Saturday, July 1 and brunch at Virage.  Bryan liked it because we could eat outside, yet he was cooled by the air-conditioning coming through the open windows.  And I liked it because we could sit on Ninth Street as I’m not much for eating outside, particularly on the Avenues.  We have the prix fixe brunch for $9 including drink.  Bryan has eggs benedict, made with avocado and pepper (it doesn’t work) while I have the hearty vegetable frittata.

We meet Michelle Petersen at Irreplaceable Artifacts.  As a historical note, it’s not long after that the building is torn down with all of its architectural remains.  Why?  The owner made internal modifications to the building without getting proper permits.  When the building becomes unstable, the city moves in and condemns it!  Quite foolish on the owner’s part, obviously, but part of his modus operandi.

Dinner at American Park at the Battery and an excuse for yuppies to have drinks and light food..  The food is perfunctory but not bad; my mussels are steamed perfectly, Michelle’s shrimp textured and Bryan’s hamburger medium rare.

Sunday, July 2 and the Third Sunday of Pentecost.  At Grace Church it is rare to see a parishioner making the sign of the cross.  And the priest does it rarely, sometimes only holding up a hand in benediction.  An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church says:  Although the use of the sign of the cross is widespread throughout the Episcopal Church by celebrants, officiants and parishioners, its use is typically a matter of custom and personal piety.  The BCP does not require the gesture to be made by members of the congregation at any time.

Then, the William Mathias settings for the Gloria in Excelsis (Hymnal S-278) and the Sanctus (S-128); these are very difficult to sing.  On the other hand, the text in the leaflet is not in bold, indicating that the choir alone sings it.  The lack of participation from the congregants makes me think that one or the other is is the cause.

Janet Kraft+ gives a compassionate sermon and even if she misses a word of her text (it stopped her dead cold in the middle of her sermon) she ’hikes up her skirts’ ... if that's not too un-pc ... and gathers up more steam.

Monday, July 3, and a gorgeous day, made better since the city is void of people.  The holiday will be different, but today most people are out of town or at the beach, so we walk until we hit the United Nations Building.  Then to the Queensboro Bridge and the tram to Roosevelt Island. It’s certainly the most interesting of the various ways to get there.
 

Roosevelt Island is a sliver on the East River about 20 blocks long, centered on 59th Street.  The size of the streets and buildings for some reason reminds me of Europe; Bryan tells me that it has something to do with Le Corbusier.  But it's also an active town with their own webzine as well as a site for residents.
 

Walking home, we pass by the Mayfair, a rather infamous restaurant of the gay set for many years, and find that it is out of business.  Also on the street, 20 blocks further south, the Dakota is now called Breadstix (obviously no reference to the Chaps and Styx of 70s Boston).

Tuesday, July 4, Independence Day and we get to Michelle Petersen’s to watch OpSail 2000 and the tall ships from the roof of her building.  It’s amazing to watch as so many exotic ships cruise by the Statue of Liberty.
 

Certainly one of the highlights was seeing what looked like a small black kite shaped like the Stealth Bomber flying overhead.  But two seconds later, as a low roar increased over our heads, it was apparent that indeed it WAS the bomber.  And as soon as it was there, it pulled off and was gone.  I wouldn’t even want to imagine how it would feel to be an enemy under attack from that creature.
 

In the evening, it’s fireworks.  Unfortunately, there’s one problem – although there are 3 different viewing sites Michelle’s building is wrong for all of them except for the finale over the Statue of Liberty and a beautiful view of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
 

Wednesday, July 5 and for not particular reason, check out gay icon Sir Ian McKellen.  Couples are breaking up everywhere.  Meg Ryan has split from Dennis Quaid.  The rumor is that he wasn’t growing.  And that is the silliest excuse for me to mention that Dangerboy and I had a famous dinner at Da Silvano’s right next to them about four years ago.

Do you remember last month when I teased you with a mention of Bert Jansch?  The Bert Jansch/John Renbourn album Stepping Stones [Vanguard VMD 6506] is almost exclusively Jansch/Renbourn compositions with the exception of Charles Mingus’ Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and a couple of tunes by Ann Briggs.  Particularly evocative is Bert’s Soho.

Bob Jones, writing in Cambridge’s Broadside, says “Bert Jansch is, in all probability, the best contemporary writer of folk songs in the English language.  In a word, he is great; but he is more than that ... He has an uncanny sensitivity for the important things ... So wonderful that one is tempted to go on and on to capture, to describe the beauty that is there.”

Thursday, July 6 and dinner is at Mie, our sushi and chirashi.  We keep the budget small and actually got away with a bill of only $38 and $9 tip.  But then again, Bryan only had a glass of cold sake and I had a ginger ale.

I read of Alan Hohvaness’s passing.  Probably most famous for And God Created Great Whales and Mysterious Mountain, he's barely known now even though Crystal Records (which put out much of his music) still has over fifty recordings by him available, many conducted by himself.

Biography.com tells us that he was born in 1911 (ne Chakmajian) in Somerville, MA (yes, home of Tufts University, my alma mater).  “Of Scottish as well as Armenian  descent, he showed an early interest in both composing and mysticism.  He studied at the New England Conservatory in the 1920s and added an awareness of the music of India to that of his Armenian heritage; later he would spend time in Asia and add yet another strand to his own often exotic compositions.  Legendarily prolific, usually working with commissions or grants, he went through several periods or styles but most of his work has a religious element and is mellifluous if distinctive.”

Friday, July 7 and the sounds of the Pet Shop Boys album Bilingual.  This is one of their lighter efforts; even songs like Discoteca (with its very hip reference to Disco Tex and the Sex-o-lettes) barely linger in the brain a day later.

Ronni Leopold has invited us for drinks and noshes at her new apartment.  It’s a large loft with rooms carved out of it and a back garden; it’s incredible.  When we get there, her friend Dennis has already arrived.  He’s a great conversationalist with the addition of being a parishioner at the Church of the Ascension so, yes, spirited discussions of the church ensue.  Ronni has prepared great crudites and even greater quantities of wine; when we leave she presents us with a beautiful Japanese rice cake.

Saturday, July 8 and the headlines read Liam and Noel reunited but Patsy out … My puerile fascination with all things Oasis comes up with this.  Reuters releases the following news:

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is preparing for a concert on Saturday night which reunite him with his brother Noel - just a day after the split from his wife Patsy Kensit was announced.  The wildman rock star vowed to go ahead with the gig at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road - despite the high profile break-up.  The concert in front of 40,000 fans will be the first time the brothers have performed together since guitarist Noel walked out of the tour after falling out with Liam over his heavy drinking.  But while the brothers have managed to patch things up, both Liam, 27, and Patsy, 32, have confirmed their marriage is over.

Definitely, not maybe.  The couple are said to be talking to divorce lawyers and Gallagher was reported as saying: “It’s finished, over, gone.  That’s it.  Maybe I was too young but I don’t think I’ll be marrying again.  I’m just trying to get on with my music and be a good dad.  We’re still talking on the phone though,” he told The Sun newspaper….

The actress - who was previously married to Big Audio Dynamite's Dan Donovan and then Simple Minds’ frontman, Jim Kerr - was also spotted out without her wedding ring….  Kensit denied she had been through a rough time and said she still regarded Liam as a friend, and wished him well.

Sunday, July 9 and Grace Church by 10 am.  The only cleric on this Fourth Sunday of Pentecost is the Chaplain, Jeremy Warnick.

And while he’s enthusiastic I feel that his sermon meanders; it’s got 4 essential elements including a letter from Presiding Bishop Griswold, then an announcement of our church’s approval for common cause with the Evangelical Lutherans, and a tale of growing up in a small Pennsylvania town and then going to college with a diverse crowd, “black and white, straight and gay” etc.  All surrounded and infused with a message of acceptance including those with colored hair and multiple piercings.  After the service, I had to humorously mention to him that was one of the reasons I lived in the East Village!

Bryan and I took a walk up Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 50th Streets – yes, the weekly location of the street fair.  We had a couple of noshs including some great zeppole and then walked down Fifth Avenue stopping at White Castle.  Interestingly, he had never had any.  And probably won’t ever again!

Monday, July 10 and we walk over to City Hall which is near Trinity Church, Wall Street.  In the evening, I make a bolognese sauce and a quick pasta dish; the sauce is the remains of a can of Contadina sauce and some new Classico Tomato Alfredo bottled sauce, along with olives and salami and prosciutto (from an old sandwich).  Quite good really over perciatelli.

For music, Aaron Copland and the Billy the Kid (Ballet Suite), conducted by Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1969 [RCA 6802-2-RG].

Also, Czech composer Bedrich Smetana and Ma Vlast: Vltava (The Moldau) conducted by Neeme Jarvi with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra [Chandos CHAN 9230].  This inspiring piece of music (about the river that flows through Prague) is extremely recognizable although I doubt many people could identify it.  So for your education, I have included links found on tripod, classical.net, and from Matt Boynick.

Tuesday, July 11 and everybody I know is in Denver or Durban!  Either at the General Convention in Colorado if they’re Episcopalian or at the AIDS conference in Africa.  Pretty exciting lives however.

I must note, however, that as a gay Episcopalian I cannot support the current stance of my church regarding same-sex unions.  As PlanetOut said, “Rites no, support yes.”  Unfortunately, church elders are still debating points that are irrelevant to me and are far behind the curve.  For instance, when all is said and done, they’re not even past the monogamy part.  Churches really should get out of the control issue business!

I make one of my pasta dishes with a zucchini, a squash, five plum tomatoes and half an onion sauteed simply in olive oil with a little crushed garlic.  At 9 pm, we watch what I consider to be a very good episode of ‘The Pretender’ which features a whole side story based on the Wizard of Oz of all things.

Wednesday, July 12 and for dinner it’s a third try at Muzzarella’s and it gets better each time.  If only they had beer to go with the pizza it would be perfect.

Dave Wohlman is going to be doing a show on community radio like he did back at WMBR; it will be at KFJC in San Jose.  David was one of my main mentors when I started radio with TVOD back in 1978 and has been one of my best friends ever since.  And the worst part of that is we are on opposite ends of the country and haven’t seen each other physically in years!

Thursday, July 13 and I have a Brooklyn Lager today; I rarely drink beer but was in the mood for one so decided on a local brewery.  Recommended.  Our book of the month is Gore Vidal and Sexually Speaking: Collected Sex Writings on Cleis Press.  I don’t always agree with him but he’s certainly one of our more fascinating intellects.  You may also get an opinion from Salon, q (from South Africa) and Gay Today.

And the final four days of July were extremely quiet, so take the trip to Wyoming and we will see you in August!

Wait, wait, I know what you’re wondering.  Why Riverton?  It is a great gathering of Bryan’s step-family and we’re on our way there.  So yes, it might get rather personal but you’ll see some incredible scenery.  And you Episcopalians will want to check out the small churches we see.  So something for everyone!