The 'new' Tysons library still has leaks

 

At the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library today/Photo by Patricia Leslie

When visiting the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, library users need more than a library card.  They need umbrellas, towels, and galoshes, too.

 

Two and a half months later and the "new and improved" Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library still has leaks.

This is after an earlier round of leaks was discovered at the library in July. Then the library had been open only nine months after a $5.6 million renovation had kept it closed for almost two years.

At the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library today/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A staff member told me when the library crew arrived at work this morning, they discovered water dripping on copiers and other equipment, causing some of the ceiling to collapse, meeting rooms to close, and the halt in customer copying.

"Don't worry, it will be fixed tomorrow," said the staffer, but who pays?  Insurance is probably adequate, but what about the designer and builder of the library? What does this do to insurance rates? What part of this bill lands in the taxpayers' wallets?

 

At the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library today/Photo by Patricia Leslie

If you were planning a tutoring session today at the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, you needed galoshes and towels inside this meeting room and maybe some gloves to pick up debris/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Tenley-Friendship library in D.C. has had leaks, too, but the second leak at Tysons in under three months?  Come on!

In addition to books, periodicals, computers, and reference help, this library always has on hand huge supplies of heavy-duty plastic and caution tape.  

Be careful, the ceiling tiles you trip over may have asbestos.  Oh, that's right.  It's not used any more.

Maybe it's a new way to build libraries with leaks so refurbishment (planned obsolescence) is unceasing. 

(Since I do not want you to think ill of me, Mr. Builder and Mr. Designer, I do not mean to state or think the unthinkable, the impossible.  Just a little drip of humor, I insert.)

patricialesli@gmail.com

Today is the last day for 'Heavy Metal' at the Women's Museum

This expresses how I feel many days! It is Self-portrait 4, 2005 by Carolina Rieckhof Brommer (b. 1979, Lima, Peru). Read more about her below/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Hurry!  

It's a feast for bored art eyes ending today at the National Museum of Women in the Arts at 5 p.m.  

Metal is the medium of choice for women artists who have "heavy metal" in the show.

My hair in the morning?  No, it's Self-portrait 3, 2004 by Carolina Rieckhof Brommer (b. 1979, Lima, Peru). The artist's experience as a costume designer made her aware of restricted and uncomfortable clothing many women wear. This is an example of wearable art which can be "empowering and protective-often all at the same time," according to label copy/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A museum press release says one purpose of the exhibition is to disrupt the common believe that metal belongs to men only, despite women working in the field for centuries.
 
The presentation is the fifth of the Museum's Women to Watch series, shown every two to five years which features works by underrepresented artists from states and countries where NMWA has outreach committees.

To gain more attention at that next party, wrap this snake around your neck and record your responses. Made of stainless steel, 14-karat gold solder and Mediterranean coral, it's titled sacredheartknot, 2015 by Lois Brooks (b. 1969, Ann Arbor, Michigan).  The label says Ms. Brooks tries to create a sense of unease and finds inspiration in fairy tales and nursery rhymes "which often have macabre undertones."/Photo by Patricia Leslie

This reminds me of the Titanic, but this creation depicts a smaller iceberg  above the ship, not below, and this, on second glance, looks to be a city in the hull of a helmet. Somewhere there is oil, so maybe this is the Titanic in Texas? Or, the evolution of a city in Texas. Kelsey Wishik (b. 1990, Charleston, S.C.)  is the artist who made Space City, 2012 of mild steel/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Ho hum, unlike most who are smarter than I, I still do this! Holly Laws (b. 1963, Savannah, Georgia) says the caging unfolds the story of this domestic chore, mostly done by women. It is a respectful presentation of notorious "women's work," which many resent (ahem) having to perform.  The titles are (from left) Placeholder and Three Eastern Bluebirds, both, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie

From committees' submissions, NMWA curators selected 50 works from 20 artists including Cheryl Eve Acosta (b. 1980, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) who has 17 different pieces of jewelry on display.

Some of the artists used recycled materials such as can tabs (Alice Hope).  Charlotte Charbonnel used iron filings and a singular sound from the Pacific Ocean (not metal), however, the sound echoed that of a train (which qualifies) and is titled Train End. Leila Khoury makes monuments to places affected by the war in Syria. Artists used tin, aluminum, steel, bronze, brass, pewter, silver, and gold.

This is a portion of Grandfather, Cricket and I, 2016 by Carolina Sardi (b. 1967, La Plata, Argentina) which is plated steel over a painted wall which look like luscious jewel pieces to me (earrings, necklace, brooch, anyone?)/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A beehive of porcupine quills? Or, a fancy chandelier made for the lobby of the World Wildlife Fund or other animal lover? Not to make light of any of these pieces but just to show what they can suggest! Alice Hope (b. 1966, Hong Kong) made this untitled piece last year of steel ball chain, used fishing tackle, and found netting, one of three works she has in the show. The wall label says the artist repeats processes in making art, like that required in "women's work" (sewing), all ending in "deep texture and movement."/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Does this suggest slinkys to you? They are still available on the Web.  The Second Part, 2014, one of four works in the show by Paula Castillo (b. 1961, Belen, New Mexico), is made of fencing nails and auto-body finish.  Ms. Castillo "finds beauty" in industrial remains which help her visualize "how human-made and natural forces perpetually remake the world we inhabit," according to the wall copy/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A close-up of another by Alice Hope (b. 1966, Hong Kong), also untitled and made in 2004/Photo by Patricia Leslie

It is fun to admire the ingenuity of these artists and wonder about the sources of their inspirations. The museum is an excellent place to bring children who can join their parents to admire the wonders of creativity, and come up with their own ideas about just exactly what is here and what they can make from it.

A catalogue ($21.95) is available in the shop or online.  

What: Heavy Metal-Women to Watch 2018
 
When: Through today. The National Museum of Women in the Arts is open Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 12-5 p.m.
 
Where: The National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005
 
Admission: Free on the first Sunday each month. Otherwise, fees are $10, adults; $8, seniors and students; and free for members and children, 18 and under.

For more information: 202-783-5000
 
Metro station: Metro Center. Exit at 13th Street and walk two blocks north. 

Patricialesli@gmail.com



 

Gala Theatre's 'Like Water for Chocolate' is like, wow

Tita (Ines Dominguez del Corral) looks on longingly as her sister, the bride (Guadalupe Campos) dances with Pedro (Peter Pereyra) in Gala Hispanic Theatre's Like Water for Chocolate/photo by Daniel Martinez

Take a family with three daughters, add some weddings, several births and deaths, mix in laughter and sorrow, ghosts, a tang of gunfire, roosters, barking dogs, dancing, love, sex, lots of sex, and what do you have? 

Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) on stage now at Gala Hispanic Theatre, a delight of a show whose joys overcomes the heartaches, and it's the U.S. premiere.

The place and timing are in Mexico, about 100 years ago where two revolutions were underway, the national civil war, and one at a home of entrenched traditions where daughters did, more or less, what their mamas told them to do.

Every ingredient you want in a play is here and more to savor! Magnifico!
 
Director Olga Sánchez conducts a talented crew but none more able than Luz Nicolas, Mama Elena in the play, the hated, cruel, and vindictive wicked witch of this stage with hair severely pulled back to augment her sharp features.  (Costumer Moyenda Kulemeka's simple and refined apparel keeps the mom in black, and the other actors in colorful garb, none which detracts from the script.)

Tita (Inez Dominguez del Corral) is Mama Elena's youngest daughter, imprisoned for life and sentenced to caring for her mother who ages in the finest of traditions.  

He brought her flowers, starring Ines Dominguez del Corral as Tita in Gala Hispanic Theatre's Like Water for Chocolate/photo by Daniel Martinez

The man who waits for no one, Pedro (Peter Pereyra), and enjoys soon enough the "services" of two women, Tita and her older sister,  Rosaura (Guadalupe Campos), marries Rosaura, so he can be "closer" to Tita whom Evil Mother has banned from love and happiness.

Crazy? Yes, like most families.   

Meanwhile, the other sister, an energetic Gertrudis (Yaremis Felix) consumes a Tita magic potion dish (does the script come with recipes?) and "ignites," running off with a guerrilla warrior and his pals who eventually barnstorm the home with guns and hot takes.   

The passion, which the now-always-beaming Gertrudis shares with her newly-found love, comes straight from the oven, enough to heat up the stage and the audience, too.  (If this were in January, no heating elements would be necessary for anyone in the house. The "fight and intimacy director," Jonathan Ezra Rubin, adds a heaping side of relish to saucy and scalding scenes.)
 
Preparing consistently perfect chile en nogada is practically impossible, and this Chocolate has its weaknesses, particularly in the second act when the first act's successful time passage technique become tiresome.  

Music (and sound) by David Crandall spice up Chocolate's menu with perfect timing for explosives, lights, and action.

Demands for frequent and varied lighting changes are amply satisfied under Christopher Annas-Lee's excellent guidance to add zest to the many scenes (ably designed by Mariana Fernandez).  The centerpiece on the stage is the kitchen table which serves multiple purposes (including births). (Properties by Tony Koehler)

Windows with moving curtains double as frames for regularly-appearing ghosts with messages and enforce the notion of "magical realism." That's the genre here which is a contradictory term itself, but that defines this domicile of peachy walls and warmth, conflict, and fire. 

Spoken in Spanish with English subtitles, but Chocolate's strong story soon eclipses reading subtitles which becomes unnecessary.
The play is based on the 1989 bestselling first novel by Laura Esquivel and adapted for the stage by Garbi Losada.

Adding more seasoning to the presentation are images in Gala's lobby of the Mexican Revolution from the collection of Dr. Barbara Tenebaum and James Kiernan.

Coming up September 23 after the 2 p.m. performance is a discussion with cookbook author, Chef Pati Jinich, the James Beard Award winner and host of the PBS Pati's Mexican Table series who is also the resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute.

Other members of the Chocolate cast are Carlos Castillo as Don Pascual; Delbis Cardona, Dr. John Brown; Karen Romero, narrator; and crowd favorites Teresa Yenque who is Nacha, and Karen Morales, Chencha.

The technical crew also includes Niomi Collard, projections; Catherine Nunez, stage manager; Devin Mahoney, technical director; and Heather McKay, English translator.


What: Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate)
 
When: Now through October 7, 2018, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.

Where: Gala Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.
 
Tickets: $48 and $30 for seniors (65+), military, students, and those ages 30 and under, with additional discounts for groups of 10 and more. Go online to order: GALA Ticket Box
 
(To read subtitles comfortably, English-only guests should request seating in rows E through H.)

Duration:  About 2. 5 hours with one 10 minute intermission.

Language and ages:  Rated "G."  Content is adult. 
 
Metro stations: Columbia Heights or McPherson Square and take a bus or the Circulator from McPherson up 14th or walk two miles.
 
Parking: Available nearby. Ask about Gala's $4 flat rate.
 
For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

patricialesli@gmail.com

Double fault movie: 'John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection'

 
From John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection/Oscilloscope Laboratories

Dear Tennis Fans,

That this movie earned a 100% audience rating and 88%  critics rating at Rotten Tomatoes is shocking, but given the now-that-I-think-of-it expected audience, maybe not so surprising.

But, hey!  I was a member of the so-called expected audience and for me, John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection is an error, a dud.  It is awful.

Half of the film is devoted to McEnroe's temper tantrums, although none of his in this film, quite matches that of Serena Williams last weekend at the U.S. Open.


The French documentary is not about his life, his upbringing, training, or great matches.  It's not about his motivators or methodology which we, the underperforming (or non-performing) can hope to adapt in some manner or another.  

It's not an update on what he's doing in life now besides working as a sports commentator.  What's it all about, Johnny?

It's a single year of his tennis life, 1984, when he played and lost (to Ivan Lendl) at Roland Garros Stadium at the French Open. (McEnroe still gets ill when he has to go to France.)

Despite the loss, this movie star still holds the single year season record, a 96.5% win rate.

The movie has clips from a few great matches with...whom?  Save for the last match, competitors are hidden from view.

I was yearning to see Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, some of the greats McEnroe battled. Instead, I saw lots of McEnroe's shoes, his grimaces, his frowns, his unhappiness, and his towels.  

Oh, and there's the red clay.  (All, about the same shade.) Lots of it to be seen when he points to the lines and argues with officials, never successfully, about what he thinks are errant calls.

Also, there is a surfeit of narration and computer drawings about his serve, his arm positions, his style, his bent knees, in slow motion. A  technical film, for tennis coaches and their students, and that's about all.

In the words of every sub-teen:  b - o - r - i - n - g.

I think I was hoping to see the film, Borg v. McEnroe I've heard about.  Perfection? This ain't it!

I saw it so you don't have to.

Julien Faraut wrote and directed; Mathieu Amalric, narrated.

patricialesli@gmail.com

Book review, 'The Race To Save The Romanovs'

Ahem.
 
After reading The Race To Save The Romanovs: The Truth Behind the Secret Plans to Rescue the Russian Imperial Family, I submit a better title is: The Race To Flee The Romanovs since ...

Nobody wanted 'em!
 
Not the Spanish, or the Danes, the Finns, the Swedes, the French, or the Germans. (Perish the thought! The Germans? The book quotes Nicholas and Alexandra that they would rather be dead than be rescued by Germans, and so they were.)

The English? My dear chap, certainly not the English, heaven forbid, for although Cousin George V was Nicky's first cousin and lookalike twin (their mothers were sisters), how dare the English to even consider, consider (!), harboring the Russian royal family and giving the English underclasses the very idea of revolution, like the Russians!
 
Please, spare us all, which the English did not.
 
What does family have to do with it anyway at a time like this, when your arse might be shot by subjects tempted to follow revolutionaries who might (dare to even ponder the possibility(!)) overtake the English throne?
 
The very thought of it! Which, the English tried not to think of it.
 
No way was the King of England going to help his family in distress, his wife, Queen Mary, whispering sweet reinforcements in his ear: nyet! (Naturally, Queen Mary arguably could be called a force behind George's failure to rescue, but that the respected Race author, Helen Rappaport, the writer of many Romanov books, would stoop to insert a rumored conversation between Gore Vidal and Princess Margaret, yes, that Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, about the weaknesses of her grandmother leaves one to ask: Prithee, why denigrate your work with this trifle?)  

In her book, Ms.Rappaport quotes letters, diaries, published materials, new documents she and her researchers uncovered, and government archives where she could gain access, some archives still under wraps after all these 100 years. ("It's none of the public's business," the royal keepers sniff.)
 
The Bolsheviks shot, bayoneted, and burned the family on July 17, 1918, and announced Nicholas's death only, which the British press barely bothered to report.  The English Royal Family desired to keep all matters Romanov quiet (surprise!) to avoid stirring up their own messes, excuse, masses and besides, the rest of the family, Alexandra and the five children were sequestered somewhere else, safe and sound in Siberia.
 
Weren't they?
 
No one cared too much about the imprisoned family anyway after they and close staff members were hauled east towards Siberia from St. Petersburg the year before they were murdered (the map in the book, quite confusing).
 
Before all the family deaths were revealed (much to the consternation of the world, but let's not talk about it), the Bolsheviks used them as negotiating tools to try and gain release of prisoners, Ms. Rappaport writes.
 
Alexandra, formerly of Germany, wife, mother  and  seemingly despised by all Russians and Brits (she did favor Rasputin, lest anyone need the reminder) suggests another unpopular wife of a national leader, Mary Todd Lincoln, both women whom some blame for their husbands' demise and deaths. (To this duo, please add Queen Mary. Is anyone working on a book about the trio? I would like to read it.) 
 
Ms. Rappaport's Race has a fine glossary of characters at the front which helps keep identifications straight, but not every name is included. (If you are going to list some, then why not list them all?)
 
I am thinking about the omission of Dmitri Malinovsky (pages 222-223), Nicholay Sokolov (pages 134 and 135), not to be confused with Viktor Sokolov (on the same page as Nicholay [page 223] and more), cousins and Princes Vladimir and Alexander Trubetskoy, pages 134, 136-137, and Konstantin Nabokov (the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom whose name is found on page 248 and four other pages, whose surname is the same as Vladimir's of Lolita fame and are they related, I wondered? Yes, his uncle, I discovered in a web search). 

There were more names not identified in the glossary, but my paper ran short, and I grew weary of listing and looking them all up.
 
And then there was the tiny (in small print) Romanov family  tree and all their European royalty relations spread over two pages, necessitating a magnifying glass, and surely, there is a better way to display the lineage in larger print for all those beyond the age of 55 who might read this book and take a gander at the family tree!
 
(RE: The map of the Romanovs' prison route. Where was England? We know where England is, but its relationship to Finland and Russia would have helped here.)

Was this a race to get the book out in the centennial year of the Romanovs' murders?

Rumor of an escape route to Japan and then, the US, is mentioned (?).

patricialesli@gmail.com