And a ship with eight sails..

Friday night I rode my bike to the University of Portland campus and watched the play The Threepenny Opera.  It has been years since my German instructor introduced me to the works of Bertold Brecht, yet the Ballad of Mac the Knife has often been with me.  When I learned last November that this play would be running here in North Portland, I made sure to save the date.  I had seen the play in Munich, this was the first time I would hear it in English.  As the cast sang songs such as the 'Useless Song' I found myself returning my German classroom at Denny Hall, the Berliner Ensemble Theater in Berlin, Burgtheater in Vienna, and Muenchener Volkstheater in Munich.  What really moved me was the song Pirate Jenny.  I found myself hanging on every note as the spotlight focused on the actress.  It is a delightfully cynical play, especially the parody of happy endings at the finale.  The only downside was that I would have liked to spend time after the play with the friends that joined me.  However, it seemed like we all had plans for Saturday morning and therefore wanted to get to bed.

Today I led a hike to Kings Mountain for our BCEP team.  Originally I wanted to take them along the Elk King Traverse.  However, the snow pack is 250 percent above average in the Costal Range.  After researching trail conditions, I thought it would be wise not to take the students along this quasi scramble.  The weather was glorious and the snow was soft.  At times I doubted my decision.  However, I have realized part of being a leader is making peace with my decisions.