Columbia U Shakespeare Seminar

Dear family and friends,

After a rushed morning because I slept so late, I prepared a sort of résumé for Pete at MIT. Our website will be moving there very soon: our brilliant Jeffery is working with their brilliant Belinda to get, as Eric, would say, "all our ducks in a row.” Pete wanted to have a listing of the work we four hamletworks.org editors had published or that had been accepted, and talks we had given, since 2007. For those still teaching, he wanted to know how we have used our site in our assignments. Nick responded to that very well, but I haven't been teaching, of course. Only three years, but my list filled 2 pages (12 pt. Times font)!

After that it was a rush to get into the City for the Columbia U Shakespeare Seminar Board meeting at 4 p.m. Usually the trip takes an hour in mid-day but yesterday it took over 75 minutes, so I missed the first 10 minutes or so. I was there for the important part, though, of choosing a roster of speakers who could be asked and designating who would receive the Bernard Beckerman honor.

Merwin, who is my rock, drove me in. He didn't think I could manage the train, and he was quite right. Managing with the walking I had to do was challenge enough. He read during the Board meeting and attended the talk, which was so far out of what I think about that it was entertaining. It was about a play that dramatizes a board game, Arden of Feversham, about the varying positions of the wealthy in an audience (on stage, in the far above, in boxes at the back of the stage), and much more. The speaker, Gina B from the U of California, Davis, was charming, young, enthusiastic, responsive to the questions posed by her respondent, Jean H. from Columbia. and by the audience. I asked a question, which is not my usual practice, but the handout she distributed showed, in its quotation from the play, bracketed “[asides]” and other stage directions. My query: how would these moments have been handled, for the original script does not show the word "asides" (which is why they were bracketed in the copy she gave us.]

Before the talk we had our usual hour of drinks and chat, and I enjoyed seeing friends there and also at the two meetings, Board and Seminar. Most of us have known each other for a long time. And new friends are delightful to meet. Some were of course surprised to see me with a cane, but I could quickly explain that it was a temporary thing. Those who read my blog, like Joe, know more than most will ever learn about me.

Between the Board meeting and the social hour, I noticed that the Seminar office was open and asked Alice, who runs it, about money remaining in my account. It's big! Over half. (This is a subvention from the Columbia Office of Seminars). And Becky wants to continue working with me. This is a relief. And now I have to figure out exactly what the best way to use her would be: it would help if she came here, at least for an initial tutorial. Let's see how it works out.

After the talk, Merwin and I lived a kind of comedy: he was looking forward to a snack afterward at Popover's (86th and Amsterdam), so we had given up on the idea of joining some of the seminarians at the Amsterdam Café (near 119th). We dropped off Bill G., who has to use a walker now, at that restaurant and saw, anyway, that there would not have been a close parking place. We got to Popovers, parked right in front of the restaurant, and then saw at the door the notice that it had been closed by the Board of Health! We were so sorry about that for their sake but even more about missing the meal we had hoped for. He approached another nearby restaurant on foot, but it was mobbed and there would have been a long wait for a table. So off we went to Long Island, discussing many possibilities, passing on one that had no parking in front, and another that was darkened, but finally ending at Le Citron, where I had a salad, a glass of Merlot and, unfortunately, two big crusty rolls with too much olive oil, which gave me a belly ache all night.

I realize I have missed some windows of opportunity to speak by phone to our granddaughter Rachael: she is off somewhere starting today, probably for a while. And we want to talk to Sandy, who is back in Cleveland: her mother is now in a hospice facility rather than hospice at home. Somehow, time goes by so quickly!

I got a lovely card from Leslie at the JCC: I miss my friends there; thanks, Elaine, for being a regular respondent.

Up early for a busy day! It's sunny and inviting, but first my stationary bicycle.

Love to all,
Bernice