We’re all back from Charm City — what a nice trip! The weather cooperated during the ballgame, to the great chagrin of the hapless Red Sox, who got pummeled by the O’s 11-3. They had their chances, but their lineup is a pale shadow of their glory days (Who are these players?), and they just couldn’t cash in. Would love to see a Birds/Dodgers World Series. Or Phillies?
I almost sh*t my pants during the National Anthem. You know that part near the end when it goes: “Oh say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave, . . . ?”
Well, at the O, the entire crowd erupted into a roaring O (for the Orioles). I hadn’t heard that before, and I love it, but it almost tossed me out of the upper deck. I don’t think Baltimore “owns” the letter O like Michigan owns M (and Susan owned S, for me), but it’s close. It’s sort of a regional ownership.
Our seats were terrific, and we found a free parking spot about a half mile walk from the stadium — amazing. I’m going to repeat that because the joy will carry me for weeks: We found a free parking spot close to the stadium. (In DC, I was thrilled to find a place a zillion miles away for $30.) The fans were friendly and happy. There is something about Camden Yards that makes you happy. Despite the lopsided score, it was a lot of fun. I have to tell you though — walking back to the car after the game, we wandered into a pretty bad neighborhood. Yeah — and this guy pulled a knife on us. I could tell he wasn’t a professional though — there was butter on it.
Great seafood dinner in Havre de Grace on the way home. But, as I said to our driver in Dublin on the way to the airport from the hotel last October: “It’s back to our miserable lives now.” (He loved it.)
Charles Simic wrote this joyous poem called “Heights Of Folly.” It was shared with us in yesterday’s Writer’s Almanac. (Gotta wonder how Helen feels about it.)
O crows circling over my head and cawing!
I admit to being, at times,
Suddenly, and without the slightest warning,
Exceedingly happy.
On a morning otherwise sunless,
Strolling arm in arm
Past some gallows-shaped trees
With my dear Helen,
Who is also a strange bird,
With a feeling of being summoned
Urgently, but by a most gracious invitation
To breakfast on slices of watermelon
In the company of naked gods and goddesses
On a patch of last night’s snow.
I forgot how catchy and good the 1983 song 99 luftballoons by Nena is. Nena is the stage name of Gabriele Susanne Kerner, who is 64 now and is still touring and active. She is certainly welcome in Crossworld, with a name like that, and appeared just today at 28A, clued with all those balloons: NENA. She did not marry but had three kids with Swiss actor Robert Freitag. The first, a son named Christopher Daniel, was born severely disabled due to medical errors that also sent Gabriele into cardiac arrest. Sadly, Christopher died when he was only 11 months old. The next two were twins. She split from Freitag and had two more kids with drummer/producer Phillip Palm, and now has four grandchildren. Three of her kids perform with her.
Here she is, in her pajamas (Phil!). Below that, she’s on stage.
John Cheever was born on May 27 in Quincy MA in 1912. Part of the image he crafted for himself was that of the man in the suit who rode the apartment building’s elevator downstairs with all the other men in suits who were leaving for work in the morning. His daughter Susan later revealed: “From the lobby he would walk down to the basement, to the windowless storage room that came with our apartment. That was where he worked. There, he hung up the suit and hat and wrote all morning in his boxer shorts, typing away at his portable Underwood set up on the folding table. At lunchtime he would put the suit back on and ride up in the elevator.”
Son Volt shared this Old Crow Medicine Show tune with us yesterday in honor of Memorial Day.
You probably don’t remember EVIE Sands, a singer who is turning 78 next month, had some hits over the years, and is still performing. When you’ve got three vowels in your name, you can keep popping up in Crossworld, as she did today, at 47A. She was clued with “Singer Sands of the ’60s.” Since she’s been active way after the 60s, that clue might merit an “ouch.” She’s from Brooklyn — yay!
Evie may stick around with us at OC for a while and share a song with us in the coming days. We’ve had enough tunes for today already. George! — see if she wants a Diet Sprite or something. Settle in, sweetheart. Our casa . . . , you know.
“Follow, as orders” was HEW TO. It set Rex off, and I agree with him.
“The hardest answer in the puzzle for me was HEW TO (56D: Follow, as orders). You follow orders, you obey orders, you do not HEW TO orders, that is So Awkward. I had the answer as SEE TO for a bit, which isn’t good, but it’s at least as good as HEW TO (as clued). You HEW TO a norm or standard or set of specifications. It has to do with conforming, not obeying. Those are related, but they are not the same.”
Hrummmmmph!
“You can just put the captured pieces off to the side . . .”
See you tomorrow!
The Wellington Files 