Personal: NY and Palo Alto

As friends know, I recently moved to Palo Alto, CA, in a brave experiment in west coast living for a few months. I have always thought of myself as a mutt of a man, being able to pick up the worst traits of wherever I have lived, and if trend persists, I will internalize some of PA, CA.

Meanwhile, I wrestled some rare time off work and life, and managed to see:

• Midnight in Paris. I am a Woody Allen fan and seeing his personal strides though the filmmaking landscape is always interesting. I was tickled by this movie. Who wont be, if you can ask Hemmingway for writing tips, or dine with Dali, or have Gertrude Stein as a critic, or need I say it, have Marion Cotillard as the muse. Here is NY times review, a little disappointing, it lays out the plot and does not quite decode Owen Wilson playing Woody. Btw, Woody, you should have done the Harlem Renaissance version!
• Thanks to my friend Virginia, I saw Elko and Koma at the Lincoln Center. A fantastic outdoors dance performance on the reflecting pool. Incredibly slow movements (rippleless even floating away) as each performer in deadly white mask and wisp of clothing set the drama, come together to strike arched poses under the shadow of Henry Moore and the airplanes overhead, and eventually float away as exquisite flotsam and play out a sepulchral act, complete with floating candles, incense and drum beats (which reminded me of trips through Louisiana swamps). Here is the NY times review.