#free Pavarotti

[justinspoliticalcorner]

LATROBE, Pa. — When fascism finally went mainstream in America, it came hawking a $60 made-in-China Bible and shadowed by a 50-foot American flag braced by construction cranes — and it opened with a story about Arnold Palmer’s private parts. I’d driven nearly five hours into and under the Allegheny ridges of Western Pennsylvania — up and down slopes that got steeper each mile with the volume of Donald Trump flags and yard signs that proclaimed “I’m Voting for the Convict 2024″ — out of a sense that the decline and fall of American civilization has reached a depth that I needed to personally bear witness. It was a fever dream — maybe I could find words that have eluded everyone else. Just six days earlier, Trump came to the Philly suburbs and turned a supposed town hall into a 39-minute dance party as his deeply confused crowd watched a once and wannabe future U.S. president sway awkwardly to Sinead O’Connor and Luciano Pavarotti or look utterly frozen in the bubble of his 78-year-old head. And yet when the alarm goes off the next morning, it’s still Groundhog Day in America, an election with a 50% chance of the music-trance guy winning. Something both incredibly momentous and weird is happening at the same time. Now, the sun was nearly setting over the runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. With the most consequential U.S. presidential election since 1860 just 17 days away, about 3,000 to 4,000 of the most die-hard MAGA Trump fans who weren’t exhausted by the campaign and the GOP candidate’s frequent visits to Steelers’ country had been waiting for hours on a sunbaked tarmac. They’d let out the obligatory whoop for the obligatory flyover of Trump Force One, and then finally the man tasked with bringing their country back was on the podium, filtered by bulletproof glass. Donald Trump’s red meat of mass-deportation camps and R-rated attacks on his opponents would have to wait. Monday’s DJ was now Saturday night’s comedian, with his cult as captive audience. What started out as an obligatory shout-out to Latrobe’s famous native son — Palmer, the late great golfer who brought the sport to your TV screens in the 1960s — went on for five minutes, then 10, then 12. What started as a nice but meandering tale about Palmer’s working-class roots grew into a stone silence during long detours into stuff like types of golf club shafts as the tale grew increasingly instead about Trump — about how his own power and wealth allowed him to claim friendship with this great man. You are standing in the twilight wondering if this could get any stranger when of course it did. The man who bragged in his first campaign that he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and people would still vote for him now wants America to know he can tell a penis joke with the cameras rolling and still get elected as the 47th president. [...] So I came to Latrobe to try and write the 72-point headline that the Times editors can’t — “PHALLUS-JOKE MAN AND DANCING FOOL COULD LEAD THE FREE WORLD AGAIN” — and to scream at the top of my lungs from the bluffs overlooking this tiny airport that this would-be emperor telling the shower story is actually wearing no clothes. Who will shout that Trump’s “closing argument” is the melding of his increasingly public breakdown with how that might lead to an all-too-real domestic war of midnight raids and armored personnel carriers against the fiction of an “Occupied America”? Ironically, Trump’s endless Arnold Palmer bit seemed part of an effort Saturday night to prove that the rambling candidate is not “exhausted,” something that his own aides reportedly said after several recent interviews were canceled. But the Republican nominee — kind of like Madonna’s “Sex” phase and shock photos when her 1980s were ending — also appeared to sense that he needs to get more and more outrageous to get attention, after numbing America to his Hitlerian language that immigrants “will cut your throat.”

Will Bunch at The Philadelphia Inquirer on Donald Trump's Latrobe rally (10.20.2024)

Will Bunch wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer about Donald Trump’s fascist insultfest in Latrobe, PA in which he infamously obsessed about Arnold Palmer.

[sixteenthtry]

I FINISHED UNHOLYVERSE AND HELL YEAH

Spoiler alert

I am obsessed with the way it was written, it was extremely witty and heartbreaking at the same time.

I fully expected to get my heart ripped to shreds because I thought one of them was going to die for good, and honestly thank God they didn't because I wouldn't have been able to handle it. And now I get to make up scenarios in my head about them living a happy life together, fuck yeah.

One of my favorite moments was when, in part 2, Gerard told Mikey "I don't want what's best for Frank" and he immediately felt extremely guilty about it.

And then, in part 3, the demon possessing Gerard told Frank: "I think you want him any way you can get him, Frankie." To tempt him to free him, just so he could get a future with him 😭😭😭

OR how terrified Gerard was to admit that he died, because of the implication that there was absolutely nothing after death, and how that would mean his suffering and suppressing himself was completely useless and the reason he kept going was a lie.

Anyways I recommend reading it with Pavarotti in the background, it's great.

Obviously, it's 5:30am because I always end up reading this late... GOODNIGHT!!!!!

[blainehasregrets]

Blaine’s Transfer To McKinley

One of the more disliked? plot points in Glee is Blaine’s transfer to McKinley. However, it’s always been silly to me that people think this plot made “no sense”, especially from Blaine fans who think Blaine transferring to McKinley meant Blaine was constantly having to relive the trauma from his previous experience in public school and Kurt was inconsiderate for making him transfer.

Don’t get me wrong: He definitely transferred to be with Kurt, and I have no doubt in my mind Kurt was being annoying as hell about it all summer given the scene of him being (playfully) passive aggressive over Blaine still going to Dalton (which makes his whole “pls don’t tell me you transferred for me because what if u resent me 🥺” even funnier lmao oh Kurt). And I also think him transferring in the middle of the episode aka nearly a week into the school year was supposed to show that Kurt was pressuring him. But I also do kind of chalk that up to the fact that The Purple Piano Project was incredibly badly written and they chose the worst possible ways to deliver information, like setting up Juilliard for Hummelberry just to explain to us NYADA a scene later like…! IMO, they could have kept that scene of Klaine in the Lima Bean, like I’m not saying they should take Kurt’s involvement in the decision completely away, but it should have been one of the very first scenes so Blaine could have been there from day 1. But omg all of this is besides the point let me move on…

However! To act as if it was not ultimately Blaine’s decision, and one he’s wanted to make for a while, is missing a huge part of his character. Not only that, I don’t understand how so many people miss this when it’s quite literally one of the very first things Blaine ever says in the show.

In Never Been Kissed, Blaine tells Kurt “I ran, Kurt. I didn’t stand up. I let bullies chase me away and it’s something I really, really regret.”

It’s literally the main thing we are introduced to his character with. Blaine is someone who wants to face his fears, in this case public school, he just hasn’t had an opportunity to do so.

The entire Dalton arc is symbolized by Pavarotti’s cage which comes up several times during season 2, and in Special Education the show frames Dalton as a place that doesn’t foster individuality (even though I think that plot point was uhh badly written because it was as if the writers seemed to forget why Kurt left McKinley in the first place…all of Kurt’s complaints about Dalton applied to McKinley too, but were supposed to forget about it because over on the McKinley side, Mr. Schue chose Fabrevans and Santana for the competition for once. but also all of this is besides the point too!), and the reason why Blaine falls in love with Kurt in the first place is because of Kurt’s independence and need for freedom despite the difficulties he faced, symbolized by him sing Black Bird. Despite the fact that I don’t particularly agree with this sentiment that a safe place like Dalton is “running away”, I think most people know going from a rich private school with no bullying to a shitty public school with tons of it is a massive downgrade, the show makes it abundantly clear that Dalton is not a place where Kurt or Blaine are meant to stay.

So, even logistics aside (because obviously as he was upgraded to a main character, he had to be with the rest of the characters more often which means he had to go to the same school, it’s really not much deeper than that), the show already set up that Blaine wanted to be free from a place like Dalton. Even in Original Song, we get the hint that Blaine is tired of his easy life in the Warblers where he gets all the solos and in Silly Love Songs he compares them to privileged, porcelain birds. To make it seem as if Blaine being at McKinley was traumatic for him or he had 0 choice in the matter and was doing it solely for Kurt is, imo, disingenuous and misses part of his character that gives him his own agency.

And yes I’m saying all of this acknowledging Blaine’s whole “I changed SCHOOLS FOR YOU 😫” thing, because I think it all can be true at once:

Blaine transferred to be with Kurt.

Blaine transferred because it’s something he’s wanted to do.

Blaine had no problem holding it over Kurt’s head when he wanted to.

I feel like none of that is contradictory to each other (or, even if it is hypocritical, it’s hypocritical in a way real people are). People are messy! They can have multiple reasons for doing what they do, and sometimes even when it’s their decision to make, they can still blame another other person for them. (And I say this with love but I mean…Blaine isn’t a stranger to blaming Kurt for something he chose to do, right? Moving out…cheating…Perfectly in character if you ask me!)

I feel like this decision doesn’t require that much suspension of disbelief either, Jesse transfers in season 1 for a couple episodes just to mess with Rachel. Yes it’s not realistic, but many aspects of glee are not and this is one of the ones I think was set up before the decision was even made.

And to be honest, I always thought the whole “Blaine should have stayed at Dalton” to be a pretty boring opinion, but when I was rewatching Purple Piano Project recently, Blaine said Kurt was just scared the Warblers were going to beat the New Directions, I couldn’t help but think that would have been soo interesting to see. The mess and drama that would come out of Klaine having to see each other as rivals…especially when you throw Sebastian into the mix…Blaine, who already couldn’t cope with the distance, having to see his boyfriend as the enemy? I would love to visit an alternate universe where that’s the route glee decided to go with.

But I’m sorry I love “I changed SCHOOLS FOR YOU 😫” and, regardless of all the reasons I’ve listed above, the general craziness it spells for Blaine that he’d transfer to a shitty public school to spend one year with his lazy fucking boyfriend (said affectionately) too much to wish it was changed. I love you canon Klaine!

[gwydpolls]

Time Travel Question 58: Performances IV

These Questions are the result of suggestions from the previous iteration.

This category may include suggestions made too late to fall into the correct grouping.

Please add new suggestions below if you have them for future consideration.

*The Broadway Premiere names were lost over a year ago because I didn't realize how big this was until I'd spent several hours on first day telemetry for the very first Time travel poll.

Please Feel Free to share ones you want to see for future polls.

[princesssarisa]

The Top 40 Most Popular Operas, Part 1 (#1 through #10)

A quick guide for newcomers to the genre, with links to online video recordings of complete performances with English subtitles.

Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

The most frequently performed opera worldwide: Mozart's fascinating, philosophical fairy tale opera, which appeals to both children and adults.

San Francisco Opera, 2010 (Piotr Beczala, Dina Kuznetsoca, Christopher Maltman, Erika Miklosa, Georg Zeppenfeld; conducted by Donald Runnicles)

Verdi's La Traviata

Tragic romance with social commentary, based on Alexandre Dumas fils' novel The Lady of the Camellias, which was also the basis for the classic 1936 Greta Garbo film Camille.

Los Angeles Opera, 2006 (Renée Fleming, Rolando Villazon, Renato Bruson; conducted by James Conlon)

Bizet's Carmen

The fiery tragedy of a seductive, free-spirited Spanish Romani woman and her loves, with some of opera's most iconic music.

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 2006 (Anna Caterina Antonacci, Jonas Kaufmann, Ildebrando d'Arcancelo, Norah Ansellem; conducted by Antonio Pappano)

Puccini's La Bohéme

Relatable slice-of-life romance that blends comedy and tragedy. The inspiration for the popular musical RENT.

Studio film, 1965 (Mirella Freni, Gianni Raimondi, Rolando Panerai, Adriana Martino; conducted by Herbert von Karajan)

Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)

The best loved of Mozart's Italian operas, a great comedy of class conflict and sexual intrigue.

Glyndebourne Festival Opera, 1994 (Gerald Finley, Alison Hagley, Renée Fleming, Andreas Schmidt, Marie-Ange Todorovich; conducted by Bernard Haitink)

Puccini's Tosca

Political intrigue, lust, and bloodshed amid the splendor of Rome – some call it a "shabby little shocker," others call it thrilling.

Vienna State Opera, 2019 (Sondra Radvanovsky, Piotr Beczala, Thomas Hampson; conducted by Marco Armiliato)

Mozart's Don Giovanni

Arguably the greatest retelling of the legend of Don Juan, with comedy, drama, and Mozart's glorious music.

Salzburg Festival, 1954 (Cesare Siepi, Otto Edelmann, Elisabeth Grümmer, Anton Dermota, Lisa della Casa, Erna Berger, Walter Berry Deszö Ernster; conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler)

Puccini's Madama Butterfly

Puccini's iconic "Japanese tragedy." Controversial from a racial standpoint, but a tearjerker nonetheless, and the inspiration for the musical Miss Saigon.

Feature film, 1995 (Ying Huang, Richard Troxell, Ning Liang, Richard Cowan; conducted by James Conlon)

Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)

The lighter and more madcap prequel to The Marriage of Figaro, known as the quintessential comic opera.

Vienna State Opera, 2019 (Rafael Fingerlos, Juan Diego Flórez, Margarita Gritskova, Paolo Rumetz, Sorin Coliban; conducted by Evelino Pidò)

Verdi's Rigoletto

A richly melodic tragedy of a hunchbacked jester, his daughter, a lecherous duke, and a self-fulfilling curse.

Studio film, 1982 (Ingvar Wixell, Luciano Pavarotti, Edita Gruberova; conducted by Riccardo Chailly)

[labuenosairesfrancaise]

Colon Theatre

The Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires is one of the most important opera houses in the world. Its rich and prestigious history, as well as its exceptional acoustic and architectural conditions, place it on par with theaters such as La Scala in Milan, the Paris Opera, the Vienna State Opera, Covent Garden in London, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

In its first location, the Teatro Colón operated from 1857 to 1888 when it was closed for the construction of a new venue. The new theater was inaugurated on May 25, 1908, with a performance of Aida. Initially, the Colón hired foreign companies for its seasons, but starting in 1925, it had its own resident companies - Orchestra, Ballet, and Choir - as well as production workshops. This allowed the theater, by the 1930s, to organize its own seasons funded by the city's budget. Since then, the Teatro Colón has been defined as a seasonal theater or "stagione," capable of fully producing an entire production thanks to the professionalism of its specialized technical staff.

Throughout its history, no significant artist of the 20th century has failed to set foot on its stage. It is enough to mention singers such as Enrico Caruso, Claudia Muzio, Maria Callas, Régine Crespin, Birgit Nilsson, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and dancers like Vaslav Nijinsky, Margot Fonteyn, Maia Plisetskaya, Rudolf Nureyev, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Esteemed conductors such as Arturo Toscanini, Herbert von Karajan, Héctor Panizza, and Ferdinand Leitner, among many others, have also graced the theater. It is also common for composers, following the tradition initiated by Richard Strauss, Camille Saint-Saëns, Pietro Mascagni, and Ottorino Respighi, to come to the Teatro Colón to conduct or supervise the premieres of their own works.

Several top-notch maestros have worked consistently here, achieving high artistic goals. They include Erich Kleiber, Fritz Busch, stage directors like Margarita Wallmann or Ernst Poettgen, dance masters like Bronislava Nijinska or Tamara Grigorieva, and choral directors like Romano Gandolfi or Tullio Boni. Not to mention the numerous instrumental soloists, symphony orchestras, and chamber ensembles that have offered unforgettable performances on this stage throughout over a hundred years of sustained activity.

Finally, since 2010, the Teatro Colón has been showcased in a restored building, resplendent in all its original splendor, providing a distinguished setting for its presentations. For all these reasons, the Teatro Colón is a source of pride for Argentine culture and a center of reference for opera, dance, and classical music worldwide.

__________________________________________________________

You will need a 64x64 lot and the usual CC from TheJim, Felixandre, Harrie, Sverinka, SYB, Aggressivekittty, and other marvelous creators! 

DOWNLOAD TRAY: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=75230453

(free to play 7/17)

[wanderingmind867]

You ever think about Chiron introducing Nico to Dean Martin and Luciano Pavarotti? Because I did today. Class was stressful again, so I went to Wikipedia in class to take the edge off (so to speak). Fun fact: Luciano Pavarotti died the year the Titan's Curse came out (2007). But getting back to my idea there, follow me as I write a plot outline for this little idea. (Hopefully I'm not jumping the gun with this, since I'm only on chapter 2 of the Titan's Curse right now):

When Nico is at Camp while Bianca is on the quest, we can safely assume Chiron knows he's Italian. We can also remember Chiron has lots of old records, since the Sea of Monsters mentions Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin a few times when we see Chiron or discuss his music tastes. Pavarotti is a famous Italian singer of old school opera classics. I bet Chiron would like him. I bet Chiron would think Nico would like it too. Remind him of his home. Whether he does like it or not is up for interpretation, but I think this would make a sweet idea. Especially if we can find a Pavarotti song with thematic parallels.

Now I know I'm jumping the gun here (I'm only on Chapter 2 of the Titan's Curse right now), but I needed to share this idea before it fades from my mind. Whether it's possible for this to actually make sense as a story idea is another story (I don't even remember if Nico was raised in Italy anymore since I last read the books way back before COVID). But please tell me what you think of this idea. Feel free to use it if you like it. I don't know if I can do anything with it.

[oklcmc]

KENDRICK LAMAR ⅋ DAVE FREE The New York Times Magazine ❪2022❫ Shot by Rafael Pavarotti

[minty-plumbob]

pick a song for each letter of your URL 🎵

m - make me feel by janelle monáe i - il neige by voyou n - new tail by john powell t - the scarlet sunset by chaosringen y - you'll be in my heart by phil collins - p - pop song by kenshi yonezu l - location by khalid u - u,u,d,d,l,r,l,r,a,b,select,start by deftones m - main theme by katsu hoshi b - bird by blue smiley o - o sole mio by luciano pavarotti b - black magic woman by santana

thank you @estah @simsdada @aurorangen @aoifae @nxs-aliens and @simmerstellar for tagging me!! 💘🥺

I tag @tipsy-clouds @moveobjects @hause-of-pancakes @servobotz @d4isy-nukes @daydreamertrait @nusims @nihilismtrcit @simbico @simmersofia @spline-reticulator @simsply-challenges and anyone who would like to join! <3 (feel free to ignore 🌻)

[gillianthecat]

Currently obsessed with this song

This is Lara Fabian's version, which was the first i heard, but all the versions of it I've found are powerful.

The original (Lucio Dalla):

Luciano Pavarotti:

Julio Iglesias:

I discovered it through a video of Anastasiia Gubanova's Free Skate at Worlds

Unfortunately, I think that the music completely overpowers her skating. She doesn't have the musicality and movement quality to match the song. I can't decide if I think this exact choreography would work on a stronger performer, or if it also doesn't match the music. But to be fair to her it's very powerful music and I think would flatten most skaters beneath it. And it's powerful while being spare, so the skater can't simply be carried along but has to fill the space themselves. I still would love to see someone else try (1); I'm trying to think of who I think could do it justice.

(1) edit: lol SO many skaters have used this song. I should have known; no music in figure skating is ever used just once. Shae-Lynn Bourne and Denis Ten are the only ones I've found who I think hold their own against the music.

[muirneach]

remember those three boxes of cds i got for free. this is about half i think. clockwise from top left: the cds i am keeping. like 10 barbra streisand albums, a fuckton of MOVIE soundtracks, a wide selection of opera (6!! pavarotti albums) and classical and a bit of jazz. and then two stacks of JUST broadway recordings. not pictured: four neil diamond cds and also a judy garland box set with 6 discs i think.

[bgrand]

Kendrick Lamar & Dave Free Profile — The New York Times Magazine  Design by Ben Grandgenett Photograph by Rafael Pavarotti

[valiantnomore]

Shuffle Tag Game

I got tagged by @undefeatednils, thanks friend!

rules: shuffle your 'on repeat' playlist & post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people 🎶 (But please do not feel pressured to do so.)

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Betty Carter

Il Marchese del Grillo, Pt. 1 by Nicola Piovani

Again (with the Mellomen) by Doris Day

Just Along for the Ride by Djo

Amor ti vieta by Luciano Pavarotti

It's Too Late by Carole King

Song To the Siren by Tim Buckley

Vincent by Don McLean

Beyond the Sea (La Mer) by Django Reinhardt

Moon River (Original Main Title) by Henry Mancini

This was fun (if not a little self-revealing lol) thanks for tagging me! I'm tagging, with no (!) pressure: @goodbyeomelas, @vvendybird, @hitheeprithee, @mercutioblah, @unaduessa, @adieu-misshollywood, @comfytaire, @darthsapphic, @del-pickle, and @sarcasmatyourservice Addendum: If you weren't tagged but wanna do it, feel free to tag me as if I tagged you!

[princesssarisa]

Where do you watch operas?

There are plenty of complete filmed opera performances available on YouTube, which you can watch for free. Unfortunately, not all of them have English subtitles, but if necessary, you can always find a translation of the libretto online to follow along with.

In fact, just for fun, as an example, I'll provide some links to complete filmed performances of the world's top 10 most popular operas, with English subtitles.

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Studio film, 1971 (Nicolai Gedda, Edith Mathis, William Workman, Christina Deutekom, Hans Sotin; directed by Sir Peter Ustinov; conducted by Horst Stein)

La Traviata

Studio film, 1968 (Anna Moffo, Franco Bonisolli, Gino Bechi; directed by Mario Lanfranchi; conducted by Giuseppe Patané)

Carmen

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 2006 (Anna Caterina Antonacci, Jonas Kaufmann, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo, Norah Ansellem; staged by Francesca Zambello; conducted by Antonio Pappano)

La Bohéme

Studio film, 1965 (Mirella Freni, Gianni Raimondi, Rolando Panerai, Adriana Martino; directed by Franco Zeffirelli; conducted by Herbert von Karajan)

Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)

Teatro alla Scala, 2006 (Ildebrando d'Arcangelo, Diana Damrau, Marcella Orsatti Talamanca, Pietro Spagnoli, Monica Bacelli; staged by Giorgio Strehler; conducted by Gérard Korsten)

Tosca

Teatro Real de Madrid, 2004 (Daniela Dessí, Fabio Armiliato, Ruggero Raimondi; staged by Nuria Espert; conducted by Maurizio Benini)

Madama Butterfly

Theatrical film, 1995 (Ying Huang, Richard Troxell, Ning Liang, Richard Cowan; directed by Frédéric Mitterand; conducted by James Conlon)

Don Giovanni

Zurich Opera, 2001 (Rodney Gilfry, László Polgár, Isabel Rey, Cecilia Bartoli, Liliana Nikiteanu, Roberto Saccá, Oliver Wimer, Matti Salminen; staged by Jürgen Flimm; conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt)

Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)

Metropolitan Opera, 2007 (Peter Mattei, Juan Diego Florez, Joyce diDonato, John Del Carlo, John Relyea; staged by Bartlett Sher; conducted by Maurizio Benini)

Act I, Act II

Rigoletto

Studio film, 1982 (Ingvar Wixell, Luciano Pavarotti, Edita Gruberova; directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle; conducted by Riccardo Chailly)

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992, Chris Columbus)

02/01/2024

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 film written and produced (like the previous one) by John Hughes, and directed by Chris Columbus, sequel to Home Alone. The film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Deniel Stern, John Heard, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker and Catherine O'Hara.

A sequel with a new cast, titled Home Alone 3, was released in 1997.

A year after little Kevin's misadventures, the McCallister family is once again ready to leave for Christmas, this time for Miami. Once on the plane, he starts listening to music with headphones and doesn't hear the on-board announcements, so he ends up not noticing the mistake and arriving in New York. The parents, having arrived in Florida, realize that they have lost their son and contact the police for searches; in the meantime, however, Kevin, free from the oppressive climate of his family, is not scared and begins an adventurous exploration of the city, realizing among other things that his father's credit card has remained with him and uses it to book a luxury room at the Plaza Hotel.

During the night, Kevin takes refuge in Central Park, where he meets the "pigeon woman", a melancholy good-hearted lady who has fallen on hard times and lives like a homeless person, always accompanied by many pigeons who she feeds and treats as if they were her pets company.

The woman takes Kevin to the attic of Carnegie Hall, where an orchestra is performing "Adeste fideles", and confides to him that from position she has secretly at tented performances of many famous artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti.

Having moved away from the pigeon woman, Kevin decides to stop the two thieves again, so he goes to the house under renovation of his uncle Rob and Georgette, who have moved to Paris, and transforms it into a fortress, placing a series of traps: nail guns, grease, bricks, wrenches, electrical contacts, kerosene and a gigantic iron pipe.

[william-t-sickofyourshit]

It seemed like William’s organized personality was showing even on a lazy day off – he made a little plan for them, what to do this morning. He wasn’t as spontaneous as Sebastian. He didn’t mind last-minute plans mostly, but when things needed to be done, he simply liked to have list. They were completing each other quite well in that aspect – Sebastian was bringing some more energy and unpredictable fun into William’s life, and William in turn was staying on top of things when Sebastian’s mind had tendency to wander or get out of focus.

Sebastian agreed to William’s little plan, and  suggested they should go out today and enjoy the summer weather, since their sunburn was pretty much healed by now. “Ah yes, good idea. Let’s go out. This time we need to remember about sunblock though, for sure.” William snickered. “Okay so… we can go to the beach, have a walk, swim a little. Oh, we should stop by m house on our way there, to feed Pavarotti. And then we can have dinner and ice cream in the seaside diner?” he pondered out loud, just thinking really, giving loose ideas. It was quite a pleasant feeling to have all that free time, and so perhaps even William will let go of planning so much this summer, who knew.

But for now – they needed to take care of themselves first and foremost. William definitely felt in the need of shower right now, since last night he went to sleep sweaty and sticky. He gave Sebastian one more kiss on the lips, and sat up in bed, stretching. “Mmmm… alright. Let’s go shower?” he patted Sebastian’s bare butt playfully, then also petted the kitties that now fully woke up as well, and started stomping around the bed, bothering the humans for attention.

For I have sinned...

The principal cleared his throat, eyes scanning the notes that he had wrote down before this meeting. It already lasted an hour, and the teachers gathered in the faculty room were becoming restless and bored. But indeed there were some things to discuss, with the concert that the senior class was supposed to perform at the end of the semester, and with recent staff changes. 

William glanced down at his watch, sighing softly. His class was starting in 15 minutes, so at least, whether the meeting will be done soon or not, he will get to excuse himself. He looked out of the window, his mind wandering. Principal’s voice turned into white noise in the background. It was a pleasant day, late summer. But William was looking forward to a slightly cooler weather. Wearing all black could really be bothersome at times. 

“And lastly, I am pleased to announce that we have finally found replacement for the violin teacher. Dear Mr Tanaka, may he rest in peace, was with us for so many years that I’ve been concerned we won’t be able to find someone as good as to fill this position.” the principal spoke. “But Mr… Michaelis, was highly recommended to me, and he indeed has impressive references. He will be starting this week, so please welcome him warmly once he will arrive. Ah yes… about that. He will arrive today at noon, I need someone to pick him up from the train station and bring over for the tour around the school. Any volunteers?” 

William was barely listening, and definitely not paying much attention. He glanced at his watch again, and saw that it was time to leave, as his class was about to start. He raised his hand to excuse himself, and little did he know, he just volunteered.

“Father William! Excellent!” the principal exclaimed. “Just don’t be late, the train arrives at noon.”

“Train…?” William questioned, raising his brow. He had a feeling he was missing something…

***

Right after the meeting, William had to run for the class, so he had little time to clarify what exactly he had volunteered for. He was a piano teacher in this Music Academy, but also he served as a priest in local church. Well respected, and rather liked. So when he later found out it was about the new violin teacher, he didn’t refuse. Who, other than himself, would be a better choice to introduce a newcome to their community?

So even though he raised his hand by accident, he accepted this fate.

After classes, at noon, William took a taxi and drove to the train station, to pick up their new teacher. Wearing black trousers, and a black shirt with a thin tie, was absolutely dreadful in this weather, so William quickly found shelter under the roof of the station platform, that provided some shade.

The train had just arrived. William had no idea how Mr Michaelis looked like, but he figured he will just look for someone carrying a violin case with them. 

He was in for a bit surprise.

@crazyvik97