Cultural Immersion Week!

Cultural Immersion Week!

I am feeling well-cultured this week! When it rains, it pours! I'm not sure if I've ever had such a cultural feast! In the last 7 days, I've been to one "art film," two plays, and my book club! I also watched "Dancing With the Stars" and "American Idol!" (O.K., so maybe those last two don't FULLY count as cultural dance and concert experiences, but they were fun, too!)

My childhood friend, Cindy Gass Fetch, sent an e-mail recommending the movie "Barney's Version," starring Dustin Hoffman. Knowing Ed was going to be out of town, I asked my long-time friend, and hairdresser of 26 years, Robert Vento, to go to the movie with me, after my hair appointment!

After I was "colored and trimmed," (I hope I didn't shock anyone too much with the revelation that I color my hair!) Robert and I successfully navigated rush hour traffic, and made it to the movie with a few minutes to spare! Although I enjoyed the 60's and 70's music, and the scenes shot in Italy, I found the movie to be "unsettling." It's the kind of movie you find yourself contemplating, long after it's over. The aging issues presented in the movie are not fun to think about! Enough said.

Book Club met Monday. I've already blogged about that! Always a good time. I'm looking forward to discussing Pat Conroy's My Reading Life next month. (I've issued an invitation to Pat Conroy, via his blog, to come to book club! I'll let you know if he responds!)

Robert mentioned that he'd heard from two different clients, that the play, "Superior Donuts," at the Horizon theater, was really good. I asked Ed if he wanted to go to the play with Robert on Wednesday, and Ed said, "Why not!"

We joined Robert for a very interesting (and delicious) dinner, with New Orleans undertones, at Parish, in Inman Park. I had a veggie plate over some great grits. Ed tried the stuffed catfish, and Robert had a HUGE fried boneless chicken breast with collards. The bluesy keyboard player added just the right touch of atmosphere, without being so loud we couldn't enjoy our conversations.

We moved on to the theater, and got good seats, to the right of center stage. (We were across the aisle from Atlanta's Frugal Guru, Clarke Howard!)

While we were waiting for the play to start, we had some YUMMY giant cookies for dessert. (And I MEAN G-I-A-N-T! Butter Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin.) During intermission, we also sampled some OH-MY-GOODNESS-GREAT doughnuts from Sublime Doughnuts! We had a "S'more" doughnut and a STAR SHAPED "Orange Dream" doughnut! (I had never seen a star shaped doughnut before!)

When I got the cookies, I saw 4 PERFECT doughnuts in a clear cake stand, on the counter, which I thought were wax decorations,  setting the mood for the play! Later, the director told us that there would be doughnuts for sale during intermission. That's when I "got a clue" that the doughnuts I'd seen on the counter were REAL!

"Superior Donuts" lived up to its hype. The entire play took place in the doughnut shop. The actors were exceptional. We pulled for the underdogs, disliked the jerks, and empathized where appropriate! None of us wanted the play to end. Best play I've seen in a long time!

Lastly, last night, Ed and I took Brittany, her friend Caitlin, Blake, and Faith to see Peter Pan, in 360 degrees! (Pemberton Place, between the World of Coca Cola and the Georgia Aquarium.) The flying scenes reminded me of standing in the old Disney "America the Beautiful" attraction, where everyone felt like they were flying!

The flying scenes were breathtaking, the sets were creative, and the circular projections enhanced both. The dog and two-person-rolling-ticking crocodile were scene stealers. When the audience chanted together to revive Tinkerbell, even the most hardened skeptics must have felt a smidgeon of the magic!

What a great production! What a great week! And now, after all the excitement I've had, I have a whole WEEKEND to enjoy! Y'all have a great weekend, too!