Les Miserables Review
February 24, 2006
We went to see Les Miserables as planned. I think it must have been one of the coldest nights of the year; the walk from the Boston Common parking garage to the Opera House and back was absolutely brutal, especially in a slitted skirt and heels! But the show was incredible. Incredibly depressing, but incredible. How aptly titled it is! The set, according to my mother, was nothing special, but I disagree. It was simple, but it was the largest real-life transformer I had ever seen. :-) And the scene where Javert commits suicide was beautifully and creatively conveyed with the rotating stage and fantastic lighting. I prefered Eponine's voice to that of Cosette, and especially loved the rendition of "On My Own". We also particularly enjoyed "Master of the House" given it's Seinfeldian reputation. We were surprised when a fellow attendee commented on Justin's dress during intermission. No men wear suits anymore it seems, and I myself was surprised at just how many women were in jeans. (I wasn't thrilled with that as I thought back to my own painstaking outfit preparation!) I would definitely go see this again (if the opportunity presented itself). What next...Riverdance?! I heard it was also excellent.
Celebration
February 14, 2006
Well, the mystery was solved when we arrived at Bisuteki Japanese Steak House on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. This is PARTICULARLY wonderful because after going to a release lunch at Koreana in Cambridge a short time ago, I mentioned how cool it would be to go back when they could cook the food right in front of you...which means that my man had been paying attention to me. Guys, there's no better present than that on Valentine's Day!
I had the lobster. They boiled it prior to the chef coming out, but then he grilled it up with mushrooms and scallions. When done, they put the mixture back into the in-tact lobster body. My boyfriend ran into some old friends; they ended up sitting right next to us and we're not sure if their daughter left the table early because of a comment he made about the lobster (a Larry David moment?). I didn't even feel the two orders of sake because there was so much other food as well: soup, salad, shrimp appetizer, rice, onions and zucchini mixture, sprouts.
We were a little too early for the dance so we sat for a bit in the hotel lobby, reading a little handout magazine about things to do in Boston and feeling a bit like we were on vacation. From that, we learned that Les Miserables is actually on its final tour! (Thank goodness I have tickets for later in the month.) The hostess from the restaurant then came out and we asked her how to pronounce the name of the restuarant properly. She informed us that it is just a word that means "beef steak" and has no roots in Japanese. My boyfriend asked her if she spoke Japanese and then proceeded to say a few phrases to her. We're not sure if he messed up or not, since she just smiled and giggled!
The dance was fairly uneventful. The $10 charge at the door was quite surprising (it's usually $6) considering there were just a few streamers up and a few paper hearts tacked to the wall. People didn't bring much food, although I will thank whoever made the brownies! I was looking amazing (I finally got the hang of the new haircut) but feeling low because my dancing was terrible. However, it was difficult to leave, since you do have so much fun just talking to people.
February 13, 2006
Because the actual day (post-work) will be hectic, we decided to exchange presents last night. Actually, I suggested it. (Those who know me know I can't wait to give or receive presents!) I went a little crazy and got him 3 gifts (plus one we could share). To my surprise, I got a gift back AND the marvelous flower (shown below). How extraordinary. How "it's about time!"
Thoughts from an Enlightened Male
February 8, 2006
Today I went to lunch with a male friend and he said that he thinks of Valentine's Day as an "extra birthday for the girl." (My boyfriend poo-poos that idea, I think because he feels it should be equal. I'll refrain from offering an opinion here.) This friend also told me about a web site (that I looked at but to which I will not link) that talks about an equivalent day for men in March. Of course their idea of perfect gifts involves food and sex.
Plans
February 5, 2006
Back when I was involved in musical theater (high school and pre-high school) I ended up singing several songs from Les Miserables, and I've still not seen the actual show! So as my Valentine's Day treat to myself and my boyfriend, I bought tickets for the 24th. I'll be sure to write about the experience (either here or on my blog) afterwards.
The other interesting factor is that for the first time ever, a boyfriend of mine has--without any of my assistance and hardly any prompting--made reservations for dinner on the night of the 14th. All I know is that the restaurant is somewhere in Cambridge. I'm very excited about this. In my opinion it's what a real man should do and just goes to show that I've dated boys mostly all my life. After dinner we plan on making an appearance at the Valentine's Day dance.
History of Valentine's Day
February 5, 2006
The History Channel web site has some interesting information about this holiday and St. Valentine.
