Friday, May 4, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
"The play's the thing!" . . .
Whether it's William Shakespeare or Woody Allen.
I doubt that William Shakespeare could anticipate that the words he wrote for the character of Hamlet to speak in Act II, Scene II would become famous centuries after he wrote them.
I recently saw a Broadway show called "Relatively Speaking" which consisted of three One Act plays by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen. Only one of the three plays was remotely interesting to me. It was NOT "Honeymoon Motel" by Woody Allen.
The great thing about theater to me is that, in attempting to create a work of fine art, one never really knows if the art that is being created will actually even be considered art at all.
The debate over whether or not a play is good or bad, genius or trash, art or not art is not nearly as interesting to me any longer as: "what worked" and "what didn't work" or "what could work better?" I learn something from everything I see. Even if it's only to NEVER repeat what I have just seen myself - because it simply does not work!
Sometimes artists stumble blindly into work that is almost gifted to us from the Cosmos. Often, sadly, we do not. That's what makes truly wonderful, magical and brilliant theater so special. It is often quite unique and rarely seen.
Although, all three plays in "Relatively Speaking" were written by skillful playwrights and screenwriters who have often had much success with their works, none of the plays were truly brilliant, genius, lasting works of art. That is, of course, my personal opinion. Although, I believe that has been the general consensus of most people that have seen "Relatively Speaking".
That said, is there any reason they should not have been put up? Absolutely not! I'm happy to have seen a performance of those three plays. I experienced theater history at the Brooks Atkinson Theater that night. Whether or not it was good or bad was not the real reason that I went to the theater in the first place.
Personally, I enjoy going to the theater for the exhilarating, and quite often, exasperating, experience of the communion between the audience and the players on the stage, as written by the playwright.
It is very rare that a play or musical can actually fully transport me from my seat into the world of the playwright. But it does occasionally happen.
The actual final two lines of Hamlet's soliloquy in Act II, Scene II are:
"The play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King."
Shakespeare has Hamlet use the device of writing a play within the play of "Hamlet" to gain insight into the conscience of Claudius the King. Hamlet ultimately uses the reaction of Claudius to the play within the play, to justify murdering him.
However, as often happens with famous works of art when taken out of context, Shakespeare's words can mean whatever we want them to mean. As long as I leave the theater reflecting on "what worked", "what did not work" and "what could work better" - I will continue to see everything I possibly can.
After all, "The play's the thing!"
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Desi - America's Cutest Dogs - MSG Soundcheck
It's official! According to the Westminster Dog Show, Desi dog is one of
America's Cutest Dogs:) That's right. Desi dog is rockin' it out from
the great beyond:) HOW COOL IS THAT?!!
I entered Desi into the Westminster Dogs Photo Challenge more as a tribute to him than anything else. I entered Miss Mona too. Even though neither one of them made it into the contest they DID get posted online as two of "America's Cutest Dogs". And that is good enough for me:)
Last night I stayed up late looking for this one particular shot of Desi that I took while we were hiking in Culver City. It took me a few days to find the pic because it was on a backup drive from my old PC and the backup drive is failing. I was BEYOND RELIEVED THAT I FOUND IT!
My old Palm Treo cell phone didn't take the kind of High Res shots that cell phones take nowadays but I have always loved this picture...
When I first met Desi as a puppy in the pet store in the Jefferson Valley Mall, 14 years ago, the guy told me that he had been in the store for almost three months and nobody was buying him because he looked like an Alien. I was like "Dude! You can't go around saying this puppy looks like an alien or nobody will buy him for sure!!!"
And over the years I have had other people make cracks about the way Desi looks. Everything from "Whatever possessed you to get him?" to "That is the ugliest dog I've ever seen in my life". Clearly both of these comments were from people who cannot see real beauty. Desi was physically a beautiful Boston Terrier!
I was thinking about all those comments in the past that bothered me and the painful, heartbreaking, gut wrenching emotions in the present of having to say goodbye to Desi. It made me think of the scene at the end of the movie E.T. when the little boy has to say goodbye to E.T. and E.T. says "I'll be right here" and touches his long, glowing finger to the boy's heart.
That scene was heart-wrenching back then. I couldn't stop crying. I was so choked up by the goodbye. But thinking about it in the present was comforting because it totally applies to my relationship with Desi and sums up my feelings about the process of having to say goodbye to him.
And E.T. is probably THE cutest alien EVER!!! Right up there with those Gremlins. So who cares if people think Desi looks like an alien and so what if he does?!!! He is still beautiful!!!
And in the pic, it kind of looks like Desi is an Earth Alien on Mars or some other planet channeling Earth with his always erect ears. Or maybe he's on some futuristic, nuclear wasteland, post-apocalyptic version of Earth. Either way, in this world, nothing exists except him and me.
I took some other interesting shots on our way up into the hike which I found as well when I was looking for the last one. Desi absolutely loved to hike!!! He marked EVERY SINGLE THING he sniffed. I was more at his whimsy then my own but I honestly didn't mind. I really loved watching him have so much fun and played the "easygoing pack leader" and/or "second fiddle" to his alpha-dog personality. Not what Cesar Milan would advocate but hey - I'm no Cesar Milan and I am certainly no Dog Whisperer:) I am what I would call a "one dog man".
There are so many more things I want, need and will say about Desi. I have been coping with the grief, overwhelming loss and sadness through intense physical exercise, thinking, blogging, finding old pics and videos and processing it all. Right now I'm exhausted from it all so for the time being I have to shut off.
Desi was like a pair of underwear or socks that you put on every day and are just a part of you. Honestly, he was more like my skin that IS actually a part of me. He always found the exact nook and cranny on my body to fit into. I always felt like he was just another appendage on my body. I'll post some pic examples of what I'm referring to in another blog.
I have allowed myself to feel the overwhelming pain, sadness, sorrow and loss and then I try to bring myself back to remember the most fun times I've had with him. And there were so many!!!
Entering Desi into the Westminster Dogs Photo Challenge was just another way for me to honor him, his life and legacy more than anything else. I still fill his water bowl every day to honor his memory. And I always leave a light on for him when I leave the house for the same reason.
Those small gestures actually remind me of how much he took care of me in my life and how grateful I am for the awesome 14 years we did get to spend together. Somehow these animal companions are more special then humans. They are innocent, accept and love you unconditionally, just as you are, and they are always, always, ALWAYS there for you.
The legacy Desi left for me is to "die trying". And that's what I've been doing every day since he died.
I will miss and love Desi until the end of time, for eternity and beyond. And he will be a part of me always and forever...
I entered Desi into the Westminster Dogs Photo Challenge more as a tribute to him than anything else. I entered Miss Mona too. Even though neither one of them made it into the contest they DID get posted online as two of "America's Cutest Dogs". And that is good enough for me:)
Last night I stayed up late looking for this one particular shot of Desi that I took while we were hiking in Culver City. It took me a few days to find the pic because it was on a backup drive from my old PC and the backup drive is failing. I was BEYOND RELIEVED THAT I FOUND IT!
My old Palm Treo cell phone didn't take the kind of High Res shots that cell phones take nowadays but I have always loved this picture...
 |
| Desi the Earth Alien |
When I first met Desi as a puppy in the pet store in the Jefferson Valley Mall, 14 years ago, the guy told me that he had been in the store for almost three months and nobody was buying him because he looked like an Alien. I was like "Dude! You can't go around saying this puppy looks like an alien or nobody will buy him for sure!!!"
And over the years I have had other people make cracks about the way Desi looks. Everything from "Whatever possessed you to get him?" to "That is the ugliest dog I've ever seen in my life". Clearly both of these comments were from people who cannot see real beauty. Desi was physically a beautiful Boston Terrier!
I was thinking about all those comments in the past that bothered me and the painful, heartbreaking, gut wrenching emotions in the present of having to say goodbye to Desi. It made me think of the scene at the end of the movie E.T. when the little boy has to say goodbye to E.T. and E.T. says "I'll be right here" and touches his long, glowing finger to the boy's heart.
That scene was heart-wrenching back then. I couldn't stop crying. I was so choked up by the goodbye. But thinking about it in the present was comforting because it totally applies to my relationship with Desi and sums up my feelings about the process of having to say goodbye to him.
And E.T. is probably THE cutest alien EVER!!! Right up there with those Gremlins. So who cares if people think Desi looks like an alien and so what if he does?!!! He is still beautiful!!!
And in the pic, it kind of looks like Desi is an Earth Alien on Mars or some other planet channeling Earth with his always erect ears. Or maybe he's on some futuristic, nuclear wasteland, post-apocalyptic version of Earth. Either way, in this world, nothing exists except him and me.
I took some other interesting shots on our way up into the hike which I found as well when I was looking for the last one. Desi absolutely loved to hike!!! He marked EVERY SINGLE THING he sniffed. I was more at his whimsy then my own but I honestly didn't mind. I really loved watching him have so much fun and played the "easygoing pack leader" and/or "second fiddle" to his alpha-dog personality. Not what Cesar Milan would advocate but hey - I'm no Cesar Milan and I am certainly no Dog Whisperer:) I am what I would call a "one dog man".
Desi looks a little thicker in the "Alien" shot below versus the one above where he looks long and lean. His ears are also not quite as erect in this shot. I love both shots but plan on having the first shot made into a painting at some point.
There are so many more things I want, need and will say about Desi. I have been coping with the grief, overwhelming loss and sadness through intense physical exercise, thinking, blogging, finding old pics and videos and processing it all. Right now I'm exhausted from it all so for the time being I have to shut off.
Desi was like a pair of underwear or socks that you put on every day and are just a part of you. Honestly, he was more like my skin that IS actually a part of me. He always found the exact nook and cranny on my body to fit into. I always felt like he was just another appendage on my body. I'll post some pic examples of what I'm referring to in another blog.
I have allowed myself to feel the overwhelming pain, sadness, sorrow and loss and then I try to bring myself back to remember the most fun times I've had with him. And there were so many!!!
Entering Desi into the Westminster Dogs Photo Challenge was just another way for me to honor him, his life and legacy more than anything else. I still fill his water bowl every day to honor his memory. And I always leave a light on for him when I leave the house for the same reason.
Those small gestures actually remind me of how much he took care of me in my life and how grateful I am for the awesome 14 years we did get to spend together. Somehow these animal companions are more special then humans. They are innocent, accept and love you unconditionally, just as you are, and they are always, always, ALWAYS there for you.
The legacy Desi left for me is to "die trying". And that's what I've been doing every day since he died.
I will miss and love Desi until the end of time, for eternity and beyond. And he will be a part of me always and forever...
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Welcome to 2012:) Wishing Every1 an AMAZING, Healthy, Prosperous & Very Happy New Year! Have a U2 Beautiful Day http://ping.fm/ZDWtY
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