Right now I'm hearing a bunch of people doing politics. I'm laughing over Donald Trump chickening out on the last debate, with Megan Kelly. I'm a HUGE fan of Kelly's, watched her for years, she is one of the smartest, most fair, female newspeople on the air right now.... and gorgeous on top of that. Yet still a lady. She nailed a loud mouth IMHO.

Talk about not being worthy!!!!

On the way to work this morning, I got lost.... listening to the classical station, I started going to the wrong district, turned around then found a road block, turned out some poor guy my age, possibly a homeless dude out walking around before dawn... was crossing the street at McDonald's and got nailed by a commuter in about the same shape I was, semi still asleep on the way to work, cuppa in hand. Detour (thankfully I knew the roads) and woke up enough to get to work on time just barely.

Anyway before this, I had the most delightful giggle.... turned on the station and "gee that sounds like familiar classical music, like ballet" a glance at my magic dashboard, and indeed it was Orpheus, which is a ballet by Offenbach, about 100 years ago, possibly part of the Bauhaus movement, certainly part of the Bohemian art revolution. We have the original vinyl release of it around here somewhere, my dad's collection. Anyway I was humming along and enjoying myself, when suddenly the Can Can broke out. Yes. .......... whaaattt???? Looking down, it still says "Orpheus in the Underworld"..................

I had NO idea.......... our classical Can Can music, made famous in movies like the Moulin Rouge, is also known as "the Infernal Gallop"......... I laughed so hard!!!!!!!!!!! Le Moulin Rouge an extension of Hades. Indeed..............

Without further adieu, here it is. You are welcome to imagine your own wicked flashing skirts and pantaloons...........

Later edit:: After posting that, I took an old vinyl to bed and read it............... Orpheus has TWO classical versions out there, one composed by Offenbach, the other composed by Stravinsky (who also did the Firebird and Rites of Spring, both of which were presented by the Ballet Russe in Europe (France) not long after the Russian Revolution) *I* have the Stravinsky version and must get my turntable up and listen to this.

Offenbach did the Can Can music in his Orpheus set. For those who don't know the story, Orpheus was the ancient Greek version of a rock star, a very recognizable metaphor. Orpheus was known far and wide throughout the land, but tragedy struck when his wife, the love of his life, was bitten by a snake and died. Orpheus moped about playing his lyre, until Thanatos (?) who was a fan, helped him out and told him a secret passage to the Underworld (Hades) so he could be reunited with his lost love. He had many adventures, and generally gets out of it all by playing his wonderful music.... the dead spirits cried out for more and more music until Hades himself (god of the Underworld) decided to let Orpheus have his wife back.... but he couldn't look at her until they were back in the real world.

You can guess the results. For some reason (the story sometimes blames the woman by making her a whiner who begs her husband to look at her) he looks back too soon, and she is lost to him forever. He wanders the world forever after, sad and distraught. Finally the Maenads (followers of Dionysus, and yes classical groupies) catch up with him, and in a drunken frenzy tear him to pieces .... and eat him. Let that be a warning to all rock stars who would be glittering and gold.

Offenbach's version of the story sounds a lot more fun than Stravinsky's so I must look it up! Offenbach is probably an opera, while Stravinsky is a ballet (a bit different!)

I love just about all "romantic era" classical music, it tells a story. Ballet roots here. But Offenbach more and more sounds like he was a real party hound and composed the loveliest, most jolly sorts of things. He really dives into the question of good and evil.... an eternal central theme to the stories of the period.

I had a lovely day today, nice class, good kids. We were doing a writing project on "my hero" (2nd grade) and I had them doing portraits, figures of their hero. Young lady at the "Group W" bench (nice kids but you had to stay on them to get their work done) took to this project, and a lovely little gal in dreadlocks did an excellent cartoon of Bruno Mars. I first saw this artist some years ago at a Grammy award show, thought his performance and production was top notch and enjoyable, a very talented man. Anyway a little keyboard action for leslee

Then on the way home, I finally got out of the Mozart pocket, heard this. Long ago I was involved with a stage production of Our Town, which (looking back on it) was pretty mediocre for a college production. A lot could be done with the play. Our Town is often done at the High School level because it's appropriate and most people can relate to it. The last act is sad, someone dies young and the ghosts are part of the dialog, it takes place in a graveyard. My point being, I didn't know there was music written for it. Copland wrote a lot of 20th century ballet pieces, which I'd have to look up to talk about.... here you go. It's really quite lovely, not heard a lot anymore. I'm sorry to say this version of it isn't as nice and professional as the recording I heard today on the radio, but you take what you can get for free on youtube.

Finally one of our Moody friends posted this on my feed, and I REALLY enjoyed it. You'll have to click to get the link. I knew guitars had been around for a few centuries, wasn't too sure how long. Interesting history notes.

http://forgottenguitar.com/201.....679-video/

PS I'm carefully avoiding political debate, because I like you and want to always stay friends..... I'm personally very fond of Rubio and Carson, and yes Fiorina.... but I think several of the candidates would make good Presidents. Might want to shake one of them down for silverware however, when they leave the White House at the end of their term.

Seriously, the pace was really slow last night..... Trump and Carson looked a bit befuddled, Cruz looked even more haggard than normal .... and may have led to Rubio and his alleged "canned speech"......... when you're stoned on cold tablets, it gets a little weird. Cruz and Rubio both have little kids breathing on them at home.... walking germ factories, kids are.

Avast, ye white whale............. Ahab

http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2.....-only.html

WOW. I'm blown away..... what am I hearing right now? Whale song..... there really IS a white whale out there.