Your Unfaithful Correspondent
I've taken a few days off, so no posting. Nothing so exciting as a vacation or anything, just a little down time. Last weekend I went to the Washington County Fair and petted some sheep and checked out the knitting entries. The blue and purple ribbons were actually pretty cute and somewhat difficult - sometimes that's not the case with the State Fair.
I've also been attending the Fringe Festival. 10 days of theater around a number of different Minneapolis venues - everything is around an hour each. I loved everything I saw. These were the shows I went to:
Corleone: Take the plot and characters of "The Godfather" and throw in the language and some other touches of Shakespeare. Really funny and clever.
Adventures in Mating: This was super fun. A play about a couple on a first date with a "Choose Your Own Adventure" twist thrown in. The acting was great, especially the guy who played the waiter. If I had gotten a full pass (which I will do next year, I think), I would have seen this more than once to see how it turned out with a different audience. Unfortunately, it was hotter than Hades in the theater, which detracted from my enjoyment of the show.
Inspector Rex: This is the story of Oedipus set as a British parlor mystery. Also very funny and clever. This was a young group of actors and I really enjoyed them.
Why Actors Can't Love: A writer and an actress, former lovers, talk about their former relationship and how it ended. Love this type of play and the actors were stellar.
Michigan Disasters: This was a one-man show that weaves together his own family history, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and a mine that flooded. At first I was a little iffy on this one, but it really grew on me.
Man Saved By Condiments: Based on a true story, it the story of a man who is pinned in his car for several days when it goes off the road. Luckily, he's a total pig and manages to scrounge a lot of little packets of condiments to keep him alive until he's found. This was written by Mary Jo Pehl, from MST3K. She did a great job - very funny.
The Princeton Seventh: An author of thrillers encounters a famous reclusive author in a hotel bar. Or does he? Loved the twisty nature of reality in this one and the cast was great.
Please Don't Blow Up Mr. Boban: This was the best show that I saw. I was just a wreck when I left the theater. Again based on a true story of a restaurant in Baghdad that continued to stay open despite several bombings. It's at times hilariously funny, a moving love story and an anti-war parable. They're going to try to tour with this and if you see it in your town, go immediately!
I received a nice package from my Secret Pal while I was out of the office. Look how pretty it was:
I love Gerbera daisies, so I took that one off the card and hung it next to my desk. Here's what was in the package:
Of course, the first thing you notice is that beautiful hand-painted yarn. They are "Wool in the Woods" in the Rio colorway. One is a chenille and the other is a rayon-cotton thick and thin. Very nice! Also enclosed was the very cute black sheep - love it! There's also a note pad with doggies and fire hydrants on it. Thanks again Secret Pal!!
I've also been attending the Fringe Festival. 10 days of theater around a number of different Minneapolis venues - everything is around an hour each. I loved everything I saw. These were the shows I went to:
Corleone: Take the plot and characters of "The Godfather" and throw in the language and some other touches of Shakespeare. Really funny and clever.
Adventures in Mating: This was super fun. A play about a couple on a first date with a "Choose Your Own Adventure" twist thrown in. The acting was great, especially the guy who played the waiter. If I had gotten a full pass (which I will do next year, I think), I would have seen this more than once to see how it turned out with a different audience. Unfortunately, it was hotter than Hades in the theater, which detracted from my enjoyment of the show.
Inspector Rex: This is the story of Oedipus set as a British parlor mystery. Also very funny and clever. This was a young group of actors and I really enjoyed them.
Why Actors Can't Love: A writer and an actress, former lovers, talk about their former relationship and how it ended. Love this type of play and the actors were stellar.
Michigan Disasters: This was a one-man show that weaves together his own family history, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and a mine that flooded. At first I was a little iffy on this one, but it really grew on me.
Man Saved By Condiments: Based on a true story, it the story of a man who is pinned in his car for several days when it goes off the road. Luckily, he's a total pig and manages to scrounge a lot of little packets of condiments to keep him alive until he's found. This was written by Mary Jo Pehl, from MST3K. She did a great job - very funny.
The Princeton Seventh: An author of thrillers encounters a famous reclusive author in a hotel bar. Or does he? Loved the twisty nature of reality in this one and the cast was great.
Please Don't Blow Up Mr. Boban: This was the best show that I saw. I was just a wreck when I left the theater. Again based on a true story of a restaurant in Baghdad that continued to stay open despite several bombings. It's at times hilariously funny, a moving love story and an anti-war parable. They're going to try to tour with this and if you see it in your town, go immediately!
I received a nice package from my Secret Pal while I was out of the office. Look how pretty it was:
I love Gerbera daisies, so I took that one off the card and hung it next to my desk. Here's what was in the package:
Of course, the first thing you notice is that beautiful hand-painted yarn. They are "Wool in the Woods" in the Rio colorway. One is a chenille and the other is a rayon-cotton thick and thin. Very nice! Also enclosed was the very cute black sheep - love it! There's also a note pad with doggies and fire hydrants on it. Thanks again Secret Pal!!
rdladd@arnan.com
