Ave Maria Concert

I just got back from an Ave Maria organ concert at St. Francis Church, and it was fantastic! I was walking around Prague today taking pics and enjoying my explorations, when I came across the St. Francis Seraphinus from Assisi Church. In front, was a sign featuring an organ concert featuring Ave Maria and other famous arias played on the second oldest church organ in Prague. Impulsively, I decided to attend. I've always loved Ave Maria.... and hearing it in Prague would be a memorable experience.

Here is a souvenir flyer I kept for my scrapbook.

I paid 450 crowns to get in, which roughly came to about $22 dollars. I took some shots before the crowd milled in and packed the pews. The church was designed with an early baroque look.... very European, and oh so beautiful! The cathedral's interior was audibly harmonic and had a beautiful ringing echo that maximized the performances. It was an incredible concert sponsored by the "Knights of the Cross". The admission fee was well worth the attendance!






The ensemble, which featured a soloist, violinist and organist were magnificent. Ave Maria was sung with angelic voice and distinctive clarity. I always get goose bumps when I hear it, and tonight was no different. One thing though. I left with a crick in my neck because I had to look up high to watch the performance. But what's a little discomfort for Aaaavvve Maaaarrrrriiiiaaaa?

Surviving the Swine Flu Scare

Scare is over. I don't have Swine Flu. Last Tuesday I sat beside someone at an all day off-site meeting that had been exposed to Swine Flu in the states... course, this person didn't know about the exposure until the next day, and by then all of us at the off-site were already exposed. Consequently, all of us got started on Tamiflu as a precautionary measure. Per the CDC, those most vulnerable to the virus are those exposed within a 5 ft radius. Guess who sat closest to the probable exposer? "ME." At that point none of the symptoms were to show for another 3-4 days as the incubation period is about 7 days. Signs to look for.... fever, body aches, chills, sore throat, cough, possible diarrhea... basic flu like symptoms... again, it was too early to tell if any of us had H1N1 Flu (CDC put out the missive last Thursday that Swine Flu was to be referred to as H1N1 Flu).... and so, I left for the week-end with my packet of Tamiflu and my morale waaaay low. On my way out the door, I received notification that my business trip to Prague got cancelled. Had an epidemic arisen here, Egypt had been prepared to close its borders and I would've been locked out. Needless to say, I didn't have a good week-end. I didn't let family know, and I certainly wasn't going to blog about it until I knew for sure. I got up this morning to a bad start. It was Sunday. Egypt's Monday, as the national work week is Sun-Thurs. My alarm didn't go off. My SUV needed a jump start. My carpool was reaaaally late. On the way to work, our carpool got assailed by rocks, as an angry mob vented their anger on innocent pig farmers taking their "piggies to market", and our vehicle just happened to be there at the same time. And all because of the Swi---H1N1 Flu. Ahhhh... 3rd world country ignorance. Ironically, before the CDC changed the name to H1N1, Egypt was calling the Swine Flu, "Mexican Flu". By religious order, Muslims aren't allowed to touch pork. Pork is so reviled here that even a disease couldn't be named after it. Ahhhh....Middle East cultural differences. Egyptians believe that bad luck is brought on by the "evil eye". So, when was this evil eye going to stop ogling me? Fortunately, it stopped when I arrived to work. We found out that the person who was exposed to stateside H1N1 Flu tested negative; hence, all of us were negative.... and the second good news of the day..... the travel ban at work lifted!! So, 6 am tomorrow, I will be flying out to the Czech Republic sans Swine Flu. Morale restored. Evil Eye has left the building.

[Note: For up to date H1N1 Flu information, stay tune to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage here. Stay home if you or a family member is experiencing flu like symptoms, seek medical care as needed, and wash your hands frequently using soap and water.]

Peace On Earth

we get caught up in our lives

until we see something that makes us gasp

we sit up and take notice

it makes our heart yearn

our thoughts churn

and we ask the eternal question

can't we all just get along?

~gina

Easy Breezy......

The Two Edies of Grey Gardens

Living in the Middle East, I am often behind the power curve on "new buzz" popculture arrivals. Case in point: I missed the April 18th HBO docudrama debut of Grey Gardens, starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. From all accounts, Lange and Barrymore delivered stirring performances as "Big Edie" and "Little Edie", the mother-daughter "poor relations" of the venerable late Jackie O.

Thanks to my virtual skeleton keys, I tiptoed into entry ways of blogger homes that featured the "Two Edies", and ill-fatedly sealed my new obsession. Rather than wax poetic on the "Two Edies" and the Hampton estate for which the movie is named after, I will defer to the blog articles that whetted my appetite, and will have you also hungry for more.

• Kawana Blogs... : compilation (3)
• *VISUAL*VAMP*: compilation (7)
• La Dolce Vita
• Grey Gardens Online

How the former socialite and debutante found their way from 1930's East Hampton wealth and prestige to 1970's abject poverty and squalor, while cloaking their demented states in spirited charm, is beyond me. All I know is that I'm hooked - and in despair. The movie doesn't get released to DVD sales until July 14th. Grrrrrr. In the meantime I moved the 1976 Albert and David Maysles documentary, Grey Gardens to the top of my Netflix queue, but it still hasn't appeared in the mail. Fortunately, the "Two Edies" allowed the Maysles brothers to come in and film them, so that we have video footage of their kooky, yet arresting co-dependent relationship. If you get the chance, watch the HBO film and 1976 documentary. I hope Grey Gardens piques your interest as it did mine. Enjoy!