Monday, October 31, 2016

"Which UCLA Team Are You Watching?" showed up in my mailbox

A UCLA store flyer showed up in my email today.  It was hyping individual teams that are doing well, like Water Polo, Volleyball and Women's Soccer.

But the headline "Which UCLA Team Are You Watching?" just tossed me into slight convulsions. Because, you know, I am watching the UCLA Team that can't run, can't stop a run and loses to Wazzu! We let Utah's Running Back score so much he quit the team for a few weeks because he felt guilty about hurting our feelings. I am watching the UCLA team that would struggle against the Little Sisters of Mercy JV team! And I am still supporting them, but damn'ed if I will buy a shirt.


Boobies (Blue, Red and Nazca)

One of the things you get to enjoy in the Galapagos is how close you get to the animals.  It was very cool to see them close up (although we weren't suppose to move closer than 6 feet).
This allowed us to see the various types of Booby Birds from close up.  Here they are.

Fist the famous Blue-Footed Boobies.
The Blue Footed Boobies usually hang out on rocks. They are the ones that eat closest to shore. Their feet (indicators of how healthy they are) get their color from the iridescent sardines in their diet.



Then there are the Nazca Boobies.
The Nazca Boobies are a purer white than the others and larger.  They feed from 5 to 10 miles off the coast.




Finally there are the Red Footed Boobies.
They feed the farthest from shore (like 10 - 30 miles). They are also the only Booby that can curl it's toes, so they roost in mangroves and scrubs.


Review of The Front Page

My automated posting didn't work, so I updated it today.

The Front Page Delivers Headline Performances

by scott9m@gmail.com
Let’s start off with the biggest question, how were all those stars in The Front Page? The answer is they were great. John Goodman had some laryngitis when I saw it, but otherwise he and the rest of the cast were fantastic. John Slattery is charming, stylish and comedic. Nathan Lane is wonderful, despite not appearing until well into the play. Holland Taylor, John Goodman, Jefferson Mays and Robert Morse are as funny and as good as you expect them to be. Sheri Rene Scott gives a wonderful turn as Mollie Malloy.
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John Goodman, John Slattery and Nathan Lane in The Front Page
So then, why does The Front Page never feel like a great show? First, it is entirely too long. The news hounds are made up of a stable of excellent actors that would headline most other shows, but giving nearly the whole first act to them is not the best use of time. Second, The Front Page is dated, very dated. I suppose you could update it, but that wouldn’t work well in today’s vernacular since the newspaper business isn’t much of a business at all anymore. So be prepared for tasteless jokes about women, effeminate men and colored people.
And yet, on some level, both of these problems feel like choices, since the definitive The Front Page movie (titled His Girl Friday), with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell resolved these issues with judicious pruning of the story.
Other than that, how was the theater, Mrs. Lincoln? Pretty good actually. The set (by Douglas W. Schmidt) is fantastic, giving a large stage a slightly claustrophobic attitude. Filling it in Act One are an impressive array of newsmen acting bored and annoyed as they await news on the imminent hanging of Earl Williams – who’s being railroaded into execution to help reelect the crooked Mayor and Sheriff (Dann Florek and John Goodman). Jefferson Mays is the mincing, neurotic germaphobe (and general gay butt of jokes) who has his own desk, phone and is perpetually put out. He does a fine job with a thankless role. Late entering into the Act are John Slattery as Hildy Johnson, a newsman who is retiring to marry the girl of his dreams and move to New York, Holland Taylor as the annoying mother-in-law to be and Sheri Rene Scott as the Irish hooker with a heart of gold, who berates the news hounds for their lewd comments on her friendship.
Nathan Lane handles Holland Taylor's Objections
Nathan Lane handles Holland Taylor's Objections
In Act Two, Earl Williams escapes, Hildy catches him and hides him in the desk as the other newsmen look for Earl. Plus there is a lot of yelling and running around business.
In Act Three Nathan Lane shows up as Hildy’s boss, Walter Burns, to help Hildy sneak Earl out of the newsroom. The show finally  comes to life when Nathan Lane and John Slattery are on stage together. Theirs is a reluctant, but enduring bro-mance, which neither dames nor mother-in-laws nor better jobs will break up. But two full acts makes for a long time to wait for the show to hit its stride.
Jack O’Brian does a fine job of directing The Front Page. He gets excellent performances out of all the players, but at nearly 3 hours, it is a bit of a slog. He might have been kinder to the audience to take a judicious knife to the show.
The Front Page | PlaywrightsBen Hecht, Charles MacArthur | DirectorJack O’Brian | CastNathan Lane, John Slattery, John Goodman, Jefferson Mays, Holland Taylor, Sheri Rene Scott, Robert Morse

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Wow! Do not say that!

Walking into training this morning there was a couple (in theirs 40s?) in the lobby of the hotel. He turns to her and says "You should go put on more make up."

When is this appropriate? It was 8:00 AM, so they weren't heading to a Halloween party. The weren't headed to an expensive dinner. He was wearing sweats, so she wasn't underdressed. And I thought she had plenty of make up already. Since it was an hour before 9AM it was too early to rob a bank in a disguise.

I figured he was just an idiot.

Sent from my iPhone

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Some pictures from Bartholomew

View from the top. Santiago Island in the distance.
Well, we've been back since late Sunday night and I haven't posted.  I haven't been lazy (per se), but busy.

We got back and I have been teaching this week until Tomorrow - and then John and Sue are coming - so this will all be light posting for a while.

Eddie and I and the great view.
Meanwhile, here are some very cool pictures of Bartholomew Island. It is a little island, with a recent (geologically speaking) Volcano. It was interesting to preserve the natural development, Ecuador is very protective of all of the islands. In the case of Bartholomew, it meant climbing to the top via a set of wooden stairs.  Most is desolate, but you can see some green grown on the windward side of the island.
Eddie and the topography of most of the island.



Stairs!
So this was the full group (minus our guide and one older gentlemen that didn't want to tackle the stairs) from our cruise. The two guys in the middle (in black and red shirts) are "The Nomadic Boys" from Instagram.  They pulled this together.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

A Memory. Almost Home

Almost home just one more flight MIA 2 LGA

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Time to come home...

... when the Sea Lion tells you to get out! Home Sunday

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

One Thing About My High School

So this was odd to Eddie the first time he saw my school.  See if you can spot the difference.
The lunch Area at Gahr High School (where I went).
Now Ed was (at first) kind of surprised that in California, yes our lockers are outside (they thought 90210 made that up). And yes, our classroom doors open right onto the outside.

Because - you know - no snow.

Then I saw ed's High School once.
Ed's School

From above
(To me and me only), it looks a little like a cross between a Home Depot and a Prison. I mean students go in, but they never come out. There is not outside hallways, once you are in the building, you are at their mercy.

Creepy.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Some shots of historic Quito

Landed in the Andes

Quito ho!

I spare the image

One thing I find odd is old men who lift one pant leg of their shorts to pee through. Pull down your shorts! How lazy are you?
And, you're old in an airport. Everyone waiting is grossed out.
Oh OH you're not going to wash you hands then head out to the buffet- terrific.

Sent from my iPhone

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Donald Trump has made Rudy Guilianni a bigger AssWipe than he used to be...



Off the Grid (Mainly) - Off to the Galapagos

Yay!


Yes - You Read That Right, Terms of Endearment with Molly Ringwold!

Perks of being a reviewer... I have tickets for this with Eddie in November (11th).  Yay!

Dear J. Scott,
An Oscar-winning story comes to the American stage for the first time in a play by Dan Gordon, based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry, and the screenplay by James L. Brooks. Terms of Endearment traces the relationship between a highly opinionated mother and her feisty daughter as they seek to find humor and courage in the face of life's challenges. This funny and touching story about love captures the delicate, and sometimes fractured, bonds between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and lovers, both old and new.

Terms of Endearment stars the previously announced Molly Ringwald as Aurora Greenway and Hannah Dunne ("Mozart In The Jungle") as her daughter Emma.

The cast also features Jeb Brown (Beautiful The Carole King Musical on Broadway) as Garrett; Denver Milord (Jack Reacher; "Blacklist") as Flap; John C. Vennema (Bells Are Ringing at Encores) as Doctor Maise. and Jessica Digiovanni (Of Good Stock at Manhattan Theater Club) as Patsy/Doris/Nurse.
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT BEGINS OCTOBER 29!

Washington Park

A Cool picture from Sunday's bumble.