Three Things I’m Loving Lately: Week 18

Hi, all! I’m back from Boston, trying to work off all the seafood I consumed in my short couple of days. Lobster rolls, shrimp, calamari, clam chowder, baked cod… I definitely took advantage of my limited time in Beantown and have no culinary regrets. Now, though, it’s back to life as we know it!

Here’s what I’ve been loving this week:

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1.) Ballet in the Kenyan Slums

Growing up, dance was a huge part of my life. I started taking ballet classes at a local dance studio at age four, and continued studying until I was in high school. In total, eleven years of my life were dedicated in some part to my ballet, tap, jazz, and pointe classes, and at one point I was dancing five to six days per week. Even after I left formal study, I have continued to love watching and participating in dance, whether it’s in the form of seeing a ballet, getting my groove on at a wedding, or spending hours dancing salsa and merengue in a Latin club.

While it had its challenges (a huge growth spurt meant that I went through three pairs of pointe shoes in a year, I never was the star pupil at tap, that pesky weaker left knee), my study of dance was a very formative part of my childhood. It gave me good posture, physical flexibility, strength, a sense of rhythm, and a gracefulness in my movements. It taught me discipline. It was an outlet of femininity for someone who spent her elementary school days rough-housing and playing sports on the playground with the boys. It was probably a major contributor to my love of the theater and gave me an appreciation for fine arts.

Unsurprising, then, this brief article from National Geographic really touched my heart. I love how ballet is inspiring these young women who otherwise may have had difficulty finding hope beyond their circumstances. I love that one girl has shown such promise that she is now training with a professional studio. I admire the vision and passion that their instructor has for impacting these girls’ lives. It’s really a beautiful story, and a welcome reprieve from the negativity that constantly inundates us. Take a look!

 

2.) The making of the airplane seat for the world’s longest flight

The longest flight I every took was an eleven-hour leg between Seattle and Seoul, South Korea, on our way to Bangkok. (It took me almost sixty hours in total transit time to get home from that particular Asian trip, but that’s a story for another post.) Although I was battling a cold, had a middle seat, and had never spent that much time on a plane before, it ended up being one of the nicest flights I’ve taken due to the comfort of the seats and quality of the entertainment options, food and drink, and service onboard. Thanks, Korean Airlines!

Nineteen hours, however, is a different animal. That’s how long the transit time will be when Singapore Airlines begins servicing the world’s longest nonstop route between Singapore and Newark, New Jersey, this fall. Happily, according to the article above, the engineers putting together the new Airbus A350-900 ULR that will make the journey are actually keeping customer comfort in mind as they design and manufacture the seating. As I’ve mentioned before, I love reading about the engineering that goes into different travel experiences, so I found this article really fascinating. Plus, the 38″ of legroom (compared to the industry average of 30″), 13″ TV screen, multiple power outlets, foot rests, noise-canceling headphones, and complimentary drinks are tempting me to give this long haul a try!

 

3.) The Tony Awards

M left for Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon, which ended up being perfect timing for me to throw the pup in the car, grab some ice cream, and return to watch every minute of the 2018 Tony Awards. I’m a big fan of musical theater and love the Tonys, mostly for the incredible performances from each year’s nominated new musicals and revivals.

This year, in my opinion, did not disappoint. While I was fairly unimpressed at a few points (the Mean Girls performance, Bruce Springsteen’s boring monologue, Lifetime Achievement Award winners Andrew Lloyd Webber and Chita Rivera having to share a short musical montage of their extraordinary careers), other parts were appropriately sensational.

Here are a few of my favorite parts of this year’s Tonys:

• Hosts Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles were charming and funny, and I felt that their opening number, which celebrated the “losers,” was great. It was a perfect match for their respective talents and musical personalities compared to a Neil Patrick Harris-style showstopper.
• Like pretty much everyone else in the viewing audience, the drama kids from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida really impressed me. They were doing a fine job with their rendition of “Seasons of Love” from Rent, and then that girl hit THE note and I got all kinds of choked up.
• Caissie Levy absolutely crushed “Let it Go” during the Frozen number. BRB, researching tickets.
• There were a few acceptance speeches that really stood out, most notably Ari’el Stachel’s incredibly moving words during his win for Best Featured Actor for The Band’s Visit. I found myself getting teary-eyed as he addressed his glowing parents, whose Middle Eastern heritage he had rejected for years, and encouraged kids that “your biggest obstacle may turn into your purpose.” (Seriously, grab a tissue and watch the speech.)

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That’s all for this week, folks! Here’s to a weekend of fun, sun, and good times!

XO,
Gwen

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What have you been loving lately?

What was the longest flight you’ve ever taken? How did pass the time?

Did you watch the Tonys? What were your favorite parts?

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Read More:

Did you miss Week 17? Check out what I was loving last week!
A Long Weekend in the Finger Lakes
The Road that Led Me Here