Birthday!

Today was my birthday. I met my friend Maria for brunch at the Windup Bird Café. When we were somewhat better vegetarians, we used to joke at brunches about "committing salmon" - today we both had smoked salmon eggs benedict... partly for nostalgia, mostly for salmon. The (handsome, young) waiter called me "darling" repeatedly and when he learned it was my birthday, brought me a dense slice of dark chocolate cake, flecked with gold, on the house.

Meanwhile, back at Majlis, a team of volunteers moved lots of heavy stuff.

I went up to a music salon afternoon at my friend Michael's apartment. It was a mix of people I know slightly and people I've known forever. I sang the Seguidille from Carmen, and Rosina's "Una voce poco fa" from Il Barbiere di Siviglia.  People sang songs from classical to indie, followed by chili, wine, more cake, opera gossip, and general banter.

Yesterday the band had a rehearsal with the Poculi Ludique Societas for their upcoming "Fulgens and Lucres" with astute direction by Matthew Sergi.  There's an above-stairs and below-stairs plot (two leading men pursue the noble Lucres; their knaves, played by tiny women, chase her solidly-built maidservant) and there's enough double-entendre to make our gittern-player blush. We look forward to the November shows.