Barb by Proxy

Day 100

2008-09-03T12:09:00.004-05:00

Background Noise:Gavin Rossdale
Random Thought:This lady hasn't got anything on me.
Mood:Back to the Airport...

Many a day ago, a coworker inquired exactly how many pairs of shoes I had. My guess was 100-ish, I'd been there at one point but have purged as I've moved. So I began an experiment to see how many days I could go to work and wear a different pair of shoes. It turns out that the number may be closer to 150...

Which happened today, and hree are the very special Carlos Santana shoes that made the cut for Day 100:

And the preceeding 99 days:

Fanfares: Better live. Sorry NBC

2008-08-22T11:33:00.003-05:00

Background Noise:The St. Louis office hard at work
Random Thought:Could a day spent at the Michigan v. Michigan State football game and then the Red Wings v. Blackhawks be the best day ever?
Mood: Ready to go home

Greetings from St. Louis, my home away from home. Or so it feels like. It's sad when the sales people at the Shoe Stop have just now realized that you don't live in St. Louis, you just visit enough to be a frequent shopper.

Anyway, prior to jetting to STL yesterday morning (sans tornado-induced blackouts, as was the case 2 weeks ago), I managed to drag my tired self to the CSO Wednesday night. Happily, John Williams and Yo-Yo Ma made it all worthwile, as the former conducted all of his own works and YYM accompanied him for the second half as they ran through 6 pieces from Memiors of a Geisha.

The evening also included pieces from Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind (awesomely set against a giant screen showing clips from the movie), Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and ET (joyously amazing without the film to muck it up). The other highlight was the performance of the JW-composed Olympic Fanfare, which NBC butchers by talking over during all of their broadcasts. It's amazing how much better it sounds when performed live by an 80-piece symphony orchestra than when pushed to background by Bob Costas' inane blather. And the olympic images projected on giant screen were equally impressive. Olympic swimmers at 100 feet? Awesome.

Is the NHL on the DL?

2008-07-23T15:26:00.002-05:00

Background Noise:Pictures of You
Random Thought:Flying to St. Louis and back in a day is tiring.
Mood:Happy that Nook is doing much better.

So I watched the ESPYs on Sunday, and was highly entertained. JT did a grand job of emceeing, Will Ferrell accepting for Tiger Woods was all things hilarious, and the winner of Best Moment, Great Sportsmanship, brought tears to my eyes.

However. There was a glaring hole where some hockey noms should have been. I get that the fans vote, and that makes it nifty, if also a little bit dependant on the fans proclivity to vote. Now, I have lots of love for a lot of the winners, and wouldn’t necessarily have voted hockey across the board, but it would have been nice if ESPN had raised the visibility of the sport a little by at least including them in the nominations. Three nominations? Out of 18 categories (Ignoring of course the Best of the NHL/MLB/NBA, etc categories)? Hockey didn’t even get a spoof during Justin’s animated “I love sports” song. By my calculations, this was the nomination breakdown:

Basketball—22
Football—13
Baseball—10
Tennis—5
Car Racing--5
Golf—4
Soccer—4
HOCKEY—3
Swimming—2
Track & Field—2
Wrestling—1
Horse Racing—1
Skiing—1
Field Hockey—1

Honestly? You couldn’t find a single hockey player to nominate in any of the following:

Best Male Athlete--How about Alexander Ovechkin, who in his 3rd season led the NHL with 65 goals and 112 points to capture the Maurice "Rocket" Richard and Art Ross Trophies, the Lester B. Pearson Award as the top player voted by the NHLPA and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP. The first player to win all 4 in a year, ever.

Best Moment--Really? Nothing to be nominated against Danica Patrick actually winning? Maybe the Winter Classic, or Richard Zednik’s recovery.

Best Coach--Gee, Mike Babcock, anyone? They managed to nominate the head coach of the Championship team from the NBA, MLB and NFL.

Best Game--I nominate the 5th longest playoff game in playoff history that sent the Stanley cup finals into a game 6.

Best Breakthrough Athlete Would it be a stretch to nominate the Calder winner for best rookie of the year? Patrick Kane helped the Hawks get thisclose to the playoffs.

Best Male College Athlet--No BC Player? Eleven of their starters for next year were drafted by the NHL. Ben Smith scored 50 points in 50 games enroute to BC’s repeat championship.

Best Male International Athlete--Dude—half the sport is international, you couldn't pick one? What about Nicklas Lidstrom, the first European to captain a Stanley Cup team?

These are just my suggestions, and even if you thought they wouldn't win, couldn't you at least put some nominations up there?

Greetings from Gotham

2008-07-18T16:07:00.006-05:00

Background Noise:
Random Thought:All those times I was re-routed around something or couldn't go somewhere and was kept awake by lights and bangs was totally worth it.
Mood:In love

It should come as a suprise to no one that I was one of those crazies in line 2 hours early to get a good seat to a midnight IMAX showing of The Dark Knight.
And it was so incredibly worth it. If you can, get yourself to a huge screen and see it. The Dark Knight is big and shiny, and meant to be see in IMAX. Give Chris Nolan some credit for taking the whole thing so seriously and go, because not only was it visually fantastic, but the story was so rich that had you never heard of Batman you probably wouldn't think "Gee, a comic book movie."

Also, Heath Ledger was phenomenal. He makes Jack's Joker look like a birthday party clown.

And, incase you have zero interest in a fantastic storyline, awesome stunts and effects (actually performed on the streets of Chicago) or the fact that Maggie Gyllenhaal makes you forget that there was ever a woody, line-lumbering Katie Holmes, you can go for this:

Except in the movie it manages to be even hotter, as it is ridden by Christian Bale in sexy-ass jeans and a motorcycle jacket. Which I looked for a picture of, but couldn't find. You'll just need to see for yourself.

Nook Update

2008-07-18T16:05:00.000-05:00

Background Noise:
Random Thought:Going home. Also, in love with Christian Bale as John Conner in the new Terminator movie.
Mood:See above.

Just a photo update on the needy child:

I Love a Boat Parade

2008-07-18T16:01:00.002-05:00

Background Noise:Mamma Mia
Random Thought:Actually, I love all parades
Mood:Tired

Here's a quick summary of my 4th of July, in case you missed it:

Yes, my weekend consisted mostly of patriotically decorated pontoon boats making a slow processional around Higgins Lake and drinking. Also, a fairly uninteresting family reunion and a fantastically entertaining marathon game of Scene It for Xbox (which rules--although it would rule harder if made by Wii) and super good times with my cousins.

Cool

2008-07-17T08:11:00.003-05:00

Background Noise:
Random Thought:I haven't been to an outdoor hockey game in a very long time...
Mood:Yeay!

There have been many things I've been meaning to post over the past few days, and have actually been trying to remember to do so. But most of them are me ranting or randomness. So here's some really great news:

The Red Wings and the Blackhawks, New Years Day, at Wrigley.
Outdoor Classic 2009.

Picture that, but in the friendly confines of Wrigley Stadium. With a possiblity of snow. I can't wait.

The End Is Near

2008-07-11T09:14:00.003-05:00

Background Noise:New Slang
Random Thought:Thanks reddit
Mood:Worried about Nook

I stumbled upon Wonkette this morning by way to a link to a link to a link. Following the story of yet another closeted raging homophobic politician, I couldn't help but me amused byAnyway, her commentary is pretty spot on, if a little harsh. Then again, it's sometimes what my brain thinks before I remember that I'm working on my tact.

I esecially like the Top Ten signs of the apocolypse,

thanks to this attention-grabbing headline: Foreclosed Country of Violent Dope-Addict Fatsos Also On Fire (Or Under Water).

Waterfalls

2008-07-10T11:43:00.003-05:00

Background Noise:
Random Thought:
Mood:Worried like an anxious pet parent

Now these are just cool.

Nooks and Tigers

2008-07-10T07:42:00.004-05:00

Background Noise:
Random Thought:Wow, cat's get really yellow
Mood:Sad

In fairly sad news, I took my cat to the vet yesterday because he's been acting lethargic for the past two days.

It turns out that Nook has liver disease, and he has to stay at the vet's for 5 days. It was a heartbreaking to leave him there, looking so sad and small, but my vet team is very nice and said that he should recover after a few days of B vitamins, kitty-peptid and lots of fluids. But they are keeping him so that they can run tests and rule out any other problems that he might have that are eithe causing the liver disease or being masked by it. Floyd seems very confused as to where his buddy went, and I'm a little taken aback by how much a vet stay costs ($1600), but I just cuold look at poor Nook with his yellow skin (when the liver stops functionining correctly it doesn't process all of the amino acids in his body and causes jaundice) and say no.

In other sad news, the old Tiger Stadium is being demolished. Not that it was one of the classiest of stadiums, or that it was in a great area to go and hang out, but Tiger Stadium was a mainstay of the Detroit area and one of the last old ballparks. Here's a fond farewell to you, Tiger Stadium.

May is Bustin' Out All Over

2008-07-09T16:07:00.002-05:00

Background Noise:Banging from the construction in the office next to me.
Random Thought:June, May, it's all the same, right?
Mood:Elated

Could the long-awaited warm weather UK get-away actually be right around the corner? Assuming that by right around the corner, you mean 10 months away, the answer is yes! Thanks to the fabulous talent of Al Silber, A and I have a bona fide reason to pack up the ol' suitcases and head across the pond.

Carousel is coming!

So, by way of knowing someone who knows someone who does such amazing things, there is a real necessity to hop on a plane, frequent the St. Paul Club Quarters, and head out to the midlands for a few days. A little bit of Bath, a gorge or two, some Chatsworth, and some actual leisure time when it is warm out. I like this plan.

Stand Up, Sit Down?

2008-07-02T08:48:00.007-05:00

Background Noise: Pat Benatar, True Love
Random Thought: Does this diminish the Fight, if you can't preface it by standing up and sitting down?
Mood:Almost on vacay!

Let's talk football. The joys of football are many, from the arc of a perfect spiral to a bone-crushing flying tackle. It can be poetry in motion, or the ugliest, knock-down, drag-out you've ever seen. But is quinessentially American, played only sporadically around the rest of the world, and never with the zeal we exhibit here. And it's a sport just to our liking--we can have a beer in one hand, a foam finger in the other, and we can scream at the top of our lungs while we stand and cheer with the other thousands of fans.

Unless you happen to be in Kansas City, where standing is now against the rules. As are 12 other actions that will get you ejected.

• Foul, obscene, offensive or abusive language or actions
• Standing and/or obstructing the view of other fans
• Intoxication or other signs of impairment
• Smoking except in designated areas
• Fighting and unruly or inconsiderate behavior
• Obscene or indecent clothing or signs
• Conduct that endangers spectators or participants
• Harassment of visiting team fans
• Interfering with the progress of the game, going onto the field or throwing any object onto the field
• Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel
• Selling items or tickets in the stadium or on sports complex grounds
• Attempting to sit in a location other than the guest’s ticketed seat
• Destroying property

Now, I'm all about not destroying property, throwing shit on the field, and generally creating a dangerous environment for players and other fans. But no harrassing the other teams fans? No foul language? No standing? No Intoxication? WTF?

Your team actually scored? Tough, you're ejected for standing!

That call against the Bears was wacked? Take it up in the parking lot, you're ejected for foul language!

It's freezing at Lambeau, and you're shirtless? Sorry, you're ejected for intoxication!

Honstly. If you want pleasant, quite, docile entertainment, perhaps you should find a different pasttime. Because I'm surely not spending my scant weeks before preseason to practice my golf clap.

Policy & Proceedure

2008-06-26T14:48:00.002-05:00

Background Noise: Blessed silence, after annoying conference calls
Random Thought: If person A leaves San Francisco 3 days before person B leaves Chicago, and they happen to be in the same state, what color is the train?
Mood: It's Summer! I'm going Up North to be on the boat this weekend!

Let me just say that meetings make me tired. Especially conference call ones that include 3 people sitting in one office, staring at each other (even if one isn't half bad to stare at), talking to the conference phone that looks like a Star Trek refugee, listening to another 4 people in another office talk about something completely off topic. This scenario is only exciting if you get to preface it with the statement "I need to wait for the call from Zurich."

I just spent 2 separate occasions, for 2 hours each doing that today. Only to talk in circles about something, dismiss it, come back to it, finally realizing that the answer is 42. Except in our case, it's Resident Link. And promoting Village Green on Facebook. because I really want every prospect that trolls villagegreen.com to link through the interwebs to me. I like people that much.

Side note, I wordled my Company Handbook, Travel Policy and HUD Guide.

It was so fun, I made colorful ones that match my walls to put up in the frames in my corner that currently have pictures of properties we don't even manage anymore in them.

Hail, Indeed

2008-06-24T13:57:00.002-05:00

Background Noise:Our Alma Mater
Random Thought:I wish you could select a custom palate from Wordle
Mood:In love with Wordle

Perhaps this is a sign that I have too much time on my hands. But, what fun!

A combination of The Victors and The Yellow and Blue.

2008-06-24T10:04:00.003-05:00

Background Noise:
Random Thought: I can't believe George Carlin died
Mood: Entertained

I heart Wordle. Thanks A, for linking to it. Now I'm vaguely obsessed with using it as a decorating tool. I'm thinking large 2x3, framed Wordles of great books for a library...

Or cocktail recipes in sleek silver frames over my bar...

As a side note, I'm also loving Project Gutenburg, which helped me make pretty Wordles.

Nope, Just Naturally this Perky.

2008-06-24T09:58:00.004-05:00

Background Noise: Sirens going down Division
Random Thought: It's June? WTF?
Mood: Bored. So bored, I'm blogging.

I've quickly become a Thrillist enthusiast. Mostly because it directs you to things that are way cooler than Daily Candy. Additionally, it give you cool links, like this one wherein you can see how caffeinated you are.

Created by OnePlusYou

Unfortuantely, this was 7:30 Friday Morning, sans any sort of caffeine. I'd hate to see my status after a few mochas.

TF?

2008-01-24T11:04:00.000-06:00

Background Noise:humming of server machines
Random Thought:Wait, it's almost February?
Mood:Tired

Okay, there is a whole list of things that I have been meaning to post about--London, the excellence of Tom Brady, the Canadian border crossing turning people back for DUIs, oversights at the Oscars, how much I like people who hate people, how sad I am about Heath Ledger.

But, this is my more pressing concern. This is what my job is devolving into:

select "column1"
[,"column2",etc]
from "tablename"
[where "condition"];
[] = optional

Call me crazy, but isn't this what I decided I didn't want to do? I feel like I distinctly remember this thought about 8 years ago that I don't have the patience for this. Of course, this was when I liked people. Now I like my job because I don't have to deal with people. Hmm...Where's Dane Cook? I feel a vicious circle coming on.

Nothing less than the Sun

2007-12-17T22:46:00.000-06:00

Background Noise:Bears v. Vikings
Random Thought:Going to London in 7 days!
Mood:

It took the sun, or more precisely it's twin to get me back on here. The Sun's Solar Twin got a name today. Two, actually. You can read the whole article here, but I very much like the name Zilia, and the myth that a 9-year-old Brooklynite invented.

When Helios the sun was born, a twin brother was born ten minutes after him. This brother’s name was Halios. Later Eos, the dawn, and Selene, the moon, were born. But the suns were twins and looked exactly alike. Helios, though, being the older twin, was given the job of driving the chariot of the sun across the sky. Halios, the younger, was free to roam the galaxy.

One of the places Halios explored was the northern sky, where the serpent Draco had been thrown by Athena. Draco was so knotted and twisted that he could not move, but he could still talk. And he was angry at the gods. He wanted revenge, and he thought Halios could help him get it.

Draco said to Halios, “Why do you let your brother Helios have all the glory? You look exactly like him. You can do all the same things he can. Why is he allowed to drive the chariot while you are left with nothing?”

The more Halios thought about it, the more sensible Draco’s words seemed.
“He’s right!” Halios thought. “Why does Helios get to drive the chariot across the sky? Why can’t I do that? It isn’t fair!”

As Halios grew older he visited Draco more often, and he grew angrier and angrier. He decided that he wanted to overthrow Helios and take his place as the sun god. So he whispered in the ears of his sisters Eos and Selene and tried to get them to join with him. But Eos, who always loved Helios best, told Helios what Halios was planning.

Helios had tried and tried to get along with his younger brother. But now he realized that this could never be. So he went to Halios, picked him up, and threw him as far as he could. Halios soared across the galaxy and, unfortunately, landed in the lair of Draco the serpent, who whispered in his ears and twisted his mind even more. He grew so twisted that he became known as Zilia, or Jealousy, because that is all that he is now.

Once Zeus heard about this, he put powerful spells over Helios so that Zilia could never come anywhere near him. And that is the story of Halios the twin sun, who we now call Zilia.

End of an Era

2007-07-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

Background Noise: The conference call I can hear leaking out of offices
Random Thought: Tomorrow at this time, Anne will be landing here!
Mood: All atwitter with anticipation

So, I'm counting down the moments until Anne gets here and Harry Potter goes on sale, and we see Light in the Piazza, and all that good stuff. But rising above all that is a sadness that this will be the last Harry Potter book. The last time A and I endeavor to be in the same place at the same time, the last time to not know what is going to happen. And I don't know what is going to happen, because I've fastidiously avoided spoilers, leaks and entire copies of the book posted on line. I've never really had a problem with waiting--I never checked the boards before episodes to see what was going to happen, I don't read the end of books first, and I really truly enjoy savoring each part of a story as it unfolds.

But I will miss the anticipation and the wondering. There will be an end of the speculation about who is really dead and who isn't, what various names and tid-bits are trickles of truth and which are simply McGuffans. And I certainly miss the days when places like Mugglenet and The Leaky Cauldron supported better on-line debates. You used to be able to pop on one of those sites and encounter a lengthy discussion about an aspect of the book that really fostered debate and intellectual controversy. Posts reagrded historical significance of names or places, and interesting theories developed out of steady back-and-forth commenting. They have since dwindled to posts mainly linking to other reviews and photo spreads. Perhaps they've gotten too popular to do much more than scour the net for tidbits regarding leaks and movie clips. Maybe fans have figured enough of it out and are no longer interested in debating the similarities between Harry and Tom (give the DADA position to Harry in the end, thereby ending the cycle of not being able to keep the post filled and giving him what Tom always wanted and never got), or if Snape is a friend or foe (deiliciously mis-understood friend, who prevented Draco from making a life-altering mistake from which he would never recover, whilst catapaulting himself into ever-increasing danger), or if reading the books meant you were a worshiper of Satan (only if you were a lover of the firey red guy to begin with). But whatever the reason, I miss the early days of Potter-mainia, when each word was disected for meaning, and there were suprises around every corner.

I will savor book 7, and look forward to reading them all in one fell swoop. And while I'm sad to see them go, I will not miss what Potter-mania has become in most cases--a huge outlet for materialism and wimpy imitators.

I've been to...

2007-07-17T08:32:00.001-05:00

Background Noise: More blessed silence--soon to be showtunes
Random Thought: I can't wait for Friday!
Mood: Content

As I write this, I feel very much like the family in the Comfort Suites commercial—you know, the one where they are listing all the places they’ve been, and the background music swells with “I’ve been everywhere, man, I’ve been everywhere.”

Because I realize that I’ve been very lax in commenting on both the world around me, and what I’ve been up to that has made taking the time to post a tad cumbersome. So, here’s the first half of the year in a nutshell:

I’ve been to:

San Francisco to support Blonde Power,

Saugatuck for a baby shower,

Universal and Disney World,

Hutchinson Island, where winds swirled

St. Paul—I saw a show, there was snow!

Derby Days—I bet and won!

Seminar, well that was…fun?

Erik graduated, so we celebrated,

Higgins Lake from the sky,

New York--that Bobby, what a guy!

And lets see,

Went to Looptopia—had some fun, the world welcomed Addison,

I saw Kathleen Turner going mad, Michael York being had.

Romeo & Juliet—Opera and Ballet!

Had a Boat Parade,

Diavalo—what a Sight, Light Rain—tricks with light.

Well, that was all the fun. Plus there were long weeks of work, and my parents coming to visit, and being sick, and going to the bar with people I work with (more on those dynamics later), and seeing movies (more on those, too). So, yeah. That’s where I’ve been. I’ll get into some more details in future posts, and try to remember all the things that I’ve though and said and had A tell me “you need to blog about this” and me reply “yeah, I will” and then me promptly not.

But I'd Have to Buy a Car...

2007-07-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

Background Noise: Wonderful Silence
Random Thought: T-minus 1 week until Anne is here!
Mood: Great--see silence above. No one else is here on my end of the office.

For those who aren't aware, I'm looking for a condo to buy here in Chicago. Even though I'm not looking to buy until next year, I'm already sussing places out and getting a feel for what I can afford where, and what each neighborhood has to offer. And I am comforted to know that when I buy a 2bd/2ba condo with a balcony here in Chicago, I'll be paying what I would for a parking spot in NYC. $225,000 for an underground space just off of Union Square. And I'll get windows with my purchase.

Our Little Ann Arbor is Growing Up

2007-07-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

Background Noise: Rocket Man
Random Thought: Transformers--they're more than meets the eye.
Mood: TGI-a holiday week

So, there is a lot going on in Ann Arbor. Google’s moving in, skyboxes are right around the corner, and good ‘ol Steve and Barry’s is making national news by launching Sarah Jessica Parker’s clothing line. I can only hope she stipulated the fabric content and quality control, because let me tell you—there is a reason the shirts are $7, and it’s not just because our favorite university sportswear moguls are concerned about your bank account.

And while I haven’t been to A2 in a year, I’ve been keeping my eye on her, and boy is she getting some new additions—there’s that lovely* revamp of the stadium, an addition going onto the Museum, a theatre springing up between Pierpont and the ugly North Campus bell tower

And, making me jealous that these weren’t there when I attended, Village Green is starting construction on Ann Arbor City Apartments, located near Kerrytown, and having a footprint similar to the Grand Street Elevation of the Eitel Building.

And, as all new VG City Apartments do, it will house a coffee shop and restaurant on the ground floor, with the latter providing room service to residents. Man, I wish those had been there when I was there.

*Please read "lovely" as a blashpemous stain on the A2 landscape, trading in a classic stadium for a monstrosity of brick and luxury boxes that will not only cast shadow over the stadium, but slowly muscle out the true fans.

Once Upon a Time

2007-06-28T16:27:00.001-05:00

Background Noise: Falling Slowly
Random Thought: Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time
Mood:Dude--Glen's got a band!

Please go see Once. Do it soon, and do it often. Very few movies move me the way this one did (and I see a lot—so take my word for it), and those are usually either foreign films or ones that you can never watch again. Once defies definition—sure, it’s a musical in the sense that the cast performs entire songs, and yes, it’s a love story in the fact that the leads have an obvious and engaging attraction for one another, and yes, it’s ones of those films focusing on down on their luck artists because they are obviously both down on their luck and artists.

But it is so much more than a defined genre, and the story is so much more powerful than I can aptly describe. To adequately feel the story, you need to first rush right out and see it, and then to rush right over and buy the soundtrack. In fact, if you can’t get to a theatre right this second, go give $10 to Itunes and listen to the music first. It is haunting and beautiful, and poetic and real. And once you see the film, you will listen to the songs in a whole new light.

So go see it. Support independent film that reminds us that we are feeling human beings, and the creative teams that struggle to bring these beautiful stories to the screen. And fall in love—with Glen and Marketa, with the music, with the idea of that once in a lifetime meeting with someone who stirs your soul.

Now, go!

Raul Rules, Robby was Robbed

2007-06-28T16:26:00.002-05:00

Background Noise: All the Way Down
Random Thought: I am so glad we saw this.
Mood: This closing in 2 days makes me want to cry.

So, for the umpteenth year in a row, the Tony’s have disappointed me in the musical category. I’ve been a fan of their dramatic picks—last year I also lauded the History Boys (and if you missed it, check out the DVD, it is also fab), and I can totally get behind Coast of Utopia’s strong run this year. I’ll even hazard to say that in the past they’ve done a good job of recognizing inspiring musical performances—though this is largely due to the fact that when they won, The Producers and Wicked were also phenoms of critical and audience praise. And I can say that Spring Awakening most likely deserved it’s nods this year.

But to celebrate David Hyde Pierce in Curtains, when Raul Esperaza gives the best male performance I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen Colm! Multiple times! In roles that were written for him!)? It’s utterly absurd. Now, I haven’t seen Curtains, as performed with this cast in this endeavor, but I can tell you that the story itself isn’t all that inspiring. It’s fun, there are instances where you’ll laugh. And I’m sure that DHP makes the most of his meek-but-neurotic-detective-who-really-wants-to-be-a-star role. And there lies the rub. Because he is always who you cast to be neurotic with a splash of the theatrical, in an over the top way. And Curtains is one of those shows like Rumors, or Grease—even done badly it can still be entertaining. There is a reason High Schools put them on.

Now, compare that to Raul’s utterly gut-wrenching performance of Robert in Company. Not only is he putting out there a character who is so real it hurts, he’s doing it in the confines of a show that for years people have deemed un-presentable because they couldn’t fathom reviving a Sondheim show that was so of its time that it’s essence was the company that all the characters worked for, and how would you ever relate the trials and tribulations of a top-down company to a generation that works from home and via web-conference? The amazingly simple answer? First, realize that Bobby is the essence of the show, not the co-mingling of the cast, and then cut out the company structure all together. Because without the work-place infrastructure, you can still have a fantastic show. Without a show-stopping Bobby, all you have is co-workers running amuck and some vague sexual tension. You just can't help staring at his charisma.

Raul not only ups that to full-blown sexuality (even when he is just leaning. Especially when he is just leaning), but he makes Bobby both wistful and jaded, bringing true humanism to a part that would be easy to render flat—playing the cad-about-town is so easy, playing the cad-who-is-really-desperate-for-love-but-is-also-wary-of-being-hurt-but-is-only-realizing-this-today is far more difficult. And if you didn’t watch him evolve Bobby in the 2-year span that we spend with him and think, damn, and get chills up your spine when he is belting out Being Alive, well, then you are either a robot or completely inept. And you've never seen the man lean.

That Has Got To Be The Best Pirate I've Ever Seen

2007-05-24T11:43:00.000-05:00

Background Noise:
Random Thought:Score one for it being the end of May already
Mood:But why's the rum gone?

Here's my excitement for the day--T-9 hours until I get to see Johnny Depp swashbuckle his way across the big screen in all his digital glory. Arrrr!