songbird's crazy world

One of my favorite musicals.  Saw it on Broadway 8 times, thanks to a friend who worked for Cameron MacKintosh and handed out free tickets for mid-week performances.  Have several copies of the cast album at home.  Saw the PBS special several times.  Even saw a friend's daughter perform in a high school production of the show. I've never seen a non-musical adaptation of the work, and read the book only a few years ago -- got it for free on my nook, I think. So when I heard they were doing a movie version I was excited and fearful.  Some Broadway musicals have been very well done for the screen, others have been a disaster. We wet to the 11 AM show on Christmas Day.  Usually the theater is empty at the first showing on Christmas, but so many people wanted to see Les Miz....Well, I wouldn't say "sold out", but it was close.  When we were leaving the theater, the crowd for the next show was incredible. I loved it.  Yes, really.  It live...

So, you may have asked yourselves, songbird is a history geek, songbird loves fantasy, songbird goes to the Rennaisance Faire every summer, so why hasn't songbird gone to Medieval Times? Truth is, Drew and I went there back in the 90's. Loved it. Planned to go again, but life got in the way. Then Drew participated in an online auction of some sort, and successfully bid on admission to Medieval Times. The passes could only be used midweek, though, so we had to pick a day when both of us would be off from work. So we picked the 7:30 show on 12/26. And found ourselves driving from Long Island to Lyndhurst, NJ on a cold, stormy night. What fun we had driving on the Cross Bronx in freezing rain . . .which turned to snow when we hit Ft. Lee. We actually made note of the two hotels within walking distance of Medieval Times, just in case. Fortunately the snow turned to rain by the time we left for home, and at that hour (no traffic!) we we able to take the Lincoln Tunnel, drive...

Way back in the 90's I was working at a law firm.  One of my coworkers, a lovely woman named Denise, became my friend. A year or so after I left the firm, she  set me up on a blind date.  She'd met the guy through an on line dating service;  he wasn't a good match for her but she thought he'd be perfect for me. So Phil and I began to chat on the phone and on line.  He was divorced, with one son who was living with him.  He was into Broadway theater, one of my passions. We seemed compatible. On our first date he took me to an Italian restaurant in my neighborhood.  (The last time I'd been there Jen was in diapers -- and embarassed her mom and dad by throwing a bowl of spaghetti at the man at the next table.)  So we're enjoying our pasta and Phil starts talking about Gilbert & Sullivan.  How he's involved in a community theater company that performs Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. And I'm getting this incredible feeling of deja vu, b...

Quiet Christmas Eve this year. Went out for steak at Singleton's. Pub atmosphere. It was busy but not too crowded. Everyone in our party ordered steak or surf and turf. My prime rib was excellent. Took half of it home. Yummy creamed spinach and a baked potato completed the meal. Too full for dessert. But the cakes on display looked incredible. The place is quickly becoming a favorite. Now we have a cozy fire in the fireplace and "White Christmas " playing on the TV.

So yesterday Drew and I went into the city to look at Christmas decorations.  Yes, we knew it would be very crowded on the Saturday before Christmas.  What can I say except that we're crazy?  ;-)  It was also very cold yesterday, and windy -- very different from the weather Friday, or today for that matter. We took the train into Penn Station, so the logical first stop was Macy's.  The windows along 34th St. are devoted to "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".  The Herald Square windows tell the story of NYC at Christmas, with an emphasis on Macy's participation (there's a "Miracle on 34th Street" scene). Bought a pretzel from a street vendor outside Macy's.  The quintissential NYC experience. There were lots of street performers in Herald Square. The latest idea is to dress as a cartoon character and charge a small fee to pose for pictures. Mickey and Minnie Mouse seem to be the overall favorites, but you will also see Elmo, Smurfs, t...

"Jimmy . . .Jimmy. . . Oh Jimmyjack, when are you coming back?" So awhile ago we found this great burger place in Bellmore . . .loved Jimmyjack's. The burgers were soooo good. I even "liked" the place on Facebook. And then . . .tragedy. The owners posted on Facebook that they were closing up shop. And they did. Sigh. And then . . .and then . . .there was an announcement on Facebook. Jimmyjack's would reopen! Tonight we finally got around to seeing if the "new" Jimmyjack's is as good as the old. And the answer is . . .yum. The place hasn't changed a bit. Very very casual, you order your food at the counter and they bring it to your table in wrapped in paper and placed in a flimsy cardboard basket. But the food . . .I had the "build your own". You choose a patty (beef, turkey, etc.), a type of cheese, toppings, whatever you want. I had a beef patty with mozarella, sauteed onions and mushrooms and russ...

Remember this post?   http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2011/03/last-play-at-shea.html?m=0 Rewatching "Last Play at Shea" this afternoon. As Daryl Strawberry said, it was our dump. Citi Field is a nice ballpark, but Shea . . .there was something magical . . . And bucket list item #1 -- A Billy Joel concert.  Only time I saw him live was durin McCartney's first concert at Citi Field.

So the news from Connecticut is ever-present: tv, radio, newspapers, internet.  The unrelenying, inescapable details. I wrote yesterday that the town was just like my town, the school not so very different from the one my daughters attended. And now we're getting the stories of each victim. The young teacher who hid her students and lied to the gunman to protect them. The principal and school psychologist, women close to my age, who put themselves in the line of fire. The children . . .there's a picture of one little girl, a pretty blonde, who struck a pose for the camera . . .the attitude reminds me of Jen at that age. And then I found out that one of the children, a little boy, was Jewish.  I guess we identify with those who share our religious, ethnic and cultural background, because I felt that death oh so keenly.  That the parents and siblings will light a yartzeit lamp for him every year at the same time they light the 6th Chanukah candle. . . And then I foun...

We saw The Trans-Siberian Orchestra Saturday afternoon. Rock meets classical.  Loud music, lasers and lighting effects,pyrotechnics. Wow.

I think I may be the only person in America who hasn't seen any of the "Lord of the Rings" movies.  which is strange, because I read and loved "The Hobbit" and all three of the "Rings" books when I was in high school.  don't know how I let those movies get past me.  But Friday night Drew and I went to see the new movie, "The Hobbit".  A very charming movie, true to the spirit of the book.  Of course, the movie foreshadows the Rings trilogy in ways the book never did.    Before I saw the movie I wondered how they were going to find enough material for three movies out of one simple book,  but this first movie seems to be OK.  Now, of course, I must find the Rings trilogy on DVD, because I am not able to wait for the next installment of "The Hobbit". Afterwards we wound up at Denny's.  You know they have a "Hobbit-inspired" menu right now?  I had the turkey dinner and Drew had an egg and sausage skillet.  We g...

I can't seem to get the school shooting out of my head.  That the President of the united States had to compose himself mid-speech while addressing the nation! The town where it happened...it looks just like my home town.  It could have been my town, my school.  Scary stuff.

So today is a telecommute day, and I've got the TV on as background noise to keep the house from being too quiet. And then the usual fluff is interrupted by breaking news.... And now I find myself completely absorbed in the horrible story out of Connecticut.  A shooting at an elementary school, 24 dead, many of them children. The kind of story that scares every parent. And so many people in my life are teachers, former teachers, future teachers.  My father, my mother, Drew, Jen.  Yet another connection to schools.

Yesterday I had a holiday lunch with a group of coworkers. It's an annual tradition for each unit in the department to go out to lunch with their supervisor. More meaningful this year because we don't get to socialize with each other much these days, we all telecommute and aren't in the office much anymore. The place my boss selected is just a few blocks from the office. I'd been there once before, for a party. We were a very large group back in March and ordered from a limited menu. But with a small group of six the entire menu was available to us. So what do I order? The very same meal I had last time. Not that I intended to do that. I just ordered what looked interesting. It wasn't until I looked at my prior review on Urbanspoon that I realized what I'd done. So yes, I do like O'Connell's. Nice pub atmosphere with an interesting menu. The fried calamari appetizer - very tender. It's served with a spicy chili sauce. Jus...

There was a little concert in the Garden last night.  Nothing major, just some music by a few Jersey boys, a couple of New Yorkers and some old English fellows. Otherwise known as Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Clapton, and Sir Paul.  Joined by Brian Williams, Billy Crystal, Susan Sarandon, Chris Rock . . . I wasn't home at the beginning of the broadcast.  (Thank goodness for the DVR).  Heard Clapton's performance on the radio while driving home, walked into the house as the Stones took the stage.  Waited all night for Sir Paul, then dozed off in the middle of his performance, but woke up just in time to see the end of the concert.  And I plan to download the best of it from iTunes. The concert was to benefit the victims of Sandy.  Only a tragedy of that magnitude could be the root of duch a concert.  (A lit of these folks were in the Concert for New York in October 2001 to benefit 9/11 victims). A...

I am sure I mentioned that Jen is now the JV  cheer leading coach at her old high school. Or did I? Let me give you the back story. When Jen was in high school the cheer leading program was excellent.   The two teachers who coached were wonderful.  In the years since Jen graduated, the two hood coaches left, and the teachers who replaced them.  . . There were three different coaches in a four year period. This year Maddie took over the varsity team.  Jen knows Maddie from high school, Maddie was a senior when Jen was a sophomore,  and Maddie was a captain of the varsity cheer team. Maddie asked Jen and Kristen- another teammate and one of Jen's best friends- to take over JV. When Jen was in high school there were three squads - varsity, JV and competition.   All of the varsity girls and? some of the JV girls were on competition.   But our current coaching staff decided to eliminate a separate competition team and have varsity...

I read Tolstoy's novel when I was in high school. Tonight we saw the movie. I didn't like how the story is framed.  At the beginning of the movie the audience is taken to an old theater, where a play, set in Russia in1874, is about to begin.  As you watch you become involved in the story, and then the director pulls the camera back to show you the prosceneum and footlights, reminding you that this is only a play. Not only is this device distracting, it doesn't add to the story.  And considering Tolstoy's works were among the first to incorporate "realusm" into a novel, I really don't understand why the director chose to use this device. That being said, I really did enjoy the movie.  Beautifully filmed, exquisite costumes.  Jude Law was perfect as the aloof, emotionally detached Karenin.  Keira Knightley was beautiful as the passionate, tortured Anna.  Though I did think Aaron Taylor-Johndon was a bit effeminite for Vronsky. I should mention. . .a...

Becca did very well in her internship this semester.  So well, in fact, that when the internship ended this week, she was invited back for the summer.  To supervise other interns.  Wow.

So you know we are Monkees fans.  Saw them in concert several times.  I cried the day Davy Jones died . So you know that when the surviving Monkees announced a tour, Drew and I would have to go.  I mean, Nesmith hadn't toured with the band since 1997.  I'd never seen him perform.  The tour started in early November.  Last night was the final concert of the tour, at the Beacon in NYC.  And we had tickets for the show. Our evening began at Viand Cafe.  This is a small coffee shop/diner on the same block as the Beacon theater.  having spent so much money on the tickets for the show, we were looking to keep dinner simple and relatively inexpensive, and this place fit the bill.   Half of the patrons in the restaurant last night were Monkees fans on their way to the show.  I ordered a Reuben -- hearty rye bread and lean pastrami served with sauerkraut and melted cheese.  It was served as an open-faced sand...

Anyone who knows me and who knows Drew would not be surprised to hear that we are history buffs.  So of course we had to see "Lincoln". I really liked this movie. Spielberg's focus was on Lincoln the man, not Lincoln the folk hero we saw in so many Hollywood movies.  Set in the winter of 1865, the storyline revolves around the political wheeling and dealing involved in passage of the 13th Amendment.  We also get a real feel for Lincoln's relationships with his wife and his sons. And may I add, Tommy Lee Jones deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of Thaddeus Stevens?

The other day in the city we noticed.... The Burger King Whopper Bar on 41st Street closed. Colony Records closed. Mars 2112 closed. And now I've heard that the Stage Deli closed. That one really makes me sad, I liked the deli.