Hairspray

I went and saw Hairspray at the Signature Theater this afternoon. It was fantastic. The music, dancing, singing, and acting were all great. It was a whole lot of fun.

If you've what "Hairspray" is, it's a musical about a plump teenage girl, Tracy, who dreams of dancing on a local TV dance show. When Tracy dances on the show, she becomes an overnight celebrity. She then manages to integrate the show. (This takes place in the early '60's.)

In the movie, John Travolta played Tracy's mother.

Signature is where I went and saw "The Hollow" back in October. I did not like that show much, but I think it was more that I actually didn't like the show itself, as written, rather than not liking the production.

Gertrude Stein

I went to the National Portrait Gallery today to see the Gertrude Stein exhibit. I dunno... I kinda don't see the point of a museum exhibit about a writer. It seems like the definitave word bout an author stands in the work the author shares.

Probably the assumption behind such an exhibit is that the atttendee is already quite familiar with the author's written work. Like, I can see attending a Mark Twain exhibit. But, in my case, this was sort of my introduction to Gertrude Stein, so I just didn't get it. I see from the Portrait Gallery web page that there is a symposium about Stein all day on Friday. Maybe I'll read more of her work by then and decide to go.

A FRIGHTFUL RELEASE

by: Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)

BAG which was left and not only taken but turned away was not found. The place was shown to be very like the last time. A piece was not exchanged, not a bit of it, a piece was left over. The rest was mismanaged.

"A Frightful Release" is reprinted from Tender Buttons: Objects Food Rooms. Gertrude Stein. New York: Claire Marie, 1914.


One quotation from her they were selling on all kinds of paraphanelia in the gift shop is "There is no there there". I think I'm going to find out that I like her!

Smithsonian

I went to the Smithsonian the other day and had an amazingly wonderful time. But, alas, the Smithsonian was not at all where I intended to go! I had asked Metro Access to take me to the National Portrait Gallery. I wanted to to see the Gertude Stein exhibit. The reservationist screwed up, apparently, and put in the address for the American History Museum. So, instead off Gertrude Stein, I got to see an exhibit about Phyllis Diller. As Phyllis Diller herself would say, HA!! Do you think that maybe my guardian angel decided that Phyllis Diller was more appropriate than Gertrude Stein?

At the American History museum, though, I got to see an exhibition that is only here through the end of the month, "For All The World To See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights". It was fascinating, covered the ways in which the civil rights struggle in America was implemented through the use of visual images in the media.

After that, I went across the sidewalk to the Natural History Museum. They have a really fascinating exhibit called "The Evolving Universe", which studies the beginnings of the universe and the ways it is always changing, with stars being born and dying...... Hmmmm..... Stars dying?? Which me wonder... Is Phyllis Diller still alive?

sightseeing

The Iranians and the "Take Back Washington" screwed up my Saturday. It was a lovely day to be downtown aightseeing, but my Metro Access driver , when hearrived, said that he thought it would be a mistake to go down to the Smithsonian because, "The Iranians are protesting, and traffic is all tied up, and it will take hours!! Also, the Tea Party. And Occupy Wall Street is marching, too. It's a mess!!"

So I didn't go. Bummer. What I was planning to seem, the Phyllis Diller exhibit at the American History

Class

Arlington is just SO COOL! I'm sitting in a an outdoor plaza in Clarendon, waiting for a class in the Adult Ed building down the street. I have Wifi because I'm outside a Barnes and Noble. A guy just drove past on a segway. It's all just a fun, relaxed urban situation.

The class I am in is called "Build Your own Website". I'm afraid that I'm basically the scourge of the class. We are learning to build a
website on a free site (I'd tell you which one, if I could only remember!) The teacher is this amazingly intelligent man who is real low key and makes these wonderful hand outs that, alone, are worth the price of the class. I could really go back through them at my leisure and, with luck, maybe actually build a site. I haven't accomplished a whole lot this attempt, though, because I sort of started out behind. In the 2nd class, I found that I'd forgotten both my password and my site's name. Because of this, I'm always playing catch- up. The instructor has been quite good- humored about this - he now writes "wiite down your site name and password!!" in red ink, on every handout!

Productive Day

I rode my little wheelchair all the way to Lab Corps to get a blood and a pee test. Fancy people may call it a urine test, but I lost my fancy a good while ago. Luckily, though I lost my fancy, I did not lose the bottle containing my pee test.

The trip through Arlington was quite nice, and it was a beautiful day. I stopped on the way back and ate at "Rio Grande", which has fantastic Mexican food.

It is too bad that I spent such a lovely day doing medical stuff, though. It is all for a new doctor, and, as far as I'm concerned, there is no reason for these tests whatsoever. I, of course, know best. Just because she went to medical school for 8 years, she isn't the boss of me. After all, I could have gone to the National Gallery and seen the Warhol exhibit

But no...! Poor, pathetic me had to drive around outside in beautiful weather.

Silly

Just quick note about yesterday's amusements... I went to Staples, which is across Wilson Boulevard. I found nothing there that I needed (I'd hoped to look at furniture, but it turns out that they don't sell furniture in that store), and I'd hoped to look at a tablet, like a Droid. Ron had advised me not to buy one because there is nothing wrong with my iPad that can't be fixed by taking it in to the Apple store (thank you, Ron. My appointment is tomorrrow.) I just wanted to look at one. Which I did, from afar, but no one would actually wait on me.

So, having totally wasted my morning, and since I was already on the far side of Wilson, I wheeled down to a new restaurant that has gone up next to Gold's gym. It is named "W", but it doesn't seem at all Presidential.. I turns out to be a really good grill, and I got a great burger there for not much money. It was a nice thick burger that they'd created themselves, not a pre-frozen, paper thin one.

The interior of the restaurant was just a tiny room with a counter and a jumble of tables. You order at the counter and then wait, which is kinda fun because the big, beefy, sweaty guys keep coming in from the gym next door.
I was sitting there waiting for my burger. Another customer waited next to me. All of a sudden a man carrying a box runs out of the kitchen and into the parking lot, shouting, "Sir! Wait! Wait! You forgot your ribs!"

The other customer then looked at me and deadpanned, "Wow! That was fast food!."

This just in...

I went to the Newseum again today. Once again, it was fascinating.

There was no mention anywhere in the Newseum, though, about the hacking scandal that shut down the "News Of the World". Apparently The "News of the World", the highest circulation English language newspaper in the world, was obtaining a lot of the information it printed by hacking it.

I wish that the Newseum had incorporated the scandle and closing somehow.

But, then again, a museum is not a breaking news story. It probably takes a museum many months, and many committees, to change anything. And this closing just happened in the last couple days.

I asked the security guard if the had any volunteer opportunities, and he gave me a nice printed brochure on being a volunteer. Maybe...?

newseum

I went to the Newseum yesterday. It was fascinating! It has 6 floors, and I only went to 3, so I'm going back today. (The ticket one buys to get in is good for 2 days.). There is one hall lined with televisions showing different famous broadcasts of notable events through the years. You know which screen had a big crowd gathered around it? The one showing Tina Fey doing "Weekend Update"!

I'll go if ever I get a care manager to help me prepare to go out. One blew in and tried to turn off my call button and then blew out again without helping me at all. That is what they do here - they reset the button so that they can say, "We always respond within 5 minutes", but it turns out that all that "respond" means is that they come reset the call button and do nothing else and then leave. That's one really frustrating aspect of life in Emeritus.

Tales from a Museum

The weather today was beautiful! I decided to take advantage of my newly discovered ability to use METRO for free (due to Metro Access) and I took Metro down to the Mall. I went to the African museum because I'd never been there. I was really surprised at how small it is. I mean, for heavens to Betsy, it is a whole continent and they pretty much covered it in 1 room.

After I saw the museum, I wandered around on the first floor and found "The Discovery Theater. A show started right after I got there. The show featured actors from ArtStream Arlington Inclusive Theater Company, which is composed of kids with intellectual disailities. The show was produced by VSA, an organization founded by Jean Kennedy Smith over 35 years ago to increase access to the arts to people living with disabilities. The kids all seemed to be having a wonderful time. This kind of opportunity ought to be generously supported by the public. I bet it makes an 100% turnaround in quality of life for the kids involved.

another Sunday

Yesterday was "Paul's Ride for Life". I told you before about this event. It's a wonderful event that Hedi Rossmeissel created to raise money for the Washington Regional Transplant Authority.

The weather was perfect yesterday - warm. but not hot. No threat of rain. Someone came up to Hedi and said something about it, and she said, to me, "I'm sure Paul and David are up there taking care of the weather."

Wow!

Metro Access screwed up big time today. When they picked me up, there was already an elderly black lady on the bus. She was all dressed-up in a pretty green Easter suit and hat. The driver took us all the way into Falls Church City and then the GPS said "You have arrived at your destination.", and the driver said "Mrs. Smith, we are here.".

Mrs. Smith responded, "No we aren't."

Turns out she wanted to go to Randolph Street NW, and they brought her to Randolph Street Falls Church. Then the poor soul had to ride all the way to Reston with me before they took her home.

Think of the mega dollars Metro wastes on gas because of their own stupid mistakes.

On the bus on the way home from church was a foul mouthed, bitter floozie. BLECH! Why do people think they can say such things in public? Why do they think anyone wants to hear it??

travels

I scooted to Clarendon and back. It really wasn't prohibitively far, BUT it requires riding down a narrow, crumbling, broken sidewalk that often runs at 45 degree (please, someone - where is that little "degree" symbol located on my keyboard??) angles to the street, which is mere inches from my elbow and upon which cars are whizzing past at 40 MPH. Oh - and then one hits a section where a construction fence is erected along the inside edge of the sidewalk. And then there are the curb cuts that, instead of letting one directly onto the street, throw one instead into the path of moving traffic. And lets not forget my favorite, the curb cut on one side of the intersection which allows one to get into the middle of the road, only to find out that there is no corresponding curb cut on the other side of the street.

I don't think I drink enough.

I see wheelchairs and scooters all over anymore. I wonder if they're really so much more prevalent than they used to be, or if it is just that there are more in this Arlington than elsewhere. I think they are more prevalent, probably because people aren't as willing anymore to sit at home in the parlor or on the front porch. Due to modern scooters and wheelchairs, people don't have to sit home anymore.

Hmmmm... So maybe the general population is tired of seeing us all over the place all the time? Maybe things like the condition of the sidewalk between Ballston and Clarendon are attempts at reducing our number?

I have good reason to be cynical and frustrated today. (Ron, if you are reading his, you may want to tune your teeny tiny violin,) (If you aren't reading this, then never mind!) I took Metro Access to Falls Church today to go to my doctor's office and get my weekly Avonex shot. Major construction was taking place on the sidewalk leading into the doctor's office, and there was therefore NO CURB CUT! Luckily, the MetroAccess driver was sweet and brought me home.

Buenas Noches

I'm off to my new Spanish class tonight. I think, as a novelty, I'll actually do the homework and study this time. What I need to do for inspiration, I guess, is to invent a reason why speaking Spanish is important to me. The girl in the last class who was marrying a Mexican this summer did real well.

The class is in Clarendon, I've never tried scooting that direction to see how far I get but another person who lives here and uses a wheelchair says he goess down there all the time. So we'll try it... If it is too far, I'll take Metro home.

movie

Went to the movies today and saw "Water for Elephants". It was great! I think the concept of this movie has enticed viewers, because there was a small line to buy tickets, which never happens on a weekday.

The movie is the reminiscence of an old man about his early years with the circus. It shows us an evil circus ring master, and shows the old man's romance with his wife, and his relationship with an elephant, who, although huge, powerful, and, ultimately destructive, actually is very much in need of his protecfion and care.

The film also features a dwarf, so I guess "size" is a major theme.

Arlington

Here comes another post about how wonderful it is to live here in Arlington rather than in self righteous Falls Church.... I had nothing planned to do today. At Sunrise of Falls Church, that meant "Nothing to do all day". Here in Emeritus it means "you can do anything you want to do today.

Now, to be fair, I don't approach this with the same point of view as a person who depends on the home to provide all activities. In general, both Emeritus and Sunrise seem to offer the same sort of annoying mindless singing and games. But Emeritus" offers other stuff, as well. They seem to try harder here. Just yesterday they all went on a bus trip to Target - they seem to do stuff like that fairly often. I don't remember them ever going on shopping trips at Sunrise. For activities, they just sang old songs and played bingo. It's quite different at Emeritus. I came home the other day and saw that the very old woman I eat with was bowling in the living room with a plastic ball and plastic pins. That's just SO much better than what residents did at Sunrise, which was to hang around take front desk and wait for someone to take them up to bed.

Anyway, I spent my free day by:

1) getting a Smoothie next door at Smoothie King, while reading a library book I'd checked out of the Arlington County library. (Scary because I've so severely abused my library privileges in so many localities in Virginia that I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that the General Assembly had passed a state law against loaning me books.

2) Wandering until I found a really marvelous little market named (of all things)Marvelous Market. They have sandwiches and imported beer. Who could want more?

3) Going to Ballston and buying Easter cards.

Pretty day

What a wonderful day it was here today. High of 80 degrees! (I can't find the little "degree" symbol on my keyboard. Anyone know where it is?) And I'm SO GLAD I MOVED TO ARLINGTON! I started out in the A.M. to go to CVS because I was out of most of my daily living supplies (toothpaste, etc.), and I was distracted by a health food store that sells smoothies (blackberry - yum!) So I sat outside in the beautiful weather and watched the city traffic going past, and then I started out for CVS again, and I saw a little market. So I went to check that out, and I found a man selling bunches of flowers on the street. He says he's there every day. He told me the flowers were $12.00/bunch, and I didn't buy any, and then they were $10.00/bunch, and I didn't buy any, and then they were $7.00/bunch. I still didn't buy any, but next time... By now it is 11:30, and I see a restaurant with outdoor dining, but they are sort of formal, but then I see another restaurant, BUT, on the way to check them out I see a deli with a long line of customers located right in a s small park, so I ate there at an outside table. Then I wandered back, checking out several other diversions on the way, and, at about 2:00, I finally went to CVS.

Then, when I get back, it is SO depressing. All that many of these old people ever do is feel miserable and complain. "There's nothing to do here." "They don't have any organized games." "There aren't any crafts." "There aren't any classes" "There aren't any exercise groups." "No one plays bridge." "My family just dumped me here." "Are we just supposed to die here?" I heard all that this afternoon, and Emeritis actually has almost all that stuff they said it didn't have, but I guess it just ain't home. They don't even TRY to make the best of it, though.

Oh - and my favorite - My table mate, Fancesca, was just sitting there not eating, at dinner. "What's wrong?" I ask. Usually the food is too hot or too cold or too salty or has an invisible hair in it or has been touched at some time by a raisin. (She loathes raisins). But tonight she just sighs and says, "Chewing makes me tired".

I think I need time to chew on that one for awhile.

Thursday - Should have stayed in bed

Bummer of a day. Lets start from the very beginning - I woke up at a quarter of six. (That's unusual, but it happened. I felt icky Wednesday night and went to bed early, which probably explains it). At 6:10 I ring the call button, because my bus is to arrive at 7:15, and I'm getting nervous. Vera and Joey, my two most favorite Care Managers, always show up by 6:05 to get me up, but 6:15 arrives and they aren't there yet. 6:20I ring the button again. Nothing. Try to imagine how frustrating it is. At 6:30, they finally arrive. I tell them when my bus is due, and they say' No problem", and do manage to get me ready on time. (Or, at least Joey says "no problem". Vera is from some unknown country and has the most unintelligible dialect I've ever heard. She said something akin to, "Byrenish mekonen de jehuzofaht. Minnie reh?")

Anyway, they got me ready before the bus came, and I even had time to grab a cup of coffee in the lobby. A man who is running for president of the Emeritus Residents Association even poured it for me. I swear to high heavens, there is no escaping from politics, is there? Not even in the world's most unlikely places. If I die and go to hell, I'll be met by a politician handing out cups of ice water who is running for Hell resident President. (but probably there will prove to be a tiny, invisible hole in the bottom of the cup.)

Anyway, I got on the Metro Access bus and he proceeded to drive all the way to a location well on the other side of Vienna. And, even more grueling, he did so using only back roads and never once getting on a highway. We picked up a blind man and took him to where he was going and dropped him off before we went to Reston! But could I complain - absolutely not - because, after all, IT WAS A BLIND MAN! It took over two hours to get from Arlington to Reston.

So then I get to church and settle in working and my phone rings. It is the bank. I had called them yesterday. When I'd mislaid my bankcard 2 weeks ago, the BB&T on Broad Street in Falls Church had said I'd get a new one in a week to 10 days. It never came. The bank told me yesterday to give it another day or two, Now they were calling to say that - WHOOPS! - they never ordered it, and give it another week to 10days.

OK - so then I finish up at church. I go to Ledo's and get a steak and cheese. I go to Rite Aide and get some stuff. I go to Safeway and buy pretty flowers for my room. I sit in the coffee shop and get out mt Kindle to read a bit before the bus comes. I find that my Kindle is broken.

I go out into the chill to await the bus. I wait and wait. And wait. I'm tired. I chant silently, "Oh Lord, please send me help me here." Two Lutheran pastors that I know walk up, which helps not a bit.

I did get home. I paid many thousands in rent. I went to dinner, where they had horrible green soup and fatty lamb stew.

I'd have been better off overall had Joey and Vera never made it at all this morning.

Oh dear!

Could be, I guess, that it is a Freudian slip. Could be that it is pure laziness. (The more likely explanation). Anyway, what happened is that I neglected to call Metro Access to get myself to my last Spanish class tomorrow - and this after my real nice teacher came here and tutored me for 2 hours yesterday at no extra cost. I could cram for and pass this test tomorrow. I could take a cab to the test. Were I not so much of a chicken, I could even take the regular train. That would mean riding a wheelchair around the streets of Arlington by myself after 9 PM, however, and I AM too much of a chicken for that. I think what I'll do instead is take the whole class anew and actually study this time.

Why? you may ask, (as does my sister!) Why spend the money and the energy?

To which my only response is, "Why not?"

I enjoy the outings, even if I don't enjoy doing (or not doing!) the work. I like hanging out in with a group of people. I'm understanding what people say in Spanish a whole lot more than I used to, even if I still don't speak well.

If you are counting, this is the 2nd Spanish class I hve dropped in 2 months. So do do me a favor and stop counting!

luck

The luck of the Irish, always a problematic thing, was certainly with me today. I lost my purse when I was in Reston. It was my own fault - it slipped off my wheelchair and I didn't notice. It had my cel phone and credit cards and check book. I was calling to cancel everything and I called Mom to tell her, and it turned out LLOYD, my oldest friend, had called her from his home 150 miles from here in Richmond, and told her that the Reston police had it! Now I have it, with nothing missing! (except for my sanity.) I won't go into all the details, but it involves a bunch of nice and honest people, one of whom works at this laundry. You should wash your clothes there, if you can.

Anyway. here is my obligatory St. Patricks Day joke:

'What's wrong with Murphy?' asked Father Green.
'I don't know, Father. Yesterday he swallowed a spoon and he hasn't stirred since,' said Mrs Murphy.

Spanish

I skipped Spanish last night. This was the real adult education class at the Arlington County high school (Yorktown High School)with the real high school teacher. I think I'm going to drop that class - the other students are way ahead of me (They took Spanish I part 1 and Spanish I part 2. I just jumped in feet first at Spanish I part 3 because 1) I had Spanish I and II in college, 30 years ago, and, 2) why not? What would it hurt? After all, I might just amaze myself.

Well, it turns out I didn't. (Amaze myself, that is.) So I think I'll drop the course - probably to the great relief of my woe beset teacher. She never quite knew what to do with me. (A common phenomina.)

Anyway, if I so desire I can start with Spanish I, part 2, at some future time. In the meanwhile, I'll continue with Spanish Blackbelt, which is a low key chance to meet a couple people at Starbucks and drink coffee and speak Spanish for two hours.