Morning Musings

  This morning while watching the news I heard that a man was killed outside of his 'nice' house. The apparent reason was robbery, he was targeted because the outside of his house "was nice and neat", so the young men thought the family had money. It turns out that the man killed worked three jobs to pay his mortgage.

Today first class stamps go up to 41 cents. The forever stamps are the same price. So what's the point of that?  I wonder if when you step to the window and ask for stamps, you will be asked, "Would you like forever stamps?" Probably not. It will be up to the consumer ask for the stamp.

This week end I saw a excellent play titled "The Sea". When the actor's first appeared, my first thought was, "oh jeeze, a Chekhov-type play?" I ended up loving it. This is what Wikipedia says:  The Sea is a play written by the English dramatist Edward Bond in 1973. It is a comedy set in a small village in rural East Anglia in the Edwardian period. The play draws on some of the themes of Shakespeare's The Tempest. The play is set in 1907 in an East Anglian seaside community and begins with a tempestuous storm. A well known and loved member of the community dies at sea, and the play explores the reactions of the villagers and the attempts by two young lovers to break away from the constraints of the hierarchical, and sometimes insane, society.The play was originally produced at the Royal Court Theatre in 1973. It explores the reactions of the villagers and the attempts by two young lovers to break away from the constraints of the hierarchical, and sometimes insane, society.  I know that sounds like misery but it was actually very interesting, the town drunk who lived on the outskirts of the village was also the wisest person in town. (laughing).

I had a pancake lunch before I saw the show-a real treat for me. After the show I stopped by Chez Josephine a few doors down, for a glass of wine. I sat outside and read (always have my book with me).  God bless NYC, they put tables and chairs anywhere, don't they? Jean Claude Baker owner or figure head of the restaurant walked outside and showed something to the couple near by, I thought it was a menu. Then he brought it to me, it turns out that he had just returned from Abyssinian Baptist Church where he had given a eugoloy for Adam Clayton Powell's first wife. The eulogy he showed to us was typed and had a letter from  Sen. Barack Obama attached. For some reason I found his sharing this very personal thing with strangers a bit sad. His reminds of Toddy from the movie "Victor/Victoria". Mama Josephine would be proud. Her son has flamboyance and a certain style. (smiling).  

Here is the, Isabel Washington Powell obit.  in a Martha's Vineyard newspaper. After reading Mrs. Powell's obituary, I thought, who better to give  her memorial eulogy than Josephine Baker's son.