On My Mind
August 27th, 2008 by Julie Silver
Two games left in that stadium with The Team That Dare Not Speak its Name. Two hours until the first pitch. I might blog after the game. Last night the boys in red socks logged a W (not a “dubya”) and I don’t want to give it, in the words of almost every one in my life over 60, “a kenna hora”. From my mouth to God’s ear, we should have another W, live and be well, poo poo poo.
Here’s what I’m thinking about: My friend Dave, let’s call him the Rhoda Morgenstern in my life, always has the same answer when I ask him how he’s doing. “Read my blog”, he says. I’m not too keen on that answer. Don’t get me wrong–I read his blog all the time. But when I ask, I actually want him to tell me how he’s doing. I don’t want to read what tens of thousands of other people are reading. I don’t want a status update. I mean, he’s practically my husband (if that were in any way possible, which it isn’t). As I used to say to my daughter, “Use your words, honey.” Of course, that was before she started a punctuation-free sentence about a year ago which still has no end in sight.
If I took his advice and read the blog to find out how he’s doing, we’d never talk. Which is sometimes what I think my go-to play date, my afternoon movie partner, my sushi loving friend of friends might really be looking for. But I know in my heart that this cannot be.
Some say the definition of a bore is someone who tells you how they REALLY are when you ask. Sometimes waiters come to my table during a meal and ask me “Is ANYTHING alright?” But floating somewhere in the middle of all of it is the language that only two friends can speak. The low-down. The skinny. Just the facts, ma’am. The ugly truth. The real deal.
The Rhoda and Mary.
Let’s face it. There isn’t much I don’t want to hear. Except of course anything that has to do with The Team That Dare Not Speak its Name.
Post a Comment
August 26th, 2008 by Julie Silver
How I love the long season of baseball. In fact the only thing I love more than the Boston Red Sox is the long season itself. Today we’re starting a three game series against The Team That Dare Not Speak Its Name in their soon to be demolished stadium. Good riddance I say. I never believed in the curse of the Bambino, but for some reason this morning I woke up with one thought: It’s finally going to be over. WHAT is finally going to be over I cannot say. But curse or no curse, after these next three, we never have to play in that stadium ever again. Now I’m not going to dump all over The Team That Dare Not Speak its Name here in this blog. I love New York, I love my father-in-law, and I love my friends who happen to love The Team That Dare Not Speak Its Name. But I will say this: Giambi looks like a prison chef and A-Rod is a ball-slapping whiner!
I’ll be fine.
Post a Comment
July 18th, 2008 by Julie Silver
Concert Photo, July 10, 2008, Rio
Post a Comment
July 17th, 2008 by Julie Silver
Rio, July 2008
Back on the blog after far too long an absence.
It is 8AM Saturday the 12th of July, and my time in Rio de Janeiro is coming to an end.
I arrived on the 7th of July, 2008, but in truth, my voyage to South America began with a phone call in December of 2007. We had just arrived in New York after I had been on the road for the entire month doing concerts, mainly in the Southeast—Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama. That tour culminated in several performances at the San Diego Convention center for over 5,500 Jewish leaders from all over North America, Israel and parts of Europe. It was incredibly validating—to stand before the Jewish Community and realize that 20 years of writing, traveling and recording have passed and this faithful community of learners and teachers continues to embrace my work. I am grateful beyond words for all of it.
While at that convention, I shook hands with more than the usual number of Latin Americans. There is little I enjoy more than speaking Spanish with native speakers. I left that conference with a tangible sense of hope that one day I might visit Buenos Aires or Montevideo, and bring my music to a Spanish speaking country. All I want to do is use the Spanish I became so fluent in while living in Spain, I thought. And although speaking with our beloved Sonya and Lillian in our home has become quite natural, I wanted to speak of more relevant things with like-minded people—preferably outside of Southern California.
So there I was in New York, preparing for our annual Chanukah/Christmas/Mary’s (real) Birthday party when I received a call from my good friend, Rabbi Len Thal who is the Senior Vice President of the Reform movement. He was sitting in his office in Manhattan with a woman named Miriam Vasserman, a Brazilian and Board Member for the World Union for Progressive Judaism in the South American region. In that moment he switched the call to speaker and I heard Miriam’s voice, I knew that my prayers had been answered. I was being invited to sing in Brazil.
Lenny gave me an overview of the conference that was to take place in July, and whenever Miriam chimed in I could hear the accent that had become so familiar to me over the years as a lover of Brazilian music. I remember the moment I first heard artists like Antonio Carlos Jobim , Caetano Veloso, and Milton Nascimiento. I felt like I had found long lost relatives. The music made me want to dig deeper and deeper, and head for the roots. I can’t say I’ll ever actually touch the roots of this rich, beautiful music, but reaching for them feels really good.
Come on back for more on my actual trip later.
(1) Comment
June 8th, 2006 by Julie Silver
Fastidious J as Julie Andrews, Maria in The Sound of Music. Just as an aside, Judy Aronson, one of my dearest friends, was my Hebrew School principal when I was 4 feet tall. I used to do anything to get thrown out of class and get sent to Judy's office. She had curly hair and blue jeans and she hung the moon. Here we are at the Friar's Club in Beverly Hills where I was about to roast our friend Doug Cotler. I made this dress from some old drapes!
Post a Comment
June 8th, 2006 by Julie Silver
The Solitary Man
The Two Faces of the Two Faces
Post a Comment
June 8th, 2006 by Julie Silver
This is us at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this past year in New York. Here we have, from top left going clockwise, Uncle Sumner, Mimi and Pop, Fastidious J, Mary Mary, Leo the hockey player, Jonah the fabulous chef and Aunt Robin holding her neice, Sarah E.. When we finally returned to LA and unpacked, confetti from the parade fell out of my suitcase. It was suuuweet!
Post a Comment
June 8th, 2006 by Julie Silver
Let me just say that these are three of my all time favorite people in the world. Gretchen and Robin are the best Aunts in the galaxy. Just look at that happy baby!
Post a Comment
June 8th, 2006 by Julie Silver
Doesn't she look like she has no hind legs? Not to worry, she's all there–and then some.
Post a Comment
June 8th, 2006 by Julie Silver
Today I had a whole conversation with Sarah Baker about salad and salad-dressing, and how difficult it is to ask for dressing on the side but how lousy it is to have a salad drowning in dressing because you didn't want to go through the difficulty of tossing it at your table. Something to think about.
Post a Comment
