Queen for a Day

Today is my birthday, fair subjects. Let there be much merry-making!

Collective Nouns

Logo-geek that I am, I love collective nouns.  My mother owns a terrific book of them called An Exaltation of Larks. The internet has no shortage of lists of them; here's a terrific compilation, some of which were coined or collected by Dame Julia Barnes in 1486. 

A murder of crows (one of the more famous collective nouns) recently appeared in an episode of Flash Forward.  But all this is merely a preamble to David Malki !'s latest genius, which I graciously reproduce for you below.  In the interest of full FTC disclosure, David Malki ! (see here for the explanation for the interesting "spelling" of his name) in no way compensates me for my faithful fandom.

To the Fifth Power

Compound of Five Tetrahedra, courtesy Robert C. Webb/Wikipedia*

I'm feeling meme-ish today.  No one has tagged me for one in ages (maybe they aren't in vogue anymore), so I'll make up my own.  How about five categories with five entries each?  I like it.

Five North American Cities in Which I'd Seriously Consider Living:

1. Montreal, Quebec
2. St. Louis, Missouri
3. Austin, Texas
4. Cleveland, Ohio
5. Portland, Oregon

Five Songs to Which I Know All the Words:

1. Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy"
2. "Watchful's Song" from the opera Pilgrim's Progress
3. "One Week" by the Barenaked Ladies
4. Rush's "Red Barchetta"
5. "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire

Five Foods I'd Hope to Have in Unlimited Quantities on a Desert Island:

1. Bread
2. Butter
3. Eggs
4. Apples
5. Chocolate

Five Chores I Should Be Doing Right Now Instead of Blogging:

1. Purging my yarn stash
2. Cleaning out the raised beds in my vegetable garden
3. Sorting through the homeschooling cupboard
4. Sewing a button on my green jacket
5. Taking inventory of our coat/boot/glove situation

Five Childhood Friends I'd Love to See Again:

1. Wendy Hegseth
2. Brad O'Dell
3. Bobby Cecchini
4. Julie Rich
5. Peter Engelhard

Now, for the all important tagging.  I'll formally tag five of you, but if you want to play, consider yourself tagged whether I mention your name or not.  Feel free to adapt or change the categories to your liking.  Charrette, LT Eliot, Goofball, Jenna, and Lee Ann: will you play?

*I know: that's an image of five fours, but just go with it.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

 --e.e. cummings

By Special Arrangement

Patrick, Bill, and Bill's sister

I'm incredibly spoiled.  Longtime Novembrance readers know that Patrick does legal work for many Broadway and West End theater people.  Patrick's clients are amazingly talented, and the best, most decorated, and kindest of the whole bunch is a genius named William David Brohn.

On Sunday, Bill was honored at a gala benefit concert entitled "Broadway to West End by Special Arrangement: A Musical Tribute to William David Brohn" at London's Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.  Though our October calendar was already quite inked up, Patrick didn't think we should miss the chance to celebrate with Bill.  Our friend Marucela agreed to watch the kids, so we made plans for our mini-escape.

Saturday night, Patrick and I flew to London; we landed at about 10 o'clock Sunday morning.  We took the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station, then caught a taxi to Marylebone, the charming neighborhood where our dear friend Carmen "LaFabulous" lives.  After a joyful reunion, we sat in her tasteful and spacious flat and chatted for hours. 

We went to dinner at a lovely little gastropub near Carmen's flat and afterwards visited a new gelateria in Marylebone High Street.  After a stroll down the high street, savoring our dessert and looking in all the fabulous shop windows (including those of this bookstore that demands a visit someday soon), we parted ways with Carmen and took a cab to Drury Lane. 

The concert was top-notch.  Sir Anthony Andrews was the Master of Ceremonies, and how divine it was to see him in person again.  We heard some of the best songs from many of the musicals Bill has orchestrated over the years: Miss Saigon, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Showboat, Ragtime, Mary Poppins, and Wicked, among many others.  I wish they had chosen something from The Secret Garden, but I can't complain.  Highlights for me were "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" (sung by Sir Anthony himself), "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" from Showboat, "The Wizard and I" from Wicked, and Bill's "Ragtime Symphonic Suite."

Even better than the music was seeing our dear, modest Bill overwhelmed by accolades from producers, composers, and other theater legends.  Blushing and beaming, Bill's radiant face probably could have powered the entire West End all evening long.

We made a brief appearance at the post-concert reception, warmly congratulating Bill and saying hello to several other old friends.  Then we went back to Carmen's and sat up talking until 2:00 a.m.  We hated having to sleep, but a few hours of rest seemed prudent.

Monday morning, we got up at 6:00, hugged Carmen goodbye, and made our way home.  I love traveling with our children, but I also love traveling alone.  Patrick and I watched three movies in a row on the flight home without a single interruption: heaven.

Then, jiggety-jig, we were home again just 45 hours after we'd left.  Of those 45, only about 6 were spent sleeping.  Whirlwind?  Yes.  Worth it?  Absolutely.