Koyaanisqatsi

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Koyaanisqatsi is a Hopi Indian word than means life out of balance. It is also the name of my favorite movie of all time, Philip Glass and Godfrey Reggio's meditation about the state of our society and planet. However, the concept doesn't end there. I am familiar with life out of balance.

I haven't the slightest drop of athletic ability, leaning rather to the ungainly and clumsy. For example, I cannot ice skate. There were a few childhood attempts, all unsuccessful. (As an adult I made many attempts to learn to ski, which usually resulted in painful quads and a face full of snow.) Fortunately, I am not alone. This man is one of the couple at the far end of the rink in yesterday's post. He was on my level and I found that comforting.

Speaking of Glass, Mrs. C and I are attending a Metropolitan Opera video broadcast tonight of his Satyagraha at a local theater. It's my favorite 20th Century opera, very much a minority opinion but firmly held. Hey, who wouldn't want to see an opera sung in Sanskrit?

The Deserted Rink

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We have a big ice skating rink in Forest Park and more in the suburbs. A few corporations decided to put up one downtown for just December and January. It's sponsored by Monsanto, the seed and farm chemical giant, and the newly-renovated Peabody Opera House across the street. Peabody is one of the world's largest coal companies and is headquartered here.

Well, that's a nice gesture. However, they seem to have forgotten to publicize it. I heard a brief reference to it on the radio. The only information I could find online were small news items on the web sites of two local TV stations. There was only one couple there when I had a look last weekend.

An oddity of the place is that one end is dominated by a huge statue of Friedrich Schiller. He'll watch your shoes while you skate for a small tip, as long as you hum the Ode To Joy while you make the circuit. Seid umschlungen, Millionen! Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt!