When it came time to look at my 2020 Excel spreadsheet of excursions, I dreaded it. I had kept it up-to-date until I left the office for good on Friday, March 13. I looked back at it and almost started crying. Then I pulled up my big girl pants and figured out how I wanted to distill the numbers, because NOT doing this post would make the year end on a sad note. So I'm just going to do it. I've decided to separate my year into three sections: stuff I did see, stuff I had tickets for that got lost due to COVID; and stuff I watched online. We'll see how things turn out:
Things I Did Get to Do:
- Theater visits: 17
- Shows by women: 14
- Shows by writers of color: 11
- Shows by my darling Fellows: 7
- Movies: 1
- Ballets: 2
- Restaurants: 7
- Readings: 4
- Conferences: 1
- Concerts: 1
- E-books: 9 (most were read on airplanes before my vision problems started)
- Continuing Ed: 2
- Ambulance rides: 1
- Hospital Stays: 1
- New Therapies: 2
Things I Had Tickets For (but were canceled):
- Theater visits: 13
- Shows by women: 5
- Shows by writers of color: 5
- Shows by my darling Fellows: 2
- Ballets: 7
- Readings: 5
- Conferences: 1
- Books I bought but couldn't/haven't read: 20
- Continuing Ed: 1
Things I Watched Online
- Theater: 26
- Shows by women: 12
- Shows by writers of color: 13
- Shows by my darling Fellows: 5
- Ballets: 6
- Concerts: 3
- Awards presentations: 3
It's hard to say what were my favorites in a year of nonsense, but I will say there are some images/memories I'll keep with me for a long time:
- the absolute joy radiating during a reading of Miss-Step and a production of Interstate, both by the monstrously talented duo of Kit Yan and Melissa Li;
- the magic and wonderment at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child;
- my horror and delight at Francis Jue's character/performance in Cambodian Rock Band;
- my astonishment at the brilliant scope of J. Julian Christopher's Bundle of Sticks, even being performed in a tiny space Off-Off-Broadway;
- the poignancy of Dael Orlandersmith's description of young Angus and their tale of fries/chips;
- the rollicking laughter at the Stars in the House readings of Fuddy Meers and Tale of the Allergist's Wife;
- the breathtaking power of Jefferson Mays during the Fezziwig scene of A Christmas Carol (Geffen);
- the beauty of Cynthia Erivo lifting up one of her fellow cast members after the incredible reading of School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play;
- the indescribable feeling of finally FINALLY seeing Hamilton and finding it did indeed live up to the hype.
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| photo from Geffen website |
I also want to do a special shout-out to the Apple TV series Ted Lasso. I can't describe the delight I felt while watching these ten episodes (I am SO PSYCHED for season two!). There were little obscure asides here and there that cracked me up, there were character arcs, redemptions, tears, sight gags, and instance after instance of the power of human kindness. Not saccharine sweetness, but genuine, earned kindness that can change the world around you. My mom and I just sort of landed on Ted Lasso after I subscribed to the app so my dad could watch the Tom Hanks war movie and we loved it so much. I wanted to try to make it last as long as possible, but we just couldn't. After every episode, we'd look at each other and say "One more?" I don't want to oversell it (too late!), but everyone should seriously watch. In this age of cynicism and horrible people, it was nice to watch a show with smart people acting decently. I don't know, it just took me to a place I needed to be. I recently started rewatching it and I'm finding more delights the second time around...
I am going to skip listing my favorite food and cocktail list of the year, though I will say that going back to a restaurant and eating a real meal, with maybe more than one course, might make me cry. I do want to say that I'm a big fan of my new bottles of velvet falernum and Jack Daniel's winter jack Tennessee cider. :)
My wishes for the New Year is that life can return to some semblance of normal and that we can all treat each other with dignity and respect. I'm hoping that process will begin most fiercely on January 20. Please, oh please, let these 2021 wishes come true. In the meantime, stay safe and PLEASE WEAR A MASK!!!!
