Snow on Easter Afternoon

Yesterday, I went to Iowa City with some friends. The six of us squeezed into a 5-seater, and began our journey by visiting Cedar Rapid's CSPS, which currently was showing four of Robert Wilson's Voom portraits.

I didn't really know what to expect by the portraits, but they're amazing. The portraits are live action, on some excellent and enormous digital TV screens. The actors on screen move, but very slowly. If you were just passing by, they would just look like a picture. But the videos are on a 20-25 minute loop as the actors move deliberately and slowly, sometimes as someone narrates in the background, sometimes with just music. In one, the world's championship sumo wrestler sits, wearing nothing but his sumo uniform, and slowly smiles. Slowly releases the smile. In another, a woman lays on a divan while a speech by Einstein plays in the background (I don't remember all of it, but it involves a dream about going grocery shopping, and only swimming caps were for sale, and then talk of the oceans). The woman clenches her hand, over the course of the speech. When her hand has clenched completely, she opens her eyes. It is the only time during the loop that she has her eyes open.

The portraits were a bit creepy, but striking. Maybe creepy just means I had nothing to compare it to. Anyway, the rest are in Iowa City, so we initiated step two of our plan: Iowa City. The Museum of Art turned out to be closed, so we moved onto our next step: David's Place. I had gone there as a freshman, and loved it. So I was pretty excited for another go around. It was wonderful. Tea, spongy bread, spicy red lentils, potatoes....mmmm..... we feasted. Afterwards, we had dessert and coffee in a nearby cafe, then returned to Cedar Rapids.

I was just in time for the musical, 3 Penny Opera. I liked it, except for when I couldn't understand the lyrics. That gets tricky. But the music sounded great, the set looked wonderful, and the timing of the acting (especially the gags) were usually spot on. I don't claim to be much of a theater critic, but I think they can be proud of that production.

Today was Easter. I spent most of the day at work, watching the snow fall. Of all things. A co-worker gave me a couple boiled eggs her grandkids had decorated, exactly the food I had been thinking about. It's a holiday tradition. If I am not home to make them or look for them, at least I can eat the finished product. So good.

Next weekend, Senate is having Tomasos Pizza. I'm making extra sure my schedule remains open for this.