Last night, I went to the opera. It was pretty cool - a student production with major talent and a fabulous cast and staging. They'd staged Barber of Seville in the 1920s, with lots of broad physical comedy. Went with PsychProf and EnglishChair (who for some reason has never accepted me as anything other than an annoying colleague). But we had a great time at a surprising performance, and I've definitely decided I'll attend more opera in the future. RNU has an odd structure: a major dance performance center, a huge music school and a stand-along theatre school that still somehow shares a dean with the music school. In a total student population of under 2800, there are nearly 200 theatre majors. So we get amazing student performances - music, musical theater, opera, dance (all types).
That flash is far better known than what the A&S faculty are most proud of: our pre-med students generally get multiple offers for med school, and a very high percentage of the life science/chem students go on to graduate school.
The history department struggles to keep our number of majors in the double digits, which is just pathetic but very much a product of our faculty. Half of whom are terrible teachers, and more story-tellers than historians, so we lose a lot of potentials because of them. We get lots of minors - but more because of the ease of getting a minor than for any substantive reason. We've had lots of our students go on to grad school (mostly into law), and a couple who've even managed to get history PhDs. Of those, we hear from the ones who are now teaching. Contact with alumni is rare - Dino is the only one who has ongoing contact with former students, and we cringe when he tells us what they're writing about. So not our best effort. Star tried to re-generate contacts, but that (I suppose) died quickly, judging by his lack of communicating with us. Because... he basically doesn't.
Anyway. The opera was good, but has put me in a weird mood for what would otherwise be a great glass weekend. I just finished up a piece, but... I doubt I'll get the hardware attached to hang it. It's cold out in the studio, and I'm not really interested in working out there. Not so much because of the cold - it's more that I'm distracted enough that the cold makes itself felt.
I feel like I'm waiting for something, but have no idea what it would be. I am tempted by a nap, which will either help or not. Hope this isn't simply boredom.
3 comments:
All I can think of when I hear 'barber of seville' is the Bugs Bunny cartoon spoofing it, when Bugs gives Elmer Fudd a scalp massage.
"Not so much because of the cold - it's more that I'm distracted enough that the cold makes itself felt."
There's a useful insight there, I think. Not sure what to do with it, but it rings true for me.
I have never seen that opera, but I totally love going to the opera. It is a special experience.
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