Chicago Snapshots

— Not once getting out of my pajamas for an entire day. Mitchell and I lolled about all day, watching TCM, and having an hours-long conversation (taped by yours truly) which will eventually be (once I transcribe) the next installment in my Mitchell Presents Series.
Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
If I stayed in my pajamas all day at home, I would get extremely worried about my lack of ambition and/or pride. But boy, I needed that day.

— An extremely humorous exchange with a helpful guy across the street who noticed me trying to catch a cab, and helped me out, flagging one down for me. I leapt in, and as the cab careened by that corner, the man and I waved to each other goodbye.

— A 3-1/2 hour brunch with Mitchell, Kate and Meghan. At the wonderful M. Henry breakfast place in Andersonville. We talked and talked and talked and talked. With occasional roaring bursts of laughter. Memories of Kate busting me on my love of that one Skeletons song. She didn’t bust on me because she had an opinion on the Skeletons. She didn’t hate the song. She had never heard the damn thing. But she sallied forth to make fun of it, and it is still such a hilarious memory. Kate was like, “I am such an asshole. Why did I do that?” “Because it was funny, that’s why.” Mitchell, Megan and I reminiscing about the day they sailed out on the ferry to visit me on Block Island. One of the most memorable days ever. None of us ate. We just drank. And goofed off to such a degree that we still cry with laughter remembering it. Our lengthy brunch was a good homey morning/afternoon, with old friends. Friends I am in touch with via text and Facebook but there is nothing like some honest-to-god real-life face-time.

— Going out to dinner with Ann Marie, who blew me away by using a “Parking App,” where you can pay for parking through your phone AND it reminds you when it’s time to feed the meter (which you can do from wherever you are). I realize I am 3 years behind the times, as per usual, but that App could change my experience forever and I am going to sign up. It will be especially helpful for hair appointments, as Ann Marie pointed out. My hair appointments tend to be in the Epic Range, and if I drive to my salon there is no parking lot and I have to find street parking. But besides all that, it was so great to catch up. She and her boyfriend had been in Paris when the bombs went off (only blocks away) and because of FB, we knew they were safe, but she told me the whole story. We filled each other in on all of details of our lives, and it was a great touch-base with someone I’ve known for 20 years. I treasure my friendships. They keep us connected to who we are.

— My sleep was AWESOME in Chicago (I’ve been really struggling, and it’s at the Apex of my Maintaining Stability Triangle, so it’s been so disheartening. I’m seeing my doc in early March about it). So traveling was a bit anxiety-provoking, especially because I’d be staying in someone else’s apartment and out of my normal routine. But I got 8 hours (sometimes more) every night, and my sleep mask was in high gear, and so I’m strangely proud of getting back on track. (Which I then promptly lost my first night back in my apartment. Can’t win ’em all.)

— Going to see Mitchell in a new Philip Dawkins play called Le Switch at About Face. It’s the world premiere, and I would say keep your eyes peeled for it because the play has LEGS. Boots made for walking. It was a lovely and funny and thought-provoking script, with 5 well-drawn characters who felt like they were alive, as opposed to types or metaphors. The struggle (in each character) to break through to a new level of understanding/acceptance of who they are felt real. There was tension, too, a fear that perhaps it wouldn’t end well. But it is a romance, ultimately, and people torture themselves in the name of romance. And not only that, but The World sets up the template for what romances should look like. That Template is so set-in-stone that it basically CREATES a subversive underground, almost automatically, and it also keeps people imprisoned. It’s happened to me. It’s happened to everyone I know whose life does not look mainstream, does not have the “normal” trappings. Yes, I know: NO ONE is normal, but take my word for it: It’s different when you are so outside the norm that you almost create your own category. There’s a reason why I’ve called myself an “outlaw.” It’s better than the other terms I’ve used: “I’m behind.” “I’ve missed the boat.” “It’s too late for me now.” FUCK THAT. I’m done with it. Mitchell and I talked about that in terms of relationships, and Le Switch, with its story of a group of friends at the very moment that gay marriage became the law of the land. There were some really interesting points made, maybe even controversial points, or at least points that would make you think. Gay marriage is a triumph for equal rights. But there were still those with mixed feelings about it (and why not? They had been “outlaws” to the mainstream for their entire existence on this planet. That “identity” won’t vanish overnight.) I cared about all of those characters. The script is HILARIOUS. At one particular line, the woman in front of me laughed so hard she threw her head back, and her long flowing locks whipped down and brushed my knees. Now THAT’S a funny play. If you live in Chicago, I highly recommend it, although there’s only one week left, and it’s practically sold out. I attended with Mitchell’s friend Shantira, whom I have heard so much about, so it was really fun to get to know her. Mitchell is a Connector, like Malcolm Gladwell discussed in The Tipping Point.

— One night Mitchell had his show and I stayed in. I lay in his bed and watched three successive episodes of The Forensic Files. It was awesome. I do not have television hook-up in my apartment, and so the whole “channel-surfing” thing is now so outside my normal experience of life. I use my TV for movies I rent only. So it was so fun to surf around, find three straight hours of Bloody Murder (one of my favorite genres), and settle on in. Before beginning my bedtime ritual, akin to a cat spinning around and around and around before lying down. You have to get the formation just right before you slide into obliviousness.

— Dinner with Mitchell and Jordan and Brian. Two of Mitchell’s dearest friends, whom I know as well, and love. They are so kind, so funny. Outside was a driving wind and snowstorm. Inside was the lasagna special and a hilarious and in-depth conversation. We went from Zac Efron, to guitar lessons, to Jordan’s new job, to American Idol. All with the warm and gentle feeling around the table of people who love each other a lot. Brian drove Mitchell and me home, a blessing because the night was pretty bitter and icy.

— A late-night pow-wow with Amy in her gorgeously re-decorated kitchen. I so rarely get to see her (except on Facebook), and I know her mainly through Mitchell. We talked about Carol a lot, and a production she had just seen, a musical version of Haynes’ Far From Heaven. We talked about my Gena Rowlands/Angelina Jolie thing. And sundry other topics, including the kitchen-redecorating process which, naturally, was an ongoing comedy of errors that ended up turning out really well.

— Mitchell lying on his bed. Me sitting in his kitchen where I can basically SEE him lying on the bed in the other room. Both of us posting on our Facebook pages, and then commenting on each other’s posts. While in full view of one another. It made us giggle.

— Going out for drinks with Mitchell, Shantira, Mitchell’s boyfriend, Stephen Cone (who is the lead in Le Switch, and – totally coincidentally – I just interviewed him for his beautiful feature film Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party. The fact that he was rehearsing a play with MITCHELL is one of the most “wow it’s a small world” moments ever. It was great to put a face to the name.

— Oh, and I got to actually watch Supernatural in real time, tuning in for the new episode on Wednesday night (after my 3 hours of Forensic Files.) I felt like I had bought tickets to a MOVIE, that’s how different it was. Normally I have to wait until it launches on Amazon (the following afternoon.) So watching in real time made me feel like I was participating on another level (the level that long-time fans have participated on, week after week after week since Two-Thousand-Freaking-FIVE. And this show is under-estimated, ignored, or completely not-heard-of to people outside its fan base why?)

— And then, of course, there were the things Mitchell and I watched and discussed ad nauseum. This is only a small sampler.
Part 1.
Part 2.

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2 Responses to Chicago Snapshots

  1. JessicaR says:

    Oh, I mean to share this on the original clips post but some kind soul put up the entire, with ads, The Beatrice Aurthur Special, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q63ZNcAyHHg. Camp yes, but good old fashioned show business brio and professionalism too. And the duet between Bea and Melba Moore is just great, like we’re eavesdropping on a conversation between two old friends, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ_Oeqq3hhI

    • sheila says:

      Jessica – thank you!! Sorry, your comment went into moderation because of the links.

      Can’t wait to watch.

      I mean, the Bea Arthur Special? We were so lucky and we didn’t even realize it!!

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