halfshellvenus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
halfshellvenus) wrote2026-02-12 05:27 pm
halfshellvenus) wrote2026-02-12 05:27 pm
That's more like it!
Apparently, I caught a bad night of Olympic Ice Dancing earlier this week. Someone explained that there is a Rhythm Dance segment, which was 90's themed and drove most of the frenetic gesticulating that was jarring to watch. The final program was more like what I was expecting— more couples-style dancing than parallel dancing, and a bigger romantic element. I loved the music Zingas and Kolesnik skated to, as well as their choreography. The Canadian team did a wonderful job, though, and beat them out for the bronze medal. As for Chock and Bates vs. the French team, I preferred the French performance. It combined grace, power, and skill really well. Also, Chock kind of rubs me the wrong way (she comes off as brittle, somehow, making her performance less appealing).
And now there's controversy about the French winning gold, and none of it seems to have anything to do with the actual performances. \o? Both routines seemed flawless, and the artistry is always subjective, so who knows? I would think the lifts and balanced poses (which were very creative in all the routines) would be the hardest to judge, in terms of technical difficulty. Maybe they're just new to me, and there are some established criteria for them? At least we're not in the days of throwing out the Russian judge's scores...
Speaking of dance, we are going to the ballet this weekend! There is a performance of Sleeping Beauty, and the music is too good to pass up. I would have liked to have seen whatever the Dracula ballet was over Halloween weekend in the Fall, but we had to go out of town. I'm hoping this will be good. About 10-12 years ago, we went to an all-Stravinsky program for my birthday, which had the Firebird Suite and The Rite Of Spring. We really enjoyed it! Normally, there is The Nutcracker at Christmas, and then a couple of gala events that are more pop culture, and the galas have never appealed to us. This should be more our style.
On the subject of dreams again, I dreamed last night that we were in a wreck and the insurance company totaled our 4Runner. Boy, would that ever be depressing! I mourned the loss of my first car (an '85 Toyota Tercel), but that was mainly for sentimental reasons. Our 4Runner is 30 years old now, and we still love it. Plus, I really prefer having levers and buttons on the dashboard, and that's almost gone in newer cars. The Prius we lost to the garage fire had its touchscreen die about 7 or 8 years in, and that really reduced the A/C and music functionality. I don't want to go through that again.
Here's hoping the 4Runner will still be with us for a long time to come...
And now there's controversy about the French winning gold, and none of it seems to have anything to do with the actual performances. \o? Both routines seemed flawless, and the artistry is always subjective, so who knows? I would think the lifts and balanced poses (which were very creative in all the routines) would be the hardest to judge, in terms of technical difficulty. Maybe they're just new to me, and there are some established criteria for them? At least we're not in the days of throwing out the Russian judge's scores...
Speaking of dance, we are going to the ballet this weekend! There is a performance of Sleeping Beauty, and the music is too good to pass up. I would have liked to have seen whatever the Dracula ballet was over Halloween weekend in the Fall, but we had to go out of town. I'm hoping this will be good. About 10-12 years ago, we went to an all-Stravinsky program for my birthday, which had the Firebird Suite and The Rite Of Spring. We really enjoyed it! Normally, there is The Nutcracker at Christmas, and then a couple of gala events that are more pop culture, and the galas have never appealed to us. This should be more our style.
On the subject of dreams again, I dreamed last night that we were in a wreck and the insurance company totaled our 4Runner. Boy, would that ever be depressing! I mourned the loss of my first car (an '85 Toyota Tercel), but that was mainly for sentimental reasons. Our 4Runner is 30 years old now, and we still love it. Plus, I really prefer having levers and buttons on the dashboard, and that's almost gone in newer cars. The Prius we lost to the garage fire had its touchscreen die about 7 or 8 years in, and that really reduced the A/C and music functionality. I don't want to go through that again.
Here's hoping the 4Runner will still be with us for a long time to come...
no subject
no subject
no subject
Volkswagen got a lot of blowback for capacitance sensors in the steering wheel and largely went back to physical controls. I'm glad Toyota did too. I have no problem with touchscreens for the stereo/smart phone interface, but beyond that, I think it's too much.
no subject
In replacing our stereo equipment, my B-I-L recommended a streaming receiver that could also do Spotify or iTunes as well as connecting to physical media. I possibly regret that now. Its interface turned out to be a phone app, even just to play CDs, which... ugh. Give me the freakin' buttons!
no subject
I have a 2015 Subaru Crosstrek. I replaced the stereo a few years ago with a Kenwood to get a newer version of Apple's CarPlay as the '15 version of Subaru's radio was really outdated. Cost a lot of money but it's been worth it. One thing has been driving me nuts ever since and I finally figured it out. I'd plug in my iPhone before I started my car or immediately after I started it, and the stereo wouldn't recognize it! I'd have to unplug it and plug it back in, sometimes a couple of times. It finally occurred to me that these stereos aren't radios anymore: they're computers, and the thing hadn't finished booting and loading everything up before I plugged in my phone! I started waiting for the Android Auto icon to light up, then plugged my phone in, and since then it's been 100% success. I've probably spent over $50 for new cables thinking that was the problem.