WMATA can please

It's a rare day the DC Metro presents an opportunity for praise. OK that might be a slight exaggeration, but it gets a lot of bad press what with the single-tracking and the supposed medical and other emergencies, and don't even get me started on the escalators.

So it's got to be 100 degrees outside, and WMATA actually ends up pleasantly surprising me today. (Tangent - Sometimes the a/c isn't working on the Metro. Picture it - a train full of tired, rushing commuters sweating in their work clothes and packed to the gills. Sweating. Because there's no a/c. And it's summer. In D.C. And it's humid. Ok I'll stop.)

So back to my happy uplifting story. As the Red line rolls into Medical Center on its way out of the city this afternoon, the conductor comes on the speakerphone. Now, normally, I can't understand a word those guys are saying. I often wonder why they even bother talking.

But this time, the guy said the train would be going out of service at Grosvenor (the first outdoor stop in Maryland), so he suggested that riders who were riding beyond Grosvenor should get out at Medical Center (still underground) to wait for the next train, so they didn't have to suffer the heat wave stifling on an outdoor platform. Very kind of that conductor. Very thoughtful indeed. Today I liked the Metro.

Bastille Day in Bretagne

Bastille Day. Perfect, an excuse to wax nostalgic about France. Now I transport myself back to a July 2006 excursion to a several-hundred-year old chateau in Brittany in northwest France.

Le chateau

Tangent - I have a pet peeve with languages that change other languages' proper names. If it's called Bretagne in French, then why do we call it Brittany? Some desire to conjure images of a washed-up American pop star instead of an idyllic, Celtic-infused, verdant corner of France? I doubt it. Must be some kind of weak attempt to make foreign names easier to pronounce. We could make some effort to embrace the names originally bestowed upon places by those who named them in the first place. Anyway, back to Treguier.

Treguier is a hamlet near Saint-Brieuc; a bit further east, the walled city Saint-Malo might be somewhat better known. Treguier is a port town on the Treguier River, which goes out to the English Channel. It's pretty isolated; getting there affordably requires flying to Paris and then renting a car to drive the maybe six hours, if I remember correctly. There are trains (of course - because it's Europe, and Europe has an awesome transit system), and Brest even has an airport you can get to from the UK and Spain, but it's best to have a car for exploring the outlying towns.

Monet's Giverny gardens, on the way out of Paris

The medieveal fort at Fougeres, also on the way to Treguier

Treguier's town square's prominent features are a statue of the town's famous son writer and philosopher Ernest Renan and a large and gorgeous cathedral built in the 14th and 15th centuries - typical of such a town, but the age and endurance over so many centuries still amazes me every time. There's probably only a few thousand people that live in Treguier, and it's so small in geographic terms, it's one of those places you can pretty much get to know living there a week and even start to recognize people on the street.

The view from outside our chateau

The food is amazing, a mixture of fresh seafood (Dover sole, anyone?) and shellfish (oh so many moules, my favorite) and lots of delicious cheeses I could never name and fresh produce from the weekly market where are all the vendors set up shop, then move onto the next town the next day. We followed the market to its stops nearby in places with names like Quimper and Morlaix. I think I gained four pounds in like 10 days on that trip. A little frivolous we were with the wine and cheese before dinner every night. We got some beach hikes in there too, though, and a ferry from coastal Paimpol took us to the Ile-de-Brehat, where at low tide, the boats sit completely ashore.

Paimpol, my favorite town in Bretagne

Ile-de-Brehat - those are not toyboats, and yes that is a castle on the hill

 

Timber-framed houses in Lannion

Celtic festival leading up to Bastille Day, in Ploumanache

I was in Treguier the night of Bastille Day, frankly, the only time in my life that the holiday has been on my radar. As the town erupted in fireworks, every inhabitant gathered "downtown" at the harbor to dance together and celebrate France. I'll never forget the juxtaposition of having flown from the United States, where I had just celebrated the fourth in the American heartland, with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra playing traditional pops music backlit by fireworks over the Arkansas River, with the French version of their national holiday. Though I had no personal relationship with France and barely spoke the languge, I felt like I was celebrating two countries that year. The people of Treguier loved having visitors in town for La Fete Nationale, and having been there just a few days, we felt kind of at home there and a part of the party.

Crepes and cafe in Treguier outside the cathedral on the square

Remind me why I ever came back?

Strings on a rooftop

This was the scene on a Dupont Circle rooftop Saturday night -- D.C.'s Second String Band crooning American folk music to an audience of about 30 that I felt pretty damn awesome to be a part of. It was super VIP. A couple friends invited the band to play on their roof as a send-off for their European debut tour. The city looked very different from up there, and it was like if you weren't on that roof that day, you were totally missing out on the fact that this little gathering was going on nine stories above Connecticut Ave.

The band defines "second string" this way: "The squad of players available to replace the starters." They define a "second string band" this way: "The squad of players who play string music from the fringes, giving that music the center stage."

Sounds about right. I think I fell in love with folk music that night. Or maybe it was bluegrass. I don't know enough about it to know the difference. Regardless, it's the type of music that you can be sitting there roasting in the middle of hot and sticky D.C. 90 degree heat, but you're sort of transported to Arkansas or Louisiana for a couple hours, lost in the guitar, the fiddle, the mandolin (maybe?). I keep hearing about Gillian Welch. I might need to go on a downloading spree. I've always been a fan of strings -- I think my favorite instrument is the electric violin -- so of course I loved the Second String Band. The songs have a similar sound, but each is distinct. They write almost all their own music. The covers they played were recognizable but often only slightly so. And it's definitely the type of music you have to see in person because it's kind of a whole experience to be a part of.

That didn't stop me from buying the cd, and as you won't get the chance to hear the band live until they return from Europe, you should probably get a copy too. Check them out at http://2ndstringband.com/.

Signs of summer

 

 I think David Simon and Edward Burns put it pretty well in The Corner:

"On the Fourth, when every right-thinking Marylander has steamed crabs in celebration"

Obama's words at Joplin, MO

I meant to post this a long time ago, after President Obama spoke on May 29, 2011 at the memorial service following the tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, in May.

It's Monday, so here's some thoughts to start the week:

"How we respond when the storm strikes is up to us.  How we live in the aftermath of tragedy and heartache, that’s within our control.  And it’s in these moments, through our actions, that we often see the glimpse of what makes life worth living in the first place."

Reduced Shakespeare Does More than Shakespeare

The Reduced Shakespeare Company may have made its name delivering a quick and dirty summary of the bard's greatest works, but these days, the comedic trio is shrinking movies into one-liners, too. Until July 3, the Kennedy Center's smaller and more intimate Terrace Theater plays host to Reduced Shakespeare Company in Completely Hollywood (Abridged).

The show was honestly one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen -- and I am not a big stand-up comedy fan. The lines are mostly scripted of course, but it's also a little bit of improv, a touch of miming, plenty of cross-dressing, some awkward audience participation, a lot of very funny costumes and props, and ongoing hysterical banter among the three sole cast members, Dominic Conti, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor.

The show is advertised as referencing 187 movies in 100 minutes. So many of the lines, actors' names, scores, theme songs, and even poses and body language were so incredibly well-known, they were quickly recognizable to all. Of course, I didn't catch all the allusions, but that's what makes the show fun for various ages; there was laughter among the older crowd when my brothers and I were sitting there clueless, but when some lines snuck in from Gaga, we had our chance to chuckle knowingly.

As described in the playbill, "WARNING: This show is a high-speed, roller-coaster type condensation of Hollywood (the movies and the mindset) and is not recommended for people with heart ailments, back problems, film degrees, inner ear disorders and/or people inclined to motion sickness. The Reduced Shakespeare Company cannot be held responsible for expectant mothers."

"Completely Hollywood (Abridged)" through July 3 at the Terrace Theater

Washington Post covers Faith Shared in D.C.

Very prominent coverage in today's Washington Post of Faith Shared at the National Cathedral, a joint program planned nationwide by the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First to promote interfaith harmony and counter Islamophobia. The story begins above the fold on the front page of Metro, covers almost the entire page as well as continues later in the section.

Full text below, but have to see the story online (or in print!) to check out the beautiful photos of leaders of different faiths leading a service together in the famed National Cathedral.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/interfaith-service-at-washington-national-cathedral-promotes-religious-tolerance/2011/06/26/AGryCWmH_story.html

Interfaith service at Washington National Cathedral promotes religious tolerance

By Isaac Arnsdorf, Published: June 26

As worshipers entered Washington National Cathedral for Sunday morning’s service, some crossed themselves and some took photographs, some wore ties while others wore shorts and a few even wore yarmulkes.

In the center aisle, in place of the baptismal fountain, candle-lit stands bore three books: a Bible, a Torah and a Koran. When a visitor asked a nearby usher what to do, the usher replied: “This is a totally different service than what we usually do. There’s no wrong answer.”

Instead of Communion, the service featured readings from each of the three Abrahamic faiths, part of a project to promote religious tolerance through similar interfaith services at about 70 churches nationwide. The effort aimed to counteract negative stereotypes and hostile rhetoric targeting American Muslims in the past year, notably the controversy about plans for an Islamic center near Ground Zero in New York and the burning of a Koran by the Rev. Terry Jones in March in Florida.

“What we have done together in this great cathedral this morning, along with others in similar services in houses of worship across our nation, can alter the image and substance of our nation, as well as our religion,” said the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, one of the organizations that sponsored the project. “Today’s beautifully written liturgy, informed by Islam, Judaism and Christianity, declares unambiguously . . . we are not scripture burners, rather, scripture readers.”

A local rabbi and imam joined Gaddy and the cathedral’s Episcopal clergy on the dais to share their messages of mutual understanding and respect.

“For nearly a decade now, since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we Americans have known without a doubt that any hope for a peaceful world will require profound engagement among the world’s religions,” cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III said.

The service began with a traditional call to prayer in the three religions’ terminology — a Hebrew “Bar’chu,” an Arabic “Azan” and a Latin “Spiritus Domini” — all sung in ethereal tones that swirled through the cathedral’s soaring nave.

Then Rabbi Amy M. Schwartzman of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church read a passage from Deuteronomy about showing kindness to strangers. Imam Mohamed Magid, the president of the Islamic Society of North America, chanted a passage from the Koran about the value of diversity.
“God could have made all of us look the same and go to the same temple or same church,” Magid explained. “But God willed that humans are diverse.”

Gaddy said he hoped the readings would underscore the commonalities among the three traditions, especially their shared message of tolerance and compassion.

“No one verse or one passage in any book of scripture should be allowed to hijack or hold hostage the central truth, the overarching as well as pervasive moral mandate, which emerges from the full sweep of truth in those books of scripture,” he said. “Cherry picking isolated texts . . . allows mean-spirited people to turn the scripture of our religions into weapons.”

Almost 1,000 people attended the service, an average turnout for a summer Sunday. Among them were people actively involved in interfaith dialogue groups, as well as those who were surprised to find the Jewish and Muslim elements of the service.

Ken Bagley, who with his family was visiting the District from Connecticut, just happened upon Sunday’s service.

“It was a neat opportunity to hear all three perspectives in one service and to see how alike they are. You too often hear about how different,” Bagley said.

Alex Huddell, a 21-year-old student at American University, said she had never heard the Koran chanted, except “maybe in movies.”

“It was interesting and beautiful to listen, even if you didn’t understand, to the different rhythms and styles,” Huddell said. “I’m Christian, but I feel a lot of embarrassment about the way Christians sometimes marginalize other religions. So it’s nice to hear there are some leaders in the faith community who are trying to promote the same message of acceptance.”

Pete Carlson, a member of the cathedral’s congregation, said he was inspired by the service and hopes to attend more interfaith events.

“It was even more moving than the normal service here on Sunday,” Carlson said. “It felt like we were a part of something much bigger and much older.”

Lloyd, the cathedral’s dean, said a Muslim reading also will be part of the cathedral’s memorial service for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.