Today is the traditional day when a President pardons a Turkey. No, not himself, that will come later. The names of this year's birds are Peas and Carrots. I think he should Peas a chance but actually I don't Carrot all. Happy Thanksgiving to come soon... As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and … Continue reading President to pardon Turkey
History
National Deviled Egg Day
Today is National Deviled Egg Day. You know, when you hard boil an egg, peel the shell, scoop out the yolk, mix with mayonnaise and mustard and spices and scoop back into the white half. Maybe even dress it up like this: It is called deviled because that was a term for spicy or zesty … Continue reading National Deviled Egg Day
Review – Pound
Playwright Sean O'Leary has weighed in on a fascinating historical puzzle. Acclaimed poet and literary influencer Ezra Pound disgraced himself with anti-Semitic broadcasts in favor of Italy's fascist government during World War II. Returned to the US in 1945 he was committed to an asylum under threat of treason charges. With the support of one … Continue reading Review – Pound
Review – My Parsifal Conductor
Plays based on historical figures and events can tend to be dry or preachy. That is not the case with MY PARSIFAL CONDUCTOR which opened last night at the West Side YMCA Little Theater. Happily it is a sprightly concoction of vivid characterizations and engaging examinations of a particularly fascinating moment in music history. Composer … Continue reading Review – My Parsifal Conductor
2018 Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival
Did you make it to the amazing Medieval Festival here at the upper tip of Manhattan so very close to my home? It was marvelous with many people in costume, lots of fun food, crazy vendors, stadium shows, street shows, and generally festive atmosphere. It was more crowded than normal with a new safety lane … Continue reading 2018 Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival
National Peanut Day
Today is National Peanut Day and it is one of my favorite snacks. You know all about the big peanut names like George Washington Carver and Jimmy Carter. You know that a peanut is not actually a nut but a legume. You know all the products like peanut butter, peanut brittle and Payday bars. But … Continue reading National Peanut Day
The return of sunset Manhattanhenge
About 4.6 billion years ago (give or take) our sun was formed as the center of our solar system. Shortly after (about 4.5 billion years ago) the earth was formed. Earth's axis of rotation tilts in respect to its orbital plane. While it defines the seasons change for the Northern and Southern hemispheres no one … Continue reading The return of sunset Manhattanhenge
Little Red Lighthouse Tours tomorrow!
Special Surprise: On Sunday, July 8 between 1 PM and 4 PM you can take tours of the inside of the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge. You can often visit the outside but seldom see the inside so do not miss this opportunity. Take the A Train to 181st Street. Take the … Continue reading Little Red Lighthouse Tours tomorrow!
Independence Day
For a very long time the colonies were content to work as subjects of the King. When he tried to extract money to pay for the cost of defending them from the French and various native groups a growing number of colonists fought back to either have full representation in their governing bodies or, failing … Continue reading Independence Day
Fort Tryon Park Art Installation
I am fortunate to have the lovely Fort Tryon Park in the upper reaches of Manhattan as my back yard. Not my personal literal property but it may as well be as it is so close to where I live. Recently an art installation arrived related to the Cloisters - the Metropolitan Museum of Art … Continue reading Fort Tryon Park Art Installation
Review – Travesties
Tom Stoppard is one of my favorite playwrights. The intellectual twists and turns come pouring at you as from a fire hose. His plays are incredibly crafted, carefully assembled tours de force that are a mental workout that I absolutely love. Travesties was written in the 1970's and sprang from Mr. Stoppard's discoveries that an … Continue reading Review – Travesties
An Egyptian/Roman Theater LOT to talk about
Auction houses like Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips and others offer free admission to selling exhibitions for a few days before each auction. From time to time I will select notable auction lots to bring to your attention. This blog feature is not endorsed by the auction house nor written by any kind of art expert. Just … Continue reading An Egyptian/Roman Theater LOT to talk about
Shout out to LEARN FUN FACTS blog
As I continue to learn new things about blogging, I like to direct you to other interesting blogs I come across. One of my current favorites is Learn Fun Facts, produced by the prolific Edmark M. Law from Hong Kong. He fills his blog with math puzzles (I'm not very good at these), word puzzles … Continue reading Shout out to LEARN FUN FACTS blog
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Sometimes I can be pretty naive. I became politically aware at a relatively young age in 1968. The riots, the war, the losses of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. hit me pretty hard and made me wonder about how we could ever move forward. But I found hope in the fact that times … Continue reading Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Review – Hillbilly Elegy
It has been a while since I finished reading Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance but I needed time to reflect on it before I commented on it. Surprising to me, much in it was familiar. I too spent some of my life growing up between Dayton and Cincinnati and had neighbors (very nice people) who … Continue reading Review – Hillbilly Elegy
Post-Christmas Blues
I'm not really blue, just thinking back on the holiday. I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas yourself American culture tends to sweep everyone into it regardless. I celebrated the day with Pamela's grandchildren and family in Virginia. It is wonderful to see a Christmas morning through the … Continue reading Post-Christmas Blues
National Eggnog Day
Sunday, December 24 is National Eggnog Day. Not surprising as it is also Christmas Eve. Fresh eggnog shows up in our grocery stores only between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. I once tried what was purported to be an eggnog recipe from the writings of George Washington. I cannot tell a lie, it was OK. … Continue reading National Eggnog Day
Review – JUNK on Broadway
The Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center has become my go to place to have complicated concepts explained in riveting theater pieces. On my last visit I was thrilled by J.T. Roger's play OSLO which captivated me as it led me through the now doomed negotiations toward the two state solution between Israel and Palestine. … Continue reading Review – JUNK on Broadway
Evacuation Day
Tomorrow, Saturday, November 25, is Evacuation Day here in New York. It commemorates the day in 1783 when the British left Manhattan after the American Revolutionary War when General George Washington returned in a triumphant parade. He had left the city, starting a long strategic retreat, when he abandoned Fort Washington (in my part of … Continue reading Evacuation Day
Review – Time and the Conways
"There is a great devil in the universe and we call it time." One of the defining lines from the Roundabout Theatre's Broadway production of TIME AND THE CONWAYS. Sometimes I can be a lazy theater goer. Back in 1994 I saw a production of AN INSPECTOR CALLS by J.B. Priestly on Broadway. One of … Continue reading Review – Time and the Conways
HALLOWEEN!
Today is Halloween, a holiday initially signaling the end of harvest and approach of winter that goes back to Roman times. Eventually it evolved into the eve before the Christian All Saint's Day on November 1 or All Hallow's Eve - now Halloween. Banned by the Puritans but steadily rehabilitated in the Victorian era, it … Continue reading HALLOWEEN!
Time Travel for Writers
As a playwright I am always obsessed with language. What a character in a certain situation, certain environment, certain time period would or could say. Not every reader is fact checking what I write, but an off tune word or phrase can take an audience out of the moment and is one of the biggest … Continue reading Time Travel for Writers
Recent Reads: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase to Catch Lincoln’s Killer
James L. Swanson has written an enlightening and engrossing account of the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. I knew all of the major points and touchstones of the history but this book is an invaluable guide and deep dive into all the details surrounding it. It is astounding how … Continue reading Recent Reads: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase to Catch Lincoln’s Killer
Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival review
Last Sunday my favorite (and closest) park in New York City hosted the annual Medieval Festival. It was terrific. Lots of good festival food (a few years ago they added beer and wine), many performance stages, demonstrations of blacksmithing and sword making, multiple themed booths selling baubles and beads, knights jousting, a live chess game, … Continue reading Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival review
