Written on Friday, but due to posting mishap, not put up until Sat. Sorry!
We were less than pleased to look out the window this morning and see snow coming down, but it had stopped by about 9:30 and warmed up to mid 30's.
Del started the day by giving 2 lectures to Public librarians. They asked me to come in at the end to introduce my "baby" EHJ. They had not had a chance to see a Kindle, or any other ebook, so I explained a little and passed it around the audience of 47. I was careful to say that while I like the way books look, smell and feel, I would not have liked paying for or carrying the poundage 5 months worth of mysteries would have amounted to. You have to be careful when dealing with librarians, you know. they can be sensitive if books appear threatened..
It's not quite a mile from our flat to the library, so I walked over and stopped at a small book store to look at the children's books. We had discovered, I think I already told you, that none of the libraries in Klaipeda own THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR, in English or Lithuanian, so I bought the three copies they had, in Lithuanian, to give to the branches.
I found out this afternoon that the custom here is for children to start going to the library only after they learn to read. I wish we had known that before Del's lectures. He could have mentioned the emphasis on getting the kids early in the US.
We walked home about 3, and I went to the little Iki while Del walked on home to get out of his big boy clothes. Our upstairs neighbor mentioned that she had made tacos last night, and I developed a craving, so I picked up the makings. Lithuanian salsa is too sweet for our taste, so I tried making my own with a can of diced tomatoes. I was able to get a jar of Jalapenos and some cilantro, so the salsa turned out great. I was able to get only flour tortillas, but the taco with the salsa really hit the spot. I may eat the rest with a spoon like soup, perhaps for breakfast.
After dinner we walked down to the puppet theater to attend a puppet show based on Alfred Jarry's UBO ROI. Everybody who has heard of him or his play, raise his/her hand. My hand is definitely down. He was one of the precursors of the Theater of the Absurd. It was apparently quite shocking in its day because of the scatalogical humor. After we got home and I Googled it, I think I understand why our young friend Audrone kept asking if I had read about the play. She probably knew it was supposed to be provocative. I'm figuring early SOUTH PARK with a political message, but then I'm not very deep. There were 5 scenes, each introduced by the announcer, but those were the only words, and we didn't understand them. The music was by Shostakovich, and the action was perfectly coordinated with it. The objects used as puppets were so inventive - knives, apples, huge curly wigs, candles, papers, silky cloths, a furry fabric rectangle, feather things, etc. The fire codes must be rather lax here, because they doused a paper with oil and lit it and had lit candles stuck to 2 boards that moved up, down and around. There was also a stuffed tube that might have been a brown snake, but wasn't. Enough said about that.
We didn't consider it shocking, because we didn't have a clue, except for suspicions about the brown tube. We just loved it. Perhaps the fact that we saw AVENUE Q in Atlanta this fall, may have made us puppet shock proof. Those little puppets were nasty.
I forgot that between the scenes, a very tall man came in and served certain women in the audience champagne. He started with a pretty young woman, of course, but later served me one as well. It was rather sweet, but tasty. Before the last scene, he came in dressed in a slinky strapless gown and bowtie and offered champagne to several men before dramatically drinking the last glass himself.
My description does not do the performance justice, but what it lacks in quality, it certainly makes up for in length. Sorry about that, but at least I left out a lot. Strange as it may seem, the manager remembered us from last week and said our coming back must mean we like their theater. Perhaps it was my hat.
https://picasaweb.google.com/118279613107347865536/LibrarybombShelter?authkey=Gv1sRgCImr1aHQiIHQzwE
Only a couple of pictures today. A Soviet era bomb shelter right outside the library with Audrone, Daiva and me, and our after lecture coffee stop. Southern women have nothing on Lithuanian women when it comes to feeding people. I did manage to excape with ordering only a fork instead of a whole dessert. It's not like we were talking a candy bar or a potato chip, after all.
Happy week end, all!
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