Heads Up!

Like Noah

Seeing sunshine

After all that gloom

On his well-planned

(but unwanted)

Cruise vacation

Out of the Past

Got to thinking about past entertainment industry favorites this morning. This will be something of a stream of consciousness post, with no specific order or organization.

Virginia Gal's post this morning mentioned ER, which I dutifully watched throughout its first 2 or 3 seasons. This made me think about one of my favorite shows of all time, St. Elsewhere. Really loved that show, didn't want to miss an episode. I might have to slip over to Amazon later to check for a DVD.

Of course, I loved cartoons as a child, and one of the first series that I remember is the cartoonish Batman. I used to watch it my jammies and bathrobe before heading off to fight evildoers in my dreams. I moved on from Batman to heavy-hitting dramas such as Get Smart and Gilligan's Island. And Dark Shadows!

I'm a fan of many British series, past and present, including Ballykissangel, As Time Goes By, Monarch of the Glen, Are You Being Served?, Keeping Up Appearances, To The Manor Born, and the Vicar of Dibley. Hard to beat British TV.

I've also enjoyed many BBC and A&E presentations, including The Six Wives of Henry the VIII (Keith Mitchell as the king), Elizbeth R (Glenda Jackson as Good Queen Bess), Pride and Prejudice (think I've seen all versions, but the one with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is my fave), and I, Claudius (Derek Jacobi as Claudius, phenomenal performance).

I watched many episodes of Columbo with my Dad. We watched All in the Family on Saturday nights in our household, along with whichever variety show was currently popular: Ed Sullivan (loved that Topo Gigio), Sonny and Cher, Carol Burnett, etc.

I'm beginning to reconize that this post could go on ad infinitim, but the conversation becomes dry when it's one-sided. What are your favorites? TV, theater, film, etc. - all genres are open for contemplation.

Rain

I think it's been raining for a week now. I love the rain, but I'm ready for a change.

We stopped by Sea Isle City to see the ocean this morning, and it was a sight to see. Layers of tall breakers are pounding the beach, while a misty, wind-driven rain frosts your hair and slicks your face. It's an off-season sight that not too many people get to see. We were there close to low tide. If the flooding on the back bays isn't too bad, we might go in for high tide this afternoon to take some pictures, if we haven't cozied up with coffee and old movies by then. We took pictures with our cell phones, but the images are only good for cell phone wallpaper. Gotta go back with my digicam or my 35mm.

The rotten weather has set me off on my imagined travels again. We're off of work. We could whip out a credit card and set off on a whirlwind vacation. Maybe Williamsburg, VA, where we spent our honeymoon. Haven't been there for several years now, and it's a place I love. Maybe Florida; my brother moved to Orlando last year. Are there any hurricanes expected down there right now? I haven't been paying attention. Too much rain of our own. Maybe Niagara falls, although it's probably raining there, too!

We have passports, so why not fly off for a weekend in London or Paris (my bank account just screamed in anticipated agony, did you hear it)? I've never been to Paris. I've only passed through London (Heathrow, really, on the way to Dublin - long story involving an airline strike, lost luggage and a broken camera, followed by driving on the wrong side of the road, in a backwards car, at rush hour, in the most populous area of Ireland - and I'd go back in a heartbeat).

But it's not to be this time around, and I'm really not complaining. It's just the rain.

And the Bride Wore...

...a lovely sleeveless gown of white satin, sewn patiently and lovingly by her mother. Her blonde hair had been fashioned into a chignon, which was accented by flowers beneath a fingertip length veil of net.

The groom was resplendent in a black tuxedo with satin lapels and a black waistcoat, which set off his dark good looks to perfection. He wore his black wavy hair slightly longer than is currently stylish, giving him a youthful, rakish appearance.

Each guest was welcomed to the nuptials with a glass of champagne accented by a ripe strawberry. The ceremony, held inside in deference to the uncooperative weather, was short and intimate despite the 100 or so guests present. The adult attendants wore black, while the flower girl and ring bearer wore white.

The cocktail hour immediately followed the ceremony. Two buffet lines provided fruits, meats and cheeses, a carving station, ziti in Alfredo sauce, and tortellini in Italian gravy. Hors d'oeuvres were circulated by wait staff, and included miniature Beef Wellington, stuffed mushrooms, marvelous barbecued jumbo shrimp, chicken satay, and small lamb chops. An open bar, complete with specialty drinks named for the members of the wedding party, set the scene for the fete to come.

The reception was held in a lovely room with beautiful crystal chandeliers. The service was white glove. Lobster ravioli were proffered as the appetizer, followed by a salad of mixed greens with goat cheese and tomatoes. Guests were offered a choice from three entree selections: chicken encrusted with pistachios, tournedos of beef, or salmon. The wedding cake was served alongside a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and a banana chimichanga. Wine glasses were kept filled with a choice of red or white wine, and the couple was toasted with champagne.

Music was provided until the wee hours, since the revelers were all guests of the establishment for the night. The celebrants found their way to the breakfast buffet in the morning for one last moment of communion before dispersing.

The newlyweds are rumored to be honeymooning in Greece and Spain. The hearty best wishes of their guests travel with them.

Tee Time

Here are the t-shirts mentioned in the post below.







Not sure if we'll actually wear them for anything other than sleeping, but what the heck!

Another Rainy Day

We had a rainy weekend, and yesterday was a bit misty. It's pouring here again. However, we're on vacation, and any day when you don't have to work is a good day.

We took a nice long walk on the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk yesterday. No sunshine, but the cool temperatures were marvelous. The sea was pretty rough, and we watched a lone surfer for awhile. We picked up fudge and cashews at the Fudge Kitchen, and bought hats and t-shirts on sale. I browsed at Atlantic Books for awhile (crowd-free) and found the new Jennifer Weiner book, Goodnight Nobody. I love the off season!

For nostalgia's sake (and also so that we didn't have to cook) we went to Luigi's at 9th and West for dinner. Nothing fancy by any means. We used to go there when we were dating (eons ago), and we had dinner there with a few friends the night before our wedding. It was open year round: not much was in those days, even on the mainland. It had the added benefit of being affordable, and we were pretty much broke all of the time back then.

Not sure what we'll do today. Might head off to the movies. I wish we could have gone away for our vacation, but it wasn't in the cards for a variety of reasons. No matter, this is shaping up to be a nice little vacation. We haven't done the local tourist thing for awhile.

Not sure what we'll do today. We might head out to the movies. I love going to the movies on off days, when everyone else is working or at school. Maybe we'll make our way to Cape May or AC one day while we're off. We're not much for gambling, but The Walk (shopping area) in AC is nice, and there are lots of good places to eat. Might even stop in at The Quarter at the Trop. If the weather clears, we're going to take the ferry to Lewes one day. The ride on the ferry is relaxing (unless the bay is rough), and Lewes is a quaint little town for browsing.

To all of you who must work today, you have my sympathy. Hope your turn for vacation comes up soon!

I Heart...

NJ. Went to NY for a wedding this weekend (Long Island). It was a wonderful wedding, very posh, the bride beautiful and the groom handsome. And I am so very glad to be home!

As mentioned in a previous post, Mr. Merci was responsible for the directions this time (I usually bear the sole responsibility for travel preparation in our household). Mr. M chose the AAA Trip Tick solution. Our directions took us up the Garden State Parkway, to the NJ Turnpike, to Route 78, across Routes 1/9 and various short distances on smaller roads to the HOLLAND TUNNEL. Yessirree, we drove through lower Manhattan (crept through, actually) on a Saturday afternoon for the sole purpose of getting to Long Island via the Manhattan Bridge! It took us close to an hour to travel less than a mile in Manhattan.

Once across the bridge, we crawled up Route 278 (unavoidable by almost any route we would have taken) to the Long Island Expressway. The conditions improved shortly after we hit the LIE. It took us 4 hours to get from the vet’s office back home (had to board our poor old hounds for the night) to the door of the hotel. Fortunately, we arrived in Glen Cove just in time for the 4:00 pm check-in.

All of the above was accomplished in the pouring rain. I’m not sure whether or not the terror alerts in NYC had any effect on our travel. Did more people drive into the city for Saturday afternoon tea to avoid public trans? I kind of doubt it, but I suppose it’s possible. If anyone was put off by the threat of terrorism (again, I doubt it) they would probably have stayed home. I wonder if Canal Street was backed up like that at the time of the 911 attacks. I can’t imagine being frozen in traffic, an alien to NYC and just passing through, when the WTC was attacked. But this is only one of numerous unimaginable scenarios from that day.

Anyway, rest assured that we did not take the same route home. We pulled out of the parking lot at 8:00 am the next morning, and we arrived home (this time via the Verazzano Narrows Bridge and the Outer Bridge Crossing) in less than 3 hours. Our only delays on the way home were the numerous, tedious toll booths on the GSP. Oh, and if you see the toll police, tell them that we didn’t MEAN to short the toll at the Woodbridge Plaza. How were we supposed to know that the exact change amount in question was DOUBLE the amount at every other plaza we encountered???

I know that NJ takes a ribbing in the world (I won’t repeat the awful untruths here), but I, for one, am glad to reside here! I know that some people thrive on the congestion and teeming humanity that is NYC, but it’s not for me. And I’d take Philly over NY any day, hands down. Guess my roots are showing.