Tag Archives: Sarah Pierson

The Right Stuff

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Holy Thursday Batman! That’s what today is on the 4:30 Movie. The Robe and the Matching Slippers. Blessed art thou who weareth the slippers.

I just got back from some busking. Played for about 90 minutes until my arm cramped up. You’d think my arm would be used to repetitive motion, I mean I even shaved my palms and wear corrective lenses. I made $1.77.

Didn’t do any singing, just strum strum strum. I played Love Shack, Hercules, Good Lovin’, All My Loving, Please Please Me, So It Goes, Whatever Gets You Through the Night, Surrender, Take Your Mama, Brown Eyed Girl, Peggy Sue, The Letter, Half a World Away and a little bit of Mr. Tambourine Man and a slightly askew version of Fourth Time Around. Also 2000 Miles.

It’s a good thing I didn’t sing, especially with 2000 Miles being a Christmas song of sorts. But the chords have a nice progression. Stopped by the Guitar Bar and firmed up plans with Jim Mastro for Saturday morning.

He asked if I had anything planned to say and I told him I didn’t because I don’t. Jim was very supportive of my busking and recommended having the guitar case open to collect bills and change.

I had a phone call from Pedro who prefers Riker’s Island to home. Cabin fever pitch. He was heading into Manhattan and asked me to join him. So now, I’m home and called him to make sure since last time he said that, I went into the city and was unable to contact him.

I didn’t mind, I was able to go to JR Cigars and pick up some cigars anyhow. This time, I’ll just stay in Hoboken and see if he calls before I do anything. Annemarie planted that idea in my head, to make sure Pedro would be around. I was hoping he would be, not just to hang out with him but to also pick up the latest Mojo and Uncut.

Got another US Census form in the mail. I got one a few weeks ago and duly mailed it in. Now here it is again. I marked Bill as my unmarried partner. If I fill it out again, maybe I will mark him as my husband.

Crazy cannabis free dreams again last night. One involved living back in Lodi with two terriers named Jackie and Jibby. Frank and Elaine were living in the Iwanicki house next door and I could hear Elaine and my niece Corinne have a heated discussion about something. There were also some ominous overtones with regards to something in the backyard of 13 Riverview.

And Starlings. Did you know Starlings aren’t native to North America and that someone imported them with the concept of having all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare living in North America? And now the Starlings are taking over the Sparrows? I read that somewhere. Bad idea, not fully thought through.

The other dream took place in Manhattan where I was pedaling a Pedi Cab on Seventh Avenue then lending it to Rachel Maddow for the opening of City Boys, a musical about Cowboys in Manhattan.

I was also wearing a cowboy hat and my former coworker Sarah Pierson was in the dream as well, and I took her on a bicycle tour of Hoboken. Strange dreams indeed.

Other than all that, it’s been a beautiful day. I heard from the Hudson Reporter about a letter I wrote supporting the bibliothèque. Just confirming that I was who I said I was.

I always need to confirm that, if not to other people then to myself.

And twice I’ve been in the supermarket and both times I’ve heard The Right Stuff by New Kids on the Block and I found myself singing along.

WTF?

I am who I say I am

I am who I say I am

My Generation

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Just got back a little while ago from McSwells with Bill. Lois DiLivio had organized an open reading of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. I was a bit apprehensive about it and suggested a few weeks ago that Lois choose a comedy rather than a drama.

But it was her doing and since she already posted what play we would be reading from she was averse to changing the selection. Perhaps next month. I don’t know who makes the decision on whether or not there would be a next month, but I would gladly participate if invited.

I portrayed 2 characters, Solanio, a friend to Antonio and Bassiano & also Old Gobbo, father to Lancelot. I surprised Bill and perhaps a few others when I read each character in a different voice. I surprised myself actually.

I’ve never participated in a reading like this though I have attended a few that Bill had either organized or participated in. All the roles were pulled out of a hat or rather a bag and some people found themselves playing characters that had dialogs between them.

That was weird and some tried different voices. Afterward, I suggested to Lois that perhaps if there is a conversation between 2 characters played by the same reader, perhaps the second lines should go to the person sitting to the left or the right of the initial character.

And perhaps for a fun twist, if the second reader says their lines in a different voice, then the person who originally had the lines, make them say it close to the way the secondary reader says. Does that make sense? It would also be a laugh.

And if that doesn’t work, helium should be introduced.

Lois did a commendable job organizing the whole thing, and Rand and Lisa with Rand’s sister Glenda as well as Jim and Diane and a guy named Steve with me & Bill all enjoyed ourselves. I wisely ate breakfast at home, skipping brunch which some had beforehand and others had to eat during the read.

There was some difficulty with ye olde English leading me to think but not suggest perhaps a more recent play, maybe George S. Kaufman? Even Oscar Wilde might be good. Obviously I am leaning towards comedy.

Considering that I spent a good part of the past 24 hours dealing with a most uncooperative toilet, I think leaning towards comedy isn’t such a bad thing. Beats shit, that’s for sure.

Finally after building up muscles in my arms via plunger usage a passage was created and things are flowing nicely in the porcelain world.

It was a pain and on the way up to McSwells I suggested that if he had to go, McSwells might be the best place to do it. I’m just glad it’s over with.

I also just found out that I’ll be attending a wake this week. My uncle, Joseph Powers passed away this morning. He was the last of my parents generation so now it’s down to the kids.

12.27.09 Merchant of Venice at Maxwells 005

Photo courtesy of Rand Hoppe

Photo courtesy of Rand Hoppe