Anticipatory Plagiarism

I heard the most delightful phrase yesterday and wanted to make note of it before I forget it again:

Anticipatory plagiarism

The phrase was used during the talkback for the New York City Center's five-day production of "Love Life," a play first produced in 1948 on Broadway and mostly forgotten about ever since. Back in 1948 the strike by the musician's union resulted in "Love Life" never making an original cast recording to then be played on the radio. There was no social media or people carrying cameras in their pockets. Still, they managed to have 252 audiences.

The play grew into a cult favorite. People such as Bob Fosse, Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Fred Ebb (of Kander and Ebb), and other theater legends saw the original production and were inspired by it. Shows such as "Cabaret" and "Company" may not have existed without this concept show. Audiences today see songs and scenes that were lifted from "Love Life" and are now feel Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner stole them from the shows made after them, rather than (obvious) other way because we saw the newer shows first.

The song "I remember it well" was repurposed by Lerner and appears more famously in "Gigi." It is something we reference --You wore a red dress, it was blue. Or some other paraphrase meant to evoke the spirit of the "Gigi" song, even though I've never seen "Gigi."

When a member of the audience asked how it happened that these moments familiar to anyone who has seen "Cabaret," or "Follies," or "Gigi" appear in "Love Letters," after being momentarily silenced, the best answer the person could come up with was anticipatory plagiarism because if after explaining to the entire audience that "Love Letters" first appeared in 1948 and these other productions were years and decades later, clearly Sondheim, Ebb, and Prince were inspired by Weill and Lerner and not the other way around.

Kudos to the interviewee for coining a clever term on the spur of the moment.

As for "Love Letters," if I see it making the rounds again I might see it because I gained an appreciation for it after the talk back, but I could only recommend it to the most die hard theater fans who would be able to appreciate its anticipatory plagiarism and see the roots of American musical theater.

One more tidbit about "Love Letters"...it was originally slated for March 2020. They did hold an invited dress rehearsal before the world shut down for COVID. Then the director, Victoria Clark, went on to become a Tony winner for playing the lead in "Kimberly Akimbo" and life got in the way. Brian Stokes Mitchell was originally asked to play Sam Cooper, but had another commitment for March 2025. At the last minute the person hired to be Sam had to back out, and Brian was able to shift his schedule to play the male lead. During the talk back Victoria said those five years gave everyone a chance to get deeper with their characters. Most of those hired in 2020 were able to make it, which made the experience that much sweeter.

Pandemic Year 5

March 13th, two weeks ago, was the fifth anniversary of the COVID pandemic. For as all consuming as the pandemic was, I can't believe that anniversary slipped by me mostly unnoticed.

I wrote about it at the one year mark and here.

Again at at the 16 month mark when President Biden wanted to declare it over (but the disease had other plans).

At the 19 month mark when I realized my calendar was full for the first time in over a year and a half.

The two year mark.

The three year mark.

The four year mark.

If you enter COVID into the search bar on the right, you can find countless other mentions of it in blog posts.

So, why not the fifth year?

I'd like to say it is because the disease is completely eradicated and life has returned to normal, or even the "new normal" that was predicted as it all started.

But the reality is there are so many new crises that I forgot about COVID.

I think our latest health crises are measles and bird flu. I think because the current POTUS has eliminated funding for the NIH and CDC and refuses to educate the population about things that we might be able to prevent.

I do see more people wearing masks in public places, especially in NYC. They are likely the smart ones. I'm at the point where if I get a deadly disease, it might just put me out of my misery so bring it on.

Up until a couple of months ago I heard about friends testing positively for COVID, including one in Australia. I had a cold or maybe it was the flu at New Years, but did not test for anything. Just let it run its course. Sort of how life seems to be in general in the United States. If we close our eyes and ears and block out the noise, maybe, just maybe it will all go away.

That's now how it happens, of course.

COVID is here to stay.

May we get rid of fascism easier.

Glimmers of Hope

In Israel on Monday a happy couple tied the knot. Plans had been carefully made over many months. Families and friends travelled from near and far. Love was in the air despite the ongoing war.

War, though, had other plans, as it often does.

As the couple was about to take their places at the altar air raid sirens could be heard. Those of us watching safely via YouTube live stream were in shock. Voices could be heard in English and in Hebrew. Where is the nearest shelter?

Someone shared the livestream would be on pause while they took care of a “small problem.”

Those of us on the other side of the world held our breath and prayed.

Five minutes later the celebration was back on.

Which brings me to my hope…even in the midst of war, couples still get married and babies are born. Happiness can happen in the middle of tragedy. 

Mazel Tov, Y and M! May you have many years of happiness together.

Color and Light Festival in Asbury Park

I saw a Facebook ad for Color and Light Festival taking place in Asbury Park. The link featured didn't have much information beyond the free show was taking place at 7:00 pm on March 21 and 22 and will be projected on a building on the boardwalk in Asbury Park (where the shops are). It was a rain or shine event. There were links to apply to be a vendor. The projections would be on a continuous loop until about 11 pm. Bring your friends!

The information was that scant.

Don had off on a rare Saturday night, and the weather wasn't bad. I'd say it was nice because the temperatures were in the 50s and it was clear, but it was so windy it felt much colder.

We got to Ocean Grove (the town south of Asbury Park with free parking) and looked for dinner. In the past we have struck out trying to find a place that fits that Goldilocks spot between cheap street food and expensive tablecloth restaurant. Day's Ice Cream is closed for the season. A Google search shows they are closed until May, it would be nice if when they closed their doors for the winter they left a note in the window. We stopped by midweek in September and thought they would be open on weekends. I'm glad they are planning to return in a few weeks.

We discovered the Asbury Park Ale House. It fit all the criteria -- indoor dining, casual, varied menu, friendly staff, only a short wait. I had a yummy maple pecan salmon with Brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Don had the ale burger. We'll be back. Hopefully we'll remember to make a reservation in advance.

We walked back to the grassy area by the Paramount Theater/Convention Hall for the light show. By this point it was 7:54 -- 54 minutes into a show we had no idea how long it was supposed to last. It ended around 8:14, and said it would start up again in 16 minutes. It even had a countdown. 

Whew! 

We moved to a central space to watch the second viewing. At the end, they announced they would keep looping until 10:30 pm. The show was about 30 minutes long. We came in at the nine minute mark.

It was a nice crowd. Lots of families. Some people brought well-behaved dogs. It was not at all crowded. An evening in the summer, or even further into spring, would have filled the lawn and provided more income to the vendors. The wind kept up from buying anything to eat. When we walked past at 6:15 everyone was still setting up. By the time the light show started, it was too dark to appreciate the vendors.

After the show we got to talking to Adam. Adam was wearing a LUMA t-shirt and seemed really into it. He brought his wife and stroller-aged child. He held the child up during the show. They were both mesmerized. I couldn't really see his wife from my angle, but I suspect she was humoring him. They traveled from Binghamton, NY (about three hours away) and were making a weekend out of it. They were staying in the hotel next door to the event and asked for a room overlooking the festival. The hotel tried, but the view of the festival grounds was not what he had in mind. 

LUMA is a volunteer-based company in Binghamton, NY. Every September they have a mini-festival featuring about ten artists showing off their light shows on ten different buildings. You have to travel around town to catch all the displays. Some projection mapped displays are five minutes long, others are 15. By contrast, this had about ten artists displaying their shows on the same building with festival goers staying in the same place. We were glad we parked about a mile away in Ocean Grove (maybe two miles away?) because we could see cars driving around closer to the event trying to find parking, which is already relatively limited in Asbury Park.

Adam has been involved with them for about a decade. The head people decided this year to start taking the show on the road and move out of Binghamton. Asbury Park was chosen as their first site. I wonder where they will go next.

I signed up for their email list. Hopefully I'll learn about more events. For now, September 6-7 in Binghamton is marked on my calendar. From there it is an easy road trip to Montreal.

UPDATE: I read a press release that said 12,000 people came over the two days. 

Here are some pictures from the event.

Archaeology School

In college I took an elective in archaeology (the things one takes classes in as a history major in a liberal arts college). Over the ensuing decades that one class has stayed with me more than anything else I took, including history (major) and French (minor) classes. A different path might have taken me to archaeology school. I have a friend who after earning a law degree went on to earn a masters degree in archaeology. That's more of a commitment than I want to make.

As our season at Newlin Grist Mill in West Chester, PA was coming to a close last November, Keith offered a 10-week archaeology class taught on Wednesday mornings at the mill. Every Wednesday from January 8-March 19 (except when there was bad weather), we gathered to learn about archaeology at a very high level. Topics included: paperwork, soil basics, dating techniques, faunal, reporting, artifacts, glass, and internet resources. We even visited two archaeology labs: one at Newlin Grist Mill and the other at West Chester University. The university trip left me with a major case of envy--I wished I could travel back in time and take the path of becoming an archaeologist.

The plan was we would have class for two hours, then dig for a couple of hours. This winter's weather only cooperated the last two weeks. My drive time seemed to increase each week, from an hour fifteen to an hour forty-five some weeks. I really have to plan it will be an hour and a half each week, and make sure I have half a tank of gas before I leave home.

The class was very well organized, and much more fun than I ever anticipated. They are a great group of people. On our last week we enfolded another woman, who is younger than I am. 

For me the highlight of the class was when we went on a field trip to West Chester University's Anthropology Department. Department chair Dr. Heather Wholey showed off their bright, spacious lab filled with gadgets from an electronic Munsell book to a lit microscope that connects to a laptop to ground penetrating equipment to a new database and more! I kept thinking these students are being spoiled and they won't understand that until they are in the field on an underfunded project. The room had space for 32 students with two sinks for messy artifacts, and two sinks for neater reasons. Keith noted there were no chairs near the sinks, likely because they are being used by youngsters and not old people like us. The room had plenty of storage in a variety of sizes (draws and shelves), and lots of outlets. That day they were cataloging a collection of hats that were recently donated to WCU and entering the data into Catalogue It!, their new database. I would do that for free! 

They use their old Munsell books to help identify pottery colors. They also have 32
Mac laptops, and 32 PC laptops with archaeology software loaded on them. Students often use their own laptops. On the low tech side, they have a sandbox they use to line up pottery as the glue is drying.

Items are washed, then they air dry over two days. Back on the dig site in Israel, our pottery dried in a couple of hours.

WCU's anthropology department offers classes in cultural, biological, and linguistical fields. There are cases in the hallway with some of their more exciting finds.

The librarian in me loved hearing about what happens after the artifacts are found -- especially the cataloging process.  

We also visited the field lab at Newlin Grist Mill. Let's just say it is less shiny. It has furniture that was rescued from dumpsters, and many artifacts that still need to be processed. Keith is a full-time site manager, but only spends one day a week on archaeology and lately much of that time has been taken up by our weekly class.

Our class was featured in the Newlin Grist Mill newsletter. Our celebration culminated in volunteering at the March Public Archaeology Day where we were each more confident talking to the 88 visitors, including many young children. We have more answers than we had before the class, but Keith is still there to answer the ones we don't know. 

Our last class was spent applying what we learned in STPs (Shovel Test Pits). The four STPs were conducted near the archive building, each 10 feet apart, to get a sample of what lies underground to determine if it is safe to bury fiberoptic lines. More time, and perhaps we would have dug the whole line, but we did enough to determine there are no features (a collection of objects and/or soils which were caused by human activity but cannot be removed intact from the soil -- think stairs, or a wall, or post hole). We divided ourselves into two teams and worked on this for about 90 minutes after the last class. Then Keith worked with us to properly fill out the paperwork about soil levels and other information -- in other words, a real life example to use as our "final exam."

Keith estimates over the 11 years they have been holding public archaeology days, we have saved Newlin Grist Mill about $290,000 in manual labor. It is nice when you can quantify the benefit provided by volunteers.

My First Tattoo

I'm thinking this title will catch more interest than most. Might even draw double digit clicks.

If you've made it this far and are hoping for a picture, you will be sadly disappointed. No pictures of this are likely to ever be taken, and if they are, it won't look that exciting. 

Last week I went in for my second colonoscopy. 

I see eyes glazing over already.

I last wrote as I was about to start the prep. It went as expected. I opted for the pills over the goopy drink. As I was halfway through the second batch of pills at 3 am as my family was blissfully asleep, I started dry heaving, so I slowed down (as instructed) and kept taking them.

The waiting room was fairly boring. The TV was blaring a TV show that I would not have been surprised if it was really an SNL skit about two adult women going through a child's obstacle course. 

Oh the things you fixate on while trying to relax.

It was really loud, and no one was watching so a woman about my age asked if it could be turned off. She was given the best answer I would have ever expected: "No, because we use it for confidentiality to block out conversations we are having, but we can lower it a little." I was impressed with the thoughtfulness of the explanation. That thoughtfulness carried through every experience I had with staff and the medical team at Princeton Gastroenterology Associates. 

While waiting for my turn at a table, a staff member walked by with lunch for a co-worker. They quickly put the bag away, recognizing all of their patients were starving! As I waited to be put under, the anesthesiologist asked me what food I'll be eating afterwards. Someone else asked me about the book I was reading. Another person apologized for taking two stabs to get the IV to work.

Back to the tattoo, as I woke up nearly an hour later (better than the two hours the first colonoscopy took, still much longer than most), Dr. Shriver told me she had to put in two staples and tattooed the spot where she took out a 30mm polyp -- yes, after only three years I grew a polyp that is nearly an inch long. I was sent home with a card to share if I ever need an MRI. As for the tattoo, I'm picturing something cute like the one Phoebe got of "the world" when she and Rachel went out for tattoos.

Now I await my results, and reach out to Dr. Google. On the one hand, the size of the polyp is scary. But, time is on my side. Since I was last cleaned out only three years ago, and colon cancer is slow growing (often taking a minimum of 10 years to develop), I should be able to relax and feel confident it was caught in time.

Still, the doctor's words that "we'll wait for the pathology report before deciding what to do next" keep pinging around my head. 

I'll update this post after I have official word. Meanwhile, it will be a long 1-2 weeks.

Schedule your colonoscopy now. 

UPDATE: All is good. The 30mm polyp was not really a polyp (then why write polyp on the report?) but something they want to keep an eye on in the future. The others were "precancerous in the benign state." Come back in three years.

Colonoscopy #2

T-2 hours until I start taking the horse pills for my second colonoscopy. I am trying to keep to myself as I can feel the creeping crankiness. I am feeling anti-social. 

I survived my first colonoscopy three years ago. As I reread the post I wrote at the time I was under a lot of stress in a lot of different directions. My life has changed a lot since them. I'm no longer working and COVID has faded (though I still anticipate another pandemic), but the new presidency is disrupting life globally. I also went to work that day and even attended a virtual board meeting that night. I am glad I don't have to put up such a front this time around.

After a week of eating a low res diet, and 13 hours of a liquid diet, I am starving. I know this is the season most major religions include fasting in their practices, but it is not one I have included.

Funny stories about colonoscopies...

1) Last night we saw SMASH. There are a couple of lines about one of the characters getting a colonoscopy.

2) Today's latest post from The Holderness Family is about Penn, the husband, getting his first one. 

I'm nervous about the actual procedure. The prep is what the prep is.

Mostly, though, I'm ready for this to be over and be able to return to eating.