Introduction to Broadway

My husband wanted to see a Broadway play. I wanted to see a Broadway play too. I had already seen  a few and always enjoyed a comedy, a musical, or a combination of both. When it was announced that "Glengarry Glen Ross", David Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning play about salesmen competing for their piece of the American Dream, was to be re-staged for a short engagement I knew I would not be seeing any singing and dancing.

Mr. Y. loves the 1992 movie version of "Glengarry Glenn Ross"d. He has been a salesperson for much of his career and some aspects of the Type A personalities quirks and attitudes resonated with him. Plus, how could you NOT love a movie starring Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, and Alan Arkin? In my cases I could NOT love the movie when the setting is a Chicago sales office full of cutthroat, egotistical sales people competing for sales leads. Their mantra is "ABC, A-lways B-e C-losing". Or the break room conversation that ends with "Put that coffee down. Coffee is for closers only".  Watching people work in that type of environment, having to scramble for compensation based on their ability to sell a product to people that don't need that product and enduring the profanity (LOTS of profanity), put-downs, and derogatory comments had me squirming before I even found my seat in the theatre.

Mr Y. was beyond thrilled to be there. I was less so. But since Al Pacino was playing the lead (albeit in a different role than he played in the movie) and the cast was entirely made up of actors I recognized from TV, if I was going to endure a dark drama at least it would be entertaining. And entertaining it was. There were funny parts in the play that I didn't remember from the movie. I didn't leave the theatre with a pit in my stomach from watching confrontational characters chew and gnaw at each other to get ahead.

Now that Mr. Y had been introduced to Broadway I'll make sure next time he goes he leaves humming a catchy tune from from his first musical.

On This Bench........

 Walking in Central Park today I began to study the brass plaques affixed to the benches. There must be thousands of benches scattered throughout the park and even though I have rested on several different ones I had not bothered to read the inscriptions. I believed all of them to be memorial plaques and reading them would be akin to perusing tombstones in a country cemetery. They would detail the person's name, date of birth, date of death and perhaps a sentimental verse about their life. There are those types of plaques on some of the benches but when I came across a quote from an animated movie I knew I was going to have to start looking a little closer.

The first plaque I leaned over to read today was this:

Kung Fu Panda? I had no idea there were quotes from that particular movie that were brass plaque worthy but apparently someone did. Well, my goodness I have a LOT of benches to read if the messages are going to be this inspiring and profound.

It makes for a pretty stop-and-go stroll when you are trying to absorb all the messages from loved ones, parents of small children, friends, and even corporate sponsers but it's worth it. There are sweet ones like this that make me think Leonard is one lucky guy:

more philosophical ones like this:

And then there was this one:

and the bench next to it:

But did he? And more importantly did she?

At $7500 a bench (all tax deductible since you are contributing to the Central Park Conservancy for bench upkeep) that's a pretty big, public investment in a marriage proposal. Sitting on a park bench in Central Park has just become much more interesting and thought provoking.

Stuck. Sort Of.

My favorite calendar is stuck on the last day of 2012. A Christmas gift from a favorite sister-in-law in 2011, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Day by Day calendar gave me the opportunity to literally turn a new page every day last year. I enjoyed revealing a new image each morning, never peeking ahead to see what was in store. I loved having it in my home in the Midwest and enjoyed it even more when I moved to The City and knew the objects de art were only a few blocks away, ready for my immediate and leisurely viewing. Some of artwork I recognized immediately and some encouraged me to seek out more obscure collections at the museum (see "Porcelain Century Vase by Karl L.H. Muller (American, c. 1820-1887) Beautiful!) I loved it.

In September, during a vist to the MET with a dear cousin, I saw the 2013 Day by Day calendars in abundance. It was much too early to think of moving on to 2013. I, so typical of me, delayed and continued to enjoy the pages and days of 2012. I thought I would wait until the calendars went on sale. After all, calendars have a short shelf life at the beginning of a new year. None of my outings in December took me close to the museum and trips out of town during the holidays didn't have me facing an expired calendar until a few days into January.

A walk last week took me by the museum but of course, it being a Monday, it wasn't open. An uncomfortable feeling is starting to take hold. I should not have delayed, I should have bought it, stuck it in the back of the closet and been prepared for the new year to start. Yesterday another walk brought me back to the museum. Immediately upon entering the doors I see the the gift shop entrance holds the welcome "Clearance" signs I knew would be there. Holiday cards! Calendars! 50% off and more! I will be in luck. I just know it.

Hurriedly dismissing the wall calendars, mini-calendars, desk calendars, and purse calendars that still stock the shelves, I cannot find the Day by Day calendar. I seek out a clerk. Ah, yes he says with a negative shake of his head. Those are our most popular calendars. They have been sold out for some time. Disappointment sinks in. I really, really wanted to buy my calendar at the museum. It just won't do to recyle 2012. I've seen those pictures and lived those days.

Thankfully, online ordering came to the rescue. Of course they had the calendars. Of course they could have it to me tomorrow if I wanted to pay extra shipping. (I did not.) I don't have the calendar yet but I'm moving on to 2013. I'm going to work harder at not procrastinating. Really.