zucchini after 7 in the Morning

Pre-birthday, post Samhain celebration included a visit to ArtAttack and a very well acted production of Morning's at Seven. The last showing is November 3, if you can make the matinee I recommend it warmly. 

This was followed by a nosh at the Loring Kitchen. I don't know why but the servings were huge. In the past there was never enough but this time we had ample zucchini fries for 8 people.  We were 2.

Fortunately unlike theatrical runs the restaurant should be there in the future so you can try those fries for yourself at any time.

Yeoman of the Guard Shuffles Along

There are many plausible reasons I could give as to why I did not review this operetta earlier this week.

-My wife has been sick all week
-Daylight Savings Time and I always need time to get used to each other.
-I've been working overtime.
-That darn Mercury thing I don't believe in, at all,  was happening.

All of the above are true statements but they are not the reason I did not yet review the operetta. 
The truth is --  I didn't enjoy it.   and I didn't want to say it.

The Good--

Went with great friends and had a lovely brunch beforehand.
The cast, crew and musicians were wonderful as usual.
The singing was top notch.
There was a moment at the end of the first act when everyone was singing and it was so beautiful and overwhelming. An ocean of voices swirling every where and carrying one along with them.

The Bad--

The Operetta itself. I don't know if this is the worst operetta Gilbert and Sullivan ever wrote but I shudder to think that anything coming from them could be worse than this and I hope I never find out. They tried to write a tragedy, they failed. 

I sincerely hope there were no first time Gilbert and Sullivan attendees because it would probably be their last time.

Ah well, let us never speak of it again.

Waving back at February

March is here and so am I. I want us to meet and have adventures but first I better bid farewell to February.

February contained yet another brutal cold, my third this winter. So I scaled back, way back. I didn't blog for the entire month.  I learned to nap.  I conserved energy for training at work. I let myself feel sick until I didn't any more. I entered dry dock and bid farewell to a dearly loved space. I eased into the unknown and lay fallow.

I had a delighttful Imbolc and we celebrated IMAD on 2/15. I had a day long artist date on 2/18. I started drawing again for fun. I pondered over choices for the spring. I saw a dear friend perform the lead in Shadowlands. [He is fabulous] February was a great month.

And now, welcome March!

summer and patience

I want to leave myself a note -- on Wednesday the 14th of March, I ate my dinner outside in the herb garden. Also my wife saw the first mosquito on her arm that evening.

It's winter until March 20 but we jumped to summer this week. Temps around 80 for days. Between the heat and DST my ass has been kicked! I am just starting to adjust to the time and weather change.

These are some of the reasons why I have not yet blogged about Patience which I saw last Sunday the 11th. This picture is of the gorgeous, effective set. Truly beautiful. The opera matched the set and is the funniest G&S I have ever seen. The chorus of 'lovesick maidens' in their classical dress -- loved them. All of the leads -- accomplished singers. The music was wonderful. Highly recommended go see it and enjoy. Hopefully it is not completely sold out. Off to dancing, it's going to be a hot night!

Hopefully useful

Some may have noticed that I added a couple of new ways to get updates from this blog. RSS feed and email updates. It's been less than a week and people are using them so I think it's useful. If there are other not too time consuming ways I can make the whole blog more welcoming let me know.

There are so many things I could blog about next. I am thinking an art post. Or should it be a play review first? Decisions will probably be easier after some sleep.

Any way you come to visit you are so welcome here. xo

roller derby relaxation

word count = 39763

This past weekend I finally made it to the roller derby and had a blast. It took some effort to get there. We had the first snow of the season that day, a good 2-3 sloppy inches, so that slowed traffic down quite a bit. There was also a hockey game that night right next door which made for crowded conditions everywhere [parking, roads etc]

Still it was great to watch 4 teams battle it out and enjoy all the clever names the women give themselves. There aren't too many bouts in a season but we're hoping we'll be able to go again soonish. Then Sunday morning was full of shopping and later it was all calm with lots of writing. I did manage to find bread stuffing without sugar in it once again.

I didn't write at all Saturday, I just couldn't figure out where to go next, but the story opened up again and I have been clicking away. Since I have the week off from work getting the entire first draft seems possible.

pirates are just fun

We celebrated one of my favorite spring traditions last night. This year the opera was The Pirates of Penzance. The cast did a superb job, the chorus was rousing and our seats were very good. I really enjoyed the voices of all the female leads, I don' t know that I can pick a favorite. Really the entire cast was wonderful.

We started the evening with a lovely dinner at Christos. It took awhile but I did manage to finally choose an appetizer, hummus this time. They are just all so good. I had the Kota Zakinthos which is a favorite entree, but this time the use of the sun dried tomatoes was a bit overwhelming but it was still a delightful meal. Lots of leftovers as usual. Post play two of us went to spyhouse for drinks and cream puffs. This are rich and not very sweet and I enjoyed my rare dessert out immensely. I wonder if they come from Patesserie Margo. Margo made our wedding cake so no wonder I love the cream puffs. The group was slightly smaller than some years but that didn't seem to decrease our enjoyment. I'm a bit sad that it's over for another year. Next year they are doing "Patience" which I have never seen. So I am already looking forward to it.

Unfortunately although the run for the operetta has just started they are entirely sold out. I really thought this year you would have a chance to buy tickets for something I was praising. Perhaps you can try your luck for unclaimed tickets before the show? Less than 24 hours until Spring.

ending of a busy week

It's been a busy week. So busy that I woke up this morning and realized that I didn't write for days without really realizing it.

Still all the presents that needed to be wrapped and shipped are done [yeah!] I love holiday cards and they are all mailed [yeah again] and I am making out a mammoth grocery list that will take us through the next week. I even got my old phone turned on, it barely holds a charge but I kind of have a phone again...

I have also been having fun. Last Sunday, when the high temperature was only about 3 degrees, I went with a friend to see the Santaland Diaries at BLB. Theatre Limina did a great job and combined with the fabulous company and the drinks and the mock duck rolls [which were saltier than usual] brought right to your seat it was a wonderful night. If you are wondering why I didn't link to it, unfortunately there are no more performances this year. However if you are dying for some xmas bashing cheer there are other 'holiday' shows to check out at BLB this week.

Performances like that remind me how fun it is to live in a big urban area with so much to do. My housemate goes out a lot as well, but we hardly ever do the same thing, there are just too many fun things to do in the city. And getting to laugh hard at David Sedaris' writing is one of the best cures for any holiday stress I have found. If you haven't heard it yet jump out to his myspace page and listen to 6-8 black men. And let me know how hard it made you laugh after if you like. [go MI hunters!]

at least there were klingons

The past 2 days were just one big work suck. The kind of suck that makes you think 'really being laid off is sounding better and better'. Usually followed by crashing guilt because hey I still have a job.

I hate that feeling, being overwhelmed by judgment and aversion. And the overwhelm makes it harder for me to bring a friendly eye and curiosity to it. It's hard to find any distance from it. To be kind to myself and just have sucky feelings. Of course the migraine that I woke up with this morning didn't help. It just seems evil to wake up with a headache.

However last night was the Klingon Christmas Carol. This did not suck, it was delightful. There were 5 of us and 4 who had seen it last year. It is in the more spacious hall in the Landmark Center over in St Paul. Very well heated by the way compared to Mixed Blood. We had phenomenal luck parking thanks to the sharp eyes of one of my passengers. All in all a delight.

It is a work in progress, there were differences from last year. I thought the first act could use a little tightening up. The tone seemed slightly more somber this year as well. But I enjoyed it immensely and between my shopping trip and now this I feel that the holiday season has been well and truly kicked off.

I have a spacious weekend opening up in front of me. I can't imagine I will get everything done but it may be fun to try. Almost certainly more fun than work.

tired but spirited

The past 2 [3] days of work have been fairly hellish and my sleep has been full of weird dreams. In one my mother and I were shopping for undergarments, but that's a post for another time.

There is also big fun happening this week and it started last night. HN and I went out to dinner [sweet potato fries at the Herkimer] and to see Blythe Spirit at the Jungle Theatre and it was a delightful production. I highly recommend it and since it is actually running through the end of March 6 days a week you all have a chance to see it, [unlike the Klingon Xmas Carol where I felt like a tease because it was gone by the time I gushed about it last December]. There really isn't a bad seat in the house although if you didn't want to crank your neck you may want to avoid row AA. I noticed that there are 5 women and only 2 men in the cast and I had to wonder how much WWII had to do with that considering that Coward wrote the play in 1941. As I walked out at the end I had to wonder is it a bit misogynist that play? Yes perhaps, why then did I enjoy it so much? Hmmm. I'd be interested in other opinions if you have one.

The fun continues this week with both a writing get together tomorrow night and IMAD this Friday. Stay tuned here for special IMAD updates and perhaps even a surprise...

Tonight is the Y, I don't want to go, but I am going. Thank goodness I agreed to meet a friend it is getting me out of the house.

xmas and klingons!

No new word count, but now that I am not giving my parents 90% of my time, I should have time to write again. I miss my story so much, I have been thinking about it a lot the last few days.

I'm sure you are all anxiously wondering how the Klingon Christmas Carol was...it was fabulous. I am just sorry that since I saw the last performance for the year it is now too late for any of you to rush out and buy tickets for it.

I really applaud all the actors for their great performance. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to act in an 'alien' language, constantly walking the line between camp, story, and inside jokes. Fleshing out something that many would consider a skit idea to a full length play must have been challenging but they met it. and it was quite beautiful in its own way. Afterwards when the three of us talked it over I realized that I missed some stuff, it was quite dense with detail. This is it's third year, and I hope they do it again next year. I am thinking I have found a holiday tradition I can get behind whole-heartily.
I needed a shot of lightness and holiday festivity this week and the Klingons filled that need beautifully.

The only disappointment, no singing of carols celebrating the 'longest night' in Klingon. Perhaps next year.

holidays have begun 09

Word count: 52029

For me the holidays begin with a day long event with one of my best friends. Which does not have a clever name or acronym like IMAD does, which really it should. hmmmm.

Anyway 13, 15, a lot of years ago, [were we still in college when we started!?!] we agreed that we really didn't want to 'buy' each other something for the winter holidays what we would rather do is:
- have a fabulous meal together somewhere
- spend fun time together during a sometimes frantic season
- perhaps get some present buying done for others

This year was a rousing success. We did find some gifts for others, our personal purchases was minimal [thank you IMAD] , we had two fabulous meals, picked up tickets for a food shelf concert we support every year and I, I'll speak for myself, had a great time.

We have even planned a fabulous addition to our holiday celebrations this year. Nothing says happy holidays like Klingons.

What you didn't know I was a big old geek? The fact that my degree was in mathematics and I married a physicist didn't clue you in? Aren't you the non judging soul, good for you.

I hope the klingons sing!

there's my life!

We spent a lot of time cabin shopping this winter. Then I traveled to see family [more on that soon] and all of the sudden we realized on Thursday 3/26 we hadn't had a 'date' since v-day. So we set about fixing that. And it became part of a great weekend. I do have a social life.

We went to our favorite Japanese place and ate fabulous food. This was the first time we ate at the bar surrounding the chefs but we didn't have time to wait for a table. We were so hungry. We got tickets for Shaw's The Devil's Disciple at Theatre in the Round and went there next. I love this theatre and the play was 'ok' we agreed after. Nothing bad but nothing to rave about. The date though was highly satisfactory all around. I am so fortunate to have such a fabulous wife that I can enjoy so thoroughly.

Then Saturday was the day to see the yearly Gilbert and Sullivan production. They did Ruddigore and it was fabulous. All the leads, the sets, the chorus were all great. It was so very enjoyable. Just thinking about the 'professional corp of bridemaids' cracks me up. We had lunch before the matinee at the Peninsula, yum. [get their Queen's Tofu, they make their own tofu, it's like little clouds from heaven] Then coffee and dessert at Spyhouse afterwards. The 5 of us [me and 4 friends] had a great time.

Sunday, a day for reading the paper, catching up on blogs, throwing the Frisbee for my border collie, enjoying more sun and ECD in the evening. What a weekend, I do more than work, yeah!