As the semester gets closer to ending, the number of campus activities here at Duke increase greatly. All the choral and orchestral groups plan holiday concerts. There are dance recitals and dramatic presentations. Of course the athletic department tries to squeeze in a few basketball games before exam week. You may have heard, both our men's and women's teams are undefeated.
Anyway, our participation in the festivities started Friday night by attending the annual presentation of the Messiah at Duke Chapel. The term "chapel" is of course a misnomer. It really is a cathedral.
The performance was outstanding. The choral work was impeccable as were the soloists. I particularly enjoyed the bass and the soprano. One of the interesting aspects of this production was the use of a counter-tenor rather than a mezzo-soprano. For those of you who aren't aware, a counter-tenor is a man who sings in a strong falsetto voice. Although the counter-tenor was fine, I'm afraid I prefer a strong mezzo anytime. The Messiah is preformed three times in the chapel usually during the first week of December. The three hours flew by. Of course the setting adds so much to the enjoyment.
Saturday was an interesting day as well. I've been a bit sadistic bragging to my northern friends about the great moderate weather we have here. Well Saturday seemed like we were back upstate. I started a 3.5 mile run around two with overcast skies and ended 32:16 later in a snow storm. It's the first snow I've encountered down here in the 16 months I've been here. Actually it was kind of nice. It's my thought that snow before Christmas is okay as long as I don't have to drive in it. (This from a Support Magistrate who only missed one day in 15 and 1/2 years because of bad roads. Here's a look from our balcony.
Fortunately the snow didn't stick to the roads in most places. It's a good thing because I've been told there are only 30 odd snowplows for use in the entire state of North Carolina. The snow did not prevent me from attending the Duke v. Ohio vollyball match at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Duke girl's Vball team won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship and are seeded 12th in the NCAA tourney. They won their first round match and yesterday night they defeated Ohio in 5 sets. It was a great match to match - very even competition. Well enough for now. Tomorrow - The Adventures of Finn and Hattie
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