Thursday, June 1, and it's Ascension Day so in the evening I go to Grace Church to hear Andrew Trimmingham in a 'dramatic reading' of The Revelation to John (Apocalypse).  He’s quite dramatic with a long prepared introduction; then he lowers the lights in the Chantry and does the reading.

I might have put more or less emphasis on different parts, his Bermuda accent is not truly English although it added flavor.  It did remind me of having three Advent seasons of reading the Gospels aloud with Craig Wylie+ at Trinity, Cranford.  I’m back home by 9:30 and Bryan and I have dinner at Pangea.

Friday, June 2 ... driving music has been the live version of Genesis “Supper's Ready” recorded at London's Rainbow Theatre in 1973, from the Genesis Archive 1967-75.  Found on a four CD set (on Atlantic in America and without the apostrophe in the title), it is very much based on The Book of Revelations.  This also brings back memories of seeing the band (sans Peter Gabriel) with my dear friend Dana Wharton in Boston.  During that show, they performed the medley of "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"/"The Musical Box" that had been a real hit during their tour.

For the future, Jude Goldberg writes from London, "I have to recommend that you go out this minute and buy the new Peter Gabriel CD.  I got it on Monday and it's absolutely fantastic!!  Unfortunately, it's the music that features in the bloody millenium dome show (hate the dome, hate the dome, hate the dome!).  But, nonetheless, I love him and it's great sooooooo - go buy it."  Check out his site for more information about OVO.

Saturday, June 3  and antiquing in Somerville NJ; it was just a poor town when I was growing up but has now tried to reinvent itself.  We drive to NJ at 2 and we’re in Somerville by 3; we spend most of our time at the Somerville Antiques Center but also check out Somerville Center Antiques (yes, it's different) and some of the other stores  have a sandwich before driving back to NYC by 7 pm.

By 9 we’re laying in bed; Channel 13 (WNET, New York’s PBS station) is showing their most requested program, a 1980 production of Ursula K. Le Guin’s science fiction classic Lathe of Heaven, produced by and starring Bruce Davison.  The screening is followed by extensive interviews with Le Guin herself, as well as Davison, his co-writer and producer, and the other lead actor.  All are quite good.

But this also means a late dinner.  Wandering around the East Village, we luck out with available seats at the Flea Market, the French bistro on Avenue A.  I have two glasses of Muscadet along with splitting mussels stuffed with pesto with Bryan and my own hanger steak avec frites et bernaise sauce; Bryan had the steak tartare along with a couple of Ketel One martinis and then espresso for both of us.

Sunday, June 4 and I at 11, Grace Church; being the first Sunday of the month it was Holy Eucharist.  It also seems that Rite I is the order of the day there with perhaps the exception of the 6 pm Sunday mass “with contemporary music and Healing” which I tend to think really isn’t me (with the exception of the healing part interestingly).

Two ladies sat in front of me with the most glorious soprano voices I’ve had the pleasure of hearing; I went for low bass so as to harmonize better with them.  Lyndon Harris+, the curate, provided the sermon; imagine if you will Al Gore with a different head, pretty much of the same physical mold and style but very nice.  During Communion, a traffic jam left me directly in the center of the high altar with the choir on either side of me singing a William Byrd motet ... wow.

Getting home at 12:30, Bryan and I go for brunch and since I was still dressed somewhat properly we went up towards Gramercy Park.  Coincidentally, there was a street fair on Irving Place but since that meant that the brunch places in the area had long lines we decided on the Gramercy Hotel.

At 6 pm, we went to Pangea for pina coladas and their jalapeno/sundried-tomato/walnut tapenade and then to Mie for dinner at 8:30.  We tried a new appetizer, kaisen satsumaage (fried fish and vegetables) which was very, very good; then our normal sashimi and sushi with sake and back home before 10 pm.

And although we had the Tony Awards Show on the television, we really didn’t watch much.  From their website:  "The Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards are one of the theater's most coveted awards and are presented annually by the American Theatre Wing and The League of American Theatres and Producers for distinguished achievement in the professional theater."  Later I find that the ratings for the awards show were the worst they’ve ever been; my additional feeling is that Rosie O’Donnell and Nathan Lane were wooden co-hosts.  Even considering their audience (and even my own personal feelings), their banter seemed inappropriate at times, particularly a swipe at Charlton Heston which left the attendants slack-jawed.

Monday, June 5 and I prepare dinner, ravioli that we bought on Saturday and the bolognese sauce that I made last week, while we watch ‘Antiques Roadshow’ on PBS.  A post from Tom Lane brings this reminder:

All I can do is to quote Winston Churchill when he delivered the commencement address at Oxford after WWII.  He strode to the podium, looked at the assembled group, and said:  “Never, Ever, Quit”  Having given the students the best advice they would ever hear, he returned to his seat.  I don't know what the answer is but I know that's the solution.  [see more about Churchill on Friday]

Today's post is from my dear friend David Littler.  He spent the first third of this life in Weld County, Colorado where his father had a ranch and as David tells me, "Mother was the first woman to represent Weld County in the State Legislature - she was a state Representative.  She was also the first women in the Diocese of Colorado to serve on a parish vestry when the Canons were changed to allow women to serve on vestries - just imagine that happened in our life time!!!"

Then, the next third on King Street in NYC and he's decided to spend the next hundred or so in West Hollywood where he is a congregant at All Saints, Beverly Hills.  This is a church that proves that wealth is no hindrence to outreach.

This picture, a classic from 1994, shows him at the front center of the table; the rector of the church, the Rev. Carol Anderson, is on his left.  At the photo's left rear is Tony Jewiss+; in front of him is Dr. Ellen Yetzer, partner of the newly ordained deacon between her and David, (as of Saturday, June 10 so there's relevance here) Mary Haddad.

David also supplies the names of Randy Kimmler ("right behind me"), as well as "the lady in the red dress standing is Sharon Davis, the First Lady of California.  The occasion was a fund raiser for the Diocesian AIDS Commission - it was a 'roast' of/for the famous activist priest and well known writer - Malcolm Boyd."

Wednesday, June 7 and since I have nothing to say, why don't you check out Jane Hudson's trip to Stonehenge?  Bryan and I watch the horrible ‘Survivor’ on CBS for a few minutes and then Voyager.

Thursday, June 8, we are joined for dinner by Dangerboy and his friend Bryant for dinner.  We meet at Standard for a drink and then figure we’ll have dinner at Sapporo, which is Scott's favorite sushi joint.

Unfortunately, the wait will be at least half an hour so they all agree to my suggestion of Lanza’s next door; although it's been around since the turn of the last century, it's now part of the Sal Anthony's empire.  We eat in their ‘garden’ – ok, it’s just the cement area in the back but it’s quieter and one doesn’t have to sit with the Italian-Americans who look like they’re all from New Jersey.  We all have the prix fixe dinner, $16 includes appetizer, pasta and dessert; we also have a bottle of Chianti to go with it (although Bryan has his usual Pinot Grigio).  The food is competent but often the service leaves a bit to be desired.

Friday, June 9 and I receive a nice post from Fr. John Charles Powell; I met him many years ago when he was interim rector at Trinity, Cranford.  He passes along this story from Walt Johnson; I say that also because of he also passes along a caveat that "it might be a stretch since I have not seen the story in any of the Churchill bios.  Oh well, what the hey."

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer.  One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog.  He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.  There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself.  Farmer Fleming saved the boy from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings.  An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.  “I want to repay you,” said the nobleman.  “You saved my son’s life.”

“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.  At that moment the farmer’s own son came to the door of the hovel.  “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.  “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.  “I’ll make you a deal.  Let me take him and give him a good education.  If he’s anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.”

And that he did.  In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.

Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia.  What saved him?  Penicillin.  The name of the nobleman?  Lord Randolph Churchill.  His son’s name?  Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.  Work like you don’t need the money.  Love like you’ve never been hurt.  Dance like nobody’s watching.

At 6, Jeff has made reservations at Three of Cups on Avenue A near 4th Street with the Little Red Rockets.  This is a new band from Athens GA that Jeff is working with; three women and one man and a great bunch of people they are too.  They are playing at Brownies later in the evening, promoting their album It's in the Sound.

Maybe it's just that good Southern politeness but, hey, they put up with all of my inane questions.  For instance, they all have the same tattoo on their forearms; I thought it looked like a squid and said so.  Duh, of course, they're little cartoon red rockets!

As for the food, the restaurant had just opened when we got there and it was about as air-conditioned as a European restaurant.  Even the superb margaritas didn't cool us down enough to thoroughly enjoy dinner.  I especially liked my special soup of the day which was a cold melon soup.  Yes, it looked like papier-mache and they all laughed at me when I said I was one of those kids that put that in my mouth so maybe that's why I liked it so much!  My pasta (rigatoni casa nostra, which in this house meant a sauce much like my own with olives and capers) was just superb although I had to take much of it home as left-overs because of the heat.   Bryan and I return home after dinner to relax; around 11, Jeff and Alli come by after the show to say they’re not staying over after all and will be driving back to Boston.  Hard workers!

Coincidentally, I get an email from Ross Humphrey; I know him through Jeff and Alli.  He's now working with the Blue Man Group and hopefully we'll all meet up for drinks as it's only ten blocks away from us.

Sunday, June 11 and the second day of the heat wave but I still wear a button down shirt and slacks to the 11 am service at Grace Church for the Day of Pentecost or Whitsunday.  Being the second Sunday of the month, it would normally be Morning Prayer but members of the congregation of San Martin de Porres are with us (they usually have their own service in the afternoon).  Therefore, there is Holy Eucharist as well as a mix of Spanish and  English in the service.

The Gloria is from William Byrd’s Mass for Three Voices sung by the Choir in Latin.  The first Gospel is read in Spanish (‘Gloria a ti, oh Señor’) and is from San Juan 20: 19-23; it is the famous story of Pentecost when Jesus first reappears to the assembled disciples after his resurrection.  “Paz a ustedes! … Reciban el Espíritu Santo.”

The second, John 14: 15-31 (“Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also”), is read in English.  The sermon is by the Reverend Janet Broderick Kraft, the church’s vicar; she has a warm and embracing style.

The Prayers of the People are bilingual ...

“Y te suplicamos muy humildemente, que por tu bondad, oh Señor, consueles y socorras a todos aquéllos que en esta vida trasitoria se hallan angustiados, tristes, necesitados, enfermos o en otra cualquiera adversidad.”

Around 6 we go out for dinner; it’s far too hot still to do much wandering and we actually decide to go back to the Flea Market.  Here’s what $84 gets you (since that’s all the money I had on me):  two Ketel One martinis and two glasses of wine, incredible calamari and duck breast salad, and steak tartare for Bryan and steak frites for me and the tip.  Quite delicious.

Monday, June 12 and I take us to MaryAnn’s for dinner.  I must say that the margaritas are very good this evening; they’re making mine with Cuervo Anejo now (the tequila is aged in Jack Daniel’s barrels).  It certainly packs a wallop!  On the way to the restaurant, we notice one major change – La Balconata is gone, replaced by another Indian restaurant (Sixth Street has one every two feet or so).  We’d really had no clue that it would go so quickly and we’ve also no idea how to get in touch with Vicky, the proprietress.  My guess is that she may have stayed in Europe with her mother however so we may never know for sure.

We race back to the house before 9 pm in order to see the first episode of ‘1900 House’ which is a BBC show on PBS.  A house much like the one our friends have in London has been gutted and the clock turned back to the beginning of the last century.  Sort of ‘The Real World’ for the PBS crowd!  I really enjoy the family they’ve picked; they remind Bryan and I of Bridget’s family.

Having taped Antiques Roadshow for later replay we go down to Dick’s for a drink (and yes, Dick's is painted a horrid orange with two the 'red pigs on yellow circles' ... don't ask us why).  We wind up coincidentally seeing Tony Jewiss+ and his young friend Eric outside the bar.  They’ve just returned from having dinner at Pangea and had left us a message but we had just missed it.  Eric is writing a dissertation on Aboriginal culture and is quite pleasant; he’s staying at the rectory where Tony is living.

While we’re having drinks at the bar, Mark Harrington an important AIDS activist, recipient of a MacArthur 'genius award' and, more importantly, a friend of ours, walks in and we all talk for awhile until the conversation breaks in two with Bryan and Mark discussing some ideas of B’s for a possible job at CPS and Mark’s latest AIDS projects.

By 11 pm, everyone is ready to leave; at home I watch a 1998 Charlie Rose interview with Bruce Springsteen.  It’s a great show focusing on Springsteen’s lyrical focus on the importance of work in the family.  I may not care as much for his music as I did in college (I must have seen him a dozen times during the course of his first few albums) but I appreciate his moral philosophy.

In related news, the current issue of Entertainment Weekly (June 23, 2000) contains this item in the Monitor section under 'Controversy' ...

American Skin (41 Shots), a new song by politically charged rocker Bruce Springsteen, 50, has NYC cops up in arms.  The song [is] an apparent tribute to Amadou Diallo....  Police groups called for a boycott of the Boss' 10 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden.  NY State Fraternal Order of Police president Robert Lucente told a music website, "He's turned into some type of f---ing dirtbag....  Now he's a floating fag."

Nielsen worked on it between 1914 and 1916 and it's quite obviously influenced by the First World War.  Of it, the composer wrote:

In adopting the title "The Inextinguishable" the composer has sought to express in a single word what only the music itself is full capable of expressing:  the elemental will to live.  Music is life and just as inextinguishable.

For drinks it’s only beer and wine but I feel that the food is best served only with beer and their list is rather extensive; here one has a global menu from English black and tan’s to the Oregon-born dark beer that I have to a light lager for Bryan.  For food, we split some very tasty crabcakes for appetizers then B gets the ribs (yes, the meat falls right off the bone) and jambalaya with chicken and andouille sausage for me.  Bryan reminds me that every time we come here I have the same thing and always say the same thing: “It’s not very traditional.”  But it sure tastes good along with moist cornbread and green beans in a sesame sauce (yes, even Thai makes an appearance here).

Thursday, June 15 and the weather continues to be overcast and humid without ever really raining properly.  At Grace Church, their choral society is performing the Carmina Burana as assembled and composed by Carl Orff and do it quite, quite well although the bilingula lyric sheet is appreciated.  The concert lasts from 7 pm until close to 8:30; I return home and start preparing dinner.

While it’s cooking we watch ABC news anchor Peter Jennings on Larry King Live and I’m definitely inspired to watch his special Peter Jennings Reporting "The Search for Jesus" where he retraces his steps in order to form a life portrait; it's upcoming at the end of the month.

Friday, June 16 and driving music is the John Lydon solo album, Psycho's Path.  Say what you will, I find his verbal satire quite witty and I rather like most of the music.  It also has a version of Leftfield's "Open Up" for which he was vocalist; I don't care much for this mix however.

It’s also a hot and humid day; over drinks at Dick's it's unanimous - for steak in NYC it's Peter Luger's, (try out this review or this), the Old Homestead or the Palm.  (Here's a comparison review for you.)

Saturday, June 17, and for those who have any doubt as to why I love Courtney Love, please check out her unedited speech to the Digital Hollywood online entertainment conference, given in New York on May 16.

The full text is available on Salon.  It's truly brilliant and shows once again that whatever you thought of Ms. Love, lead singer for the band Hole, was probably inaccurate.  She takes the recording industry to task like a sushi chef ... and you know I know sushi!  In addition, she mentions Bert Jansch (see how I tease you ... here's sites on him from Cooking Vinyl, efmf, a FolkLib index, Kicking Mule, Kneeling, Muze, NetBeat, Rounder, Ryko, and Stoneyport.

Sunday, June 18, Father’s Day and Grace Church, like most churches, has combined their two services into one for the summer; in addition, they are utilizing Rite II and Holy Eucharist (at least this week, we’ll see in the future).  Canon Andrew does the gospel and the sermon and I’m reminded once again that his reputation is earned.  It’s almost fire and brimstone in some places but with humor sprinkled in as well.

Then it’s off to Bryant Park for the kickoff of Gay Pride Week with hostess Judy Gold.  One of the speakers is Jim Fouratt; we also see a performance by Kevin Aviance and some more minor acts and speakers before leaving after 3.  We meet Dangerboy and his roommate Bryant who have been shopping at Macy’s.

8 pm, we watch the restored edition of Rear Window on AMC.  Might I say a quick thank you to Bryan who made sure we watched it?  Such a full-bodied movie.  The cable channel has recently been airing newly remastered films of Alfred Hitchcock.

Then a quick dinner of the remaining ravioli and just bottled sauce from Barilla (cost, just over three dollars), which must be complimented.  I have three variations of sauce I made one night from one group of ingredients (going different directions as a Venetian, Ligurian and a Tuscan).  Imagine me cooking!  But that's another story.

Monday, June 19 and the music in the morning is a Motette from Hugo Distler (1908-42), Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme and his Totentanz (Dance of Death) in the afternoon.  A choral call-and-reponse, the spoken dialogue is a copy of the Old Low German verses from the Lubeck dance of death.  In 1934, Distler said, "How else could one represent that ghostly roundelay, 'Hot and fresh, hefty, healthy, beautiful and comely: tomorrow wasted, dead and deceased?"

Tuesday, June 20 dinner at Pangea where he has the summer dish of seared shrimp with oranges and jicama and I have a pasta special that wasn’t particularly memorable.

Wednesday, June 21 and in Boston, Dean Johnson  writes, “After two years doing smart, solid morning radio at alternative rocker WFNX-FM (101.7), longtime morning man loose Neil Robert is being shown the door…  Robert’s sidekicks, newsman Henry Santoro and entertainment correspondent Angie C., will continue …  Robert said he was ‘totally surprised by the news’ when informed last Friday.  He doesn’t know what he’ll do next…”

I also received two Polaroid’s from Tom Lane; one of the view of the Charles River from his Lotus office and one of him in his gym clothes.  I know he’s very proud of the way he looks now (and I'll say no more than to acknowledge his age superiority over me!).

Thursday, June 22 and Vaughan Williams English Folk Song Suite (LSO and Adrian Boult); dinner at Pangea. Bravo is showing the horrible 'documentary' Fire Island that Bryan and I saw in London last summer.

Bryan reminds us ... "This day in gay history June 22, 1969 Judy Garland died of an overdose of sleeping pills.  Visit  her grave."

Friday, June 23 and summer is officially here.  It would be great to be in England.  Bryan had spoken of a place on a lake outside of (but within easy reach of) London for sale at thirty thousand pounds.  But it's not exactly easy for two Americans just to lift off and do that.

The weather is perfect as you can see by looking down our street and we were off to Tompkins Square Park.  There’s a drag parade that turns out to be thirty guys looking more Wicca than drag or especially transgendered and consists of them dancing in a circle to the beating of three drummers.

You've read about all the other restaurants on the park (Flea Market, et) and about once a year we decide to try Life for dinner.  For a year it was very good but then the last meal we had there was under what we had remembered and the menu had changed towards a more limited one.  But we liked the people and the location so in we went; for the first time we were sat in the ‘garden’ although at about twenty by twenty feet it was more a small cement room without roof.  The food?  Again, the limited menu was tricky for me (although if you’re vegan you’ll have plenty to live for) but we both found enough things to make it interesting plus the waitress and margarita and beer were perfect accompaniments to dinner.

Saturday, June 24 and a lazy, lazy day.  Across the street from Dick's, on the south side of 12th Street, is John's Italian - since 1904 and where 'Waiterboy' Donn Boulanger met us.  (See February Diary for details of Northampton, his current home.)

Also since 1904 is DeRobertis pastry shop on First Avenue; I pick up a couple of dozen miniature pastries from them (plus Phil Rizzuto says they have the best cannoli around).

And so it is.  I make some pasta for us around during the afternoon but dinner is after a walk to the West Village.  Since it's the day before Gay Pride we decide to hit some bars.  First up is Julius for a Campari and soda, then Stonewall (definitely not the same as the landmark bar but the same physical location) and the Duplex where we sit outside on Seventh Avenue and enjoy pina coladas.  On the way back home, I'm hungry so since we're near El Cantinero and it's practically dead we decide on Mexican.  As usual it's not a great place but certainly pleasant..

Sunday, June 25, Gay Pride Day in New York City.  It's a quiet morning in the apartment and then off to the Gay Pride Parade at around 3 pm.  We watch it from four different locations, finally reaching the piers.

Then we turn back, have a drink at Julius and Dick's before Mie at 6 pm.  After a quick nightcap, we're home at 8.  Then after a quick nap we head into the East Village, first with the Boiler Room, then the Wonder Bar (I.C. Guys is closed on Sundays) and up Avenue A.

Monday, June 26 and for dinner, I’m feeling a bit lazy so we have a quick dinner at San Loco and then watch 1900 House.

Tuesday, June 27 and I pick up Bryan at work because he has a piece of marble step from the NY Public Library.  For dinner we stop at Fresco’s before a drink at Dick’s and then back to the apartment.  Bryan wanted a nap so while I did laundry he did just that after which we had another one of my specialty sauces, this one with zucchini and squash.  Quite good really.

Wednesday, June 28 dinner at MaryAnn's.  Naturally, that leads to two large margaritas (and pollo adobo for me). Jaguar ... I love the cars and Rosebud, our cat, loves ... well, the cats!  And she recommended to me that I pass along a site to you, sponsored by Jaguar Motorcars on behalf of the Wildlife Conservation Society for the purpose of saving these beautiful animals.

Thursday, June 29 and Bryan doesn’t have to be at work early because he’s going to the pc expo at the Javits Center  before work.  I pick up Bryan at 6 pm and after we had a slice of pizza at Muzzarella and a drink at Dick’s we come home to lie in bed and watch ER.

Friday, June 30 and the last day of the month.  Because of the holiday, the traffic is hard getting back into the city but I’m still there around 6 pm.  Bryan has left work early, at 3, because it’s so beautiful out.  And other than telling you that the weather was absolutely fantastic, there's nothing in the air about the upcoming holiday weekend.  And you dear reader will simply have to wait until next month to find out!
 

I am privileged to serve you.