My fellow retiree, Karin Ash, joined me this weekend for a wonderful Sunday in New York. We went to the Upper West Side and did a little shopping at the Time Warner AOL Building. We started there because I thought the Museum of Arts and Design was in the AOL building, but it is housed in its own striking building on Columbus Circle. We were thrown a bit off balance when we walked in "MAD" and the first person we accidentally meet was a former student, James P. Those who know James will know what our meeting was like. He has not changed one iota. The reason for our visit was to see "Read My Pins" the delightful exhibit of Madeline Albright's brooches. As Secretary of State, she would signal her attitude walking into a diplomatic meeting with a carefully selected pin such as a dove of peace.
The real highlight of Karin's visit was our evening at the New York City Ballet to see The Sleeping Beauty. The Sleeping Beauty is the largest, most elaborate of the NYC Ballet's and uses over 100 people in the cast. The scenery is more elaborate than other ballets I've seen, and the costumes were out of a fairy tale. So it was a great delight to be able to share this experience with Karin and with Beth, who joined us after participating in a mini triathalon. I used to be most interested in the gymnastic leaps of the male dancers, but now I am more impressed with the strength and precision of the ballerina. The video that I've linked here describes how difficult that role of the Princess Aurora is. Our Aurora, Ashley Bouder, showed exquisite balance in the famous Rose Adagio in the first act and now that I struggle with balance in pilates I truly realize how difficult these steps are.
Our evening ended with a snack and with Beth's description of her very complicated professional and personal life. Karin and I returned home happy that we have finally reached a stage where it is easier to achieve some balance in our lives.
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