A little this, a little that

Last Thursday, we went to the theater to see a Cole Porter revue. It was basically four actors singing Porter songs, accompanied by a pianist. Now it happens that there were a lot of songs (some of which I knew and some of which were new to me), the actors were extraordinarily good, and the pianist had some chops about her. As two of the youngest audience members (ah well), we had a great evening.

The Boston Glob [yes, sic] had published a total pan of the revue that very day. So of course, I read the review, then thought "oh darn. we're going to a terrible show. I hate it when that happens." But when I thought back on it, what the reviewer hated most about the whole production was that she didn't get to see the show they did last year. I think she should have stayed home, myself. Instead, she found the most minute things to pick at and missed some of the most delightful moments.

For me, the worst part about the whole experience was that we were sitting cabaret style. We first sat down with two ladies who exuded charm and grace. Then one of their husbands came in and the whole energy changed. He was obnoxious and spoiled and unpleasant, a real entitled pig kind of a guy. I'm usually the person who kind of spits and complains, but Robert was right there with me. Funny.

We also went to a movie. Hohum, so what. I used to see loads of movies and loved them. Then about the time Mark died, I lost my taste for most of them. As of a few days ago, I hadn't seen a movie for several years. But it was a quiet weekend and I was actually interested in seeing Wall-E, the new Pixar flick. We walked to the theater, walked to dinner, and walked home -- very civilized. And the movie was very sweet. It has a little bit for everyone and it's appropriate for all ages. The audience was amazingly well behaved, and except for the constant munching of popcorn (kind of a giggle given some of the movie's themes) and a little kid laughing hysterically when no one else was laughing, things were fairly quiet. We could see, the theater was clean, and the seats, while not luxurious, were comfortable. I've also got to say that the technology was wicked cool, especially given that my company has a little bit of overlap with some of what I saw in the film. A good, non-traumatic movie experience. Phew.

Yesterday, I mentioned the farm to a woman at work. She got very interested and decided she wanted to come with me. She totally loved it. She's from China and was delighted to see the chickens running around and a bunny (she took a picture with her cell phone) and couldn't get over some of the vegetables, one squash in particular that she had only ever seen in China. So it was kind of fun to share it with her. I explained as we pulled into the driveway that after being at work all day and going there, you're forced to slow down (they ask you to drive very slowly, for one). And then you get out of the car and hear the birds and see this beautiful piece of land. She got to meet the farmers and had nice chats with them and talked to a few other members. She might sign up next year, too.

Unfortunately, the farm was sold some manure which was supposed to be organic. The original hay had been sprayed with an herbicide, which apparently passes right through the horse and out the other end. So when they spread it on about 1.5 of their acres, some of the plants started dying. I think they were able to rescue some of the plants, but some of the crops won't come out this year, alas. And I think they're wondering whether that part of the land will be decertified for a while. I'm sad, but I also feel that part of the deal is that we share the risk with the farmers. We'll still have plenty of tasty food, just not *that* tasty food, not this year. It's too bad.

And work is crazy busy. My work is divided up into small projects, some of which aren't so small. One that I just finished involved about 10% writing, 25% technology, and the rest was politics, at least that's how I feel right now. That's fine, but a little odd. I'm making progess and there's some hope that my finishing everything will coincide with the actual deadline. There are also some people who are ahead of me at this point; if I'm really swamped at the end, it's possible that some help will be forthcoming. So far, so good, though.


Oh, and one little vent. Does turning 50 make me an instant magnet for hearing about other peoples' hot flashes? I don't mind hearing how my friends are doing, but it seems like all of a sudden, strangers and people I'm just not that close to feel the need to share with me. It happened yesterday at the pool with a woman whom I'd barely spoken to once before. She's sweet and all, but can I just say this -- TMI TMI TMI!!! There. I feel better now. Back to our irregularly scheduled program.