RenoVous

  I've started chapter 7. This is one of the weirdest books I think I've ever read, but it's certainly interesting.  I'm very on board with the supernatural elements.  Poor Ivan though. Sous mentioned a Russian movie - I found one that was filmed in 1994, shelved, and finally released in 2011.  And then another movie came out in 2024.  It is scheduled to open in the US tomorrow as a limited release. Even if you're not reading along, it was Book Clubbers that turned me onto this, so thank you!

 Maria Callas Born in 1923, she died on this day in 1977. When she was 13, she left her home in New York City to study in Athens, with the noted soprano Elvira de Hidalgo.  She was 24 when she landed her first major operatic role. Her talent was so strong that it allowed for the revival of 19th century bel canto works by Bellini and others that had not been performed for decades. "Bel canto" simply means "beautiful singing," but it is an operatic style and technique that focuses on smooth phrasing, pure tone, and vocal agility over dramatic expression. In 1954, she made her American debut in Norma. Vicenzo Bellini was born in 1801.  He composed his first opera in 1825.  In the following ten years of his life, he wrote 10 more.  While in Paris, he frequented a political salon, where he met Italian revolutionaries, and one Austrian exile who opposed domination of Italy. The latter would be his final librettist, Count Carlo Pepoli.  For his eight previous work...

  Zendaya Florence Pugh Chase Infiniti Colman Domingo Sarah Snook Selena Gomez Elle Fanning Julianna Margulies Oscar Isaac Host: Mariska Hargitay

  It's our anniversary today. ❤️ 18 years ❤️

  The Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. A Callery pear tree that was planted in the 70's near WTC Building 5. On September 11, the tree had its root system snapped, its bark severely burned, and its trunk reduced to an 8 foot stump.  Tissues were crushed, starved of water, and exposed to extreme heat. It was found in October under debris, and placed in the care of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation for rehabilitation. The tree used what's called CODIT - compartmentalization of decay in trees - which walls off the dead wood from living, vascular tissue, channeling nutrients to surviving pathways. Hidden buds beneath the bark produced epicormic shoots, which helps the tree replace lost leaves and make food.  Smooth new limbs began to grow from the gnarled, charred trunk. In 2010, the tree had grown to 30 feet, and was returned to the WTC Plaza, where it became an emblem of resilience and hope.

  We camped in the wide open desert outside of Black Rock City. The pups were curious about the train. The night life at Burning Man begins. The fireworks show. Burn, baby, burn.