A Midsummer Night's Dream

31 July 2025: 

[Catch-up post...]

I had a delightful time last night seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream last night at the Olney Theater. It was a production but on by Synetic Theatre (they do wordless shows--which are always very cool). It really was terrific--beautifully interpreted with great music, dancing, and lots of great comic moments/performances.

Tim organized the whole thing for a group that also included Kevin (of course!) and our new colleague Michael and his fiance. 

Pretty sweet Sunday...

20 July 2025: I know I sometimes document days like today--posts that are basically lists of things I did. They aren't the most interesting posts, I know, but for me, they can serve as little snapshots of ordinary but sweet days. So here's one:

I got an early start with a trip to campus (my first in over a week!) to do a little work and (almost more important to me, at least emotionally) water my plants. 

It's pretty cool to be close to the end of my reading for the "Year's Work" essay. My syllabi are coming along well, too. On Friday, I accepted a new role--Coordinator of First-Year Writing--that means a course release for me, which cut that syllabizing work down quite a bit.

Once I got home, I took my walk through the neighborhood. Laughed really hard at an Extra Hot Great episode. 

From there, I was basically inside the rest of the afternoon. (Still pretty hot out there; it's been an intense summer.) I watched some TV (finished You, which was okay) and read a horror novel by a local writer. I'm enjoying it and have about 120 pages to go.

Then Amy and I saw Magdalene, a CATF play. I really enjoyed it; terrific acting, as always, and some cool ideas. From there, we had dinner at King's.

Home now and just finished a phone call with Tim. Bob's Burgers time (it continues to be my comfort show) until some more reading, bath, and bed!

Kevin Kling: Unraveled

16 July 2025: I went into Kevin Kling: Unraveled knowing just about nothing about it--and I am really glad I did. It's one thing to be moved, delighted, and entertained. It's another thing when you completely didn't see it coming. I'm grateful to have another work of art that reminds me of goodness, light, storytelling, and just the simple beauty of living and doing your best.

Before the show started, I was talking with the guy sitting next to me, a friendly and smart guy. He lives in MA now and is, if I heard him correctly, is in town because of a screening of a documentary he worked on. We talked about Shepherdstown a bit and I said it's just a "gem" of a place. CATF is another facet of that gem.

The Tempest

17 November 2024: I was not expecting to get emotional at the Rude Mechanicals' production of The Tempest, but once the show was over and the applause started to die down, the company of actors and crew honored Betty, who is retiring at the end of this academic year and had, thus, just completed her last run directing a Shakespeare play. The tears started flowing. 

Valentine

3 November 2024: Finally listened to "Valentine," the 100th episode of This is Love, an episode I knew was about the death of Phoebe's mother (whose first name gives the episode its title). Knowing and loving This is Love and Criminal the way I do, I knew it was going to be powerful episode so I wanted to honor it with my undivided attention and be in the right mindset when I listened. 

I am so glad I did. It's riveting and funny and sad and beautiful from start to finish. 

Also saw the Theater program's production of Our Town today and made a ton of progres on The Bog Wife, this month's book club selection. So, even more than usual, lots of Big Thoughts about life, death, and what it all means on this autumn Sunday.

Father's Day 2024

16 June 2024: A really lovely Sunday here. This morning, I picked Betty up and we drove to Rockville to meet Tim. Then we metroed in to DC to have lunch and see a production of Metamorphoses at the Folger (where I hadn't been before). 

Then home by 6:00 or so to call my dad, who seemed to be having a very nice Father's Day. That on its own would have been enough to make my day great. He's just such a good dude, perfectly happy to spend his day doing some weeding, hearing from his kids, and grilling some burgers for dinner.  

Dinner and a show...

29 March 2024: Thanks to my rapidly-improving health, I was able to end this long, difficult week on a high note: dinner with Tim, Kevin, Cory, and Hannah followed by the Rude Mechanicals' opening night performance of Lysistrata. Just a perfect evening. 

Sunday things...

17 December 2023: I know I just did this kind of post on Friday, but today had a lot of good things worth remembering:

1) On our way to Winchester (more about that in a bit), Amy and I stopped at the new Tudor's Biscuit World in Inwood. It was packed but the line moved quick enough considering and the food was delicious, of course.

2) We saw Waitress (the filmed stage version with Sara Bareilles), which was so lovely. I had seen a stage version at the National Theater with Jane and it was great, but hearing Sara sing the song--and getting a close up view of the actors--was terrific. 

3) After, we did some Christmas shopping and I crossed a few more things off my list.

4) At one store, a young woman sort of did a double-take and said, "You were my teacher, I think?" She looked familiar and when she said her name, I absolutely remembered her. I won't put in writing here the really kind thing she told me about my class, but after we talked and I walked away, I felt myself get teared up over how amazingly lucky I am to get to do what I do and get to hear things like that. She's a Spanish teacher now, which also makes me happy. 

Came home, wrapped some gifts, and am chilling for a bit with Jo and Veronica. New Christmas Bob's Burgers tonight and then probably and then probably an early bedtime. For a very dark, foggy, and rainy day, there was a lot of metaphorical sunlight shining through. 

The Secret Garden

14 December 2023: Hit a big old writer's block today (to twist the metaphor a bit) and was just stuck. Decided to switch my music to an album that served me well in similar situations in the past, especially in grad school days: the original cast recording of The Secret Garden. And sure enough, it still works. Powered through that block, took my walk, put it back on, and kept going. Finished a draft of my next entry just before the BOG meeting this afternoon. 

Misery

20 October 2023: 

[Catch-up post...]

What a delight it was to see my former student (and now, my friend) star as Annie Wilkes in Misery at a local dinner theater! Hannah, Cory, Amy, and I went together and it was just what I needed after a very hard and long week. 

Your Name Means Dream

26 July 2023: Really enjoyed seeing this CATF play with Carrie and Rachael this evening. Terrific acting and a really interesting script. 

Strangest chair dance...

2 May 2023: Cannot believe I burst into a chair dance while working on a budget narrative and finally got some totals to add up. What is my life? Not a fan of this, but a win is a win, I guess.

I've been a big old Broadway kick these past few days, so here's the track that I busted that nerdy move to...risque for budget narratives. 

Kinky Boots

18 February 2023: For Christmas, Tim and Kevin got tickets for all of us (them, me, Hannah, and Cory) to see Kinky Boots at the Olney Theater. We had lunch first, which was amazing (the food and the company). The show was great, too. Carpooled with the kids and treated them to some Dairy Queen treats when we got back, which made it and end-to-end perfect time. 

The Winter's Tale

6 November 2022: I saw the Rude Mechanicals' production of The Winter's Tale this afternoon and found myself moved to tears--something I wasn't expecting. When Leontes is so cruel--when he refuses to believe the his wife, his advisors, his friends, and even the oracle, even as everyone begs him to--it was too much: the misogyny, the tyranny, the refusal to admit when you are wrong. It's just too real in our modern moment. I saw a production years and years ago when I was at Oxford, but I sure didn't respond to it this way. It's a strange, strange play...perhaps sadly perfect for right now. 

Eurydice

9 July 2022: Spent most of today (a Saturday) in my office working on book stuff. Made some slow and steady progress on my next entry, this one on Sarah Winnemucca. I am actually surprised at how much I've gotten done in a week when I took Monday and Tuesday off. 

I stopped at 3:00 to step over to Reynolds to see the Rude Mechanicals' production of Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice. I was really impressed by the play (the text) and by the performances. There weren't many people in the audience--just two of us, in fact, not counting the crew--but that made it kind of special, in a way. Crazy lucky to live in a town and work in a place where you can pop out of your office to see a show like that for $2 on a Saturday afternoon. 

Romeo and Juliet

1 April 2022: Friday vibes were all over the place; some good stuff, some hard and frustrating stuff. But by the evening, they settled into quite nice. Hannah and I had dinner and then saw the Rude Mechanicals' production of Romeo and Juliet, which was quite entertaining. A perfect way to end the work week. 

"Get Down"

16 March 2020: Been doing some chair dancing to this number since I heard about it on the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. I mean, feminism, Tudor history, and shout-outs to Lutheranism? And, as the kids say, it's a bop? I'll take it.

What the Constitution Means to Me

14 September 2019: Settling into what I think will be the cold/cough/whatever that I've been fighting for a couple of weeks (at least I think I am?). So that sort of stinks. But I am so grateful that I didn't start feeling truly cruddy until after seeing this amazing show today at the Kennedy Center with Cory and Hannah.

It is so good--smart and hilarious and moving. It's mostly a one-woman show--always amazing and impressive. And when it isn't it is even more technically innovative and smart. I wish everyone could see it. I feel so grateful that I did.

Tommy

27 April 2019: Saw Tommy at the Kennedy Center with Amy, her nephew Calvin, and Kathy. It was an amazing show.

A Bronx Tale

30 March 2019: Saw the last show in our subscription to the National Theater today. I am so glad we took the leap and saw these five shows together.