Magically Blonde

Today is our (P +I) 4th anniversary. To have some idea how crazy this ride has been, you have to know something about how we decided to go “steady” in the first place.

First, Kill Bill, Vol. 1 opened, which we saw in Brooklyn Heights that night. Second, we had Italian food. Third, we somehow went into the city to a bar in the Union Square area. Defenses down, I believe that we were on a bus headed downtown where it happened.

Fast forward four years, and we’re half an hour early for the musical Wicked, which P- has been bugging me to get tickets for, and I finally got her for her birthday this year. A few obstacles came up threatening our attendence. I re-injured my ankle – the same one that I messed up in Toronto – last weekend, and I’m still limping around. P- has been recovering from one of those change of weather sniffles, as well as taking time out to review movies at the New York Film Festival. To top it all off, a Broadway strike/lockout threatened to prevent the show from going on.

Well, the show did go on, and it was magnificent.  As you may know, Wicked is the back story of the Wizard of Oz from the point of view of Elphaba, otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West (not easy being green), and her best friend from school, Glenda the Good Witch of the North, who is portrayed as a magical Elle Woods (Legally Blonde). We won’t get into spoilers, but so many questions of the characters’ origins are answered. The songs are well crafted, somehow managing to get exposition out of every verse.  At the close, it seems that the cast truly enjoys each other. If there were strife backstage and in the boardrooms, it sure didn’t show in the front of the house and in the capacity audience. Recommended.

Afterwards, we went to Ellen’s Stardust Diner down the street. They have singing wait staff whose range goes from opera to Kelly Clarkson. I had chicken soup and a philly cheese steak sandwich, while P- had a turkey burger and an orange shake. Not bad. We ended up closing out the place. A little pricey, but Recommended – these people have to support their acting habit.

The countdown begins … T-1 year to the big day. We’re checking out the church on Sunday.

The Fourth Third

Today’s Triscribe’s fourth anniversary.  Thanks for your part in continuing this story!

Mosquitoes: I seem to be attracting them the past week or two, or maybe it’s the same one. P doesn’t have any bites, but I’ve picked up a half dozen or so. There’s one really annoying welt on a knuckle on my left hand.

Old New: P’s brother took us to Medieval Times in New Jersey this past weekend (it was kind of an excuse, as he needed to bring four people so that P and her brother could get free birthday tickets). It’s pretty high on kitsch and bad puns (“the Knight Club”) but the horse riding skills are real, and the pageant was entertaining.

But of course we’re going to concentrate on the food and drink. P’s sister picked up a bottle of Bunratty Meade (which you can say is “authentic” as it is imported from Ireland, but not “authentic” under the legal definition of mead (without the ‘e’), as it is a blend of honey and white wine, not a fermented honey “beer”. It was OK, but the true mead that we had at the Ohio Renaissance Fair was so much superior.

The meal that we received for our dinner theater included dragon AKA beef vegetable soup, ostensibly made on site, but tasting of food service, half a roasted chicken – which I had to say was actually better than a lot of chicken dinners that I’ve attended – accompanied by herb potatoes and a spare rib, also quite good. This was followed by a apple puff pastry and some birthday cake. Have to say we left fully sated- the only catch is that we had to eat with our hands.

New Old:We had sushi at our usual place, Nanatori on Montague St. This was our second time at the place since their renovation, and we were with P’s brother. The food was pretty much up to par with its past skill in the kitchen. We mixed things up this time – chirashi, sushi deluxe, tonkotsu.