Good Boy

Got a bit of bad news today. My parents' dog --and my adopted dog when I am home visiting my parents-- is apparently really sick, and not in the getting-better kind of way. Apparently he'd been acting sick for about a week, and he'd stop eating and drinking, and that, coupled with the nature of whatever it is he has, means my parents are going to have to put him to sleep tomorrow :(. Even though he wasn't the dog I "grew up with," since my parents only got him a few years ago, while I was in college, I did a lot to take care of him when I was home, and he was a pretty righteous dog. Only dog I ever knew that actually chased his tail, and then would catch it.

It sucks to lose a pet, and I am sorry that I can't be there to say good-bye, as it were. I am glad that I was able to hang out and play with him when I was home in March. And that the boyfriend got to meet him. Anyway, there is not much to say about this. The fam only had him for a few years, but what years they were.

Peace out, Coco. You will be missed.

Coco, aka Kokomo. Aged 10 years

Sorry for the downer posts the last couple days. Will try to come up with something more cheery for the next installment.

Memorial Day Weekend

I have been super lazy about posting this week, so for that I apologize. Today's post relates to last weekend, actually. Last weekend was Memorial Day Weekend, which if you couldn't guess, is kind of a big deal. So I decided that, if I was going to do touristy things, like see monuments, I might as well do it on the weekend when the monuments are going to be going all out -- decorations, commemorations, etc. The following will be a chronicle of what I did and saw that weekend, mostly in picture form with some commentary.

Saturday:

On Saturday during the day, I did the monument tour. Having looked up "things to do in DC on Memorial Day weekend, I found that a lot of the war memorials would be decorated with special memorial ribbons and flowers, and that at the memorials for wars for which there are still living veterans (read: WWII, Korea, Vietnam), there would be little ceremonies. So I walked around. I managed to catch the tail-end of the WWII Memorial's service for those KIA and the few (now very old-- hard to think that the "greatest generation," and WWII are so on their way out, and in a few years very few will be left) veterans who were in attendance. I was fortunate to catch the national anthem singing and flag-unfurling. Here are some of the pictures from the various memorials:

Memorial gathering at the WWII Memorial on the National Mall

Example of the memorial flowers that were being laid at all the war memorials. I wonder who paid for/sponsored these individual flower bouquets, and how

WWI Memorial in the distance

Memorial wreath set in the WWI Memorial. I have always felt kind of bad for the WWI Memorial/veterans. Compared to the epicness and pomp and circumstance given to the other war memorials, it always feels kind of lonely and forgotten. I guess it makes sense, since the other war memorials commemorate wars in which people still living fought, and WWI for us Americans was not as much a colossal part of our history as it is in say, Europe, but it still always struck me as a little forlorn and sad. I guess that is what happens when there is no one left around to advocate so much for its remembrance

Entering this Korean War Memorial, I saw that someone had set this picture of (who I assume is/was) a Korean War veterans, from French-speaking Canada (I always forget that, more than say Vietnam, Korea was a U.N. effort. I guess that explains why the U.N. logo is all over the memorial, and the names of pretty much every major western power, plus a few from Asia). From the picture: "Gerald Ferlotte. 1928-2009. Royal 22nd Regiment of Canada. Tu nous manque Papa [We miss you Papa. French speaking skills for the win]."

Korean War Memorial with memorial flowers and wreaths laid about

Memorial wreath commissioned/paid/sent (?) by a group of South Koreans in thanks for our veterans' and KIA's efforts in ensuring that South Korea =/= North Korea today. The wreath reads: "We remember you forever. With [? Word is partially obscured] people of the Republic of Korea. Presented by Class of 1963, College of Commerce, Seoul National University." Unfortunately, I cannot read Korean so I do not know what the script in Korean says

View of the line at the Vietnam War Memorial. For all its length, it moved pretty quickly

Memorial wreaths sponsored and laid by various Vietnam veterans groups

So apparently every Memorial Day Weekend for like the last 20 or something years, something called "Rolling Thunder" happens. I had read about it online, that "Rolling Thunder" was going to sponsor a bunch of events in the District over the weekend, but I didn't pay much attention to what it is Rolling Thunder is or does. This last weekend, I found out who they are and what they do.

This

Apparently, "Rolling Thunder" is a group of Vietnam-era veterans (and their spouses/allies) who also happen to be massive, Harley-Davidson-type bikers. Specifically, it is a biker club for Vietnam veterans and friends, whose mission it is, is to raise awareness of and pressure politicians/the military on the issue of military troops who are still POWs and MIA, and whose cases have not been resolved/bodies not been recovered, etc. So every Memorial Day Weekend, they host a huge (and I mean huge) biker rally in DC, to bring awareness to the POW/MIA cause, and to remember those who served in and/or were killed in Vietnam (and by extension, other wars generally, although their focus seems to be Vietnam). You can learn more about their group and what they do on their website. So basically, for the weekend, DC was taken over by hundreds of aging, Vietnam veteran, leather-clad biker dudes, often with long hair. I did not know that the aging patriotic biker veteran was a demographic, but by the showing in DC, apparently it is. The whole of Constitution Avenue (the street that runs along the north edge of the National Mall) from about the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial was just strewn with hundreds of motorcycles. I have not seen so much black leather all in one place before, complete with very "'Merica"-type patches, a smattering of Jesus-y patches, and several "Jane Fonda is a traitorous bitch" patches (to be fair, if what I have read about some of the things she did in her more radical youth are true, then I can't really disagree with that assessment. Since Vietnam and all that craziness was well before my time, however, all I know is hearsay and what I hear on the internet, so I will reserve judgment as to the validity of these statements). It was definitely a glimpse into a different world.

Sunday:

Sunday I did not do much during the day; the big event was the annual Memorial Day concert on the Capitol lawn, which was an evening event put on by PBS. I like outdoor concerts, and the lineup (of both singers and hosts) had sufficient "name-recognition" appeal, that I thought, "hey why not?" The gates opened at 5:00PM, and the event started at 8:00PM. So, starting about about 3:30, I hung around the reflecting pool of the Capitol, waiting for the gates to open. I figured that if I did that, I could keep an eye on the line area, and get in line when it started to form, to ensure a good seat, since it was open grass seating. The highlight of waiting for the gate to open/to get in line, was seeing a Mama duck herd her 8 little ducklings all along the reflecting pool. It was kind of adorable, so see the poor put-upon Mama duck try to keep everyone together. They as a group made a lap around the reflecting pool, all the while getting much attention from the patrons milling around. I did not take a picture because I did not want to scare the baby ducklings, but trust me when I say that it was adorable.

The concert itself was very good, and surprisingly moving. It was basically about honoring fallen soldiers and veterans who have served. Interspersed with thematic music (one song of which was "Bring Him Home" from the musical Les Miserables, sung by the guy currently playing Jean Valjean on Broadway. It was a fitting piece for the part of the event honoring current military personnel, and it didn't hurt that it is one of my favorite songs from my favorite musical. And he nailed it.) were little vignettes that told soldiers' stories. One particularly poignant story involved an Afghanistan veteran's battle with PTSD after his tour, and ultimately his succumbing to the depression. The man's widow and children were in attendance, and I must admit I even got a little misty. Same for a vignette honoring Charles Durning, a well-known Hollywood actor who passed away this last year. Apparently prior to Hollywood, he served in WWII, and was quite decorated, having being with the first landing party on Omaha Beach at D-Day, as well as having liberated a concentration camp. Apparently in the past he had been a speaker at the concert, so they played video clips of past years where he described his experiences at D-Day and liberating the camp. He described in pretty stark detail, so it was definitely humbling and saddening to hear. I was also really happy to see that they specifically called some Korean War veterans on stage for recognition. For a long time, Korea was the "forgotten war," shoved between WWII and Vietnam, so veterans from Korea often didn't get as much recognition, attention or help as veterans from those other wars. It is nice to see them finally getting their due. As he does every year, Gary Sinise acted as co-host of the concert. Ever since playing Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump, I guess he has really gotten into the cause of wounded veterans, and does a lot of charitable work for them, including playing for them through his Lt. Dan Band. The concert is one of the things he is really involved with. Gary Sinise is a class act, both as an actor and a person.

Here are some pictures of the concert, which admittedly could be better. Unfortunately, while I had a good seat, we were still pretty far back as they had a separate section for veterans and family right in front of the stage (as it should be).

Walking to the event at Capitol Hill, I caught a glimpse of the "Rolling Thunder" ride that the group does around the Mall, which apparently happened on Sunday

View of the Capitol from the reflecting pool

It was a full house, all the way back to and up the steps of the Capitol

Concert stage just prior to start

Gary Sinise and his co-host, Joe Mantegna

American Idol winner Candice Glover singing the national anthem

Jessica Sanchez, from Glee also performed

Colin Powell also spoke. I couldn't get a good shot of him, so here he his on the jumbotron

Actor Ed Harris also gave a good speech at the event

Korean War veterans being honored at the concert (they are in blue coats)

Capitol and crowd, a-washed in light during the concert

In all, it was a really good concert, full of talented singers (and the National Symphony Orchestra on accompaniment). It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go, so I am glad I went. The weather that day was mid-70s, totally clear skies, and low humidity, so you pretty much could not have asked for a more perfect concert-going day. I think the concert, even though some may think it a little hokey because of the hardcore patriotism, was a great event, and the highlight of my weekend (and stay here thus far). It was also what my dad would call a "cross-cultural experience," given that the event was a haven for, shall we say, the type of people that one does not often find in the "blue" cities and states in which I have lived. But I guess it takes all kinds.

Monday:

Monday, which was actual Memorial Day, I went to the DC Memorial Day parade. I didn't take any pictures because I was kind of in a bad spot, plus people's heads were all in the way. So while I was able to see, it was not a situation conducive to good pictures, and I think I was a little burned out by trying to get good shots while jostling between peoples' heads at the concert. Basically, the parade was your pretty standard parade: a lot of high school marching bands from around the country, playing a smattering of contemporary and patriotic music. I always wonder how the bands get selected to play, because you could definitely see a range, both in terms of geography, but also in terms of the demographics of the bands and their respective ability to pay for flashy (or not) instruments and costumes. But generally speaking, for high school bands, they were pretty good. Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna were present as well, in a float as honorary grand marshals. In between the bands, they had people dressed up representing pretty much every war the Americans have fought (Revolutionary,1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, our current wars), plus specialized groups representing different veteran groups or time periods (veteran groups for Japanese WWII veterans, Philippine veterans, Native American veterans; plus things like the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution), some boy scout troops, etc. It was a little awkward when it got to the Civil War, since it was a civil war, so all veterans of that war were technically American, so they had people dressing up as and people in affinity groups for both the North and the South. But, history is history, and it takes two sides to tango. But it is always a little strange (given where I am from) to see people flying flags with the stars and bars.

Mostly, I enjoyed the parade. There were a few people around me who were, for lack of a better term, assholes; I won't get into it, but people need to a) mind their own business and b) be respectful of those around them (by that I mean, don't scream babbling, incoherent, annoying nonsense into the ears of those around you). Which several people were not. I would have enjoyed the event more but for those assholes, but I tried not to let it ruin my experience. Note to world: don't be assholes.

That pretty much sums up Memorial Day Weekend 2013, highlight of DC 2013 so far. I still haven't been cleared to work, so I have just been kind of hanging out. Hopefully that will end soon.

Grand Army of the Republic (Civil War/Union side) memorial near Archives metro, with memorial flowers

War Horse Weekend

At last, the long awaited update about what I did last weekend. Let's see if I can remember.

Saturday I saw War Horse, which is playing at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at the Lincoln Center. Had never had a reason to go to the Lincoln Center, so it was a nice two-for-one culture + famous landmark outing in the city. The Lincoln Center is pretty impressive: home to several theatres, the Metropolitan Opera, and somewhat randomly, the Juilliard School. So, there was that. One disappointing thing about the Lincoln Center, though: the complex is done up in that pre-stressed concrete cinderblock architecture that-- for some reason-- was thought to be a good aesthetic idea. It's just sad when bad taste happens.

Anyway, War Horse did not disappoint. I was curious to see how all the battle scenes were going to get translated to the stage from the screen (I had seen the movie when it came out in movie theatres last December), as in the movie they were very intense and very true-to-life. Obviously, you can't really get that kind of realism on a stage. But wow. The battle scenes on stage were just as bit as affecting as the scenes on the screen. Because of the limitations of the stage, they had to do a lot more with less. So whereas a lot of the wrenching scenes and emotion of the battles came from just the intensity of the fighting and the carnage, here the same intensity came through by really focusing on the characters, on their relationships with each other (both man and beast) and having the emotion of the entire battle come through in the emotion between the characters. That, and some well-played pyrotechnics and sound design, which made it sound like you were surrounded by canon fire.

All of the characters were very well developed, and the actors did a phenomenal job of pulling the audience into the scene, into the world on the stage, and actually caring about everyone who was up there. For it being a "war" story, there was no enemy, no hero or "right" side. The Germans were every bit as sympathetic and their stories as heart-wrenching as the British. Which I think says a lot of good things about the story generally, but also about the production, that they were able to convey the humanity of both sides, equally. And man, I never thought I would be so emotionally invested in a puppet. The puppets and their masters who were playing Joey (the main horse) and Top Form (the other, ill-fated horse-pal of Joey)did a wonderful job of conveying a real character through the movements of the puppetry. This was all the more impressive as the horse roles, unsurprisingly, were silent (minus some neighing).

What was interesting about the production in relation to the film, is that while the overall arc of the story, and each mini-story within the store, are at a macro level the same (same idea, same general resolution. They even had the goose!), the minute details (such as the exact characters, their relations to each other, minor details about what happens when) were often different than that in the movie. Which I suppose is not surprising; someone I know who had read the book also said that the movie differed from the book and the stage play (both the play and movie were based off the book, so it wasn't like the movie was based off the play or anything). So that was interesting. Overall, a fabulous production that I would recommend to anyone who likes solidly good theatre.

Here are some photos from that day, around the Lincoln Center, and the Upper West Side just generally.

As I was making my way to the Lincoln Center, I ran into an office building type area that had in and around it a bunch of sculptures. Did not see a sign or anything, so have no idea who made them. But these look like a statute of a lil dude in bronze, that sits on the bench at one of the subway stops. I'll be damned if I can't remember right now which one, though

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. I really like these brass guys, because they are just very whimsical. And I am a fan of the whimsy

Globe near the entrance to Central Park, I want to say it is in front of a Trump tower? Anyway, was part of this larger square/roundabout area on the Upper West Side

Really intense entry gate to the west side of Central Park. They really don't make things like they used to. This apparently was dedicated to those who died in the Spanish-American war. It is apparently also a fountain. And has all of the gold plating. Man, I wish we would go back to crazy Victorian-and-Edwardian era decor. So much epic

Main view of the Lincoln Center Plaza/The Metropolitan Opera house

Awesome fountain in the plaza of the Lincoln Center

Apparently, I found Juilliard. Didn't know it was at Lincoln Center. I guess at this point I should be used to randomly finding famous things in New York

Anyway, if you are interested, here is the production information for War Horse:

Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Lincoln Center
150 West 65th Street
New York, New York

According to the website, the show scheduled to play for the next few months anyway. From the ticket schedule, it looks like it plays: Sundays at 3:00PM, Tuesdays at 7:00PM, Wednesdays at 2:00PM and 8:00PM, Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00PM, and Saturdays at 2:00PM and 8:00PM. More ticket information is available online at their website.

On Sunday, I had a bit of a calmer day. I decided it would be a nice day to do something chill... so I went to Chelsea Piers (which is also rumored to be a hangout of sorts for NYC-based celebs; alas, I did not see any) to go ice skating, which I don't think I had done since around Christmas of my senior year in college (mostly due to my screwed up toes...the last time I went I could only go for like 15 minutes before my feet were dying). But, now my feet are fixed, so I can enjoy it again! And it was a very nice way to spend an afternoon. It's calming, fun (and you get to listen to music), and apparently a pretty decent workout. I didn't realize it because it was cold on the ice, but I was actually breaking a sweat. I skated for about an hour; unfortunately the skate shoes were chaffing a lil on my ankles, so after the hour I decided to stop before it became a full-on blister. I was surprised how quickly skating came back to me. When I was really little, I used to take skating lessons, and actually was getting fairly decent (just starting jumps), but then I broke some bones (not from skating, but still) which took me out of lessons and I just never went back. I wish I had though. I think I might try to look into taking lessons when I get back to Chicago; it would be a good way to get some much-needed exercise, and a nice way to take myself away from all my law-related stuff, and actually have a life outside of school.

More information on Chelsea Piers (which is a massive sports complex with many different things going on in it) can be found here.

So that was pretty much that weekend. Finally got around to updating! Huzzah!

In Memoriam

I got-- again-- a late start today. But it was (a bit) cooler out than it has been, so I decided to do something I have been meaning to do, but hadn't yet gotten it together to do: I went down to the September 11, 2001 memorial. The memorial plaza is surrounded by construction of the new World Trade Center buildings, so for safety reasons the city is currently regulating how many people can visit at a time; in order to go, I had to make a reservation ahead of time. My reservation was for 5:30pm, the earliest time available.

I headed down to the financial district a couple hours early, because I knew that there were some other 9/11-related spaces near there that I could visit before my scheduled time. One of those was St. Paul's Cathedral. St.Paul's is a very, very old Episcopal cathedral, located right across from the WTC site. It has an interesting history. Dating to the pre-Revolutionary War era, the cathedral-- mostly by chance-- has laid witness to some of the defining moments of American history. During the Revolution, after the Brits had captured lower Manhattan, a fire broke out in what is now the financial district. To save the cathedral, the residents of the area spent all night taking buckets of water from the Hudson, and dousing the exterior, so that it wouldn't catch fire. And they saved it. After the Revolution, when George Washington was inaugurated as the first President, he came and attended a service at the Cathedral. A reconstruction of his presidential "box" is still housed in the interior. And when Sept. 11 happened, the Cathedral transformed into a command center of sorts for those who were working rescue and recovery. For 9 months, until the site of destruction had been cleared, the Cathedral provided food and shelter to those volunteers who were working 12-18 hour shifts trying to, at first find survivors and remains, and later clearing out the debris. The edges of the interior of the Cathedral, display many artifacts and memorials dating to around that time.

The Cathedral also houses a small cemetery, which is fascinating. The most recent tomb probably dates from the late 1800s; most are from the mid-1800s or earlier. Several tombs date from before the Revolution. In fact, there are several tombs marked as belonging to Revolutionary War veterans. I am ever the history buff, and just in general find cemeteries interesting and oddly peaceful. I have always liked cemeteries, actually. Maybe I am just weird like that. The sad thing is, a lot of the information on the headstones have washed away with time; now, they silently lay witness to someone whose identity has been lost to time. Anyway, below are photos from St. Paul's.

View of the right side of the cemetery

Translation from the French inscription: "E.M. Bechet, Sieur de Rochefontaine. Dedicated himself to the military career, where he long distinguished himself. He served under the Count de Rochambeau during the American campaign, gloriously ended in 1782 by the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, which ended that war. Louis XVI in 1792 named him ADJUDANT GENERAL of the Army of St. Domingue. After the death of the King, he entered into service of the United States as Colonel, until he retired in 1798, to enjoy in friendship a reputation well deserved, and a repose well worthily merited."

Resting place of a French veteran, J. Francis Vacher, d.1837, of the American Revolutionary War

"Erected to the memory of George Frederick Cooke, 1756-1812, by Edmund Kean of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1821. Three kingdoms claim his birth. Two hemispheres pronounce his worth."

Another view of the cemetery, protected by the shade of a grove of trees

The following are photographs from the 9/11 Memorial, and around the World Trade Center site and construction. Other than to tell you what these pictures show, I am not going to say anything more because, really, what else is there to say?

American flag and 9/11 remembrance posters on the side of some of the construction of the new World Trade Center buildings

South Tower memorial pool with cascading water

Names of the United Flight 93 victims. All the names of 9/11 victims are etched in a bronze edge that traces the perimeters of both tower memorials

View of the construction on and surrounding the Freedom Tower, built in place of the old World Trade Center towers

North Tower memorial pool and waterfall. These pools are in the exact imprint of where the Twin Towers used to stand

Lone flower laid in memoriam at one of the names of the victims

"Patricia Ann Cimaroli Massari and her unborn child"

I had sat down on one of the benches in the memorial plaza, to think and take it all in. I happened to look up, and this is what I saw. Rising anew from the memory of those lost

The steeple of St. Paul's Cathedral. It has seen it all, and has kept standing through the ages

Coming out of the memorial, I was reminded why I am entering the career I am. This memorial-- with all those names of lives lost-- should not have to exist.

Never Forgotten

Photo by stealingsand on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons