side Story, and then we saw Next to Normal in the evening. All musicals. In The Heights My sister really liked this one but I only kind of liked it. I found the "Piragua" singer the strongest. I liked the musical Spring Awakening better. West Side Story I like this revival. This version has a lot more Spanish than the original. Entire conversations and many parts of songs are in Spanish. The lead woman, Maria, is from Argentina, so she sounds authentic to me. I'll go see this again. Next to Normal I liked one song in this musical (Superboy and the Invisible Girl) and I enjoyed watching the cellist (part of the on-stage band) rock out as she played. Other than those highlights, I didn't care for the show. It's about a housewife who becomes mentally ill...
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Beginner ballet class was great

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Inspired by the Alvin Ailey dance performances I've been seeing, I took a beginner ballet class yesterday. It was great. I can't believe how much complexity can be in the simple lifting and lowering of a leg. We were mostly doing leg movements holding on to a horizontal bar. We did a plié, in which we squeeze our heels together and toes apart to make a V, and then we bend at the knee to go down and straighten to come up. Lots of stuff to think about even in that simple movement. The teacher, a Chinese-looking man named Finis Jhung, was excellent. He emphasized balance and "equal and opposing forces", like pulling up on the ground to go down and then pushing down to go up. The class was free, because the school, Ailey Extension, is connected to the Alvin Ailey dance company. I saw a performance of the dance company and I brought my ticket stub for a free first class. I was hoping to get an appreciation for ballet and dance in general at the class, and I got that. I...
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