As it turned out, there were about 23,000 people at the AT&T Park to catch the live simulcast of the “Lucia di Lammermoor”. You can read my report on the Opera at the Ballpark at the AT&T Park on Friday, June 20, 2008.

Yesterday was the Opera at the Ballpark at AT&T Park, the home of the baseball team San Francisco Giants. San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Giants teamed up to bring a free live simulcast of Donizetti’s bel canto masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor to thousands upon thousands of fans at the ballpark. The performance at the War Memorial Opera House was transmitted in high-definition technology to AT&T Park 3200-square-feet Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision scoreboard. The simulcast started promptly at 8 pm.

We arrived around 6.30 pm to gain an entry to the ballpark. The sea of people waiting in line with picnic bags in tow is astounding. I didn’t realize there were these many people interested in the opera. I have other theories regarding the attendance. First, the event is free. Second, when else will any of us ever get a chance to sit on the field grass at the famous AT&T Park for a nice picnic? Third, the weather was incredibly beautiful throughout the day and it carried over towards the evening. I don’t remember the last time I can get-by with a t-shirt (jeans too of course) in San Francisco during the evening. The temperature stayed in the high 70’s throughout the evening.

We gained entry to the ballpark around 7.15 pm. We had a good 45-minute to find a comfortable place to watch the opera and enjoyed our picnic before the show started. We found a nice spot on the field directly in front of the jumbo screen. Some people chose to sit in the regular seating areas for the baseball game. A friend who attended the same event last year told me it was freezing cold last year. No way I am passing a chance to lay down on the grass on a nice evening at the AT&T Park. Too good of an opportunity to pass up.

At 8 pm, the show started with an introduction from .. well, I don’t know who they are. The audio and the video synchronization was a bit off. But it didn’t stop me from enjoying the show. This would be my first-ever opera show. I know it’s not your conventional opera show in an opera house but it was still a VERY enjoyable show.

The story was about a feud between a Scottish families of Ravenswood and Lammermoor. Enrico Ashton of Lammermoor wrongfully holds the estates of Edgardo Ravenswood. In addition, Enrico’s political activity against the King has placed him in a perilous situation, and he has resolved to reestablish his family’s position by marrying his sister Lucia to Lord Arturo Bucklaw. In the end, Lucia killed herself and so did Edgardo, pretty tragic love story of arranged marriage and deception.

There was a 25-minute intermission between Act II and Act III. I didn’t know the intermission was so long but in a three-hour show, I suppose some people might have to reload their alcohol. The show ended around 11 pm. At the end of the show, the casts salute the audience in San Francisco gears (hats, foam finger, shirts, flag, etc.)

Until next year.

Picnic at the AT&T Ballpark before the Opera Simulcast

Some enjoyed the grass, some enjoyed the seats

The high-definition jumbo screen

Lucia during Act I

The view of the opera on the jumbo screen from my seat

Lucia & Edgardo

Lucia had gone mad

Lucia during her last moment alive

Lucia was about to take her own life

Enrico berated Lucia

Edgardo took his own life

Closing Scene

Enrico with SF Giants foam finger

Edgardo with SF Giants baseball cap

Lucia with SF Giants foam finger

So what do you know?  A week after I wrote an article on how to obtain a free credit report, you now are able to obtain a free credit score for free along with free 24-hour credit monitoring service for up to one year.  And get this, how about some free cash to go along with that too?  Sounds too good to be true right?

Well, this is what happened when a corporation did not respect your privacy.  As part of the class-action lawsuit settlement for selling customer information to other businesses, TransUnion will provide a free 24-hour credit monitoring service for up to one year and a free credit score (not FICO score) to anyone who has an open credit line between January 1, 1987 and May 28, 2008.

If you are eligible, you may choose one of the two following benefit options:

1. Sign up for six months of credit monitoring services. If you select this option, you can also register to possibly receive cash benefits in the event of a cash distribution or file an individual lawsuit against the Defendants.  Valued at $59.75.
2. Sign up for nine months of enhanced credit monitoring services. If you select this option, you will not receive any further benefits, including a cash payment, and you will not be able to file an individual lawsuit against the Defendants.  Valued at $115.50.
3. Register to possibly receive a cash payment. If you select this option, you can also sign up for six months of credit monitoring; however if you receive a cash payment, you cannot file an individual lawsuit against the Defendants.  Payments won’t be made for two years and will only be paid if there’s money left from the $75 millions settlement.

You can register your option by going to the Class Action Lawsuit website.  You have to register by September 24, 2008 to receive the benefit.

First and foremost, I am not here to stir a debate. I am sure the rising food and energy cost have taken a pinch out of everyone’s pocket book. In the past, when the cost of energy went up, people mostly whined about it and then went about their life. But with the cost spiraling out of control, people have to start making an adjustment in their life to accommodate the rising cost.

There are plenty of reasons to be negative about but I tried to find the positive of the situation. Some of the benefits I can think of are as follows:

1. Health

If you’ve been to restaurant or grocery store lately, you will find the cost of food has risen significantly. Some restaurants either raise the food price or serve less food for the same price. Some people would just pay the extra cost and eat the same amount, but I am sure some would eat a little less. US is arguably the fattest country in the world with rampant obesity nationwide so eating a bit less might not be such a bad idea.

At $4.00 a gallon, people are becoming more pro-active in finding alternative to combat the rising cost of gasoline. More people are taking public transportation to work. People are walking more. People are riding their bike to work. Even taking transportation require some exercise. Walking to a bus stop, walking to a train station, or even just standing in a bus require some kind of physical activities. It’s much better than getting in your car and sit your ass down for the next half hour driving in traffic.

2. Environment

With the high energy cost, the time has finally arrived to find a solution. One of the solution is renewable energy. Renewable energy uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind power, rain, etc. to create energy. Not only it emit little to no emission, it has potential to be cheaper than traditional source of energy. With less emission, it also helps combat the global warming crisis.

As I pointed out in point #1 above, with less people driving, the carbon emission from the car is also reduced.

3. Health Care

This ties to the #1 above. People who took the step to find an alternative way to get to work will benefit directly as a result. With increased physical activity, so does the health of the person. With people getting healthier, it reduces the number people who come through the health care system looking for treatment and cure.

I might be a bit naive to suggest with a healthier population and therefore less people to care for, it might reduce the health-care cost; knowing how HMO (health-care provider) would milk each and every single citizen for all its worth. For the very least, it could at least provide a better health-care service (again I might be a bit naive here) with less people to serve.

4. Transportation

With increased ridership in the public transportation, it will help offset some of the deficit facing local municipals who is struggling in the current economy. Not too long ago, the city of Vallejo declared bankruptcy with its inability to come up with money to pay for its debt. I am not saying the rise in transportation revenue is going to fix the problem. What I am saying is the extra revenue can
only help municipals who are facing difficulties in current economy.

This might also provide the boost for certain municipals to build a better public transportation infrastructure.

In the last few years, identity theft has been rampant. And with a weaken economy, the problem is just going to get worse. As an individual, there is nothing more important than protecting yourself against identity theft. One way of to protect yourself is to constantly monitor your credit report and see whether there are any suspicious activities on your account. You’ve probably received tons of offer from your credit card company for Credit Monitoring Service, for a monthly fee. That money can adds up quickly.

Under the Federal law, you are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three major Credit Reporting Agency; Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. Most of the time, the reports are pretty similar. If your objective is just to monitor your credit report activity, I would recommend to just get one report at a time. Instead of getting 3 reports only one time in one full year, you get 1 report 3 times a year, therefore minimizing the time interval between each report; allowing you to catch any suspicious activities early.

I set an annual reminder on my outlook to request a copy of my free credit report from Experian at the end of April, Equifax at the end of August, and Trans Union at the end of December.

To request your credit report, go to AnnualCreditReport.com and check the box of the agency you want the credit report from. Credit score is not included in the report. This is not an offer or solicitation. The site is maintained by the three major credit reporting agencies to comply with the federal law.