on the use of “happy holidays”

12/22/2006 ~ jamie ~ 1 Comment

a lot of people think this phrase is a politically correct copout.

i don’t agree.

i’m a christian. you are not. or maybe you are. how the hell do i know? saying “happy holidays” is just being sensitive of other people’s beliefs, and doesn’t assume that everyone believes the way you do.

more importantly, i’d argue that saying “happy holidays” promotes the concept that god reveals himself, herself, or itself through many religions and traditions, all of which can be a conduit to truth and peace. that’s what i believe, anyway.

so my use of “happy holidays’ is, in a sense, much more spiritual than just saying “merry christmas”. and spirituality is what religion should be about, right?

so there.

i was told on the phone the other day by someone, “happy holidays, if you celebrate one”.

now that’s going too far.

dreamgirls tickets obtained

12/18/2006 ~ jamie ~ Leave a comment

i went early to pick up my $25 dreamgirls tickets. i thought maybe if i picked them up early i’d get better seats.

swiped my credit card, the tickets print out. row lll (that’s three l, the letter that comes after k) seats 17 and 19.

i ask the usher where the seats are.

she points to the sign.

row lll–last row.

seats 17 and 19–the last seats in the row.

that’s right. my $25 + $25 + $2 service charge = $52 bought me the worst seats in the biggest movie theater in manhattan. guess going early didn’t help. although the theater is sold out through thursday, i think, so i should be glad i have tickets at all, right?

woo hoo. this movie had better be good.

today is “reveal your blog crush” day

12/15/2006 ~ jamie ~ Leave a comment

at least according to this website, it is.

from the site:

So, I’ve been asked what technically IS a Blog Crush? It’d likely include some, if not all, of the following:
A) You can’t wait to read what they post next.
B) You want to be friends with them.
C) You think they are the cat’s meow. Meow!
D) You might find them attractive- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, whatever floats your boat.
E) If you met them in person, blushing might occur.

i guess that, in that case, my blog crush is fake steve jobs. i think that counts. even though he’s fake, someone writes it. so i guess technically i have a crush on the real author of “fake steve jobs”. except not really. i have a crush on the fake persona of the real person.

this is just too complicated.

what’s going on

12/15/20065/19/2007 ~ jamie ~ 1 Comment

tis the season, and all that. lots of fun stuff coming up:

» dreamgirls tickets on monday. we got them at the ziegfeld, which is the best movie theater in manhattan. great popcorn, enormous auditorium, huge screen and great sound, red velvet curtains, serious patrons. and, for special engagements like this, reserved seating. the tickets were $25 each, but they are treating it like an old-fashioned road show movie. you get a special program, and they have all the costumes and memorabilia in the lobby for you to look at. plus, it’s one of only three theaters in the country showing the movie, and the only one in new york. so, expensive, but exclusive too. i can hardly wait.

» kiki and herb christmas show at the bowery ballroom next wednesday. i’ve rattled on before about kiki and herb, and i won’t bore you again. but this is the event of december, if you ask me.

» we saw the radio city christmas show this past wednesday. i never miss this–i’m a sucker for the pageantry, the excess, and the splendor. great new “twelve days of christmas” tap number. plus there’s all your old favorites–the wooden soldiers, the dancing santas, the midgets blurting “christmas” from behind the little doors of the midget house, the kick line, the 3-d movie, mrs. claus singing “man with the bag”, and of course the nativity scene. and of course i get there 45 minutes early, so as not to miss a minute of the mighty wurlitzer. i’m a big pipe organ fanatic.

» finally, there’s kirk in “taming of the shrew”, part of the pied piper children’s theatre’s season. that’s not to be missed, either.

thanksgiving pictures and more

12/7/20061/29/2007 ~ jamie ~ 2 Comments

here are a few pictures from our pennsylvania dutch thanksgiving goodness, from haag’s hotel:

« click on thumbnails to view pictures »

thanksgiving
food fest

haag’s pumpkin pie

haag’s cherry pie

let me see if i can get this list right and complete. tapioca pudding. apple butter. chow chow. cope’s corn. pickles. stewed fruit. applesauce. homemade cottage cheese. sweet potatoes. pinto beans. ham. green beans. potato filling. pepper cabbage. pot pie. rolls. gravy. grilled vegetables. pie (your choice of apple, cherry, pumpkin, or shoo-fly).

oh, and turkey. it was all you can eat, $12.95. amazing place, amazing food. it’s one of my favorite places in the world to eat–the breakfasts are good too.

a couple of cuisine notes. pot pie, pennsylvania dutch style is really kind of chicken and dumplings, except the dumplings are thick noodles. shoo-fly pie is a molasses pie with a crumby topping. and cope’s corn is dried corn that has been reconstituted when cooked.

and a technical note: these pictures were taken with my new fuji finepix f30 digital camera. no flash used–this camera is amazing in low-light situations. i bought it to take food pictures on my upcoming paris trip, and this was the dry run. pretty successful, i’d say.

a week after thanksgiving, kirk dressed as hedwig for our friend george ennis’s fiftieth birthday, at the red lion pub in the village. george was the sound guy for hedwig, and has had quite an interesting life. he referred us to the jeweler who made our hedwig wedding rings, so we have a special place in our hearts for him. he sang with his band, which was a real treat. he kicks ass, vocally.

hedwig waits for the train

george ennis sings

and afterwards, one more evening at danny’s. kirk sang “my romance” from billy rose’s jumbo, and “have yourself a merry little christmas”, which is my favorite christmas song and which was a great and welcome surprise for me.

and 87-year-old oscar winner celeste holm sang with her 43-year-old opera singer husband.

only in new york, kids.