The Globe and The Swan

A swan and goose who have become friends on Lady Bird

Lake. Swan is on the right. Both are cleaning their

feathers.

February 13, was the first day that the Shakespeare Globe Theater put it's tickets on sale

for the July performances and I hurried to my computer to arrange for tickets to Richard 3rd.

Believe it or not, tickets to all the July performances were almost sold out. I guess having

the Olympics this year put a great surge on ticket purchases. However, I did manage to

nail down 6 for our team. Luckily, they were good seats. Riding on my lucky streak, I also

made reservations at the Swan, the restaurant attached to the Globe. (thus my reference to

the swan in my title.) How clever! I did manage to screw up the restaurant reservation, at

first, by hitting the wrong key on the computer. Instead of setting the date as July 18 which

was the date of Richard 3rd, I punched in Feb. 13, which was our current date. In a few

minutes, my laptop was humming and Justine at the Swan sent me an E-mail correcting

my faux pas. Now everything is right on track again. Amazing how quickly you can mess

up things with a premature SEND on the keyboard.

Saturday, Feb. 18, and it is raining in Austin. We worked out in the gym this morning.

Quite a few condo neighbors were also huffing and puffing with us although most of them

are young enough to be our grandkids. While they run at warp speed on the treadmills,

we trudge along, holding on tight to avoid a sudden catastrophic event. In the afternoon,

we went to the Violet Crown, the movie house nearby and saw The Descendants, a very

unusual film starring George Clooney. Aside from a basket full of foul language, which

is appropriate to the story, it was an excellent portrayal of a family visited by an unfortunate

happening that ultimately solidifies their relationship. It describes the frailties of

poor humans and how we manage to deal with problems that are often self-inflicted. In

the end the story seems to convey the message that we choose the course that is most

important for our own happiness as well as consideration for the happiness of others.

After we returned to our apartment, received a phone call from son, Darrell. He is arriving

on Feb. 22. The TV has been televising Whitney Houston's funeral and Dar and I discussed

rational behind the great public interest in her life. I thought she was an excellent vocalist

but thought that the outpouring of grief was somewhat overdone. Darrell, on the other hand,

felt that the public measured her worth more than just a singer but as a very dedicated

performer who gave every moment to her craft and as a performer himself, knew of

the constant effort, 24/7, she took to please the audience. What do you think?