In touch with the Arts

I am not an artsy person per say....I don't play any instruments or own ballet slippers or paint or draw or do anything fine artsy that requires natural talent. But I certainly appreciate those that do and I often get madly jealous that I couldn't have been an amazing artist or on the big screen or hell, even a small stage for that matter!  (Okay there is still time for me...but I'll have to get my act together QUICK - literally)

So anyways, when I was invited to a special play open to US Government employees and friends, sponsored by the US Embassy here, I jumped on it. It was called A Raisin in the Sun - derived from a Lanston Hughes poem called Harlem.

It was held at the Phoenix Players Theater downtown. Why can't Phoenix be spelled Pheenix? Seriously.

One of my friends actually wikipedia'd the play and it is apparently a famous broadway production that came out in 1959 in the US and featured almost an entire African American cast, which was hugely risky at that time. So the US Embassy sponsored the presentation of the play here in Nairobi. They definitely Kenyanized it - the real play takes place in Chicago. This one clearly had Kenyan context. We were a bit late but from what I saw it was a great play.

The Grand Stage

The highlight of the night was that I met and shook hands with the US Ambassador to Kenya!! wooo woooo! Major General (Ret) Scott Gration. The whole thing lasted 2.3 seconds but still cool.


In other news, it's my little nieces birthday - She's 6! My little Sophia. Happy Birthday. Love that child! I talked to her on the phone for about 30 minutes. We pretty much just called each other poopy face back and forth and then she told me that her and her dad can poop out chocolate cupcakes with the candles on them. It was all in all a great convo. Right on my level.

Getting pretty with painted nails

I taught Sophia the lotus - she's a natural! Okay but I did not teach her to do that weird hand movement. I think the spirit of namaste was guiding her.

In more other news, Bob Harper kicked my arse again today with the ultimate cardio DVD. That thing is nuts.


And lastly, my little brother and his girlfriend are on a plane right now to visit me. They arrive tomorrow night! They'll be here for my birthday!
I'll keep you updated!