Throwback to July 13, 2014, when we could move around freely and took it for granted!
1. College Girl went to a club in London and ran into her favorite British singer.
2. Gainfully Employed Son went to present at a conference in San Diego and discovered that one of his favorite breweries happened to be right there and open for a drink.
3. I went to the basement refrigerator and discovered that I did have butter in the freezer and I would not have to go to Kroger after all.
10. The stage is so much smaller than it appears to be on TV.
9. You will pass through several checkpoints, where young, beautiful, and peppy CBS employees will repeatedly ask you to show your driver’s license and give a “password.”
8. Bodyguards who look like they walked off the set of the “Sopranos” stand around the edges of the stage.
7. Dave takes off his regular glasses and puts on reading glasses when he reads the Top Ten list, but switches back to regular glasses as soon as the camera comes back on him. And if he really messes up while reading a cue card, he will ask for a re-take.
6. Dave and his guest (Emma Stone) chat during the promoted-movie clip, and never really watch the clip.
5. Parts of the stage, like the backgrounds, need to be taken apart and moved to bring in props and/or equipment for the guest band.
4. Dave’s warm-up comedian and other writers stand around Dave’s desk during the commercial breaks and nod and laugh and hang on every word Dave says.
3. Prior to entering the theater, you will be given a lecture on how to act: no whistling, no woo-woo-ing, no cameras or phones, applaud very often, and– my favorite– laugh first, think later.
2. Your place in line does not determine your seats, since you will be shuffled around repeatedly and assigned a “group,” likely based on your age. The pretty 20-30-somethings in the line, seemingly, were all given seats on the main floor, whereas the fans who have been watching Dave for longer than some of these kids have been alive were assigned balcony seats. That would include us, and most of those around us. Then again, the tickets were free, so I should not complain, I suppose.
1. And, the number one thing we learned while being audience members at the Late Show: if the weather is bad/threatens to be bad, CBS will rent the Three Monkeys Bar around the corner where you wait for 2 hours alongside fellow “older” audience members and buy a few drinks in the meantime so you can be “liquored-up” and giggly when the cameras roll.
1. Riding Amtrak in the “quiet car” means you are spared from hearing loud talking and/or other people’s cell phone conversations.
2. Times Square, especially at night, overloads many of your senses.
3. Porgy and Bess rightfully earned its Tony award as Best Revival–the Gershwins are timeless and the cast was incredible.
4. Choosing to leave the camera and cell phone in the hotel safe and just EXPERIENCING modern art is strangely appropriate and liberating.
5. Brian is the kind of wonderful friend that you can re-connect with immediately, even if you haven’t seen him in 19 years.
6. Brian can be counted on to introduce you to porchetta and Brooklyn pizza and lobster roll and a Salty Pimp ice cream cone.
7. Yeah, we may think we are forward-thinking and accepting, but seeing a topless young woman walking toward us in Times Square is nonetheless surprising.
8. An hour-long wait to get to the observation deck of the Empire State Building on a clear Sunday night is a small price to pay to cross one more thing off your bucket list.
9. There are 10 US restaurants at the Michelin three star level, the highest recognition in the culinary world.
10. If you plan ahead by weeks, you too can dine at one of these restaurants.
11. The cocktails will be sublime, the entrees amazing, and the desserts breathtaking.
12. You will be grateful that your wonderful spouse and you see eye to eye on the necessity of a big splurge to usher in the milestone birthday.
In honor of my super-efficient appointment this afternoon at the Department of Motor Vehicles, I made this cocktail. A toast to the DMV during this time of pandemic! My visit was a piece of cake!
Since this is my birthday month, my license was expiring, plus I wanted to obtain a Real ID, too. Granted, the state has extended deadlines on many matters of official business, but I decided weeks ago to just get it all done, so I made an appointment online for 2:05 PM today.
I exited my car at 1:55 PM, and waited in an outdoor line for maybe 2 minutes, all the while maintaining a safe physical distance from other customers. When my turn came for the pre-screening, I stepped forward, had my name checked off a list, and presented my documents (passport, Social Security card, voter registration card, and driver’s license, but I also brought additional documentation just in case, because that’s who I am). Another employee escorted me inside and led me to the clerk at window 9. The clerk administered the eye test, took my photo, took my payment, and even completed the application for me. I signed it, she thanked me and returned my documents, and I walked out. Back in the car, I checked my phone–the time was 2:06 PM. TEN minutes! The whole process took 10 minutes!
Appointments are the way to go! Congratulations, DMV! Please use this system indefinitely, even after the pandemic ends.
I told the clerk that I appreciated the new system, and she agreed it was going smoothly. She was super-friendly and appeared to be in a good mood. Hmmm. Of course she was, because the customers were not grouchy! Win win!
Today’s drink is my version of the Lemon Cake Cocktail. And the recipe is also a piece of cake, if you have a bottle of RumChata Limon at home.
Pour 2-3 ounces of RumChata Limon into a shaker. Add several ice cubes and shake until frothy. Pour into a glass and enjoy.
When I looked at my Facebook memories for the past ten or so July 4s, almost all of the entries were about gatherings with friends and family at picnics, breweries, baseball games, and firework displays. This year’s holiday will be different for most of us. Fortunately, our deck is large enough for physical distancing, so a handful of neighbors will be coming over to sit and sip for a few hours. We will raise a glass to freedom!
Another highlight of the weekend for many of us is the premiere of the Broadway hit, Hamilton, on Disney+. Yes, I caved in and bought a monthly subscription, because I love Broadway shows, and because I was a political science major.
I still have my college copy of the Federalist Papers–with highlighting and notes in the margins–on my bookshelf. Hamilton wrote 51 of the essays, and I probably analyzed them during at least one final exam. Hamilton’s ideas were incorporated into the US Constitution; the Federalist Papers help us to remember our Founding Fathers’ intentions while drafting this remarkable document, one which has withstood over 200 years.
I often wonder what Hamilton would say about our current leaders and their interpretations of the powers afforded to them by the Constitution.
So, rise up, my fellow Americans, and don’t throw away your shot to vote.
Today’s drink is my version of Hamilton‘s Founder’s Fizz, the official cocktail of the musical, which was available for purchase in the theater lobby.
In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine 1 1/2 ounces gin (I used gin from Cactoctin Creek, a Virginia distillery, so I am keeping a colonial theme here), 1 ounce simple syrup, and 1/4 ounce fresh lime juice. Shake and strain into a glass, add ice, and top with club soda. (I poured mine into a Jefferson Cup!)
Youngest Son and I just watched a historic moment (on a livestream news broadcast). The city of Richmond, Virginia, our state’s capital, has removed the statue of Stonewall Jackson from its pedestal at the intersection of Monument Avenue and Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
Finally.
The crowd grew as the afternoon went on and anticipation built. A thunderstorm rolled through Richmond just as workers were finishing up removing the pins that held the statue on the base. The sky opened and the rain poured down, but the crowd didn’t mind. The chants and cheers kept coming. And then, slowly, the crane lifted Jackson and his horse up, up, and away. And the rain kept coming.
The statue ended up resting safely on the ground right as the 5 o’clock news went on the air. A young reported interviewed a bystander, who spoke eloquently about his emotions and then suggested that the rain had come to cleanse the pain from the crowd and from the city–the former capital of the Confederacy.
And that empty space on Monument Avenue? Our nation has so many heroes, and Richmond has so many artists–I believe finding a replacement should be easy. I know a few Virginia Commonwealth University art school graduates who could come up with some preliminary sketches…
Today’s drink is my version of the Stormy Weather cocktail.
In a shaker filled with ice, combine 1 1/2 ounces red wine, 1 1/2 ounces dark rum, 1/2 ounce lime juice, 1/4 ounce maple syrup, and 2 dashes bitters (I used spiced cherry bitters). Shake well, and strain into a tall glass with fresh ice. Top with 2 ounces ginger beer and stir.
1. Television sets have 2 settings, “off” and “full blast.”
2. Poise pads come in a variety of thicknesses.
3. Staff members are undoubtedly underpaid.
4. Accessible showers leave puddles all over the bathroom floor.
5. Seventy-eight degrees is an acceptable room temperature. Warmer is better.
6. The stereo in the lobby should not play “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” even if it is an old standard.
7. If you let Mom pick the lunch location, she will pick the Chinese buffet, although you were just there 2 days ago.
8. Next time rent a sedan. Getting Mom in and out of sister’s Hummer is difficult and undignified.
9. Even though Mom has not had a valid driver’s license for 6-7 years now, she is still a skilled backseat-driver.
10. Dollar GENERAL and Dollar TREE are two unique shopping experiences and are not interchangeable.
11.It is acceptable to walk out of a restaurant once you realize it does not serve breakfast around the clock. Plus it was too dark in there, anyway.
12. A nap in the afternoon is beneficial for all ages.
13. No matter how tired you are, you are never too tired to stop and buy a lottery ticket.
14.Red jello snack packs go in the cupboard, not the mini-fridge, because jello is best at room temperature.
15. Even a man in his 80s will do that sneaky guy thing and look at a woman from toe to head to toe.
16. When the nurses tell you your mom is a sweet lady, just smile. A closed-lipped smile, so they can’t see your clenched teeth.
17. Do not listen to the Broadway Channel on the car radio–you will hear “Sunrise, Sunset” and “Circle of Life” and will get teary and be unable to drive safely.
18. When a man wearing only Depends and a tee comes to stand by you as you work on a puzzle, simply answer him politely, pray a nurse finds him soon, and absolutely do not look directly at any part of him.
19. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
Monica Lists 