Friday, August 18, 2023

Good morning. It's mid-August and apparently that's when kids go back to school these days. In my memory that always happened in September but maybe it's a Berenstein Bears kind of thing? Anyway, congratulations to all the young students out there. Let me know if you need any help with your homework.

Item 1: a link

The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet is on Oslo's waterfront. Like, extremely on the waterfront.

The opera house is part of Oslo's revitalization strategy to redevelop the city's historically industrial waterfront into an active public space and was the first building to be completed in the Bjørvika area. It is built on piles in the Oslo fjord, abutting reclaimed land that extends Oslo's harbor, giving more of the city's waterfront space back to the public.

Inside, its horseshoe-shaped main hall is reminiscent of classical theaters of the past, providing a stage for wide-scale world-class performances. Outside, its open plaza and sloping, walkable roof make the building as much landscape and public space as architecture, making it a local landmark and a destination also for non-opera and ballet audiences. Generous windows at street level give the public a glimpse of the scenery workshop activities, and with eight connected art projects, making it one of Norway's largest public art projects, visitors are invited to awareness and engagement.

Click here for more information and photographs (the Related Projects section at the bottom includes links to a couple of other similar buildings in progress that will incorporate public spaces).

Item 2: a list

Tennis court surfaces, ranked

1. Clay court

2. Hard court

3. Grass court

4. Carpet court

Item 3: a media recommendation

Item 4: word of the week

Saturnine

We had always thought of him as a bit of a grump, so you can imagine our surprise when our saturnine criminal law professor hopped up on his desk and danced a jaunty jig. Turned out he was really hyped to have a bunch of new hypotheticals for our final exams.

Item 5: a photograph

See ya!

Thanks for reading. See you next week.