so here we go again

Our Weight Watchers at Work program fell apart months ago. And so did my participation in the program. Lately I have been feeling uncomfortable, weighed down, sluggish. Totally lacking in energy. And totally out of control regarding my food choices. Tonight I signed up for Weight Watchers On Line. Wish me luck.

perspective

It w a typical, sucky Monday morning. Until I arrived at Penn Station. Got off the train, turned right so that I could go to the staircase that leads up from the platform to the main level of the station. And saw cops. Several cops. All telling us to walk to the left, to a different staircase. And on the ground, in front of the stairs, was a man. Lying on the concrtee, face down, with his briefcase beside him. Not moving. And to the left, the ambulance crew, walking towards him. Guess my Monday morning wasn't so bad after all.

Mama Mia!

One of the joys of living near NYC is the opportunity to experience live theater.  Yes, other cities offer a theatrical experience -- Boston has a theater district, and Washington has the Kennedy Center.  And every year at the Tony's they give out awards for regional theater.

But nothing compares to Broadway.

And you know I love live performances.

So for my birthday Drew bought tickets to see Mama Mia.  Can you believe the show's been running on Broadway since 2001 but I had never seen it?

So after work yesterday I met him for dinner and a show.

Times Square was bustling, as usual.  Wednesday is matinee day, so at the dinner hour you have two large groups -- those who are dining after seeing a show, and those who are grabbing a bite to eat before heading to the t.heater.  School is out this week here in NY, so there were lots of locals mingling with the tourists.

Not to mention, the street vendors with food carts and souvenirs . . .the hawkers trying to get you into their show or restaurant . . .performers trying to make a buck by dressing as Mickey Mouse or Elmo and posing for pictures.  Last night I saw a guy with a guitar sit down next to a guy playing drums for an impromptu concert.

I was supposed to meet up with Drew at the restaurant, but we found each other in front of the Winter Garden Theater.  You know, Mama Mia has been playing there for over 10 years, but when I look at the marquee I still half expect to see two yellow-gold eyes staring back at me -- Cats was there for 19 years, you know.

Our original plan was to eat at Ellen's Stardust Diner.  You know I love that place, more for the entertainment than for the food.  And it's on the same block as the theater.  But on Monday Drew saw one of those shows on the Food Network or the Travel Channel, not sure which, and asked me if I'd mind going to a place featured on that show instead.

Good thing we changed our plan.  Ellen's has become so popular that there was a long line to get into the restaurant, probably a good 20-30 minute wait for a table.

So instead we tried a place neither of us had been before, the Stage Deli on 7th and 53rd.  It's a Jewish deli but not a kosher one, so you can get cheese on your corned beef if you so desire.  The triple decker sandwiches are all named after celebrities, such as Mel Brooks or Howard Stern.  It's called "Sid's Caesar Salad" and "Kevin Bacon, lettuce and tomato."  I had pastrami on rye, Drew had tongue.  Each was plated with pickles -- cole slaw, etc. isn't included and we didn't need it.  We each brought home half a sandwich.  We also shared a baby cheesecake -- abd brought some of that home as well.  The portions are huge!

Let's talk movies for a moment.  Usually when I see a movie based on a Broadway musical, I've already seen the stage production and the movie doesn't measure up.  This time I saw the movie first.  Really liked it. 

It still doesn't measure up.  The show is so much better.  They lost a lot of humor and silliness in the movie, not to mention subplots, minor characters and additional music.

Yes, I loved the show.

Afterwards we discussed whether to walk to Penn Station -- we were on 50th and Penn is on 34th -- or whether to just hop onto the subway.  It was a relatively warm night, after all.
So we decided to walk.

We actually didn't have a choice, as it turns out.  When we walked past the subway station we saw that the police and fire department were blocking access.  I think it was a track fire.

We walked past the Marriott Marquis Theater.  They're already advertising Evita even though the show doesn't start previews until next month.  The marquee and posters are up and the music from the cast album comes streaming out of sidewalk speakers.  We have tickets for April.  I can't wait.

The only downer of the night was Penn Station.  A group of happy Knicks fans, having just witnessed a Linn-tastic performance, had celebrated with too much beer, and were just a bit too loud.  As in, shouting.  Inside the train station. At 11:00 at night.

Sigh.

Overall, though, a fantastic night.

Last night in TIMES SQUARE

Street vendor.  Sells photos and souvenirs.  Set up behind his table is this replica of a sculpture.   It depicts the construction workers who built Rockefeller Center during the Depression. You can buy a table top version from him.

Icing on the cake

Sometimes just being yourself and having a good time . . .

Yesterday Drew and I went to the theater to see a touring company of Fiddler on the Roof.  You know it's one of my favorite shows, I have seen it on Broadway twice, I love the movie, have cast albums from the movie and from three different theatrical incarnations of the show.

We saw the show at the Tilles Center, the performing arts building located at CW Post College.  It's the same facility where we saw the Boston Pops concert back in December.

Production values for regional theater and touring companies are not the same as for Broadway, of course.   But given the limits of their budget this company produced an excellent show.

There were great performances by almost all the actors and an 8 piece pit band. Sparse sets to evoke a feeling of time and place.    The costuming of the Fiddler in Chagall-like colors.

Heaven under the house lights.

And the icing on the cake?

I admit it was a bit petty.

You know that my sisters are grown women who act like teenagers, that there's some sort if clique and they are the mean girls who want me isolated from everyone in the clique.

It doesn't work at home and it certainly won't work in public.

My sisters have a friend E.  They've known her since junior high.  Over the years E's family and ours have become close.

My sisters were at the show yesterday, as guests of E and her parents.

My sisters tried to ignore me, but how could I possibly ignore old friends?  I would have spent time chatting with these people if I saw them anywhere else, so why should I ignore these folks because my sisters were with them?

Yet, given all the aggravation those two tried to cause me over the last few days, it was very satisfying to hear my sister A say something along the lines of "Go away, nobody wants to here."  Nice to know that my talking to family friends irritated her that much.

Of course, I didn't overstay my welcome either.  Chatted with the family during intermission but didn't seek them out again after the show.

Besides, Drew and I had dinner reservations.  He took me out for lobster.

Birthday dinner

Last night was spent at an Italian restaurant. Drew, Jen and Becca took me out for my birthday.

Who were those two poised, charming young women who chatted with me without drama? And what did they do with my babies?

Jen is 21 now and in her last semester of college.  She sipped her Zinfandel and conversed about job interviews and grad school applications.  And friends who were getting married and/or having babies.   And one friend who is managing a band and hopes for a record deal. 

Becca, at 19, talked about her summer internship and how she's looking forward to living off campus next year.   And the vacation she wants to take with her boyfriend.

Had to laugh when Becca told me "Mom, you have to book hotel rooms soon for Jen's graduation."  A little role reversal there?  (Rooms were booked months ago.) 

Truly the world does not stand still.  So many changes coming.

Sigh.

October 25, 1986

It was a Saturday night, and Drew and I and his buddy Marc were in the basement of his parents' house.

Game 6 of the World Series was on, live from Shea Stadium.  We were watching, of course, but the game wasn't going well, so we were also chatting about all sorts of things.

In the bottom of the 9th the Mets tied the game on a Gary Carter sacrifice fly.

Top of the 10th inning, and the Red Sox took a 5-3 lead.

Bottom of the 10th.  Backman and Hernandez were retired, and the Red Sox can practically taste the champagne.  The scoreboard actually congratulated them as world champions.

Congrats that proved to be premature.

Gary Carter hit a single to left and began the greatest rally of all time.

Kevin Mitchell singled to center.

By now the game had our undivided attention.

Ray Knight singled to center and Carter scored.

By now we were on our feet, standing in front of the TV.

Mookie Wilson came up to bat.  Mitchell scored on a wild pitch and tied the game.

You know that feeling when everything is so tense that you just can't breathe?

With a full count, Wilson hit a slow ground ball that rolled between the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner.

Knight scored, and the Mets won the game.

Game 7, two nights later, was almost anticlimatic. But the Curse of the Bambino struck again, and the Mets became world champs.

I will always remember that iconic photo of Jesse Orosco and Carter enbracing on the mound.

My office at the time was in lower Manhattan, right on Broadway.  We had a front seat for the ticker tape parade on the 28th.

Rest in peace, Gary Carter.