Back Again...

Why is it whenever I make a pledge to update my blog, that's when I usually have a several month hiatus? It's not as if I don't enjoy blogging...or even that I don't have that many interesting things to say...it just seems to slip my mind...

I have been shamed into making my semi-annual attempt to post more often. My friend Aaron White (who is a very judicious and dedicated blogger) has mentioned more than once that I am somewhat slack in keeping my postings up-to-date, so I will try once again to be more attentive to all three people who read these missives...:-)

Things are going pretty well. There is a potential romantic attachment in the making...waaaaaaay too early to call it anything serious, but she's really quite lovely and I'm interested to see what can happen...I won't jinx it by saying any more...

Just started rehearsal for Mega-Heroes, the show I am directing for Bham Children's Theatre. It's typical kid-show material, but it's basically a big comic book onstage, which is fun. The set is GINORMOUS! Quite possibly the most ornate and large set with which I have worked in several years. The cast is excellent, and I know the kids will enjoy the show. I am also involved (as a cast member) with Side By Side By Sondheim, which is being produced and directed by my friend Jack Mann. The cast of 4 people includes some heavy-hitters of Bham musical theatre. Kristi Tingle-Higginbotham, Jan Hunter, and Lonnie Parsons are my fellow cast members. I have one song and a snippet of a second one, but mine is mostly the role of host/emcee. I think it will be fun...if nothing else, I am learning LOTS of Sondheim trivia while learning my lines. SBSBS runs April 19-21 at Hoover Library Theatre, if anyone is interested.

On the political front, Bush seems to be progressing ever more rapidly towards self-destruction. His news conferences are becoming increasingly petulant, and his ratings continue to drop through the floor...please, God, just get us through the next year and a half...HILLARY IN '08!

The pollen count has to be somewhere around 100%. I drive a black car, and it has taken on the appearance of a bumblebee the past few days. Breathing isn't terribly easy, but at least it's spring. I LOVE SPRING!!!!! :-)

Well, there it is...not much else to report. I promise to at least try to post more frequently...it would help encourage me if those who read would make some comments...hint, hint...

FLT3

Settling Into Routine

Well, the holidays are officially over, life has returned to normal, and I am once again subbing pretty much every day at VHHS. (I am also registered at Mountain Brook, but Vestavia keeps me occupied most of the time.)

Rehersals are underway for GUYS AND DOLLS, which I am directing. The show opens in March, so we have plenty of time to make it perfect. The cast is particularly strong, and we have local celebrity Jeh Jeh Pruitt (of "Good Day Alabama" tv fame) in the role of Sky. Jeh Jeh is a great guy, and it'll be fun working with him. He's also quite talented, and will be wonderful in the role. Leah Luker is opposite him as Sarah Brown, and Mike Bridges & Valerie Lemmons are Nathan and Adelaide. These are all "A-list" Bham performers, so I'm looking forward to a good production. I am particualrly happy to have Ron Wilson with us as Arvide. Ron and I have been good friends for 15 years, and he has always been a sort of "second dad" to me. It'll be fun to work together again.

Not much else going on. The Democrats continue to hold a slim majority in Congress, so I have hopes that gas prices will stay remotely affordable in days to come. I watched Dubya's speech last week with disgust. Not only was he arguably drunk (or just slurring worse than usual) he actually proposed an escalation in Iraq which bears a striking resemblance to the failed efforts in Vietnam. Oh well, I'm sure he never bothered to learn about that "unpleasantness."

A few of my readers have suggested that I may be too harsh on GWB. Personally, I don't think I say half as much as I could. I'm sorry, but when a smug, semi-illiterate, heartless smartass is in the Oval Office, I think criticism is in order. I will grant that he was smart enough to select an even worse VP, so he'll be safe from impeachment. (Dubya may be an uncaring moron, but that beats a malevolent not-so-dumb nazi. "President Cheney" just has a scary sound to it...)

I am still supporting Hillary at this point, but she seems to be collecting a rather formidable group of challengers. Obama is one to watch, as is Edwards. I think Kerry is a good guy, and would have made a good president, but his chances seem slim right now. Time will tell...

On the other side of the aisle, it looks as if the GOP nomination is pretty much McCain's for the taking, unless he really screws up. There are rumors that Alabama Gov Bob Riley is on the short list for VP candidates if McCain gets the nomination. Riley hasn't screwed anything up too badly in his first term in Montgomery, but I still don't want him for VP. Anyone 100 years old with a jet-black pompadour is immediately suspect, in my opinion. Reagan was the last man alive who could pull off that look.

I am watching (well, listening to) a movie about Spanish family life for the third time today, and I have 3 more to go. It's about as thrilling as it sounds.

FLT3

Just in case you ever wondered what they were...

Here are the lyrics to "Rule, Britannia." I am very bored at work today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_Britannia

FLT3

Fighting The Blahs

Ah, January...that lifeless month which brings all the joys and excitement of...(cue crickets chirping.)

The past couple of days have been glum. I don't start back to work subbing until tomorrow (Vestavia High School) and the past week or so has been uneventful to say the least. I spent New Year's Eve with the flu, which was no fun. Now that I seem to be crawling out from under the weather, I am left facing the bleak landscape of the first two months of the year.

Ever since I was a child, I have hated the first 59 days of the year. January is utterly without merit, and would be best slept through. February is (with apologies to the poet) the cruelest month. The thrill of Valentine's Day is gone after middle school...if you have someone special in your life, it's a pain in the ass to come up with a fun and original gift, and more often than not your expectations fall flat. If you don't have a significant other, it's just a depressing reminder of your solitude. Not to mention that by February's end, I am almost ready to scream with ennui. Slate-grey skies and 5:00pm sunsets will do that to you.

Add all of these factors together and toss in some post-holiday blues and a natural tendency towards depression, and there you have my mental state. I have an almost constant feeling of being just inches away from crying, but the "cleansing freshet of tears" (of which Ferrol Sams wrote so descriptively) never quite makes it to the surface. No matter where I am or what I am doing, it just seems sad. Not screaming-with-grief, wringing-hands-and-rending-garments sad...just a low-grade glum.

Luckily, I am about to go into rehearsal for Guys And Dolls (which I am directing) which will help. I am also making a plunge into opera with a chorus part in Opera Birmingham's La Cenerentola (Cinderella.) Although it seems miles and miles away, there is also the glowing beacon of EASTER which shines in the distance. I love Easter...it's by far my favorite holiday. All the warmth and the green, blooming, renewed feeling in the air never fails to bring me out of the doldrums. I need only hear the first few notes of "Welcome, Happy Morning" and all is right with the world. It'll be here soon...until then, I'll just look out the window and pretend I'm in England. It helps. :-)

FLT3

Happy Boxing Day!!!

Well, the gifts have been opened, the carols sung ad infinitum, and enough calories consumed to feed a small European country...yes, Christmas has come and gone once again. Given the progressively earlier retailing of the holiday, I wouldn't be shocked if the malls started hanging out signs reading "Only 364 days till Christmas! Start shopping now!"

Christmas was, as usual, a very happy and exhausting day with family and friends. I was given many wonderful gifts, and enjoyed the day. Being the Anglophile that I am, I am celebrating Boxing Day today. I think I am supposed to give a little gift to the mailman or something, but I may not celebrate to that extent. (Unless I leave that unwanted fruitcake in the post box...)

Much excitement has surrounded the incipient arrival of Jerry, my parents' new Jack Russell Terrier puppy. Jerry should be here on or before 7 January, and he has no idea the tub of butter into which he has fallen. I have no doubt that my sister and I were loved and treated very sweetly as babies, but the attention lavished on Jerry may surpass that which we enjoyed. My dad has built a doghouse nicer than most apartments in which I have lived. My friend Kim is making him a sweater (designer originals at only 8 weeks old...) and my parents' house is already filling up with doggie toys and items. I am just as excited as everyone else, so I can't really be too critical. :-)

More to come...my New Year's Resolution is to post at least twice a week. We'll see how long that lasts.

FLT3

Hear The Bells All Over London Town...

...how joyously they ring! See the lights aglow in London Town and hear each caroler sing...

So goes the song that opens A Christmas Carol, which is being performed this weekend and next by CenterStage. For a glimpse at a few of the stars, check out our website at www.centerstage-productions.org and click on "A Christmas Carol." Scroll to the bottom of the cast list and you will see Scrooge ("Dollar" Bill Lawson,) Tiny Tim (Julia Fleisig,) The Ghosts of Xmas Past (Kim Dometrovich,) Present (Paul McCracken,) and Yet-To-Come (Pam Cooper.) Each of these performers, along with the rest of the cast, has performed brilliantly. If you live in the Birmingham area, please come to the show...you won't be disappointed!

I got nice and riled up reading the editorial page today. More on that in my next post...as for now, It's time for bed. :-)

FLT3

Deck The Malls...

I am currently huddled safely behind closed doors. There is no way the crowd of deranged and driven post-Thanksgiving shoppers can get to me...I hope.

Today is touted as "the busiest shopping day of the year," and I believe it. This morning's news has already shown hordes of shoving, pushing, wildly driven holiday shopping crowds at malls and stores across the country. Bizzare sale prices are being advertised...($35 laptop? A car for $500? All this and more can be yours if you arrive at our store before 4:30am Friday!!!)

I will remain encamped in my secure little bunker until the madness passes. Watching 300-pound women fistfight over video games and giggling stuffed animals is a spectacle I can somehow live without witnessing.

FLT3

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, as usual, my vow to post daily has not been fulfilled (see the last post from 5 October...:-) At any rate, I will once again make that vow, with at least one eye towards keeping it for a while.
Many thanks to all my readers, who now number, I believe, around 7.

Today is Thanksgiving Day, another one of those holidays that gives an anglophile in America a bit of a quandary. As with 4 July, there seems to be an implied expectation to reflect upon how bad everything was in Mother England back in the 1600's. Hmmmm...not so sure I agree there. Yes, there were some issues of religious intolerance which were bad, but I sometimes have difficulty alligning myself philosophically with uptight puritan fundamentalists over the Motherland and the dear old C of E. Oh well, I do really like turkey and dressing and pecan pie...

If anyone now feels the need to blast my blogsite for my being "un-American," please don't bother. I've heard it before. I am perfectly content here in the colonies...I just love England. So there. Amen.

Speaking of dear Britannia, we are about one week away from opening "A Christmas Carol," which I am directing for CenterStage. The show is coming along beautifully, and I think it will be a high point in our season. The cast is particularly warm and friendly, and we have all bonded nicely. From our oldest cast member (75) to our youngest (4), there has been an almost palpable feeling of goodwill and cooperation throughout the rehearsal process. I could not be more proud of a cast...these guys are amazing. Add to that the fact that the cast is comprised (literally) of my closest and dearest friends, and it becomes obvious why this show is so special to me. Is it cheesy? Is the syrup laid on thicker than that on top of an IHOP breakfast special? Sure, and may it ever remain so!

I have two favorite numbers in the show, "Mr. Fezziwig's Annual Christmas Ball," and "Abundance And Charity." Both are rousing ensemble numbers, and each is performed brilliantly. I have really enjoyed watching my good friend, Paul McCracken, in the role of Xmas Present. Paul is by nature a very warm and gregarious guy, and he has embraced the role beautifully. Ditto for Don and Kristy, who are playing the Fezziwigs...sheer magic to watch them. And the list goes on...Aaron White's Fred is sincere and kind and endearing, as Fred should be. Becca Owens' Sally is his perfect counterpart, pretty and sweet and all that Fred's wife should be...Kim Dometrovich is a wonderfully cute and sassy Xmas Past...Pam Cooper's Xmas Future is chilling and commanding...Greg Hagler (one of my oldest and best friends) brings a great sinister quality to Marley...Howard Green (aka the nicest guy alive) is a wonderful Cratchit, and his family matches him in quality and good will...Julia Fleisig could not be sweeter as Tiny Tim...Sam Chalker (one of my theatre heroes) is honoring us by appearing as Old Joe. Sam is a true "man of the theatre" in every sense of the word...and of course, Raymond Quintero as Charity Man is a CenterStage staple, who always turns in a grand performance...Kimberly Piazza and Sam Raine make their song "A Place Called Home" a show-stopper...

...and then there's our good friend and local radio celebrity "Dollar" Bill Lawson as Scrooge. What can I say? Bill takes command of the stage at his first entrance and never lets go. He is truly phenomenal in the role, and a joy both onstage and off. I could LITERALLY list something nice about each cast member, and perhaps I will later. (If I didn't mention you, it's not a slight...I just don't have time to list everyone!)

I am also involved as an actor in "Scrooge," another version of Xmas Carol being presented by Birmingham Children's Theatre. I am playing the role of Bob Cratchit, and while I could never approach the level of quality Howard brings to CenterStage's production, I am enjoying the show immensely. We have an excellent director, Will York, who has done a magnificent job with the show. Many more good friends, both old and new are in this show, and it has been quite a pleasure.

Well, it's about time for dinner, and I will close for now. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all...and I promise to try and get more posting done in the next few days!

FLT3

Yet Another Day

Today I am at Mtn. Brook Jr. High again. So far so good. The classes are small and the kids are pretty okay. Eh, it's a paycheck.

Short update today...not much going on. Ed Howard, the playwright/director of Greater Tuna arrived back in Birmingham yesterday and dropped in on our rehearsal. My co-star Barry Austin and I are having a good time, and Ed seemed pleased with what he saw. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it involves two actors playing 15 roles each...male, female, kids, and even a pet. Lots of fun but MAJOR costume changes. Let it suffice to say that while we are relatively decent looking men, Barry and I quite probably make the two ugliest women in recorded history.

FLT3

What's New...or not.

After many vows of attentiveness and failed resolutions, I am once again going to attempt to update this thing a little more frequently. Given my track record, I can't say that I am 100% optimistic, but we'll see...maybe I'll get on a streak.

We are well into rehearsal for Little Shop Of Horrors, which is going to be quite good. I am having fun with my role of Mr. Mushnik, and the rest of the cast is particularly strong. I think it will be a great success. After that is Greater Tuna (in which I perform) Scrooge with Bham Children's Theatre (in which I play Jacob Marley) and CenterStage's A Christmas Carol, which I am directing. Throw work, sleep, and some vague attempt at a social life into the mix, and life remains as happily busy as always.

Distressing news from Amish country...the rash of school shootings is, as always, upsetting on several levels. Aside from the obvious concern over the safety of children, it sort of makes you wonder how many other wounded, lost souls are out there hovering about a quarter inch above commiting some senseless and violent act. Don't get me wrong...I think anyone who hurts/kills/assaults another person should be strongly punished. I just can't help wondering what in someone's background could be so traumatic as to psychologically warp a person to commit such atrocities. There but for the grace of God go all of us.

I have been reading Sons & Brothers, a biography of JFK and Bobby Kennedy, examining not only their individual lives, but the unique way in which they intertwined. I have always been fascinated with The Kennedys...flawed, yes, but definitely the closest thing to true royalty in America. I have noticed with some distress that Teddy seems to be growing more obese and weathered almost daily. Oh well, at least he can say he has had more fun in a week than most people have in a lifetime. I recently read a biography/tell-all on EMK called The Senator. Written by a former aide, it's about 50% tabloid and 50% true substance, but chronicles all the deliciously decadent excesses for which Teddy is known...booze, hookers, drugs, etc. It's a fun bathroom or beach read...enjoyable, spicy, and imminently forgettable.

Since we're on politics...HILLARY IN '08!!!!!

That said, the midterms are coming up in mere weeks. I predict a landslide for the Democrats, and I am looking forward to it. Congressman Pedophile just drove the knife deeper into the heart of the Republican Party. I think people are finally realizing what a complete mess Bush and Co. have made of things over the past 6 years. It's almost time for Dick Cheney to shoot someone else in the face, and then their defeat will be total.

I am substituting today at Pizitz Middle School. So far so good...only one class has been utterly out of control, and even they were just a little loud and rowdy...no real troublemakers.

Still...I await 3:05pm with great eagerness. :-)

FLT3

Well stated, Eric!

I just read the response to my last posting from my friend, Eric. Although I disagree with some (well, most) of what he said, I am quite impressed with the eloquence and reasoned thought he put into his comments. Quite uncommon for a (presumed) Republican. :-)

As usual, it's late and I am tired, but I will take a moment to mention a fine production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying that I saw this week. It is presented by MCAT (Magic City Actor's Theatre) and it is most enjoyable. I wrote a review on www.ebhm.org/theatre which should be posted in a day or two.

FLT3

Thanks to Andy D for a great link...

See the link below for Keith Olbermann's insightful and erudite comments on Bush's recent asanine comments.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/

All I can say is HILLARY IN '08!!!!

FLT3

Post 9/11 Musings

After watching the 5th anniversary coverage of 9/11, I am more than ever convinced that George W. Bush is the biggest moron in the history of all humankind. From his insipid babblings on the day after the tragedy to his senseless murder of the service men and women he has sent into Iraq, this idiot doesn't belong as dog-catcher, much less as President of the United States. The man is an idiot, a warmonger, a despot and above all a malaproping buffoon. Here endeth the sermon.

FLT3

Back to school...

Today I returned to Vestavia High School to substitute. It was nice to once again have that employment opportunity, and I genuinely enjoy being around the kids. Today I had a math class, which is far from my field of expertise.

Not much else to report...I just wanted to start being more diligent about posting.

FLT3

After a pause...

As usual, I have been a bit slack about posting comments here. My apologies to the 2 or 3 of you who regularly read my musings. Consider this my semi-annual promise to be more diligent. :-)

Today marks the big American Idol audition in Bham. As exciting as it is, I do have to wonder if lightning strikes three times in the same place...oh well, if I wasn't an ancient 36, I would be down there with them. Maybe they'll start an Old Idol sometime soon.

I am interviewing today for what would be a nice little "extra" holiday-season job. Don't want to jinx it by saying too much, but if anyone reads this today, please say a little prayer, cross your fingers, etc. Details to follow either way...

The media frenzy continues to surround the increasingly bizzare saga of the fellow who has confessed to the JonBenet Ramsey murder. While I would love to see this horrifying story come to a close, I am quite unsure of this guy's claims. Is he an obvious sicko? Yes. Has it yet been proven that he commited the crime in question? No. I suppose time and CNN will tell...

My life grows increasingly full and busy...I have wound up in the Mr. Mushnik role in Little Shop Of Horrors, which I am trying to rehearse concurrently with Greater Tuna, two special-event performances, working at Music Plus and Vestavia High School, directing The Last Five Years, and all the general time-demanding activities of life. I am scheduled to get a good night's sleep somewhere around next January...

FLT3

The Boy Friend

Well, we're moving into the third week of Rising Star part 2...the older kids are getting ready to present The Boy Friend, and as usual, they have really impressed me! This is such an amazingly talented group of kids, and they are going to have a phenomenal show. After working with adults for so long, and getting accustomed to the level of attention an adult with a job, family, kids, etc. can bring to a show, it always amazes me at how quickly kids can commit everything to memory. I guess that's what happens when you're still young...all those healthy little brain cells and no real worries...ah, the joys of youth! :-)

Anyway, I am so proud of this group of kids. The future of Birmingham theatre is completely secure. I was commenting to one of the parents just last week that it's kind of scary to be essentially training your own "replacements." There is a great joy, however, in seeing them blossom. There are several kids in this group that have been around CenterStage for years, and to have known them first as little kids and now see them as young adults getting better and stronger as performers is really heartwarming...the cycle of life in full view, ya know? We even have one kid who at 15 has already directed a show, and several others who have worked in professional settings. On the other hand, we have a couple who are almost completely new to theatre, which is also exciting from an educational standpoint...having the opportunity to introduce a young person to the world of the theatre is really an honor. Even if none of these kids ever make it to stardom on Broadway, my hope is that they will all maintain a love of the theatre throughout life. If that happens, we have all done our jobs as adults and teachers.

FLT3

Happy Birthday, Leah!

Today is the birthday of Leah Luker, who is one of my very closest friends. Happy Birthday, sweetie!

(Other things are going on in my life, but I'm too tired to post them after teaching at workshop all week. More to come...)

FLT3

Here We Go Again...

Today was a fun day. We started our second CenterStage Rising Star workshop of the summer. This time the older kids (with a few younger ones joining us) are enjoying classes in acting, music, stage combat, and dance. At the end of three weeks, they will be presenting the musical The Boyfriend, which is one of my favorites. I am very impressed with this group of kids...they are all well behaved and enormously talented.

The violence at the World Cup has been distressing. The Frenchman who was involved in the head-butting was apparently provoked by a comment from one of the Italian players. It's easy to sit calmly here at the computer and say "no words should ever lead to physical violence," but if someone had called my mother a terrorist (as is rumored to have happened) I'd probably want to punch the guy out, too. I would hope that I am civilized enough not to act on that impulse, but if you're already playing for The World Cup, I guess emotions are running pretty high.

Weirdness...I've had the song "Rhiannon" running through my head all day. Now, it's a great classic and all that, but I don't remember all the words, so it's been going something like this:

Na na na na doo doo doo doo
Who will be your lover?
Dee dee dee dee boo boo boo
Something something lover...
Bum bum bum if she promised you heaven,
La la ever will...
Dum dum ever will...

If anyone reading this knows all the lyrics, please send them to me. I'm really getting tired of just humming through 2/3 of the song. :-)

Only three more shopping days until Guy Fawkes Day. I suppose fireworks would be appropriate...God save the queen!

Not much else to report. Cheers for now!

FLT3

Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie...

I just got back from seeing A Prairie Home Companion, and the Rhubarb Pie song is stuck in my head...of course, being a Garrison Keillor fan as well as a Robert Altman groupie, I loved the movie! Add to the fact that Virginia Madsen (on whom I have had a crush for years) is in it, along with Woody "the funniest human being alive" Harrelson, and it's a hit with me.

I fell in love with Lake Wobegon when I was in high school and first discovered Keillor's books. (I even used to have a Powdermilk Biscuits t-shirt, but I have no idea what happened to it.) The film takes some familiar characters, mixes in one or two new ones, and provides a very faithful homage to the A Prairie Home Companion radio show. If you love the books as much as I do, you'll definitely get into the movie. Even if you're not familiar with Keillor's writing, the film still stands alone as an enjoyable story. Below is a link to the more substantial review I have posted on epinions.com.

http://www.epinions.com/content_240225980036

FLT3

God Save Our Gracious Queen...

Well, it's that time of year again...the 4th of July. This is a particularly awkward time of year for us Anglophiles. While the rest of the country celebrates America's independence from The Crown, there are those of us who don't view an affiliation with Mother England as such a bad thing. (I'd much rather be under Tony Blair's leadership than Dubya's, I have yet to find an American city half as grand as London, and a nation where everyone has health care seems damned civilized to me...)
Now before anyone calls Homeland Security on me, I am not suggesting that the Redcoats storm Philadelphia or anything like that...merely suggesting that we could learn a few things from our neighbors across the pond, including:

. The civilized ritual of afternoon tea. Stopping everything for scones with lemon curd and clotted cream at 4:00 could take the edge off God-knows-how-many surly and carb-deprived people every day. The Cadbury Chocolate machines in the tube stations are a nice touch, too.

.Royal Ascot. Yes, we have The Kentucky Derby (which is glorious) but this is beyond words. I have been to the racetrack, but have only seen pictures and news footage of the race itself. Even deserted, Ascot Raceway had an aura of excitement blended nicely with grace. (And yes, I did shout "Come on Dover, move your bloomin' arse!" to the empty stands.)

.The West End. Broadway but better.

. Not that one usually sings the praises of British food (even the British) but one of the best meals I have ever eaten was at Simpson's-In-The-Strand. I think I lived on peanut butter sandwiches for about a week after buying dinner for myself and a date, but it was well worth it. I remember it was July 16, 1995. (I have no idea why I have held on to that particular bit of information, but there it is...)

. European thought has always seemed very sensible to me. If one dares to mention Socialism on these shores, the word usually conjures images of grey, government-dominated drudgery. Although the UK has a Parliamentary government with a figurehead monarch, the day-to-day lives of the people are essentially lived in a Euro-Socialist mindset, and I think I have seen a greater concentration of happy, prosperous, bright, colorful people in the UK than anywhere else I have traveled. (Universal health care and governmental services do not mean that everyone has to live like an extra in Fiddler On The Roof. ) There is also a sense of social awareness and open thought in England that has genuinely touched me. Of course there is crime, poverty, etc. but there seems to be a genuine love for one's fellow man in Europe that we don't always have in the US. There are also sensible, adult viewpoints on social issues which eclipse many of the right-wing hysterical dogma (dogmae?) espoused under the rule of Bush II.

.Elizabeth Hurley. Enough said. :-)

. The sense of history in the UK is amazing. I was fortunate to spend 6 weeks at Oxford through the "Alabama At Oxford" program when I was an undergraduate at UA, and we were literally living in buildings three times the age of the US. My friends and I spent a lot of time (too much, I'm sure) at The King's Arms, a pub immediately adjacent to Wadham College, where we were staying. This pub was like a glimpse backwards into history, from the decor to the regulars, a few of whom I think may have babysat William The Normand. There is a seemingly seamless juxtaposition of the old and the new in the UK...one of my favorite vacation pictures is of a McDonald's in Bath, housed in a magnificent old building, with the Golden Arches smiling out from a window in what looks like a castle. (Admittedly, sometimes corporate sprawl can go way too far, but this was cute...)

...and the list goes on...Westminster Abbey, the white cliffs of Dover, the rough beauty of Newcastle and Durham, The Tower of London, the coast of Swansea, breakfast at a traditional British cafe (baked beans, anyone?), tea in The Georgian Room at Harrod's, a ride on Britrail trains, and the soft, lilting Mayfair accent... (sigh.)

So there you are. I am, as the song goes, proud to be an American, but I am also extremely proud of my British lineage (on both sides of the family.) On Tuesday, I will eat barbeque and watch fireworks with the rest of the nation, but I must confess that at some point, I may also have to enjoy bangers and mash while humming "God Save The Queen."

FLT3