iamnotdefeated

This Journal is as much about completing my resolutions as they are meeting my weight loss goals. So that I see them and remind myself that I am indeed insane, I'm posting them up at the very top of the journal. Consider this a call for cheerleading! I am in need of someone (or several someones) who can cheerlead me through these resolutions!

As you can see, this post does not say "NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS as I'm writing this on April 30th of 2012. 2012 started rough with a brand new job followed by several rounds of bronchitis and recovering from the stress of my previous job. For the first time in many months I feel like I can actually begin the year like I should have back in January. For the first time, I also have some specific goal dates in mind for weight loss. I want to look good for my trip to New Zealand, but that means 100+ pounds down in 7 months, which is about 17 pounds a month. Its definitely doable, but from here on out, I will need not to lose track, period. I've also started on Weight Watchers online, but haven't up until this point seriously committed.

Onto the Resolutions:

Health:

I want to lose 110 lbs and weigh under 200 by December 31st.
I resolve to go to the gym at least twice a week and once during the weekend.--
My goal is to go to the gym at least four times a week.
I want to be more stringent on brushing my teeth after lunch!
I'm limiting myself to 1 fast food meal during the week.
I want to cook at least two dinners a week.
Friday lunch and Saturdays are my not-so-stringent days - (if I'm good on Saturday though, I can be not-so-stringent on Sunday)
I have to remember that going out to eat doesn't mean I have to be bad!
I will absolutely stay on my diet track Monday through Thursday!
I will treat myself to spa sessions on an as needed basis.
I will learn to write all this down!! And keep it organized!!

Education/Cultural:

I want to read more: I'm going to strive for 20 books this year.
I will complete Les Miserables this year (there are exactly 365 chapters in the book and its been on my to-do list for far too long)
I will complete the Rosetta Stone Spanish Course I recieved for Christmas three years ago!

Organization:

I will strive to keep my house clean!!
I will do laundry more than once a week!
My car-It will be clean!

Financial:

I will continue to have great credit. Last credit check: April 2012 is great!
I will become as debt free as possible (and put extra payments on my mortgage!).
I will put money away for my vacation! (Retirement can wait until 2013)

Employment:

Stay employed this year! (it sounds bad, but sometimes we never know in government contracting.)
Keep my current salary range! (I really should hope it goes up, but I don't want to set my hopes up too high!)

Current Mood: contemplative

To keep myself accountable, here is my weekly ups and downs throughout 2012 starting May 1st (Tuesday):

Week	Dates	Weight	Difference	Total Difference	*
	05/01/2012	305.5			*
18	05/01-05/07	303.4	2.1	2.1
19	05/08-05/14
20	05/15-05/21
21	05/22-05/28
22	05/29-06/04
23	06/05-06/11
24	06/12-06/18
25	06/19-06/25
26	06/26-07/02
27	07/03-07/09
28	07/10-07/16
29	07/17-07/23
30	07/24-07/30
31	07/31-08/06
32	08/07-08/13
33	08/14-08/20
34	08/21-08/27
35	08/28-09/03				***
36	09/04-09/10
37	09/11-09/17
38	09/18-09/24
39	09/25-10/01
40	10/02-10/08
41	10/09-10/15
42	10/16-10/22
43	10/23-10/29
44	10/30-11/05
45	11/06-11/12
46	11/13-11/19				****
47	11/20-11/26				*****
48	11/27-12/03
49	12/04-12/10
50	12/11-12/17
51	12/18-12/24
52	12/25-12/31				******
0	01/01

Noteworthy Dates

*	Start Day
****	AMUN Conference!!
*****	Thanksgiving
******	Christmas

Current Mood: accomplished

Knowing when my period is supposed to be and how long it is supposed to last is one thing I've been horrible at maintaining. This is my effort to finally keep it all written down in one location.

2012
Month	Est. Start	Start Date	End Date	# Days	Cycle Period *
April		4/26/2012	4/30/2012	5
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January (est)

Notes
*	Cycle Period is the number of days from first day of cycle to first day of cycle.

Week Dates: May 1, 2012-May 7, 2012 (Week 1)

Physical Health

Working Out:
Resolution: Go to the gym twice a week and Saturday? nope.
Goal: Go to the gym four times a week?nope

Dieting and Weight Loss:
Starting Weight: 305.5
Ending Weight: 303.4
Delta: 2.1!
Update master progress chart: yes!

Goal: Only one fast food meal per week: didn't even come close
Goal: Cook two dinners per week: no.
Goal: Make and take lunch Monday-Thursday: no
Goal: Maintain Daily Diet Entries for everyday: mostly. Not saturday or sunday

Pampering:
Pamper yourself this week: colored my hair *g*

Organizational Health

Goal: Keeping my home clean: NOPE!
Goal: Keeping my car clean: Pretty well!

Intellectual Health

Goal: Read a book: Yes-Reading "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich"
Goal: Write something: not really.
Goal: Learn something new: I wouldn't want to be in a Russian Gulag.

My reading goals for 2012:
1. Read 20 books.
2. Read Les Miserables.
The sad part is I'm certain I read books in January and February, but for the life of me, I can't remember any. Books Read:

Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Completed March 12, 2012)
Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card (Completed March 16, 2012)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Completed March 17, 2012)
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins(Completed April 12, 2012)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Completed April 13, 2012)

*Update* As I begin to begin using this once again, I feel it is necessary to review the goals I did and did not make through 2011. This Journal is as much about completing my resolutions as they are meeting my weight loss goals. So that I see them and remind myself that I am indeed insane, I'm posting them up at the very top of the journal. Consider this a call for cheerleading! I am in need of someone (or several someones) who can cheerlead me through these resolutions!

As for 2010, I would like to celebrate first and foremost that I started down the path of weight loss, and ended the year with just over 30 pounds lost! I will continue with this project.

Onto the Resolutions:

Health: --DID NOT succeed in any of these goals at all, especially after September of 2011.

I want to lose 80lbs and weigh under 200 by December 31st. DIDN'T EVEN COME CLOSE
I resolve to go to the gym at least twice a week and once during the weekend.--
My goal is to go to the gym at least four times a week.
I want to be more stringent on brushing my teeth after lunch!
I'm limiting myself to 1 fast food meal during the week.
I want to cook at least two dinners a week.
Friday lunch and Saturdays are my not-so-stringent days - (if I'm good on Saturday though, I can be not-so-stringent on Sunday)
I have to remember that going out to eat doesn't mean I have to be bad!
I will absolutely stay on my diet track Monday through Thursday!
I will treat myself to spa sessions on an as needed basis.
I will learn to write all this down!! And keep it organized!!

Education/Cultural:

I want to go to at least 2 lectures or seminars this year.
I want to read more: I'm going to strive for 20 books this year.
I will complete Les Miserables this year (there are exactly 365 chapters in the book.)
I will go to at least 2 performances of fine arts this year.
I will complete the Rosetta Stone Spanish Course I recieved for Christmas two years ago!

Organization: NOPE.

I will strive to keep my house clean!!
I will do laundry more than once a week!
My car-It will be clean!

Financial: I'm on track for this.

I will continue to have great credit.
I will become as debt free as possible (and put extra payments on my mortgage!).
I will put money away for my retirement.

Employment: Little did I know that my job nearly drove me insane. Thankfully I stayed employed until I found a new job that is less stressful, closer to home, and with a track to continue forward with my career.

Stay employed this year! (Okay, so it sounds awful, but I've changed jobs twice in two years, both because contracts ended and funding dried up. Now that I'm in a non-contract job, it should be no problem, but still... its on my list.)
Keep my current salary range! (I really should hope it goes up, but I don't want to set my hopes up too high!)

This is a compilation of books I know I want to read in my life. Not all that I've read makes it onto this list, however.

title by author

My reading goals for 2011:
1. Read 20 books.
2. Read Les Miserables.
Books Read:

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (Begun January 6th, 2011, Completed Jan 11, 2011)
Alcestis by Euripides (Begun Jan 12, 2011, Completed Jan 23, 2011)
2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Albert Brooks (Begun June 10th, 2011, completed June 21st, 2011)
The Help by Kathryn Sockett, (Completed March 2011, appox.)
The Life of Pi Yann Martel (begun June 10th, 2011)
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (Completed April 2011 approx.)
Schrodinger's Kitten by George Alec Effinger (Completed April 2011 appox.)
Bossypants by Tina Fey (begun June 4, 2011, Completed June 9th, 2011)

Week Dates: January 2, 2011-January 8, 2010 (Week 1)

Physical Health

Working Out:
Resolution: Go to the gym twice a week and Saturday? No
Goal: Go to the gym four times a week? No

Dieting and Weight Loss:
Starting Weight: 276
Ending Weight: 273
Delta: 3!
Update master progress chart: Yes!

Goal: Only one fast food meal per week: Yes! (sandwich day does not count as fast food?--Maybe)
Goal: Cook two dinners per week: Yes!
Goal: Make and take lunch Monday-Thursday: Yes!
Goal: Maintain Daily Diet Entries for everyday: No

Pampering:
Pamper yourself this week: nope

Organizational Health

Goal: Keeping my home clean: No
Goal: Keeping my car clean: Yes!

Intellectual Health

Goal: Read a book: Reading two-and both on schedule for deadlines
Goal: Write something: No
Goal: Learn something new: a plethora of new vocabulary words.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Lunch break
Current Music: Canon in D

Reading Schedule: Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo

Plan: Complete entire book in one calendar year (365 days), one chapter a day. Each chapter is approximately 4-5 pages in length. As books are complete, read chapter analyses available online.

Volume	Book	#Chapters	Due Date	Date Completed
Fantine	1: A Just Man	14	January 12	January 2
	2: The Fall	13	January 25	January 4
	3: In the Year 1817	9	February 3	January 30
	4: To Confide is Sometimes to Abandon	3	February 6	Febuary 2
	5: The Descent	13	February 19	June 23
	6: Javert	2	February 21
	7: The Chapmathieu Affair	11	March 4
	8: The Counterstroke	5	March 9
Cosette	1: Waterloo	19	March 28
	2: The Ship Orion	3	March 31
	3: The Promise to the Dead Fulfilled	11	April 11
	4: The Gorbeau Tenement	5	April 16
	5: For a Still Hunt a Dumb Pack	10	April 26
	6: Petit Picpus	11	May 7
	7:A Parenthesis	8	May 15
	8: Cemetaries Take What is Given Them	9	May 24
Marius	1: Paris Studied in its Gamin	13	June 6
	2:Le Grand Bourgeois	8	June 14
	3: Grandfather and Grandson	8	June 22
	4: The Friends of the A.B.C.	6	June 28
	5: The Good of Misfortune	6	July 4
	6: The Conjunction of Two Stars	9	July 13
	7: Patron Minette	4	July 17
	8: The Evil Poor	22	August 8
St. Denis	1: Some Pages of History	6	August 14
	2: Eponine	4	August 18
	3: House of the Rue Plumet	8	August 26
	4: Succor From Below May be Succor From On High	2	August 28
	5: In Which the End Does Not Resemble The Beginning	6	September 3
	6: Little Gavroche	3	September 6
	7: Slang	4	September 10
	8: Enchantments and Desolations	7	September 17
	9: Where Are They Going?	3	September 20
	10: The Fifth of June, 1832	5	September 25
	11: The Atom Fraternizes With The Hurricane	6	October 1
	12: Corinth	8	October 9
	13: Marius Enters The Shadow	3	October 12
	14: The Grandeur of Despair	7	October 19
	15: The Rue De L’Homme Arme	4	October 23
Jean Valjean	1: The War Between Four Walls	24	November 16
	2: The Intestine of the Leviathan	6	November 22
	3: Mud But The Soul	12	December 4
	4: Javert Derailed	1	December 5
	5: Grandson and Grandfather	8	December 13
	6: The Sleepless Night	4	December 17
	7: The Last Draught From the Cup	2	December 19
	8: Fading Away The Twilight	4	December 23
	9: Supreme Shadow, Supreme Dawn	6	December 29

So this is when I hold myself accountable, perhaps? How many people actually look deeply at the list and make judgements? This will most likely be my first.

2010 Resolutions:
Health:

I want to lose 100lbs and weigh under 220 by December 31st. I didn't even come close to this number; however I did actually lose weight. I'm at 31 pounds loss since July 1st when I started a program. The biggest win--I'm still with the program!
I resolve to go to the gym at least twice a week and on Saturdays. Yeah, this didn't happen at all. The month of August I was great about the gym, until I realized that going to the gym was costing my body too many calories and it was refusing to lose weight even while on a strict eating plan.
My goal is to go to the gym at least four times a week. Ditto
I want to be more stringent on brushing my teeth after lunch! The fact I keep a toothbrush at work is about as successful as I got with this.
I'm limiting myself to 1 fast food meal during the week. This is getting even more difficult since I am leaving late from work and I feel like i'm literally starving halfway home.
I want to cook at least two dinners a week. This is something Im actually somewhat successful with because of the supplements. I will up this for next year.
Friday lunch and Saturdays are my bad days - (if I'm good on Saturday though, I can be bad on Sunday) This got better once I joined the program, but is slowly getting worse and worse.
I have to remember that going out to eat doesn't mean I have to be bad! Actually, I am somewhat better with this!
I will make my lunch Monday through Thursday! The program helps a lot with this, but I need to keep up with choosing to eat what I bring.
I will treat myself to spa sessions on an as needed basis. Well, as needed was a very strong need, and I only treated myself once to a Brazilian Blowout, which is the most awesome hair treatment in the world, even if it does have formaldehyde in it.
I will learn to write all this down!! And keep it organized!! I started out totally awesome in July, and when I changed jobs, it went away. I need to get back into the habit again.

Education/Cultural:

I want to go to at least 2 lectures or seminars this year. Nope.
I want to read more: I'm going to strive for 50 books this year 50bookchallenge. Not even close--but I did read a lot of Stargate, so that was awesome.
I will complete Les Miserables this year (there are exactly 365 chapters in the book.). Didn't even start it.
I will go to at least 2 performances of fine arts this year. Yes! I did a chamber music piece, saw Romeo and Juliet Ballet, and two BSO performances!
I will complete the Rosetta Stone Spanish Course I recieved for Christmas!. Didn't even load it this year.

Organization:

I will strive to keep my house clean!! Better, but there are moments its uncontrollable. like now.
I will do laundry more than once a week! Same
My car-It will be clean! HA!!!!

Financial:

I will continue to have great credit. Well Done!
I will become as debt free as possible (and put extra payments on my mortgage!). No extra payments on my Mortgage, but I haven't been late on anything, and for a while I was very concerned about possible unemployment.
I will put money away for my retirement. Started my 401k at my new job!

Employment:

Get and keep a well paying job; I've got a job with a contract that ends in May. I hope to keep myself fully employed all year. I managed to stay off the Unemployment rolls, and outside of a short waiting for my start date, I was employed all year long!
Keep my current salary range! YES! I DID!!

In short, healthwise, I've made much more improvement in my body than I have done in years. The goals I set in place would have helped me go further, but the movement is strong, and these are great goals for next year. As for organization, living on one's own makes all the responsibilities in the house yours and yours alone, so needless to say i'm highly looking forward to a significant other who might possibly do my laundry for me? Educational isn't nearly as far along as I'd like, but on the other hand, I've actually been working a lot, and I've taken on two new volunteer roles with my HOA and my Condo Association. But I can actually get through Les Mis sometime. I will!! As to money, I'm holding my own, and this upcoming year with the stability of a permanent job will help everything further. As to employment, I've landed a successful, somewhat well paying position that is intended to be permanent, which will allow me to plant a few more foundations and settle in. Not to mention I'm settled in a much higher pay range than I was in September of 2008. Its awesome.

I want to lose 100lbs and weigh under 220 by December 31st.
I resolve to go to the gym at least twice a week and on Saturdays.
My goal is to go to the gym at least four times a week.
I want to be more stringent on brushing my teeth after lunch!
I'm limiting myself to 1 fast food meal during the workweek.
I want to cook at least two dinners a week.
Friday lunch and Saturdays are my bad days - (if I'm good on Saturday though, I can be bad on Sunday)
I have to remember that going out to eat doesn't mean I have to be bad!
I will make my lunch Monday through Thursday!
I will treat myself to spa sessions on an as needed basis.
I will learn to write all this down!! And keep it organized!!

Education/Cultural:

I want to go to at least 2 lectures or seminars this year.
I want to read more: I'm going to strive for 50 books this year.
I will complete Les Miserables this year (there are exactly 365 chapters in the book.)
I will go to at least 2 performances of fine arts this year.
I will complete the Rosetta Stone Spanish Course I recieved for Christmas!

Organization:

I will strive to keep my house clean!!
I will do laundry more than once a week!
My car-It will be clean!

Financial:

I will continue to have great credit.
I will become as debt free as possible (and put extra payments on my mortgage!).
I will put money away for my retirement.

Employment:

Get and keep a well paying job; I've got a job with a contract that ends in May. I hope to keep myself fully employed all year.
Keep my current salary range!

Current Mood: hopeful
Current Location: bed
Current Music: something on TV...

I really didn't keep count of how many books I actually completed, but this is one of the few, if not the only one I've had the opportunity to complete cover to cover.

"Eat, Pray, Love" is a non-fiction account of Elizabeth Gilbert, who spends a year trying to get to understand herself and find inner peace, first by learning to enjoy life in Italy, then by visiting an Ashram in India, and then spending four months learning from a Balinese medicine man.

Generally the new fad of non-fiction life stories is not my cup of tea, and for the first 36 chapters, I wanted to continuously put the book down as it was little more than wining and pouting as she is eating her way up three sizes, and all I can think about is, "oh hey, pasta sounds really good right now." But as we move out of the selfish phase of the book and into the more reflective sections of India and Bali, I came to appreciate that Elizabeth's insight to faith, religion, and the world around us meshed well with my existing modified Catholic view point, especially the following thoughts:

"Evolution of religious thinking does involve a fair bit of cherry-picking. You take whatever works from wherever you can find it, and you keep moving toward the light. The Hopi Indians thought that the world's religions each contained one spiritual threatd, and that these threads are always seeking each other, wanting to join. When all the threads are finally woven together they will form a rope that will pull us out of this dark cycle of history and into the next realm."

"In 1954, Pope Pius XI, of all people, sent some Vatican delegates on a trip to Libya with these written instructions: 'DO NOT think that you are going among Infidels. Muslims attain salvation, too. The ways of Providence are infinite.' But doesn't that make sense? That the infinit would be, indeed... infinite? That even the most holy amongst us would only be able to see the scattered pieces of the eternal picture at any given time? And that maybe if we could collect those pieces and compare them, a story about God would be gint o emerge that resembles and includes everyone? And isn't our individual longing for transcendence all just part of this larger human search for divinity? Don't we each have the right to not stop seeking until we get as close to the source of wonder as possible? Even if it means coming to India and kissing trees in the moonlight for a while? That's me in the corner, in other words. That's me in the spotlight. Choosing my religion."

It wasn't until nearly the end of the India section, when she really spouting off philosophy of religion that I started to really grip at the book, to want to keep reading, but once she expressed exactly how I've felt for years, I knew I'd make it through the rest of the book.

Ms. Gilbert is very well educated, and one of the main aspects I liked was that she brought in facts and information one might not necessarily put together on the spot, such as the Hopi Indians in the middle of a Yoga Ashram in the actual India. She also gives a well versed description of the environment around her, not just as Thoreau in "Walden" where he gives a physical description, but she describes the society in whole, and relates to the average everyday American who might be throwing themselves into the foreign world.

All in all, despite the fact that I generally dislike this genre, which is of course all the rage, I agreed with the author's viewpoints towards the middle and the end, and finally began to enjoy reading this book. I think the memoir genre could learn a lot about her writing style and technique to keep the reader engaged, and to move into a variety of topics, not just a recounting of a tale. I find it a bit conceited that Elizabeth pre-sold the book for the money to make this journey, as she fully expected this hit best-seller to really just write itself if she traveled as she expected, but the payoff worked, and while I would never call her a story-teller, as really this is not a journey with plot and action, her introspection was well applied and painstakingly forced into action, and for that, I applaud her.

Romeo and Juliet	Seen: January 29, 2010
Theatre: Kennedy Center, Washington DC	Company: American Ballet Theatre
Synopsis: From the American Ballet Theatre: ACT I, Scene 1: The market place, Verona. Romeo, son of Montague, tries unsuccessfully to declare his love for Rosaline and is consoled by his friends Mercutio and Benvolio. As day breaks and the townspeople meet in the market, a quarrel develops between Tybalt, a nephew of Capulet, and Romeo and his friends. The Capulets and Montagues are sworn enemies, and a fight soon begins. The Lords Montague and Capulet join the fray, which is stopped by the appearance of the Prince of Verona, who commands the families to end their feud. Scene 2: Juliet's anteroom in the Capulet house. Juliet, playing with her nurse, is interrupted by her parents, Lord and Lady Capulet. They present her to Paris, a wealthy young nobleman who has asked for her hand in marriage. Scene 3: Outside the Capulet house. Guests arrive for a ball at the Capulet house. Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio, disguised in masks, decide to go in pursuit of Rosaline. Scene 4: The Ballroom. Romeo and his friends arrive at the height of the festivities. The guests watch Juliet dance; Mercutio, seeing that Romeo is entranced by her, decides to distract attention from him. Tybalt recognizes Romeo and orders him to leave, but Capulet intervenes and welcomes him as a guest in his house. Scene 5: Outside the Capulet house. As the guests leave the ball, Capulet restrains Tybalt from pursuing Romeo. Scene 6: Juliet's balcony. Unable to sleep, Juliet comes out onto her balcony and is thinking of Romeo, when suddenly he appears in the garden. They confess their love for each other. ACT II, Scene 1: The market place. Romeo can think only of Juliet, and, as a wedding procession passes, he dreams of the day when he will marry her. In the meantime, Juliet's nurse pushes her way through the crowds in search of Romeo to give him a letter from Juliet. He reads that Juliet has consented to be his wife. Scene 2: The chapel. The lovers are secretly married by Friar Laurence, who hopes that their union will end the strife between the Montagues and Capulets. Scene 3: The market place. Interrupting the revelry, Tybalt fights with Mercutio and kills him. Romeo avenges the death of his friend and is exiled. ACT III, Scene 1: The bedroom. At dawn the next morning, the household is stirring, and Romeo must go. He embraces Juliet and leaves as her parents enter with Paris. Juliet refuses to marry Paris, and, hurt by her rebuff, he leaves. Juliet's parents are angry and threaten to disown her. Juliet rushes to see Friar Laurence. Scene 2: The chapel. She falls at the Friar's feet and begs for his help. He gives her a vial of sleeping potion that will make her fall into a death-like sleep. Her parents, believing her to be dead, will bury her in the family tomb. Meanwhile Romeo, warned by Friar Laurence, will return under cover of darkness and take her away from Verona. Scene 3: The bedroom. That evening, Juliet agrees to marry Paris, but the next morning, when her parents arrive with him, they find her apparently lifeless on the bed. Scene 4: The Capulet family crypt. Romeo, failing to receive the Friar's message, returns to Verona stunned by grief at the news of Juliet's death. Disguised as a monk, he enters the crypt and, finding Paris by Juliet's body, kills him. Believing Juliet to be dead, Romeo drinks a vial of poison. Juliet wakes and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself.
Notes from the Ballet: From the American Ballet Theatre: Music by Sergei Prokofiev Choreography by Sir Kenneth MacMillan Staged by Julie Lincoln Assistant to Sir Kenneth MacMillan: Monica Parker Scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis Lighting by Thomas Skelton World Premiere: The Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 2/9/65 Original Cast: Margot Fonteyn (Juliet), Rudolf Nureyev (Romeo) ABT Premiere: Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., 1/3/85 Cast: Leslie Browne (Juliet), Robert La Fosse (Romeo) Show Specifics: Fri., Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Juliet: Gillian Murphy Romeo: David Hallberg Mercutio: Jared Matthews Tybalt: Sascha Radetsky Conductor: Ormsby Wilkins Running Times: Act I: 59 minutes Intermission: 20 minutes Act II: 34 minutes Intermission: 20 minutes Act III: 38 minutes

La Bayadère	Seen: January 27, 2008
Theatre: Kennedy Center, Washington DC	Company: Mariinsky/Kirov
Synopsis: From the American Ballet Theatre: Set in the Royal India of the past, La Bayadère is a story of eternal love, mystery, fate, vengeance, and justice. The ballet relates the drama of a temple dancer (bayadère), Nikiya, who is loved by Solor, a noble warrior. She is also loved by the High Brahmin, but does not love him in return, as she does Solor. Act I, Scene I, Outside Temple in the Sacred Forest: The High Brahmin, priests, and temple dancers are celebrating the Indian Ritual of Fire. Nikiya, the most beautiful of the bayadères, has been chosen to be consecrated the lead temple dancer. The High Brahmin declares his love for Nikiya, but is rejected by her. Nikiya meets secretly with Solor later than evening. They dance together and swear eternal love over the Sacred Fire, but are discovered by the jealous High Brahmin, who vows to kill Solor. Act I, Scene II, A Room in the Palace: The Rajah has decided to reward Solor’s valor and decrees that the warrior will marry his daughter, Gamzatti. Gamzatti falls in love with Solor’s portrait, and when they meet, he is overwhelmed by her beauty. Even though he has sworn eternal love to Nikiya, he cannot defy the wishes of the Rajah and agrees to marry Gamzatti. The High Brahmin informs the Rajah of Nikiya and Solor’s secret love, hoping that the Rajah will do away with Solor. Instead, the Rajah decides to kill Nikiya. The conversation is overhead by Gamzatti, who summons Nikiya to her rooms and attempts to bribe Nikiya to give up Solor. Refusing, Nikiya frantically attempts to kill Gamzatti. Nikiya flees and Gamzatti swears to destroy her. Act I, Scene III, The Garden of the Palace: At the betrothal of Solor and Gamzatti, Nikiya is commanded to dance. Gamzatti presents her with a basket of flowers which Nikiya believes to be from Solor, and which conceals a deadly snake. Nikiya is bitten, and when Solor leaves with Gamzatti, she refuses the proffered antidote and dies. Act II, The Tent of Solor: Solor, grief stricken and under the influence of opium, dreams of being reunited with Nikiya in the Kingdom of the Shades. Awakening, he realizes that he must prepare to marry Gamzatti. Act III, The Temple: The vision of Nikiya remains with Solor as the wedding ceremony begins at the Sacred Temple. As Solor and Gamzatti say their vows and are blessed by the High Brahmin, the vengeance of the gods is unleashed, and the temple and all the celebrants are destroyed. Nikiya and Solor are once again united in eternal love. The full length La Bayadère received its World Premiere by the Imperial Ballet at the Bolshoi Kamenny in St. Petersburg on February 4, 1877. The dancers were Ekaterina Vazem (Nikiya) and Lev Ivanov (Solor). The mime role of Solor was performed by Pavel Gerdt. La Bayadère, Act II (The Kingdom of the Shades) was first performed in the West by the Leningrad Kirov Ballet in 196l. Rudolf Nureyev, with choreography after Petipa, produced the Kingdom of the Shades scene for The Royal Ballet in 1963. Both the Bolshoi Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada perform this extract from the complete ballet.
Notes from the Ballet: From The Kennedy Center: Journey to India's legendary past, where a dashing young warrior romances a beautiful temple dancer...lush gardens hide dangerous secrets...and shadows from the netherworld cast their spell. St. Petersburg's Kirov Ballet performs the 1941 three-act Soviet version of Marius Petipa's classic La Bayadère. A tale of forbidden love, murder, and a spectral voyage to the afterlife, this eye-popping spectacle radiates with vibrant sets and costumes, a classic score by Ludwig Minkus, and one of ballet's most mesmerizing scenes: the endless line of ethereal maidens floating across the stage in Act III's "Kingdom of the Shades." Show Specifics: Sun., Jan. 27 at 1:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Opera House Nikiya: Alina Somova Solor: Leonid Sarafanov Gamzatti: Ekaterina Osmolkina Running Times: Act I: 45 minutes Intermission: 25 minutes Act II: 45 minutes Intermission: 25 minutes Act III: 40 minutes

In my quest to be as educated in the fine arts as I can be, I've got a cosmic list of Cultural to-dos, among them a variety of plays, ballets and operas to see. Below are a list of the Ballets and Operas I desperately want to see sometime in my life, and the first ten are arguably ranked as the top ten to see, according to online lists, though they are not in any specific order within the top ten. Links lead to more detailed information on performances I have seen.

La Bayadère Seen January 27, 2008
Don Quixote
Swan Lake
Romeo and Juliet Seen January 29, 2010
The Nutcracker
La Sylphide
Giselle
Sleeping Beauty
Coppélia
Cinderella
Le Corsaire
Sylvia
La Fille Mal Gardée (The Girl who Needed Watching)
La Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)
Sparticus
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Peter Pan

Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)-Mozart
Madame Butterfly-Puccini
Orphée et Eurydice (Orfeo ed Euridice)-Gluck
I Capuleti e I Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues)-Bellini
La Traviata-Verdi
Orphée aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld)-Offenbach
Rinaldo-Händel
Lucia di Lammermoor-Donizetti
La Bohème (The Bohemian)-Puccini
Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)-Rossini
Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)-Mozart
Die Fledermaus-Strauss, Jr.
Manon Lescaut-Puccini
Don Giovanni-Mozart
Aida-Verdi
Tosca-Puccini
La Belle Hélène-Offenbach
Hänsel und Gretel-Humperdinck
Die Fledermaus-Strauss, Jr.
The Little Prince-Portman
Carmen-Bizet
Lohengrin-Wagner
Norma-Bellini
Fidelio-Beethoven
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)-Wagner
L'Elisir d'Amore-Donizetti

Okay, so there are a lot more Operas than there are Ballets, just running off lists of top tens. So they're all on my list!

So perhaps my first New Year's goal should be to actually update this more than three times a year??

Anyways, I'm starting to post everything for 2011, which as I turn 30 should hopefully be a really good year! Bring on the Glee!

I finally gave up on wondering where my glasses have disappeared to since moving and my vacation in November. I vaguely remember using them in December, but I don't think I've seen them this year. So i made an appointment to see the opthamologist. I stopped by the office today just to make an appointment, and within ten minutes I was in seeing Dr. Kevin, and in under an hour, I had a full eye exam and a new pair of prescription glasses on order! I was seriously impressed at how easily that all occurred. I will be the first to admit that in terms of eye health I haven't been that great at keeping up with doctors' recommendations. Apparently my last visit was in October of 2007, when I went to get a replacement pair of glasses because I had left a previous pair in Chicago over six months earlier. As I remember correctly, it had been several years since I had gone for an annual exam then as well.

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My reading goals for 2010:
1. Read 50 books.
2. Read Les Miserables.

Books Read:

A Handmaid's Tale ~ Margaret Atwood (July 23, 2010)

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