Into the Woods

It was really thinking of my post-Oscar night party with the usual food theme that got me to the Century Plaza Cinema, and going to my seat on the second floor to screen 6 among dozens was a little like going Into the Woods, which is what I saw there--wanting to find a dish to serve from that film.  (I had already thought of and rejecting little girls and grandmothers.)  Of course, I thought of the bread she was taking, and that song came up quickly as did the song about the green things stolen from the witch's garden.

Greens Green and Nothing but green! Parsley, Peppers, Cabbages, and Celery. Asparagus and Watercress and Fiddlefern and
Lettuce

I'm even a vegetarian with aspirations towards being vegan, so I had my dish from Into the Woods.  But I stayed because I love musicals and because I thought it was all enchanting.  I'd gone straight from planning a reunion in Florida, getting my car washed, going to Andronico's and dropping perishables off at home to the movie, and I was surprised that I was the third person in Theatre 6!  After the movie, as the mother-daughter team were leaving and saying "I didn't know it was a musical.  There were too many songs," one person joined us--the janitor, and I thought of The Flick!

I'd like to write more, but I'm going to get ready first to pick up Javier and maybe make it over to Bill and Tom's from there.  I'd initially turned down his invitation for a pre-dinner tea, but his latest message coaxed me into it, and this will give us a chance to see his photos.

A Day in the Life of a Retiree and unprocessed writing

I just got off an e-message to a friend I wanted to invite to lunch before or tea after a show.  (Candide at Yerba Buena Center.  Samovar.) I'd already invited him and his husband to Oscar night but, as I suspected, they already had a well-established Oscar group, not like mine, which is composed of Javier and me already in our pajamas or a group small enough that everybody can lie prone as they wash on a sofa or a recliner.  But as I was proposing lunch or tea, I got a better idea:  A dinner the Monday after the Oscar telecast.  I could still serve food from the nominated movies and we could complain or rhapsodize about the results.  I didn't go back an rewrite because as I told him, a retired English teacher, "At this point (Why go back and rewrite?  Our students never did that when they changed their mind about their thesis!) I like the post-Oscar idea!"

But this is how a day goes in the life of a retiree.  A day is like unprocessed writing. 

I am already up at midnight, finishing an e-message to a friend who was once a romantic interest.   (I proposed a short-term marriage the day before we were to go to our villages in  Peace Corps Tonga back in 1970, but he wasn't ready--not even for the Peace Corp.  He dropped out and wound up in the original case of Grease, and invited me, after performing my two years of service and on my way to Spain with my Peace Corp readjustment allowance, to join him in New York and be his date at Sardi's after opening night.)  Jim has been on my mind because of the east coast blizzard (Did it affect his wife's dream house in Connecticut?), Birdman (He lived in New York as an actor and then flew far above the theatre to wind up teaching classics at a boys' school), and "Ave Maria," which I heard yesterday at a memorial service at St. Cecilia's.  (I begged him early in the Christmas season to put the recording of him singing that on YouTube.  But all YouTube has is "Magic Changes" from Grease.)     

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRo6a8uYzYs

I look it up, and it's better than ever.  But it's not "Ave Maria."

I want BOTH!

I make a quick and easy entry to my writing journal, expressing concern that I'm spending my brightest, freshets hours of retirement responding to and deleting e-mail and arranging appointments for hand rails and roofing. I created one bit of dialogue representing a scene from when I saw Jim in 2003, after not seeing him for fifteen years.

Tina:  (Opening door at the Eastgate Towers)  Jim!  You look wonderful.  I thought you were going to be fat!  And old!  Hey, we are old now.  What's the matter with you?  Are you in denial?    Did I say that before?  Hi!

Jim:  Hi!

But now  more than a decade has passed, and we are almost seventy.  My dark hair has turned to the bottle. 

To be continued

Seeing San Francisco--Past and Present--while Presenting City College of San Francisco

I just wrote a friend about today's outing--during a couple of hours when it wasn't raining--and I think I'll share here what I shared with her:

I had a nice outing--except that I was disappointed in my local bookstore, where the clerks/people in charge used to be much more receptive.  There's a new guy now, and I can't figure out why he's not receptive.

I suffered in verse--and now I'll make you suffer:

She'd brought in some flyers to hang on the wall

So why, when she looked, were they not there at all?

This was the time the community needed

To all come together.  Was her plea not heeded?

She'd bought her books there, so she'd been a good client.

So why when she asked them were they not compliant?

The classes would close if folks didn't posthaste

Go to register for them.  What a loss!  What a waste!

This was one of those cases when I wished that I hadn't asked and had just posted on the bulletin board they have at the back.  (I brought in material again today in case they'd "accidentally" recycled what I took a couple of weeks ago--which they said they'd post after they painted the area, which has now been painted. )  It's in an easy-to-access area, and clearly three people had taken it upon themselves to post things.  When I presented material, he said, "We already have the material you brought us.  But we did some painting, and I don't know when we'll put things back up."  I offered to do it for him, and he said, "No."  Usually people are very receptive, but other times it's like pulling out of my garage on 19th Avenue.  I have to be assertive but careful.  In this case, I don't want to alienate him.  But I'll tell you something.  If I go in again, and nothing is on that bulletin board, I'm going to start boycotting them.  I'm sorry because I like that store and it's within walking distance of my house.  I'd rather support them than Amazon.  But that lack of responsiveness upsets me.  Today I bought the book they'd ordered for me, A Literary Christmas.  But I'm not going to buy anything else there if they don't put up any CCSF flyers.

What  a contrast to the Russian Hill Bookstore, where the guy in charge said, "Sure.  Take down whatever is out of date.  There's always something."  Their bulletin board is right by the door, and the only way to access it is to block the door a bit, but no one complained, and I was there as an obstruction for quite a while because I had to keep my foot in the door while I was taking down and putting up flyers!  I took down West Coat Craft for December 6 & 7 (which was at the Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason Center, where we'll continue to have classes, I think, because they found out that it costs less than some other sites), a flyer for a Z space presentation, The Totalitarians, which ended last Sunday, Deck the Hall, which seemed to have everyone performing on December 7--the SF Symphony, Beach Blanket Babylon, the SF Boys Chorus, the SF Ballet School Trainee Program, and MORE.  I'm thinking that I might steal their design for my Christmas card and substitute photos for the Christmas balls they have on their tree. ..Dancers, Prancers & Vixens" with the "Well Strung" Singing String Quartet, part of the SFGMC that Randy Larouche has just rejoined.  Oh, and I took down a flyer saying "Study English with ELI at a great new location, Park Presidio Church"--that's the one on Geary and 7th Avenue where some of us used to teach a class or two in addition to the ones we had at John Adams.    I took it down because it said "Classes begin September 22nd."  But one of the flyers I put up for the Civic Center Campus had a nearly-expired date too--December 19.  We know that these classes continue, but I'm afraid my flyer will be taken down because it seems to have expired.  ..Tim Guydish, Artists Reception for "The Oddists", which was back on October 24th..."Santa Claus in the Japan Center Malls" was over December 14...An art show at Holy Trinity Cathedral, where my first husband and I went a couple of times and found nobody else in attendance--sort of like the Stonestown Theatre.  That was over December 14.  (Oh, I'm mistaken!  The one we went to was on Bush and  Gough Street, not Green.  Could there be two Trinity Churches?  I guess there really should be three!)  I put up the flyer that Susan Lopez created, "A More Amazing You" because it's catchy and gives the beginning date and link to the schedule website, English classes in the Sunset, the "expired" one about the Civic Center, one about French classes at the Downtown Camus,   one on Music at the Ocean Campus, and a schedule of classes--just one because there wasn't space for more.  But people everywhere are telling me that they've gotten a schedule of classes in the mail, so that's good.  They've gotten it and they're aware that they've gotten it!

Once I got my foot out the door, I realized I was right next to Cole Hardware, so I went in to get the oil-based sealant for grout that Small Property Owners advised me to use to "back up" the work done.  ..I rarely go to that part of town, so I enjoyed seeing the old Alhambra Theatre, which advertised Crunch Fitness right next door to a place called "No Judgment," as if they wouldn't make any comment on whether the fitness place created results!  (In a protest in Sacramento, we held our banners and heard speeches right across the street from the Beauty Center, and there was a sign nearby saying "Dreamers welcome," as if implying that you'd have to be a dreamer if you expected results.)  I noticed that Boulange was across the street from Cole Hardware, and that's where Javier and I had wound up one day long ago when we were trying to find some other place--maybe a restaurant that turned out to be closed...Then I left Polk Street and realized that on Van Ness going back home, I could stop at Staples near Sacramento and get some of the sheet protectors I need for my pages of recipes.  So I stopped there, and I asked the manager if he had room for some CCSF material.  He said he'd put it in their break room.

But the trip was also nostalgic.  I saw the Episcopal Church on Van Ness at Clay, where Jonathan and I went briefly after my divorce from his dad, and the First Old Church, where we saw a performance of Amahl and the Night Visitor, with someone we knew as Amahl.  Jonathan was a toddler and, before (not during) the performance, he climbed around on the pews.  As I thought about all the personal history, I realized:  I'm old!

The Browning Version 2014 Screen 36

Millie

To stay at his place!  Why on earth did he ask you?

Andrew

Maybe for the same reason that children and grandparents get along so well.  They have a common enemy.

Pauses

I'm sorry, Millie.  I don't want to...

Millie

To be honest?  That's my job!  I'm the one who tells the truth.  You hide behind good manners and Greek.

The phone rings.

Andrew

Hello?  Oh, hello  Frobisher.  Yes!  I'll be sure to turn in the keys tomorrow.  By the way, I have something to tell you.  I've decided that I would like to include my "Swan Song" in the festivities tomorrow.

Pauses

Oh, I'm sorry that you've already printed up the program,  We'll have to edit it.

Pauses

I understand about the time constraints.  But this is the last time I'll...intrude on you like this. See you tomorrow.

Hangs up the phone

To Millie

Well, it's time to get going, dear.

Picks up his stack of papers and walks to the door.  

Holds the door for her.

Millie puts her handbag over her shoulder.

Walks out the door.

Andrew follows Millie and lets the door close.

The Browning Version 2014 Screen 35

the way they say the old Victorian houses do.  Force of habit.

Frank

Andrew, you should leave her.

Andrew

And go where, exactly.  We can hardly afford the home we have together.

Frank

You can stay at my place.  I'm going to be gone most of the summer.  You can stay in my flat until you find a place to live.

Andrew

A more cynical man than I am might think you were keeping me away from your mistress.

Frank

She's not my mistress.  I have no interest in ever seeing her again.  I wish I could convince you of that.

Andrew

Oh, you've convinced me.  It's strange that I feel a pain for her.  That you've rejected her.  I feel a strange urge to protect her from your rejection.  And now you tell me that I should leave her.

Frank

She'll respect you more.

Andrew

In the morning?

Millie

re-enters

to Frank

You're still here?  I thought you had other things to do--other than taking me home.

Frank

I'm just leaving.  And I'm hoping that Andrew will using this.

Hands him his card

My address is on that.  Come while I'm still here, and I can show you around.  Show you which plants to water and which ones to ignore.

Andrew

Thank you, Frank.  I appreciate your...invitation.

Frank

to Millie

Good bye.

To Andrew

See you soon, I hope.

Leaves

Millie

Well, that's weird.  What's going on?  What invitation did he give you?

Andrew

To stay at his place while he's away.

The Browning Version 2014 Screen 34

Andrew

You didn't ask her to marry you?

Frank

No!  I've never made any promises.  Or any declarations.

Andrew

Why do you suppose she would tell me such a thing?  You make my wife sound a bit desperate, Frank.

Do you want to know the truth?  Can you bear the truth?

Andrew

I can bear anything.

Frank

What I did I did out of almost boredom.  She was there.  She flirted.  I responded.  Maybe I was even a little bit intrigued that she was a married woman.  Or maybe I felt protected because she was.  But I never felt anything for her.

Andrew

And I once felt so much.

Frank

I never told her I loved her or told her that I loved her.  The only real emotion she's ever aroused in me is the one she aroused just now when she told you what she told you.  I felt disgust.

Andrew

That's not a very kind thing to say, Frank.

Frank

Oh, stop being so polite!  You've got to leave her.

Andrew

She's my wife.  For as long as she wants to remain my wife.

Frank

Why won't you leave her?

Andrew

Because I don't want to add another grave wrong to one I have already done her.

Frank

What wrong have you done her?

Andrew.

I married her.

Pause

You see, Frank, she is really as much to be pitied as I am.  We both need something from the other that would help us make it through life, but neither of us is able to give it.  She needs one kind of love, and I need another.  When I married her, I thought that the love I had for her was...compatible with the love she had for me.  But I wasn't able to give her the kind of love that she needed, and that drove out the other kind of love, the kind I could have given her.  So now, she does what she has to do, and I stand by.  We hate each other with a bitterness that has replaced the love.  We stay together

The Browning Version 2014 Screen 33

Andrew

Nothing is ever too horrible to think of, Frank.  It is simply a question of facing facts.

Frank

Did it ever occur to you that she was lying?

Andrew

No, she never lies.  In twenty years she has never told me a lie.  Only the truth.  Do you want me to quote dates?

Frank

She told you six months ago?

Andrew

Isn't it seven?

Frank

She told you even before it began?  Why have you been so civil to me?  Why haven't you confronted me?

Andrew

If I were uncivil and confrontational with everyone who, in the past twenty years, has had an affair with my  wife...I'd spend an awful lot of time being uncivil and confrontational.

Frank

What a horrible person she is

Andrew

That's not a very galant way to speak of a woman you plan to make your wife.

Frank

What?  Where did you get that idea?  Did she tell you that?  That was a lie.