// March 4th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized
I’ve been watching the development of this Microsoft-alternative closely. Every few years for the past 12 or so, I’ve downloaded the latest, greatest linux attempt at actually doing what Microsoft does, only better. Not until this year was I convinced enough to keep a version of linux on my computer, in order to experiment with it and get to know it better. (more…)
// March 1st, 2007 // 1 Comment » // General
No- a very strict creationist. None of this “Intelligent Design” vagueness. And I am consciously borrowing my title phrase from the study of judicial interpretation (and for the record, I am a strict constructionist, too). I do not have doubts that the Bible is literal in it’s meaning when it says:
In the beginning, God created . . .
In the beginning was the Word . . . and without Him, nothing was made.
I’m amazed by the passion I find slapping back at us, the creationists, when we attempt to bring our views into the marketplace of ideas, and raise them in public discussions. Especially online discussions, where it seems we’ve made any amount of decency or etiquette optional, and uncool. At any rate, I am one who stands on both sides of the issue, having spent the first twenty years of my life being a public-schooled evolutionist, and then at age twenty I became convinced of the truth of creation by presentations of the evidence for it in the Bible. (more…)
// January 1st, 2007 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized
New Year’s Day. All we did today was schlep around the apartment, eat, read, nap, play games. The most organized thing we did was watch the movie Waiting for Guffman.
Tomorrow, we pack, eat, take a car to La Guardia, and spend the day flying to Fresno and driving home to our beds. Wednesday, it’s back to work! What a cool holiday this has been. Makes me wonder what this year holds…
// December 31st, 2006 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized
New Year’s Eve. Again, mostly a day for resting. We breakfasted at the Metro Diner. Most of us took a little walk down to Riverside Park, past the former residences of Duke Ellington and George Gershwin. Saw Jersey across the Hudson. The problem for me was being under the influence of the Benadril I had taken to help me sleep the night before; I felt so drugged and out of it. Kim bought a map of Manhattan at a bookstore. Saw a plane sky-writing “Who Will She Choose?” in the clear winter blue.
Upon returning home, Norman cooked up a fabulous feast, followed up by a tasty dessert. Highlight: David Garrison and Patricia Ben Peterson, both good friends of Norman, joined us for dinner. (We affectionately called them the Wizard of Wicked and the Queen of Movies. Ya had ta be there…) Watched Seinfeld (an entirely different experience having visited New York) until midnightish. Hurrayed for the New Year when the ball dropped. Listened out the window to revellers and fireworks. I conked out at about 12:30.
// December 30th, 2006 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized
Today we went to the matinee showing of the Phantom of the Opera at Broadway’s Majestic Theater. Norman, who usually does the famous organ and other keyboard and piano parts, today was filling in for the conductor. Although this was an amazing day because of the show, we did very little besides go to the show.
We had great seats, about 50 feet from the stage. As I was at the Spamalot show at the Schubert Theater, I was surprised at how much smaller the stage and house were than I had imagined. The smaller size makes for a much more intimate and close-up experience; I wouldn’t change that at all.
The performances were incredible if for no other reason than that on this night, after many in the company have been with the show for 10 years or more, each actor’s enthusiasm level was so high, I would’ve thought it had been their opening night. How do they keep up the intensity?
I liked the stage version much better than the movie because of its pacing. Obviously it was conceived by Andrew Lloyd Webber for the stage and not the screen, so it makes sense that it would play better in the medium it was designed for. I would say the same for Spamalot, loosely based upon Monty Python’s Holy Grail film.
The best part came right after the play, when Norman gave us the backstage tour. It was just amazing to see all the trapdoors and hydrolics and (literally) smoke-and-mirror tricks of modern Broadway-caliber musicals. We met hair dressers, and they showed us hairpieces just taken off the heads of the stars. We passed by stage hands sleeping in hammocks and nooks and crannies of the under-stage works.
And the highlight of the tour: meeting the phantom (Howard McGillin)! His personal hair and make-up lady was giving his hair a trim, and he graciously accepted our complements and gave autographs. Just as Norman escorted us to where we would part briefly with him while he changed, he presented to both Jana and Sara their own Phantom poster signed by each of the cast members, with Mr. McGillin’s in the center (“to Jana,” & “to Sara”).
After such a magical show, the rest of the evening was rather anti-climactic, so I’ll just say that it involved authentic Indian food at the Vatan with cousin Jan who afterwards showed us her apartment (the building used to be the residence of Debbie Harry, Annie Liebovitz, Nicole Kidman, and Susan Sontag).
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