Friday was an excellent day

The weather on Friday was super, warm and bright, perfect for the beginning of The Pope’s visit.

As I have mentioned before, security is very very heavy in my ‘hood and will be until His Holiness leaves on Sunday.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the delivery, via FedEx, of my passport with the People’s Republic of China visa appropriately attached. Now that is one worrisome thingy out of the way. I have been mentally working on my “Things to Do” list and will reduce them to an actual list the first of the week. Since I have done a lot of overseas travel in the past 10 years I basically know what I need to do prior to my departure. Things are a bit more involved this time because I have family staying in my apartment part of the time I am away. Yes, I understand, knowing and doing are two entirely different things, especially for those of us with the Myers-Briggs Personality Profile of INTP. I won’t even begin to try to explain what that means.

Did a bunch of grocery shopping and I am set into the middle of next week with a lot of prepared food, fresh fruit, and, of course, Fresca.

The concert last night by the American Symphony Orchestra @ Lincoln Center was excellent. My seating was a first for me in Avery Fisher Hall. I was seated in the orchestra, first row, right in the middle, row A, seat 108. All of my New York Philharmonic concert seats are in the rear orchestra, but since this was a complimentary ticket, I had no say in the seating assignment.

Actually it was an interesting experience to be so close that I could actually hear the individual instruments. Me and my seat mates became one with the violin and viola sections. The house was almost full but at intermission I was able to find a seat further back and that was good.

When the concert was over I decided to walk back to the apartment. The weather was great and the City felt alive with energy even though it was 10:30 when I left Lincoln Center. Was back in my apartment on E 51st Street at 11:15.

Oh, the Yankees sucked again last night as they lost to the Orioles in Baltimore by a score of 8-2. Yet another one of the “young arms,” Phil Hughes, got knocked around again, losing his 3rd straight game. I know it is very early in the season but this team is dependent on its young pitching staff and so far they haven’t lived up to expectations.

About Saturday --

Had a bit of a change in my schedule. The show that I had scheduled for tonight, Almost an Evening, was canceled but I was able to book another Off-Broadway show called “Rafta, Rafta” about which there is good advance buzz: “RAFTA, RAFTA...By Ayub Khan-Din, based on the play All In Good Time by Bill Naughton, and directed by Scott Elliott. Recent winner of the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Rafta, Rafta... is a humorous tale of close-knit Indian family life in Britain. After their wedding feast, two nervous newlyweds are ready for some privacy, but the groom's father doesn't want the party to end and his brother won't let them be. Before long, the groom and his new bride begin to realize that having a honeymoon in his parents' house is not the ideal recipe for romance. Rafta, Rafta... is Ayub Khan-Din's comic look at the generational divide on sex and marriage.” Sounds interesting.

So, I still have a 2:00 and a 8:00 show. Nice!!

Bill
wanjr@aol.com