Menu Mendacity

Two incidents in the past few days have made me crazy. The first was when we were down in Ashland. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, the Black Sheep. Wonderful meat pasties, delicious fish and chips, a sublime smoked trout and gouda sandwich. Delightful service. Friendly fellow diners. A round of darts. Then the bill arrives. Two of the meals were listed about $3 more than the menu board prices. Yours truly asks the waitress, who apologizes and says "the computer must not have been changed from the dinner prices of last night." She instantly corrects the bill.

But still I am bothered. I do not like mistakes.

This morning I ordered a breakfast basket from an area restaurant. The menu board specifies cheese costs 60 cents more. I want cheese. I order it with cheese, knowing I will be paying more. The menu board offers beverage choices: coffee, OJ, milk or bottled water. I order OJ. Surprise! I get up to the window to pay and learn that the OJ is 20 cents more. I tell them "it doesn't say that on the board." Super Son squirms in intense embarrassment. Manager offers to refund the 20 cents. I tell him it's not necessary; I just hope they will amend their sign and future printings of the menu so that customers can make an informed choice. He says it is impossible to list all the extra charges - "the sign would have to be huge!"

This bothers me.

Do you encounter this type of thing? Does it bother you, too? Or do I need to get a life? I await your reply.

We interrupt this multi-day theatre trip report...

...for an important message from my second husband, Stephen. Click on his delectable mouth to be magically taken to a link at Colbert Report where you will hear great wisdom.



















And if you live in Washington state, please vote YES on Referendum 71. Don't let "the hate that dare not speak its name" win this election. Thanks.

Five Hours Down, Five Hours Back

Truffaldino (Mark Bedard) and his master, Florindo (Elijah Alexander) in Servant of Two Masters

We spent the weekend in one of our favorite places, doing some of our favorite things. Playgoing, eating at interesting restaurants, browsing old bookstores, talking with actors, and enjoying the pool and hot tub at a nice hotel. As soon as school was over on Friday, we sped down to Ashland, to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Through afternoon traffic and steep, curvy mountain roads made slippery with rain, we doggedly drove, determined to make it in time for the evening entertainment. We needn't have worried; we made it with 6 minutes to spare. All the comfort of an old familiar setting, with old familiar activities...but a few new twists.


One twist was that we were in the New Theatre. Professor X and I had attended a few plays there since it opened in 2002. There was an amazing production of MacBeth that year, done in the round with a pool of "blood" in the center of the stage. As the action progressed, and knives were dipped into the "blood" and actors were smeared with "blood," things got stickier and stickier. Very memorable. We attended a post-play talk where they revealed the secret ingredient of stage blood - karo syrup. I only learned today that there was enormous drama surrounding the production when I went in search of photos to share with you and found a review of the show here. We thought it was a fantastic show.

We also saw a great political show the following year, Mothers Against by David Edgar. It was done with a totally different floor plan; imagine the theatre as a giant rectangle, with seating on the two long sides only, stage in the middle. So we knew there were many possible ways to arrange the audience. The kids had never been to the New Theatre. When we attended the first play, I told them that it would be interesting to see how it might be reconfigured the following evening for the other play. They thought I was nuts. But when we entered the next night, they were forced to admit I knew what I was talking about. If you look at the floor plans on the website, you'll see what I mean. There's a ton of work that goes into changing the entire set and seating between plays. And it happens in a few hours, because the play we saw the first night was done again as a matinee the next day, with the second play performed that evening.

Despite our frequent theatre trips, it was the first time we'd seen All's Well that Ends Well. Wonderful production. At first, I was a little taken aback seeing so many new actors in leading roles. I was reassured when some old favorites - James Edmondson, Dee Maaske, and G. Valmont Thomas, (he'd played MacBeth in 2002) showed up. Veteran actor Armando Durán absolutely delighted as a clown. I was really impressed by the comic talents of the newer women, Kate Mulligan and Emily Sophia Knapp. And we all enjoyed the lead,

Helena (Kjerstine Rose Anderson) and marveled at her athleticism, especially when she swung upside down from a tree.

Servant of Two Masters was our introduction to commedia dell’arte. OSF’s world premiere adaptation of a 250-year-old romp, with original songs, was outrageous fun for the four of us. I'll share more about that tomorrow. Need to clean house in preparation for NaNoWriMo.

Are Some of Us Going Back In Time?

Note: I don't know anything about this book .
I used the cover to catch your attention. Sneaky me.

Originally, I was just going to share a great link that gave all the details about the iPhone parody I posted yesterday.

But, being me, I got sidetracked by other cool stuff on the blog Waking Up Now.

Then I saw this and felt outraged.


So I did some searching and found this, which gives some links to take action. WARNING: It automatically launches a loud sound clip, so you might want to turn off your sound before you click.

When I look at this man, I think how far we've come.




I've blogged about this issue before. I thought Spencer Tracy's speech settled the matter.




When I read the statement by Keith Blackwell, the ignorant justice of the peace from Louisiana,

There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage. I think those children suffer and I won’t help put them through it…I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way. I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom.

I wondered if he has a special bathroom for those friends.


I also wonder if he's unaware of the parentage of his President.

Or if he does know and is angry about it.

Despicable.

But Everyone Else Has One!

Remember when you were little, and it seemed like all your friends got something, but your parents were super mean and wouldn't get you one? Even if ...um...you didn't actually tell them you wanted it, but they totally should have known because, as I know now, parents have to be psychic to figure out what their kids are thinking?

Well, the fun doesn't end in childhood. I've been remarkably free of feelings of envy about the cool things my friends have (excepting, of course, if those things are plane tickets or travel reservations) until now.

My role model has a new toy. She has even named it. Go take a look here.

And our bff has one too. She is giddy about it. She even played with it last two nights ago at the orchestra concert in which our brilliant sons were performing.

I am not a person who has to have the latest technology or the newest car or the fanciest house or designer clothes.... My needs are simple. As long as my travel obsession and Shakespeare addiction are fed, I am content. But the delight these women are taking in this toy is wearing down my resistance. I will keep you informed if I join their ranks.

Meanwhile, this parody ad cracked me up. I especially love the use of the original, distinctive, perky music. But I am more than a little disturbed about the information - I'd never heard about much of it. Had you?

How to Solve Your Problems - A Musical Answer

How do you solve a problem like Maria? Climb every mountain, of course.

I've always felt that good art allows you to gain some insight about life. You may not have a major epiphany, but you get to take away something to enrich your own existence. And in musical theatre, you should leave able to hum a few bars and remember at least a snippet of lyrics.

Daring Daughter's Beauty and the Beast mini-production includes Be Our Guest, with wonderful lines like

Try the grey stuff; it's delicious
Don't believe me? Ask the dishes
They can sing, they can dance
After all, Miss, this is France
And a dinner here is never second best
Go on, unfold your menu
Take a glance and then you'll
Be our guest
Oui, our guest
Be our guest!

Okay, maybe that's not the most profound advice. But I will say we never had a bad meal in France. And I'm crazy in love with the fun rhymes and melody of this song.

We saw two other musicals in Portland this past week, Ragtime and Sondheim's Company. Each had extremely talented casts. Each was beautifully choreographed.

Coalhouse Walker (Gavin Gregory) sings to Sarah (Rachael Ferrera)

Ragtime shares a vision of the American dream at the turn of the century, when anything seemed possible, even for new immigrants. Consider this excerpt from the song Success:

[MORGAN]
I'm J.P. Morgan my friends
The wealthiest man on this earth!

[IMMIGRANTS]
Success!

[MORGAN]
You immigrants, look up to me
And you'll see what money is worth!

[IMMIGRANTS]
Success!

[MORGAN]
One day your immigrant sweat
Might get you the whole U.S.!

[HOUDINI]
And if you're trapped
And failure seems imminent,
Think of Houdini,
That fabulous immigrant!
Break those chains with all you possess!

[MORGAN, IMMIGRANTS]
This is America!
This is the land of success!

I'm teaching a course on the American Dream this winter. After reading Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, I felt more than a bit cynical while listening to this song. Ultimately, Ragtime left me saddened about how much injustice persists in America. It wasn't inspiring; it felt like, well, what it was: a really long novel about a period in American history with unhappy endings for many of the characters. Not that I demand a happy ending (okay, I sort of do), but I'd like a sense of forward movement, of progress at least.

Company was in some ways even more unsatisfying. Sure, the performances were stellar. Great singing. But the characters were mostly unlikable, or at least not developed enough for us to care about them. The problem lies with the play's original construction - it was a series of one act plays, rejected until the playwright hooked up with Sondheim to weave a score around them and tie them together. The result is a series of vignettes in which couples try to persuade a 35 year old bachelor friend that he should get married; that marriage provides one with company. How does it end? Well, I'll just say that Daring Daughter, a person who likes clear resolutions, was displeased.


I will admit, though, that it had more clever lyrics. Consider The Little Things You Do Together:

It's the little things you share together,
Swear together,
Wear together,
That make perfect relationships.
The concerts you enjoy together,
Neighbors you annoy together,
Children you destroy together,
That keep marriage intact.

Or Sorry-Grateful:

You're always sorry,
You're always grateful,
You hold her, thinking:
"I'm not alone."
You're still alone.

You don't live for her,
You do live with her,
You're scared she's starting
To drift away,
And scared she'll stay.

Or Being Alive:

Someone to need you too much,
Someone to know you too well,
Someone to pull you up short
And put you through hell.

Someone you have to let in,
Someone whose feelings you spare,
Someone who, like it or not,
Will want you to share
A little, a lot.

Someone to crowd you with love,
Someone to force you to care,
Someone to make you come through,
Who'll always be there,
As frightened as you
Of being alive,
Being alive,
Being alive,
Being alive.

I'd love to know if anyone reluctant to wed has seen Company, experienced an aha! moment, and then got married. I do know that, watching it, I became annoyed with the pushy married couples, recognized my own similar misbehavior toward some single friends, and vowed to refrain in the future.


My ultra suave second husband Hugh Laurie is a talented musician/singer/songwriter. His compositions help to guide us in our daily lives; they provide a vision and a plan of action to deal with the challenges we face. This is one of the family's favorite songs. I do hope you enjoy it, and comment with your favorite line. There are so many good ones.

I Am Truly *&$#%^! Speechless

"Go ahead, Senator, ask her 'Are you now or have you ever been a volunteer?'"



Sir, have you no sense of decency?

A friend posted this on her Facebook page with the comment

"I try to ignore Beck, but trying to get people to hate volunteerism by equating it with communism is disgusting."

I thought "huh? I thought he was a pretty cool, liberal musician."

Wrong Beck.

I await your comments on the linked material, because, frankly, if I start to write about this, someone is bound to report my blog as obscene and Blogger will take it down.