T.V.O.D.TM November 2001 The answer is here.  I know you.  I know your mind.   I know your heart.  I know your answer.   Hombres.  Sailors.  Comrades. *

“May God lead us all from death to life, from falsehood to truth.  Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust.  Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace.”

In the evening, it’s Friends, with special guest Sean Penn; in a two-week recurring role, he is playing the boyfriend of Ursula, the twin sister of Lisa Kudrow's Phoebe.  Then Will & Grace, which is funny again after seemingly losing its way, and ER.

Friday, November 2 and after work, I join Bryan and his co-worker Vanessa for dinner at Evergreen Shanghai Restaurant on Broadway at Tenth Street.  While she enjoys a subtle seafood combination, I go for the sizzling platter of various meats and Bryan continues his fixation with moo shu.

Back at the apartment later, I catch another installment of So Graham Norton with his guest Catherine Deneuve (along with Zandra Rhodes).  The French actress watched him surf the Internet for transvestite web sites and helped judge a "worst of British fashion" contest.  It should be noted that these episodes originally aired in England in February 2000 and that Graham Norton is delightfully gay (he also has his own unofficial website).

Saturday, November 3 and the afternoon belongs to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine for the Forty-First Service of Rededication with Investiture of Knights and Dames and Other Grades in the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.

I was invited to the service last month by Father David Roberts MacDonald, a priest of the diocese of Western Louisiana, who has been serving in the Virgin Islands.  This most fascinating man knows where to eat on the Thames River in London and where to backpack in the Rockies.  Recently, he submitted a book to us at Church Publishing for inclusion in the JourneyBook series and which I hope I can shepherd to publication.

Anyway, back to the service, specific to the Priory in the United States of America.  Upon my arrival, I spot the Reverend Adam McCoy, a friend of Canon Tony Jewiss and with whom I’ve had dinner; he is with a friend and they invite me to sit with them.

And that, of course, brings us to the Reverend Canon John Andrew, former rector of St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue and a member of the Priory, as well as Bishops Mark Sisk (being sanctioned as Sub-Prelate in the Order) and Don Taylor of the Diocese of New York.

The sermon is delivered by the Prelate of the Order of St. John, the Right Reverend John Waine KCVO (retired Bishop of Chelmsford, 1986-1996).  I had been hoping for the presence of the Duke of Gloucester (HRH Prince Richard is the Grand Prior; the Sovereign Head, of course, is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II).  Oh, well.

Emphasizing the ecumenical and international scope of the Order, the Prayers are led by Shaykh Abd’Allah Latif Ali, Chairman of the Imams Council of New York, and Dr. Bruce K. Cole, Rabbi of the Free Synagogue of Flushing.

Finally, there is a bas relief in the Cathedral commemorating the day that five women presented themselves to Bishop Paul Moore, requesting ordination.  He had to tell them than canon law forbade the action and it would be almost two more years before women were ordained into the Episcopal Church.  One of those women is our friend, the Rev. Carol Anderson, rector of All Saints, Beverly Hills.

Regarding the Order, it was active in the first half of the second Millennium along with the religious Knights Hospitaller, who served in a hospice in Jerusalem which looked after pilgrims.  That institution has developed into the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital and is the primary recipient of the Order’s fundraising efforts.  As an Order of Chivalry, St. John is unique in its corporate work for the benefit of mankind; its motto is Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum.

As the Lord Prior told the Postulants,

Remember that the Cross you will receive is the sign of man’s redemption; that its arms symbolize the four cardinal virtues, Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude; and that its points stand for the Eight Beatitudes which spring from the practice of those virtues.  May its whiteness ever remind you of the purity of life required of those who fight for the defense of the Christian Faith and live for the service of the poor and suffering.

Do you remember the story of the origin of “the black bird?”  The opening credits to the movie state, “In 1539 the Knights Templar of Malta paid tribute to Charles V of Spain by sending him a Golden Falcon encrusted from beak to claw with rarest jewels.  But pirates seized the galley carrying this priceless token, and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remains a mystery to this day.”

As for food, we have dinner at 3 of Cups on First Avenue at Fifth Street and later a banana split from Ben & Jerry.

We also stay up late enough to catch a new edition of Saturday Night Live with host John Goodman; a surprise guest in one particularly funny skit is none other than original cast member Dan Ackroyd, reminding us of how good the show used to be!

Sunday, November 4 … I had decided to attend the worship service at the Church of the Incarnation; when I was there on Thursday, I noticed that John Andrew+ would be preaching.  And if that weren’t enough, the choir would be performing Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem.  Need I say more?  Well, I will, since the singing is so ethereal; particularly fine is the Libera me sung by bass-baritone Michael O’Hearn.

At the time that Fauré composed it in 1887, he was the influential Organist and Choirmaster at the fashionable Church of the Madeleine in Paris; Bryan and I stayed not far from there when we were in Paris for Bryan’s birthday in August 1999.  And I also have to mention the historical and heartfelt Southern hymn tune, What wondrous love is this?  A song to move you.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on.

Monday, November 5 … “My heart is empty; but the songs I sing are filled with love for you.”  Yes, it’s the dour lyrics of chanteuse Christa Paffgen, better known as Nico; PBS was showing the documentary Nico Icon.  Besides some fascinating interviews with Nico’s German family, and the expected ones with members of Andy Warhol’s Factory, there is a lot of discussion with John Cale, who not only performed with Nico in the Velvet Underground, but later went on to produce much of her music.

He also performs a moving interpretation of her song, Frozen Warning (“Into numberless reflections/
Rises a smile from your eyes into mine/Frozen warnings close to mine; close to the frozen borderline”).  And speaking of Cale, it moves me to listen to his live album, Fragments of a Rainy Season.  On its cover is this quote from Macbeth by Shakespeare, Act III, Scene 3:  Banquo: “It will be rain tonight.”  First Murderer: “Let it come down.”

Tuesday, November 6, and although it’s Election Day, I just cannot bring myself to vote.  I had voted in both of the primaries (the first, on September 11, was dismissed for obvious reasons) and was even buoyed by the candidacies of Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer.  But by this morning, I had become greatly disillusioned by the two major choices.  I’ve no interest in a financial mayor, so that eliminated Mike Bloomberg.  But Mark Green had made a mess of his campaign, resulting in the Reverend Al Sharpton withholding his support.  And even though I complained bitterly about the tactic in the presidential election (which I believe led to the election of Bush), my refusal to vote, along with the refusal of so many others, became the tiebreakerthat led to Bloomberg as our new mayor.

Now, I don’t know why you would find yourself looking for Indian food near my home in the East Village, particularly when most of the restaurants are concentrated in “Curry Hill” or Sixth Street.  But if you did, you could do no wrong with dinner at India Village at 182 Second Avenue just south of Twelfth Street.  I don’t get there often; when we do go out for Indian, it’s more likely at an upscale place like Haveli or one that specializes in tandoori.

I start off with the assorted appetizers ($5) which are really enough for three or more people; then the bhuna gosht ($7.50), a chicken stew cooked with tomatoes, onions and thick spices, along with a lassi sweet (a yogurt drink made with rose water).  By the time I leave, I can be rolled out!

Wednesday, November 7 and we wake up to Mike Bloomberg as the new mayor of New York City.

Will he be good?  Bad?  Who knows?  Certainly, being mayor of this city changes people in extraordinary ways.  Also, Vulcans observe the crew as they encounter an uncharted comet; yes, it’s another episode of the new Star Trek Enterprise followed by West Wing.

Thursday, November 8 … It’s now time to look at the latest release from poet Leonard Cohen, “Ten New Songs” on, would you believe it, Columbia Records.  Yes, it seems that Sony knows the value of a brand name; they have been good stewards of the classical music catalog they purchased years ago, particularly the works of Leonard Bernstein, and they seem intent to do that with the Columbia mark in rock as well.

Readers of this website know how long I’ve been a fan of Leonard Cohen’s.  I bought his very first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, when it came out in 1967 (famous for its back cover of Joan of Arc in flames).  And I watched a documentary about him under the full moon in Paris.

First, though, it must be noted that this album is a collaborative effort.  Song writing and vocals are credited to both Cohen and Sharon Robinson, who also produced.  In addition, all tracks were “arranged, programmed and performed” by her.  Light country inflections now being joined with sweet soul music, courtesy of Ms. Robinson.  Leanne Ungar is credited with mixing and engineering.  This is not unusual for Cohen, who has a deep affinity for the opposite sex and all that it can contribute to him (remember his many fruitful collaborations with Jennifer Warnes?).

Space does not permit an explanation of the generous period of the last decade that Leonard Cohen spent at Mount Baldy, a Zen retreat near Los Angeles led by Kyozan Joshu, Roshi.  But, like his famous love of red wine (and blue raincoats), it’s part of what he is.  That said, for a nice Jewish boy from Montreal he has always been fascinated with Christian imagery (“Sisters of Mercy”, “Hallelujah”, etc.).  And now, on to the songs themselves (you can hear some clips at SonicNet):

In My Secret Life is the opening track and sets the laidback, slow tempo attitude of the whole album.  A Thousand Kisses Deep has the loping beats found on The Future; it is subtitled “a song for Sandy” which recalls his long-ago lover.  “I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed, I’m back on Boogie Street.”  The second track is That Don’t Make It Junk (Gentleman Jim Reeves would’ve loved this one):

I know that I’m forgiven,
But I don’t know how I know
I don’t trust my inner feelings—
Inner feelings come and go.

… You raise me up in grace,
Then you put me in a place,
Where I must fall.

By The Rivers Dark is one of those grand, sweeping ballads that the whole band gets into when seen live.  “And I did forget / My holy song: / And I had no strength / In Babylon.”  Next is Alexandra Leaving:

Do not say the moment was imagined;
Do not stoop to strategies like this.
… Do not choose a coward’s explanation
that hides behind the cause and the effect.

O Crown of Light, O Darkened One,
I never thought we’d meet.
… It is in love that we are made;
In love we disappear.

For what’s left of our religion
I lift my voice and pray:
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.

Friday, November 9 and on cable, I catch “Fish in the Bathtub” with Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara (1999); it reminded me of what I had been in various relationships.

They play a couple estranged after many years, and at a party he asks her what went wrong.  “You forgot,” she says.  And that said it all.

Saturday, November 10 and I get up early to take the bus to NJ and have lunch with mom at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse.  While there, I have the chance to see my cousin Carol and her daughter Nicole at Uncle Emil’s new apartment.  He is almost ninety now and still in great shape.

Nicole has been working for Condé Nast for the last year, specifically for Bride's; she’s lucky as they have just closed Mademoiselle after fifty years!  The publisher is also responsible for Gourmet, and Nicole regularly sees one of my favorite people, Ruth Reichl (the new editor-in-chief) in the hallways.

Sunday, November 11 is Veteran’s Day, and it is also Remembrance Sunday at St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue with Gabriel Fauré.  Yes, “Another Sunday, another Fauré Requiem.”  Truly inspiring and perhaps the fullest expression of all that I want my own funeral service to be.  Joining the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, led by Gerre Hancock, is the Orchestra of Saint Luke’s.

I have to say that, at this service, liturgy, rubrics, preaching and music combine to form a perfect theology.  Even the three officiants officiants (Rector Andrew Mead, Canon Harry Krauss and Curate Park Bodie) move as one body; indeed, even the pieces of the Requiem are choreographed to their movements.

On a lighter vein, Abbamania was a fundraiser for music in British schools with various British artists covering Abba tunes; it was broadcast on cable today.  The bands included Madness, Culture Club, Westlife, Stephen Gately, The Corrs, B*Witched, S Club 7 and Steps (an album is available).

Then, it’s a HBO broadcast of Dress to Kill, the comedy of transvestite Eddie Izzard; it won him an Emmy in 2000 for his performance and writing (it was taped in San Francisco in September 1998).  That is one funny man!

I particularly recommend it to our Anglican readers (“Cake or death!”) but also to lovers of politics and history.

Monday, November 12, is a day off for many Americans but not for me.  Later that evening, it’s the American premier of the latest installment of Absolutely Fabulous, partially designed with American audiences in mind because of the financial support of Comedy Central.

While we laugh, Kabul falls to the combined forces of the Northern Alliance.  And then, it’s off to dinner at Zito’s at 211 First Avenue (near Twelfth Street).  PaperMag says it “has the best pizza crust south of Fourteenth Street, and an old-fashioned chicken parmigiana that can’t be beat.”  Agreed.

Tuesday, November 13, work and then dinner at Brunetta’s.  Back home, I catch the very blue comedy of Robert Schimmel on HBO.

Now, normally such things embarrass me, but not Bob Schimmel.  I’ve known him since managing Catch A Rising Star in Cambridge MA and he’s as funny as ever.  He’s been married to the same person for over twenty years, yet talks about their sex life and his internal organs as if the audience were his gastroenterologist!

Wednesday, November 14, and after work Bryan and I join friends to go to the Hindu Temple Society of North America in Flushing, Queens for the Festival of Lights, specifically celebrating Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth.  Happy Deepavalid and Happy Diwali!

If I may quote from their literature, the Hindu deities (“Vedas”) “expound abstract ideas and concepts.  These got to be presented through symbols in a diction and imagery appropriate to the concretisation of the abstract.”  This particular temple’s principal deity is Sri Ganesa (Lord Ganesha, in the elephant form representing the “universality of creation”), symbolizing the “infinite as the primal sound of creation which the Hindus term as the monosyllabic Om.”  And there you have your religion lesson of the day.

After, the four of us go for Columbian food at Tierras Colombianas in Queens (specifically, 82-18 Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights).  Boy, is that food good!  Most of the dishes are combination platters from ten to thirteen dollars.  I had the breaded fried pork loin, Bryan the fried chicken and, for the others, carne asada, grilled seasoned steaks, along with copious quantities of fried sweet plantains, cassava, rice and, according to Bryan, some of the best and most authentic beans he’s had in ages.

Thursday, November 15, lunch is at the Red Lantern, a Thai restaurant just off Fifth Avenue on 37th Street where we ate last month.  In the afternoon, I stop by the office of Tony Jewiss+ at 815 to take him out to dinner; Bryan and I have made plans for Afghani food at Bamiyan, where we ate last month.

On the way out, Tony sees Dan England, the new Director of Communication of the Episcopal Church; or, as I have been calling him, “the Baptist from Texaco.”  At the time I didn’t realize that was who he was; so I simply invited him along out of courtesy.  It was only during dinner that I found this out.  Still, he was gracious in the face of my probing and certainly an interesting enough person, particularly as he is the spokesperson for the Presiding Bishop.

Then it’s back for Friends, Will & Grace and ER.  The latter show is set on a rainy night in Chicago, bringing this appropriate closing couplet from Randy Newman: “Human kindness is over-flowing; and I think it’s going to rain today.”

Friday, November 16 and on television, it’s BBC America and So Graham Norton; his guest is actress Michael Learned (known for her role as Olivia Walton; the episode was originally broadcast in the UK January 28, 2000).

Later, French and Saunders parody Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman as Dr. Quimn, Mad Woman.

Dinner was at Grano Trattoria at 21 Greenwich Avenue at the corner of Tenth Street in the West Village.  For appetizers, Bryan has the polpette di melanzane con crescione ($7.50) which are eggplant cakes with watercress and gorganzola cheese.  Oh, my God are they good!  I have the mussels in a lemon-pepper sauce; not bad but not the eggplant.  For entrees, Bryan goes for the rigatoni al ragù ($9.50), a meat sauce with pulled pork that is quite nice.  I have the ravioli stuffed with duck and ricotta in a sage sauce.  Again, Bryan picked the right item.  Nonetheless, the service is quite lovely as is the atmosphere.  We’ll be back again.

Saturday, November 17, former senator Gary Hart is now co-chair of the U.S. Commission on National Security for the Twenty-First Century, a government commission on security; I saw him address a forum on “Homeland Security and Counterterrorism” at the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, broadcast on C-SPAN.  But what I found most interesting about his talk related to making government service honorable again.

Unfortunately, he didn’t address the glaring obstacle to such a goal—the ambiguous morality required for candidates.  Young adult service aside (military, Peace Corps, etc.), older adults would find it impossible to live up to the standards that the media impose.  Indeed, I know of no one, friend or foe, who could attain such lofty status. It’s a situation I find terribly depressing, as I know many who would be of great service to their country.  Even I would find a couple of years of dedication to America to be worthwhile.

I have a mid-afternoon supper at Pangea, with shrimp croquettes in a ginger/cilantro sauce and spaghetti carbonara.  Bryan later goes out for fast food and finds Debbie Harry at the Saint Mark’s Bookstore; ah, our neighborhood!

Otherwise, music today is classical; WQXR celebrates the birthday of conductor Sir Charles Mackerras with the Czech Philharmonic performing Bedrich Smetana’s, Má Vlast.  Every spring audiences in Prague settle in for a sumptuous festive occasion: a complete performance of the symphonic cycle by the Czech Philharmonic.  This is a truly supreme, live version on Supraphon (SU 3465-2 031).  I highly, highly recommend it.  In addition, I hadn’t realized that Smetana had composed it after going deaf; another Beethoven story, I guess.

And speaking of abs … oh, that was AbFab on Monday.  Anyway, it’s abs and abs on Fox’s MadTV with an MTV/Fred Durst parody that featured a half-dozen young men in just their swim trunks and beautiful chests and, opposite it on Saturday Night Live, Billy Bob Thornton as a gay pilgrim at the first Thanksgiving with some of the best jokes I’ve heard on that show in awhile.

Sunday, November 18 and it’s Saint Thomas, Fifth Avenue for a Mass in G minor in a setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams.  It was composed for Gustav Holst and his Whitsuntide Singers in 1920.

The only thing that truly disappointed me, however, was the decision to use Edward C. Bairstow’s Anthem at the Communion and his setting of Psalm 90 (“Lord, thou hast been our refuge: from one generation to another”).  Not only did I find them somewhat weak, the Vaughan Williams’ setting of the Ninetieth is one of choral music’s great pieces.

Later, I listen to the original 1913 version of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ second symphony (“A London Symphony” with the London Symphony Orchestra under Richard Hickox on Chandos).  It’s accompanied by an acutely sublime piece by George Butterworth, The Banks of Green Willow.

Monday, November 19 and a nice, long conversation with Dave Wohlman.  David and I got to know each other in the early days of alternative rock when we both had radio shows on WMBR (called WTBS in those days), community radio based at MIT in Cambridge.  Besides our own shows (TVOD for me, Friday Night Live for David), we also co-hosted a morning show, Morning Cartoons, where he was instrumental in teaching me how to be a radio announcer.

We later collaborated on movie parodies for Saturday Night Live, Oedipus’ show on WBCN Boston (Oedi is now, and has been for many years, the Program Director there).  Anyway, for many years, David has been living in San Jose CA, where he worked at KOME before retiring last year (yes, he’s younger than me!).

He still has one of the broadest tastes in music and sent this comment via e-mail the next day:

I enjoyed our conversation and as always, it made me wish we were closer in distance.  It is a wonderful realization that our friendship has carried on (and will continue) for so many years!  I just got a great CD by Industrial Monk called Prophecies and thought of you!

Tuesday, November 20 and at work after 9 am.  We hear from Michelle Petersen that her father, Aristide Rauch, has passed away.  He and his wife were immortalized as part of the Steven Spielberg project, Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation.

Theirs is an amazing story, as survivors of the Holocaust and refugees from war-torn Europe.  Eventually, the Foundation hopes to have the profiles viewable on the Internet; however, there are over 50,000 already!  I believe that one of the viewing sites may be the Museum of Jewish Heritage down in Battery Park City.  Dinner is at Zito’s.

Wednesday, November 21 and since Michelle and her boyfriend Art are in Montreal, we are taking care of her co-op in Battery Park City, just three blocks from ground zero.  Therefore, we are also taking care of Michelle’s new dog, a six-year old Jack Russell terrier.  We take a long walk with the dog, finally circling around near the WTC site.

Believe it or not, we have yet to visit the site, not that one can get directly there.  However, you can get within two blocks and certainly close enough to see the ghostly remains of the tower.

I think everyone must have different responses; mine is simple sadness.  Bryan suggests that the site should be open for everyone to see, to show them exactly why we are in Afghanistan.

Back at the apartment, we return to normality, watching Enterprise (an episode directed by LeVar Burton) and a Thanksgiving episode of The West Wing, centering on the President’s research of turkey stuffing.  And, yes, he finally calls the Butterball hotline!

Afterward, we have dinner across the street from Michelle’s, at the Cove Restaurant (2 South End Avenue).  The food there is quite good with a very extensive menu (necessary considering the varieties of people in the area and the lack of restaurants).  Bryan and I split an appetizer of eggplant rollatini ($7) that was quite delicate, even considering its covering of cheese and sauce; he moved on to a blackened cajun chicken ($14), which was definitely an interpretation of the dish but very tasty, while I had the pasta puttanesca ($12); again, different but very good.  Plus one receives extremely large portions of everything!  Quite a good value if you’re in the area.

Thursday, November 22, Thanksgiving Day, and a very good night of sleep (yes, with the dog between us!).  We got up to watch an A&E Biography show on Andy Warhol before going up to Macy’s to watch an hour of the 75th Thanksgiving Day Parade.

In all my life, I’ve only been three or four times, but it’s always fun.  We got to see all of the balloons and marching bands, as well as personalities Tim Curry (starring in A Christmas Carol) and singer Tony Bennett.

Then it was off to the noon bus and off to Cranford NJ and my parents’ house.  There we were joined by my cousin Carol, her father (my Uncle Emil) and her daughter Nicole for our Italian-American variation of the Thanksgiving dinner.

That meant an antipasto of salamis, roasted peppers and cheeses, followed by lasagna and a small turkey.  Nicole has inherited her grandmother’s abilities in the kitchen and produced an identical lasagna to the one my Aunt Annie prepared every year.

And speaking of dogs, this was a dog weekend as they brought their own, Molly, and my parents had my brother’s dog, Honey.  Wow, from one cat to three dogs!  At 6 pm, we went back down to Battery Park City and Must See TV.  The special guest on Friends was the husband of Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), none other than Brad Pitt.

How is it that that man gets older but changes not one iota?  He really is America’s sexiest man.  The episode featured Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) running into an old high school pal (Pitt) who once was fatter than she was, but has since shed the pounds and grown into a slim stud muffin.

And then a one hour episode of Will & Grace which makes me repeat an earlier assertion that this show is just getting better and better.  Rather than be apart on Thanksgiving Day, Will and Grace join Jack and Karen for a festive holiday motor tour of their respective dysfunctional families, including Grace's domineering mother and Jack's stepdad (guest stars Debbie Reynolds and Beau Bridges), with unsettling results.  From a six-way, split screen opening telephone conversation, even at twice its normal length there was no fat whatsoever.  Just superb.

And did you notice that this makes two months in a row that I’ve mentioned Debbie Reynolds?  After watching ER, we were ready for bed and slept soundly until morning.

Friday, November 23 and Bryan went into work for a few hours while I puttered around our apartment.  Unfortunately, one of the side effects of my new medication is headaches and I have had some exemplary ones!  Dinner is at Pangea; later, I expect to see So Graham Norton.  But it’s not on!  It’s a David Bowie special Cracked Actor followed by The Man Who Fell to Earth, which I’ve already seen a number of times.

Saturday, November 24 and I work on my computer all day, literally twelve hours; but this gives me the chance to mention the two men with whom I deal on the West Coast.  Chris Thorman is the creator of The Rite Stuff (and other CPI software), and Brother Karekin Yarian (of the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory) is his chief liturgical resource.

Sunday, November 25 and we go to Pangea for dinner; this evening the chef has prepared a variation of chicken francais that is just sublime and superlative.  I have it with a side of garlic-infused zucchini.  Finally, we watch a moving and morally ambivalent (they do that so well) episode of The Practice.

Monday, November 26, and a special edition of The Weakest Link features cast members of the various Star Trek franchises; that includes the inimitable William Shatner (Capt. James T. Kirk).  And yes, they’re all rather smart and all rather funny; Anne Robinson had to compete with the laughs generated by the cast members.

When Robinson asked Shatner what his character was best known for on the original Star Trek, he walked up to her spot on the stage and mocked making out with the host, asking, “was that good for you?”  Seeing her non-reaction, Shatner added, “Guess not.”

Shatner survived the first round (John de Lancie, who played Q, was voted out first), but ended up being the statistical weakest link in the second round.

Roxann Dawson (B’Elanna Torres, Voyager) got upset with Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher, TNG) about his supposed coming on to her.  When Robinson asked why Wheaton had voted for Dawson after the third round, he said that he was a “little in love with Roxann. She's the only person here who's as good looking as I am.”  After he was booted from the final three, he said he wanted to play a “parody of a young actor to get a rise out of Anne.  Hopefully I won't look too much like a jerk.”  Oh, well.

The show also featured Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar, TNG) and Armin Shimerman (Quark, Deep Space Nine).  LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge, The Next Generation) was the big winner, taking home a show record of $167,500 to his favorite charity after facing off with Robert Picardo (The Doctor, Voyager) in the show's final round.

Tuesday, November 27 and talk of Captain Kirk brings up one of my more repeated explanations for why I don’t like the word “no.”  It’s the Kobayashi Maru scenario (from Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan).  If you recall, Kirk was the only Starfleet Academy cadet to beat the test, a “no-win” situation designed to test character (he reprogrammed the simulation and “received a commendation for original thinking”).  As he said, “I don’t believe in the no-win scenario.”  Neither do I.

Also, dignified actor Joe Morton (The Brother From Another Planet) is the guest star on Smallville, and Judging Amy has a very moving conclusion.

Wednesday, November 28 and it’s Christmas-time ... and if I’m not a sentimentalist, who is?  We start the evening off with the 69th annual lighting of the world’s most famous Christmas tree, the one at Rockefeller Center, across the street from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  After a very moving acapella treatment of “Have yourself a merry, merry Christmas” by one of our boys in blue, Daniel Rodriguez, the proceedings start with a duet by Tony Bennett and Vanessa Williams, with the Cathedral as a stunning backdrop.  And the season begins.

Every year at this time, Christians around the world begin the season of Advent, a season of introspection and inner light as we prepare ourselves for the remembrance of the birth of our Lord.  And every year, I remind our readers to join in this process, particularly this year, after all we have gone through. Metanoia; turn back and into yourself and find the best you have to offer to others.  My message this year is: Do what is good or do what is right; the outcome will surely be the same.

For music today, the Mass for Christmas Morning by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) with the Gabrieli Consort and Players under Paul McCreesh (Polygram DGG Archiv 439 250-2).  Recorded in October 1993, sung in German with some Latin, the work is subtitled a “Lutheran Mass for Christmas Morning as it might have been celebrated around 1620, on authentic instruments with the Boys Choir and Congregational Choir of Roskilde Cathedral” in at the beautiful Gothic church in Denmark.

The notes state, “Praetorius frequently encourages the most imaginative approach for musical and liturgical effect….  It demands much creative input from interpreters….  The underlying intention, however, is always to create the greatest possible variety of colour and musical experience.”  And it certainly achieves all that it sets out to do.

The blessed Creator of all things
assumed the lowly body of a boy
so that he might gain flesh through flesh
and his creation not be destroyed.

Sumptuous and stunning throughout; one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve heard all year.  “Where are joys?  Nowhere more than there.  There the angels sing new songs and the bells ring in the court of the king:  O that we were there.  O that we were there!”

At 8 pm, this week’s edition of Enterprise with its subtext of religion.  Religion, my friends, is not a bad thing.  Indeed, it is a very good thing, not an “opiate of the people” but the message of love.  Aside from that, the main plot point revolves around a “temporal cold war” with recurring protagonists, the Suliban.  Not a deep episode, but rather fun, and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill (Lt. Tom Paris on Voyager).

And then to The West Wing at 9 pm, where the plight of women and the moral ambiguity of military funding to regimes that support “forced” prostitution shines a light on domestic legalization of it.   The role of Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (New York City resident, Allison Janney) is particularly strong in this episode.

Finally, in a plot reminiscent of Puff Daddy and Jennifer Lopez at the nightclub, Law & Order.  The show is filmed entirely on location in New York City, as you may remember from August 2000, when they were in front of our apartment building.

Thursday, November 29, a day that will live in infamy.   Our landlord has long wanted to get rid of us.  Why?  Are we bad tenants?  Not in the least; no, our rent-controlled apartment rents for $1860 per month; but they can get upwards of $4000, believe it or not!  So through some legal wrangling, they had the Marshall come and change the locks on our apartment!

Yes, we are evicted!!!  The rest of the day was spent in fruitless phone calls back and forth to no avail.  Thus, we spent the evening at Michelle Petersen’s.  Thank goodness for friends; she and Art took in the stragglers (me, in just the suit I had been wearing all day).  In the meantime, we had to eat so it was off to the Cove Restaurant again.  Really, we just wanted to get away from everyone and have some quiet time before the next day began.  But the food was still good.

Now, you may remember my mentioning the Kobayashi Maru scenario earlier in the week.  Watch how my disbelief in the “no-win scenario” plays out.

Friday, November 30 and we’re up at 6 am to begin our attack.  Bryan heads directly to the housing court with a copy of the registered check that we had sent our landlord and I proceed directly to our apartment.  To play it safe, my mother and cousin Lorraine join me in the city, as the landlord has “graciously” allowed the superintendent to open our apartment so that we can retrieve clothing and Rosebud, the cat (this is actually required by law).  I have also contacted my cousin Philip (who owns a furniture company).  Friends in need, indeed, he sends two moving men and a truck, just in case.

But until we hear from Bryan, we’re not doing anything until, magically, Bryan gets a “stay order” from the courts!  Obviously the judge saw some merit in the case and consents to see him on Monday morning.  I enter the apartment while he brings the stay order to the landlord’s attorney.  We remove as much clothing as possible, and then Rosebud, who hasn’t been out of the apartment in years!  We meet Bryan at Michelle’s in Battery Park City and head towards New Jersey.  And thus begins a weekend of waiting; there is no way to predict the outcome at this point.

So how does Tony really beat the Kobayashi Maru scenario?  Even if the absolute worst were to occur (the judge saying “no” and telling us to vacate immediately) what would happen to us?  Out on the street, homeless?  Uh, well, not exactly.  Thirty years ago, my parents (Mad King Ludwig and his queen) had built an addition onto our split-level suburban home in Cranford, New Jersey; now they lived in a new wing with private bedroom suite and great room underneath a huge open kitchen.

After the hearing on Monday we would bring in our movers and bring everything to my parents’ house.  There, Bryan and I would live in the same rooms I occupied before we met, after I came back from Laguna Beach.  This means three rooms along with private bath, all upstairs from an unused living room and dining room.  A beautiful house, with a farm abutting the back yard, a state park across the street and state college with observatory and bird sanctuary towards the front.

Oh, suffering!  Oh, pain!  Like I keep saying, I don’t believe in the “no-win scenario.”  Nor do I believe in starving; so at 6 pm, it’s off to dinner with my parents and Lorraine, with her husband John.  Bryan is rather stressed, to no surprise, and just stays at the folks and takes a well-deserved nap.

And since I do not believe in neglecting my duties as a food correspondent to you, here’s where we went to eat. Umberto’s Clam Bar and Continental Restaurant has been in Kenilworth (the town next door to my parents) for ages but recently changed hands; and for the better it seems.  For appetizers, we have tripe in a light marinara sauce (well, my father as most of us don’t do organ meats), clams oreganata (for me, naturally), an absolutely superb stuffed artichoke, broccoli rabe and sweet sausage and a fresh seafood salad.  All are perfect, and perfectly proportioned.  Then to the entrées, which included thick, tender lamb chops, linguini in garlic and clams, spaghetti in a light aglio olio with small shrimp, more tripe (for mom) and chicken parmagiana (I needed comfort food!).  A smallish dining room seating fifty or so, gracious service (by “Umberto” the owner—but my guess is that’s not his name) and decent prices.

I’d forgotten that about New Jersey; you really can eat well!  We get back to the house around 9 and being very, very tired, Bryan and I go directly to sleep.  And what a way to end the month of November.  Check out December to find out the exciting conclusion!

I spend hours researching interesting websites; the  hyperlinks open in new windows, and are rarely connected to advertiser-supported sites.  Try them and encourage their existence.

Culture © 2001 Anthony Francis Vitale for the T.V.O.D. Companies

From Psalm 121 The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out And your coming in from this time on And for evermore.

Wayfaring Stranger, Andreas Scholl, countertenor, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Decca

Few artists can inspire legions of devoted fans like Andreas Scholl, and since joining the Decca label in 1998, he now counts as one of the world’s most popular countertenors. After several discs of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, he offers this survey of classic English, Irish and American folksongs, providing not only further examples of his smooth tone and natural artistry—but also evidence that a countertenor can draw in more than a small niche audience.

Teaming up with producer Craig Leon (the guiding light of post-punk icons Blondie and the Ramones) and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Scholl evokes the magical folksong recordings of Alfred Deller, the great British father of the countertenor revival. Featured are many of the songs that Deller sang to near perfection in the 1950s and 60s, but the arrangements—for a varying mixture of orchestra with harp, harpsichord and even Appalachian Dulcimer—represent a departure from the earlier lute and recorder settings. Though occasionally these can border on the syrupy, they generally don’t distract from the radiant simplicity of Scholl’s interpretations.

Indeed, given songs that demand a simple line, Scholl’s sweet, polished timbre is ravishing, and the performances of the title song as well as “My Wild Mountain Thyme” and “She moved through the Fair,” are striking examples. Stylistically, the tunes range from the slow, wistful melancholy of the Appalachain folk ballad (“Black is the Color”) to animated Celtic folksongs (“I loved a lass” and “The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies-o”). It’s a meaty collection, and further proof that this once esoteric voice type is here to stay.

At work:  I am the Software & Online Services Editor at Church Publishing Inc., the publishing arm of the Episcopal Church (directly in charge of the Book of Common Prayer and Hymnal among other liturgical, theological and spiritual materials).  Specifically, I am Editor of the Episcopal Clerical Directory and for the next few months I will be involved in the development of the latest addition to The Rite Series project, The Rite Stuff, a liturgical tool for planning worship services.  When completed, it should be one of the most advanced software products on the market.