Trinity Sunday 2016

Feast Day

St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother - Avondale, PA

On the first Sunday after Pentecost we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

Trinity Sunday is a moveable feast, meaning it has no fixed date assigned to it.

Catholic churches often have a "Trinity Window," a representation of the Holy Trinity in stained glass, like the one pictured here.

Two for Two

"I went as hard as I could for as long as I could."

Yesterday my beloved Kansas City Royals won the weekend series with the Chicago White Sox by virtue of their tense 2-1 victory at U.S. Cellular Field. They will try for the three-game sweep this afternoon.

It was the team's third straight series win. They are 7-3 over their last 10 games and have gained five games in the standings just in the past week.

Royals starter Danny Duffy was removed after 4 1/3 innings after hitting his pitch limit, but didn't allow a run on just 4 hits. He also didn't issue a walk, which is real progress for Danny as he vies to make his promotion to the starting rotation permanent.

The bullpen was strong again, except for a brief wobble in the 7th inning. Relievers Peter Moylan, Brian Flynn, Joakim Soria (who pitched two perfect innings and picked up the win), and All-Star closer Wade Davis smothered the White Sox over the game's final 4 2/3 innings.

"How do you like me NOW?"

The Royals struggled on offense after scratching out a run in the 1st inning.

As it turned out, a solo home run by CF Lorenzo Cain in the 6th inning provided the margin of victory. Lorenzo was 2-for-3 in the game.

After this afternoon's game the Royals move on to a three-game series with the Twins in Minneapolis, followed by a four-game series against the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

I would feel better about ALL of those upcoming games if the Royals offense were to show some signs of getting back on track.

"You know they're last in the league in offense, right?"

Yes, but I don't expect that to be true all season...

Happy Birthday!

May 22, 1859 - July 7, 1930

On May 22, 1859 Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Although he attended medical school and practiced medicine for a time, his great claim
to fame is as a writer.

The first literary works I immersed myself in
as a young reader were the stories featuring Conan Doyle's famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Through those stories
I acquired a fondness for mystery fiction which I still indulge today.

May 22, 1907 - July 11, 1989

On May 22, 1907 Laurence Kerr Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England. Although his family had no history of theatrical endeavors, Olivier's father decided that his son would become an actor. And so he did.

Olivier went on to a legendary career as an actor and as a director, both in motion pictures and in live theatre.

I can honestly say that I've enjoyed every Olivier performance I've ever seen, and his performances in Rebecca, Spartacus, The Shoes of the Fisherman, Sleuth, and Marathon Man are unforgettable.

Motivational Techniques

From the wry comic strip FoxTrot, by Bill Amend, which you should read every Sunday.

Until Next Time...

On of my favorite Laurence Olivier performances was in the 1966 historical epic Khartoum, in which he starred alongside Charlton Heston. Khartoum is one of those movies I never get tired of watching, in large part because of Olivier and Heston.

Heston famously took a role in a crummy theatrical production in 1960 just for the chance to be directed by Olivier. The play was a flop, and Heston never again appeared on Broadway, but he said "I got out of it precisely what I went in for – a chance to work with Olivier. I learned from him in six weeks things I never would have learned otherwise. I think I've ended up a better actor." High praise indeed from someone who himself enjoyed a storied, Academy Award-winning career.

Original 1966 "one sheet" poster

Throughout his career, Olivier was known for both his physicality as an actor and for his fondness for using vocal and makeup techniques to render himself virtually unrecognizable.

That approach is certainly evident in Khartoum. Olivier's immersion into the role of Islamic fanatic Muhammad Ahmad is complete, right down to his hand gestures, body language, and vocal mannerisms. It is a mesmerizing performance.

Olivier and Heston only appear in two scenes together the entire film, but both scenes are a master class in the "technical" approach to acting. I often showed one or both of those scenes to my acting students, to give them a sense of what that method can achieve when done properly.

The film earned an Academy Award nomination for screenwriter Robert Ardrey, and the majestic, soaring music was done by British composer Frank Cordell.

Today's send-off is a suite of themes and motifs from Cordell's score. Enjoy...