7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

Oh, I tell ya.  What a week.  It has been H-O-T.  And although I really do love it, I find that the constant drastic temperature changes (why is my office kept so freezing cold?!) are extremely exhausting.

2.

Last night a friend and I went to see some mutual friends in The Rose of Stambul, a very little-known Viennese operetta, presented by the Chicago Folks Operetta, at the Chopin Theater in Chicago.  From the company's website:

Chicago Folks Operetta (CFO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company devoted to the nurturing of live operetta through articulate and dynamic productions. In the belief that the arts serve to illuminate the human condition, we are dedicated to the revival and development of operetta, a popular and accessible form of music and theater for general audiences. In particular, the CFO concentrates on producing both Viennese and American operettas from the early 20th century.

Isn't that great?  They love operetta, so they have decided to bring it back!  They don't just do the Mikado over and over, either.  They find lost operettas, often going to the source in Europe to try to find the original libretti and scores, and then they translate them!  I hadn't seen it in action until last night, but it was fabulous!  Every detail of the show was great - sets, costumes, the orchestra, and not least of all the singing!  The entire cast was so talented.  BRAVI!!!  Get tickets while you can!

3.

My friend's little brother is in the hospital.  Prayers for him, please!!!

4.

 

The age of Borders has officially ended.  I can't honestly say that I'm surprised.  I mean, for the last several years, I have been going into the store, writing down the titles of all the books that I'm interested in, and then going home to order them on Amazon.  How can you argue with a discount of at least 50% for a book?!  But I will definitely miss it!  One day I'll probably tell my grandkids a story of how, back in the day, there used to be huge stores with thousands and thousands of books, and you could get some coffee and just browse for hours if you wanted... and they'll barely look up from their e-readers and say, "Who cares, grandma?"  Oh well.

5.

This is how I spent my lunch hour yesterday:

Eating a Potbelly's sandwich with my toes in the fountain.

6.

 Watching a dance performance.  So inspiring.  Dance always makes me cry, probably because it reminds me of my little sister.  What?  I'm not crying in public!  It's just really hot, and... my heart is sweating!

7.

Buying lots of peaches.  There's peach cake in my future.  Likely tonight.

Have a great weekend!  Go visit Jen for more Quick Takes!