This month has been pretty hectic.
Work has been hectic. And fun has been hectic, too.

Here are some pictures from the opening night party of the Public Theater's production of Twelfth Night.

I really love the woman crazy-dancing with the arm sling. It makes you wonder....

This weekend we traveled to the wilds of East Northport, Long Island, to celebrate the birthdays of our twin friends, Heather and Allison. I uploaded some pictures to picasa. Click on the image below to see the entire album.

How fun!

So, you know, one must bid the mandatory adieu to Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson and Ed McMahon. Many have already waxed poetic on the subject, so I will refrain. Though I will admit that my brother, sister, and I pooled our money, and the first album we ever bought was Thriller, and that we all once took break dancing lessons. Of course, I was hopeless.

Also, just when you thought it couldn't get any stupider, the New York State Senate wows us again.

Hilariously, when the State Senate Democrats were holding another session later—with their 31 members, still short of a quorum—Senator Frank Padavan (R-Queens) passed through the chambers, prompting the Democrats to call a quorum. While a Republican spokesman tells PolitickerNY that Padavan "did walk through the chamber at a time when he did not believe it had convened," Padavan "believes using his presence toward a quorum would be a 'fraud.'" Still, Democrats are saying things like "He was in and he knows the rules" and "Frank Padavan has been in the Senate since 1972. Frank Padavan did it on purpose." Padavan has signed an affidavit saying he wasn't part of the quorum—he just wanted to get a cup of coffee, though he told reporters he wanted a Coke.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! New York is going to hell in a hand basket, but it's just so funny.

Oh, and my aunt is in the hospital. She's been there almost two weeks. What a drag. I'm exhausted.

How awesome is the New York State Senate?

Though Democrats had entered the Senate chamber through a back hallway just before 12:30 p.m. and locked the doors — much to the surprise of Republicans — Republicans moved ahead with plans for their own session and began calling for votes on bills as Democrats sat silent in protest.

Exactly who was in control of the Senate — or whether any of the procedural action the Republicans had taken was legally valid — was unclear. Democrats were successful in blocking Republicans from taking control of the Senate gavel, which remained firmly in the hands of Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Westchester County, who was guarded by sergeants-at-arms on both sides.

....

Mr. Winner, who was standing at the front of the chamber, attempted to climb the stairs that lead to the podium where the presiding officer stands but was stopped by a Senate guard.

"Senator Skelos," Mr. Winner responded, "I have been instructed by the sergeant-at-arms not to take the podium."

It's like the New York State Senate is composed primarily of my family members. Is it possible that they could be even more dysfunctional? I hope a brassy, salty-tongued nonagenarian saunters in and forwards everyone 25 dirty jokes.

More and more I've been having those "Everything Smells Like Urine" days.
I'll be in the train, and I'll suddenly get a whiff of something urine-y. I'll think, "Gosh, is there a urine-y-smelling homeless person on this train?"

Then I'll walk out onto the platform, and I'll smell urine again. Could it be? Here, too?

Not impossible, I suppose. But then I'll get up to the street .. and there it is! That urine smell again. Does everything really smell of urine? Or is the smell following me ... because I'm the one who smells?

In the end, I decide that everything just smells of urine. After all, it's summer in New York City. Welcome!

One thing that summer brings (besides the stench of urine) is Shakespeare in the Park. Brian and I saw Twelfth Night (shout out to Sam) on Friday. It was really wonderful. We had seen the 2002 production, and it made me kind of creeped out. But this production was really a lot of fun. And what's even more fun then seeing Shakespeare in the Park? Seeing famous-ish people skulking around, waiting to be noticed by hoi polloi.

Well, this year, the thin creepy, kindly Jeff Goldblum took the cake. He waited outside in plain sight for about 55 minutes, during which time he took hundreds of pictures with adoring (bewildered?) fans and gave numerous autographs. He even let one gentleman engage him in a two-minute-long hug. It was charming. Yet awkward.

After I heard no less than half a dozen ladies in the bathroom line discussing what a nice man that Jeff Goldblum was, I felt a strong desire to go up to him and say: "I loved you in California Split."

Here are a couple more pictures that were of interest to me:

I know no one got very excited when I suggested a guest blog. But I'd like to throw it out again. I am obviously losing my blogging joie de vivre. Anyone?