Someone gave me a gift certificate a few months back to an Italian restaurant. Very thoughtful. I travel a lot, going back and forth to different theaters for rehearsals and/or performances, so to be gifted a meal or two or three nearby where I'm working is always appreciated.
(from the Producers: Bloom-" You can't shoot the actors. Actors aren't animals" Bialystock-"did you ever eat with one?")
This place was perfect, close to a theater I was working at, but not too close. In other words, if I ate there, chances are I could eat by myself and not be disturbed by other cast members. I know a bit antisocial, but I like to sit by my self and read during a meal break.
The food is wonderful and the service is excellent- nothing fancy schmancy, your basic red sauce Italian joint.
I've been back a few times, it was a very generous gift, and I would probably go back more often, but.....
I have established that I like to read as I eat ( I know , bad habit) usually the daily papers, sometimes a book. In the dining room they have music playing AND a television tuned to the local all news station AND another TV tuned to ESPN. Both Televisions have the sound turned on, not loud, but audible. I'm trying to eat my bowl of minestrone while The Human League asks the eternal question, "Don't you Want Me Baby" and Norm is giving me Traffic and weather together and Skip Bayless is droning on about Tim Tebow.
Oh and in the mens room opposite the toilet, hanging on the wall....... there's another TV. ESPN2.
Back in the mid 80's , early 90's- I found myself listening to a lot of country music. There were tons of great songs and performers, Dwight Yoakam, Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett, Carlene Carter, John Anderson, Marty Stuart, Foster and Lloyd- well you get the idea.
I found myself having a huge crush on Roseanne Cash, I loved the music and I loved her look, Ah, the 8o's. Even in country music they were sporting the spike hair and tutus and lace, etc. I think part of it was the fact that she was the image of a girl i was dating at the time (my young lady friend was blond but other than that, pretty close)
My taste in music is eclectic, catholic (small c), fickle. As the years went by I found myself listening less to the country artists, but Miss Cash was always nearby.
She moved to New York. A friend of mine was the principal of the school her kids went to, he told me " I talk to her every morning , she's an absolute delight"
A few years back I read her memoir, Composed, a beautiful book. It's every thing a great memoir should be, personal but not private. I don't need to know every excruciating detail of your life, but I treasure moments of insight and discovery. She tells her story and like any good story she rambles forward and back in time, letting a moment from her 20's illuminate where she is now.
Like many fans I was fascinated by "the List"- this is a list of 100 songs that her dad, Johnny, gave her as a gift. It was his take on the songs that provide the foundation of country (american) music. Years later she made an Album, based on that list. One hiccup- she couldn't find The List, so she choose songs that she remembered where on it.
This Year, I read a book called "Always Been There" by Michael Streissgut, about the recording of that album. It's fun, but not a must read. One thing about it, like me Michael had a huge crush on Roseanne and at times whatever insight he has about the music is overwhelmed by his gushing about how smart, and talented and beautiful she is. All true, but remember Mike, personal not private.
Oh and a few months back , there she was hosting a show on PBS. Way back when she was married to singer/songwriter/ producer Rodney Crowell, but alas it was not meant to be. In her book she shies away from talking about the circumstance of their divorce, no need to go into details, she does let us know that it was a painful time.
I was delighted to see Roseanne and Rodney together on the PBS show - talking about music and singing together (can't remember the song they sang)
Because of all this I can say with great confidence that our paths will cross one day- nothing romantic, nothing untoward, just a meeting of the minds......
"In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes"
Of course we all know that quote. Many people probably know Andy Warhol (if they know him at all) for that rather than his art..
I now nominate this quote to take it's place alongside Warhols;
"Nobody knows anything"
Some of you have heard that one. It comes from screenwriter/novelist William Goldman. He wrote it about Hollywood- everybody thinks they know what it takes to make a hit, but of course the truth is nobody knows.
I'm thinking about that insight tonight as I watch coverage of the Iowa Caucus (that's an odd word). I'm flipping between CNN, MSNBC, FOX, lots of people are talking, lots of theories are being put out there, tons of numbers are being spun. and the only thing that you can take away from all this TV is.........(see above).
Don't get me wrong, I love it, it's loads of fun and if you sift thru all the BS there are little nuggets of information to be found.
It is adorable to see Rachel Maddow let her nerd flag fly, she has a huge grin on her face as she tells us that what's happening is "exciting" and "Fascinating". Oh, I'm not being snarky here, I love the enthusiasm these political types exhibit. I confess, I used to be one of them. I think I've written on here in the past about my love of the world of politics, oh, I had it bad. I got better.
The one thing I will say, especially to all the social conservative candidates, talking to you Rick Santorum, I think you want to stay with the economy and jobs. Leave the family and gay marriage etc alone.
Change is slow , sometimes glacial, but sometimes the change train leaves the station and you can't bring it back. Trains head one way. The other day Santorum said that he would look to annul gay marriages if elected. 20 years if you had talked about gay marriage you would have been shunned, 10 years ago people would have scoffed, 5 years ago, they would have giggled, next week they'll be RSVPing to their cousin Billys wedding to Frank.
Oh, I have to go Wolf Blitzer is crunching numbers........
For the past few years my frames were a gold metallic, Ben Franklin looking arrangement.
Before that I had a round tortoise shell frame- kinda like Phillip Johnson, the architect, used to wear. Those were my favorite but difficult to find.
Now I'm wearing the au courant, hipster modified Buddy Holly look. So far, so good.
I am now going thru that early phase of new prescription wearing- I constantly feel like I'm walking down an incline, in a few days that should pass. This is also the first time I have bi focals, or as they are now known progressive lenses. Another learning curve- look up to drive, straight ahead for the computer, down to read.
I have been wearing glasses since the first grade. nearsighted. Never had any interest in contacts- touching the eye gives me the heebie- jeebies. Laser surgery? Hmmmmm. I don't know, most people have good luck with it. I think my biggest hesitation with the laser is the anecdote my sister told after her surgery, about the smell of her eye burning. Oh boy. ( i know, I'm a baby- I wanted to say say sissy, but that's not done these days)
The woman who helped me choose my frames was excellent- it's always a pleasure to have someone thoughtful and knowledgeable and funny in customer service. I do have one quibble after we choose the frame , I handed her my prescription and her reaction was "WOW"-
Believe me I know- my eyes, not so good. I don't need to be reminded by my eyewear provider.
It did reinforce one fact I have known for a long time- If I had been born a caveman, I never would have made it to puberty.
ps on an entirely different subject- if you want to see the greatest book cover of the past 10 years, track down "Mississippi Sissy" by Kevin Sessums
Here's a bit of serendipity- Bernstein playing (and conducting) Rhapsody in Blue. For the record I will state that I find the opening Clarinet performance here to be rather Ho Hum ( a technical music term)
When I was a kid (about 12 or so), I read a book about George Gershwin. A biography geared towards junior high types- There was a chapter devoted to Rhapsody in Blue, of course, talking about the first performance and how it was such a big step in both classical music and jazz.
I feel terrible because I can't remember the title of the book or the authors name, but it's one of those things that made a huge impression on my feeble little brain. He/she/they wrote so vividly about the piece, but in particular about the opening clarinet cadenza, that I ran to the library the next day to get a recording- which I then proceeded to listen to about 20 times in a row.
I thought of this the other night as I watched the Live from Lincoln Center News Years Eve Concert= they featured the music of Gershwin and Bernstein. During one of the intermissions they played a short film about that opening cadenza. The 54 year old me and the 12 year old me sat there spellbound.
