I won’t bother trying to describe the ‘plot’ of the show we saw. Suffice to say there was something of a love pentagon that resulted in nearly every principal character dying. But, the guy did get the girl in the end. Since I have neither the personal experience nor the long-standing ballet-going expertise to rely on for commentary, I’ll just offer up a few bullet points that collected in my mind during and after the show.

• If this show was any indication, we were not the target audience for this kind of thing. I think the audience was mostly composed of two mutually exclusive age groups: 10-13 and 50+. This isn’t meant to be a slight on the people that came, but it was clear we did not fit in with the rest of the crowd. It is entirely likely that this is the type of crowd that goes to a matinee, but this being my first ballet – I got nothing.
• There was actually one legit spill on stage. At the end of one of the lead performers spotlight moments the spinning took its toll. It was a bit awkward, especially because she was supposed to factor into the story before the curtain came down on that act. Everyone on stage recovered nicely and things progressed fine after that, but still. Face plant.
• There were a number of moments that I noticed things were not exactly in sync. With so many people on stage doing similar motions that are clearly crafted to be performed in unison, one misstep or shaky leg really stands out. I asked Dayle after the show if she noticed similar moments of non-sync-ness to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. She agreed that some of the movements were not as precise as they should have been. It didn’t take away from the performance but I found it interesting that I noticed aspects of the performance that could have been considered trivial.
• At the end of the day, I think ballet may be one of the most pure of all athletic activities. The balance, precision, and body control required for these moves is insane. Even the moves that traditional dancers may consider warm up or entry level stuff is not to be taken lightly. Particularly with the male lead and his ridiculously tight pants. You can see the muscle definition. This dude is no joke. Then you watch him run and leap, quite gracefully, through the air. Over, and over, and over again. These people are good.

I’m glad I pulled the trigger on ballet tickets. I’m not sure when we are going to go again, but I’m not adverse to another round of [insert ballet vocabulary here].

Our time in our Nation’s Capital also included dinner at a restaurant from Eric Ripert (this one)…thumbs up. And brunch at a place that doesn’t really deserve a pageview. The experience was fun, the company was great, but we both agreed the food was missing that Brett Favre intangible to take it to the next level. (I think I watch too much Top Chef).

I feel more cultured. This is a good thing, right?

For some strange reason I decided to get on a soapbox about racial identity and detailed my frustration with the fact that I was instructed to “choose one” race or ethnicity. I marked African American on the application because I knew an minority candidate would have a better opportunity of getting into the College of Engineering than an equally qualified candidate that was white. Fair or not, that is the system we live in and I chose to use every natural advantage I could to secure my future. I bring all of this up because February is Black History Month. Apparently it’s also [source]

• Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month
• Body Awareness Month
• Electrical Safety Awareness Month
• Heart Disease Awareness Month
• Heartworm Awareness Month
• Low Vision Awareness Month
• National Cancer Prevention Month
• National Pet Dental Health Awareness Month
• Safety Awareness Month
• School-Based Health Center Awareness Month
• Sinus Pain Awareness Month and
• Termite Awareness Month

I’ve often thought about what it means to be both black and white in today’s society. Ultimately, nothing. There’s nothing special about me or my ethnicity. I feel like I’ve been pretty comfortable in my skin over the last decade or so. I don’t feel any pressure to conform or not conform to stereotypes, I just…am.

Of course I would be lying if I said I didn’t get the ‘head nod’ walking around Blacksburg, secretly acknowledging that we (black people) would get each other’s back when the revolution started. I definitely got those. But I don’t think this made me any more or less white. It just made me.

There is no conclusion to this post. February is a month specifically devoted to the accomplishments and achievements of black people around the world. Who knows where I would be if it weren’t for the path laid by their sweat and tears. But that’s only part of my story, and it would be foolish to dismiss whatever else makes up my character, look, outlook, demeanor, or any other adjective. I’m a sum of my parts – all of them. And happily so.

You can find the latest Marvel happenings, including the ‘This Week in Marvel’ Podcast at Marvel.com and be sure to follow Marc on Twitter @Strommy.

Run Time – 1:04:15

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It’s not directly about the pageviews. It’s about the connections that can come from those pageviews. One single pageview could put a person down a path to a happier, healthier life. It’s a bit hyperbolic but that’s the power of this community. That’s the power of support. Sure, it can be about the numbers, just make sure you’re focusing on the *right* numbers.

-Me

Have a nice weekend.

Keep up with the latest in Quinn’s world on her website at quinnnystrom.com and on Twitter @QuinnNystrom.

Run Time – 57:38

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In case you wondered what it’s like to have a small rotisserie oven in your home.

This was from this past weekend.

Hungry?

PS. Happy Birthday Mom!

Anyone else miss the bit about spam monkeys on @sixuntilme's comment form? I always pictured the Wizard of Oz monkeys carrying cans of Spam.—
Christopher (@iam_spartacus) January 20, 2012

Is there a spam theme song? Can it be sung in the tune of 'Yellow Brick Road'?

Have a great weekend.

Cutting the cord works for us logistically because we spend most of our time watching shows off the DVR. We watch Jimmy Fallon the day after it airs. We tape Modern Family and the Thursday night lineup on NBC and watch it later because our jobs and commute leave us with enough energy to make dinner and not much else. Watching live television basically boiled down to Football and Hockey – more on that in a few sentences. Outside of the DVR our media came from a handful of familiar streaming services: Netflix, Amazon and HBO Go. If you add in Hulu Plus, Roku offers the ability to consume all of those streaming services through one handy device.

Simply put: Google Reader : RSS :: Roku : Streaming Television Services. Rather than go to each service individually through an iPad or Xbox or through your laptop’s HDMI output, Roku functions as a central hub for all your streaming needs. After a few minutes of configuration and account verification, you are ready to watch all your favorite programs online. Legally.

Jimmy Fallon, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, Saturday Night Live? Hulu.

Top Gear (the BBC version, not that American nonsense)? Netflix.

The Wire? HBO Go.*

Downton Abbey (Season 2)? Amazon.

*There is a huge caveat with services like HBO Go or EPIX (also available on Roku). You must have a current subscription to HBO for HBO Go to work. Thankfully my dad was kind enough to not change his account password. (Kidding, I asked for permission to use his account.) In theory this same set up could work for you, assuming you know and trust someone who currently subscribes to HBO one way or another. It’s not cheating the system. HBO gets their cut and that paid account accesses a service it is entitled to. I’ve rationalized this plenty in my head, so please don’t try to convince me otherwise.

Again, live sports is the biggest drawback to cutting the cord. If you don’t have a friend that you enjoy watching the game with or a bar-type place you can loiter at from 1-8pm every Sunday, this may not be for you. Of all the major sports, Football does not offer any kind of paid streaming service for displaced fans. NHL, MLB and NBA have stepped into the modern age but not the NFL. And if you think about it, their revenue stream is so profitable that they don’t need to consider it. It’s a shame, but it’s reality. For the regular season I can stream NFL RedZone off my phone through mini-HDMI to my TV, so we aren’t completely cut off. As far as NHL, I had a master plan that we’ve yet to implement. But I’ll let you in on the secret anyway.

NHL GameCenter primarily serves displaced fans in out of market areas. Bruins fans living in southern California. LA Kings fans in Maine. That kind of thing. But Capitals fans living in Sterling are out of luck. Technically. But I had set up a deal with Dayle’s sister, who lives in Tennessee, to take my money and set up an NHL GameCenter account in her name, with her address tied to it so the Capitals would be out of market for her. The only games she (“this account”) wouldn’t be able to watch from the DC area would be when the Caps play the Nashville Predators. 2 games out of the entire regular season? I’m okay with that. Ultimately we decided not to go forward with the NHL set up, but I felt confident in my master plan.

At the end of the day Roku was the right choice for us. Our viewing habits match well with how content is made available on the services Roku can access and we have enough external options for live TV if we absolutely need to watch something as it occurs. Ironically we’ve gotten a lot more reading done in the past two weeks since setting this thing up. With less time spent channel surfing, I’m finally making progress through the Stieg Larsson books. Dayle read the Hunger Games trilogy in a week. And my Comcast bill was halved (after returning all the gear and getting my own modem instead of the rented one they supply. Forget that noise).

If you still have questions about Roku, Boxee or any other streaming hub let me know. I’m here to help.

Check out Consetta’s work at Parker Publicity and be sure to see what Rancho Obi-Wan is all about too. If you’re a fan of Star Wars, this place needs to be on your bucket list.

Run Time – 1:12:50

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This is one of those moments that I wish I self-hosted my blog so I could make a more meaningful statement with the lot against censorship. Imagine what the Internet would be like if sites like Wikipedia and YouTube were but a shred of what they are today. Where the Internet is reduced from the utility and necessity that it currently functions as to a place where creativity dies instead of flourishes.

Piracy is real. It’s a problem. I’m not denying that or endorsing illegal activity. But until there is a) a way to accurately quantify what piracy is really doing to the industries that claim to be hurt the most and 2. a smart way to combat illegal activity, the broad strokes proposed are not a sufficient response.

Tomorrow’s post will be up at 7:59am. After that I’ll be off the grid for twelve hours. I’m sure I won’t be missed, but it’s my small contribution.

http://sopastrike.com/