I've always had a bit of a meh relationship with Barbie, not because of any feminist or political leanings. But because my first memory of Barbie is my aunt not letting me play with hers, lol. She was always really protective of her stuff and wouldn't let me touch them. Eventually, my mom bought a couple for me and my sister, plus the camper and other Barbieworld things, and we had a good time. Playing with Barbies may have been my first attempt at theater, we would make up stories and drag them out for hours. Maybe I should've become a playwright after all! But honestly, I guess my feelings were so kind of hurt, that's my main takeaway. The photo at the right shows a time I snuck one of her dolls away. It didn't last long, lol.
Magical MissTari Tour
A single gal of a certain age shares her love of theater, ballet, tennis, travel and all things NYC. Oh, and food. With a little TMI thrown in...
Friday, January 26, 2024
What Barbie Means to Me
I've always had a bit of a meh relationship with Barbie, not because of any feminist or political leanings. But because my first memory of Barbie is my aunt not letting me play with hers, lol. She was always really protective of her stuff and wouldn't let me touch them. Eventually, my mom bought a couple for me and my sister, plus the camper and other Barbieworld things, and we had a good time. Playing with Barbies may have been my first attempt at theater, we would make up stories and drag them out for hours. Maybe I should've become a playwright after all! But honestly, I guess my feelings were so kind of hurt, that's my main takeaway. The photo at the right shows a time I snuck one of her dolls away. It didn't last long, lol.
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
What I Saw/What I'm Seeing
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Happy Thanksgiving 2022!
Hello, dear cyber-friends, have you missed me?! I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since I posted on this blog. Once, this was the most important place for me to be. If I wasn’t posting something silly, I was thinking about posting something silly. Now, I’m still working through whether or not to continue what I started. Eleven years IS a long time. Maybe stopping is just the natural course of things. But maybe something new will evolve - who knows? So I'm still keeping my options open. In the interest of feeling some forward motion, I decided to do a quick Thanksgiving post and share what I’m thankful for this year. And maybe I’ll mention some shows I hope you go see over the holidays… 😍
However, this year, I’m starting with a negative. I’m NOT thankful for my apartment building’s management team. In September, we sadly had another loss in my family, which sent me home for just short of a month, and when I came back, a mouse had moved into my apartment. I cannot get anyone - my super/assistant super/landlord/management company - to take me seriously to take care of this mouse. I want it gone. I want the hole where it entered gone. In a past post about some of my irrational fears, I mentioned mice. I meant it. But I feel as if, yet again, I’m screaming, and no one is listening. I’m not appreciating the condescending ‘oh, that’s just NY for you’ or ‘ha, girls are so silly!’ attitudes I’m getting. I’m considering legal action at this point. You’re supposed to feel warm and cozy in your own home; I just sit there in dread and fear, grinding my teeth and ready to cry. I don’t sleep. There’s no enjoyment there. And I am also PISSED. So it’s been a struggle to think of things I AM thankful for, but of course I could find some. Of course I could. How sad it would be to not be thankful for anything.
I’m monumentally thankful for:
- my wonderful parents;
- my fabulous sister;
- my glorious nephew, I love him so much;
- my beautiful GNO gal pals AND our wonderful guy pals;
- my terrific extended family;
- all of my dear, darling friends who lift me up when I really need them to;
- my fun co-workers who consistently support me AND make me laugh;
- my beautiful goddaughters;
- my darling Fellows (AND their amazing work);
- Murray’s Cheese;
- Randy Rainbow;
- online shopping;
- the Calm app (it has REALLY come in handy during the unwanted-intruder-nonsense);
- Starbucks pink drink;
- Acorn TV;
- expanded access to free theater tickets;
- Shangela;
- Applegate charcuterie plates;
- Ted Lasso;
- the Nasty Suff cocktail at The Library in the Public Theater;
- Leah and Talk NYC;
- 54 Below;
- the Q101 bus;
- Parade original Broadway cast album;
- Plum Deluxe tea;
- the NY Times crossword puzzle app (I have finally succumbed to the siren song of Wordle);
- Milk Street;
- The Amazing Race;
- Jeopardy Amy;
- Copper Cow peppermint lattes;
- TDF;
- Apple music;
- Basil Brick Oven Pizza;
- subway OMNY payment;
- my ever-expanding liquor cabinet;
- Murder, She Wrote re-runs;
- theater companies who are continuing with mask mandates.
And as promised, a theater public service announcement: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go see A Strange Loop (by Michael R Jackson), Kimberly Akimbo (by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire), Ohio State Murders (by Adrienne Kennedy), Topdog/Underdog (by Suzan-Lori Parks), Eva Luna (by Caridad Svich), Where the Mountain Meets the Sea (Jeff Augustin), and K-POP (by Helen Park, Jason Kim, Max Vernon). These are amazing works; some brutal, some joyful; some magical and literate, some down-to-earth and real; all well worth your time and money. Please buy tickets, show the powers-that-be that we want original, no-holds-barred, diverse, complex, and exciting work. And wear your masks, please. Stay safe and warm, my friends, and have a wonderful holiday season.
Friday, December 31, 2021
2021 By the Numbers
- Theatrical events: 29
- Shows written by women: 17
- Shows written by writers of color: 19
- Shows/concerts/events by my darling Fellows: 11
- Shows/concerts/ballets/events that were streaming: 22
- Ballet (in-person) visits: 1
- Ballet (streaming) visits: 2
- New e-books: 18
- New book books: 8
- Readings/workshops: 3
- Concerts/cabarets: 1
- Award presentations: 2
- Fundraisers: 3
- Memorial services: 3 (sadly)
- New charities: 8
- Tweets: 226 (that's down a bit, I need to work on that)
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Happy Thanksgiving 2021
- my amazing parents;
- my wonderful sister;
- my glorious pip of a nephew, I love him so much;
- my sweet Scooter, best doggie nephew ever;
- my beautiful GNO gal pals AND our wonderful guy pals/plus-two;
- my wonderful extended family, with the coolest aunts, uncles, and cousins around (more on them later);
- all of my dear, darling friends who lift me up daily;
- co-workers who make me laugh and lift me up daily;
- my beautiful goddaughters;
- Justin's dark chocolate mini peanut butter cups;
- Caroline, or Change original Broadway cast album;
- Great British Baking Show (hello, Chigs);
- Whole Foods same-day delivery;
- Leah and Talk NYC;
- Young Sheldon;
- my Twitter feed;
- Bob Evans' individual macaroni and cheese;
- the Q101 bus;
- Copper Cow coffee;
- Snoopy holiday pajamas;
- Stet! Dryer's English board game;
- Boqueria’s orchard margarita;
- the NY Times crossword puzzle app;
- In the Heights film;
- the Excelsior Pass Plus;
- Gin Gins;
- Scentbird;
- Off the Hook Raw Bar;
- the Bryant Park holiday market;
- the Milk Street community;
- my wonderful liquor cabinet;
- reveling in my dear Fellows' successes;
- the Seamless app;
- Apple TV (and Ted Lasso);
- Murder, She Wrote re-runs;
- theater companies who are continuing with virtual theater;
- fierce women playwrights;
- theater is BACK!
cousins in the old days |
my beautiful aunt |
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Amazing Women Writing Amazing Women
photo credit: Russ Rowland |
photo credit: Joan Marcus |
It was such a delight seeing productions with such fantastic female leading characters played by incredible women who should be superstars. The way Jocelyn Bioh captures character so utterly perfectly is awesome. The way Jeanine Tesori writes music that says so much in so many different musical forms that perfectly embody each character is awesome. (Yeah, Tony Kushner is all that, too, but I'm focusing on the women, thank you.) I was moved, thrilled, and delighted by both of the productions I was fortunate enough to experience last week. If theater continues to be this ground-shaking, I'm the luckiest girl in the world...
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Saying Goodbye
photo credit: Douglas Gorenstein |