imagine if...

so tired of winter...

songbird salutes the 70's -- Mummenschanz

The commercials were all over the TV -- Come see Mummenschanz on Broadway.

So what was Mummenschanz?  Something weird, something different, but very entertaining.  A mime troop, they performed their vignettes on a bare stage, with very interesting masks and costumes and props.  In fact, the masks and costumes BECAME the props. They performed in silence, no music or dialog.  They were funny, quirky, charming.


The show ran on Broadway for 3 years.


I never got a chance to see it.


Until last weekend,



Mummenschanz is touring the USA again.  We saw the performance at the Tilles Center (CW Post/Long Island University).


It's a family friendly show, there were a lot of children in the audience.  the style of performance is mime, but it's a very athletic, acrobatic version of the art.

The show starts with two performers, dressed as hands in white gloves, opening the curtain and letting the audience into the Mummenshanz world.  I think my favorite was the flirtation between two characters, each with a mask made out of rolls of paper -- his paper was blue, hers was pink.  The characters with the clay masks, which were molded and reshaped during the performance, were clever too.  Loved the slinky-like pipe that threw the giant ball out to the audience.  And the bendable glow stick masks were delightful.

It was a  fun, quirky, amusing afternoon.

(photos courtesy of the Mummenshcanz website)

Snowed in

Yeah, I think we got a little snow.

It wasn't the "end of the world" storm they were predicting, but we did get a significant snow. It's worse at my parents' than here at Drew's. They've lifted the travel ban, but most businesses are closed today -- including my office.

We will have to dig out later, but for now...I'm enjoying an unexpected day of leisure.

hunkering down part 2

So Drew is back home, and the cars have been arranged on the driveway to facilitate shoveling out after the storm.


Becca changed her mind and went home.  She left work at noon so she'd be home before rush hour -- after she heard  that NYC subways  LIRR and MetroNorth, as well as the highways, were planning to shut down. Mayor DiBlasio has announced a complete travel ban for the city, and the governor is anticipating a similar ban for the state.   Seems that we've been hit with so many bad storms that our government agencies have learned to anticipate and prepare for transit problems.


Drew's school district decided on early dismissal,today,  and the NYC public schools will be closed tomorrow.  I got a text message from my public library that the buildings would close at noon.  Surprisingly, however, although our school district cancelled after school activities, they did not go for early dismissal, and did not announce that school will be closed tomorrow.

So I have the TV news on, and they're talking about cancelled flights, cancelled sporting events (Knicks and Nets were both supposed to play tonight), school closings, travel bans.  Even Broadway shows are cancelled tonight.

There are a couple of inches on the ground, but it's getting heavier now...

hunkering down

Stormaggedon.  Snowpocalypse.  Words being bandied about by the TV meteorologists.  No doubt about it, a blizzard is headed our way.  They're saying we could get two feet of snow.  The light snow began about an hour ago, the heart of the storm is expected tonight.

So I'm weathering the storm at Drew's house.  Becca is headed to her friend's apartment in the city.    My parents and sisters will be holding down the fort at home.  Not sure what Jen plans to do, maybe her boyfriend's house, maybe a friend's, maybe she'll stay home.  The house is still in the process of renovations, they don't have a working kitchen, but with the new boiler just installed, at least they'll be warm.

The supermarket and gas station were crazy last night.  I think people lose their minds when a bad storm is coming.  A friend of mine calls it a "French toast emergency", people go nuts buying milk and bread and eggs,

The thing that I am truly thankful for today?  Remote access.  I am sitting in Drew's den, about to begin my work day.  No need to panic over missed work days, my laptop is the only tool I need.

lazy Saturday

It's 4:00 in the afternoon, and I am still in my pajamas.  And I have no intention of changing into other clothes at any point today. And I have done nothing all day except eat, watch TV and play on the computer.


And I feel absolutely no guilt at all about that.

On Parade Diner

Yes, I know, I spend far too much time in diners.  But here on Long Island, we are blessed with a plethora of such places, offering large portions of good food at reasonable prices. I'm fairly certain that there's no such thing as a "bad diner around here, because such a place would be quickly killed by the competition.  So I'm always amazed when I see bad reviews for diners that have been in business for decades. 

My experience with On Parade Diner was entirely positive.   We stopped here for breakfast one morning.  I found the décor -- 1950's rock and roll fantasy -- charming, the waitress friendly and outgoing.

And the food?  My waffle was crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and accompanied by a generous portion of bacon.  Coffee was hot and fresh.  Orange juice was fresh squeezed and full of pulp.   A pleasant meal.  Definitely worth a return trip.