#18 Boston - Back to the Theater - October 7, 2006
It was time to do something different for a change, by now you guys are probably sick and tired of all the stories about running, huh? OK, I'll give you a little "cultscha" this time - it was a week of theater enjoyment - starting off with a Neil Simon play this past Friday, "California Suite" - performed by the Burlington Players in the Park Playhouse. Burlington is located 13 miles northeast of Boston, but, not to be mean or anything, my knowledge of this suburban community so far had been restricted to the fact that it is nestled in between a spider web of freeways (128,95, 93, Route 3) and that it is dominated by the most gigantic shopping mall known to mankind. OK, I am exaggerating a bit, but it is a fairly colossal retail establishment there, also known to us outdoorsy types as the meeting place for hikes in New Hampshire. You can park your car there nicely all day, and hop in the car pool for the White Mountains. The town was founded in 1799 and is situated nicely on the watersheds for three rivers, the Ipswich, Mystic and Shawsheen. Its history was more of the agricultural sort (hops, rye, that type of stuff), but with the freeways being built around it, in particular Route 128, it developed nicely and rapidly into a residential-commercial-retail-development type of place.
Anyway (see how craftily I steered the conversation back to the outdoors....), the all-volunteer Burlington Players, supported by our friend Irene Szewcuk (which is why we went there), tackled a Neil Simon Play: "California Suite" (http://www.msu.edu/~pelowsk1/neilsimon/plays/california.html), a combo of four one-actors that all take place in the same hotel room in chichi Beverly Hills - a divorced couple duking it out, a British actress with her not-so-straight husband getting completely sloshed because she did not win the Oscar (that other tramp did...), a guy trying to hide the very uncooperative harlot he apparently hooked up with the night before just as his wife arrives, and finally the Hollenders and the Franklins who went together on vacation but never should have. Funny stuff!
The other theater experience this week leads us back to Boston, to the Huntington Theatre Company where I am known to frequently usher - Pulitzer Price winning playwright August Wilson's "Radio Golf" was performed to perfection by an amazing cast, in particular Eugene Lee as Sterling Johnson and Anthony Chisholm as the Elder Joseph Barlow were more than notable. August Wilson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Wilson) grew up in the poorest of circumstances in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of a German baker and an African American housekeeper. His childhood experiences and his family's struggle during economically and socially challenging times found their way into the ten plays he wrote, which have been declared to be among the most genuine narratives of African American life in the 20th century.
Of course, there has to be some outdoorsy stuff - more on the passive side this time. Saturday my friend Denise and I zoomed up to the town of Hollis, New Hampshire, where she had lined up to run the Applefest Half Marathon (http://www.gatecity.org/AF/index.shtml) - if you guys remember, this was my first Half Marathon last year. This time, I got to just lay on the grass, let the sun shine in my face, read and enjoy myself while all the runners sweated it out on the race course. And of course, participate in post-race activities, such as eating apple crisp, drinking apple cider, eating another apple crisp....
Sunday the weather was not as kind and sunny, but that did not keep us New Englanders indoors- noooo! We are not deterred by weather of any kind! The sky could be falling, we would be out there checking it out. It was time to visit the North Shore (in the pouring rain), and visit (first time for me) Topsfield (quaint and green), Beverly (some quaintness, much bigger), Salem (town of witches, ghosts and ghouls), the half-island of Nahant (lovely seaside community), affluent Swampscott, and my new favorite, the darling little town of Marblehead - just cute (I can't think of another way to describe it), wonderfully situated at the seaside, quaint little streets, inviting restaurants and stores. It was just lovely, despite the crappy weather. A nice little lunch at the Driftwood Restaurant with an Ipswich IPA helped to round out this most enjoyable day.
Aside from that things have been plodding along. I am still not over my cold, and combined with my reflux issue which has not quite settled yet, despite the fact that we have restarted the medication, I have been a little under the weather, and used most of my evenings for some nice R&R. Yoga class with Pauline (who is the bestest Yoga teacher, I swear!), lots of movies, and reading, reading, reading (current selection "Lance Armstrong's War - NY Times best seller, fabulous read - inhaling it....). We moved offices at work, and boy, am I happy in my new digs! First of all, my new office has a window! Daylight! The Lawrence House, our new abode, is a small brick building right next to the hospital, and it has the feel of a house to it, very nice, away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital. One of our conference rooms even has a fireplace in it (doesn't work thought)...
Fall is slowly creeping in here in New England, with the one or other summer day still trying to hang on, the temperatures have come down, and we are experiencing those wonderful cool autumn mornings that I love so much. Today and tomorrow is apparently the choice weekend for leaf peeping, and my friend Elaine and I will be heading toward New Hampshire tomorrow to join a gazillion other people and go oooh and aaah. This is one of my favorite things to do and as mentioned to you early, I tend to get panic attacks just thinking I might miss it. So beautiful - it takes your breath away, every time.
I gotta go now, my friend Lynda, her fiancée Todd and I will be heading to the Blue Hills for a little stroll, and I am still sitting here in my PJs, better get going. Enclosed is a little mean humor about New England for your entertainment (none of it true, of course).
See ya!
pet:)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for Permission to Live in New Hampshire
NAME:
ETHNIC INFORMATION: (voluntary)
White ( )
TYPE OF CARS OWNED:
Pickup Truck ( )
You don't own any Foreign cars, do you? NO ( )
CAR EQUIPMENT:
Gun Rack ( ) Stash ( ) CB ( ) Beer Holder ( )
Playboy air freshener ( )
BUMPER STICKERS:
"Ex-wife in trunk" ( )
"If Guns are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Guns" ( )
"Bush/Quayle" ( )
"Shit Happens" ( )
"If you don't like my driving, get off the sidewalk" ( )
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual ( )
FAVORITE CAUSE: NRA ( ) Pro-life ( )
Total given to these causes in the last 12 months:
FAVORITE DRUGS:
Grass ( )
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE BANNED?:
(check all that apply)
Democrats ( ) Welfare ( ) N.O.W. ( )
FAVORITE BEER:
Miller ( ) Michelob ( ) Bud ( )
FAVORITE POLITICIAN:
Don't Care ( )
CLUB MEMBERSHIPS:
NRA ( )
How Many Automatic Weapons do you own?
5 ( ) 10 ( ) More than that ( )
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Benny Hill ( )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for Permission to Live in Massachusetts
NAME:
(extra space left due to new social awareness)
ETHNIC INFORMATION: (voluntary)
Eskimo ( ) American Indian ( ) Hispanic ( ) Asian ( )
African-American ( ) American-African ( ) Black-American ( )
Other Group With A Long History Of Oppression By White Males ( )
(specify, so we can help you form a political action group)
TYPE OF CARS OWNED (pick two):
SAAB ( ) Volvo ( ) BMW ( ) Mercedes ( ) Honda ( )
You don't own any American cars, do you? NO ( )
CAR EQUIPMENT:
Blaupunkt ( ) Passport ( ) Escort ( ) Vuarnet Sunglasses ( )
Stash ( ) CD ( ) Cellular Phone ( ) Ski Rack ( )
Bicycle Rack ( ) Wine Rack ( )
BUMPER STICKERS:
"You can't hug a child with nuclear arms" ( ) "Greenpeace" ( )
"Dukakis/Bentsen" ( ) "Save the Whales" ( ) "Farms not Arms" ( )
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Gay ( ) Lesbian ( ) Other ( )
(note: failure to give the proper answer to the above means you can't
live in certain towns on the Cape, or get elected to Congress)
FAVORITE CAUSE: Whales ( ) Baby Seals ( ) Snail Darter ( )
Total given to these causes in the last 12 months:
FAVORITE DRUGS:
Crack ( ) Coke ( ) Grass ( ) Kitty's Diet Plan ( )
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE BANNED?:
(check all that apply)
The Bomb ( ) Handguns ( ) All guns ( ) Nuclear Power ( )
Cigarettes ( ) The NRA ( ) Republicans ( )
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE LEGALIZED?:
(check all that apply)
Crack ( ) Coke ( ) Grass ( ) Needles ( )
Flag Burning ( )
FAVORITE BEER:
Samuel Adams ( ) Beck's ( ) Corona(w/lime) ( )
Latest trendy brand ( )
FAVORITE POLITICIAN:
Ted Kennedy ( ) John Kennedy ( ) Bobby Kennedy ( )
Joe Kennedy ( )
CLUB MEMBERSHIPS:
ACLU ( ) Greenpeace ( ) SDS ( ) N.O.W. ( ) A.F.S.C.M.E ( )
Billy Bulger Breakfast Club ( ) Provincetown Boys Club ( )
Bull-dykes Kennel Club ( )
Even though we can't ever get any more power from Hydro-Quebec, don't
you think that Seabrook should remain closed forever? YES ( )
Don't you think that the people in the Midwest should stop dropping acid
rain on our vacation homes in Vermont, even if it means that they all lose
their jobs? YES ( )
How many watts (per channel, RMS) is your principal home stereo?
100W ( ) 200W ( ) More than that ( )
How many air conditioners do you have to help you through our long New
England summers?: 2 ( ) 3 ( ) 4 ( ) Central Air ( )
(note: Fewer than two A/C units may qualify you for state
subsidies if you are a non-white unemployed Democrat)
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Thirtysomething ( )
Anyway (see how craftily I steered the conversation back to the outdoors....), the all-volunteer Burlington Players, supported by our friend Irene Szewcuk (which is why we went there), tackled a Neil Simon Play: "California Suite" (http://www.msu.edu/~pelowsk1/neilsimon/plays/california.html), a combo of four one-actors that all take place in the same hotel room in chichi Beverly Hills - a divorced couple duking it out, a British actress with her not-so-straight husband getting completely sloshed because she did not win the Oscar (that other tramp did...), a guy trying to hide the very uncooperative harlot he apparently hooked up with the night before just as his wife arrives, and finally the Hollenders and the Franklins who went together on vacation but never should have. Funny stuff!
The other theater experience this week leads us back to Boston, to the Huntington Theatre Company where I am known to frequently usher - Pulitzer Price winning playwright August Wilson's "Radio Golf" was performed to perfection by an amazing cast, in particular Eugene Lee as Sterling Johnson and Anthony Chisholm as the Elder Joseph Barlow were more than notable. August Wilson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Wilson) grew up in the poorest of circumstances in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of a German baker and an African American housekeeper. His childhood experiences and his family's struggle during economically and socially challenging times found their way into the ten plays he wrote, which have been declared to be among the most genuine narratives of African American life in the 20th century.
Of course, there has to be some outdoorsy stuff - more on the passive side this time. Saturday my friend Denise and I zoomed up to the town of Hollis, New Hampshire, where she had lined up to run the Applefest Half Marathon (http://www.gatecity.org/AF/index.shtml) - if you guys remember, this was my first Half Marathon last year. This time, I got to just lay on the grass, let the sun shine in my face, read and enjoy myself while all the runners sweated it out on the race course. And of course, participate in post-race activities, such as eating apple crisp, drinking apple cider, eating another apple crisp....
Sunday the weather was not as kind and sunny, but that did not keep us New Englanders indoors- noooo! We are not deterred by weather of any kind! The sky could be falling, we would be out there checking it out. It was time to visit the North Shore (in the pouring rain), and visit (first time for me) Topsfield (quaint and green), Beverly (some quaintness, much bigger), Salem (town of witches, ghosts and ghouls), the half-island of Nahant (lovely seaside community), affluent Swampscott, and my new favorite, the darling little town of Marblehead - just cute (I can't think of another way to describe it), wonderfully situated at the seaside, quaint little streets, inviting restaurants and stores. It was just lovely, despite the crappy weather. A nice little lunch at the Driftwood Restaurant with an Ipswich IPA helped to round out this most enjoyable day.
Aside from that things have been plodding along. I am still not over my cold, and combined with my reflux issue which has not quite settled yet, despite the fact that we have restarted the medication, I have been a little under the weather, and used most of my evenings for some nice R&R. Yoga class with Pauline (who is the bestest Yoga teacher, I swear!), lots of movies, and reading, reading, reading (current selection "Lance Armstrong's War - NY Times best seller, fabulous read - inhaling it....). We moved offices at work, and boy, am I happy in my new digs! First of all, my new office has a window! Daylight! The Lawrence House, our new abode, is a small brick building right next to the hospital, and it has the feel of a house to it, very nice, away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital. One of our conference rooms even has a fireplace in it (doesn't work thought)...
Fall is slowly creeping in here in New England, with the one or other summer day still trying to hang on, the temperatures have come down, and we are experiencing those wonderful cool autumn mornings that I love so much. Today and tomorrow is apparently the choice weekend for leaf peeping, and my friend Elaine and I will be heading toward New Hampshire tomorrow to join a gazillion other people and go oooh and aaah. This is one of my favorite things to do and as mentioned to you early, I tend to get panic attacks just thinking I might miss it. So beautiful - it takes your breath away, every time.
I gotta go now, my friend Lynda, her fiancée Todd and I will be heading to the Blue Hills for a little stroll, and I am still sitting here in my PJs, better get going. Enclosed is a little mean humor about New England for your entertainment (none of it true, of course).
See ya!
pet:)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for Permission to Live in New Hampshire
NAME:
ETHNIC INFORMATION: (voluntary)
White ( )
TYPE OF CARS OWNED:
Pickup Truck ( )
You don't own any Foreign cars, do you? NO ( )
CAR EQUIPMENT:
Gun Rack ( ) Stash ( ) CB ( ) Beer Holder ( )
Playboy air freshener ( )
BUMPER STICKERS:
"Ex-wife in trunk" ( )
"If Guns are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Guns" ( )
"Bush/Quayle" ( )
"Shit Happens" ( )
"If you don't like my driving, get off the sidewalk" ( )
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual ( )
FAVORITE CAUSE: NRA ( ) Pro-life ( )
Total given to these causes in the last 12 months:
FAVORITE DRUGS:
Grass ( )
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE BANNED?:
(check all that apply)
Democrats ( ) Welfare ( ) N.O.W. ( )
FAVORITE BEER:
Miller ( ) Michelob ( ) Bud ( )
FAVORITE POLITICIAN:
Don't Care ( )
CLUB MEMBERSHIPS:
NRA ( )
How Many Automatic Weapons do you own?
5 ( ) 10 ( ) More than that ( )
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Benny Hill ( )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for Permission to Live in Massachusetts
NAME:
(extra space left due to new social awareness)
ETHNIC INFORMATION: (voluntary)
Eskimo ( ) American Indian ( ) Hispanic ( ) Asian ( )
African-American ( ) American-African ( ) Black-American ( )
Other Group With A Long History Of Oppression By White Males ( )
(specify, so we can help you form a political action group)
TYPE OF CARS OWNED (pick two):
SAAB ( ) Volvo ( ) BMW ( ) Mercedes ( ) Honda ( )
You don't own any American cars, do you? NO ( )
CAR EQUIPMENT:
Blaupunkt ( ) Passport ( ) Escort ( ) Vuarnet Sunglasses ( )
Stash ( ) CD ( ) Cellular Phone ( ) Ski Rack ( )
Bicycle Rack ( ) Wine Rack ( )
BUMPER STICKERS:
"You can't hug a child with nuclear arms" ( ) "Greenpeace" ( )
"Dukakis/Bentsen" ( ) "Save the Whales" ( ) "Farms not Arms" ( )
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Gay ( ) Lesbian ( ) Other ( )
(note: failure to give the proper answer to the above means you can't
live in certain towns on the Cape, or get elected to Congress)
FAVORITE CAUSE: Whales ( ) Baby Seals ( ) Snail Darter ( )
Total given to these causes in the last 12 months:
FAVORITE DRUGS:
Crack ( ) Coke ( ) Grass ( ) Kitty's Diet Plan ( )
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE BANNED?:
(check all that apply)
The Bomb ( ) Handguns ( ) All guns ( ) Nuclear Power ( )
Cigarettes ( ) The NRA ( ) Republicans ( )
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE LEGALIZED?:
(check all that apply)
Crack ( ) Coke ( ) Grass ( ) Needles ( )
Flag Burning ( )
FAVORITE BEER:
Samuel Adams ( ) Beck's ( ) Corona(w/lime) ( )
Latest trendy brand ( )
FAVORITE POLITICIAN:
Ted Kennedy ( ) John Kennedy ( ) Bobby Kennedy ( )
Joe Kennedy ( )
CLUB MEMBERSHIPS:
ACLU ( ) Greenpeace ( ) SDS ( ) N.O.W. ( ) A.F.S.C.M.E ( )
Billy Bulger Breakfast Club ( ) Provincetown Boys Club ( )
Bull-dykes Kennel Club ( )
Even though we can't ever get any more power from Hydro-Quebec, don't
you think that Seabrook should remain closed forever? YES ( )
Don't you think that the people in the Midwest should stop dropping acid
rain on our vacation homes in Vermont, even if it means that they all lose
their jobs? YES ( )
How many watts (per channel, RMS) is your principal home stereo?
100W ( ) 200W ( ) More than that ( )
How many air conditioners do you have to help you through our long New
England summers?: 2 ( ) 3 ( ) 4 ( ) Central Air ( )
(note: Fewer than two A/C units may qualify you for state
subsidies if you are a non-white unemployed Democrat)
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Thirtysomething ( )
posted by My Boston at
8:32 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home