Category Archives: Holidays

December 18, 2010 · 1:23 pm

“The SantaLand Diaries” at Triad Stage and Christmas Entertainment in Greensboro

There really is so much to do here in Greensboro over Christmas, we really aren’t missing the fact that we aren’t going to New York for Christmas for the first time in years…

There are three real highlights of the season still playing…

There is “A Victorian Christmas” playing on South Elm Street that we thoroughly loved when we saw it last year.  There are “The Eight Reindeer Monologues” playing at the Broach that I previously mentioned in the blog.

And there is “The SantaLand Diaries” at the Upstage Cabaret at Triad Stage.

First of all, I love the room where SantaLand was presented.  I have had a good time at everything I’ve been in this space.  Greensboro has needed an intimate space like this for some time.  Especially one where you can sit at tables and drink during the performances!

I saw “SantaLand Diaries” on the main stage at Triad Stage a few years ago.  I really enjoyed that production, but I enjoyed this one even more in this space.

Adapted by Joe Mantello from the David Sedaris story, this “behind the scenes” look at the department store SantaLand at Macy’s New York Flagship store should be a perennial offering.

James Tunstall is great as Crumpet, the reluctant Macy’s elf.  He is an earthier Crumpet who really  works the room and the audience.  He was both at home in the room and fully in control of the room at the same time.  I love his characterization and his take on the character.  The Direction by Jeff Stanley really utilized the full room and Mr Tunstall’s talents.

I would say rush to see this at either the early or,  preferably,  the late show, but I hear they are sold out for the run.  But rumor has it, they may be adding shows, so keep your ears open and don’t miss the chance to see this fun holiday production.

Triad Stage is also presenting “A Christmas Carol” on their main stage.  I won’t be seeing or reviewing that.  I just can’t sit through yet another production of “A Christmas Carol”.  I wouldn’t be going to see that anywhere, no matter who did it,  even if they did it in the nude with tap dancers….But I hear that production is selling out also.

There are lots of other things going on in town.  Amy Grant and Vince Gill’s Christmas show is at the Coliseum tonight.  I’m sure there are even more things I haven’t looked into…

There is nothing boring about Greensboro as long as you know where to look…

Happy Holidays!

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December 17, 2010 · 6:26 pm

My Favorite Things: Mystery Novels

While I read a lot of history and biographies, as well as literary fiction, most of my reading is mystery novels.

I don’t apologize for this…They are a great escape.

But you have to be careful.  I detest some of the plot driven mystery novels that turn out to be Best Sellers.  I usually have those figured out in about 10 minutes and don’t really care about the characters.  I quit reading most of them years ago.

I need a good plot, but it’s also important to me that the books be character driven-and that the characters be well defined individuals.

Over the past year or so, I’ve discovered three authors I particularly enjoy.

If there is a mystery fan on your Christmas list, or if you just like to read mysteries yourself, I would strongly recommend these three:

  1. Louise Penny– She is my favorite.  My only issue is that she doesn’t write fast enough!  I have to wait a year for each new book.  She is a Canadian writer and her books are mainly set in a little town called “Three Pines” outside of Montreal.  Three Pines is kind of an artist colony populated with fascinating characters who recur throughout her books.  Inspector Gamache is the police inspector on each case and his interactions with the residents of Three Pines is the though line in these books.  The characters are well defined and the books are wonderfully plotted.  I recommend reading them in order starting with “Still Life.”
  2. G M Malliet- Start with “Death of a Cozy Writer”.  Her three books are all set in England or Scotland and I greatly enjoyed them all.
  3. Julia Spencer-Fleming– I’m currently flying through her series of novels set in upstate New York.  Her books also really should be read in order, starting with “In the Bleak Midwinter”.  There is an interesting relationship between the married chief of police in the small town of Millers Kill and the new Episcopal Minister and military vet Clare Ferguson.  I would probably best describe it as kind of a modern Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn type of thing.  Frankly, some of her books are stronger than others, but I wouldn’t miss any of them.  Again, well defined characters and strong plot lines.

I would also recommend Rita Mae Brown’s Sister Jane/Foxhunting series set in Virginia.  It’s probably because I’m from Virginia and know the area where these are set very well and recognize the character types, but these are a real guilty pleasure.

I also read a fair amount of gay mysteries-when I can find a good one.  This is a very dangerous area as there is a lot of really bad writing in this genre.  However, there are four writers who consistently deliver well written books I really enjoy.  They are Josh Lanyon, Anthony Bidulka, Greg Herren and Dorien Grey.  I would also recommend these guys to people-gay or straight- who enjoy a good mystery.  In this genre, I also enjoy Charlie Cochrane’s series about a couple of Gay college professors in England prior to World War 1.  These are not as strong as the others, but I’m a sucker for English mysteries-Gay or Straight- set in this era.

Just some ideas.

Happy Reading!

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December 13, 2010 · 11:54 pm

Boston Santa Speedo Run

Now I finally know why my Father told me there was no way he was letting me go to College in Boston when I wanted to apply to Boston U all those years ago….

 

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December 12, 2010 · 5:13 pm

“The Eight Reindeer Monologues”

If you are looking for some great, irreverent Holiday fun, I strongly suggest “The Eight Reindeer Monologues”, a play by Jeff Goode, at The Broach Theatre here in Greensboro, NC.

I don’t want to give away too much information, but let’s just say Santa may be guilty of sex crimes, Mrs Claus has a bit of a drinking problem and the reindeer have much more distinctive personalities than you may have suspected.

Excellent performances from all four actors-Jordan Hayes, Camilla Millican and especially stellar work from Lee Strickland and Tal Fish.

Go see it…It runs through December 18th.  More information at www.broachtheatre.org.

You’ll never think of Santa and Rudolph the same way again..

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December 11, 2010 · 4:02 pm

War On Christmas Spreads To Lincoln Tunnel : NPR

Interesting article from NPR….

This “War on Christmas” crap normally just makes me tired.

I’m of the “live and let live and go to whoever’s party is best today” school of thinking…Just stay in the moment, enjoy the season and don’t think about any of it too much..

And people really should know by now, it’s a waste of time and energy to argue about religion…

Holidays are time for traditions, and one of the biggest American traditions this time of year is arguing about religion.

Some years, a community is torn over a manger on the lawn in front of city hall or a missing menorah.

This year, the season’s biggest religious controversy is in an unlikely place: the Lincoln Tunnel connecting New Jersey and New York.

For the last three weeks, New Jersey commuters entering the tunnel have had to sit in traffic and contemplate the sight of a billboard with a picture of a nativity scene, a star and three wise men. Its message: “You know it’s a myth,” courtesy of a group called American Atheists.

Drivers can mull over this challenge for the few minutes of purgatory it takes to cross under the Hudson River. Once they make it through the tunnel into New York, however, they’ll encounter another billboard, this one from the Catholic League.

It’s the same nativity scene, but this time with a retort: “You know it’s real.”

More:   War On Christmas Spreads To Lincoln Tunnel : NPR.

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December 9, 2010 · 9:51 pm

Chapter 44: Christmas With the Grannies | My Southern Gothic Life

Another new post is up on my other blog.  I’m rather prolific this week…

All the Christmas Drama and mayhem at our house was off set by the simplicity of Christmas at Granny’s.

By this I mean, my Mother’s Mother, not my Father’s Mother, who was safely packed away to the State Hospital for the Insane in Staunton and, later, Petersburg.

But we did have to go visit my Father’s Mother, Granny Susie, AKA Susan Catherine Rush Michaels,  sometime around Christmas.  This was always an ordeal.

This was before there was an Interstate Highway to Staunton, so we had to travel along winding mountain roads to get there.  With not many restaurants or gas stations to stop.

A few times, my Great Aunts wanted to go along.  Aunt Lily and Little Mary were her sisters and her brother Joe’s wife, Big Mary, usually went along, too.  The one trip I remember was when we still had the station wagon- before Daddy flipped it coming home in an ice storm from Earl’s Bar and Grill.  They were all lined up in the back seat in their black wool coats, hats and white gloves.  Aunt Lily would always pack her lunch and refuse to share it.  When I was about 5 or 6, I asked once and she told me I should have planned better.

Link to full Post:   Chapter 44: Christmas With the Grannies | My Southern Gothic Life.

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December 8, 2010 · 9:55 pm

My Southern Gothic Life | Trying to Stay Sane in a Crazy Southern World…

New post up on my other blog:

 

When I was growing up in Danville, Virginia, decorating for Christmas was always a very big deal.

My Mother’s goal in life, for several years, was to win the Temple Terrace Women’s Club Home Decorating Contest.   Even though she was President of the Club, for several years, she still never won.  And she was not above “putting in the fix” if she could have figured out how to do so.

I was never quite sure what the Temple Terrace Woman’s Club did.  All I know is my Mother was inordinately proud of the fact that they once voted on something by placing their ballots in one of her bronze trash cans and everyone commented on how clean it was.  Thanks to the maid, I might add.

They also had a dish towel sale one year.  I don’t know what it was supposed to benefit, but we had several cases of dish towels in our basement for several years.  Some are still there even after 45 years…

Anyway, the whole production always began with her moving the previously mentioned cardboard fireplace into it’s place of honor in the basement.  After she meaningfully told my Father that she hoped one day she would have a real fireplace, she would make him haul out all the other stuff.

MORE:   My Southern Gothic Life | Trying to Stay Sane in a Crazy Southern World….

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December 6, 2010 · 10:04 pm

Which Kind of Booze Is Best for the Planet? | Mother Jones

For all our environmentally concerned drinking friends….

Murder in Detroit, overworked immigration judges, bruisers-for-hire on Indian reservations: If you’ve been reading Mother Jones lately, you’re probably ready for a stiff drink. Not so fast! In terms of greenhouse-gas emissions, US booze manufacturers release the annual equivalent of 1.9 million households. How’s that for a buzzkill? The good news is that you have choices. Here are a few tips for drowning your sorrows sustainably.

WINE: Fruity bouquet? Tastes like pencil shavings? Environmentally speaking, none of that matters: According to a 2007 study (PDF) commissioned by the American Association of Wine Economists, the majority of wine’s carbon footprint comes from shipping. You can minimize your wine miles by using the handy map below. In short, New Yorkers should buy French, while Iowans are better off drinking California wines. If you’re concerned about water use, go for bubbly wines made with early-harvested grapes. TRY: French Rabbit wines. They come in recyclable Tetra Paks, which reduce packaging weight by 90 percent over bottles. For reasonably priced organic wines, try Frey Vineyards—if the map allows.

MORE:   Which Kind of Booze Is Best for the Planet? | Mother Jones.

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December 6, 2010 · 7:34 pm

My Favorite Things: Christmas Music

My partner Steve and I love Christmas Music.

I’m almost embarrassed to say we have several hundred Christmas CD’s.  Almost….

Our tastes are also rather eclectic.  From classical to cabaret to new age to famous vocalists…

Most of these are on Amazon.com or the website I will list the website with the entry…

Here are some of the favorites:

  1. Spencer Lewis:  “Calling in the Winter“- available at his website:  http://www.spencerlewismusic.com.  This is really part a Christmas album and part a Winter Album.  You can listen to it online.  I play it almost all year.
  2. Sting:  “On a Winter’s Night”– I blogged about this earlier and posted a link.  Again, more of a Winter Album that you can listen to all winter…
  3. Nancy LaMott:  “Just in Time for Christmas”– the late, great modern cabaret singer made many great albums.  This is one of the best….
  4. “A Cabaret Christmas“- a collection by some of the best cabaret and Broadway singers
  5. “Cabaret Noel”– from Broadway Cares/Equity fights Aids-  This has a lot of really fun holiday songs on it done by some of the best performers in the New York theater and Cabaret worlds.
  6. John Trones:  “Holiday”– Another great cabaret Christmas Album.
  7. The Carpenters:  “Christmas Portrait”– beautifully arranged by Richard and beautifully sung by Karen.  This one is one of my all time favorites.
  8. Linda Eder:  “Christmas Stays the Same”– a great album by a real Broadway Diva. Great for upbeat background music at Christmas parties.
  9. Gary Morris:  “Every Christmas”– out of print and hard to find, but just wonderful.  If you try eBay or his website you might find a copy…
  10. Sarah MacLachlan:  “Wintersong”– on sale cheap at Amazon now.  One we play over and over…
  11. Liz Story:  “The Gift“- another one we can’t get enough of and play all through the Holidays.  Great piano versions of Holiday classics
  12. Doris Day:  “The Doris Day Christmas Album”– A true classic.
  13. Johnny Mathis:  “Merry Christmas“- Another Classic
  14. Andy Williams:  “The Andy Williams Christmas Album”– a childhood favorite….

I’ll stop there…for now.

Here are a few other very special single recordings that are priceless.

Original songs by the original performers…

These  stars truly own these songs…

 

Judy Garland:  “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

 

Eartha Kitt:  “Santa Baby”

 

Bing Crosby:  “White Christmas”

 

Nat King Cole: “The Christmas Song”

 

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December 6, 2010 · 9:27 am

Just Breathe: Body Has A Built-In Stress Reliever : NPR

Just a Holiday reminder!

There are plenty of ways to relieve stress — exercise, a long soak in a hot bath, or even a massage. But believe it or not, something you’re doing right now, probably without even thinking about it, is a proven stress reliever: breathing.

As it turns out, deep breathing is not only relaxing, it’s been scientifically proven to affect the heart, the brain, digestion, the immune system — and maybe even the expression of genes.

Mladen Golubic, a physician in the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine, says that breathing can have a profound impact on our physiology and our health.

“You can influence asthma; you can influence chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; you can influence heart failure,” Golubic says. “There are studies that show that people who practice breathing exercises and have those conditions — they benefit.”

He’s talking about modern science, but these techniques are not new. In India, breath work called pranayama is a regular part of yoga practice. Yoga practitioners have used pranayama, which literally means control of the life force, as a tool for affecting both the mind and body for thousands of years.

MORE:   Just Breathe: Body Has A Built-In Stress Reliever : NPR.

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