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https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/blueberry-kuchen/

#baking #blueberries #cake #kuchen #blueberry kuchen

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Strawberry pie.

#baking #strawberry pie

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Secret ingredient is a mango because I only had two ripe bananas at hand.

From https://tasty.co/recipe/one-bowl-chocolate-chip-banana-bread.

#banana bread #baking #mango

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https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12155/creamy-blueberry-pie/

#pies #blueberry pies #allrecipes #baking

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https://aclassictwist.com/wp-json/mv-create/v1/creations/330/print

#pomegranate #pomegranates #oatmeal cookies #baking #cookies

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Pomegranate scones, from https://asformeandmyhomestead.com/pomegranate-scones/.

#baking #scones #pomegranate #pomegranate scones

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SF Ballet Programs 2 and 3

The ephemeral nature of dance and my own gradual but inevitable senescence conspire to make my impressions more and more fleeting, and in the tradition of our earliest writers, I aim to commit my experiences to some kind of posterity.

Hell of a modest way to start blogging again.

I bought a ticket to Program 2 because it originally featured a ballet called Anima, Animus, which sounded admirably contemporary but was then pulled a few weeks before the premiere of the program. (I haven’t investigated why, but with the recent news of NYCB and its own #MeToo turmoil, you kind of have to fear. I hope I’m wrong.) Because the other two parts of the program were distinctly neo-classical (Balanchine, Millepied), I seriously (not really) considered asking for a refund or exchange, but laziness prevailed and I went to the program. And I’m glad that I did! The Balanchine program was Divertimento No. 15, and while I didn’t love it, I wasn’t as bored by it as I expected to. I learned to watch not just individual dancers but the entire formation to appreciate the geometries of Balanchine’s blocking, which is quite a lot different from what I get out of contemporary ballet (athletic execution and tricky partnering). Millepied’s Appassionata came next, which was a double feat because the moment that has stuck with me -- a trio of ballerinas emerging backwards from the wings en pointe, gliding like apparations -- was so striking that the likeliest reference to Giselle made me reconsider my disinterest in classical story ballets.

Finally, the replacement to Anima, Animus was Justin Peck’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, which I didn’t realize was set to a bunch of M83 songs. The above New Yorker actually mentions Peck’s work as a choreographer, not, thankfully, directly in connection to #MeToo, but hardly glowingly: “His casts, even when they are not wearing sneakers, and jackets emblazoned with protest slogans, [...] often seem like teen-agers, a notion that is highly vulnerable to cliché and sentimentality.” Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming does nothing to disprove Acocella’s assessment but I didn’t care -- the earnest hope of the (yes) young dancers together with M83′s exultant emotional triumphalism brought me to the edge of tears, so potent was its celebration of the joy of dancing. I wish that, instead of the more sedate direction it takes, it would’ve crested into a frenzy of giddiness and dionysian ecstasy, but I’m not the choregraphic wunderkind here.

Onto Program 3, fresher in my mind but not more memorable. 

I was late by minutes to The Fifth Season, which is a stately neoclassical affair that is nearer to my tastes, but I was maybe too far away to appreciate it properly (shame too because it featured Dores Andre, Sofiane Sylve, and Yuan Yuan Tan -- one hell of a cast).

I got to my seat (row H! But seat 20, which is only one chair in from the right-most edge) for Snowblind, which quickly dashed my incipient curiosity into watching more story ballets. I was mildly interested to see that Jennifer Stahl (who came to my attention for her portrayal of the Chosen One in The Rite of Spring) was playing yet another matronly character (she played Victor’s mother in Frankenstein, if memory serves).

Harald Lander’s Etudes closed the evening, and despite a slow beginning (problematic for initially reducing its women to mere legs), two things drew me into its drama. First, Sasha de Sola’s balance is unreal. I admit that I’ve slept on her for superficial reasons (she doesn’t have the natural extension of, say, Sarah Van Patten), but seeing her pointe work on a single foot all while being as solid as a statue was marvelous. Second, Angelo Greco! (Whom I’ve singled out for praise before, but that was nearly two years ago, so I’m excusing myself.) Simply a turning machine! And the finale where everyone is on stage is a rush, even if I was dying for it to go on longer.

#sf ballet #sfballet #ballet #benjamin millepied #george balanchine #balanchine #harald lander #justin peck #helgi tommason #cathy marston #appassionata #divertimento no. 15 #hurry up we're dreaming #m83 #sasha de sola #angelo greco #etudes #snowblind #the fifth season

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Twenty years later and this STILL gets me.

#resident evil 2 #video games

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Powerfully tantalizing, can’t wait to see it.

#sf ballet #sfballet #guernica #annabelle lopez ochoa #ballet #dores andre #contemporary ballet #unbound

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I’ve always preferred the Jukebox version of “Metal Heart”, so here’s a great raw live performance.

#cat power #chan marshall #metal heart

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RECAPTCHA == THE WORST

I HAVE BEEN CLICKING ON STREET SIGNS FOR 5 MINUTES STRAIGHT AAGGHGH.

But then, I wonder: surely no real human would subject themselves to such a repetitive task that inspires dread and self-doubt.

#recaptcha

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The Beginning of a List of the Most Influential Drag Race Queens

Influence here referring solely to the show, and not the wider drag world. Note also that I’m not listing my personal favorites, but instead the queens that, in my paltry view, changed RPDR.

For my money, Willam was the first to show contestants that you didn’t have to be crowned to win your season, being the first (unless I’m mistaken, which is entirely possible) show alum to get a WOW series that would burnish her internet presence and maintain popularity afterwards -- a path that played a large part in Trixie’s rise. 

Beyond being a hilarious performer, Alaska also hit on something that’s become absolutely crucial to post-RPDR success: branding. Ongina and Mystique both said it first, but Alaska turned “HIIIIIEEEE” into a trademark, and not long afterwards nearly every queen had their own “t-shirt slogan” (to quote Shangela).

And then there’s Laganja. Her time on the show was painful to watch, but she left two important marks on the show. In the interregnum between the filming of the season and its airing, she hustled to capitalize on her moment in the spotlight and deliver content to thirsty fans, and more importantly, her vomitorium of drag jargon is basically the new vernacular. Between her and Paris Is Burning, you’ve got pretty much all the drag slang on the show covered.

Who else do you think has changed the shape of RPDR and why?

#rpdr #RuPaul's Drag Race #willam belli #alaska thunderfvck 5000 #laganja estranja

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Beautiful. Lauren Cuthbertson, Royal Ballet. Choreography by Alastair Marriott.

#ballet #contemporary ballet #Lauren Cuthbertson #Royal Ballet #Alastair Marriott #dance

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A Contrarian’s List of Favorite TNG Episodes

Meaning no "Yesterday's Enterprise," "Cause and Effect," "The Measure of a Man," "Q Who?" or "The Inner Light"!

Despite this post title, I’m not purposely trying to be contrarian; instead, the qualities that TNG is renowned for -- thoughtfully presenting moral dilemmas aboard a progressively imperialist paramilitary research space ship doesn’t hold up for me by the standard’s that I judge shows by today. Broadly speaking, I don’t find TNG very gripping when it’s trying to balance its drama on some kind of ethical decision or stance, which by necessity (i.e. the episodic nature of the series) can’t drill as deeply or as nuanced as I’d like; nor do I feel that the high-concept SF episodes withstand the overexposure of inspiring similar devices in so many other stories in the intervening 30-some years. (DS9, however, has held up, but that’s beyond the scope of this post.)

All that said! I still love the show, Picard is who I think of when I think of Trek, and I feel compelled to talk about it and make lists out of it outside of the context of any timely celebration of it!

All Good Things: After seven seasons, the Enterprise crew has the lived-in camaraderie of any memorable workplace family, but then it's juxtaposed with the awkward beginning (seeing how far they've come) and the estranged future (be grateful for what you have today, because it might not be there tomorrow). And the "getting the crew back together"/"where are they now" subplot in the future timeline? And the very existence and history of humanity depending on Picard? Two, nay three, nay four (Beverly) Captains Picard? And all three timelines coming together and all three Enterprises blowing up to sacrifice themselves for the sake of humanity? Sentiment, nostalgia, optimism, mind twisting time travel, and thrills -- an epic, widescreen embarrassment of riches. It's the perfect finale -- and easily the best of all Trek series.

The Best of Both Worlds: Even I can't deny how awesome "The Best of Both Worlds" is. Everything has been said about it, and everything is right.

Attached: Remembering back to when I was first watching TNG, I've always shipped Picard and Crusher, a romance that up to this point is articulated solely through innuendo and restraint. Not that Prusher? Cricard? is a steamy bodice-ripper, the intimacy that they have to confront doesn't merely scratch my ship itch, it's lovely material for Stewart and McFadden (the latter of whom was otherwise criminally underserved by the series). The warmth of friendship suffuses the show, but it's also tinged with both regret and hope, creating an uncommonly gentle and sensitive episode. Coffee and croissants!

The Next Phase: A great high-concept show about newly dead ghosts seeing what they've just left behind, this episode is still about character while also being wrapped in an engaging scifi mystery that isn't weighed down by technobabble. What’s more, mystery-based stories often lose their appeal on repeat viewings because viewers already know the answer, but the episode’s contemplations on a possible afterlife, the regrets of characters, and the jubilant wake all push the episode beyond just a mystery. “The Next Phase” is a celebration of Trek and its familiar tropes. My favorite part of the episode is the thread about Riker's ultimately undelivered eulogy for Ro -- fertile ground for great dialogue and tartly funny moments, the highlight being Ro shooting Riker point blank while he goes on playing the trombone.

The Offspring: Yes, I prefer this episode to "The Measure of a Man," the classic courtroom drama which, to me, feels dry, unfocused, and ultimately underwhelming today. Even though "The Offspring" covers similar philosophical ground, the meat of this story is a beautiful and heartbreaking one about Data and his daughter. Having the issue of basic human rights dramatized through Data's relationship with Lal is more powerful than a legal/philosophical debate, especially when you see the two saying goodbye. Plus, the scene between Lal and Riker is to my mind TNG's most perfect, funniest moment.

Deja Q: The funniest Q episode, filled with great one-liners, and the treat of seeing Q on the receiving end of someone wielding more power and then finding some shred of self-less decency.

Chain of Command: Every so often Sir Patrick has an episode that's a build-up to a scene where he gets to act out paroxysms of emotion ("Sarek," "Family"), but those tend to bide their time in less gripping (i.e boring) story until the climactic breakdown. Here, the supporting plot arcs may not be as rawly iconic as "There -- are -- FOUR -- lights!" (which to be fair is hard to top), but they still carry significant weight. The Enterprise crew chafing under Jellico's command (which of course leads to Troi finally getting to wear a standard Starfleet uniform), and the dehumanizing and ultimately fruitless effects of torture -- both would serve as good material for episodes, but when they're integrated with each other AND reach the unforgettable “four lights” crescendo, the story's stakes multiply and become powerful and rightly takes its place in the TNG canon. (An aside on "Sarek," though: alongside the scene of post-mind meld Picard drowning in the eruption of the Vulcan's emotions, Sarek calling Riker "Number One" is a sparkling gift to Trek fans.)

#star trek #tng #star trek tng #the next generation #all good things #best of both worlds #attached #the inner light #q ho #cause and effect #yesterday's enterprise #the next phase #the offspring #chain of command #there are four lights

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When PJ lets out That Voice, I have no doubt that she is a master of her art and I am her willing slave (see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04K_Zw05bTE).

#pj harvey #to bring you my love #music

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Hope Sandoval, languorous pixie dream girl, swoonness level: fatal.

#mazzy star #fade into you #hope sandoval #so tonight that i might see #music #dream pop

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The Bad Faith of “Don’t Politicize”

Since there are few genuinely non-ideological acts and opinions (I’d argue that such acts and opinions in fact don’t exist), when people caution against politicizing an event, they are performing at least two deeply political acts.

First, they’re trying to preserve the status quo. After all, the environment in which we live is literally the product of political action.

Second, they’re trying to silence the opponents of the status quo to the point that there is never a time to express their critiques.

Do not cede your rhetorical ground – they are arguing in bad faith, and I wonder about the quality of their arguments if they rely so heavily on such flimsy and dishonest rhetorical tactics.

#rhetoric #ideology #parkland #gun control #gun rights #second amendment #politics