Thursday, July 14, 2005
Breakfast at home: banana and Joe's Ohs. Today was the first day for Stacey, our new admissions assistant taking Melissa's role in our office. Staff meeting. Lunch today was a going away lunch for Melissa's last day tomorrow. Melissa, James, Cindy, Joel, Kristina, Ena, and I ate at Ebisu, which I had suggested because I knew Melissa loved sushi and that she had been wanting to try this restaurant. Much delicious sushi was consumed, and all had a fun time. James presented Melissa with going away gift certificates for Boulevard, Scharffen Berger, The Imperial Tea Court, and Sur La Table which the office pooled together to get her. She was expressly grateful, but I think I speak for everyone in the office when I say that she deserved all of that and more, and we'll miss her and her amazing skills a great deal. This afternoon I prepped the supplemental application and submitted it to James for one final review. Dinner at home with Patrick: leftovers and blanket-wrapped shrimp. We dropped the car off at a repair shop, then walked from Noriega to Judah to catch an N train to downtown. Saw an American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) performance of Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? directed by Richard E. T. White at Geary Theater with Patrick, Melissa, Karen, and Lana. This play was exactly how the reviews I had read portrayed it: insightful, sensitive, hilarious, brilliant, testing the limits of social consciousness. Pamela Reed was particularly excellent as Stevie. We sat in the highest section—the 2nd balcony. The angle was rather disconcerting and sometimes it was hard to hear the actors. However, our angel's-eye view was, in a sociological way, particularly apt for this play, seeing the tragedy splayed out from above. Patrick and I had seen A Christmas Carol at A.C.T. in December 2003, and Patrick again found the seats uncomfortable because there wasn't enough legroom. (He's only 6 feet tall.) Our seats were B1, B3, B5, B7, B9, and we would like to cast evil spells on the couple who sat in C5 and C7 who talked and unwrapped sticks of chewing gum and zipped and unzipped a purse throughout the entire performance. Late night snack: blanket-wrapped shrimp. Added Sneeper's blog to my bookmarks page. He writes with extraordinary care, I think. I like it.