Category: New York

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Entertainment Museum New York

THE MURDER OF CROWS at the Park Avenue Armory

 I went to see Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller: THE MURDER OF CROWS 
(http://www.armoryonpark.org/programs_events/detail/janet_cardiff_george_miller_murder_of_crows)
at the Park Avenue Armory and it was fabulously dark and eerie.   The Murder of Crows is a sound installation/sound play.  There are ninety-eight speakers surrounding the audience who are sitting on chairs in a pool of light in the middle of the darkened and cavernous Drill Hall.  There’s a great description and review in the New York Times.

The Park Avenue Armory building itself is gorgeous.  I joined as a member after taking a tour of the building.  It’s under renovation and deserves to be restored.  The Park Avenue Armory was designed by architect Charles Clinton in the Gothic Revival style and dedicated in 1880. It is the only armory in the United States to be built and furnished with private funds.

Park Avenue Armory, New York
Park Avenue Armory, New York – photograph by Elliott Kaufman Photography

It originally served as the headquarters and administrative building for the 7th New York Militia Regiment, known as the Silk Stocking Regiment due to the disproportionate number of its members who were part of the city’s social elite, including the Vanderbilts, Van Rensselaers, Roosevelts, Stewarts, Livingstons and Harrimans. Built as both a military facility and a social club, the reception rooms on the first floor and the Company Rooms on the second floor were designed by the most prominent designers and artists of the day including Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Herter Brothers and Pottier & Stymus.

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Entertainment Museum New York

Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Miuccia Prada, autumn/winter 2004–5, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Miuccia Prada, autumn/winter 2004–5
Photograph © Toby McFarlan Pond
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Chester Higgins Jr./ The New York Times
An ensemble with a coat of duck featherspainted gold and a skirt of silk tulle embroidered with gold threads.

I went to see the Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.  While the clothes were lovely and the exhibit did a good job of explaining the designer’s focus and interests, it was not as good as the Museum’s Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” last year.  There is a great review available from The New York Times

 

 

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Calories Diet Exercise Fitness Injuries Kickboxing New York Reference Links sports

Walk Around the Park and Torn Pinky Tendon

My knee is still cranky so I took a walk around the park instead of doing kickboxing.  With the added errands after the loop, I clocked approximately 4 miles.  Woo hoo!!!  That’s about 443 calories burned according to the on-line calories calculator I found at: http://www.healthstatus.com/cgi-bin/calc/calculator.cgi.  Despite wearing a knee brace, it was still uncomfortable walking.  I think I may pick up a new pair of sneakers. 🙂

I had the pinky looked at by a Dr. Andrew J. Weiland, MD, a hand specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery.  The consultation didn’t take very long but they took x-rays and everyone there was especially nice and professional.  I did, indeed, tear a tendon but there is nothing that can be done at this point.  It will always be a little sore and sensitive when I do kickboxing.  The X-ray showed  a small mallet fracture as well.  It’s probably a good thing that I tried to address the very crooked pinky finger with duct tape and paper clips a la McGiver. 🙂  Otherwise, the pinky would have been really askew!

Next, I will visit my regular doctor and see how my cholesterol level is doing.

 

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Entertainment New York

The Common Pursuit at the Laura Pels

I blew off the gym today and instead went to see a play with my hubby (OK, so he went to the gym but I didn’t). We saw the Roundabout Theater production of The Common Pursuit by Simon Gray.  It was not as good as it could have been.

Unfortunately, the cast was uneven– the main two characters didn’t carry off their respective roles while the supporting characters did pretty well.  It may not have been their fault however, it was still a pretty talky play.

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Calories Diet Exercise Fitness Kickboxing New York sports

Trying Tabura

So after a few days of visiting family and throwing toys for the dog to fetch, I’m ready to start exercising again. I tried the Tabura class at Crunch gym yesterday morning and found it fairly good.  The official description off the Crunch gym site is:

  • Tabura is a Swahili name for training used in improving military endurance and strength in Africa. This intensely fun class uses kickboxing combinations and basic West African dance moves set to hot Tribal House music and a live drummer. Get ready to burn massive calories and become a true powerhouse warrior.

I had to stop a number of times because my knees were unhappy [they’d been unhappy all week so I wasn’t surprised] but overall, the class went well and I didn’t give up.  After admitting that I hadn’t eaten breakfast, the instructor made me do an additional 10 push ups…. something to remember in the future.

 I should begin kickboxing training again on Monday in Manhattan.

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Fitness Injuries New York sports

Torn tendon!

It appears that I may have torn a tendon in my pinkie.  I may have to postpone any kickboxing training for a bit…..  Wish me luck!