Catch Up, John style.

Hello!

A quick update from John -


I bought Jamie an Arsenal Jersey for her birthday. We went to a pub to watch a game in Arsenal uniform, and Jamie was told to go home. Good fun! They beat Man United, so we were happy. Arsenal won last night as well, so things are looking up for the team.

We purchased a subscription to NFL Field pass so we can listen to Mr.'s Reese and Quick on the radio tell us all about the Eagles blowing the game. I wear my Jersey as I listen to the computer telling me of pain and misery delivered in interceptions, blown covers, and missed blocks. At least I have Frank's Hot Sauce to comfort my pain.

I started recording my songs on our new laptop. Mr. Pederman and Myself will be collaborating transatlantic, so look forward to new recordings!

As for party/wedding news... At Flo & Keith's wedding I was the "Party Star" - I was the king of the dance floor.. I ponied like maronie, mashed the potato, and swirled the girls like nobody's business. Dad would have been proud. At the after party, I redecorated the wedding party suite with my able bodied assistant, Ms. Rutkoski and played Huck Finn in the hot tub. I tried to police the party, but was informed in no uncertain terms that a "half naked elvis does not tell me what to do." Point taken.

Jamie and I met up with Elba and her boyfriend Dave at Milk & Honey - a private drinkin' club in SoHo. Dave and I decided the fate of western Europe as we swilled beer in lieu of the $50 scotch and fancied cigars we could not afford. We then moved onto an unmarked nightclub where I proceeded to fend off prospective suitors by claiming I was gay or straight as the situation warranted. At the end of the evening Jamie and I chased our bus 7 blocks before we were allowed entry. I expressed my disapproval by not making eye contact with the driver. He was duely chastised.

Now Flo & Keith are here wrapping up their honeymoon on our air mattress. I have ear plugs, an eye mask, and plenty of inner tube patching materials. Once an Eagle Scout...

That's all kids. SWAK.

We Survived the Flo/Keith Wedding!

Wouldn't that be a great t-shirt? But seriously- the last two weeks have been amazing. Here is a relatively short synopsis:

I arrived in Newark around 9pm Friday night, the 1st. My flight was a bit delayed, but I can't complain because I got home around 11 and Flo didn't make it home from ABE until 2:30am. After a quick final fitting Saturday morning, I whisked Flo away for a surprise weekend in NYC. We met up with Jenny, Carolyn and Susie and promptly proceeded to battle Ernesto with all our might. And, ladies and gentlemen, that poor hurricane didn't stand a chance!

Highlights of the weekend:
Wine and pretzels in Jenny's apartment
Being the ONLY table at El Rio Grande and applauding the guacamole guy
Multiple pitchers of sangria at Havana Central
Walking all the way to Magnolia (okay- it was only a few blocks) for an early birthday cupcake only to discover they decided to close for Labor Day- the nerve!
Pigging out at Benny's Burritos
Hanging out at Jimmy's in the Upper East Side with a bunch of college guys harrassing Flo (That may have been because of the thong she was wearing outside her jeans:)
Walking down East 92nd Street
Everyone pitching in to deflate one air mattress
The BEST brunch ever at Sarabeth's on Madison and 92nd
A quick visit to the reservoir
A last-minute dash through Times Square to get to our bus on time

It was an amazing weekend and gave Flo and me the chance to relax before the wedding week. The week that followed was wonderfully busy. Flo and I shopped till we dropped. We even managed to buy a few things for the wedding:) Together we cut, pasted, copied, popped and decorated a million things. Those of you who think my lists get a bit out of control should see us together. Suffice it to say we bring out the OCD in eachother. Thanks to those lists and a group of great helpers everything went smoothly.

The wedding was magical. Flo was breathtaking. Keith couldn't stop smiling. Tropical Storm Florence stayed away. Everything looked beautiful. The food was delicious. John danced with every woman there- including but not limited to my mom, Flo's mom and Keith's mom. And most importantly- my toast was a huge hit! Somehow I made it through with only a few pauses due to crying.

There was only one small snag the whole night. Keith burned a CD of their song for the band and a minute or so into the song- it skipped! I had horrible flashbacks- would Flo suffer the same tragedy her best friend suffered only six years ago? I looked at her- she looked at me-we held our breath-- and the song kept right on playing! When it was over, we decided that having your song skip during the reception is a sign of good things to come.

For those of you wondering...yes, I did dance on the chairs along with a few of the other bridesmaids and the bride herself!

To say I had the time of my life would be an understatement. There is so much more to tell you, but this blog is long enough already. Once I get the photos uploaded, I will email the link to anyone who wants to see them.

As for my birthday- thank you to everyone who sent cards, called or sent emails. I feel very loved! I was lucky enough to celebrate with friends and to have dinner with my family Sunday night. We flew all day Monday- what fun! But when we got home, John had a frozen pizza waiting for me and chocolate fudge brownie ice cream (with a candle) for dessert! He also gave me two CDs by English bands that I like and an Arsenal jersey. Arsenal is our favorite soccer team. I can't wait to wear it to the pub.

I have had an amazing two weeks and I am positively exhausted! Now it's time to buckle down and get some directing work. Hope you're all doing well-

Get Loaded in the Park

Last Sunday we attended "Get Loaded in the Park", a music festival held in our very own Clapham Common. For those of you who may be unaware, summers in England are jam packed with music festivals. Get Loaded in the Park is definitely one of the smaller festivals - most are like the Philadelphia Folk Festival, where you camp out for days and check out the acts you want to see. This is only two days, with the second day having the main rock acts.

Jamie and I bought tickets for this festival several months ago. We didn't know any of the bands that would be playing, we just figured it would be fun. And it was fun. Myke and Drew joined us as well.

The show was headlined by Babyshambles. Babyshambles is the new band that Pete Doherty, former singer/guitarist of the Libertines, fronts. Never heard of Pete Doherty, Babyshambles, or the Libertines? Don't feel left out - they are mainly English famous. In fact, the Libertines were a very good rock act. Unfortunately, Pete Doherty can't seem to get off the crack or the heroin. Starting to ring bells? He is Kate Moss's on again/off again boyfriend that instigated her cocaine pr nightmare.

Pete was REQUIRED BY LAW to attend this concert as he also has a habit of relapsing and getting arrested prior to gigs. If he missed it or got loaded, he goes to prison for a long time. Which by rights he should be - he's violated his court orders more times than a tame monkey violates his diapers. Their set was entertaining if uninspired. I later learned that the songs I liked were actually from his Libertine days. And they call him the last great Rock star.

We saw De La Soul of "Me, Myself, and I" fame. I don't think it was their type of crowd.

A DJ called Adam Sky played as well. He was really cool. He had two crazy dancing girls and incorporated live vocals, guitars, and keyboards into his songs. And a trippy video screen with messed up animations. Bet the guys on acid thought it was way cool. Unless it freaked them out.

Speaking of freaked out - when I went to use one of the plentiful toilet facilities (thank you event organizers!) some guy was just hanging out watching people pee. Odd. He left after a bit. They had porta-urinals in case you wondered how he was getting into the porta-johns (porta-loos as they say here)

Lots of other local bands played, some we've even heard on the radio! The act I enjoyed the most was The Young Knives. The Buzzcocks were great too.

Lilly Allen also played - you may not have heard of her either - she's a 19 year old singer who became famous on MySpace. Now she has two videos out and a largish following. She was ok live. I wonder if she'll be around next year.

I wanted to check out the second stage acts. I have always found a band that I really liked at a second stage. Jamie and I trekked over to catch The Pipettes, ostensibly a punk girl group. Jamie and I fought our way into the tent where the stage was located, and promptly turned around. IT WAS NOT GOOD. They were a gimmick band, nothing more, nothing less. What we saw was a couple of girls doing 60's motown dances while singing in front of a "punk" band. Maybe they're better than that, but I'm not going to waste my time.

On another note, last night I saw a live band, went bowling, played crazy English pool (tiny balls?!), and sang Kareoke with strangers.

Until next time!