Farmed Out

A mindless and annoying social media game becomes a dessert.

I blame my single friends.

Brief Encounter of the Small World Kind

In December, I treated my parents to the Broadway show "Brief Encounter." We hailed a cab near Penn Station and as we sat in traffic I started a conversation with our spirited and seasoned cab driver.
Somehow, the word Buffalo came up. Turns out, our driver was from Buffalo and did some acting there at Studio Arena and other local venues. I told him that I went to school in Buffalo and visited yearly. He told us about his old performing days and his role in Spike Lee's "Malcom X." Funny, I knew ole' Spike from my stint as John Dean in "She Hate Me."
He was impressed that I was in show biz and he mentioned that his daughter was also in show biz, and that when he wasn't driving a cab, he did some writing. I told him that I coached writers and enjoyed doing script coverage and that he should send me his stuff to look at. We chatted some more as we sat in traffic and when he dropped us off at the theater we exchanged business cards. I was delighted that my parents got to experience a real NY city cab driver with a great story.
A few days later, I got an email from him thanking me for my interest and that he would send me some writing to look at if I was still interested. I wrote back immediately, taking him up on his offer. And that was the end of that. Three months went by.
Earlier this week, my mom randomly asked me if I'd ever heard from that "nice cab driver from Buffalo" and I told her that I had written back to him in December but that was as far as it went. I was impressed that my mom cared so much, but that was no surprise. She's a people person. God bless her.
Last night, I got a voice mail from someone who said, "Hello Peter Michael Marino. I am gonna blow your mind. Call me back at this number and ask for Larry."
Okay. Either this was a crazy person who was going to tell me he was hiding in my bedroom closet and would soon be chopping off my limbs with a machete, or it could be an old college pal. Or both. Naturally, I called "Larry" back.
He answered the phone and I told him my name. He said, "Oh! Peter! Do you remember me? This is Larry!"
I said, "I'm not sure. How would I know you?"
He said, "Hold on. Are you ready? This is gonna blow your mind."
Here's the part where I kept an eye on the bedroom closet door.
A young woman gets on the phone. "Peter? This is Jill. We did the show Runaways together in '86 at Buffalo University."

Here's JILL!

WHAAAA?
She continued, "I was visiting my father and I saw your card on his desk and I asked him why he had your card and how he knew you. He wasn't really sure, he's in his 70's, but he figured he got your card at some event. So how do you know him?"
Now, I haven't seen Jill since running into her at the bank about 5 years ago, but I remembered everything about her and the fun show we did together.
"Jill, your dad is a taxi driver, right?"
"Yes, he is. How did you know that?"
"Well, he drove my family to a show in December and we started talking and I gave him my card in case he wanted me to look at his writing."
"Wow! Small world." 
So now, Jill and I are talking about college and the old days and within minutes we became Facebook friends and she made requests to many of the other folks in the show that I am still friends with. Connecting!


Who would have thought that our brief encounter with a cabbie would lead to a reunion of old college pals? I suppose it's just another great "New York story" - proving that we are all connected on this tiny planet. Every random event is tied to another event. The world is smaller than we think. And everything does indeed go back to college ... or Buffalo.

Boots are Made for Walkin'

And that's just what they'll do.

Passover Perk!

ON SALE EVERYWHERE TODAY
(and yes, it is gluten free)

Making a Lamp Out of String

I saw this lamp in West Elm that I wanted for the ceiling over the corner of my "L" shaped couch. I just didn't want to pay $80 for it. So, I decided to make my own using this stuff:
20" beach ball from Kmart
2 packs of Gardening Twine
3 bottles of Elmer's Glue

Cornstarch

Light Kit from West Elm

Total cost: $48

Place the ball on a plastic sheet on a plastic bowl so it doesn't roll around. Use a marker to make a circle with a bowl. Leave that part bare. Dip some string in a mixture of glue, a pinch of cornstarch, and a dab of water. Start at the top and make shapes and patterns. I decided to do a circular thing.

Keep on going. Let it dry. Turn the ball over and do the same on the other side. That circle should be bigger so you can fit your hand in it.

Then, start filling in the sides. Let it dry and keep patting it down so it takes the shape of the ball. Then, I had this:

I popped the ball and took it out. I got a pendant kit from West Elm and attached it using the wire from an old Chinese tissue paper shade. It looks like this.

And it even looks good close up. But, I might have to spray paint it ... red.

Kmart Q & A

All I wanted was check out a few items at the local Kmart. After waiting in line forever, I finally made it to one of the two cashiers. I placed my items on the counter and the cashier asks:
"Did you find everything you were looking for?"
"No."
"Would you like to make a donation to the Red Cross?"
"No."
"Do you have a Kmart rewards card?"
"No."
"Would you like a Kmart rewards card?"
"No."
"Would you like to give us your birthdate?"
"No."
"Can I have your zip code?"
"No."
"Would you like a bag for that 20" beach ball?"
"Yes. Yes, I would."

Razzle Snoozle

The Tony™ Awards Committee just 

revealed their 2011 logo:

Although not exactly a winner, it's a step up from

 last year's summer camp design.

The Tony Awards  

Underwhelming America since 1947

The Last Word

St. Matthias School

If you look at any of my elementary school report cards from St. Matthias in Queens, the comment that comes up without fail is: "Peter is a wonderful student, but he always has to have the last word."
Having the "last word" in Catholic School is nearly impossible. Actually, speaking in class at all is a major sin. But, year after year, the nuns commented on how much I talked. I questioned everything (like the creation of Adam & Eve and the source of Root Beer). I answered back, and I wouldn't take no for an answer. Show and Tell was my favorite subject. Nap time was an impossibility.
If the nuns only knew that I went on to make my living by speaking -- hawking beers, bands, banks and perfumes. This is important stuff, people!
I recently noticed on my Facebook posts that the threads I start are often quite long. Folks like to jump on my silly bandwagon. I enjoy conversation, even if it's typed. And if you read way down to the last comment -- it's always mine. Always.
Which I blame on the nuns. If they whacked me on my knuckles with a ruler in the name of Jesus more often, my Facebook posts would end sooner ... and I'd be flat broke.
Comments?

A Tourist Line

Big news on the Great White Way: 

No more General Admission!

Starting today, when you purchase a ticket to a Broadway show, you will be assigned an actual seat of your choice. That's right! You no longer need to line up all the way down the block outside the theater for an hour before the show, only to scuffle and search for the best seat in the house. Simply present your pre-paid ticket at the theater, and your pre-assigned seat will be waiting for you. 
It's like magic - but real! 
      
Benefits include:

• No more fights 
• You sit where you chose to sit 
• Less standing = Less knee pain

Spend that newfound spare time walking around and spending your money in our fair-priced city. Your purchases help keep city schools and homeless shelters alive. And, the exercise will help burn off those stubborn calories from your deep-fried meal at TGI Fridays. Plus, you'll have more time to stop in the middle of the sidewalk outside of Red Lobster to take photos, which you can then share with your homebound friends and family in a computer-generated holiday newsletter.
They don't call it the greatest city in the world for nuthin'!

Save It!

When the curtain comes down after a performance, the creative folks involved usually have only one thing on their mind: a cocktail. 
Many theater-goers think it is their civic duty to immediately share their well-honed observations with the talent or director. Yes, getting feedback is vital in the arts. It's what makes us and our shows better. It's not always easy to take, but we try.

However, you can do us all a big favor and wait a day or so to share your keen artistic observations; no matter how passionate you are about them. Especially negative ones that are painfully clear, like, "The sound was bad in that opening number." Trust me, we all know that the sound was bad. We know. We were there. We have ears. 
Or "Did you see that guy roaming up and down the aisle?" Yes, we all saw that guy, Sherlock, since we were all in the same theater.
I understand if you're excited to express yourself the way the creatives of the show just did. We want to excite you!
Giving birth to a show is similar to giving birth to a baby. And like a new baby, it takes time, growing pains, alot of money ... and there might be a missing finger or toe. The parents know about those missing digits (assuming they can count to ten) and you don't need to point it out.
The best thing you can do is keep mental notes about what you liked and didn't like, or when the sound didn't work, and then share those thoughts via email or a phone conversation a few days later. Perhaps you will point out something that the creatives didn't realize! That would be great. Then they can fix things. But, not right after the show. All we want to do is breathe, drink, and get hugs.
Support the arts and your friends and their babies. Just try, try, try keeping your opinions to yourself for a day or two. There's a very good chance the artists are on the same page.
Unless it's "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark." No matter what you say, the creatives and producers will wait 6 months to take any of your suggestions to heart while taking your money, brain cells and time.
Thanks! See you at the next Christening!

Gluten Free Italian at RUBIROSA, NYC

RUBIROSA
I recently visited the Italian restaurant Rubirosa in Nolita (235 Mulberry St, btwn Prince & Spring) and I have to say, it was one of the best gluten free meals I have ever had in NYC.

The decor is charming, old-world style and the service was fantastic. My friend, Norma Lana and I  sat in the back room under a skylight with the kitchen and authentic revolving pizza oven right next to me. It was great to watch the kitchen prepare their delicious meals. There's a lovely bar up front, which you might have to wait at if you don't make a reservation. This place was hoppin' on Friday night. Large wooden tables and great decor all around. It has a very family-friendly vibe and reminded me of being in Italy.

We started with the GF rice balls: creamy and crunchy and filled with mascarpone, prosciutto, and fontina. Scrumptious! And we had a fresh, colorful salad with tiny beets, frisée, and radicchio. Heaven.

We followed up with an authentic, thin crust GF pizza with fresh mozzarella and sausage. It was easy to split this generous portion, and hard to not eat the whole pie! Crunchy, crispy and fresh. The tomato sauce is delicious. And the best part was that the slices could be eaten like REAL pizza ... with your hands. They have many pizza selections and you can even create your own with their list of additions: pepperoni, meatballs, sopressata, eggplant, broccoli rabe, mushrooms, etc.

But we didn't stop there, we followed that up with a hefty serving of GF Chicken Parmigiano which was served with a nice portion of al dente GF pasta. Again, the fresh basil and tomato sauce was to die for. And the chicken parm was outstanding. Large portion, smothered in baked cheese, with a faboo bread crumb coating.

Finally, we finished off our meal with a decadent GF chocolate cake, baked and served in an iron skillet, topped with fresh fruit and ice cream. OMG.

Please take some time to treat yourself to Rubirosa. Great wine list, too! So nice to find a new place that understands our needs and makes it easy to eat. If you see a striking brunette at the host stand, tell her Peter Michael sent you!

PS- Needless to say, I didn't eat the next day, save some leftover pizza. : )

Happy Mealed

This man, Leroy Comrie, chairs the 

Consumer Affairs Committee in NYC. 

He is working very hard to ban toys in 

fast food meals that are unhealthy 

and lead to obese children. 

He clearly loves toys more than Santa.

Slip-Flop

This flip-flop-sporting jock caught my attention at the MTA yesterday. 

I didn't know you could play hockey in flip-flops! 

Or, that it was appropriate to wear them in the city.