the Rio Olympic Torch

Summer is always a time of both full days and nights. Much planned and even more that will be missed. The Olympics are on my radar but I have not given them much thought as they loom upon us. I do know they are being hosted in Brazil. And I am also aware of some of the chaos that is precluding them. Political impeachments. Building and transit infrastructures that are not complete or on track to be finished in time.

As I see each Olympic event dazzle and impress more than the last, I wonder if maybe we have set the bar so high that it becomes impossible to achieve. I am not sure if this is just the result of technology and culture. Or an unnecessary competition from one country to the next to out-do the former host. I know Minneapolis is gearing up for a Super Bowl in 2 years and already the buzz of hotel and event construction is at a fever pitch. And this for a single Day event. So I have no idea how Rio 2016 will stack up.

BUT, I have seen plans for the Torch and what they are calling the Solar City Tower. It is built on an island overlooking the city and is a beacon much like the Statue of Liberty in the harbor. 

• It is over 100 meters tall.
• It is a waterfall.
• It is an observation tower.
• It is solar powered and will generate electricity for the entire Olympic Village.
• It is a bungee jumping tower.
• It has an amphitheater and an auditorium.

It is also beyond amazing. Just the views itself practically make it the next world wonder. Look at the pictures yourself.

Mystery Boxes

Evryone should be well aware that I am person intrigued by problem solving. of course the usual crossword, but even more so geocaching, treasure hunts, jigsaw puzzles and anything inquisitive. The mystery becomes almost an addiction to solve.

So I was tipped off to this new crowdfunding for a new item called Mystery Cases by a company called Armchair Detective. I myself like something that is physical. But this is for those that like to sit and ponder a solver. It is kind of like a Russian doll with a box inside a box inside a box. And you keep using clues and riddles that will eventually take you further into the Pandora's Box. No idea how much they would cost, but sounds like they could be a winter diversion.

 

 

Drum Corps teaser trailer

This is the time of year when us loyal drum corps fans of all ages anxiously await the start of the current season. All winter we are fed both crumbs and rumors. Who has jumped ship re: staff. New mergers. Year of hiatus. New uniforms. Winter camp videos. But it is not until right around now that the buzz really leaks and we get a glimpse of how summer will unfold; Both DCA & DCI - World & Open. I continue to get excited about Soundsport and the cycle of new influx that seems to be taking wave.

Just like in a new relationship; this is the period of "limerance" where the shows are revealed, your heart tugs and you start to choose your wild cards.... Until scores start coming in or a disappointing viewing on the FanNetwork and you realize it sounded good on paper but somehow did not make the translation to the field.

I'm sort intrigued by bizarre tangents like the Academy's Corpse Bride or Boston Crusader's Quixotic based on La Mancha. Scout's Judas is garnering a lot of hype. I would also buy into Blue Devil's version of the Tempest with As Dreams Are Made On, SCV's Force of Nature or Carolina Crown's take on a spaghetti Westerns with Relentless. I'm even curious about Pioneer with Joan of Arc or Genesis Hell Hath No Fury. Then there are the esoteric one's like Blue Knights the Great Event or Cadet's the Awakening that sound pretty generic in print. Some will surprise I'm sure. I'm waiting for more of the All-ages to represent as well.

From the Junior Corps circle - here is the update list of 2016 Programs.
DCI Corps Programs 
From corpsreps - others that have been announced.
http://www.corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?view=currentyear 

Drop Dead

I am an avid geocacher and have noted this on more than one blog post over as many years. It was an adventure introduced to me by my brother. Although I don't log the visits like I once did, it is still a treasure hunt that I enjoy.



Presenting Dead Drop, which is a new phenomenon in a similar vein. The term itself has roots in espionage as a blind trade of information. They started in BROOKLYN BACK IN 2010. It uses global coordinates to track postings. But instead of a cache with chotchkies, you now arrive at a flash drive that is buried or hidden in a tree trunk, a stone wall, or a park bench. The treasure has now become a digital download that can be grabbed from the drive by plugging in your laptop or other device. The "find" might be a historical podcast, music files that pertain to the site, a photo file. I think it sounds like a gas.

 

However, after looking on line for source material - they are light years behind the geocaching clique. All you get is a world map and trying to search or isolate is a difficult task. It also has not caught on with as much fervor. I did a search of the Twin Cities and there are only two locally; one in Shakopee and another far outside the metro area. So at this point, it is shortlived and needs to grow in popularity. I think I need to scout one out and report back. 

 

the Beautiful Dancer's Body

I know back in my prime of dancing days, I always wanted the perfect dancer's body. The kind that was lithe but not beefcake. The perfect combination of muscle tone with line. I can't say I ever got there, but I did have a few assets that I was proud of for all the time at the gym and on stage. Over years, I was always fascinated by those coffee table books that brought dance to the forefront. They were different than the normal male erotica publications that leaned more towards the gay rags! It wasn't objectification that I liked, but the convergence of both art and the beauty of the human condition.

So it is with a tinge of joy that I see this new photo exhibit by Nir Arieli and entitled Flocks. Instead of motion and artistry, it looks at these same bodies in a sense of rest. A still life of sorts. He notes that "dancers are like a special species" in the way they work as a community in a company with a shared vocabulary as well as a kinetic grace. It looks at dancers from Nederlands Dans Theater II, Batsheva Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Shen Wei Dance Arts, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Ballet Hispanico, Pontus Lidberg Dance, Ailey II, and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Check out a link to the images below. On display in New York at the Daniel Cooney Fine Arts Ctr.

Nir Ariele 
 

Batdance Like You've Never Seen Him Before

 

I always knew the Batman craze from the 1960's television series was a bit wonky. Even as a young kid I found the antics somewhere between amusing and insipid. Adam West with Burt Ward as Robin were quite the dynamic duo with their cheeky humor and lame attempts at stunt work amidst a tale of weekly shenanigans. Compared to the superheroes we see now on the big screen, they are certainly small potatoes. 



I just found this video meme that had been making the rounds. I guess it makes sense that the networks were trying to capitalize on the craze. But who knew that Bruce Wayne had a knack for a musical number with backup dancers? I give him a 3 for talent but a big 10 for moxie. Here it is in it's entirety. Orange Colored Sky! I could only get the link to attach not the embedded video - click!

Batman - Orange Colored Sky

the Eternal Return

I have always been an Adventure Seeker whether it is parasailing, geocaching or my car rallys. Theme Parks were a big thing to me until I got older. I still enjoy some of the rush of the rides, but my body is not as tolerant of spinning and hurling anymore. So this new "thing" in Santa Fe has piqued my interest with curiosity.

I am just reading about it and not quite sure where to even launch in. There are several avenues. But the base foundation is a group of artists called the Meow Wolf and it is owned by George RR Martin who is the author of Game of Thrones. So we guess at the onset it is some sort of world where culture and fantasy clash! The place itself is a former strip mall bowling alley that has been transformed into a Daliesque interactive museum. Eventually it will entail concerts, installations, a makespace area and films much like our Walker in the Twin Cities. All curated by this collective of artists.



But the first phase of the endeavor is what is called the Eternal Return. Inside the complex, they have painstakingly built a functioning Victorian house with fictional inhabitants, the Selig family. They are a family of artists and inventor types with peculiar powers and some sort of interdimensional event has taken over the house starting in the dining room where every surface is now warped. Venturing out from here, the entire house is a virtual experience of touching and exploring to unmask a myriad of clues as to what has happened. Thus it becomes a cerebral amusement park experience that is unique to each and every participant. None of the articles seems to state how it all plays out in the essence of a spoiler alert. There are portals under stairs and through refrigerators that unearth galleries of enchanted forests or space ships from Star Trek. Whispering lasers, androgynous droids, fossilized mastodons! How fun is that! At $18, it is cheaper than Valleyfair. Sign me up! I'm impressed.

Who is Meow Wolf