performance, discussions...

I laughed a lot during last night's performance but didn't cry. The story was poignant, though. PB-R is a performance artist who has developed a character named Johnny Hobson, a young gay man from a small Texas town. We've seen PB-R in several earlier pieces; last night's was a continuation of the story. Johnny confronts a bewildering world full of inconsiderate slobs, uncomprehending family, and basic cruelty. Somehow, with great dignity, he always finds a way to take care of himself; the message is redemptive. Good material for last night.

Also, the piece ran for two hours and I could have taken more. I wonder how a solo performer can maintain high energy for so long; most of the solo pieces I see are 75 minutes long and the performer is drained at the end. At the end of his piece, PB-R looked like he could have done a second performance.

Over dinner, I had a long talk with Robert about his current job. He talked about how unhappy he and others in the company are, and it seems to boil down to a couple of difficult, unpleasant folks in a remote office. Robert's been humming this tune for months, but he finally sang the words last night. I coached R on the sorts of things he might say to his boss (who is also his brother) to start down the path of effecting change. It's clear that he wants to be there, but not under the current circumstances. We'll see.

And today, we're headed to NY for a brief visit. My great uncle Sam, who died at 99, would have been 102 or 103 yesterday. He lived for perhaps half a century in a small apartment building with two apartments per floor. His neighbor for most of that time became a close friend of Sam's and of the rest of the family. She likes to host a birthday dinner for Sam every year, and this year, my mother kindly asked if it could be on a Saturday so that Robert and I could attend. I'm looking forward to an evening of rememberance and laughter.

And then tomorrow, we zoom back to Boston to see a performer I've wanted to see for years, Savion Glovier, a tap dancer who will be performing to classical music.

Monday is a work day, and also visiting hours for Ed. Tuesday is the funeral. Last night I sent information about Ed to Jane's and my former coworkers. I expect that some of them will want to express their condolences to Jane, or at least have the option.