An eventful weekend!

On Friday I walked the tidal basin and savoured the cherry blossoms... so beautiful! I also go to see the Jefferson and Roosevelt memorials. I particularly like the Roosevelt memorial... it's a little more modern looking and very welcoming.

On Saturday afternoon I met up with Maria (another intern from work) in the mall and we checked out the kite festival then went to the Natural History museum. The kites were so beautiful and there were so many. Our favourite was one that looked like legs--quite comical flying up next to the Washington Memorial.



After burgers for dinner we met up with Doug and Matt (also interns) to see the NSO at the Kennedy Center. It was an absolutely amazing concert! They did 2 chamber orchestra pieces: Stravinsky and Poulenc, both interesting and fun. They did Shostakovich symphony no. 6--which was violent and loud mixed with the most incredible exposed winds and solos. Early in the piece there is an incredible piccolo solo accompanied only by 1st chair second violin (I think it was) and the basses, and it totally took my breath away. They also did the Prokofiev piano concert no. 1 with a Canadian Pianist from Montreal. It was spectacular and powerful.

After the symphony, Doug, Matt and I went to see some jazz at Twins on U st. It was a fun show too.

This morning J found out that the offer she made on a house in Greenbelt was accepted! We've been celebrating all day. Also, she's teaching me how to play violin. I'm determined to learn how to fiddle. I'm not very good yet, and my bowing hand keeps cramping. It's fun though, and I think I'll pick it up pretty quickly.

This evening is Sacred Harp at Strathmore Mansion. I hope it's good!

Planet B-Boy...

... is a great movie! The interns all got free tickets to see this movie downtown tonight and we all loved it. See the official website here.

After the movie we ate burritos on the patio (or "party" as M said) of a cute little mexican take-out place. I love-love-love spring!

La India Canela

She's a merengue tipico accordionist from the Dominican Republic, and we just released her fantastic new CD yesterday. It's really high energy merengue with a very traditional sound. It will definitely make you want to dance!

Here is the feature I published on her yesterday to Smithsonian Global Sound (There are 2 great video clips).

Here is where you can download her album.

I got to meet her a couple of times around the office, which was very cool. On Monday night there was a big reception for her at the DR embassy, which, as an intern, I wasn't on the list for, but sounded like great fun. Sadly, I didn't get her autograph... but I'm not a particularly star-struck sort of girl.

Check out her album!

Happy Easter!

This has been a fantastic Easter! Yesterday I headed out to a farm in Virginia with some friends from the Baltimore Sacred Harp singing for a sunrise Easter service at the local 18thC Anglican chapel. We arrived early and got to spend some time with the new baby lambs and go for a walk around the property. After a fantastic dinner we did some singing, relaxing and chatting. We got up very early in the morning to bundle up and head to the old stone church in the dark. The service was small but very lovely, and it was fun to sing in such and old place.

After the service we headed back to the farmhouse for a feast of a breakfast, more singing, and an Easter egg hunt. On Saturday afternoon we coloured the eggs, and then the family went out and hid them for the scavenger hunt. My team came in second and my prize was a pretty little pitcher/vase. We spend more time walking around outside and eating, then headed back to town this afternoon.

Now I'm just relaxing before some friends come over to join us for a turkey dinner that J and her mom have been busily preparing all weekend while I was off galavanting the the sheep.

Boobies and Twinkies

I went to my first burlesque show last night at Palace of Wonders. It was great fun! The show was called Gilded Lily (I believe they are a troupe of performers). They seemed a little bit amateur at times, and the performances lacked some variety, but they managed to entertain quite well. One of the girls in particular, Sable Sin Cyr, struck me as having a very classic burlesque look... like in the old black and white movies.

There was a lot of dancing, elaborate costumes, and colourful nipple tassles. As sexy as it got, they were never totally nude, and they didn't stay on stage very long once the nipple pasties were exposed. Much more classy than the typical strip show I think. Also, the MC was a chubby guy in a red polyester Elvis costume who told bad jokes in between the performances. Gave a definite lightness to the evening.

Surprisingly (to me) the audience was more than half female, and many of them seemed very unlikely sorts to be at such a racy show. I think it really made the experience more comfortable to have such a varied audience... sort of reminded me of the Commercial in Edmonton that way, but with many fewer creepy old guys.