Wow! The last act of the Diaghilev tribute I saw in October has been judged so offensive that the BBC won't show it. I am so amused. Here are some quotes:

The BBC has abandoned plans to screen a ballet featuring a deformed Pope who rapes nuns which it had announced as one of the highlights of its Christmas schedule. [I don't know, it would be a highlight of a sort to be sure.]

and

.... the de Frutos sequence climaxes in what has been described as “the most graphic scenes of sex and violence seen on the dance stage”. [This seems like a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe they don't see much modern performance.]

and

De Frutos believes his work would have met with Diaghilev’s approval. He said: “He wasn’t bothered by political correctness. Those were the glory days when people would sleep with you to get a job. And some of the best slept with Diaghilev.”

On my side, the piece was difficult to sit through. On the other hand, I felt like I was watching history being made, and now even more so. It was memorable. It was enthusiastically offensive. It was the baddicle. In some ways, it achieved what it set out to do so very well that I think it put many other merely limp works to shame.

Today we have no Thanksgiving like plans whatsoever. No dinner invites; tried to get into a place serving Tday food but there must be a lot of us out there as I couldn't get a reservation.

No, today we're both going t work, and tonight we're going to watch Ponyo, the new Miyazaki movie.

I was hoping I was over caring about Thanksgiving but after 40 years of it being the second biggest holiday of the year, it just doesn't go away so quickly. I really sympathize with all of those immigrants back in America who couldn't let go of their traditions; I really know how it feels now.

Now that I'm, er, working while I'm at work, writing has to be done outside of work - on my phone, on the tube, at home on the couch. Thus I bring you my recently completed review of Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a four star experience for me. No, I reserve those accolades for shows like "Silence: The Musical," which was just brilliant (thanks again booklectic for the recommendation).

The rest of the week I'd better be dragging my laptop along with me, 'cause tomorrow is Firsts at the Royal Opera House and Wednesday is the all-black Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello. I can't wait - but I'd better be getting to bed now as I'll be getting home late the next two nights.

Q: Seven guests come over. Two bottles of wine are opened; one is left in the bottle and the other is poured into a pitcher. There is some fancy lemonade and in the fridge some weak-assed orange juice. Dinner consists of chicken fried steaks for nine, a roasted squash, souffle for six, mashed potatoes for six, gravy for eight, cornbread, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and kale (with bacon). What do you do the next day?

A: Throw out the cornbread, eat the leftover steak and gravy and biscuits for breakfast, heat up the quiche for dinner, and mix the leftover wine (in the pitcher) with the cheap assed orange juice and drink that with. Oh, and wash dishes for two hours. Any food remaining can be taken to work on Monday. You won't need lunch.

Secret fact: of course you have to use the wine in the pitcher, because the other wine was rioja, and it is all gone, along with the fancy lemonade.

Was somehow up at 1:30 AM watching YouTube last night. Found a Lene Lovich song I'd never heard before. Damned cool.



PS: this is the closest I'm getting to Thanksgiving this year.

One free ticket for this tonight - burlesque and Victoriana at the British Library:

http://www.bl.uk/whatson/events/event95861.html

Write back or call (I have my phone again!) if you want to come.

Yesterday was one of the most fun Sundays in recent memory for me. It got off to a good start with a solid 11 hours of sleep, followed by French toast. (Still no phone, FYI.(

Then I got my bags of flowers together. This is the first time since I've been in England that I've been able to really get back into my normal tulip mode for the fall. I found three different places to buy bulbs at (though none of them selling by the 50s and 100s like back home) and got both two really exotic selections (hyacinths from Alan Shipp and the "fall sampler" from the Hortus Bulborum and some random pretty things (from Dobbies). Last weekend I mapped out the garden and got just a few bulbs in; this time I was able to just plunge into getting them in, in, in the ground. wechsler went on digging duty after a while and shadowdaddy worked on further bush trimming. It will really be an excellent garden this spring. I've been keeping up my tulip journal with info about what is planted where and pictures of the flowers. Unfortunately I only got half of it in yesterday but another two hours next weekend and it should all be done.

Then it was 2:30 and only two hours before sundown and I wanted to go enjoy the autumn weather so off we went to Merton Abbey Mills. Unfortunately it seems most of the fall color got turned into mulch the day before but it was still nice to be out in what little light was available - and it was sunny all day so really good to be out.

Back home, I finished my review of Nation at the National (it's a negative review) and had a nice stir fry dinner (courtesy of wechsler) and got to bed before 10:30. I've actually had enough sleep, and now it's time to go to work - almost seems like a waste of time to be in such a good mood and then spend the day indoors!

I would like
to apologize
To the earthworm
I hacked in two
In my garden
Forgive me
You were so helpful
And so right under my shovel

I have lost my cell phone. I am hoping I might get it back but I'm not hoping very hard.

If you want to get in touch with me, send me an email. Basically I'm not seeing anyone in my circle of friends besides J and W until a week from tomorrow, by which point I should have something sorted out technology wise.

In the meantime: no using the phone to read Twitter in the bathroom! AAAAUGH!

Last night we had a great night at Sadler's Wells watching Birmingham Royal Ballet's Cyrano. It was really just insanely fun - I mean, sword fights and a baguette dance in a bakery and even a full-on battle scene! The dancing was good and the dancers totally won me over with their acting - I got sniffly twice. Anyway, the link above is my full review, and if you're even the least bit interested, I've included a link for half priced tickets in the review.

I don't know, what if the Matrix were filmed in the Silent Film era?



I can't believe I'm still full from last night! And I need more sleep. Well, that at least I can believe.

So Monday night was work then Habit of Art at the National Theater (the new play by Alan Bennett); last night was work then Birmingham Royal Ballet's "Quantum Leaps" program at Sadler's Wells. Man, I love the shows, but the writeups (which is what the links go to) are proving really difficult to do now that I have to (gulp) actually do work while I'm at work. I was even writing up "Habit of Art" while I was at the (2nd) intermission for the ballet last night.

Fortunately, tonight finds me at home, where I've just served bathtubgin and lovelybug my pasta with pesto and new potatoes (and cream) that seems so well suited for cold nights (double carb goodness!). I added some kale and squash to make it a little more healthy, then made a flan to ruin the overall effect. Now I'm so full my stomach kind of hurts. God, pesto just makes it impossible to really get my head wrapped around what a portion size should be. Anyway, it's now after 10:30, and I'm going to take my gut and go to sleep. More ballet tomorrow and then again Friday - sleep is for the lazy, I say!

The thing I hate about shopping for work clothes in London is that they're not just expensive, they're poor quality, made in China or Vietnam and almost exclusively synthetic fibers. God knows what Quality costs herstill, no more black jeans except on Friday, so I must shop.

First: my long-delayed review of Inherit the Wind, the play inspired by the Scope Monkey Trial. While I expected it to be more Viva Darwin!, thanks to David Nutt getting fired for saying drink was more dangerous than dope, it's message was stunningly timely. A real shame Kevin Spacey hammed it up so much but it was a good show nonetheless.

Yesterday we did a lot of things around the house after an enjoyable breakfast at the Astoria Cafe in Streatham, which reminds me nothing more than of wonderful mornings hanging out with the Quad. My later gardening efforts did not result in even one bulb making it into the ground, as the garden was so overgrown there wasn't really anywhere to put them. We finally gave out around 4:30, cleaned up, then headed to Brighton for the Brighton Early Music Festival's presentation of music from the Jesuits in China. What was particularly interesting is that so much of the concert was Chinese instruments, Chinese music, and even Chinese poetry. I especially liked the "Farewell to Yuan," called the "passe du soleil" in my program. Here's my version of the poem:

Wei town morn, rain soaks dust
Inn willows show fresh green
Drink one more cup of wine;
Past Yanguan, freinds all gone.

Anyway, it was all done in the Brighton Royal Pavillion, which was good because from our seats we couldn't see the performers at all as the floor is totally flat and they weren't even on stage.

Anyway, shooting off to have lunch at wechsler's sister's house ... will catch up later.

Just had someone come up and tell me what a good talk I gave on Friday (about testing). "Most times you'd just fall asleep straight away but you kept it real and it was really interesting!" Gotta say this is a real mood lifter.

Right, on to lunch and reading the doc I should have been sent two weeks ago (which showed up today) that I'm supposed to have comments back in on by end of day ...

Off for almost the start of my third month at work. Everything's going really well, tho the ban on blogging at work means I'm finding it hard to find time to write about it. I seem to have passed the panic point in the learning curve, which is good, and it looks like I've made enough progree since I've started that I can ensure my boss won't be on my ass for the next 6 months. Hands off management, that's what I like, though I miss having free time that wasn't so consumed with the need to get enough sleep.

I had the scary realization on Halloween night that while I don't have hairspray, apparently I have 20 different colors of blue eyeshadow … and blue nail polish … and blue lipstick. "Have" as in "just titting around in my pile of makeup." Now THAT is scary.

Only one night of theater this week? Yes, but I tried to make it count by going to two, count 'em, two shows last night. One was supposed to be a spooky Halloween thing that ultimately just wasn't (Slung Low, "Visions: They Only Come Out at Night"). The other was a modern choreographer (Michael Clark) going wild with David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground and even a little Wire. This was obviously a can't miss thing for me though it did make me think of Bongwater's "David Bowie Needs New Ideas" song. My review is up, and you'll notice I managed to throw in a visit to an art gallery, too. Seriously, it was like drinking three Nutrashakes in a row after starving myself for days.

Anyway, today I haven't so much as walked out the door, though I did let the cat play in the backyard. I thought I was going to do some gardening, but when I opened my boxes I discovered the reason the big one was so light was that it was mostly empty (bad!), and the rest of the bulbs are sitting in some delivery company's warehouse, waiting for a second delivery that was supposed to be the next business day after Thursday, though for some reason it appears Friday and Saturday do not rate. Maybe on Monday they'll show up and then somehow I'll find the time to plant these things ... gah, Saturday and Sunday next week are both gone, maybe the 14th?

Work. Um. 2 hour long meeting in which we were being "listened" to? And other stuff. Not okay for non f-locked post. Had enough time for lunch and walked all the way to Tay Do, a Vietnamese restaurant recommended by a food blogger. Had soup. Yum.

Night: went to see The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus and found it boring. Movies need to exist as more than an excuse for visuals, and the acting, dialogue, and story were all lacking. We were quite disappointed. Not so bad as to send us out of the theater, but the near total lack of payoff made it seem tempting. Afterwards we went back to Tooting and broke in a new dosa restaurant right near our tube stop. Yum!

Bah, forgot to change my address with the Washington State voter rolls, and my absentee ballot never made it here (my mail stopped forwarding this summer). That means I won't get to vote in this fall's King County, City of Seattle, and Washington State elections.

Bah bah and bah. I've only missed 2 or 3 elections since I first registered. I hate being sloppy like this.

Failure du jour: got up, went to wear pants I'd washed the night before and left on the heater to dry, realized the hook needed to be sewn back on. Found black thread, carefully reattached hook so stitches didn't show on the outside. Put on pants and realized I'd put the hook on backwards, so that it doesn't actually hold my fly closed, it just rests gently against it and comes right back out again. Pulled shirt over fly and wore them anyway.

What is up with all of these people I know having bronchitis and lung infections this fall? Two people at work have lost a month each to this shit, I'm STILL not rid of this cough (mostly, just occasionally when my throat is dry - two months later!), I hear all over LJ about people being diagnosed with same - is this some kind of bounce from the swine flu, or is the filthy London air just worse than normal this year? Remember, folks, a cough's not just a symptom, it's something that can help keep you sick and weak. Treat your cough as well as your fever and sniffles - it'll damage your lungs and you'll spend ages trying to get back to normal. Learn from my mistakes.

Did I have something intelligent to say? Likely not. I still have piles of vegetables left over from this weekend in overshop shock horror and we kept piling our way through them (skipping Pilates in favor of home time) with pumpkin risotto and sauteed zucchini on our plates tonight. I'm thinking of maybe doing a pepper pasta thing later this week. God, I have NO shows scheduled this whole week, what a relief. We even played a board game tonight, and last night we watched David Attenborough. I could get used to this, only, seriously, I'll be getting cabin fever by Wednesday, which should mean we go see a movie. Dr. Parnassus, here we come! (Orange two for one code anyone?)

Today mostly I failed to ignite. I had people coming over for dinner and getting that taken care of was my big goal. I made it out to do grocery shopping at 1 and got back at around 3; I started cooking at around 5:30 (after three of my guests called to say they weren't going to be coming over, so it reduced some of my stress). T & Lauren arrived at 7 and I finally got food on at 8:10. Overall the food went well but er, I find that now it's midnight and I'm utterly exhausted. Also I have leftovers for days. And I've discovered I really just don't like cauliflower, so there are some leftovers I won't be touching.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit M but also I'm going to stop by the Borough Market for Apple Day, because, you know, YUM, apples, only sadly not Honeysweets.

I managed to be online hardly at all today other than getting my review of Shunt's Money done. All three of us hated it. But otherwise no Twittering, no blogging, no reading or commenting. It's probably good to be doing the real life thing but I tell you, I am worn out.