Hubbard Street and Alonzo King Dance Studios

Saturday night I went to a dance performance on Berkeley's campus by combined dancers from Hubbard Street Dance Studio in Chicago and Alonzo King's Lines Ballet from San Francisco. I attended an all you can dance classes for $5 at Alonzo Kings on of my first Saturdays here, so that's why the announcement caught my eye. All the dancers are trained in ballet, but the performances they do are more like modern dance--different music spliced together with a theme that the choreographer is trying to convey. Although it was neat to see the scenes with lots of dancers on stage at once, I found the really compelling parts of the performance were with just one or two dancers on stage, and watching their interplay.

Redwood Hike

After a frustrating morning dealing with smog check related issues, I recharged at Redwoods Regional Park in Oakland. The "rim" trail was full of families, dogs, runners and bikers. What I really enjoyed was getting back into the redwood groves, scrambling up and down the steep ravines and being in the still quiet of the great outdoors. A lovely afternoon hike in all respects!

Martin Luther King Day

First I explored the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Oakland in their Church of Christ the Light. The original church on this location was destroyed during the Loma Prieta earthquake. The diocese wanted to build a new cathedral (a cathedral is a church with the bishop's seat) and after some consideration they choose to rebuild at that site. Its a very diverse part of the city and therefore should be available to all constituents. Its a lovely church. I really like that it is open all during the day, like the cathedrals of Europe. When viewed from overhead, you can see that it is shaped like a fish, a very old Christian symbol. The building is built of glass, wood and concrete blocks. The light inside is totally natural and even creates the image of Christ on the cross in the front. (Images courtesy ofvirtualsacredspace.blogspot.com and SOM).

I attended part of a film festival at Oakland's African American Museum and Library on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It was cool to watch a film about MLK Jr. and learn things I hadn't known, and it was a neat and very interested mostly black audience I watched it with. After the film, many people stood up and talked about the work that still needs to be done today, or how they were involved in the protest marches back in the 1960s. Meanwhile, the building itself is quite beautiful and has exhibits covering the history of black populations in Oakland.

My Garden: Part II

Tomato plants are looking good--see some already red?

The first bunch of spinach...now without all the weeds.

Pepper plants and happy-looking sunflowers

Zucchinis and cucumbers

Parsley and Dill (blooming)

Was hoping you might know what this plant is and if it should be pruned back a bunch...we didn't last year and now it is even bigger. Already done blooming.

My garden!

Last night I got the final plants in my garden, and am posting photos!

(Left) Purple iris for Dad!

(Right) Spinach

Garden overview pictures

Middle Row: (Left) Peas (Right) Herb garden with parsley, dill and basil.

Choices

if i can't do
what i want to do
then my job is to not
do what i don't want
to do

it's not the same thing
but it's the best i can
do

if i can't have
what i want then
my job is to want
what i've got
and be satisfied
that at least there
is something more
to want

since i can't go
where i need
to go then i must go
where the signs point
though always understanding
parallel movement
isn't lateral

when i can't express
what i really feel
i practice feeling
what i can express
and none of it is equal
i know
but that's why mankind
alone among the animals
learns to cry

—Nikki Giovanni

Good friends

This was the future. Life would get busier and more varied, populated both by beautiful things and unfortunate circumstances. If their friendship demanded exclusivity or solitude, it couldn’t work. If it required that everything go as planned, it would turn brittle, and ultimately it would break. On the other hand, she knew that if they could be flexible and big, if they could encompass change, then they would make it...“Whatever happens, we will find each other. We always will.”

-Ann Brashares, Girls in Pants