the king's speech AKA give that man an oscar now!

This past weekend, before the Devil Flu from Hell struck, I took myself to see The King's Speech. Let me start by saying that I love me some Colin Firth - ever since he and his white shirt dove into that tranquil pond in Pride & Prejudice, I have loved him. I loved him in Bridget Jones (Mr. Darcy playing Mr. Darcy? Genius!) and hell, I even loved him in Mamma Mia! and that is saying something. He was, as I recall, an early entry onto the legen (wait for it) dary Wall of Men that traveled with Cara and I into four dorm rooms in college.

The King's Speech is a wonderful film. It is not flashy, it is not filled with high speed chases or lots of explosions, it is a quiet film, exploring one man's struggle with a stammer. He was no ordinary man, of course, he was the Duke of York, the Spare Prince, #2, the invisible man, never to be King. Destiny changed all that for him when his playboy brother David (who was Edward VIII for a short short while) abdicated the throne for that "twice divorced, American woman" Wallis Simpson before they headed off to their "vee-la" in France (sorry, the above quotes were for my own amusement - I had a thing for Edward VIII in school and did an AP European history project on his non-existent reign).

Suddenly, the man in the background found himself center stage, at a time when the world was about to get sucked in to another global conflict. He had no actual politcal power, like to form a government, but everyone looked to him for guidance. The people need you, Bertie. So public speaking became important and he looked to the "common colonial" Lional Logue for assistance for getting rid of the stutter. The relationship with these two men lasted the rest of George VI's lifetime.

It's a wonderful story, a little slice of life. The cast is all kinds of star powered - aside from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, it includes Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen Mum, leading off a Harry Potter reunion of sorts with Michael Gambon as George V, and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill. Also in the cast are Jennifer Ehle (from P&P - squee!) Sir Derek Jacobi, Guy Pierce and, something that will probably interest only me, but it is my blog, right, so I'm gonna mention it - Anthony Andrews as Prime Minister Baldwin. Mr. Andrews is a wonderful actor who once played Edward VIII in a little made for tv movie called "The Woman He Loved". He also played Sebastian in "Brideshead Revisited" - not the recent movie, an older version, a dashing Scarlet Pimpernel, and a bomb squad officer in a lovely little series called "Danger UXB"). He has about two scenes in this film, and it took me until the second one to recognize him, but sure enough, there he was.

Anyway. Do yourselves a favor, this Oscar weekend, and go see The King's Speech. There will always (always) be another Adam Sandler move (trust me). But this one is a sweet little gem and is not to be missed.

the best thing i've read all day...

I read a review this morning of The Joffrey's production of The Merry Widow. The review opens thus:

"The Joffrey Ballet’s grand and glorious production of “The Merry Widow,” the full-length ballet by British choreographer Ronald Hynd now in a lavish company premiere at the Auditorium Theatre, might just inspire a little yearning for the rebirth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

Huh??

Really? Yearning? Really? I don't see how we're supposed to take critics seriously at all, when they say stuff like this. Full disclosure here: I haven't seen this and I most likely won't be. So, for all I know, the entire audience might have left the Auditorium having the following conversation:

Patron 1: You know what the world needs? A return to the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Patron 2: Yeah! I was totes thinking that too!
Patron 1: I love how they went from being primitive city-states to like, the first world superpower.
Patron 2: Yeah, Europe got all united and shit. Power to the Habsburgs!
Patron 1: It's really too bad that that Franz Ferdinand got shot in 1914, by those crazy-ass mo-fos in the Black Hand.
Patron 2: That would be a totally awesome name for a band.
Patron 1: Black Hand?
Patron 2: No, Franz Ferdinand.
Patron 1: I think that's taken. But whaevs. This ballet? Totally reminded me of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I don't know how, since it was, like, a really long time ago, but I inexplicably find myself yearning for a return to those glory days of yore.
Patron 2: Did you just say yore?
Patron 1: Yeah, sorry, I guess I got caught up in all the yearning.
Patron 2: The costumes were pretty though, and ooh, the dancing was awesome, too.
Patron 1: Yeah. I love me a good waltz.
Patron 2: Is it me or is it really dark in that theter?

etc.

I don't remember what the rest of the review said, I have been sitting here chuckling about that opening line for a solid 20 minutes. So if anyone goes to see the Merry Widow PLEASE, PLEASE tell me if you are gripped with a sudden yearning for good old Archduke Franz whatshisname and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. And thank you, critic-who-shall-not-be-named-although-I-am-pretty-sure-any-Chicagoan-will-know-right-away-who-you-are, for helping me start out my Friday with a good laugh, and also allowing me to flex my creative muscles before work...

Let Me Entertain You...

I've been spending a lot of time on public transportation lately, and so have had a lot of time to read. Aside from being crazy obsessed with the Pretty Little Liars series (so bad. And yet, so good.), I've also been reading Karen Abbott's American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare, the Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee.

I went into this book thinking I knew the story - I have, after all, seen Gypsy the musical fable severally, read Gypsy's autobiography and even her son's book, Gypsy & Me. The story is familiar - trouping the vaudeville circuit, at the end the era of that kind of entertainment. Baby June's crazy ability (very much exploited) to dance on pointe when she was only 2 years old, which probably led her to flee the act as a teenager. The creation of Gypsy Rose Lee, internationally renowned famous person and burlesque queen, from Rose Louise Hovick - the not very talented, self-taught girl, nicknamed "the Duchess".

This is a story about identity - Rose Louise, born June Ellen Hovick, had her name taken away from her when her cute as a button baby sister was born (thus becoming Baby/Dainty June AKA June Havoc in later years). But who is this girl? She is an early day Madonna of sorts, recreating herself to fit whatever image suits her at the time. Stripteaser extraordinaire? Check. TV talk show hostess? Check. Mother? Check. Pretty Princess of Fabulous Literary Salons and exclusive Parties? Check Check Check. A true ecdysiast (a word coined for her) - shedding her skin on stage and in life. Giving things away but keeping a lot to herself. The shy quiet Louise, desperate to be a star and seeking Mother's attention, that we grew to know and love from the musical? That story is the way Gypsy wanted it to be, maybe not necessarily the way things were. Hence the use of the word "fable" in the show's title.

This is also the story of America in the early 20th century. A time of notorious political corruption, post WWI isolationism, and the start of the Great Depression. This era saw the rise of burlesque as popular entertainment, chronicled in the book through the story of the brothers Minsky.

Several narrative threads come together masterfully in this book, the story of Gypsy, her relationship with her mother and with June, a tale of entertainment (and morality) in Depression-era America, before our rise to Superpowerhood, innocence lived and lost.

happy days, are, indeed, here again

Happy, happy Friday and happy happy days!

when is spring gonna get here, anyway?

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate snow? I hate it a lot. So I started the week with much trepidation over the weather forecast. On Sunday morning, when I was working out, I saw a weather report calling for 13-17 inches of snow. But, the weather guy said those estimates "might be conservative" - and I thought, eh. It's Sunday, they could still be wrong. But on Monday they were saying the same thing. And there was a timeline. But you know how it is. The newscasters whip us all into a weather watching frenzy, making us think that we will be stuck in the storm to end all storms, and then NADA. So forgive us all for being a little bit skeptical. I sort of thought that we'd get something, because they couldn't be that wrong, but maybe it wouldn't be as bad as they thought.

I went into work on Tuesday morning, and everyone was talking about the snow. Something about the possibility of a snow day made everyone kind of giddy - because really? As adults, when do we ever get snow days?? We already were starting to plan things around the snow - we scheduled meetings for Wednesday afternoon, assuming there would be some kind of delay in opening the office. Then we heard that businesses all around the city were closing early. My boss had a meeting with the head honchos of a big bank in the city - and we learned that they were closing early. This storm meant business, and everyone was suddenly taking it very seriously.

I had to drop off a grant that was due that day, at an office in the Loop, and my boss told me to just go home from there, since I was so close to Union Station. Thus, I was able to catch the 2:35 train, allowing me to get the hell out of dodge (on the way, I found a light shining in the darkness - AKA a new CRUMBS bake shop - a little slice of NYC, right in my backyard. Yes, I stopped. I was drawn into that shop like a demented moth to a flame. I might have squealed "OMG!" a lot. And of course, I bought cupcakes. I figured if I'm gonna be snowed in, I might as well have some delicious cupcakes, yes?).

The snow was already starting, right on schedule. I felt lucky to have gotten home safely, before it really got started, rather than being stuck on, I don't know, Lake Shore Drive, maybe? And then I got a call from work. We would be shut down on Wednesday - joining a long list of schools and businesses in the city and metro area closing for the day. I understand this was something of a first for us, but given the fact that the governor had announced a State of Emergency, I think it was the best possible move. And, of course it meant: SNOW DAY!!

We hunkered down in the house and listened to the wind howling outside. This was some storm - raging winds, blowing snow, and the best part, the rarest phenomenon - THUNDER SNOW. WTF? I know there was an alleged ginormus blizzard in 1999, but I don't remember it at all. I was in college then, but probably on break since it was early January. I say probably because I have no recollection of this at all. Maybe I wasn't as obsessed with weather events as I am now? Since I didn't have to worry about driving or going anywhere, it was but a blip on my radar?

At any rate. I went to sleep, listening to the wind outside and praying that we wouldn't lose power. It sucked when it happened in the summer, and I could not imagine what it would be like to lose power during the worst storm of the year.

I woke up to this:

Yikes.

That? Is my driveway. It is REALLY long and let me tell you, took forever to get clear. That's not an abandoned car on LSD, with its wipers up as a distress call, it's MY car, buried behind the house. See the HUGE drift right behind it? I dug the car out myself and I.AM.STILL.SORE.

Today, it's freezing-ass cold, and I got a text last night letting me know that the office is going to open at 12 today. So.... semi snow day!

BEST.BIRTHDAY.EVER

One of my birthday gifts from my friends was tickets to a Chicago Wolves game, which was exciting to begin with. I love hockey but I've never been to a live game. All of my experience with the sport comes from watching tv - first the Olympics and then the Blackhawks. Oh, and we played floor hockey in gym class and it was always one of my favorites to play - that and soccer. This is possibly because I didn't completely such at playing them.

Whatever, anyway, our game was last night! The Wolves were playing a team called the Hamilton Bulldogs, and we were puzzled as to where the heck Hamilton was - they are apparently from Canada. On to the action! Our seats were awesome - front row, center ice, right next to the penalty box. SWEET!

It was fun and action packed and exciting, everything I expected my first game to be. There was even a fight, thus completing my experience.
Sadly, the Wolves did not win the game, but they did score a goal - and the crowd went wild (there were even fireworks). SO MUCH FUN. The final score was 1-4

I've been having some ups and downs lately, as I am looking for a new job, but this outing was just the boost I needed!

5-4-3-2-wha?

Last night's extravaganza was filled with food and fun and friends. And booze-fueled board games, obviously (aren't those the very best kind?). We played Apples to Apples (LOVE) right up until the start of 2011.

We turned on the tv, looking for some local celebrations. I remember in years past, there would be a concert at the House of Blues and a few other Chicago-based activities. This year, we had a choice of "Daryl's House" with Daryl Hall and also a celebration from Navy Pier, hosted by Mark Giangreco and Janet Davies. We didn't see a lot of it, but there was a number by the cast of Million Dollar Quartet (they were pretty good), a performance by a DeBarge, and then... aimless anchor filler. Sort of strange. Very awkward.

And then the best part? The two clueless anchors began the countdown - WAY WAY before the actual countdown appeared on screen. They were on "10" and the numbers on the screen started at 15. And then there was happiness at Navy Pier and lots of footage of drunk people making out. Um, yeah. Happy New Year? There were allegedly fireworks, but we turned the channel. We ended up watching "Feliz 2011" on univision, because it was more exciting than the crap on ABC. We don't speak much Spanish (I took it in junior high and high school) but it was STILL better than the Chicago celebration. We rang in the new year again, with a more accurate count, with Mexico City.

So what gives, Chicago? We are not a lame city. But in terms of New Year's celebrations, we are a little bit sub-par. There is nothing that drops from the sky, nothing that lights up in a spectacular fashion, nothing. Did we all just give up and watch the ball drop in Times Square (an hour early)? Feliz 2011 showed pictures from around the world - really great fireworks displays in Sydney (over the Harbour Bridge), London (over the London Eye), Tokyo, and Berlin and a few other places. But Chicago? NOT INCLUDED. Because our televised "celebration" was, and I can't emphasize this enough, LAME.

Is it because of the weather? Nobody really wants to stand around outside in arctic temperatures to watch a lit up ball in the sky? Maybe, although people turn out in droves for Bears games, which are outside. Can't we get some A-list talent out here and televise it? Then we can be all like, hey people, this is the place to be for the new year! I think somebody needs to get on it and put together a really great NYE celebration in Chicago.

But that's next year. I was happy to be with my friends, chilling and laughing and having a great time.

Happy 2011, everyone!

another chance, another start, so many dreams to tease the heart...

Patti tells me that this will be the perfect year. I really do believe her (although she said that last year, also)... Happy 2011 everyone!!

me too!

Bring on 2011 - I am already done with 2010.

black swan

Think ballet is all about frilly pink tutus and pretty satin toe shoes?

The thriller Black Swan shows us that not everything is beautiful at the ballet (which I could have told you for free, incidentally.). The movie is about an up and coming ballet star Nina (Natalie Portman, in full fierce bunhead mode) who has finally been given a starring role - the Swan Queen in a new production of Swan Lake. She is a natural for the White Swan, but can she play the darker, more sensual Black Swan?

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a happy little "a star is born" ballet story. It's a deeply creepy psychological exploration of Nina's increasingly paranoid emotions. As she strives to perfection in the dual Swan role, she feels the heat of competition, with other dancers trying to make it to the top. It's a cutthroat world, you know? Prima Ballerina, Beth, (great cameo by Winona Ryder) has just been pushed into retirement due to her old age. Ballet is a young person's art - although I watched a great profile on NYCB Ballerina Darci Kistle this morning - she just retired from professional dancing with the company - at the age of 46.

Nina grows more and more paranoid by the second, driven to the brink by the arrival of a new dancer Lily (Mila Kunis!! Doing awesomely in her post That 70s Show life! Goooo, Mila!!) who Nina thinks, of course, is out to get her. Incidentally, both of them did a lot of their own dancing, and it works very well. Rodarte designed the tutus, and they are truly fabulous.

Don't sit too close though or the camera action might make you spew. Other than that, totally go and see it.

see how we've decked our halls...

...the angel on top of our tree...

Mainly, our tree includes angels, snowmen, and white cats. The big one at the bottom, aka "Goliath" is the first one we got, from sometime in the 1980s,

There is also the occasional sports themed ornament - we have da Bears, da Hawks and uh, one of Troy Aikman (for a brief time, in high school, I was a Cowboys fan. Although it was mainly to bug Angelo.)New Hawks ornament!!!!
"Why didju put dis bow onna head, ziztur?"

(shortly after I took this picture, she attacked the bow).

the greatest gifts...

A beautiful Christmas tree, a hot cup of tea on a cold, snowy morning, eating cheese with beloved friends, spending time with family, and of course, a puppy in a box (what more could you want?)
I hope everyone has a great Christmas and that you all got wonderful presents and are spending time with family and friends, like I am.

merry christmas!!

Merry Christmas, Darlings, from me

(and Andrew Jackson...)

pillow talk (no, really)

Can I share something with y'all? I.am.getting.old. And as an old person, I have become rather Set in My Ways. I'm basically a creature of habit, (despite by current bout of unemployment). I like things a certain way and if they aren't that way, then it Bugs me.

Case in point. Over the past several weeks, I have noticed some weird little puffy balls of fluff by the side of my bed. Upon close investigation, I discovered that they were coming from my pillows. From the gaping holes in the corners of my pillows, to be exact. I've had these pillows, oh, I would say at least since college (which was, yikes, 10 years ago!). They are Martha Stewart brand "Grandpa" bed pillows and I have two of them and I love them.

Now they are hemorrhaging cotton fluff, and I am faced with an immense dilemma: buying new pillows. Is it me, or did this used to be easier? You walk in, grab a bed pillow, pay for the pillow, go home, throw it on the bed, and you are cooking with gas, or more accurately, off to sleepy land with awesome new pillows. Right?

But now, you walk in, and there are all kinds of choices. There are pillows for side, back and stomach sleepers. They can be down filled or cotton fluff filled, or allergy safe, alternative whatever filled. They can be square or rectangular or full body sized. There are medium support, firm support or extra firm support.

I mean, really?? I have trouble making decisions on a regular basis anyway, but give me so many choices and it's like, impossible. Especially given the fact that this decision is so vitally important to my achieving a really good night's sleep. I love to sleep, and everything has to be just right - I have been known to get out of bed in the middle of the night and remake the bed because the covers have gone all bunchy and weird. I put my beloved pillows in the dryer every night so that they are perfect and puffy. I don't like squashy pillows. A little OCD? Perhaps. But like I said, I've become Set in My Ways.

I bought two new pillows. The first came from Target. It's an extra firm support and it is quilted (which gave me some worry, initially, because I thought I might wake up with quilt marks on my face?). Verdict? A bit bouncy but possibly workable.

The second is a Sealy, which I bought because they make mattresses, and should therefore know their shit vis-a-vis a comfortable sleeping experience. It's an extra firm with a gusset (wtf is with these pillow gussets anyway?) and this thing? Is like a rock. No way, no day.

So I am still on the quest for new pillows. The thing is, it's hard to know what they feel like until you're in your regular sleeping position, testing the thing out. Resting your head on it in the store is not the same thing. So I am afraid to get any others in case I don't like them. In the meantime, I've fixed the holes in my existing pillows (the Grandpa pillow, needless to say, has been discontinued) and will continue using them until they are nothing but cotton fluff balls.

Wish me luck!

did i tell you about the ferris wheel?

People! The Toys R Us in Times Square has a ferris wheel. Like, inside.

My mind? Totally blown. (And no, I didn't ride on it. But I was tempted.And yes, I am very easily impressed.)

women on the verge of a nervous breakdown...

What is a girl to do? Poor Pepa, she gets ditched by her man, Ivan, via answering machine and then stalked by his crazy ex-wife. And just when her day couldn't get any worse, she finds out she's pregnant AND her ditzy model best friend is frantic because she thinks the guy she's been seeing is actually a terrorist. The feminist lawyer Pepa tries to hire for her friend is actually having an affair - with Ivan! People (including Ivan's grown son and his uptight fiancee) come to see her gorgeous apartment and it's in such a state - the phone's ripped out and she accidentally set her bed on fire. Lucky for Pepa, she can find the Mambo cab at a moment's notice - anything you need, the friendly cabbie has it on hand (pictures of kittens! pictures of kittens!) and she's made up a killer batch of gazpacho.

And so goes Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, a spicy blend of interesting and exotic ingredients, as tangy and cool as Pepa's gazpacho.The digital backdrop brought Madrid to life in vivid color, moving as quickly as life in that vibrant city. There was a lot going on, yes, but I liked it. I'd been nervous, too, because of the reviews, but it was a fun show. This only goes to show - reviewers are usually full of crap. There have been many times when a film or theater critic has totally panned something that I've loved. Your "dreckitude" might be my treasure. You never know.

The cast was all outstanding - how could you put Sherie Rene Scott, Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Laura Benanti into a show and not get magical performances?

So please don't listen to the critics - go see this one too, if you have the chance. It's light and frothy fun. Maybe it could have benefitted from an out of town try out, but whatever. The score is good and it's a funny and enjoyable evening at the theater.

I'm Andrew !@#&$^ Jackson!

I don't know why I'd heard of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - I get email on a regular basis from the Public Theater, and it seemed to enjoy a good off-broadway run. When it made the move to Broadway, it started getting Buzz. But then I saw an ad in Time Out New York (which I am still getting! I love you, TONY!)

And I mean, really? I for one am totally in favor of history getting all sexypants.It was my major after all, and how could I say no to an emo-rock musical about our 7th President? I would totally have a beer with AJ (and I don't even drink beer!) and his tight, tight jeans.

The scene is set the second you step into the theater - it's bathed in red light, and moody rock music is blaring out of the speakers. And then our frontier hero emerges and commences to rock. I'm telling you, I was hooked the second the show started. It was fast, funny, and relevant. Told entirely in 2010 vernacular, we followed Andrew Jackson's progress with the assistance of a storyteller - until he shoots her in the neck, growling "I'll take it from here!" Ooooh, yeah, he's SO that guy!

Some of my favorite moments - "meanwhile back in Washington..." introducing the power players: John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams ("If my father got to be the president, I should be president too!" and who later exclaimed, upon being "elected" president "I'm SO EXCITED! I never win ANYTHING!"), Van Buren ("damn it, VanBuren! Why do you have to be such a motherfucker??") and all of the others came dancing out to a Spice Girls song... One of them (maybe JQA or Van Buren?) exclaimed "How laissez un-fair!" Oh, my history geek heart was a-flutter. I remember learning about all of these guys in Mr. Daiberl's class! We had to identify pictures of John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay. I wonder how he'd react to the line in the show that James Monroe was a "douchebag"....

When the election of 1824 got stolen from Jackson (winner of the popular vote but not the electoral, I think?) he sat downstage, looking dejected, and the following came blasting out... "You're standing on the edge of nowhere.... there's only one way out, and your heart's gotta go there..." Yep, it was Cher's "Song for the Lonely" which played, disco ball and all as time passed and Andrew Jackson geared up for his 1828 campaign. You gotta love a show that invokes the Cher.

Jackson won the election with flying colors, becoming the first "People's President." He pledged to be the voice of the people, who rallied around him and voted for him because of his awesome tight jeans and because they'd totally have a beer with him, you know?

But it's hard, right, because the people don't actually know what they want (Just look at Dancing with the Stars. I mean, Bristol Palin? In the final? Really? I liked the girl, I did! She seemed like a really nice person. And major snaps to her for her growth as a dancer. That shit is hard! But still. The final? Really?) and Jackson realized that he couldn't just be Best Friend in Chief - he had to make the hard decisions himself - about the National Bank (a weird factoid just popped into my head about Jackson and the gold standard...) and the Indians and all the rest of it. He'd lost his wife (she died of grief, which as the show points out, is "the kind of shit that happened in the 19th century") and dedicated his life to serving the people (Populism, yeah, yeah!). Major bummer, dude. Is he still that guy?

The show ends reflecting on Jackson's legacy - with terror at home, unstable borders, the rich in charge and the working class suffering (sound familiar?), this Jackson thought of himself as a hero, doing what had to be done on behalf of the country. And on that score, you know, he did awesome - he doubled the size of the country, kicked out the English and French and the Spanish and solved the "Indian Problem." Yeah, Jackson really put the "Man" in "Manifest Destiny." But, the storyteller, back as an angel, points out that there are some who'd argue that Jackson was actually something of an American Hitler, taking drastic measures against the native population. I didn't really think about Jackson's legacy much one way or another. They certainly don't tell you all the good stuff in school (like the whole Jackson marrying someone who was already married thing. Wouldn't you have paid more attention in history class if you were learning stuff like that??)

But anyway, I loved it. I recommend it and would see it again and again. If you're in New York, go and see it. If you're not in New York, go there and see it. Stay at the Belleclaire - no bugs!

I left, happy, splashing through Times Square in the rain, singing the song "The Battle of New Orleans" - all together now! "In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Col. Jackson down the mighty Mississip..."

so nice they named it twice...

So, there is a lot of stuff going on for me, personally, I don't really want to get into it right now. But I realize I didn't say ANYTHING about my trip to NYC a few weeks ago, and since thinking New York makes me ridiculously happy, and happy has been hard to come by this past week, I am going to talk about my trip.

I had been nervous to go, because of all of the news out of NYC having to do with the bedbug "epidemic". Because look - suddenly these things weren't just in hotels anymore. They were in stores, in movie theaters, in all kinds of public places. All I do in NYC is eat and sleep and shop and go to shows. Very much risk for picking up unwanted guests with these activities, yes?? I was scared to death of going to a hotel and getting bitten by creepy crawlies when I slept, and I was absolutely TERRIFIED of unknowingly bringing these critters home with me. DISASTER! Being me, my head went into Worst Case Scenario Mode and it made me crazy. No matter that I had been there in June and we'd been FINE (I didn't know. But still). I dithered for ages, trying to make up my mind. But what the hell? I finally decided that I couldn't just sit around and seal myself up over something that might or might not happen. You've gotta live your life, am I right?

So I found myself buying theater tickets. Booking a flight. Reserving a hotel. Canceling said hotel when I saw a Trip Advisor report of the Bugs. Booking another hotel. And then suddenly it was Tuesday, November 16 and I was at O'Hare! Honestly, at that point, I figured that a bout with bed bugs might actually be BETTER than all of the crap I was dealing with at work.

It was the easiest flight I've ever taken - checked my bag curbside, went through security in about 2 seconds (no full body scan) boarded, took off, yada yada yada, landed at LaGuardia, bag was waiting for me when I got to baggage claim, got on a cab, off I went.

I cannot say enough about the hotel I chose - the Hotel Belleclaire (77th and Broadway). I found it online, booked it because it was bedbug free (!) and had a great stay there. Everyone was so warm and friendly, it was ideally located (right across from the Manhattan Diner!) my room was clean and quiet and blessedly bug free (I checked). I hate elevators, so I never took it - I was on the 3rd floor and so it was easy for me to climb them up and down.

I went to the Shake Shack for lunch - I got the New York dog - without reading the menu. I had no idea New Yorkers put sauerkraut on their hot dogs! What's up with that NYC? Shoulda gotten the "Shack-cago" dog. Even though I don't eat them that way either (and I freaking live here!).

And then I walked. I bought an umbrella at Duane Reade, and then I just started walking. I thought that the city might have changed somehow, with all of this bug stuff. I don't know what all I thought I'd see - buildings with Scarlet B's on them? People furtively itching as they made their way down the streets and on the subway trains? But it was exactly the same as it always was - crowded and chaotic and inviting. I love the feel of New York City. Without a whole lot of effort, I can see myself living there.

So I walked to Lincoln Center and visited the Metropolitan Opera. Alas, no opera on this trip, but I paid my respects to the gift shop. It started raining and so I grabbed the train to Times Square. Oy, Times Square. It's one of those places that you totally have to see, but once you've seen it, it just becomes a massive pain in the ass to deal with. I actually try to avoid it as much as possible, which is difficult, since all of the theaters are right in that area. I had a show at 7:00 (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, for those of you keeping score at home) but until then, the afternoon was mine and I wandered happily. I ended up in Bryant Park - there's a little holiday craft thing there, little kiosks selling ornaments, knit goods, other gifty type things. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to just look. I continued wandering, and looking for a place to grab dinner. It was WAY early for dinner, but I stopped at a little Italian place (right near the Belasco Theater, which I found accidentally) and had some delicious lentil soup and a caesar salad. There was a tv playing over the bar, where I was sitting, first it was a soccer game. Then the owners (maybe?), gabbing in Italian, changed the channel - so they could watch the Barefoot Contessa. She was doing something holiday related and the owners were joined by the servers in watching the BC prepare a herb sauce for chicken or turkey or something. That? Was hilarious.

I was early (but what else is new?) so I picked up all of my show tickets, trawled Shubert Alley and spent a whole bunch of time hovering outside of BBAJ.

More on the show later....

Rock Star - BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON

This show is amazing. My inner history geek was jumping up and down going squee!

your bulldog smile for the day...