So, I missed last night, because we were out late.  Tuesday started with Speech Therapy, which was our last session with Karen.  She prepared a diploma and certificate of excellence for David, which he loved.  It even has some gold stars!  We also regaled her with David’s ordering breakfast.  We walked home next, and the headed back at noon for an appointment with Dr Im (the Physiatrist).  David instructed me to ask both Karen and Dr Im some questions that I knew their answers to, but I asked anyway.  First, what do they think the timeline is for when he will get his speech and physical back to 100%.  Second, how is he doing compared to other patients, and finally, when will he be able to play the clarinet.  The answers were – I can’t say, everyone is different and I can’t say.  For the everyone is different, neither used the snowflake line, but Dr Im said that every patient, like a fingerprint, is different.  Not what David wanted to hear.

Then, we checked in to see if we could get into Physical Therapy a bit early, so we wouldn’t have to go home and come back, or worse yet, just hang out in the lobby.  Peter was able to take us.  Caroline is gone this week.  Peter was terrific, and it is good to have a different person work with David.  Karen said this morning that sometimes changes, like a new therapist, can motivate improvements, and it is good to change things up once in a while.

Then, home.  We had a visit from Jane and Henry, which was great, and I heard from Anthony and he was game to go to the Public Gala performance of The Pirates of Penzance.  He called when he was on his way to Central Park to get in line.  We got in a car to head up, and on the way, Anthony texted me that they made an announcement that there was no cutting in line and no holding spaces.  I figured we were on our way, and will see what happens when we got there.  We got out at 81st and CPW, and David in his chair and I walked to the Delacorte Theater.  Saw Anthony, and we joined him in line, trying to be nonchalant about it.  Nobody said anything.  Then, I saw about 30 people back in line, a woman talking to one of the line monitors and pointing in our direction.  I thought, well, that is that.  Garrison came to us and asked if David would be able to walk to a seat, and explained that he can’t guarantee a handicapped seat, but would do the best he could.  He went away for a bit, and then came back and asked if David would be able to walk stairs.  I said, yes, with my help.  Then he asked, and I could tell it was paining him to ask, if we had joined the line late.  I couldn’t lie, and said yes, we did.  He said that his boss told him that we would have to go to the back of the line, which at this point was rather long.  I said, we would just stay here, and keep Anthony company.  Anthony said he would give us the ticket, and I would HAVE to go in with David. David and I insisted that if, in the highly unlikely event there would be tickets left, that Anthony should go.

The next hour, or so, we talked to Anthony, and, in a strange way, enjoyed that typical NY scene – waiting in line for free tickets.  Seeing folks arrive in golf carts who had actually bought tickets to the fundraiser.  We saw Jonathan and Sheryl and Norma go by.  I told them that we weren’t going to get in, but were keeping Anthony company.  The whole time, we are talking about where we were going to go at 8pm when they announce that all the tickets have been distributed.  Anthony reminded me that we went to see a taping of Merv Griffin, not Mike Douglass and who the other guests were, besides Ethel Merman.  It was Bucky Dent (and I did remember that once he said it) and he thought it was Shelly Winters (that I didn’t remember).  We didn’t run away when there was a brief shower, and decided we would wait it out.  I kept thinking that they were waiting until the last second to distribute tickets as the seconds ticked getting closer to 8pm.  And besides, there would be no tickets, or very few.  Who pays $750 for a ticket and not show up or get someone else to show up?

Then, the line started moving.  Then it stopped about 10 people ahead of us, and I said to Anthony, that this was it, and where did we want to go for dinner?  Then someone came over to the front of the line with a stack of tickets, and I thought, OK, Anthony will get in, and we will see if there are tickets at the end of the line.  Garrison was near the front of the line, and saw us walking up with Anthony, and in an act of kindness/defiance he walked away from where they were handing out the tickets as we arrived, and Anthony pointed at us, and took three, very calmly and without hesitation.  We were on our way.  Needless to say, they were three single tickets, but David and I took the ones that were in sections near each other. We rolled up to the front of the stage, and then David and I walked up to his seat, I got him settled and then went up to mine.  I felt only slightly guilty about cutting the line.  Less so, when the two seats in front of me remained empty until about 5 minutes before the end of the first act, when two young girls came in, who had obviously just wandered by.  I am sure that everyone on the line got tickets.

Then to the seemingly endless speeches, and just as I was about to say, oh please, get on with the show already, out comes Meryl Streep, who gave a lovely, funny, heartfelt tribute to Nora Ephron, who the evening was dedicated to.  No one who spoke before her was half as effective.  I particularly liked the story about coming to a Public Gala years ago with Nora, and Meryl wished everyone at their table a bon appétit, to which Nora said, wait, I have an idea.

Now, to the show.  It was a concert version and both the chorus and all the principles had varying degrees of familiarity with the show.  Kevin Kline knew it, obviously, and played with the fact that he did with some of the folks who didn’t.  Martin Short, for instance.  There were some breezy moments (literally), with music flying for both Martin and for Eric Idle.  It was all fun, and they played along.  Anika Noni Rose as Mabel was fun and had a nice voice and Jonathan Groff’s Frederic was very appealing.  I liked the bevy of beautiful maidens, as well.  Glenn Close as Ruth was the only disappointment.  She seemed to be taking it all a bit too seriously.  At the end of the day, it was loads of fun, and I think that goes for the audience and the performers!  It is always strange seeing a show that you have done so often, and in various roles.  I felt like I wanted to sing along, which would have been disturbing for my neighbors.

During intermission, I went to check on David, and the lady sitting next to him, told me she was leaving, so I moved to be next to him.  After the show, we walked down to the stage to get the wheelchair, and while coming down the ramp around the side of the theatre, I almost ran Meryl Streep down.  Fortunately, I did not.  We then followed the crowd out the the part, bid a sad farewell to Anthony, and back home for a well deserved sleep.  After all this, you can see why there was no blog!

This morning we got up and got going at a very leisurely pace.  We didn’t have anything to do until Sheila arrived.  Before that, though, we went out walking and I did some videotaping so David could see the difference since the last video.  He is doing much better – faster and steadier – and he agrees.  Then, Sheila came, and we chatted and had a great visit.  She performed a Burmese blessing for us, and said at the end that now we were married in Burmese as well!  Nice.

Then a nap, and some dinner and off to the theatre again.  We went to see The Nance.  David wanted to leave at intermission, which just isn’t in my DNA.  There was one show that I went to in London that I left at intermission, and that was just more that awful.  So, we stayed.  It didn’t really get better.  I said to David afterwards, that I wasn’t sure exactly why, but I felt kind of offended by the show.  I mean the history was kind of interesting, but there was an element of “see how bad things used to be, you should all be happy that things are better now”.  Also, the whole idea of a Gay Republican is just offensive to me.  Sometimes it just boils down to who wants to see the story of a person who you can’t even root for or care about what happens to them.  At the end there was a light fixture that fell on the stage, and I thought it would have been better if it had fallen on him.  Sad.  Just glad we had Pirates to overshadow The Nance.