Sunday, August 31, 2008

Who is Sarah Palin? MoveOn asks that you pass on this message.....


Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people. Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

-She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago.
-Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage.
-She has no foreign policy experience.
-Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.
-She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000.
-Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.
-She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.
-She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years.
-She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.
How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.

This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage,
AK

She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.
In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team
Pass the message on!
Countess Bedelia 8/31/2008 01:29:00 PM | 0 comments |

Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Principessa sends a telegram....



The telegram arrived today:




"Blog is not updated. stop.
Where are you? stop.
Royal family is worried! stop.


Love, The Principessa"




Not to worry, my darlings. The Countess is still here, still a fairy godmother, and still traipsing around like there is no tomorrow.




The other night I went over to The Lion's Den at The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge to meet up with that adorable couple, Tara Franklin and James Barry.





Tara's father, Michael, and her brother, Jordan, were performing that night and Tara sang a couple of songs with them. Such a talented family! I think they are booked there again on September 15th, so go over and treat yourself to some really good music.





The gardener has been very attentive to my bougainvillea this year. Isn't this a beautiful plant?




Last night I stopped in at Michael's of Stockbridge to say goodbye to my girls behind the bar, Susan and Melissa. The summer is over and I won't be around that much until next spring. I try not to be too sad about that because it has been a magical summer this year. It will be hard to leave it behind. Anyway, Andy always finds me and takes my picture for their website so here I am toasting my girls.




Then it was off to Rumpy's to see Ron, Pete, Steve, and Davo.....




Here is The Countess and Davo......




And so, dear family, this brings me to tonight where there will be theater and then to Rumpy's to see Prince Troy and the boys and listen to a great group, Off the Cuff. Tomorrow there are some things going on at Shakespeare & Co. and a play reading on Monday.....and then....summer is really and truly over :(
Countess Bedelia 8/30/2008 06:07:00 PM | 0 comments |

Friday, August 29, 2008

Paxilback - Gray Kid parody of Justin Timberlake's Sexyback

Meet my new obsession -- Daniel Stessen and his art collective People-Food.

Check them out at www.people-food.com

They are funny, witty, irreverant, and beautiful. Over 2 million viewers saw this video on YouTube and it garnered them a contract with United Talent Agency.

There are several more of their videos up on YouTube. Check them out and be prepared to laugh out loud!

Countess Bedelia 8/29/2008 11:55:00 AM | 0 comments |

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Brian Barnett, where are you?


Dear Brian,


We met on the Red Lion Inn porch at the after party for Waiting for Godot. You were with Jeff Davis and finally left us to drive him home. We....meaning the Royal We....tried to find you on Facebook but there are just sooooooo many Brian Barnetts! So please email The Countess with a link to your Facebook page.....and then we can be Friends forever!
Love,
The Countess


Countess Bedelia 8/28/2008 02:04:00 AM | 0 comments |

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

"....with a little help from my friends"

As The Beatles would say.....
"What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends"


Last Friday several of my girlfriends came into town for the weekend.....from Ft. Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Boise, Des Moines, Toronto, New York City, small towns in Tennessee and Connecticut, and Albany. I love these women who I only get to see a few times a year in various places around the country....again the power of the internet. Bringing people together who might never have met. But we have formed a strong bond of friendship and caring.


There was a dinner....



And then some karaoke.....



The Countess even put together a brunch in the tree house.....




There was a magnificent production of "Othello" at Shakespeare & Co......




Then more theater and later drinks on the porch of the Red Lion Inn with some of the cast from "Waiting for Godot" as they celebrated their final performance that night. The Countess gets a hug from David Schramm who played Pozzo in that production......



Jeff Davis, the lighting designer for WFG, joined us with a couple of his friends.....


It was wonderful to be able to visit with my fellow Royal, the beautiful Vickie, Baroness of the Merchant Marine......
and there was a lot of laughter, hugs, and maybe a glass of Glenlivet or two! Can't wait until we do it all over again soon.
Countess Bedelia 8/27/2008 03:34:00 PM | 1 comments |

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Catching up.....



I can't believe it has been over a week since I posted! Now I have to play catch up again. The Countess Merry-Go-Round has been turning at warp speed for the past week!



Last Wednesday is a case in point. When I mention that the internet has changed my life for the better and expanded my horizons way beyond my local area, it still boggles my mind that I have friends in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Japan, and more. One of my blogging friends from New Zealand had read so much about my beloved, beautiful Berkshires, about Rumpy's Tavern, and the Berkshire Theatre Festival, that she interrupted a trip to New York City to visit for a couple of days. We went over to BTF to attend a play reading during the day where she had the opportunity to meet many of my friends there. We did a little sightseeing and then she saw "Waiting for Godot" at the BTF Unicorn Theatre that night.




That night the usual suspects gathered at Rumpy's Tavern.....


Tory was vamping it up.....






Lisa was taking a break from her costume shop duties.....






Jim Baudin from the Chester Theater Company was chatting with Melissa on her last night before she goes back to school....




Tory and Ricky and some of the cast from Noel Coward in Two Keys at BTF....





Over the weekend a whole gang of girlfriends flew in for fun, theater, karaoke, and lots of laughs. Stay tuned!


Countess Bedelia 8/26/2008 11:38:00 AM | 0 comments |

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Darling???????


You call everybody Darlin'

And everybody calls you Darlin' too

You don't mean what you're sayin'

It's just a game you're playin'

But you'll find someone else can play the game as well as you...


So goes the old song by Al Trace as sung by The Andrews Sisters in 1948.


The Countess has a habit of calling everyone 'darling' or 'sweetheart', not thinking that it might sound false to someone. It seems to me to be a generic way of saying 'friend'; maybe with more feeling....because a casual stranger can become a friend very easily.


My motto for life is "Entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels." (Hebrews 13:2)


In another life, I did entertain angels and so became a believer. But that is a story for another day.


The Beach Boys wrote a song "Darlin"...


Don't know if words can say

But darlin' I'll find a way

To let you know what you meant to me


'Darling' is an adjective, a noun, and an antonym.....check it out on Answers.com.


In French you would say 'cheri'; in German you might say 'liebling'; in Spanish you could say 'querido'.


So if I call you 'Darling', please know that I mean it in the nicest way!


Countess Bedelia 8/19/2008 12:50:00 AM | 0 comments |

Monday, August 18, 2008

The Principessa makes a State Visit....

While my friends down in South Beach are gearing up for Hurricane Fay, the sun is shining outside the Summer Palace today. Check out the video that the South Beach Bum posted today to see the hurricane show in Miami this morning.




The Principessa rode into town in her Golden Coach last Thursday night. All flags were flying from the turrets and the heralds announced her arrival with fanfare from their golden horns. Of course she was escorted into Rumpy's Tavern with all the deference due visiting royalty. The shouts of "Baby Countess!" "Baby Countess!" were deafening.





Adam couldn't wait to get his hands on her.....




Sir Stew and Erin were among the welcoming committee.....





Here is a better picture of Sir Stew's shirt which has the Berkshire Crest and the words "Sir Stew, First Knight of the Berkshires" printed on it.....




The Countess and the Principessa......





Later in the evening, Jack came in and took a seat at the bar. Jack is blind and has been making the trip to the Berkshires to go to Tanglewood and listen to the beautiful music for over 20 years. He was having a great time that week and The Countess had a great time sharing some laughs with him.....





The next night was the opening of "Noel Coward in Two Keys" at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. This was Noel Coward's last play that he wrote and, as in all good plays that survive the test of time, the subjects are still relevant today. You can read an excellent review of the play here.




Here are Janine, the Principessa, The Countess, and Gian Murray Gianino (one of the stars of the play) at the reception following the performance.....



The theme for the after-after party was Prom and most of the girls were dressed up for it.....






Tory was channeling her inner Marilyn Monroe......Isn't she gorgeous!!!





But it was "Carrie" who was crowned Queen of the Prom!





Cooper came as a Chevalier and Halley was her adorable self.....





Can you recognize Swamp Thing????





And Sir Alex, First Knight of the Hills, put his Space Cadet suit on.....







The next day we took a drive up to the Williamstown Theatre Festival to see C.J. Wilson in "Home" and then back to Stockbridge so that the Principessa could see "Waiting for Godot". After that, she was so tired out, she had to go back to the Summer Palace to rest. But The Countess carried on.....late night drinks at Rumpy's of course!



Rolfe was playing his final show for the summer.....



Cameron, Tory, Kerry (don't you recognize 'Carrie', the Queen of the Prom??) and Jessica were there to catch Rolfe's act.....



Jesus and Brian from Boston were in town with a friend. They made The Countess' blog last summer and came back for a repeat engagement.....

The Principessa has returned to her own palace where she will require two weeks rest to recover from her weekend with The Countess. I miss her already!







Countess Bedelia 8/18/2008 04:01:00 PM | 0 comments |

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Dr. Seuss: "Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."


On Sunday The Countess was invited to a "Director's Wine and Cheese" to meet the director and playwright for a new play "The Goatwoman of Corvis County" at Shakespeare & Co. It was held at the new Production and Performing Arts Center (PaPA) which had just been opened. The building is beautiful and I look forward to seeing many plays there in the future.





After the party I stayed for a performance of 'Goatwoman' starring the delightful Keira Naughton.



I met Keira earlier this summer when she was performing in The Book Club Play at Berkshire Theatre Festival. She is a wonderful actress and sooooo funny! Keira and her friends formed a band called "The Peterson's" . Just looking at the videos and reading their clever bios on their website has had me laughing all afternoon.



Another invitation this week came from my friends, Jan and Hermine. They love chamber music and Tanglewood and they were having a private concert in their home by the New Fromm Players (sponsored by the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard). The Players performed a program consisting of Haydn, Mozart, and several original compositions by the Composition Fellows. It was wonderful!!!!! After the concert, Hermine brought out this beautiful cake decorated with the performers names.....





Taking a walk around town, I had to snap a few photos of some of the unique sculpture that you can see as you walk down the street.



I'm not sure what this bench is made out of but it is very pretty....




These dogs look like they are having fun....
I'm not too sure what this is but it is on display anyway....
When I walked out the front door, this antique car was parked in front of the house. The Countess remembers riding around in one of these when she was young.....and now it is antique!!!
Oh Boy! Time flies when you are having fun!
Countess Bedelia 8/13/2008 06:29:00 PM | 0 comments |

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Plays, Parties, and Performers, OH MY!!!

The beautiful New York City artist, Matuschka, joined The Countess for a night out at the theater one evening last week. We were both very colorful as you can see....




After the show we met up with some of the cast. Two of the stars, Stephen DeRosa and David Adkins posed with The Countess.....




Kyle Gates is the stage manager for the production and a really sweet guy.....




And we caught Stephen, that loveable goofball, eating tomatoes, as if he didn't get enough vegetables on stage that night....





Then it was off to Rumpy's Tavern where we caught up with our friend Bryce. Bryce lives in NYC now but he was back for a visit.....




RoBB made the blog.....




And The Countess donned a fedora for a little soft shoe.....






The next night Stew, Erin, and The Countess were off to the Dream Away Lodge to see one of our favorite singers, Tony Lee Thomas. Tony has a new CD out and you can order it off his MySpace page here. Here is Jason and Tony performing....





The Dream Away is a bit of an eccentric place with great food and entertainment. It is several miles up into the mountains but the place was packed when we got there. Stew and Erin are relaxing on one of the couches in the Music Room. They were later joined by the house dog who had a 'little' problem....




This sign came from Woodstock.....






Aaron was our bartender that night and he kept the Glenlivet glass filled.......





After Tony Lee finished his sets around 11 pm, we were on to the next party.....a cocktail party hosted by the fabulous Tory and Ricky......




The Countess met the very handsome Gian Murray Gianino who will be seen next week in "Noel Coward in Two Keys".....





Peter was there with a friend from NYC who is a librarian in the New York Public Library, Diane, and Tory.....




After singing karaoke at one of the local pubs, a whole crowd came in.....including Tommy and his beautiful wife Nurit....





Thom and Tara were among the throng that popped in for a drink.....



And the Countess Merry-Go-Round keeps on turning!!!!! Never a dull moment at the Summer Palace!!







Countess Bedelia 8/10/2008 10:22:00 PM | 0 comments |