Sports, (Musical) Theater and Elections

I am still not sure what to think about the results of the Roland Garros finals. Francesca Schiavone won the women's final. I preferred Sam Stosur. Schiavone was delightful though at the victory ceremony. She was just so happy with her success (and kept hugging the trophy), very nice to see. And of course, the Italian National Anthem is one of the most beautiful anthems in the world (almost like an overture of a Verdi opera). I have never been a great fan of Rafael Nadal, the winner of the men's title at Roland Garros. Still, I admire Nadal's gritty determination and tenacity. However, I do hope that the next Grand Slam (Wimbledon) will be Federer's again ;)

Biggest disappointment of the sportsweekend came on Saturday: Valentino Rossi's horrific crash during the qualifying session of the Mugello GP. Result: complicated leg fracture and emergency surgery. Rossi will be out for at least five months. Goodbye world championship!! :( The news of Rossi's crash absolutely did NOT make my Saturday!! Moto GP surely won't be the same without Rossi, but there are various other amazing riders still in competition! I guess I will have to support his Spanish teammate Jorge Lorenzo from now on (at least until Rossi returns).

My frustrations about Rossi's crash and possible season ending injury, gave me some extra motivation for the Ladies Run on Sunday ;). I have always felt that anger/frustration is an excellent motivation for running lol!!

The race started at 1.30 pm, quite possibly the hottest and most humid part of the day!!! I was prepared for the 5 km, practiced quite a bit. But I had never run in such a big group (and I was not used in running in the middle of the day, in this high and humid temperature). After the start I tried to find myself some free space, which was really hard. Over 960 runners were participating in the race. When I finally found some room, I was already really tired. It was only halfway the first round, but I could feel that the heat was getting to me (I saw more and more runners sitting/laying on the sidewalk, unable to continue). Glad that I brought my MP3 player. When I seriously thought about quitting, the music (and probably also my own determination) kept me going. I battled along on, among others, "This Nearly was Mine" (from South Pacific, not even going to mention who sings this song :D) and "Keep it Gay" (from The Producers, Gary Beach is priceless).

In the last part of the race, I was able to pass a couple of fellow runners (with the help of the upbeat song "La Cage aux Folles"!).I passed the finish line totally spent. A nice volunteer guided me to a chair and emptied a bucket of water on my head. Ok, it was not a bucket of water, just two small cups of water ;) I got something to drink and I started feeling better quickly. I then cheered on Martina, who had an impressive run as well. Everybody who finished the run did a great job, after all the circumstances (the heat/humidity) were extraordinary!! I would also like to compliment the volunteers. They were great, they kept passing out water all around the course. I was surprised at number of people that were supporting us, the clapping and cheering surely helped!! I even heard my name from time to time. Then I realized that my name was printed under my start number :D

Oh, and after I returned home, I found out that I finished 42nd out of 968. Not bad for a first run (I promised myself a nice present if I finished in the top 100, now I finished in the top 50 I might have to get myself an ever better present :D)!! Although, I probably should have started a little slower, so that I would have had more energy for the final 500 metres or so (I felt a little claustrofobic by the many people surrounding me, so I was determined to leave the "big pack" quickly). But that is something to remember for a next run (perhaps by arriving a little earlier, so that I can start more toward the front, not in the middle of the pack). Already planning to take part in the Marikenloop (Nijmegen) next year, 10 km.

I will stay with sports for a little while longer. The World Cup Soccer. Although I love soccer, I don't like it when everything seems to evolve around the sport (like a the World Championships). Soccer, soccer, soccer, soccer, only soccer. It is just too much for me. However, I am participating in a "World Cup Poule" at the Radboud. Curious how I will do. Have predicted some interesting matchups. England-Australia in the last sixteen. Germany-USA last sixteen, and Team USA wins :D Spain-Italy in the quarterfinals. LOL, probably the countries with the best national anthems (I even like the German one, at least a little)! Netherlands-Brazil also in the quarterfinals (Netherlands will be eliminated though). My world champion is going to be Spain, they will beat England in the final. Don't worry, I am not good at these kind of things!! Although, I was correct in predicting the 2008 European Champion (Spain).

Something totally different now, the Tony Awards. I follow the Tony Awards, the American theater Oscars, every year. This year, I find the Tonys especially interesting. One of my favorite musicals, La Cage aux Folles, is nominated for quite a few Tony Awards. Unfortunately, this La Cage is not the La Cage I saw on West End. No Philip Quast (booh!!) and no Roger Allam (booh tooo!!). No-one could match them, in my opinion. I cannot imagine anyone else than Philip Quast singing "Song on the Sand" :D. And Roger Allam's rendition of "I am what I am" was mind-bottling, not many actors who would be able to top that.

But I do have confidence in La Cage's men (or should I say women :)) on Broadway. From Frasier, I know that Kelsey Grammer (who plays Georges) is a great comedian. And he can sing too. The role of Georges is in safe hands with him (although Grammer looks so strange with a whig lol!!). I would not mind to see Douglas Hodge as Albin/Zaza, he is supposed to be great. I now believe that Andrew Lloyd Webber selected the wrong Dorothy for The Wizard of Oz. I think I have just find the perfect Dorothy. Just look at Douglas Hodge's dress ;):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKEy8GqZb6s

I think that La Cage could win quite a few Tony Awards. Safe bets are Douglas Hodge (Best Leading Actor) and La Cage itself (Best Revival of a Musical). Maybe some more awards for, among others, Best Costumes and Best Director of a Musical. Who knows!!

Oh, just a little bit more about musicals. I found a clip on YouTube about a big Mel Brooks tribute (even the President and the First Lady attended). Brooks created The Producers, my favorite musical comedy along with La Cage aux Colles. I love him, he is soo politically incorrect, but at the same time just too funny!! Before you watch this clip, please keep in mind that Mel Brooks is a Jew :D: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7BLrVTouG8&feature=related
Yay, and Gary Beach also has a small part in this clip (the man with the mustache in "Springtime....", he still is the one and only Roger de Bris!!!)

Perhaps I should have written something about the Dutch Musical Awards. Lets just say I am not that into Dutch musicals, so I cannot really say anyting useful about the Musical Awards. Mary Poppins will likely win a few Awards, but that is the only prediction I can make.

To finish off this blog: Wednesday's Tweede Kamerverkiezingen. I admire the many people campaigning for their favorite parties in the early morning (volunteers are already passing out folders at 7.15 am, when I arrive in Nijmegen). Apart from this, I won't say too much about these elections. I want to remain (sort of) objective :D. The fact is that I am not really enthusiastic about any of the lijsttrekkers. I am not sure if any of them can carry the weight of this country. It is simple, my favorite politicians are not Dutch. In Europe, I admire Hans-Gert Pottering, former President of the European Parliament (whom I also met during my traineeship in the Parliament). Strong, capable man with great integrity. He should have been the first European President, he would have been perfect for the job. In the US, I like Hillary Clinton, I would have loved to see her as President. My great political hero is of course Harry S. Truman. But alas, I won't be able to vote for Pottering, Clinton or Truman! When it comes to Wednesday's elections, I have finally made up my mind. The only thing I will say is that I will vote for a woman, and she is not a lijsttrekker :D

PS. Just in case you want to see some action photos from me (please don't laugh lol). Go to: http://www.ladiesrungroningen.nl/lr/uitslagen/2010/UitslagenLR_01.html and look for me at nr. 42. Click on "foto" and you will see a couple of nice (ahum!) pictures of me. Interesting contrast between the natural runner (the older woman I pass shortly before the finish line, her running style is just so smooth) and the not so natural runner (me!).