Well, today is as bright, sunny and blue as yesterday was gloomy and grey. This is a nice respite before another dose of winter dull daze tomorrow!
(*and we have had, the last few nights, the MOST HUGE, BRIGHT, silvery, beautiful dollar coin sized full moon beaming down from 5am - 7am lighting the commute and early morning risers! Amazingly beautiful! If you ever saw the 1980's movie "MOONSTRUCK", you will get it....and there's even a musical tie in to this BELOW!)
(looked like this, only SILVER, not yellow)
In honor of winter (or perhaps to make us think "SUMMER!"), on Friday this week, Dr. Mahlmann is treating MENC staff (during our monthly "socials") to ice cream sundaes!
As explained before, these "socials" give busy staff a brief respite from the computer and phones and meetings and moving the mail, to enable us to have some "face to face" time and remember staff birthdays and anniversaries of working at MENC.
The fudge sauce to be served on the ice cream is the motivation for the social's theme, as Dr. M was gifted the fudge sauce from one very wonderful and involved MENC member at Christmas time. Thank you, RAK! (and Dr. M of course for sharing the bounty!).
So, the Exec dept (ML, CW, MJ, PS, LE, and me tagged on as an orphan department) will be hosting and setting up and all - come Friday.....
Ice cream and of course, the MENC staff "social" always remind me of .....ICE CREAM SOCIALS!!! You know (if you're of a certain age), those "old fashioned" gatherings families, churches, and schools used to have to bring folks together.....it was always a treat when I was a kid, all the ice cream you wanted! MENC still holds over from those times the old word "social"....I love it! keeps me connected to childhood!
(trivia: It's official - Two Rivers is recognized by the Wisconsin State Historical Society as the REAL birthplace of the ice cream sundae. There is a Sundae Week every summer, and the city gathers in Central Park for an old fashioned band concert and ice cream social during the annual Sundae Thursday. (courtesy of THIS SITE
Speaking of ice cream socials....THAT always reminds me of THE MUSIC MAN! (Meredith Willson, you know, the musical, starring Robert Preston and Barbara Cook in the original broadway version, Shirley Jones in the 1962 Movie ...click HERE for more details!
That scene of the ice cream social...the footbridge.....Class of "aught five", and "Pick a little talk a little.... Chaucer..Rabellaise...BALZAC!"....Marian the Librarian.....76 Trombones......
and the Salesmen Train Conversational Song about "But ya gotta know the territory!"; Gary Indiana, The Sadder but Wiser girl for me, Goodnight my someone, Lida Rose/Dream of Now, Trouble (in River city!).... need I say more?! (well, guess who played my brother Winthrop when I was Marian in 8th grade? 7th grader Paula Poundstone! She was GREAT!).And speaking of LIDA ROSE/Dream of now - (my absolutely all time favorite song in the entire show, it was a joy to sing against that full barbershop harmony!)......this brings me back full circle to "ICCCEEE CREEEEAMMM!" - the first words sung by Jacey and his fellow town managers after being beguiled into harmonizing by the conniving Prof. Harold Hill, as he distracted them with their vocal chops and made his escape onto conning more townspeople of River City Iowa into buying band instruments and uniforms!
Now that I've had my little nostalgia trip (how many of YOU have been in the Music Man, either as a musician, or cast member on stage? Comment below!)......(and wasn't it at LEAST a bit more interesting to read than hearing about how I'm slogging through survey #2 sent to 2000 members, and the about to start sorting another 2000 names for sending for survey #3?)..........let me leave you with a few resources on China, barbershop singing, civil rights (in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King's recent birthday/holiday), and a wonderful 6 minute video/sound clip for those who love Puccini (and maybe were intrigued by my mention of Andre Rieu in the last few blogs).... this is something special, worth seeing! SEE BELOW!
Hope you have a good week, and see you next! SR
RESOURCES:
SPEBSQUA: Society (for the) Preservation (and) Encouragement (of) BarberShop QUartet (singing in) America; AKA Harmony Foundation (singing valentines! only three weeks away!)
One of the most beautiful renditions ever: Carmen Monarcha of Brazil, in Cortona, Italy, singing "O Mio Babbino Caro" ( Oh my dearest daddy) with Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra...click HERE
Synopsis of the Puccini opera Gianni Schicchi, from which O Mio Babbino Caro comes
With the world's largest population and an exploding economy, China may represent the future for international touring artists. Click HERE
Eyes on the Prize/ PBS/History of Civil Rights movement (saw this again after many years, SO worth seeing and sharing with others!):
(and did you know MENC's first meeting in 1907 was also in Iowa? see www.menc.org and go to the INDEX and click on CENTENNIAL!)
