June 26, 2011

A young man married is a man that's marr'd.
(All's Well That Ends Well 2.3.297)

Tonya Pinkins ,John Cullum, Annie Parisse, Dakin Matthews, Andre Holland,and Reg Rogers in All's Well That Ends Well. Reg Rogers was a hoot as Parolles and all did a fine job in this "Problem Play."

The highlight of the evening was the scene where Helena can choose from the eligible men in Act 1 and it is staged like the rose ceremony scene from "The Bachelorette."

The main plot twist is "The Bed Trick" as in Measure For Measure. Harold Bloom once suggested that "in the dark they are all alike." The twist calls for a willing suspension of disbelief.

BEN BRANTLEY of the NYT liked it : Flawed Man Draws a Good Woman.



Arrived in Central Park at 8:00 a.m. and pleased that only 118 people were on line. I was sure to get tickets in a theater that seats 1,872. Thank the lord for no major stars and plays that are "Problems."



The end of the line. I figure you could have arrived after Twelve and still copped tickets.



The wait was enjoyable. A ton of dogs running free until 9 a.m., entertainment like the Sax player above. A guy did a brisk business renting chairs for $4, he sold out. I brought my own chair. I had the crossword, the play, The Screwtape Letters and a Quart of Bloody Marys to keep me occupied.



Tree Knot.



Exceptional Wines for the evening were from the Santa Rita 120 collection: Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Terrific tasting , value Wines from Chile.

June 23, 2011

James "Whitey" Bulger captured. Hmmm, seems like I was wondering about the failure to catch him just the other day.

June 21, 2011

Today is the Summer Solstice: the annual moment at which the sun is the highest it ever gets in the sky – occurs today at 1:16 p.m. ET. This time also marks the beginning of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere..



Stonehenge was crowded this morning.

June 19, 2011

Mimosas, Godiva and Breakfast: good way to start Father's Day. A Barnes and Noble Gift Card allows for some books and music.



Whitey Bulger has still not been found. This is the story of flipping the shark to catch minnows.



I enjoyed Mary Roach's other books, so picking these two up was a no-brainer.



Crazy Joey Gallo. I remember the headlines from the Umberto's Clam house Hit.



The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man inspired the movie The Sting.



Really liked The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, so this new one was a must-buy.



Jubilation Day is the best song on the album.



Hoopism.com is my new favorite Sports site.

June 18, 2011

Greenmarket had strawberries and Sugar Snap Peas as the attractions.



Sunflowers always catch my eye.



The best appetizer at Wildwood BBQ, Jalapeño Shrimp wrapped in Bacon. That's Keegans Mother's Milk in the background.



Man at Prairie Crossing:That's funny, that plane's dustin' crops where there ain't no crops.

Just finished watching North by Northwest. Love that crop-dusting scene. I had recently read an analysis of the Sequence.

HAMLET: I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is
southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.

June 14, 2011

Tickets were easy, the play was OK, Danai Gurira was quite good.



The cast.



Picnic near Turtle Pond overlooked by Belvedere Castle.



Birds everywhere. Wine and Luke's Lobster. Wonderful evening and terrific weather.

June 13, 2011

Going to try and see Measure for Measure tonight. Queens Distribution and Virtual Lottery. Will I be lucky ? I'll be showing up at the Queens distribution at 12:30.



Back in 1976 it was Meryl Streep and John Cazale.

June 12, 2011- Big Apple BBQ Redux

Ubon’s Barbeque of Yazoo, Yazoo City, Mississippi for Pulled Pork.



Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Birmingham, AL :Sausage with saltines and Pimento cheese.



Pappy’s Smokehouse, St. Louis, MO Ribs.



The Original Fried Pie Shop, Texas Fried Pies. Reminded me of the Fried Dough flavor of Zeppoles. This was a loooong line, and a very disorganized crew. Very tasty and worth the wait.



Blue Smoke had a desert booth besides their Beef Ribs. This was a Blueberry Crisp ala mode. Fantastic !



The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que ,Driftwood, TX , with Brisket and sausage on bread. Brisket was good but not as good as Hill Country's.

June 11, 2011 - Big Apple BBQ Party

Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, Decatur, AL



Ed Mitchell of Raleigh , N.C. with Whole Hog BBQ and newly added Turkey.



Crackling or skin on the fire.




The line for the Whole Hog sandwich was over 45 minutes and that was on the Fast Pass line. The wait was worth it, the best there is. The Crackling was given to the line holders as they waited. A great idea.



Hill Country had no line. Too bad, their Brisket is out of this world. They too were giving free samples to the Ed Mitchell mega line. Many , like myself, bought some Brisket for the wait.



The wood is for flavor.



Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Pork butts.



Beer garden was crowded. The Goose Island Beer made it bearable.



There was also Running Bull Wine. This was the Wine tasting tent. Very friendly crew.

June 11, 2011

The BBQ Party to end all BBQ parties starts today. Rain or shine, will be there. Goose Island Brewery of Chicago will pour the event's Beer.



Pretty Things Brewery from Massachusetts always has interesting and historical brews. This East India Porter was in Cask Ale form and full of flavor. The brewery page links to Beer Historian Ron Pattinson. His findings, the troops drank Porter while the officers drank Pale Ale. Interesting stuff, he brings out the Class part of this equation.



This Golden Bock from Sierra Nevada is about to be tried.



Pretty Things Field Mouse's Farewell is a Saison Style and quite tasty.



With BBQ and Beer abounding, got to have at least one book.

June 6, 2011

D-Day, June 6, 1944.

June 4, 2011

Nice overcast day.



Finally, Strawberries.



And, Sugar Snap Peas at the ungodly price of $6 a pound.



Whole Foods is a lot of fun. Picked up Cajun Shrimp and Crayfish for Seafood Quesadillas. Extra flavor from Spring Garlic and Mushrooms.



They now have a beer section.




Draft Tröegs Dreamweaver Wheat Ale is the Summer Weekend drink.



I Remember the Spassky - Fischer matches. Chess for the summer of 1972. This looks like a real interesting read. Tomorrow , June 6 , HBO airs the Documentary Bobby Fischer Against The World.