I AM THE 2%

NW Dance Project's NEW NOW WOW! Performance, October 15, 2011

Last night my son, Christopher, and I attended the All-World-Premiere program NEW NOW WOW! at the Lincoln Performance Hall in Portland. Christopher is a piano accompanist for NW Dance Project. The program featured three talented international choreographers creating for NW Dance Project for the first time: Didy Veldman (Netherlands) - one of the hottest names in European dance; Noam Gagnon (Canada) - co-founder of the world-renowned The Holy Body Tattoo; and Pedro Dias (Portugal) - 2011 Pretty Creatives choreographic residency winner. While many local and national companies have reduced or even eliminated new creations for their upcoming seasons, NW Dance Project remains dedicated to fostering and maintaining an environment where visionary dance makers can work with complete artistic freedom and with exceptionally talented dancers to bring their ideas to fruition to the stage. A WOW! beginning for NW Dance Project's eight season!

Regal Cinema and Late Lunch at Nordstrom Cafe

I attended the 12:25pm showing of "The Hedgehog" at the movie theater in downtown Portland. Cast: Josiane Balasko, Garance Le Guillermic, Togo Igawa, Anne Brochet, Ariane Ascaride. The movie was even better than the novel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery. Usually a novel is so much better.

Afterwards I went to Nordstom Cafe to have a late lunch. I like sitting at a table along the large window with a view of Pioneer Courthouse Square - Portland's living room. I have seen the view dozens of times. I thought that I would search for three things that I had not noticed before. I saw water flowing in the trough on top of a brick wall, two enormous umbrellas and a brass directional marker.

I purchased a small package of shortbread cookies at Starbucks for dessert. I took a couple photos of the Nordstom cafe window - a closeup and a far shot - before boarding the MAX train north.

Fox News does make stuff up!

I attended a book reading by Jenna Bush, the daughter of President George W. Bush, a few years ago at Chapman Hall during the Miami International Book Fair. When I returned to my South Beach hotel room, I turned on the television to hear the news. The newscaster said Jenna Bush had standing room only. Wow, what news station was that? I checked the televion station. Fox news. Why were they reporting there was standing room only for Jenna Bush? I was there. The huge auditorium was only half full if that. The next night there was standing room only - for Caroline Kennedy.