Thursday, December 23, 2010

"Suffer the little children to come unto me..." (The Bible)

.....Well, the birthday girl arrived on time for lunch at China Gardens even though they first drove south instead of north.  The four girlfriends she brought down with her were exceptionally sociable and we all had fun at the round table.  One gal had a lobster at my suggestion and she loved it.  My sister ordered a 2 pounder. Cantonese sauce on the side for dipping!  With garlic!  I had spare ribs and fried rice.  I'm not used to having spare ribs and fried rice for breakfast, because I usually have breakfast around that time of 11:45.  I sleep most days until 11.  Sometimes I don't have breakfast until 1pm;  if I decide to go out, Dunkin' Donuts has a great coffee roll.  Speaking of pastry, I had Publix make up a birthday cake for this event, and it was served with our dessert of ice cream.  I had them put six candles on it--one for every 10 years.  I don't think there was time to put on 60 candles.  Anyway, Robin blew out the candles with one breath.  Rhoda had to go bowling, but she finished in time to meet everyone at the airport at 3pm.  The girls flew back to Tallahassee at 3:30.  A fine time was had by all.

.....I find it hard to believe that I have a daughter who has reached the magic age of 60--because what does that makes me?  It's really a very weird feeling. Robin has three siblings who are in their 50s.  I think I liked them all better when they were little kids--let's say Robin 10, Joel 8, and Bobby and Bonny 5 years old.  You see, they used to listen to me then.  When I told them to keep quiet they did; when I told them to go to bed, they did--after a while; when I told them to finish their plate, they did cheerfully.  You never saw four kids so well behaved in a restaurant.  I think at this age they all bonded, even though JR kept punching Bobby in the arm when I wasn't watching.  

.....When they all reached high school age, I brought them to North Shore H.S. where I was an English teacher.  Bonny came a semester to my Shakespeare class where she sat in back of the room with her boyfriend.  Every day she had a new boyfriend who plied her with weed.  Robin was in my Speech and Public Speaking class.  I gave her a 98.  Joel and Bobby were never in my class, but I did coach Joel on the soccer and track team.  Bobby was never on one of my teams, but he did have one distinction--he kicked the first field goal ever for the football team; I believe it was about 35 yds.  They all graduated--Robin to Oneonta State, Joel to Cornell, Bonny to the New York School of Dog Grooming, and Bobby to the college of hard knocks.  To conclude, it was absolutely wonderful to see my daughter Robin on her 60th birthday even though it was only for about four hours.  It was way better than not seeing her at all.

Monday, December 20, 2010

"Women and Elephants never forget." (Dorothy Parker)

.....I'm sorry about politicizing yesterday's blog post.  I really made a pact with myself not to get involved in politics, because I know I'll always have good friends who will not agree with what I have to say--and I don't want them to drop me like a hot potato.  And I'm also sorry to have used such a worn out cliche; but I can't think of anything else with which they can drop me.  And speaking of dropping, I am guilty of dropping several things during the day.  Every day.  I don't know what to do about it.  Today, while sharing lunch with Rhoda at the Bagel Tree, I first dropped the bill, and then I dropped my ID card from my wallet and she had to pick them up.  I really do expect to drop a few more things during the rest of the day; and perhaps with no one around to pick up after me; I certainly cannot bend down to do it--not with my back.  But dropping things is not my only bete noir; I also rip the skin off some part of my body at least once a week; my skin is paper thin.  If Rho is around when it happens, she just dips into her purse and pulls out whatever size band-aid is required.  Amazing, eh?  But that's what she does.  I attribute the condition of my skin to having been exposed to the sun for most of my life, and failing to use the proper sun-screen--or any sun-screen.  Live and learn.

.....As long as I'm confessing stuff, I might as well divulge a few other faults, some of which I can control, and others which I cannot.  For example, I find it very frustrating not to be able to place the mouse pointer right on the monitor where I need it without a few tries because I have tremors in my right hand; this, I suppose, is a product of ageing--I admit it.  I have aged like everyone else, but I've had more practice at it than most.  And, consequently, I've become very good at tremorrizeing a lot better than most.  Then there is the cane; I've had to use one to get around the house without falling down and breaking another hip, and I doubt whether or not I can find a hip donor.  But the real problem is not the cane, rather it's my memory.  I can never remember if I left it in the den, or the kitchen, or the living room or bedroom or bathroom.  And if you've been listening, guess who has to find it.  It's embarrassing.  Of course, I do have one or two other faults, but I do not feel like continuing this self flagellation. 

.....So, let's review for posterity's sake: I'm a liberal, a Democrat, a dropeasy, a bleeder, a trembler, and a partial case of dementia.  I have some good qualities also, but I've forgotten what they are.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

"Tomorrow to fresh fields and pastures new"

.....There's not much time left until President Obama delivers his State of the Union address.  At that time Congress will be under the control of a Republican majority.  Until then, there have been a few bills that have been placed before Congress for approval--or disapproval.  Yesterday, Senate Republicans stalled the dreams of young immigrants all across the nation.  It was a bill that would have allowed those who arrived here illegally before age 16 to become legal residents, students, and soldiers.  Passage fell five votes short, and denied millions of youngsters who were brought here illegally by their parents, through no fault of their own, the opportunity to become citizens.  They have no other country.  They are Americans.  They speak English, they graduate from high school and college.  The failure of Congress to pass this "Dream" act is a violation of humanity.

.....The excuses given by those Republicans for denying that bill are ludicrous; Sen. LeMieux of Florida expressed sympathy, but he and other members of the GOP said they could not grant "amnesty" to those who came here illegally.  These young people did not "come here illegally"--they were brought here.  And who is to blame for allowing millions of illegals to cross our borders in order to live a better life?  China built a wall 5500 miles long, Israel built a separation barrier 402 miles long, East Germany built a wall 96 miles long...at least something was done about keeping out the unwanted besides just talking about it.  But the opposition by Republicans has nothing to do with their lame excuses; the real reason is that if these million or so immigrants were given the right to vote, they would vote for Democrats.  The great majority are Latinos.  And I truly believe that is the reason behind the Republican "no" vote.

..... Now take our newly elected billionaire governor of Florida, Rick Scott.  He is determined to roll back "Obamacare."  And why? He has his business interests in mind rather than the well-being of the state's 3.8 million uninsured.  U.S Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz claims that "Scott is interested in making sure that health care corporations make as much money as they can."  Scott has founded a chain of urgent-care walk-in clinics and he is heavily invested in Pharmaca, a company that runs drugstores and pharmacies.  Why people have voted this man into office, I will never understand.  Whose interests will he have in mind?  Certainly not yours and mine.  Oh, well, I will also never understand how Time Magazine could name that Facebook guy, Person of the Year.  I have never even been voted Person of the Week--and look how many weeks I have lived in--about 4,472 of them.  That's a whole bunch of weeks for having been ignored.

Friday, December 17, 2010

MY 10 BEST VEGETABLES

.....I said I would write a list of my "10 Best Vegetables" and so I will--not necessarily in order of taste or frequency--: 1) collards 2) kohlrabi 3) okra 4) artichokes 5) Brussels sprouts 6) cauliflower 7) chard 8) leek 9) parsnips and finally, 10) rhubarb.  There, now I've gotten that over with. Yummy yum.  And now just a couple of comments about the comments I have received anent (yes, anent. Is that ok?) my listing of the 10 best movies I  remember having seen and enjoyed.  Mr. PB couldn't believe that I saw Clark Gable as the star in "Casablanca" and neither can I.  Obviously, this makes me believe that he will not believe my 10 best vegetable list.  Give me a break; I'm 86 and 2/3. I can't remember everything, and I believe I do fondly remember those vegetables...uh...mmmhmm?  Well, to be honest, not all 10; maybe 5.  But given the 5 I remember, the other 5 fall right into place.  

.....To digest a little from the subject, yesterday my monitor died.  I panicked.  I could not count all my money, and I could not get to my blog fast enough to put in Humphrey Blowhard instead of Clark Grable as the star of "Casabianca".  I do not cotton to errors in this, my definitive journal of my retirement years that I am writing for the benefit of my grandchildren if they recall that I am the Paternoster here in Condoland.  Well, perhaps not my grandchildren--perhaps my great grandchildren.  Now, there's a thought.  They'll probably run right down to Publix to try out their Great Grandfather's Vegetables.  And for their benefit because they are part of the family, I may list my 10 best fruit(s) shortly so that they can reap the benefits of the Baron's culinary wisdom.

.....Well, I have once more digested from the subject: anyway, to make a long story short, I called in a monitor doctor who gave my 17" monitor a proper burial in the dumpster and who replaced it with a 19" model, and all for $35.  I was going to offer him a copy of my memoirs, but I decided against it.  He probably reads only computer magazines.  Now for my nap.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

"TEN BEST MOVIES I'V SEEN"--PT. II

.....It seems that I still have a few readers left, three of whom have already commented on my list of ten best movies I remember having seen since 1924.  Well, it is time to lift the aweful suspense about the last five; I only mentioned the first five in the posting of Dec. 14, 2010. BTW, that day was the 43rd birthday of one of my most intellectual and youngest commenters, Jon Tessler; also--besides myself-- a veteran of the U.S. Navy and still living in Norfolk, VA.  For those who are curious, Jon is RH+'s son; therefore my stepson.  When I first met him in 1978 (the year of his Bar Mitzvah) I could not actually see him because his room was completely decorated with his clothing and he was under the covers, and his monstrous dog, Max, who at first glance I thought to be King Kong, was the room's security guard. 

.....Well, then let's get into the last five films on my list, the first being the film THE RED SHOES which I first saw in 1948.  It is a British film about a young ballerina who joins an established ballet company and who eventually becomes it's lead dancer in a ballet called "The Red Shoes".  The story is loosely based on the fairy tale of the same name written by Hans Christian Andersen.  It was the first time I had ever seen a ballet, and its form, and poetry, and beauty captivated me.  Although, the story line has become hazy over the years, I will never forget the emotion and catharsis I experienced.  Go see it when it comes around.

CHARIOTS of FIRE is a 1981 British film. It tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Lidell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew, who runs to overcome prejudice. The film's title was inspired by the line, "Bring me my chariots of fire," from a poem by William Blake, although the original phrase, "chariot(s) of fire" comes from the Bible.  Having been a track and field coach since 1952, I was naturally drawn to this film which won the Academy Award in 1981.

.....Skipping blithely ahead eight years to 1989, I saw one of the best--if not THE best--Shakespearean film I had ever seen, even better than Olivier's "Hamlet".  It starred a marvelous actor, Kenneth Branagh in HENRY V.  This was the definitive "Henry V" film ever made--in my opinion, of course.  I was raised on William Shakespeare.  I was always enthralled by Shakespeare and the language I experienced in his plays.  I taught Shakespeare in high school, college, and post-college (that referring to classes of senior citizens during my retirement).  Hank 5 was a born leader, and this film documents that.

.....Five years later, in 1994, I saw FORREST GUMP starring Tom Hanks. The story depicts several decades in the life of Forrest Gump, a simple Alabama man who travels across the world, sometimes meeting historical figures, influencing popular culture, and experiencing firsthand historic events of the late 20th century.  This film won the Academy Award that year, and rightfully so.  I'd love to see it once more.

.....And now, I finally arrive at the tenth film on my list of the ten best I've seen--that is, of those I can recall.  And that film is SHAKESPEARE in LOVE which appeared in 1998, a mite before the 21st Century--(where I'll have to start a new 10 best for this century, I suppose.)   The film purports to portray Shakespeare in a love affair at the time he was writing "Romeo and Juliet".  (Whatever happened to Anne Hathaway?  Was Will a regular Tiger?).  The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (for Gryneth Paltrow), and Best Supporting Actress (for Judi Dench).  It was the first comedy film to win the Best Picture award since "Annie Hall" in 1977.

.....So, there you have it, my friends. Oh, I know I left a few winners off my list such as, "On the Waterfront," "Citizen Kane," "Mutiny on the Bounty," "The Wizard of Oz," "Marty," and "My Fair Lady." among others.   Perhaps next I'll write about the ten best vegetables I've ever eaten.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

MY 10 BEST MOVIES LIST

.....Oh, yes, I know...it's been a few days since I last wrote something, but I've been very busy rehearsing for the next show here in Huntington Lakes.  It's coming in March, but auditions have been held and rehearsals have begun; it takes a few months to whip 60s, 70s, and 80s into some kind of shape so that they will be entertaining; not that I'm doing the whipping.  I will, however, be performing and hopefully, entertaining.  No leading roles for me any longer; it's hard to prance around the stage with a cane. I will most likely be singing "Rich Man" from "Fiddler" and reciting "Well, ya Got Trouble" from "Music Man".  I did these two numbers about fifteen years ago, but I still remember them--so rehearsing will be a slam dunk.  Anyway, this blog will be taking a lighter tone today; I have already revealed the best ten sights that I have seen in my journeys, and so now I will stay closer to home and state the ten best films I've seen in my 86 years of seeing films.  

.....I won't put these in any particular order; they are just the 10 best films that I can remember seeing, and I must have seen 100 if I've seen any.  First from 1937 starring Ronald Colman is THE LOST HORIZON. It's about this paleontologist who finds a magical city in the Himalayas called "Shangra-La".  At 13 years of age at the time I was in dire need of a magical city and I found it in this film.  Shangra-La does exist, and like the Holy Grail, must be found.
.....Also, in 1937 I saw a film that I can never forget--SNOW WHITE and THE SEVEN DWARFS starring Snow White and Dopey.  How can anyone who ever saw that Disney film ever forget it?  People are still trying to answer the trivia question, "Name the seven dwarfs".  Let's see, now; there was Dopey, Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, and ............ ??? Oh, well, try Santa's reindeer.
.....In 1939, I took my mother on her birthday to Radio City Music Hall in the city to see GONE WITH THE WIND in living color.  It starred Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh and was an Academy Award winner that year, and was an epic film about the Civil War.  Don't miss it when it comes to your theater.
.....Fast forward now to 1943.  I was given some time off from the killing fields after our plane crash, went to London and saw CASABLANCA with Clark Gable and my favorite actress, Ingrid Bergman; a great love story and a great song which I can never stop singing in the shower or in the elevator where the acoustics are agreeable--although they may accent all the imperfections in my voice.
.....Not that I did not see any great movies between 1943 and 1972, but in 1972 I saw one of the ten best ever...in my view--THE GODFATHER with Marlon Brando.  I really should say, "The Godfather Series" because there were three Godfather films, and each of them was riveting.

....Well, now, I can't go on till the next time when I will reveal the next five films on my best-ever-seen list.  So, between now and then, stay in heightened suspense...and wait. There will be some surprises--no doubt about that.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

"You taught me language; and my profit on't is I know how to curse"(The Tempest)

.....Since comments on these blog posts are really not designed for lengthy dissertations , I'm taking this opportunity to respond to recent comments.  First of all, Phil, my dearest and most welcome commenter, my mentor and honorary uncle, questions whether or not his comment on my recent blog about the dual language in our country was fomented by what he called "knee-jerk liberals" and which I called "vitriolic bashing".  Why was this vitriolic he asks. It is so to me because this phrase  indicates contempt, and since I have made no secret about my liberal persuasion, I consider that I've been liberally bashed, and I'm not happy about it.  This blog was not meant to be political, and this phrase made it so.  I don't even know what "knee-jerk" means, but I know it is not complimentary.  Secondly, in all of the seven books of posts I've written, I have never used a  caustic adjective in describing a conservative, of which persuasion I am not a member.  Thirdly, let's not place the entire blame on liberals for the situation I described.  I don't believe that the many companies I've called on the phone who require pressing numbers for the language one speaks are run by liberals.  The Republican legislators in Florida are responsible for printing our ballots in Spanish as well as English.  Liberals may have created the GI Bill, Medicare, Social Security, the Peace Corps, the 40 hr. work week, unemployment compensation, and the Civil Rights Act, but they should not be held responsible for the creation of the Universe.

.....And then there is Emrys who has added another dimension, and a welcome one, to the commentary.  In response to "Phil's" comment, Emrys indicated that he was a "knee-jerk liberal" himself, and that he was going to his doctor to correct the jerk in his knee.  Having done so, Emrys has now been rendered harmless, and so this should assuage Phil B. and correct the shape that he has been bent out of by some knee jerking.  And, I need an explanation of who and what and why someone is being referred to as "Mrs.".  Sounds like sarcasm to me; I wasn't born yesterday--more like yesteryear. 


.....And then there is my loving cuz, Ruth Grimsley, the virginal English woman as she refers to herself in her email address.  She is always there--that is she "has my back".  Baron is so fortunate to have a poet and a brilliant mind ready to comment on what Baron has to say.  And she knows much more about America and its politics than any of the other commenters know about England, and she recognizes how fortunate we are to have a president such as we have, and too bad that more people do not understand and appreciate that.  And Ruthie, my dear, I will expect a birthday poem on my birthday in February.  And PhilB, the next time some liberal or (P)resident upsets you, take two aspirins and go to bed.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Press 18 (Chai) for Yiddish

.....During the recent election, I went to our clubhouse where voting machines were set up for anyone who wished to vote--and in our community there were many who did so, and I was one of them.  When I got there and identified myself as a patriotic citizen who believes strongly in democracy, I was given a ballot and directed to a small booth where privacy prevailed,  When I opened the ballot, I was amazed to find that the instructions were in Spanish as well as in English.  Even on the ballot, itself, Spanish accompanied the nominee's names, so that any latino in our community who neglected to learn English could vote.  I looked around our very large ballroom and could find no one of that particular ethnic persuasion.  In fact, in all the 28 years that I've been living here, I never did meet or notice any Spanish speaking resident.  When I looked over the ballot, I couldn't help calling on my education to help me understand how  and where to make my mark.  I also could not help repeating to myself that we are an English speaking not a Spanish speaking nation. Everywhere I go, and everywhere I look, and everywhere I listen, I see and hear Spanish accompanying anything English.  Of course, anyone who tries to call a company on the phone is directed to "press one" for English, and sometimes I don't pay attention and I mistakenly press 2, and then I hear someone hablaing Espanol.

.....Perhaps I am wrong (not likely), but I don't believe a phone call in France, England, or Germany will direct the caller to press 2 for Shiite Islamic or 3 for Sunni Islamic.  There are 5 million Muslims in France, 3 million in Germany, and about 3 million in Britain--and Islamic immigration to these countries continues.  In France, alone, there are 1500 mosques.  According to a 2001 survey there were 1209 mosques in the United States.  
.....American visitors to Paris or other major French cities often are amazed when they see how the multiethnic way of life there resembles that in the United States.  But multiethnicity in France goes beyond that in the United States, for it includes a religious dimension in addition to racial and ethnic differences. If the most important minorities in the United States (the black and Hispanic) are overwhelmingly Christian, French minority groups are largely Muslim. American minority groups share many basic values with the rest of the country; in contrast, French minority groups tend to have alien values, to think of themselves as a new nation, and even to have hopes of superseding the present Judeo-Christian nation of France.  And don't think France isn't concerned about that possibility coming to fruition in the future.  As for us, I don't expect an invasion of Spanish forces led by Francisco Franco anytime soon.

.....Our country has had a history of ethnic immigrations--and I believe that if an immigrant wished to advance in American society he had to get an education, learn to speak English--and that is just what our parents and grandparents and great grandparents had to do.  And that is what they did.  

Saturday, December 4, 2010

"Oh Brave New World that has such people in it!" (The Tempest)

.....This post might evolve into a discussion of a pot pourri of events in the last couple of days.  For instance, I tried to access my email yesterday and today in my usual way when I suddenly get an error message "Invalid URL".  I went to the Comcast "Chat" program and chatted with some i...ot who sent me all over my computer until I lost him and found myself back on my desktop with nowhere to go.  So, this morning I called Comcast and spoke to an i...becil who told me to go to "Internet Options" and delete my temp. internet and cookie files which I had already done a couple of times and which did not aid me in reaching my email.  I changed browsers from Chrome to Explorer and got the same error message.  So, I've given up.  I was able to get my email from Rho's laptop, and I imagine I may have to do that for awhile unless I get a techie here or switch to gmail or yahoo or hotmail.  What a pain!  I'm getting older by the minute, and I can't handle these d..mn glitches anymore!  I think it may be political and I'm being somehow punished for being a Democrat.  If there is a promise to me that there will be no more of these mysterious problems popping up out of nowhere for the rest of my life, I may give serious thought to switching allegiances.

.....Next: Yesterday, was the first "Showcase" of the new "season" here.  It's a show put on by the Theatre Arts class each month in the clubhouse ballroom.  The show consists of short skits, improvs, and monologues--dramatic and humorous--by class participants who have been studying their roles for a month.  My role in the class was as the "crtiquer" (sp?); a role I did not ask for, but to which I was appointed.  I also was asked to perform in the Showcase, and I recited the Seven Ages of Man monologue spoken by Jacques in Shakespeare's "As You Like It."  More people attended this Showcase than I expected--at least 100.  But after the beverages and cake and cookies during the intermission, about half the audience disappeared.  I imagine they all went to the restrooms and couldn't find their way back.   During intermission some lady I had never seen here before came up to me and asked if I were Norman Ross to which question I had no choice but to answer that I was indeed, he.  She said her name was Harriet Spiritous which rang a bell--she was my daughter Robin's baby sitter when we lived in the Bronx.  Harriet was 13 then, so I did not recognize her at age 73.  I thought this indeed was amazing.  She lived in the apartment right across the hall from us and we did socialize with her parents.  I was not about to ask her what happened to them.


.....Last night we had tickets to a show at "The New York Comedy Club."  Our neighbors joined us and I asked Gary, who drove, if he had directions to this place, and he proceeded to drive down 441 to Glades Rd. in Boca Raton and then went west.  He said to look for a Dunkin' Donuts and a Burger King.  Well, we went westeder and westeder until we got to the end...only darkness and residentials.  I told Gary that I was familiar with a place called the Comedy Club on Glades Rd. near the Florida Turnpike which was east of 441, not west.  So, sure enough we got to the right place after a Florida nightly tour.  It was 8:25 and the show was to start at 8:30 which it did not until 9:15 when a series of "comedians" came on stage--each with about a ten minute gig, and each with language more coarse and vulgar than another.  I couldn't understand why there was so much laughter, until I looked at the crowded house and didn't notice anyone else with a cane, besides me.  I couldn't understand a word except if they contained four letters or  referred to reproductive organs, but the members of the audience without bulging midsections appeared enthralled by it all.  And all the performers spoke so fast, I didn't realize that they were speaking English.  The language is really being changed by this young generation.  Speed of expression is the new mode, so that it resembles Chinese, where all our clothing is made; or Spanish which requires the numerals 1 and 2 to appear everywhere.  If this trend continues, the time will eventually arrive when no one will understand me.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

"There's no business like show business like no business I know".

.....I just published a comment from "Emrys" which my readers may discover in the comments following the discussion about Mark Twain a couple of days ago. Emrys has been an admirer of my cuz Ruth from England, a veritable Encyclopedia Britannia, whose grey matter should be known as "Grimsley's Reference Work." And I'm fortunate to call her a family member. At any rate, Emrys touches base with Ms. Grimsley by "introducing" himself.  My "cuz" commented on the origin of Samuel Clemens' pen name, Mark Twain.  However, Emrys disagreed with Ruth's explanation and gave one of his own.  Reading them both over, however, it appeared to me that they were both saying the same thing in a different form of English; Ruth in "British" and Emry's in "American".  But the following is scientifically verifiable in "Twain" English: Mark maintained that his primary pen name came from his years working on Mississippi riverboats, where two fathoms, a depth indicating safe water for passage of boat, was measured on the sounding line. A fathom is a maritime unit of depth, equivalent to two yards (1.8 m); twain is an archaic term for "two". The riverboatman's cry was "mark twain" or, more fully, "...by the mark--twain," meaning "according to the mark [on the line], [the depth is] two [fathoms]; that is, the water is 12 feet deep and it is safe to pass.  However, Baron disagrees with all three of them--Grimsley, Emry, and Mark.  And thus in "Baron" English, the truth is that the name "mark twain" refers to a running bar tab that Twain would regularly incur while drinking at John Piper's saloon in Virginia City, Nevada. So, let's cut to the chase here, gang, and cut the academic pedagogics, and get down to basics.

......This morning I attended the auditions for the "in house" show scheduled for March. It's a show written by one of the residents--as is usual if we are not doing a "book" show (a wayoffbroadway revival).  The show is called "The Devil Made me do It" --a sort of senior "America loves talent" show.  It  has been a few years since I performed in "My Fair Lady" and I have not been able to slough off my thespian urges entirely.  So, I decided I would audition two songs--"As Time Goes By" and "If I Were a Rich Man".  I did "Rich Man" when I played Tevye about ten years ago; perhaps a little less.  I am not looking for a speaking part or anything else that would require my appearing for rehearsals several days a week at 9a.m. as I had in the past.  The gal who was evaluating the talent told me that I was the only one who received a "10"!  I guess I'm in.  And I'm sure that the "producer" wants me to do "Trouble", Harold Hill's litany against a pool table in River City.  I learned that million word monologue for "Music Man" --also many years ago, but I still remember all of it.   
.....I'm not sure that's a good thing???