Pen and Ink

Yes, I noticed.

Jeff called last night to chat.  It was nice to catch up with him, as we hadn't talked in about six weeks or so.

He mentioned that he reads my blog every Saturday to keep up with what's going on with me. I replied that I hadn't been writing much lately.

"Yes, I noticed," was his response.

My lack of posts is only from a lack of energy, not idea. I have a whole list here of things I want to write about.

On Sunday I leave for a two-night trip to New York State. It's business, so no play time in NYC. That means, though, that I should have some time to do some writing.

So stay tuned, loyal readers.

Holiday decorating.

Even though the page in the calendar has not turned to December, the Christmas season is here.  So I've done a little decorating, in case you couldn't tell.

The old blog design was getting boring. I've had it for a year. Plus I've had some cool Christmas images in my photo file (who knows where I stole them from). So here's a holiday refresh of these pages for you.

But that means I have to come up with something brand spanking new for January.

I need to find someone to take some cool new photographs; the one that's been on this site for a year now is about three years old. It's getting boring.  I have a concept for what I want, but just need someone to take it.

What I really need it someone who knows a little something about graphic design. I love my new MacBook, but the Adobe Creative Suite is pricey. Plus I'm not a designer by training, so most of those programs are way above my head. How come Microsoft doesn't have a Mac version of Publisher?  (Gee, I work for a college with a design school. Maybe I should take a class, huh?)

Hope you like the design. And if you're a photographer in the South Florida area, hit me up, huh?

Finish the song.

Getting in the car for a 30 minute drive to John's place, I scrolled through the music on my iPod to find just the right driving tunes. My finger stopped at the cast album for An Unfinished Song, music I had not listened to in quite some time.

An Unfinished Song, with book, music and lyrics by James J. Mellon, was first produced at the Provincetown Playhouse. As Stephen Holden wrote in his February 19, 1991 review in the Times, the show "is an examination of grief that has the feel of a personal cry from the heart."

I'm not sure how many places this show was ever produced. I saw it in Boston in 1995 or so. (It did not, I don't think, ever make it to New York.) Mellon played Michael, one of the lead characters, with Kevin Bailey as his lover, Worth.

For me, the show was very moving. I'm not one to cry at a movie or a show, but this one brought me close. Mellon and Bailey had a real chemistry on stage. A single set dominated the theater, with seating on three sides. No curtain, no wings, just set. Mostly, when the actors were not on stage, they sat on the sides.

From where I was sitting, I could observe Bailey and Mellon when they were not required on stage. They'd sit on the side and hold hands. I assumed they were just staying in character, but it was more than that as I would come to find out reading an interview in Bay Windows. They were (are?) partners in real life, knowledge of which made the experience even richer for me.

The cast album is really wonderful. It features a then-unknown Beth Leavel, who would go on to win the Tony for the title role in The Drowsy Chaperon two seasons ago. Hearing her perform "The Frying Pan" about having a mid-life crisis in Macys, is just delightful.

There are other great songs on the album including "Hobby Horses/How Could I Let You Leave Me" and "Remember the Ocean." In addition to Leavel, Bailey's rich, luxurious voice is worth the cost of the CD. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be in print (I tried Amazon while researching this post).

I wish Mellon would get this show produced again. I can't find a whole lot about him, other that he's still writing musicals (including The Ghost and Mrs. Muir). Bailey turned up in a couple of mid-90s shows when I searched for him. He also participated in the 1999 and 2000 Carols for a Cure albums, released by Broadway Cares.

The songs in this show may be finished, the show's life itself remains unfinished in my view. If I had the money, I'd produce it.

* * * * *
If any of my regular readers (there aren't many of you) want a copy of the CD, just shoot me an email.

Rat-Tap-Tap-Tap.

Believe it or not, I've never seen Funny Girl. The stage version or the musical. I know, I know, take away my membership card to the "Lavender Elite."

A local, professional production opened last night at Nova Southeastern University, so I decided to take it in. Even though I've not seen the movie with la Streisand, the two big numbers from the show -- People and Don't Rain On My Parade -- are Streisand classics, so it would be tough to see and hear another actress perform them.

Well, Babs was nowhere to be heard when Irene Adjan took the stage. Feisty in the "New York Jew" mode, Adjan made Fanny Brice her own. I really enjoyed her performance. Christopher Kent was terrific as Eddie. Jim Ballard, who I've been in Bingo and Urinetown, did a good job as Nick Arnstein.

One of the best voices belonged to the actor playing Ziegfeld Tenor...some guy named John Lariviere. Wait, that name sounds familiar.  Hmmm...oh, I know...he would be my boyfriend. 

Obviously, I've seen John perform before. First there was a straight play, then his own cabaret show and a Brice-Cantor-Jolson revue he participated in last season. But this was my first time getting to see him in a book musical. He was terrific, of course. And who knew he could dance?

One of the pleasures of dating a performer and theater reviewer is that I get to meet some of the cast members of various shows. Since he's been in the South Florida theater community for quite some time, he knows many of the local performers.

Last night I got to meet Carole Cortland (Mrs. Brice) and Andrea Wolff, who was delightful as Mrs. Strakosh. And I also got to meet John's friend Lissen Ellington who plays Mimsy.  While I didn't get to meet him, Dominic Benevento did a great job in the ensemble. I had seen him portray the tough role of Prior in Angels in America last year as a senior at New World School of the Arts.

All in all, a great evening. Turns out I have a tap-dancing boyfriend. Who'd a thunk it?

Perfectly colored.

Happy Turkey Day from Florida.

Turkey wrestling.

I've seen this commercial twice tonight on TV. Hysterical.

Tuna on wheat, please.

The other day, W, P-Boy and I went to Au Bon Pain for lunch. The lunch options in downtown Miami are rather limited, so we're in ABP quite often. They've gotten to know us there.

Just how much they know us was revealed during our last trip.

When it was my turn to order, I stepped up to the register. Before I could open my mouth, one of the sandwich makers came up behind the woman who was about to take my order. She handed me a bag with a sandwich.

I looked at her inquisitively and she said, "Tuna on toasted whole wheat baguette, cheddar, lettuce, onion and no tomato, right?" Then she smiled and walked away.

Damn. How much of a creature of habit am I??

What are you waiting for?

Aside from an occasional (rare) sleepless night because my mind is all clogged with stuff (usually work), insomnia is not something I suffer from.

But the last week or so, I've been waking up early -- approximately 30 minutes or so before my alarm goes off. That may not sound like a big deal, but it's atypical for me. I'm the guy who hits the snooze button as much as he dares, getting up at the very last possible moment. That's why breakfast is generally snarfing down a bagel from Dunkin' while driving on the highway.

I don't know if it's a sign of something to come, or maybe just a state I'm in.

Today I suffered through a two and a half hour executive committee meeting at work. The problem with academic types is that they have to discuss and process everything ad nauseum. And they like to hear themselves talk.

After the meeting, I said hi to J, who's another "friend of Dorothy." 

"What is wrong with you? I was watching you during the meeting and you looked so out of it."

Gee, could he tell I started to nod off a couple of times.

I explained to J that maybe I'm just tired.  Plus, I haven't had any real time off in more than a year. I started this job at the beginning of January and my only time off between jobs was Christmas week. And what with traveling to NJ for the holiday, it's hardly restful.

"You need to take some time off. What are you waiting for?" asked J.

"Christmas." 

We shut down for two whole weeks.  And I'm counting the days.

Vocabulary lesson.

Today's word is "snarky."  Spell it with me class: "S-N-A-R-K-Y. Snarky."

Twice in the past week I've used that word with different people and they had no idea what I was talking about.  It's happened before, too.

I started thinking about it and wondered if it really was a word. I'm not the first to use it, so someone had to come up with it. Has it made the dictionaries?  Indeed it has.

According to Dictionary.com, which got it's information from Random House, "snarky" is chiefly British slang. It means testy or irritable; short."  The origin of the word, believe it for not, goes back to the early 1900s. "Snark" was to nag, find fault with.

However in my email communications with the two folks who didn't know the word, I used a different definition.

Snarky = David Spade.

With that, they got it.

Disclaimer: I mean no disrespect to David Spade if he, a member of his family, or one of his friends reads it. Snarky can be funny. David Spade is kinda funny.

 

Smack!

The other night I went out onto YouTube to find some funny clips. It's so daunting, that YouTube. Tons to see and a lot of it not very funny, smart or worth my time watching. There's so much that I don't peruse it very often.

So when I put a clip on here, it's generally one that I have found on another blogger's site. Today's clip appears thanks to the inspiration of Dantallion's Can[n]on. Turn the sound up on your computer before watching.