Just a really cool ad
I found this on Andrew Sullivans Blog, the Daily Dish and thought it was just too cool not to share:
Less hip, more fun
A few weeks ago, we went to see the Merce Cunningham Dance company, and just couldn’t get into it–they were too abstract, too cool, just too hip for us. Tonight, we had a completely different experience: we saw the Paul Taylor 2 company in Livermore, and were completely enchanted.
The dancing was friendly, exuberant, accessible, and just plain happy. Paul Taylor 2 is a small company–just 6 dancers, who play smaller venues that couldn’t afford the whole ensemble. Those 6 artists, 3 men and 3 women, just overwhelm the large stage of Livermore’s splendid Bankhead theater corner to corner and back wall to footlights, running, jumping, dancing, flying, gyrating, rolling and projecting their joy.
The program is in 3 parts. The first, Arden Forest, is just what it sounds like–Shakespeare’s elves and fairies dancing, flirting and carousing in the moonlight, to classical music by William Boyce. It’s a good day when you are laughing at the ballet, and laughing we were.
The second movement is Runes, secret writings for casting a spell. This is an exercise in choreographic imagination–Mr. Taylor has invented an entirely new vocabulary for his dancers, all strange and awkward positions to symbolize the arcane and recondite knowledge hidden in the Runes. The costuming was odd–the men had large pieces of fur attached to their backs, but none of us could really say what they meant.
The final piece is Funny Papers, a lighthearted opportunity for the dancers to shine to happy, modern music. It began with the men dragging the women across the stage to the tune of Alley Oop, which left us all in stitches. There was a strange laughing song (just laughter), which left me pretty cold, but then a hilarious dance to the theme from Popeye the sailor brought us right back into the mood of the piece. We then segued through Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini and a falsetto version of I am Woman into the finale, Does your chewing gum lose it’s flavor on the bedpost overnight? If you are one of the people who think dance is boring and staid, this show would readily disabuse you of the notion.
So we loved it. The troupe is very strong, with six tremendously talented and vibrant dancers. The program is enjoyable and light without being simplistic. When they come back again next year, I’ll be there.
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Before the theater, we had dinner at Terra Mia, a trattoria in Livermore I found on Opentable. For a local place in a strip mall, the food was good and ther service was excellent. I enjoyed the Crab Spaghetti, and Gail was particularly happy with her calamari steak–an item which is often a roll of the dice. The wine list is heavy on local Livermore wines, which isn’t much of a problem with both Wente and Concannon right there in town. Prices are moderate and I’d go back again without a qualm.
The Eagle Soars
Eagle Scouts Joe Bugbee, Aaron Bandler, Dan Mangin
Life isn’t all bridge. Some people have kids and grandkids. Not me, but some people. Like Mike Bandler. Today, we went with Mike and Linda to see their grandson, Aaron, be invested as an Eagle Scout.
Make no mistake, this is a BIG DEAL. It was tough to make Eagle long ago, when I was a (non-Eagle) Scout, and it’s tougher now. The young men have to demonstrate leadership both within their troop and in the greater community as well. They must complete an independent project, as well as collect 21 merit badges, each of which requires demonstrated proficiency in some particular area.
David, Aaron and Melinda Bandler. One very proud family.
Some proud grandparents, too.
Aaron thanking his Eagle Scout mentor and other supporters
A Troop 834 cheer for the 3 new Eagles.
Eagle Scout is an impressive achievement, I’m glad we got to be there to see Aaron get the recognition he has earned.
Where is Saudi Arabia?
If the Arab League wants a no-fly zone in Libya, why don’t they enforce it themselves?
This is a pretty good deal for Saudi Arabia–they get us to do their dirty work for them, and sell us the fuel to do it with.
St. Pats Party
A carafe of the elusive Giffen Vinyards Sauvignon Verde
The Friday night game was once great, and will be again. Iris and Gail insist on it, and it isn’t wise to cross them.
Tonight we had 12 tables, and a great corned beef and cabbage dinner. The two facts may well be related, but if we have to feed people to get them to come out, then feed them we will.
The startling photo above is Gail’s invention. Since our paternalistic nanny-state no longer lets breweries add green dye to the beer, Gail decided to be creative and voila! we ended up with sauvignon verde, the perfect wine to go with corned beef and cabbage. Wine Spectator gives it an 87.
The crowd was interesting, and very varied in experience, ranging from those of us just back the the Nationals to Steve Tracy, Carol Sue’s husband, who has had three (3!) bridge lessons and was playing his first real game.
Al and Valerie Petersen won N/S, while Grant Vance and Jessica Lai topped the E/W field.
Brian directed and kept the game moving, which is easier now that we are scoring on the Bridge Pads and nobody is spending any time looking at the travelers. The final scores come out in a flash, and there is even a next-to-last round burner sheet. Add in the pre-duplicated boards and the hand records after, and our little club is more and more like playing in a regional, except the food is better.
The next Friday night special is April 22, although you should think about playing every Friday night. I’m open to suggestions as to what to cook.
The amazement continues
And the dumb idea keeps getting dumber
Remember the silly hospitality gift? The story gets worse.
Danny Friedman just called me from the airport–he and Linda tried to carry their whatever-these-are home in the carry-ons, and they were confiscated by our brilliant TSA because they contain liquid.
I wonder how many of them will end up in Louisville airport? Maybe the tournament organizers can buy them back in bulk and be ready for the next NABC>
National Mixed Pairs
This could be an interesting post–not only did we have a miserable day of bridge, but they were pouring the Baileys with an especially heavy hand in the Presidents suite tonight, and neither my brain nor my fingers are working at maximum competence. I like to think that I am in training for our trip to Kuai next month, and I need to build up my tolerance for Lava Flows. If this thing didn’t have spellcheck you’d see just how much Baileys I’ve had.
The first session of the Mixed we were just below average, the second we were waaaaaaay below average. We were so bad we didn’t even know how bad we were, it felt sort of decent. We just kept making a trick less than the field, without any fireworks. Quiet, steady, underperforming.
So tomorrow we’ll play the compact KO for the third time. Micky and Linda had a good game in the afternoon, but not so much in the evening, and have apparently missed their Q by some tiny amount. We did better, missing by a ton and not having to worry about should we show up at the start incase there was a score correction–if you’re going to lose, lose big.
At least we had a good dinner. Went up to the top of the hotel to their supposedly best restaurant, which is advertised as being one of those moving places that give you a view of the entire area.
I asked the concierge to get us a 6:00 reservation. He left a message on my phone that he was unable, and we had a 6:30 date. So I called the place told them how much we needed to get in at 6:00 so we could be back playing, and they said they were full untils 6:30.
Not being one to quit {I really wish you could see how badly I’m typing. There may be alcohol in Baileys after all.} I went up there with $10 in my palm ready to bribe my way into an early table. So of course they said, no problem, you table is already set up. This left me befuddled even before I started with the huge glasses of irish cream.
Our table was just a table–nothing moving. Mike and Linda and Gail and I have enjoyed the rotating restaurants atop tall buildings in many cities–Vancouver, Dallas, Montreal, San Francisco spring to mind but I think there are more. Louisville isn’t one of them. They have two small areas that are on rotating platforms, but since they are just in the corners of the building it is more a matter of having a view for a while, then not having a view. And we weren’t on the turntable anyway–we just had a stationary table, with a view in one direction. Nice view, but not moving. Oh well, one part of Indiana looks much like another part of Indiana.
On to the food. Big Fancy Menu. Big (for Louisville) prices (moderate for San Francisco, cheap for New York or London). Fancy persentation. Fanciest butter dishes I’ve ever seen–they come with butter with roasted garlic and pesto on it, parmesean cheese and olive oil on the side. You choice of potato rosemary bread or baguette.
The most complex presentation of bread and butter ever
{Okay I’m back. Got a good night’s sleep, went out to breakfast out in the suburbs, and now I can type decently. Things well make more sense from here.}
Toby is here in Louisville to see his dad in the hospital, and he came to dinner with us. His Bibb Salad had the most interesting presentation I have ever seen:
The intersection of art and food.
I started with the foie gras, which was priced about half what it would have been in California, and still excellent. Then soup, and being a good boy I even had a tiny taste of porcini mushroom. No, it didn’t kill me although I expected it to, as I expect all mushrooms to. I try to avoid foods that kill people, and don’t understand why not everyone does.
Next up was my pork chop, and another great presentation.
Poached pears on pork chop on brussels sprouts. Great.
We all enjoyed our meals, but the service was far from fast and I didn’t feel we had enough time to really savor the entrees and there was no time at all for dessert, so we paid the tab and headed down to get shellacked in the second session of the Mixed. Which means we’re playing compact KO again, then going home on Thursday–but not before a special event you have to wait to hear about.
Monday in Louisville
Mike and I have played in tournaments all over the country. Often we go for a week while Gail and Linda only want to play a couple of days, so we are there when they fly in.
One of my favorite sights in the entire world is Gail and/or Linda wandering into a playing site dragging a suitcase looking for us. I got to see it again tonight.
There she is. I've been waiting.
We were playing the semi-finals of the compact KO’s, our fallback position when we don’t qualify for the second day of the national event. Because today is the first day of the Vanderbilt teams, there were none of the top pro teams in our event, and we were in the middle of the top bracket. Our first two matches were not very difficult, but the evening would be considerably more challenging.
Sixty-eight teams entered the Vandy, and 54 of them got byes today–they have to pay their table fees, and cannot enter any other 2-session event except a special swiss teams just for them, if they wish. The remaining 14 teams are playing off for the 10 remaining spots. The formula for this is incredibly complicated, and they have a list of every possible number of teams to cover all eventualities.
In the evening session, we lost the first match, then played off for third or fourth. The difference is small–third wins about 10.8 masterpoints, fourth wins 8.3. Still, winning is better than losing, and we were glad to go home “victors’ with our 3rd place finish. The cards were running my way; Tom and I bid 4 slams today and should have bid another. I know that you have to be able to play the hands with no points too, but it just isn’t as much fun.
Dinner was at Blu, which turns out to the restaurant in the Marriott Hotel at 2nd and Jefferson. Louisville has a skyway system, and we were able to walk from the tournament site to the restaurant 4 blocks away without setting foot outside. Since it’s 39º and raining out, that was a blessing.
Dinner was good, and very nicely presented.
The amuse bouche, a goat cheese mousse on a dried apricot
My caprese salad. The fresh mozzarella was excellent.
Linda's sea bass
Pasta carbonara with salmon
Blu is a very open restaurant on the lobby floor of the Marriott, yet is still proper and elegant. White tablecloths, heavy silver, nice crystal and attentive service make it a pleasant experience, and the food is the equal of the decor.
Our amuse bouche was a tiny dried apricot with a dab of goat cheese mousse. The sweetness of the fruit and the dry tang of the mousse were perfect together.
The dinner special was a lobster ravioli, which Tom had in a cream sauce and Micky had with a red sauce. Gotta save your calories, I guess.
Linda enjoyed the sea bass, which was so rich she couldn’t finish it. I wanted the pasta carbonara, but had them add an order of the grilled salmon so I would have something healthy. This turned out to be a good idea, and I finished the salmon and left half the pasta. Carbonara is a cream sauce with egg and pancetta, and can be deathly rich, which is what makes it good but it’s a heart attack on a plate.
After all that food, dessert was out of the question, so we called for the check. The service had been great up to that point, but it was a challenge to get our check delivered to the table, right when I was getting antsy and wanted to get back to the host hotel. It took so long, in fact, that I didn’t want to have to rush and took a cab, which is silly for a 4 block adventure unless you are just out of time.
We made it back, played our game and won our points for the day. Gail arrived. She had room service for dinner, which was not bad, and now I’m looking forward to the Mixed pairs tomorrow. Life is good.
Where are the jumbo shrimp?
Gail and I are patron members of the ACBL. We donate to various charities and events during the year, and it seems right to give a little more to the group who manages the game we love so much. Also, if you are a patron member you can always get a reservation at the host hotel for a national, you get to cut the line to buy your entry (although they almost never put up the sign “Patron Member Entries” that they are supposed to”), and you get invited to the President’s suite for a reception on the first Sunday of each NABC. In theory, they deliver the bulletin to your room every day, but that almost never happens.
Lest this sounds like an elitist sort of thing, I thought I’d show you what the patron member reception entails:
Sticks of some kind of processed cheese food.
One slice of chicken on a cold roll
There was a tray with little pieces of cakes–they were good. And the bar was open, as it is every night in the presidents suite.
Every year they spend a little less on the buffet–at one time there were shrimp and roast beef and meatballs in gravy and real cheese with real bread and fruit salad and canapes. Those days are long gone. The price of being a patron member doesn’t go down, just the benefits and services. If it wasn’t for Wendy Sullivan at the home office taking care of me when I forget to make a hotel reservation, it might not be worth it.
The idea of patron membership is to make a few thousand extra dollars for the league–don’t you think there might be more patrons if the benefits at least stayed even, instead of being whittled away every year? Giving the customer less for his money just isn’t the way Nordstrom got successful, and it won’t work for the ACBL either.
Sunday follies
I talked so much about food and Lady Gaga yesterday I forgot to mention bridge. Probably because the bridge was so forgettable.
Mike and I played the compact KO with Don and Linda Mamula. We squeaked through the first match, nosing out a good team by 1 imp, then had a big win in the second match against another tough team.
After our luxurious dinner at the deli, we lost to a pair of teams I thought were not as good as the first two. I don’t understand these things.
Today, I played the Silver Ribbon Pairs with Tom Jacobsen. Just why the league feels the need to have a national championship limited to the 93 or so per cent of us who are over 55 is a mystery on a par with why pants are a “pair”. Nonetheless, this is our third year in this event, and we made the cut the first two.
But not today. We were about half a board below average in the first session, and a tiny fraction above in the second, but it wasn’t enough. We even got a tiny gift when the pair we were to start against in the second session showed up 10 minutes late and we got an average plus for the second board. You would think that if you came all the way to Kentucky to play in a national event you could get back from dinner on time, but these guys weren’t up to the task. They also got a 1/4 board penalty.
On the subject of penalties, the Galt is a non-smoking hotel, and the league threatens to throw anyone caught sneaking a butt anywhere on the property out of the event–but then 50 smokers head for the stairwell after every round, and the directing staff just ignores them. Am I the only one who thinks unenforced laws are worse than no laws at all?
So you will want to know about dinner. We went to Saffron, a Persian restaurant on Market street, 4 blocks from the playing site. Had a 6pm reservation, but they were having a problem–one of the servers got sick and went home, leaving only two people for the entire place. Although they were working like cocaine crazed rats, there were simply swamped and could not keep up.
We got to a table, then sat there for 10 minutes until someone could come over. There is a fairly standard Persian (which is sort of code for Iranian, but nobody wants to admit to being Iranian in the US) menu, but then they mention the specials–which they have every day, but like to call specials for some reason. There are two: lamb and duck. The lamb is described as “eight pieces of lamb, with rice and vegetables. $32. The duck is duck with orange sauce and rice, $27. Micky, Linda and Tom each had the lamb and I had the duck.
They brought us a plate of feta cheese and greens, that you wrap in pita and enjoy as an appetizer, then I had some spinach dish, Linda had some eggplant dish (which I tried and didn’t die from, but I still don’t like eggplant). Tom and Mike had the Greek Salad (why Greek in a Persian restaurant? who knows, this is Kentucky). Then, quickly enough given the lack of staff, the entrees arrived.
The lamb specialty--an incredible plate of food.
The “eight pieces” of lamb turned out to be an entire rack! When we have guests for dinner, one rack serves two and sometimes three people, and here it was on a dinner plate for one, with rice and vegetables, too. This meal would easily feed two people, and it was good, too.
Duck a l'orange, Persian style
My dish was half a duck, in orange sauce, with rice and some non-specific brown soupy matter, plus vegetables. I liked the duck, mixed the rice with the brown soupy matter and smacked it down. One doesn’t think of duck a l’orange as a Persian dish, but there you have it.
It took a while, but Mike got his glass of wine. The fresh hot bread they promised never appeared. Nobody even thought about dessert after all that food, and we walked back to the hotel for a desultory evening of bridge.
Assuming that the sick server shows up tomorrow, this restaurant is a good choice–take the lamb special, split it with a friend, get a salad and you’ve got a feast for a reasonable price.
Totally Unauthorized 