PRESIDENT'S CORNER: March 24, 2017

Fee Structure: Jae announced at our spring “Taste of OLLI” on Wednesday that we passed the new fee structure proposal 95 to 7. So, thank you for that. Obviously, none of us loves to see prices for anything go up, but some things are worth paying for and we think our OLLI is money very well worth your spending. You should also know that in the research done before we made this step, we found that we are still a great bargain. All indications point to the likelihood that a lower annual membership fee should result in many more members, thus removing that annual drive to get at least the 500 that Osher requires. If you do have any questions about the fee change and haven’t been reading anything we’ve sent out, our staff is happy to help.

Met Opera in HD: Yes, it’s time for another opera at the Regal Hollywood cinema…tomorrow at about 1 PM.  It’s Idomeneo by Mozart. It premiered in Munich in 1781, directed by its 25-year old composer. This production dates to 1982, directed and with sets and costumes by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. I have seen pictures of this production in design books for years. James Levine will conduct with Matthew Polenzani in the lead role. We are after the Trojan war with lovers, sea monsters demanding human sacrifice, conflict and a kind-of happy ending! 3 hrs and 58 min. Bring a sandwich!

The Vernal Equinox: Now it is officially spring! The days are getting longer, snow is not expected, but daffodils are popping up. As many of you know, Bonnie and I are both so happy to put all this medical stuff behind us and move on! So, we now have a new roof, the house is soon to be painted with a new color (wicker with white trim) and we’ll be ripping out the bathroom to install everything new so friends will no longer have to shut their eyes when using it! Have you seen the luxurious bathrooms in these town houses? Wow! Ours is NOT grand, but it promises to be a vast improvement. And I donated 8 boxes of books to the annual book sale, including three boxes of old Horizon mags, so if you want them, go to the sale. I’ll try to let you know when that will take place.

Reading: Some of you are still floating the idea of an OLLI book club. Keep talking…from the huge number of submissions I have received from you to recommend books you like (about 3), I’m not convinced. It seems many of us would rather just read on our own schedule. Have you noticed that after you turn 70 you no longer have to suffer fools? Or schedules…or being told what you’re reading this month? That said, I do believe there is room for more OLLI classes on specific books, like Barb Howe and Carolyn Nelson do or that I have done in past years. I am working up to Anna Karenina now that the Pevear/Volokhonsky team has done a splendidly reviewed new translation. If you are a history buff, you might enjoy Michael Chabon’s new book, Moonlight, a memoir of his grandfather’s adventures in WWII. Chabon started out his career in Pittsburgh…a very good writer.

See you at the movies…

Jim Held, President