Starry Night and Midnight Madness

November has definitely been an action-packed month as we’ve had outings most weekends (minus the weekend of 11/20-11/21 which was all about household and yard chores). 

The afternoon of the first Sunday of the month was spent in the Polaris region of Columbus at the Van Gogh Immersive Experience. Since it was supposed to be the hottest thing since “Phantom,” we were advised to get tickets well in advance, so I think we did that back in the spring. We opted for the $70 Premium tickets. The reason I tell you this is because I believe our satisfaction with things can often be affected by what we pay for the experience. That price provided us each with a cushion on loan and a souvenir poster each, as well as a 2-hour leeway as to when we showed up (you can stay as long as you like once you go in). 

My husband and I, though we both enjoyed ourselves, definitely did not feel it was worth the price. We thought there would be “more to it” than what it was. Basically his paintings and other art/photos are projected onto the floor and ceiling set to appropriate music (like songs by Parisian, Edith Piaf, and others). It is beautiful and relaxing, but if you know anything about Van Gogh, there’s a certain amount of melancholy due to his tragically short life (and the depression he suffered from). 

I should also add that we did a similar “experience” last summer in NYC in a building near the High Line. At that experience we were treated to a really awesome kaleidoscope of fractals and other disjointed shapes that was really cool and amazing – also set to music, and we were also loaned cushions to sit on. I think the loop of projections was about 45 minutes compared to the 35 minute set at the Van Gogh experience. Also, even though it was NYC (where everything is like $$$), it only cost a modest $25 or so.  

My advice if you’re considering getting tickets (to the Van Gogh IE) is to choose a non-peak time and just get a basic ticket, then go to your local art museum and see the real paintings up close. If you’re a "Doctor Who" fan there’s an episode in series 5 called “Vincent and the Doctor.” Not surprisingly it’s a little sad (happy sad though). I was definitely teary-eyed at the end, but also thoroughly enjoyed it in spite of seeing it before.

The evening of Veteran’s Day I had the rare treat of being on a British radio show. It was the Midnight Mastermind segment of BBC Radio 2 hosted by OJ Borg. The reason I was on the segment is because sometime in October I had responded to a challenge to come up with a pun combining a celebrity name with something to do with cruises. I came up with ‘Courtney Love Boat.’ I’m not aware that they read it on the air, but OJ’s assistant, ‘Handsome Dan,’ sent me this email:

Thanks for the message!

Have you heard us do Midnight Mastermind before?

We do it every night, and basically you ask three questions to OJ on your own specialist subject.

Would you be up for having a go one day?

Thanks!

Dan

I thought about it for a couple weeks, came up with a possible topic and some questions, so I emailed him back saying I was definitely interested. I told him what subject I had come up with, which was “Gilmore Girls” (the popular WB TV series that debuted in 2000 starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel). Dan emailed me back asking if I could send him 5-6 questions and he would choose the three I could ask OJ, so I did a little more thinking and came up with a few more. Then he emailed me the date and a few other logistical details and the rest is history.

Do you know the answers to any of these?

What was Rory’s real name?

What comedienne got her start playing chef, Sookie St. James at The Independence Inn and later at The Dragonfly Inn?

What 80s girl band did Lorelai take Rory and her friends to see in NYC?

(all answers are at the end of this blog)

It was quite honestly more than a little nerve wracking while I waited on hold (felt like I was about to go on a job interview), and I always hate the sound of my voice on the radio. I figured since I didn’t tell that many people (my uncle, my sister, my former boss who is a GG fan, and my husband), it’s not like my humiliation would be worldwide.

I ended up enjoying myself and I hope I was charming (my former boss texted me, “That was awesome!”). OJ seemed impressed by my knowledge of British culture (which I explained by telling him I’m married to a Brit and used to live in the UK). I should also add that the reason why “Gilmore Girls” is my specialist subject is because I first heard about the program from my neighbor who is a retired nurse and the father of 3 girls. He said they all used to sit down together to watch it and found it very relaxing and soothing. They even named their dog after Rory (which, I explained, is the first time I ever heard Rory as a girl’s name since the only Rory I knew was Amy’s boyfriend on “Doctor Who” (which OJ confessed to never having watched “Dr Who”!)

Would I do it again? Definitely, though I need more time to come up with another specialist subject (maybe “The Brady Bunch”?)

If you’re interested in taking part, here’s more info:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/lVtqqptS3l850m1dFxfYNv/take-part-in-the-show

The following Sunday we braved the wintery conditions (had our first snowfall of the season) to make a rare foray out to the cinema to see “The French Dispatch.” I say, rare foray because it’s only the second time this year we’ve gone to an actual cinema. [You may recall that the last time was back in the spring when we went to see “Quiet Place 2.”]

Anyway, we both thought it was a good movie, but only good, and not great. I really liked the sets and the plot which was somewhat about a defunct Sunday newspaper insert called, “Picnic,” and what the magazine evolved into. The reason for the nostalgic and celebratory look at the publication was due to the death of its owner (played by Bill Murray). I read this summary of it on the internet, “A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch."

Here’s what Entertainment Weekly had to say about it, “The movie is undeniably clever and intoxicating to look at, and his actors seem to thrill at the chance to chase the chemtrails of his (Wes Anderson) esoteric story lines. But he also appears to have lost (or simply lost interest in) the human emotions and coherent plots that tethered earlier gems like Rushmore and The Royal Tenebaums to something more like real recognizable life. Dispatch is a trip, quite literally: a journey of remarkable, impenetrable design, with no clear destination in site.”

Our favorite Wes Anderson films are “Moonrise Kingdom,” which we’ve seen more than once, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” and “The Darjeeling Limited.” All are colorful, quirky, and have an all-star cast, not to mention an interesting plot to hold it all together.

Answers to quiz above: Lorelai (she was named after her grandma and mom), Melissa McCarthy, the Bangles.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

                                                     (a very creative neighbor made this)