February in Review
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| Hiding my skepticism well, at the RV show |
February Eats
This may seem simple, but Lent started this month, which means no meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays until Easter. Of course, it also meant the absolute best bowl of French Onion Soup I've ever had, thanks to Chef Dad. So darn delicious!
February Reads
Origin by Dan Brown: I'm a sucker for a good mystery and Dan Brown is one of my favorite mystery writers. I ploughed through The DaVinci Code in a day. This one was a bit more dense, and it took a bit longer but it was fantastic. It succeeded in describing Spain so well, that I'm now dreaming of Barcelona as my next vacation destination (while also singing "Barcelona" from Company over and over in my head...)
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy: This was my Young-Adult fiction for the month of February. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it was a pretty great story, with a great fantastical element. On the other, I'm not sure I want a young-adult book to include themes like murder and kidnapping. But then again, maybe I'm old school.
A London Country Diary by Tim Bradford: This book is the literary equivalent of Seinfeld. It's literally a book about nothing. The book consists of dozens of vignettes of things ranging from what he's seen on his walks, to conversations he's had with shopkeepers. It's so weird and I have no idea why I'm still reading it, but here we are...
Note: All links to books will hereafter point to Book Depository which is a fantastic site for anyone in the States who prefers reading British books. They even have free shipping!
February Travels
I stayed in Maryland (and DC) the entire month of February. So there wasn't much traveling to be had however, I did manage to visit an exotic destination while never leaving the state, even if it was against my own volition. My lovely friends, who clearly don't understand me, dragged me to the Maryland RV Show. I'd like to go on record as saying I'm against purchasing an RV on so many levels. An RV doesn't fit into my travel plans one bit, but apparently I'm in the minority of my friend group. So on a lovely Sunday, I found myself trudging around Timonium Fairgrounds climbing into and out of RVs. And you know what I found? I still don't want one.
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| Cast Conversation at Everyman Theatre |
February was a very good month for theatre. First up was Chess at the Kennedy Center which has been playing on a loop in my head (and on YouTube) since that evening. The music is so unbelievably good, and that cast was just fantastic. I've heard rumors that it might make its Broadway return based on its reception in DC so until that time, I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed.
Then there was Long Day's Journey into Night at Everyman Theatre which I tweeted about for BroadwayWorld. Of the few productions I've seen there, this was my least favorite. The story is quite sad - and not in a good way. It doesn't make you feel much but just really depressed about this poor family.
Lastly, I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Naval Academy. Where Long Day's Journey into Night was sad and depressing, Joseph was the complete and total opposite. It made me feel joyful, and it made me fall in love with this show all over again.
February Moves
I've been thinking a lot lately about the arts community and the advocacy movements that have come from it. The Arts has always been a place of acceptance and heart, and those beautiful traits have helped to fuel the advocacy movement in the community. One of the biggest advocacy moments came at the start of the AIDS crisis in the late 1970s and 1980s. Because this horrible disease touched so many lives in this community, those in it have fought tirelessly over the years to bring awareness and hope to people living with the disease.
I've greatly admired this work over the years. Though I've also been completely at a loss to grasp how AIDS affected this community so terribly. Hundreds and hundreds died before our government chose to do something about it. That point has always been horrifying to me. These men and women were artists and teachers and family members. They had people that loved them. So much more could have been done to help them at the time. Can you imagine what these men and women could have created if they were not dismissed by the medical field and their government? That loss hurts my heart.
I've supported many charities over the years, but one of my goals for this year is to become more involved in the cause. While the numbers aren't as astronomical as they were in the early 80s, this awful disease still exists. That's why I've decided to walk in AIDS Walk NYC this year which, as always will support GMHC. In tandem with that, I'm planning a blog series on theatre pieces and artists that worked to combat the disease's stigma. While AIDS is mostly manageable today thanks to advances in medicine, the stigma is still there. And that's what needs to change most of all. These people got sick. It's no one's fault. It just happened. And they should be supported in every way possible.
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