No, Thursday's Out....

In the very earliest days of this pandemic, back when the virus appeared in Wuhan, back before the world changed, my pal was readying herself to go to Paris for a six-month stint. She had prepared in many ways (found some graduate students to live in their US home and care for their aged dog while they were away, etc.), and had bought some white cotton gloves, which she intended to wear out and about, or on the Metro, as an alternative to latex. She is a far-sighted person, and she said that having gloves on helped her remember not to touch her face, and what with this new virus in the world and all…. She had bought twelve pairs, for a grand total of $14.99. Who can’t use a dozen pairs of white cotton gloves? I confess, I got pretty excited. Years ago, in my dance teaching/choreographing days, I had done a whole number with black light and dancers all in black, except white gloves. Actually, we spray-painted the backs of the gloves black, too, so that only the palms showed up in ...

A friend of mine lives in a wealthy suburb, far away. It is very quiet these days, just as it is very quiet in most places these days.  The quiet makes it easy to hear other people, when they are making noise outside. She reports that her " uber-rich neighbor in the ridiculous house was outside on Saturday screaming at his ex-wife at the top of his lungs----I think the whole neighborhood could hear---and one of the things he screamed was, " When that 25 million dollars is gone, IT'S NOT COMING BACK!"  I love this line. I want to go out in my yard and shout it as well. I kindof want to do it when my one super-toxic neighbor is walking past, just to mess with her head. She has messed with my head a lot, and I'm not the only one. I realize this is juvenile, but just thinking about doing it makes me smile. 

I have a great story, and (spoiler) NOBODY dies, so you can read on for the thrills and happy ending, if you like. I have a guy I see once a year, and the calendar (filled in long ago) said it was to happen this week. Well, no. But I thought maybe we could do a phone meeting, so I called his answering machine, which reported, “We will be back from vacation on March 24 th !” Hmmm. I left a message:   Hi. If you have shut the office, that makes sense, and I was just going for a phone consult, but if you are okay, and back from vacation, and picking up messages – that voice mail is a bit alarming. You might want to change it. Or if you are doing biz over the phone, please let me know. Three days of silence. Self-talk: Okay, hopefully he is home safe, not even picking up messages, no worries. (Mild worries continue.) (There was “hopefully,” btw.) Yesterday afternoon, the phone rang. How are you, I asked? Oh, he said, we are LOTS better now. Here commences ...

This one will pay off after a short struggle, I promise. I was charmed to learn about “stance adverbials” in a Structure of English class I took last term. (I know, the word “adverbial” is strange and perhaps new to you, as it was to me, but once I give you an example, you will be right there with me.) Here’s the clearest example. “Unfortunately” is a stance adverbial. SO: Unfortunately, we are not yet at the peak of the NCOVID-19 pandemic in this country.   “Unfortunately” is my stance, my take on the matter. I think it is unfortunate that things are going to get worse before they get better, so I begin the sentence with my stance adverbial – Here is how I feel about the facts before us. I feel they are unfortunate. “Surprisingly” is another stance adverbial, as in “Surprisingly, Alice was quite intelligent.”*   The speaker is the one surprised, not Alice. (The speaker is pretty annoying, too. I wish I hadn’t invited the speaker here.) (* I have a strong su...

Trying to keep the local economy afloat (Priority 4, for those following along), I have now attended two yoga classes over Zoom, from a favorite teacher at a favorite neighborhood studio.   I love going to the studio, in normal times – walking past my neighbors’ yards on the way, and stopping at the corner bakery afterward. The actual studio full of actual humans is crucial to the experience. I am not a yoga-at-home video type. I was once given a yoga mat, and it went bad in the attic, the rubber somehow melting together until it was just a big, pink, sticky roll. I didn’t get another, because I can get one at the studio! ( Could  get one…)   I do not have the equipment at home, not even the right sort of socks to keep from slipping around on the carpet in the guest room. But I can improvise! Here you see two volumes of Anthony Powell’s splendid series, A Dance to the Music of Time, functioning as a yoga block.   Functioning quite well, I might add. ...

Imperative 5 (not in order of importance, just the way I numbered stuff when I woke up understanding there were Competing Imperatives) has been coming along. I'm sure you are seeing all sorts of stuff on this, but here is just one. I know there are other places to see similar things, but for now, just bask in that map, and those beautiful pie charts. Are they not wonderful? I have a seasoned friend who says the map may mean trouble for our country, given the mendacity, heedlessness, nationalism, and greed of our leader. This could be true - if something wonderful is discovered in another country, for instance, we may not benefit. I know my seasoned friend has a good point, but for some reason I think science can make an end-run around nationalism. I mean, it has done that in a sad way already. COVID Clinical Trials

For thirty years, I had two avocations. My day job was in the book business, and my other job was choreographing high school musicals. No, it’s true. I had danced since I was four (thank you, Mom and Dad), and I had taught dance for pin money, and when I got the chance to choreograph a show, I leapt at it. The gig was basically a dream come true, and somehow, when it ended, social media came along so that I could keep tabs on many of my kids (now not kids, but always mine). They’ve gone on to all sorts of things, and generally made the world a better place, and I feel lucky to know them. So here is my friend, James David Larson, from his closet.   (I seem to be seeing a lot of videos from peoples’ closets, also a fair number from the insides of cars. James is a working actor. The video is about voiceover work. It’s timely: voiceovers are already a form of social distancing! It’s informative: who knew you could audition at “Pay to play” sites online?   And it is funny...