Cinderella: An Evening at the Ballet

Ballet West First Soloist Haley Henderson Smith

as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother

Something you may not know about me: I'm a bunhead at heart. I adore the romance and spectable of the ballet. The grace of the dancers, the glamour of the costumes, the emotion in the music: each aspect of it enchants me.

Several months ago I realized that despite this ardour, I hadn't attended a ballet in...well, more years than I'd care to admit! With resolve to make cultural activities a bigger priority and a generous birthday present from my family, I've reacquainted myself with this charming art form. Utah has a wonderful ballet company: Ballet West, subject of the recent reality show Breaking Pointe. It would be a downright shame to not take advantage of it when it's in such close proximity.

Recently Ballet West put on a lovely production of Cinderella, and I revelled in every moment of it. Hilarious and grotesque, the evil stepsisters (traditionally played by men) provided a wealth of comedic moments. An aloof Wellington and surprisingly flexible Napoleon made memorable appearances as potential suitors. The lifts in the pas de deux stunned me, and the beauty of this moment overwhelmed me so much I found myself fighting back tears. It was all utterly magical! (As any production of Cinderella worth its salt should be!)

Next up for Ballet West is George Balanchine's Jewels, an event I eagerly anticipate. I recommend going if you're in the area. In the meantime, here are a few photos from the evening...

Excellent advice!

Sometimes I enjoy the theatre itself as much as the production

Someday I will watch the show from box seats

Intermission

Reluctantly leaving the theatre

Simple Pleasures: Here Comes the Bride

This week's simple pleasure isn't about those quiet everyday moments that often go unobserved. Instead, this joy comes from the kind of momentous family occasion that only presents itself occasionally.

This Saturday, a mere two days from now, my sister is getting married! She's the first in our family to tie the knot, and coming together to celebrate the love she and her fiance have for one another has brought us infinitely closer.

While planning a wedding is a huge life event for the couple and their loved ones, I've tried to soak in the loveliness of simple details from every fleeting moment of the process. Being involved has been an enormous honour, every step of the way: picking out the dress, sampling cake flavours, assisting at the photography session, planning a bachelorette party. I will forever cherish each of these precious moments.

Life is beautiful!

I am (clearly) not their photographer, but I couldn't resist taking a few photos of my own while acting as the bride's assistant at a pre-wedding photo shoot. Here a few favourites:

 Isn't she a beautiful bride?

 Such apparent happiness in this shot -- I love it

I hope your weekend is as happy as I know mine will be!

The Hunger Games Premiere

The Hunger Games premiered in cinemas this past weekend, pulling in a staggering $155 million domestically. After seeing it twice, I'm ready to deliver the verdict. I realize this makes me sound a bit obsessive, but in my cinephile family we're very much into repeat viewings. And the verdict is...

Well done! Very well done!

I admit I felt nothing but trepidation leading up to the movie's release. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I'm still astounded the Twilight films managed to turn poorly written books into movies that somehow surpassed their source material in pure awfulness -- leading me to suspect all YA adaptations were a train wreck waiting to happen. I also worried about the complications that come from translating a futuristic sci-fi novel to the big screen. Would the movie come out looking like a low-budget Star Trek? Suffice it to say, these and other concerns forbade me from anticipating the film with any sense of excitement.

I was, therefore, thrilled to find that The Hunger Games impressed me much more than I thought it would. Indeed, I enjoyed it as much, if not more, upon a second viewing. Is it perfect? No. I don't think any adaptation can be. But all around, Lionsgate succeeded in producing a film that is a credit to the book which inspired it. 

The Hunger Games sets itself apart from other teen films by casting young soon-to-be stars with the acting chops demanded by their rigorous roles. Katniss is not an easy part to play. She's prickly and not the most demonstrably emotional girl; much of the what the reader knows about her is gleaned through internal dialogue. Yet Jennifer Lawrence blew me away with her performance. Physically speaking, she's doesn't strictly follow the description of Katniss Collins provides, but I don't think they could have found another young actor who embodied the character like she did. The entire film is hinged upon her performance, and she carries it off nicely. I was also pleased by Josh Hutcherson's portrayal of Peeta, and while we haven't yet seen much from Liam Hemsworth as Gale, he didn't bother me like I thought he would. (He's primarily known for starring in a Nicholas Sparks adaptation with Miley Cyrus. Can you blame my skepticism?) 

An array of better known adult actors fill in the cast of minor characters. I was particularly impressed by Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci who play Effie Trinket (fantastically clad in neo-Victorian clothing) and Games host Caesar Flickerman, respectively. Both provide nice comic relief in what is an otherwise bleak narrative. My main complaint with the movie is the casting of Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. The District 12 stylist is one of my favourite characters, but he's subtle and nuanced. They needed an actor, not a has-been musician, to adequately convey Cinna's depth. 

Finally, I wanted to point out that the violence was handled well by the filmmakers. It never felt gratuitous. Hand-held shots during action sequences prevent the audience from seeing anything in graphic detail, but it was enough to express the horror of the situation. I, for one, was filled with nothing but repulsion that such young defenseless children were subjected to such a fate.

In short, I heartily recommend The Hunger Games to any fan of Suzanne Collins's trilogy. I'll be looking forward to the next installment! May the odds be ever in your favor, and Happy Hunger Games!

Waiting for the movie to start

My mum is looking peeved, because my dad leaked a major

spoiler from book three (she's only read the first two)

And I am looking happy because I won 

a ten dollar giftcard to the cinema at our private screening

The odds were in my favor!

Have you seen The Hunger Games yet? What did you like about it? What do you think they could have done better? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy New Year at the End of January

Ringing in the New Year with spiffy hats

I hope everybody enjoyed happy holidays and a lovely New Year.  The New Year is a time for reflection and resolutions, and I've made a fair share of my own for the coming months.  The goal with which I'm most concerned is my resolution to read more.  Occasionally I am easily led away from my reading.  I don't always persevere when I have difficulty concentrating on a text, or I let myself become preoccupied with day-to-day tasks.  That needs to stop.

But my resolution is equally concerned with quality as it is with quantity.  In the past my reading choices have been somewhat bipolar: nineteenth-century fiction or young adult novels.  This was particularly the case when I was working retail.  After an exhausting eight-hour shift spent entirely on my feet, I often felt too dead for intelligent thought.  So I turned to brain candy YA series.  While some of what's currently circulating in that genre is contemplative and well-written, after two years of wading through many of YA's 'hot titles' I've determined much of what's published is pure tripe.  Not every novel needs to contain supernatural figures (vampires, werewolves, fallen angels, fairies, leprechauns) and unconvincing pubescent entanglements of the romantic variety (love triangles, love squares, love octagons).  I was joking about the leprechauns and love octagons, but if I ever decide to write a YA novel I've inadvertently stumbled upon a brilliant concept. 

I've finally concluded that even if I'm not in the mood for Dombey and Son, it doesn't mean I need to degrade myself to [insert horrible teen title here].  This is the year of increasing the breadth of reading!  So long, crappy teen fiction littered with grammatical errors and five reiterations of the same word on a single page!  I will still continue to cleave to my beloved Victorian novels, but it's time to spread my wings a little bit.  Below are some of the reading categories with which I'm hoping to become better acquainted:

Non-Fiction: I really struggle to tear myself away from novels, but I'm denying myself so much enjoyable learning as a result.  I'd like to read biographies on favourite authors and dig deeper into British history.  Literary criticism does not count.

Poetry: I was woefully ashamed when I recently scanned my bookshelves and noticed a shocking lack of poetry.  It needs more representatives in my collection.  I'm particularly looking forward to more John Keats.

Drama: Again, too many novels.  I've taken Shakespeare modules more than once in my academic career, but I've never read Marlowe or Jonson *slaps wrist.*

20th Century/Contemporary Fiction: There are plenty of breezy yet intelligent novels I can turn to when Dickens's endless descriptions of the Victorian legal system seem too imposing.  And I'm sure there are plenty of excellent novels penned outside of the long nineteenth century.  There are, aren't there?  Aren't there?!

I've also made a few resolutions that to do not directly affect my TBR list.  They include:

Get Published: 2012 is the year my name will appear in an academic journal!

Get Creative with Cooking: My culinary skills are limited, but I'm determined to stick with my recent conversion to vegetarianism.  Unfortunately, exactly 98% of traditional Utah recipes call for ground beef (which I hated even when I was an omnivore) and/or cream of chicken soup.  Fact.  Therefore, I need to get creative in the kitchen with fun meat-free options.

Visit a Literary Mecca: I've decided life is not worth living if one can't visit author museums.  It's just not.  I even came up with some names of American writers whose domains I would love to roam: Louisa May Alcott, Edith Wharton and Edgar Allan Poe.

Earn Money of Some Sort: Whoa, dream big!

Get in Shape: I know this is the classic resolution with a .001% success rate come February 1, so I'm following the advice of nearly every fitness magazine by setting a realistic, achievable goal: workout more.  Period.  Like, once a month or something.

Those, my friends, are my official New Year's Resolutions.  In writing.  I am happy to report that I have had some success since I set these goals after my horrible rendition of Auld Lang Syne.  Not the getting in shape bit, but I still have until Tuesday to squeeze in my January workout.

Did you set New Year's Resolutions?  Have you kept them so far?  Also, if you're a fan of non-fiction I'd love to hear what some of your favourites are -- I need help in that department!

When the Cat's Away...

 ...The mice will play!

My parents are traveling back east this week, so I am the designated house/baby-sitter.  Let me tell you, we are going cuh-razy in their absence. Not only have I been cultivating my domesticity by cleaning, cooking and chauffeuring teenagers, we've been partying big time.  Yesterday Chelsea and I decided to get really wild by hanging out at the bookstore.  We ordered hot beverages from the cafe (salted caramel hot chocolate for her, hot apple spice with extra caramel for me), and we read.  For over an hour.  Crazy, right? 

It doesn't stop there.  Tonight we completely defied all the rules and went out for dinner and a movie on a school night (as pictured above).  We saw Johnny English Reborn, which I'm pretty sure is the most rebellious movie of all time.  I don't think I've ever seen anything so...transgressive.  Just when I thought we couldn't get any more unruly, we listened to Christmas music in the car -- well before Thanksgiving.  Where did our inhibitions go?

Honestly, my teenage years didn't look much different from this.  This mouse was always a low-key geek whose conflicts with the supervisory cat generally involved piano practice (I wanted to practice; my mum disagreed) and the fact that I stayed out past curfew to watch period films with my best friend.  Clearly I haven't changed much.  I hope my brother and sister have enjoyed getting their geek on with me this week so the next time the parentals propose traveling and leaving me to rule the roost, Christian and Chelsea will reply with a 'Hell to the yeah!'  

Birthday Dinners & Bundt Cakes

I'm thrilled with my bundtlet!

Since my dad was out of town on my birthday, we had a low-key celebration.  When asked where I wanted to have a birthday dinner the thought that immediately sprung to mind was, 'Which restaurants are near Nothing Bundt Cakes?'

See, what I really wanted for my birthday was a killer cake.  Fortunately for me, Nothing Bundt Cakes sells killers cakes -- nay, assassin cakes.  They really are that scrumptious.  Their bundt cakes come in a variety of sizes with the smaller versions sporting cute names like bundtlet and bundtini. 

So, in order to obtain proximity to this baked-goods Mecca, I decided on the Asian restaurant across the parking lot.  The food sure was tasty, and I'm confident it would have been even if it were miles away from a cakery (can I make that a word?).

 Mum and Chelsea dig into the grub

 I opted for pad thai and green coconut curry with rice

Yummy!

With the brother

Mother and daughter

After dinner we made our way home with lots of cake for dessert. I came away with a white chocolate raspberry bundtlet and a full-size chocolate chocolate chip with cream cheese frosting.  All of our purchases were delicious, but that chocolate chocolate chip cake was on another level.  As I told a friend, it really took the cake.  (Puns are allowed for birthdays.)  We're not chocoholics at our house, but it didn't take long for the chocolate chocolate chip bundt to disappear, leaving naught but a smattering of crumbs behind.  In short, I'm ready for another bundt.  (If you want a bundt, there are locations from California to Tennessee.)

Christian immediately decided on the red velvet

He was quite chuffed with it

Chelsea selected the cinnamon swirl

As for me, I thought this day exemplified the old adage, 'Spicy food and cake a great birthday make.'  Okay, that's not an old adage.  But I found it to be full of truth.  Thanks to my family for making this birthday a delicious one!

P.S. I ate homemade chocolate cake while writing this post.  I clearly have a serious problem.  Time to join the 12-step program?

Pumpkin Carving

I haven't carved pumpkins in ages, so this year I was determined to get out the carving tools!  I left it until the last minute; fortunately, our local grocery store still had a good selection of pumpkins on offer.  After careful consideration, the siblings and I decided on two designs: an owl and the grim reaper. 

The gourds in their natural state

Pumpkin Guts!

It's time to disembowel...

Christian is evidently grossed out by the slime

But I don't mind it too much

Chelsea is undecided on the matter

Starting the carving process

Deep in concentration

With the finished product

Chelsea is making an owl face

Christian's Grim Reaper complete with scythe

Chelsea and I were quite proud of our little owl

We named her Hedwig

Then we displayed these works of art (ha ha) outside

where the cat added to the Halloween vibe

We were constantly interrupted by trick-or-treaters during the carving process, but we still had a fantastic time with our little gourds.  Afterwards, I went over to my dad's house where we watched Poltergeist.  It was a low-key, but pleasant, Halloween.  Did you have a good holiday?

P.S.  I didn't dress up this year, but after seeing this amazing costume I have a great idea for next year.  Or maybe I could be a Regency-era zombie in the vein of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?  Oh, the possibilities.  But now it's time to gear up for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Puppy Love

My aunt's two American eskimo dogs recently had a litter of nine puppies.  That's right -- nine puppies.  When they hit the four-week mark, we made a visit for some puppy playtime.  They're just the cutest little things: tiny white furballs that adored being held and cuddled.  We watched them go crazy over meal time with mama, play together, then fall into a restful puppy slumber (sometimes in their food dish).  It reminded me of the days when Percy was a tiny toy fox terrier pup.  Needless to say, Chelsea and I went a bit crazy with the camera.  Thus, I have compiled several collages featuring these adorable little pups!

Little Puppies

Sleepy Puppies

And more puppies

Aren't they cute?

The puppies have now all been weaned and welcomed into new homes, so it was wonderful to spend some time with these pups while we could.

P.S. It's possible that one or two almost came to our house -- my mom wanted to take all of them home with us.  It's also possible that she wasn't alone.   I am happy to report that we resisted the temptation to sneak out a little furball.  We have enough dog hair in our house as it is. 

Roller Coasters & Haunted Houses

The parentals are in the front row

A few days after the pumpkin festival, I was lucky enough to have another Halloween adventure with my Dad's side of the family (minus sister Rachel).  Last Friday we drove up to our local amusement park where, in addition to the usual rides, they were hosting some Halloween events.  Two thoughts struck me on this visit.

Observation No 1: Man, I am getting old.  I remember the days when I would get off a roller coaster and go right back on -- no problem.  I aspired to ride The Colossus (the behemoth of Utah coasters when I was a wee girl) at least ten times.  I usually achieved, and occasionally exceeded, my goal.  But now...wow, I'm just old.  I left each ride feeling dizzy and nauseated.  It took me a good half hour to regain my equilibrium and gear up for the next go-round.  I managed most of the roller coasters once, but in general I found myself gravitating towards the mild attractions, like the classic carousel.  And I'm not even thirty!  What happened?!  What will an amusement park visit look like ten years from now?  Will I be driving around a little motorized cart (you know, the tiny vehicles generally reserved for senior citizens), because I can't even handle walking anymore?

 I'm on a pig!

By the way, I love carousels

They remind me of Mary Poppins

Observation No. 2: Why, oh why, did we ever come here in the summer?  Going to the amusement park was a summer tradition when I was growing up.  We sweltered in the July heat while inching our way through an hour-long line for a 90-second ride.  But in October...the weather is perfect.  Slightly warm during the day, just chilly enough at night to require an extra hoodie.  The lines are shorter, and you get all the added Halloween features as a bonus! I revelled in the ghosts and pumpkins; the synthetic fog; the dressed-up employees whose sole objective is to wander round the park frightening the patrons.  And while I may have clutched tight to my family while walking through the haunted houses, I rather enjoyed myself.  Except for the maze of clowns. Everything about clowns is so, so wrong.  

 I loved the faux gravestones with hilarious epitaphs that littered the park

Like this one

Bonus points for the skeletal hand popping out of the earth

A picnic for lunch

Lovely fall leaves

The family gets ready to blast off on The Rocket

The Sky Ride

Courtney and me on The Terror Ride

 Dracula's Castle

The spiderwebs are an October treat

Dad on the Bumper Cars

A ghoul searching for prey

Jack-O-Lantern Pyramid

Like father, like daughter

Wow, what a fantastic day...even if I received an unwelcome reminder that I am rapidly approaching senility.  Thanks to my family for this October treat!