aim high in hope and work
you are soon going to change your present line of work
change is not merely necessary to life... it is life
Friday, June 27, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
things the grandchildren should know
Today I finished reading Things The Grandchildren Should Know, the autobiography of Mark Oliver Everett (a.k.a. "E" of eels). It's an astonishing recount of the series of tragedies that he has faced in his personal life. The poor guy. What bad luck. Makes you want to give him a hug.
What do you do? When, after having been raised in a neglectful home wrought with dysfunction and mental illness, after your sister commits suicide and both your parents die, when you are the only one left, and you struggle with loneliness and depression and your own string of neuroses, and, not surprisingly, you have a thing for crazy women...
He deals with it. He copes the only way he knows how. Create music. And try to make a living out of it, which also proves to be a major challenge. But he succeeds.
It was sad reading about all of the misfortune in his life. But, in the end, I found it inspiring. His acceptance of it all. Somehow he prevails -- and manages to find hope. You never know, I'd say he might be just about as normal or crazy as the rest of us, considering.
I recommend the book. If you're a fan of his music, it places his songs into context, which explains a lot. Also, his writing style makes for an easy read, as Sam says. It's conversational. It felt like I was listening to a friend talk. Makes me happy that I smiled at him that last time we saw them perform at Tipitina's. He was finishing a song at the keyboard with his head down, then he looked up at me. I was sorta right there in his face. I smiled. He smiled back -- barely, but nevertheless. It seemed real. I felt like I had had an affect, that we shared a moment. I hope it cheered him up. Wish I could remember which song it was. Hang in there, E!
what if i was not your only friend
in this world
can you take me where you're going
if you're never coming back
i'm gonna fly on down for the
last stop to this town
i'm gonna fly on down
then fly away on my way
Monday, May 26, 2008
debbie does harrah's
And now we've come to the genesis of this whole journey... The reason we decided --Out of the Blue?-- to get on a plane and fly to Philadelphia and drive to Atlantic City... And everything else. The entire eight-day trip was planned around getting to this one point in time...
Opening night of Deborah Gibson's Pop Goes Broadway -- a showcase of her greatest hits mixed in with popular songs from the Broadway shows she starred in over the years, plus a few other surprises. And we got to see it all from the 4th row!!
The show opened with All That Jazz from Chicago. Debbie tried to fake us out by sitting at the piano with her back to us, disguised in a hat and tuxedo coat with tails, trying to fit in as a member of the band while the dancers slinked and catted across the stage. We were quick to catch on!
It was not long before she hopped up from the piano, threw off the disguise and began to sing. It was an exciting moment... My first time seeing Debbie live. Melinda's third and Sam's fifth!
Shake Your Love!! Lord, what year is it? Surreal moment. Debbie and company were in great shape. Her dancers did double duty as her backup vocalists. Sam recognized and remarked that one of the dancers goes way back, performing with Debbie since before the release of Out of the Blue. OMG 20 years ago!
As Shake Your Love transitioned into Out of the Blue, they all moved to the piano. After singing Maybe This Time from Cabaret, Debbie slipped into something a little more... Charo... for Buenos Aires, from Evita.
I don't know, something about the outfit and the hair reminds me of Charo. Coochie, coochie!
After Buenos Aires, she talked some and made her way into the crowd. She came and stood right next to us while she chatted with the girls sitting in front of us, who had come from Florida to see the show. An older gentleman (using that term loosely) who was sitting across the aisle butted in to inform Debbie that he and his wife have been together for 40 years. We'll come back to him.
Debbie returned to the stage to sing Foolish Beat, which was followed by the "Shake Break" -- a costume change, according to Sam: Back in the day, she would go offstage to change and the dancers would dance and the band would play Shake Your Love. This was called Shake Break. Apparently, she still does it.
The next number was a showtune medley: Don't Tell Mama (Cabaret) / Me and My Baby (Chicago) / If My Friends Could See Me Now (Sweet Charity) / Hey Big Spender (Sweet Charity).
Then it got crazy. Like, senile crazy. I told you I'd come back to him. Did I mention that the average age of the audience was about 60? I smell comp'ed tickets! This next segment of the show was an audience participation number. They called for singers and dancers. One of the girls sitting in front of us whom Debbie had chatted with, she was chosen. A guy sitting farther down on our row, he was also selected. He was wearing an Electric Youth t-shirt! And of course, the older gentleman eagerly volunteered. Along with a dozen or so others.
What ensued was absolute bedlam, and I relished every moment of it. You can hear me giggling on the video. The older gentleman was cracking me up! Somehow he ended up with a microphone, which thankfully was apparently not on. Still, he tried again and again to prove that he was ready to shine. Just a-steppin' and a-clappin', he was truly marching to his own beat. No, he was not a follower. Performing with the others on the chorus line would not suffice. He would spontaneously break from the line several times and just run to Debbie or run to the front of the stage. Was he adorable or was he just nuts? He had to be urged back to his position. At some point, Debbie just went with it and indulged the old chap. (While they dance, you can hear Debbie asking, 40 years, really??) Downtown became It's My Party, which seemed appropriate. It's My Party and I... steal the show if I want to? Fearless!! ...Clueless?
In the end, he was still not satisfied. After all of the others had returned to their seats, he was still up there, teetering somewhere between exhaustion and excitement, uttering somewhat unintelligibly and asking Debbie to sing Happy Birthday to his wife. Once again, he won, and we all sang Happy Birthday to Nancy. Even though he was a little pesky, I still smile when I think about this moment. Imagine how big of a deal it was to the guy wearing the Electric Youth t-shirt, while the old guy had probably never heard of Debbie Gibson. And probably still doesn't know who she is... And probably doesn't even remember this night! LOL
After mister man finally took his seat, the show was able to resume. Debbie sang Hopelessly Devoted To You as tribute to when she did Grease on the West End in London. Sweet.
Next up, another surreal moment... Electric Youth! Complete with the dance moves from the video! I say that because I recognized them. Pretty cool.
Lost in Your Eyes. Classic move: she climbs onto the piano for the big finish.
Only in My Dreams. Watch out for that high note! Cameo by Sam and Melinda.
She did two songs for the encore. Dancing Queen (lots of fun) and I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love (weird way to end the show?).
Opening night of Deborah Gibson's Pop Goes Broadway -- a showcase of her greatest hits mixed in with popular songs from the Broadway shows she starred in over the years, plus a few other surprises. And we got to see it all from the 4th row!!
The show opened with All That Jazz from Chicago. Debbie tried to fake us out by sitting at the piano with her back to us, disguised in a hat and tuxedo coat with tails, trying to fit in as a member of the band while the dancers slinked and catted across the stage. We were quick to catch on!
It was not long before she hopped up from the piano, threw off the disguise and began to sing. It was an exciting moment... My first time seeing Debbie live. Melinda's third and Sam's fifth!
Shake Your Love!! Lord, what year is it? Surreal moment. Debbie and company were in great shape. Her dancers did double duty as her backup vocalists. Sam recognized and remarked that one of the dancers goes way back, performing with Debbie since before the release of Out of the Blue. OMG 20 years ago!
As Shake Your Love transitioned into Out of the Blue, they all moved to the piano. After singing Maybe This Time from Cabaret, Debbie slipped into something a little more... Charo... for Buenos Aires, from Evita.
I don't know, something about the outfit and the hair reminds me of Charo. Coochie, coochie!
After Buenos Aires, she talked some and made her way into the crowd. She came and stood right next to us while she chatted with the girls sitting in front of us, who had come from Florida to see the show. An older gentleman (using that term loosely) who was sitting across the aisle butted in to inform Debbie that he and his wife have been together for 40 years. We'll come back to him.
Debbie returned to the stage to sing Foolish Beat, which was followed by the "Shake Break" -- a costume change, according to Sam: Back in the day, she would go offstage to change and the dancers would dance and the band would play Shake Your Love. This was called Shake Break. Apparently, she still does it.
The next number was a showtune medley: Don't Tell Mama (Cabaret) / Me and My Baby (Chicago) / If My Friends Could See Me Now (Sweet Charity) / Hey Big Spender (Sweet Charity).
Then it got crazy. Like, senile crazy. I told you I'd come back to him. Did I mention that the average age of the audience was about 60? I smell comp'ed tickets! This next segment of the show was an audience participation number. They called for singers and dancers. One of the girls sitting in front of us whom Debbie had chatted with, she was chosen. A guy sitting farther down on our row, he was also selected. He was wearing an Electric Youth t-shirt! And of course, the older gentleman eagerly volunteered. Along with a dozen or so others.
What ensued was absolute bedlam, and I relished every moment of it. You can hear me giggling on the video. The older gentleman was cracking me up! Somehow he ended up with a microphone, which thankfully was apparently not on. Still, he tried again and again to prove that he was ready to shine. Just a-steppin' and a-clappin', he was truly marching to his own beat. No, he was not a follower. Performing with the others on the chorus line would not suffice. He would spontaneously break from the line several times and just run to Debbie or run to the front of the stage. Was he adorable or was he just nuts? He had to be urged back to his position. At some point, Debbie just went with it and indulged the old chap. (While they dance, you can hear Debbie asking, 40 years, really??) Downtown became It's My Party, which seemed appropriate. It's My Party and I... steal the show if I want to? Fearless!! ...Clueless?
In the end, he was still not satisfied. After all of the others had returned to their seats, he was still up there, teetering somewhere between exhaustion and excitement, uttering somewhat unintelligibly and asking Debbie to sing Happy Birthday to his wife. Once again, he won, and we all sang Happy Birthday to Nancy. Even though he was a little pesky, I still smile when I think about this moment. Imagine how big of a deal it was to the guy wearing the Electric Youth t-shirt, while the old guy had probably never heard of Debbie Gibson. And probably still doesn't know who she is... And probably doesn't even remember this night! LOL
After mister man finally took his seat, the show was able to resume. Debbie sang Hopelessly Devoted To You as tribute to when she did Grease on the West End in London. Sweet.
Next up, another surreal moment... Electric Youth! Complete with the dance moves from the video! I say that because I recognized them. Pretty cool.
Lost in Your Eyes. Classic move: she climbs onto the piano for the big finish.
Only in My Dreams. Watch out for that high note! Cameo by Sam and Melinda.
She did two songs for the encore. Dancing Queen (lots of fun) and I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love (weird way to end the show?).
only in atlantic city
Did I forget to post this picture of the Gummy Handcuffs we saw at the It's Sugar store? My bad. :)
Friday, May 23, 2008
the boardwalk, part 2
We returned to the boardwalk and resumed our exploration. This stretch had lots more going on and was evidently more popular.
More 99 cent shops and psychic readings...
A rack of postcards was enough to entice Sam and Melinda into Irene's. I, on the other hand, was ready to sit a spell. It was warming up on the boardwalk, and having neglected to bring a hat, I was getting too much sun.
As luck or fate or divine intervention would have it, someone was kind enough to help me out.
Something was really funny -- at least to me -- but I don't remember what it was.
Steel Pier in the background. It has an amusement park on it.
We trekked all the way to the Trump Taj Mahal. Ornate and tacky!
On the way back, we stumbled upon some celebrity handprints and autographs right outside Resorts Casino.
Check out Dolly's nails!
Classic boardwalk fare. These little stands were cool.
Melinda wanted to check out James' candy store that she had seen on TV. We bought some of their famous saltwater taffy and other treats and souvenirs. Good stuff!
No words. I think he was digging in the trash when his song came on.
When we reached Caesars, we stopped in It's Sugar at the Pier Shops and picked up a few more souvenirs.
Like a kid in a candy store?
We wrapped up our day on the boardwalk with some awesome soft-serve ice cream and The Water Show at the Pier Shops.
Here's a view from the pier looking back at the stretch of boardwalk that we covered -- Bally's all the way down to the Trump Taj Mahal (in the fog).
View from the other side. More fog rolling in...
* * * Are you ready to shake your love? * * *
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