Life

[Ucantalas]

I went to the Ottawa ComicCon on Sunday. By myself.

 

I had a great time, but it made me feel really lonely afterwards.

[Codicier]

  On 5/13/2013 at 9:58 AM, Rodi said:

Yesterday I fulfilled a dream that I had for a long time: I went to see (part of) Der Ring des Nibelungen. The performance of Die Walküre was in the Amsterdam Music Theatre and it was indescribable. I went with my dad; the two of us are the only lovers of opera in the family.

 

It's funny, even after being quite intimately familiar with Wagner, I didn't expect this to be fun. I expected it to be impressive, memorable, affecting my appreciation, etc, but also somewhat of an ordeal to sit through. Imagine my surprise as the hours (5 including breaks) swished away, transported on the sights and sounds of pure spectacle. It's a done deal at this point: I HAVE to see the full cycle one day. Sign me up for Bayreuth, I'll gladly wait six years for it.

 

 

The Valkyries wore silver wings and their choreography made them look machinelike and exalted, just like they should be. Their helmets were shaped as skulls.

 

 

Wotan is the center of the piece. I never realised until now what a complex character he is; torn between his meaner side, a profound sense of responsibility, the love for his family and the frustration of being chained by the treaties that are the base of his power: "Der durch Verträge ich Herr, den Verträgen bin ich nun Knecht." To see him constantly battling his true desires, making enemies out of every last friend and ally, is devastating.

 

God that looks awesome (in particular the Yggdrasil design on Odins/Wotans coat), I remember watching a production of Faust on the BBC last year and really enjoying it so id love to give opera a proper try but I wouldn't know where to start and probably couldn't afford to go any see it anyway

 

  On 5/14/2013 at 5:34 AM, Ucantalas said:

I went to the Ottawa ComicCon on Sunday. By myself.

 

I had a great time, but it made me feel really lonely afterwards.

 

I'm in a similar position I'm planning on going to the UK Board Gaming expo in Birmingham later this month for the first time, but none of my regular gaming group can come, and the thought of sitting in a hotel alone at the end of the day in a city I don't know and feel to hesitant to explore on my own is a profoundly lonely one. So much so I'm thinking of giving up the idea of attending for 2 days and just heading down one day and getting a train home in the evening.

[Roderick]

Yes, Wotan's coat is supreme. I'd like to recreate it and wear it at conventions.

If you'd like to try opera, there's a host of options. One thing I discovered is that if you get a proper introduction (in the lobby beforehand there was a short briefing on what to expect), Der Ring des Nibelungen is actually really accessible. I had this idea that it would be very hard to get into, but the opposite is true. Yes, the story is complex and the characters deep, but it's also incredibly human. Coupled with the music, nothing could be easier than to be transported and forget yourself while watching this. If money allows, just try at some point.

Nowadays, most opera's offer live subtitles. This is amazing, as you can just follow accurately what's happening. At this point, it goes from indecipherable theatrics to a totally accessible story. Any classic opera will do just fine, whether it's Don Carlo or The Barber of Seville.

Here's a snippet of the production I saw:
 

[dibs]

That looks amazing rodi. Nobody wil ever come to see the live streamed Met operas with me:/ (closest I can get to the real thing at the moment!)

[mikemariano]

I am going to Portland next weekend for the first time!  I only know two things about the city:

 

- My friend lives there.

- Steve Gaynor lives there.

 

Does anybody know if there are any cool things to see, do, or eat in Portland?

[dibs]

There is this one house where during the 90s the family disappeared. Now tourists are invited to come into the house and pick up objects and open drawers in an effort to solve the mystery. No running.

[Frenetic Pony]

  On 5/16/2013 at 9:40 PM, mikemariano said:

I am going to Portland next weekend for the first time!  I only know two things about the city:

 

- My friend lives there.

- Steve Gaynor lives there.

 

Does anybody know if there are any cool things to see, do, or eat in Portland?

 

Hipsters, vegans, and rain.

[Sententia]

I read that as see hipsters, do vegans, eat rain.  Sounds like a trip to me!

[mikemariano]

Grain alcohol and rainwater, Mandrake.

[syntheticgerbil]

Having sex with a vegan is one of the grossest things you could do in life.

[osmosisch]

  On 5/17/2013 at 7:15 PM, syntheticgerbil said:

Having sex with a vegan is one of the grossest things you could do in life.

http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/05/15

[miffy495]

I don't know how to say this without too much detail, but that is a horribly misinformed statement. If you had bad sex with a vegan, I'm sorry for you, but that does not generalize.

[Ucantalas]

Yeah, everyone who generalizes is an ass!

[melmer]

We need details!

Was honey involved? Wait, vegans don't eat honey do they. Is that vegans or is that something else. Who are those guys who only eat fruit after its naturally fell from a tree?

[Roderick]

Fruitists. They are not well.

[syntheticgerbil]

I don't know I actually just made all of that up. I don't know what it's like to have sex with a vegan or whether it is a good idea or not.

 

But posting in threads, eh?

[Ucantalas]

I would imagine having sex with a vegan is like having sex with anyone else: Something I will never experience.

[Zeusthecat]

Syntheticgerbil, do you realize what you've done? I'm actually vegan and you made a joke about having sex with vegans. So nice job giving me the perfect opening to talk about my junk some more. I'm not even putting this one between spoiler tags. You only have yourself to blame.

My vegan penis would beat any non-vegan penis in an arm wrestling/pissing match any day. Because it has vegan powers.

Also, I do eat honey and still call myself vegan. My reasoning is that bees are insects, not animals, and a line has to be drawn somewhere. I mean, vegans eat nutritional yeast and that is produced by a small organism, why would honey bee (get it?) any different. Cause they're bigger organisms? Plus, honey is fucking good for you.

[dibs]

Technically yeast IS a small organism. You monster.

[tegan]

squids bees are technically not animals

[dibs]

I thought insects fall under the animal umbrella. Bees aren't people though.

[Twig]

Bees are animals. Insects are animals!

[Patrick R]

Are germs animals?

[brkl]

Reindeer are not animals, but they taste gorram great. Yeast, on the other hand, is completely made up of animals, tastes weird and is only eaten by monsters.

[Twig]

Germs are not animals. Yeasts are not animals!