In A New York State Of Blog

As a life-long Massachusettsian (not a real word,) I have obviously always chosen Boston in the never-ending (and frankly, sometimes nauseating) "New York vs Boston" battle. I've got a confession to make... and since we're all friends in this blog space, please don't laugh: I've always been a little intimidated by some aspects of New York, especially compared to Boston. I found it way too fast, way too big, and way too "mean." But in the last few months, I've taken a few trips to the Big Apple (I call it this because no one in New York calls it the Big Apple, just like no one in Boston calls it Beantown) and have really enjoyed it.

Here are some observations.

-New Yorkers are nice! I saw one person hold a door for someone, I saw a customer telling a deli worker he felt bad for her because it was so hot, and I saw someone chase down a fellow pedestrian at a crosswalk to give them a paper that fell out of their backpack.

-(This one is from my son, Colin) "New York has a lot of smells." Yep. Tons of them. Some good, some not.

-The word "Brunch" on a menu means you can drink unlimited mimosas for a couple of hours. This is not a joke. It happened to me (Thanks Kimmy!)

-Times Square is a complete assault on your senses and may cause blindness. But where else can you see people watching the Women's World Cup Soccer game on a big screen from bleachers? The streets were lined with people (including cops) stopped to watch and cheer on the U.S.

-There are tons of people in the Port Authority Bus terminal to help you find your bus. None of them actually work for the Port Authority.

-New Yorkers are proud of their city. This is hard to explain and quantify, but you can feel it. You can see it in people's faces. And it's contagious.    We should all be this proud.

-There is no concert venue better than Madison Square Garden.  When that place roars, chills run up and down your spine.   

Let's not get crazy.  I still hate the Yankees and prefer the historical charm of Boston's many neighborhoods.

But I wish Bostonians could be like New Yorkers in one way: They totally know how to mix pedestrian and vehicle traffic.  It's like a beautiful ballet.  Walkers walk, cars stop.  Cars go, walkers stop.  It's not rocket science.  But in Boston, it's a deathly free-for-all.  Everyone goes at once and swears at each other (which  actually seems very New York like)  So put me on the "I Love New York" bandwagon, or at least the "I Am Not As Intimidated By New York As I Used To Be" bandwagon.        

He Performs This Way

This is my review of a Weird Al Yankovic concert. We've all had experiences with Weird Al.   My kids have recently reignited my interest in Al's music (which I have loved since the 80's.) If you're too lazy to read the whole review, do yourself a favor and find some of his music (recent or classic-it's all good.) I guarantee you'll smile, laugh, and/or just be amazed at his talent.

Weird Al brought serious entertainment to Boston Saturday night. For a guy known for parody and comedy songs, his "Apocalypse" tour is no joke when it comes to showmanship, musicianship, and, yes, laughs. Not just a comedy show, this was a 2-hour 10 minute multi-media good time.

The crowd in the filled-to-capacity Orpheum Theater was rocking, laughing, and singing along from the opening song "Polka Face," a medley of current songs done in true polka style with Al on accordion and videos of the original artists "singing along" above the band.

Then came nearly 20 songs played with exact detail by his excellent 4 piece backing band. These guys have done more than learn parody songs. They transform you into each genre and style, making them musically authentic and true the the original, and adding even more credibility to Al's sharp, smart, and laugh out loud lyrics. There was Rock (Smells Like Nirvana, Canadian Idiot) Pop (Party In The CIA; Perform This Way; E-Bay) and Rap (White and Nerdy; Amish Paradise) Plus some originals tackling pop culture and human nature (TMZ; I Wanna Be Your Lover) Not to mention the multi-song, mid show medley of food songs like My Bologna, Lasagna, Rye Or The Kaiser, to name just a few.

While music was the star of the show, it was only one-third of the entertainment. Al and his band changed costumes before nearly every song. They dressed like Nirvana, The White Stripes, Lady Ga-Ga, The Doors, Amish people, rappers, CIA Agents, lounge singers, safari explorers, Star Wars characters, and, of course, the Michael Jackson "Fat" suit.   And during the costume changes, the crowd was treated to video clips. Some featured Al doing mock interviews with musicians "MTV" style, some featured fake 1950's educational films, and some were hilarious moments from TV shows of the last 20 years making references to Weird Al. These references prove that whether he's the subject of the punch line or the creator of it, Weird Al is one of the best entertainers of our time. He's survived a lot longer than many he has parodied. And he still puts the "show" in "show business," a lesson many can learn from.

Open House...Not YOUR House

Hello Parents. This is not the Principal, just a parent of a child at school Open House. But I have a few announcements to make.

Remember: This is Open House, NOT a conference. Open House gives the faculty a chance to provide a brief overview of curriculum and school procedures to everyone at once in a general, friendly group setting.

You'll notice the faculty repeatedly saying "Call us or e-mail us anytime with questions or concerns." That's a nice way of telling you not to hijack the entire night by asking specific questions about your child. That's why they have e-mail and voice mailboxes. And parent/teacher conferences. Look around. The room is full of other parents. They want to hear about school as a whole, not about your kid specifically. They don't care if your child is ridiculously ahead or behind or needs a special application of sunscreen every 2 hours.

And finally, remember you've been out of school for 20 or 30 years and things have changed. Please stop trying to convince the current faculty and staff to go back to to the 70's and 80's. They don't grade A's, B's, C's and D's anymore. Stop trying to come up with some sort of whack-job Metric/Kelvin/Dewey Decimal/Abacus conversion system to compare grades of today to your grades.  As part of the Open House, the educators actually explain quite clearly what the grades mean. But you have to listen instead of engaging in a back-and-forth that amounts to the equivalent of arguing balls and strikes. They can throw you out of a game for arguing balls and strikes, but unfortunately, that rule has not been extended to Open House.

So enjoy Open House. Meet the teachers. See where your child spends their day. Look at their work. Be proud of them. And if you'd like to argue balls and strikes or ask why your kid isn't in the super-duper class, do it at your Parent/Teacher conference. Just remember, conferences are 30 minutes. There are others waiting too. You teach your kids that there are other people in the world, so you might as well accept that, too.