Weekend of Amazement

I went home to Hell's Kitchen this past weekend, and I can't say enough about it. The entire weekend was truly amazing. I don't mean, simply, that it was a fun weekend, although it was that. Nor was it merely a diversion from life in Myrtle Beach, however much that was needed. It was a truly amazing weekend.
Firstly, the reason for my trip, a Shabbat dinner with Rabbi Steven Greenberg, was almost everything that I'd hoped for. He's a truly gifted speaker, and for those of you who haven't read his book Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition, his subject matter is interesting for Straights, Gays, Goys, and Jews. Click on the title to today's blog for a link to buy the book at Amazon. It's 30% off. The dinner was great. The BJ melodies really made me feel at home. Rabbi Greenberg wants me to write out my story, so I'll be joining in the tradition of leaving the world a better place than I found it. I wish that I'd had more time to chat with him. That's the "almost everything" that I'd hoped for, but there were many people and I'd have felt bad monopolizing his time.
I had lunch and hours of conversation with a beautiful, and what's more, interesting, intelligent, and funny man. To top it all off, he has an accent! What more could I ask for? His name's Jeremy, and alas...he lives in NY. Of course, I'll only live a few hours away when I move to Boston. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
An Israeli film, Planet Blue, amazed my friend Katya and I, not by it's quality, but by the fact that it had sell-out crowds for 6 years. While not a horrible movie, I can't imagine it having one weekend of sell-outs, let alone 6 years. It's gotta be a drug thing. I just don't get it.
I attended Afterbirth:Kathy & Mo's Greatest Hits. If you're going to be in NY before July 11, go to http://www.secondstagetheatre.com/after.html and buy tickets NOW. They're both incredibly talented actors and writers. I literally cried laughing. Multiple times.
Speaking of crying, two films which I saw in NY made me cry. Saved made me cry laughing. I howled for most of the film. It was also touching. I expected quality acting from Jena Malone and Mary-Louise Parker, but Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin suprised me. The Notebook I had to see. Ryan Gosling is so beautiful that I'd watch a film of him reading the phonebook. It was definately worth my time. If you have any interest in "Chic Flicks," then go and see this movie. I've never been in a theater with that many running noses before. It was also a hoot to exit the theater to ushers with stacks of napkins in their hands for the patrons.