Balance and the Snowy Surprise

We weren't supposed to get snow today. Every weather forecast had said flurries overnight, then warmer and partly cloudy the next day. Well, they got the "warmer and partly cloudy" right. It was warmer when I got up, probably into the lower 40s. There was also a thin layer of white frosting on the porch. Those "flurries" turned out to be a dusting of snow.

The snow was still on the ground when I rode my bike over to Yogawood for yoga. Another very full class concentrated on standing poses to keep us grounded. I wish I could focus better. I can pretty much do standing poses by now, but I have a hard time balancing and staying on my feet.

Went right to the Collingswood Library after class. The snow was starting to melt by this point, and it was becoming warmer. Nevertheless, with people back in school and at work, the library wasn't very busy today. I filed and organized a few DVDs and shelved some non-fiction upstairs, then took a look at some books at musicals. I was out by noon.

The snow was almost completely gone by the time I headed home. There were only a few lacy bits remaining in shady spots. Some puddles were still icy, but that was probably leftover from the last few days. Even the clouds were starting to lessen. Despite the improving weather, I had things to do at my apartment. I went straight back there.

I wanted to at least start the cleaning today. I ran records while I scrubbed the bathroom and the kitchen. The bathroom in particular was grungy. I haven't done any kind of major household cleaning since late November! I also made banana muffins. Didn't get to vacuuming or dusting; I'll do them over the weekend.

Went for a short walk after I finished the kitchen. It was nightfall by then, just after 5:30, and the clouds had totally vanished. It was a really lovely night. I strolled down to Goff Avenue (shooing a huge, fluffy gold-and-white dog back to her owners on my way), then around the neighborhood behind Kendall Boulevard. The stars and a glowing almost-full moon were out in force, nearly outshining the remaining light displays. I'm going to miss the Christmas lights when most people put them away by mid-month. They're a real help in December when I have to ride the bike home in the dark!

When I got in, I made Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry for dinner and watched most of Flower Drum Song. This charming musical is the tale of a young Chinese woman (Miyako Umeki) and her father who arrive illegally in San Francisco's Chinatown to honor an arranged marriage. Trouble is, the son who is supposed to be her groom (James Shigetta) is an older Frank Sinatra-Rat Pack-type who owns a nightclub and is more interested in his lead dancer (Nancy Kwan). He tries to turn her over to a younger Chinese-American boy just out of college (Jack Soo) and his parents, but Kwan, tired of waiting for her boyfriend to pop the question, chases the college kid. It'll take a lot of inter-generational wrangling to get the romances of the "younger generation" sorted out to everyone's satisfaction!

This Rogers and Hammerstein show was a minor hit in 1958, and it translates surprisingly well to film. I have the Original Cast Album, but I think like this even more. (A short-lived Broadway revival in 2002 completely revamped the book and rearranged the score; it has its admirers and detractors, though I haven't heard it myself.) Kwan gets my favorite number, and probably the most famous song from this score, "I Enjoy Being a Girl." Umeki's "Hundred Million Miracles" and the gorgeous ballad "Love, Look Away" are other standouts. Other than, like most musicals of the 60s and 70s, it's overlong (a ballet directly after "Love, Look Away" is pretty to look at but adds nothing to the film), this is recommended for Rogers and Hammerstein fans, fans of the big 60s-70s shows, or for people looking for something slightly different in their musicals.