Sunday, March 23, 2008

Vespertilian Nightmare

I've always wanted to use that word - vespertilian - but the opportunity never arose. Now it does. Unfortunately. It seems that bats have been dying out on a massive scale in the northeastern US and probably in Québec. Not good news, since bats are a major part of the food chain. They eat HUGE amounts of mosquitoes and other bugs. I think we are screwing this planet royally. We (mankind) are becoming unsustainable. Here's a link:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080322.BATS22/TPStory/?query=bats

In other news, the opera yesterday (Met broadcast of Tristan und Isolde) was good and bad. First off, Ben Heppner was still ill and was replaced by Robert Dean Smith (flown in at the last minute from Berlin). He did a fine job - it must have been very tough, filling in on such short notice. Deborah Voigt performed admirably as Isolde, as did very tall Michelle DeYoung as Brangäne. The Met foolishly, however, experimented with the broadcast presentation and there were many [intentional] split screens, multiple images, etc. supposedly designed to enhance the experience at the theatre. It DID NOT work though. The main reason one goes to these broadcasts is to be able to imagine oneself at the Met. To pretend for a few hours that you are at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The "effects" denied viewers that escape. I may as well have been sitting at home watching TV, glancing out the window every now and then at the 4 feet of snow in the backyard. Please don't do this again, Met Broadcasts!

We also got down to see mom today. She's doing well, though she's managed to kill the Norfolk pine someone gave her at Christmastime. It was bone dry with branches falling off left and right. I've watered it every time I've been down, but what can you do? Mom and plants just don't do well together. That is why I gave her a real-looking fake plant at Christmas. She swears that it has "opened up" since I gave it to her.

Off tomorrow. Ah, Easter Monday! You gotta love a 4-day weekend.

1 comment:

Mark in DE said...

LOL!!! I love that your mom thinks the real-looking fake plant has opened up since you gave it to her! She sounds like a pill.

Mark :-)