i started working at the national endowment for the arts a couple of weeks ago, and so far i've learned a ton and am really enjoying my work.  aside from the job itself, it's been very novel to be working downtown.  during lunch one day of my first week, i walked to the natural history museum to check out a photography exhibit, oh you know, natural history museum, just during my lunch break :)  i can see the capitol from my building and everyhing is literally a 5 minute walk away.  if you're going to move to dc, you may as well work for the government right in the middle of everything, right?!

this past week we had a very cool field trip to the national gallery of art's east building (modern art).  they have an exhibit going on until october 6th called Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music.  the show tells the story of the original russian ballet under the leadership of Serge Diaghilev.  i knew of the russian ballet and their performance of stravinsky's rite of spring, and i knew they were known for using contemporary music in their shows.  i had absolutely no idea how inclusive they were of music and art contemporaries in their performances, and that they were so forward thinking in all of thier costuming and dance techniques.

just look at the artists that collaborated with diaghilev and the ballet over only ten years: stravinsky, prokofiev, erik satie, debussy, rimsky-korsakov, picasso, matisse, coco chanel (ha!)

^^original rite of spring costumes!^^ (via)

 ^^costumes for the blue train by chanel^^ (via)

^^costume for the song of the nightingale by matisse^^ (via)

a co-worker in my division is friends with one of the curators of this exibit and she met up with us to give us a behind the scenes guided tour.  i loved hearing about everything from the preservation of the original costumes to who decided to paint a big blue wave on the wall of the space.  overall, i have to say they did a beautiful job with the presentation.  if you have any interest at all in the history of dance, ballet, music, theatre, or visual arts (or history in general), i would make sure to check out this exhibit. it's so well done and so entertaining that you don't even realize how much you've learned until you leave.

my favorite video installations were of baryshnikov dancing (i could watch him dance all day long) and rudolph nureyev playing the faun in the afternoon of a faun. (video here)

^^original costume design for the faun by bakst^^ (via)

^^because yes^^

the museum has set up a small, temporary shop right as you exit the exhibit.  i die for museum shops and couldn't resist this little hand-painted turkish bowl. 

loved this exhibit and highly recommend it!

note: any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity.

amarillo was on our route from texas to colorado which meant that i got to check something off of my list that's been on it for quite some time: cadillac ranch! oh boy this was exciting. 

cadillac ranch is an art installation in a huge cow pasture right on i-40.  it's made up of a bunch of half-buried cadillacs that are spray-painted in wild colors by visitors.  it's fun and easy to visit and it's just one more thing to love about texas.

does planning a trip just make you want to plan a hundred trips?  does it make you over zealous and think that you can pack way more in than is humanly possible?  me too.   while planning our honeymoon and australia, i've been reminded of all the other places still on the list.  it's like no matter how many you cross off you can never make a dent in the list of all the places to see.  

my top 6 list is below.  what's on yours? and what are you waiting for?!

1. Antarctica - the 7th continent.  between the long boat ride, freezing conditions, and not a great chance you'll actually get to set foot on land, this is at the top of the list just so it can get crossed off and finally say all seven have been done.  although, the thought of seeing some sweet penguins and pretending i'm shackleton does make it much more appealing.  plus you could check out patagonia on the way!

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2. South Africa - let's pretend for a minute that i'm ballsy enough for this ridiculous dive destination.  not only do you have the sardine run, which appears to me to be one of the most incredible things you can witness, they also have tons of sharks and other megafauna.  can you say cage diving with great whites?  i can already tell this trip would cost an absolute fortune.  and there's no way i'm going all the way to SA and not also checking out the big 5 (elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard, rhino) at kruger national park.  maybe we'll win the lottery?

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3. Equador/Galapagos - so many reasons... blue footed boobies, giant tortoises, great snorkeling, quito, otavalo highlands, darwin, i could go on and on, we would need months here.

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4. Cocos Island - aka the uninhabited island from jurassic park flyover scenes.  it's a costa rican national park and though i would love to spend lots of time on this island that Jacques Cousteau called the "most beautiful island in the world", the waters have an extra special offering.  the unusual counter-currents and steep drop offs around the island give you pretty much the best exhibition of megafauna known on earth.  having to do your trip on a live-aboard seems worth it as you can see tuna, mantas, sharks, whales, dolphins, turtles, sea lions, and whale sharks all on one trip.  that's what they say anyway, so put it on the list!

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5. The Silk Road - i've been wanting to do a silk road trip since the tuvan throat singers came to A&M and we got to spend the week with them.  the history of these trade routes where people began some of the first major globalization and cultural exchange makes this trip seem rewarding in such a unique way.  not to mention the scenery looks incredible.  plus you can sleep in a real yurt.

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6. Iceland - because who doesn't want to land in crazy cross winds, see auroras, and experience one of the most extremely natural beautiful places in existence?  can't afford a trip to another planet? go to iceland!

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p.s. can you tell from these pics that my favorite color is blue? :)

just when i think i'm so ready to be done with my job and move on to the next thing in life, i get to do some cool stuff at work.  working for music organizations is pretty cool in general, what other job are you required to be a part of beautiful concerts in beautiful settings involving some of the most talented musicians in the country?

but there are lots of other random unexpected things you get to do.  like last week reilly tells me he needs me to turn pages at his organ concert at the kennedy center.  i'm like, man i don't want to spend my thursday night doing this! then when i get there he says, oh by the way i also need to you to play the zimbelstern at the marked places (this is just a button on the organ that you push on and off and it makes little twinkling bells sounds).  no prob i can do that!  so while i'm bored by this whole thing, at some point i realize, wait: you live in our nation's capital, you're on the stage of the kennedy center with a full audience, you were just hanging with eschenbach backstage, and now you're technically playing the organ.  probably not going to happen again... this is actually pretty cool!

i've also gotten to check out lots of embassies and ambassadors' residences over the last few years.  being inside the buildings can really make you feel like you have traveled to the country.  everyone is speaking the language, the furnishings and other decor have been shipped over, and they give you customary food and drink for meetings.  some are nicer than others, like the 4 course french embassy meal that lasted for hours and was only supposed to be a short lunch meeting.  i have no idea what i ate, and left completely drunk.  it was wonderful.  the belgians also really know how to get it done, and lucky for us the current ambassador loves bach and our organization, so we get to spend lots of time there :)

today we met with the russians to promote our upcoming rachmaninoff vespers concert.  it was just a short meeting, but we were treated with coffee, tea, and russian chocolates.  since most of the meeting was in russian, which is so beautiful and rhythmic that it makes me sleepy, my mind wandered from the cups and saucers to the artwork to the chandeliers and back.

i guess the point is, i've been so ready to get out of here, but when it comes down to it maybe i'll miss this place just a little.

^^from the space room.  obviously.^^

Happy Belgian National Day!

We celebrated at the ambassador's residence last night.  It is, by far, the most beautiful embassy residence in town.

Here are a few pictures.  You can't beat free beer and delicious Belgian food!  Local restaurants that catered included 42 Degrees, Le Pain Quotidien, and of course Neuhaus chocolates.