Where have you been?

Okay, I know…I have been bad. It’s been over a week since I have blogged. I would make up some excuse, but you won’t believe it. So, I will be honest. I have just been busy…busy with some fun stuff (a trip to New York)…busy with some not fun stuff (anything that has happened at the office)…busy in the morning (a 2:30 a.m. CST wake-up call to fly home on Tuesday)…busy in the evening (Itzhak Perlman concert)…basically, I have been busy all over this land. So, in the words of Bette Davis, “Fasten your seatbelt. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

Let’s start with New York, shall we? I heart NY. Seriously, Shlomo and I love to go there. We go as often as we can. This time we went to see some shows, shop, and attend a Passover seder. Of course, we shopped too much. But that is a whole other issue.

We saw five shows. That is a lot. In four days. On Saturday, we did double duty. The first one we saw was Dangerous Liaisons (or as they spell it Les Liaisons Dangereuses) with Laura Linney, Ben Daniels, and Mamie Gummer. You might have heard of Miss Gummer’s mother/clone. Her name is Meryl Streep. While La Streep was not in attendance as I had hoped she would be, I can report that the play was fantastic. The acting was great. The costumes were beautiful. And, the scenery was even a bit innovative.

Saturday afternoon: Gypsy. We had an unfair advantage. We had seen it last year in its limited run at City Center. Patti Lupone did not disappoint. Being in the third row was not so bad, either. She was swell. She was great. Everything’s coming up Rose. When the Tonys roll around in June, let there be no doubt. It’s Mama’s turn. Interesting tidbits from the show: Clive Owen was a few rows behind us. Two words: Hubba hubba! And, Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor on the Young and the Restless) was across the aisle. She is an icon in my life. I have watched Y&R my entire life. She looks just like you would think she would.

On Saturday evening, we saw a cute comedy called Boeing Boeing. Christine Baranski plays the French maid. She did not disappoint. The show was long. It was easy to figure out. But, it was well-acted and fun.

On Sunday, we took a trip to South Pacific. In a word: Beautiful. Amazingly beautiful. A 30-piece orchestra, a full-sized airplane on stage, and beautiful singing voices by the entire cast…Bali Hai has never been so lush. In another year, I would have to pull for Kelli O’Hara’s Nelly Forbush to win the Tony, but we all know…it’s Mama’s turn. Side note: Jimmy Fallon sat across the aisle from us. I hope his plans to succeed Conan work out well for him. He seemed quite nice.

Then, on Monday night, we saw the new musical, A Catered Affair. I will say this…Luke Duke actually belongs on Broadway. I think he knows this. It was a haunting story about love, grief, repression, and family dynamics. It is very serious, but not a total downer. Faith Prince makes you ache as a mother who lost her son in the Korean war. And Harvey Fierstein is Harvey Fierstein…in all his glory.

Among all that, we still found time to shop, eat, sleep, and go to a museum. This time we went to the fairly recently opened Neue Galerie. It specializes in Austrian and German art and has an amazing collection of the works of Gustav Klimt. It’s small, intimate, and not to be missed. It was established by the Lauder Family. That’s Lauder as in Estee Lauder. My mother loves her perfumes.

As for the shopping, I will say this. Shlomo and I do not live in New York. While we go a couple of times a year, we don’t go that often. How is it that two different salespeople knew us at Barneys New York, New York? ( I like to call it that. They are all Barneys New York…even the one in Dallas.) Are we that unforgettable? I guess so. But, I am known for my vintage cufflink obsession and BNYNY usually has a great selection. A pair was procured. There were no celebrity sightings there this time. But we did see Cliff Claven in Bergdorff Goodman.

So, after the fun and excitement, it was back to a not-so-fun week at the office. Seriously, accounting is so glamorous. NOT. I don’t really care why our depreciation expense increased and I don’t think anyone else should either. That’s all I am saying about that. Oh, and Shlomo’s speech is still looming. I have started it. It will get done. I know what he needs to say. I just have to make him say it. That is what the weekend is for. Speaking of, have a great weekend. I will try to do better and blog more next week.