Haines His Way

Vixmom - I'm having a little sinus thing going on today, too. It's not NEARLY as bad as what yours sounds like, though. Sounds to me like you have a sinus infection, of which I am all too familiar.

Hope you feel better soon!!

Thanks.  I am thinking sinus infection too which is why I'm breaking down, leaving the offce early and seeing the DR

I hope you feel better as well!

I just received a package from Kritzerland!!!!!


Thank you!!!

Why don't you come up to my place?  I don't have as many toys as FAO Schwartz but the ones I got are doozies!

Ooh! Now there's an inviatation that would be hard to refuse!!!!

I've been to paradise, but I've never been to Barrymore's....

Does anyone have any light to shed on the alleged affair between Jacqueline Susann and Ethel Merman?  I just heard about this rumor for the first time this morning.

DRDan(the Man), there have been references all over the place to Merman's being gay because she was such a butch broad, but they are false.  I knew Merman's press agent Phillip Bloom, who was 74 when he died in 1988, and he swore there was no truth to the rumors.  Louis Botto, editor of PLAYBILL swore the same.  I once had a great lunch with Louis and press agent Robert Ullman, who had me falling off my chair with laughter from their Merman stories.

Good Afternoon!

Yes, I know the Word of the Day is RIPOSTE, but my word of the day would have to be IDYLLIC.

What a gorgeous day it is here today in NYC.  After running my errands this morning, I headed over to the park to get in the line for tickets for Two Gentlemen of Verona.  Once I got up to the Delacorte, I followed the "trail" of people down the footpath... and I kept following them... and following... until I finally reached the end of the line.  It was a bit longer than I was hoping for/expected, but at least the weather was gorgeous, and my part of the line happened to coincide with some park benches so I got to sit down while I waited.

We were all serenaded by a flute player who kept playing themes from Chopin's waltzes and mazurkas.  He was a pretty good player, but I was hoping to hear some real flute repertoire.  Alas, that did not happen - he started playing selections from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons".

I read some of the book I've been trying to finish the past couple of weeks.  I chatted with the gentleman behind me.  We talked about the show, what I did for a living, what he did for a living, etc.  Alas, he had a wedding ring on.  Ah, well.  

About ten minutes before 1:00, the line started to move.  At first it moved slowly - the ticket distribution didn't start until 1:00 on the dot anyway - but you could tell people were hoping that they would not run out of tickets before they got up to the box office.  Myself included.  -The volunteer who was watching our part of the line said we should be pretty safe.  However, if we were further back by the rock, then our chances would have been iffy.

I start getting closer and closer to the box office.  The line is moving quite fast by this time.  And there's still that tinge of anxiety in the air.  They stop me just as I'm about to step across the footpath.  "Could you hold here until the next group is finished."

OK.  Hmm...

They tell me to proceed, and then the announcement is made, "OK, folks, you guys are in the last group for today.  Congratulations!"

WHEW!!!!

So, I happily take my two tickets and leave.  -But not before checking in with the box office personnel to make sure I really do have a seat, and that the seat locations on the tickets are really seat locations - I keep thinking it's general admission.  So...

My guest for tonight will be DR Jason.  I will be meeting him at his place of employment after work, and we shall forage for dinner somewhere before heading to the Delacorte for tonight's performance.  And it looks like the weather should be fine and dandy tonight too.

I went ahead and walked back over to Broadway to grab the 1 back uptown to my apartment.  And, now, to fill the next hour or so, I shall do some laundry.  Ah, the simple joys of maidenhood.

OH!

And since I was in the neighborhood, I went right into Artie's and asked about the schedule for Rosh Hoshanah.  They said they would most certainly be open.  Then the host offered me a copy of the catering menu...  "Oh, I was seeing if you would be open since I have some people coming into town that week."  -Oh, OK.



So, I'll take a poll.  It might be Artie's.  It might be Joe Allen.  It might be La Cocina.  Or it could be all three!

-Nah.

Any one of those is fine by me Jose. I trust your judgement when it comes to foodstuffs.

DRDan(the Man), there have been references all over the place to Merman's being gay because she was such a butch broad, but they are false.  I knew Merman's press agent Phillip Bloom, who was 74 when he died in 1988, and he swore there was no truth to the rumors.  Louis Botto, editor of PLAYBILL swore the same.  I once had a great lunch with Louis and press agent Robert Ullman, who had me falling off my chair with laughter from their Merman stories.

From what I've been purusing on the web today, I don't give much credence towards the actualality of an affair.  Like DRs JRand and Matt have said, it seems that because of some strange obsession on her part, Jacqueline Susann actively sought out Merman but her overtures were for naught--Ethel steered clear of her.  Susann, in turn, based the Helen Lawson character in VOTD on her and let everyone know about it.  What a strange and seedy little episode.  I must include it in my upcoming Broadway Babylon book.

DR RLP.....terrible story.  And so common nowadays.  Sad sad sad.

DR DtM - Frances has to have a chapter in your book!

Actually my Equity name is Jack-Randall Earles.  Since there already WAS a Jack Randall.....and if someone says to me, "You mean like Ann-Margret?"  I always just say: "Exactly like her."

Of course I have also been called Lee Harvey Oswald and James Earl Ray and any other number of three-name assassins!

I'm simply teeming with excitement about tonight's festivities, Jose. Hopefully good food, hopefully a good production of a show that I absolutely DO NOT KNOW (who knew?), and guaranteed good company. What more could a girl ask for? Thanks for the invite!

Last night we had "roommate night." I was roped into this evening of "fun" under the auspices that it was to be a night that the three of us could get together, cook, chat and maybe watch a movie - all "fun" things. When I got home, it was clear that that was not the plan. No - the fun "roommate night" turned into "let's clean the apartment" night. I was ambushed. The two girls "cleaned" the kitchen (their definition of clean greatly differs from that of my own [or my mother's]) and I was stuck with the bathroom. Actually, I was glad to have the bathroom because it was work I could do alone. And then I "got" to sort and carry all the garbage and recyclables down to the street. All FIVE BAGS worth. I will not commit myself to "roommate night" again. If they feel the apartment needs to be cleaned, then they need to just have the chutzpah to come out and say it. I don't mind doing it - I just don't like being hoodwinked into a cleaning event. Not exactly what I want to do after a long day of dealing with dodos.

Now the carrot-chewing coworker is discussing conspiracy theories with the very cute but outrageously stuck up (and dim) Admin Assistant to whom I alluded a couple of weeks back. Said Admin Assistant still looks at me as if I have no right to live.

I never has seen Artie's...or La Cocina...but I trust DRs Ben and Jose's judgements on dining establishments. I'm up for whatever!

Oh, back to Randy books for a bit...

Anything by Harold Robbins.  I still remember coming across a copy of "The Betsy" at a relative's house when I was nine or ten years old.  WOW!!!  That certainly was an eye opener.

And also anything by Gordon Merrick.  Another WOW!  I remember coming across a copy of "The Lord Won't Mind" at the library when I was in high school.  Boy, did that book answer a lot of questions I had about sexuality - well, at least homosexuality - in a way.  I went on to read the rest of the trilogy.  The frankness and graphicness still sort of shock me.  However, I did buy all three books a few years ago - I would really like to read them again now that I'm an adult, and there's less of a titillation factor involved.  -Well, I guess if Lestat has some long book scenes...