The Hills of San Diego
Pictured: PLNU's Greek Theater Time to visit another of San Diego’s hills. Hill Street in Point Loma has an appropriate name. The street goes straight up a two tier hill from Sunset Cliffs. It’s not a particularly long hill but …
Tour de "What the Hell is Going On?"
I’ve decided to take on one of the ultimate challenges in all sports—follow and understand the Tour de France. The tour covers 2,173 miles over the course of 23 days with rest days on the 10th and 16th days. For …
Runner's Paradise
Blue Sky Reserve is a 700 acre runner’s paradise just off Espola Road in Poway. There are no motorized vehicles and no bicycles either. It's all foot traffic. I did the short run from the trail-head to Lake Poway and …
You Can't Sneak On
All Julia Lucas had to do in the women’s 5,000 meters was take it easy, stay with the pack and make sure she came in third or even fourth. Heck, fifth might have been good enough. Going into the race …
Tenors into Stool
Number five: Ghena “I eat tenors for breakfast” Dimitrova. Dimitrova was a ferocious singer. She was born in Bulgaria and started singing in choir as a youngster but her voice smashed its way to the attention of those at the …
Rent Boheme
I caught a performance of Rent at the Birch North Park Theater. The production was put up by San Diego Musical Theater. The show had good energy, some good singing, and some great singing. Rent is based on Puccini’s La …
Female Baritone
Elena Obraztsova survived the siege of Leningrad as a young girl and managed to become number four of five on this impromptu list of unique and beautiful singers. She also became one the first Russian singers to emerge from behind …
Historic Night?
“Guess what he just did? He broke the Olympic Trials Record of Steve Prefontaine. Is that destiny? [He] did it at Hayward field. He’s also an Oregon Duck. He also trains in Oregon and he beat Bernard Lagat for the …
How Fast is Your 5K?
The 5,000 meters Olympic Trial final is Thursday night at 7:15 for the women and 7:38 for the men. Local coverage is on NBC Sports Network at 9 pm. Most of us know how long it takes us to run …
El Sistema
“With this instrument you are going to change the world.” Jose Abreu was talking to 11 children who had gathered in a Caracas, Venezuela parking garage to learn classical music in 1975. This is the story behind the love. This …
Punching the Floor was the Only Option
I watched a complete performance of Mahler’s Symphonie No. 2 on the YouTube. It was from last year’s Proms. The performance was by the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and the conductor was Gustavo Dudamel. I’d seen the name "Simon Bolivar …
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Continuing our list of distinct and beautiful singers, I propose the late Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau died this year in May at the age of 87. To many, Fischer-Dieskau was the consummate artist. He brought the craft of lieder singing …
When 10K isn't Enough
If 10K, 6.2 miles, isn’t far enough for you to run on the 4th, there is the 15K on Coronado. 15K is about 9.3 miles. It is one of those gap distances. The typical progression for a recreational yet serious …
Enjoy the Silence
It is quiet. It took me a while to figure out Lake Miramar’s chief virtue as a destination to run or cycle. It’s quiet. The lake is maintained by the San Diego Water Utility—not the parks. There is no swimming …
Old Pros Have the 4th Covered
The first running event I participated in at the start of my mid-age comeback, was the Old Pros 4th of July 10K around Lake Miramar. At the time, the dam was closed as a precaution against terrorists and the Old …
Meister Rumi: Philip Glass Setting of the Sufi Master
On June 21st, anyone who can get to Times Square is invited to sing in a world premier piece of music. NPR has commissioned Philip Glass to compose a piece of music that is accessible to singers of all abilities. …
Distinctive and Beautiful: Jon Vickers
Besides Kathleen Ferrier, who were the other five voices that were distinct and beautiful in the 20th Century? For the record, there probably more than five. The hinge is beautiful. For instance, Callas had a voice that no one ever …
Living in Colorado Should be Banned
Yes, Lance is being investigated for blood doping but what is blood doping? The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) defines it as, “the use of products that enhance the uptake, transport, or delivery of oxygen to the blood.” The term “blood …
Centenary Celebration of a Musical Servant
Decca has released * Kathleen Ferrier: The Centenary Edition*. It is a 14 disc collection released to honor Ferrier’s 100th birthday. The set also includes a documentary DVD. In 1953 Kathleen Ferrier died of breast cancer at the age of …
The USADA Includes the Doctors
The US anti-doping agency (USADA) is going after the doctors. It has “charged” three doctors with possession, trafficking, assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up, attempted administration and the administration of doping materials and methods. The USADA has no authority to …