A double-header today.
Basic catchup first. I’d worked from home the first week out of the hospital, but last week I went into the office on Monday and Wednesday, which was Just Fine. Actually, I started Wednesday with a doctor’s appointment, with my GP. I had seen him just a few weeks ago, and this was supposed to be a followup to see how I was doing on the Wegovy, but was now a ‘holy shit I now have a pacemaker’ checkup. I’d been faithfully keeping the bandages dry, and they were still there after two weeks, so he took them off. I have a two-inch slice on my chest between the nipple and collarbone, but it has healed up nicely. He listened to my heart and lungs, they took my vitals, everything was fine. We’ve put a pin in the Wegovy thing for now (I stopped taking it), will revisit in six months. So nice to have the bandages off though, and not have to ‘shower carefully’.
I did a full power walk (a two and half mile loop) on Friday – should not have been a problem, except I hadn’t done it since the hospital visit… and it was fine, so that was good.
Friday was also C’s birthday, the second without him. He would have been 68. Last year, I’d had dinner in Manhattan with his two oldest friends, Patti and Tessa – this year, we were doing the same, but they were coming out to JH and staying over. Saturday morning, which was lovely, I walked to the cemetery – even a longer walk than the powerwalk route – and that wasn’t a problem either. I always have mixed feelings about the cemetery visits. The cemetery and the mausoleum itself is lovely and peaceful, and it is nice to ‘visit’. But I am well aware that if C exists as an entity at all now, he’s not ‘there’ any more than he is anywhere. What’s there is something he left behind, now in a very pretty box, but getting more and more … um… bad with each passing year. (This is why I’m a fan of cremation, where you don’t find yourself thinking of such things.)
But it is a lovely walk and a lovely setting and it does focus the mind to be staring at your husband’s name on the crypt… and I think I’m going to add one of those pictures of him to it. I’d already planned to do that for the both of us when what I leave behind joins what he left behind, but I think a nice warm picture of just him would be a nice touch. It looks very bare now.
Speaking of which, I’ve decided to replace this picture from over the fireplace.
As I was telling Patti and Tessa, I never want it forgotten that our home was the “Charles and Eric” home, and that he is responsible for us having it at all, and how fantastic it looks. But that picture, excellent as it is, is (a) too large and (b) too aggressive. (I’ve always described that shot as “we’re married, fuck you!”) I have a different one in mind, softer and warmer, and I’ll have it printed one size down. I’ll do that as part of the Xmas prep, I think.
So, anyway, Patti came down from Rhinebeck and met Tessa at Grand Central and they took the slow, but comfortable, local bus out here and arrived mid-afternoon. So we sat and snacked and chatted, then went out for dinner. (as I posted on FB, I’d bought some Halloween candy – mostly chocolate, but some packages of Twizzlers. I didn’t think anyone would eat the Twizzlers, but Tessa tore through them. They’re all gone now.) We went to Uncle Peter’s for dinner, all had seafood (I had lobster, Patti had shrimp, Tessa had a mixed seafood platter). There was also butternut squash soup, which was delicious, and of course booze. But we had dessert at home. I’d stopped by Cannelle on the way home from the cemetery, had breakfast and also picked up a St. Honore cake. That must be a new offering, I don’t think I’d ever seen it before. I love desserts with sweet cream, and this is basically an elaborate cream puff in the form of a cake. It’s fantastic! Just what I need, another favorite dessert.
More chatting and then to bed. We have a guest room, but ‘second guests’ get put in the maid’s room, on the fold-out sofa (usually not folded out, if it’s just one person). Tessa seemed to be just fine with that.
In the morning, coffee and more chatting, then we went out, did a loop through the farmer’s market through the drizzle, then to the Queensboro for brunch. I had the chilaquiles, which are wonderful, but didn’t finish them, which is awesome because I wasn’t that hungry and have been well-trained enough by Weight Watchers to STOP EATING when I’m full, even when there’s food left. And that was lovely, and then back home for a little wrap-up before they went back into town. And I had just enough time to gather the laundry together, drop it off at the laundromat for them to do, and to make my bed, before heading into town myself.
New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, our local professional G&S company (as if that’s a common thing to have – it’s not, and we are lucky), was doing a run of Patience. I of course have a deep deep love of this show, having conducted it twice. It has the disadvantage of being a show that’s hard to describe to those not in the Inner Brotherhood, but the advantage of being a terrifically-crafted and funny show, with the quality of the book matching the quality of the score (which is not true of quite a few G&S shows). I’d last seen NYGASP’s Patience quite a while ago, and thought it dull other than my buddy Larry Raiken’s Bunthorne. But NYGASP has been knocking it out of the park lately, with updated and very clever stagings, and a marvelous repertory company (I have the privilege of knowing and having worked with several of their actors) that really knows what it’s doing.
I’d been planning to go anyway, buying a ticket at the door, but my extremely-well-versed colleague Natan offered up the second of two press passes he’d gotten, so I took that, so I didn’t even have to pay. My buddy Judy and several other friends were in the audience.
I really enjoyed it! It wasn’t dull at all – I loved the set and the staging was very clever and appropriate. I think my favorite bit that I’d never seen before was the rapturous maidens* providing audible gasps and non-verbal commentary for every one of Bunthorne’s pen scratches. *Every female character except for Patience is a ‘rapturous maiden’, in love with Bunthorne. Collectively, they are one of the funniest characters in G&S.
Musical values were excellent. I’m never going to fully agree with company founder Al Bergeret’s conducting choices, but there were some interesting ideas presented and the singing and choral work was mostly spot-on. (I heard some orchestra glitches and my reaction to the horn solos were, ‘well, I‘d sound nicer than that…’)
I won’t comment on most of the performances, but I will say that – as we found out with Savoynet’s Patience five years ago, having a patter man rival as Grosvenor against your Bunthorne patter man makes things especially spicy (and funny). (Grosvenor is supposed to be something of a himbo, and sings quite lyrically, so you need someone who can pull that off – but a talented pattern baritone can.) James Mills and David Macaluso are the company’s resident patter guys, and their scene together in Act 2 was a hoot. Amy Maude Helfer, a deep-dish mezzo who is clearly headed for Carmen if she hasn’t done it already, was Lady Angela and I always love everything she does. Lady Jane was more in the goofy mode than the sad older lady mode (which is a valid choice), but she did play her own cello, which is always a treat. (I saw Anne Collins do the same in ENO’s production in London back in the 80’s – not only did she play very well, she did funny musical things – like singing and playing the same note flat, then sliding up into pitch – that were uproarious.)
Notable bits- they added a third verse to the Colonel’s ‘receipt’ song which used modern-day heros as references. Added/substituted lyrics are never as good as Gilbert’s, but these were clever, funny and appropriate. (included references to, among others, Mayor Adams, Beyonce and RuPaul) There were goofy encores to “So Go to Him”, totally expected, but they stopped before the encores became intolerable.
So, anyway, NYGASP is in top form and I’ll definitely be seeing their spring Trial/Sorcerer (I don’t think I’ve ever seen their Sorcerer). They’re also doing Mikado in the winter – I’ve seen that production already, but maybe I’ll show up – particularly if I get another free ticket!
Enjoy the week!
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