Two things you should do

This post may sound like total shilling, but I want to tell you about a couple of things that I’m excited about—either of which, I’m convinced, would brighten almost anyone’s day. (Provided you’re in the Denver area. Otherwise … maybe you could travel?) Neither of them has anything whatsoever to do with me—except that I think they’re grand things to do. One of them will require some fairly prompt attention if you want to do it. The other, you can postpone for a while … but not too long.

OK, first, and most urgent, a local band that I’ve written about here before, “Somethin’ about Lulu,” will be playing at Swallow Hill in Denver in early May. This is a group of three women who met in Resonance (the chorus I volunteer with) and who have now been playing together for a few years. Their tag line is “harmony and hilarity,” and both fit. Their music is just a treat—some of it funny (“Ballad of Melba Rose and Reba Fay”), some reflective (“Crocus in the Snow”), some spicy (“Mustard”), some sensitive and moving (“May I Suggest”). Besides, these women are inspirational as performers. They are visible, outspoken reminders that women “of a certain age”—i.e., women in mid-life—can initiate a new undertaking, create a new forum for their ideas and their talents. And they can do it with music and banter that is unapologetically feminist, outright lesbian/bi, and frankly fun.  

Clearly, I love this band, and I hope you will too. To me, they’re a musical delight and also a model for any of us who thinks it’s impossible to move (literally or figuratively) from garage band to performers on the stage of Swallow Hill based on the merits of your skills and the power of your own enthusiasm. So go. See if you agree. Somethin’ About Lulu will be at Swallow Hill in Denver for one night only, Friday, May 9. 

If you can go, do. I promise it’ll be a treat—and also good for your soul.

… and, on a totally different plane …

There’s an exhibition about the Maya at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science that’s well worth a visit if you’re curious about history and culture and various visions of reality. I went last week with a friend, and I loved it. It’s a really extensive exhibit, with lots of hands-on components that are the stuff (at least for me) of a fun as well as an informative trip to the museum. Fortunately, we were able to go early on a weekday and thereby avoid huge crowds. So we actually got to fiddle with many of the gizmos. For instance, I got to create a card showing the Maya version of my birthdate, which you can see on the right.

It's so interesting to imagine this complex civilization just down the continent from us, whose science (especially astronomy) was extremely advanced, yet it was virtually invisible to us until just recently. Much of what we now know about this culture has been learned in last several years, since advanced aerial detection techniques were able to identify vast complexes of buildings and roads. It was all so deeply buried in these remote, inaccessible jungles that we had no idea much of it even existed. Once it was found, folks set about trying to decipher the complicated system of symbols or "glyphs" written on pillars and alters, like those shown here, and on bark pages that detailed three complex calendars covering several thousand years before and several thousand years after Mayan culture existed.

For instance, they figured out that the second (relatively clear) glyph in the section of column shown below represents birth. The four dots and the vertical bar together represent the number nine, and the human-like figure to their right represents a child. Nine followed by a child = birth. Amazing, huh? I can’t begin to fathom how scientists have managed to decode these messages, but I know it makes me want to come back for another lifetime, this time as an archaeologist. (I admit to similar fantasies about coming back as an astrophysicist, a geologist, and maybe a linguist).

Anyway, there was so much to see that our old and tired bodies won out over continuing curiosity, so it will require a second trip. My recommendation is that you go pretty soon so that you, too, have time to go back for part 2. It’s here until August 24, but be forewarned: in the summer, the museum is full of kids doing summer educational camps, and you may not get a turn at the birthdate machine.

Music and museums. Two ways to keep your mind engaged without resorting to Luminosity. Nothing against Luminosity, but how can a computer program compete with harmony, hilarity, and the Maya long-count calendar?

© Janis Bohan, 2010-2014. Use of this content is welcome with attribution and a link to the post. 

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