THROWBACK THURSDAY: The Last Time I Saw Dublin

Photo by Leonhard Niederwimmer on Unsplash

“To learn one must be humble. But life is the great teacher.”

James Joyce, Ulysses

The truth is, I’ve never seen Dublin. Not Ireland anyway. I’ve been to Dublin, Virginia loads of times. I don’t think they’re all that similar.

Today is Bloomsday.

Taken from the novel Ulysses by writer James Joyce, Bloomsday recognizes the day the novel’s protagonist, Leopold Bloom takes his walk, his very long walk, through the streets of Dublin.

That day was June 16 and it’s celebrated in Dublin, and around the world.

Just before the beginning of our forty-seven year lockdown, I played the character Robert in Bloomsday by Steven Dietz at Chamberlayne Actors Theatre.

The play is a time-travel love story that takes Robert back to Dublin where he met Cait some thirty-five years ago. Through the magic of theatre Robert and Cait retrace their steps through Dublin and encounter their younger selves. It’s a beautiful play and I am grateful that I had the chance to be a part of it.

We won’t talk about all the Guinness.

It was research. Seriously.

That was February of 2020 and I immediately began working on my next production. I was to direct Sam Shepard’s True West in Williamsburg. I had an amazing cast and it was set to be a powerful show. But it was not to be. We shut down just weeks before opening.

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As the pandemic was settling down and life started coming back to some sort of normal, I took a break from theater. Of course that was also in the midst of Last Summer’s Great Unpleasantness™. I’ve written about that on more than one occasion.

I’ve come to realize that I can’t go back to my former level of involvement in theater, but the itch, so to speak is there. I’m cautiously looking at opportunities to direct or perform.

And, as always, if you’re producing any of my Bucket List shows, hit me up.

Chances are, I’ll never get to the real Dublin. I’ve got neither the time nor the resources to do all the traveling I’d like to do before that one big trip home. You know what I mean.

And, that’s okay.

Today, I’m grateful for the chance I had to play in the faux Dublin of Bloomsday.

Still, if you’d like to buy me a Guinness, hit the tip jar on the way out.


BORN ON THIS DAY

1723 – Adam Smith, Scottish philosopher and economist (d. 1790)
1890 – Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (d. 1965)
1917 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (d. 2001)
1937 – Erich Segal, American author and screenwriter (d. 2010)
1955 – Laurie Metcalf, American actress

THINGS YOU SHOULD READ

Latino Group Torches Biden After GOP Victory In South Texas: Democrats Make ‘A Mockery Of Our Culture’
Daily Wire
“While gas prices go through the roof and families struggle to find baby formula, Biden and the left have weakened our communities, radicalized our school curricula, and even tried imposing offensive terms like ‘Latinx’ to upend our language.”
Read More.

Richmond car thefts up 42% city-wide, up 218% downtown
NBC12.com
Richmond Police are now sounding the alarm, saying the stats show it’s 42% higher compared to this same time last year. That’s 421 cars reported stolen, including one overnight. Read More.

Republicans, Look To Florida For A Lesson In Dealing With The Corrupt Corporate Media
The Federalist
Not only is Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis an expert in dishing out cheeky responses to journos during press conferences and exposing the corporate media’s hoaxing, but other bureaucrats in the Floridian’s administration have also taken hints from the state leader and begun to tactfully reject the press’s deceitful advances. Read More.

The kids aren’t alright
Hadley Freeman at UnHerd
The first generation of kids who grew up with the baby-led approach are now in their late teens and early 20s, and we are currently living in a baby-led world. Young people have always believed that they know better than the older generation, and now the older generation agrees with them. Read More.

LEGO is coming to Chesterfield
WTVR
The LEGO Group announced Wednesday it planned to build a manufacturing plant at Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield. The toy brick maker plans to create at least 1,760 jobs. Read More

12 Things To Do To Distract You From Your 401k
The Babylon Bee
Okay, we admit it. The economy is tanking. Stocks are taking a huge dive and inflation is high. It’s almost like a perfect storm that will lead us into an obvious recession… but Biden says that won’t happen so we’re not worried about it. Read More.

BENEDICTION

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17

One of those mornings

It’s been one of those mornings when I get up thinking “What’s it all about, Alfie?”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen the film, so let’s not draw too closely a comparison.

Like I’ve written in recent weeks, sometimes I sit down to write this blog and have no idea where it’s going to…but that would be the Theme from Mahogany and we’d be mixings up our movies and our music.

On a side note, listening to 60s and 70s music the other day brought back a melancholy feeling and memories of spending all day long at the local pool.

I digress.

Or do I?

As it has happened often since Last Summer’s Great Unpleasantness™ this morning I woke up around 3:30 and

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wondered if, after taking care of business, I’d be able to go back to sleep.

A year ago, the answer would have been no and I would be up for the day.

Instead, I have a tendency to check updates on my phone, check the Facebook memories for inspiration, check to see if a certain check hit the account, and make a grocery list if needed.

I sent myself an email with the list and a reminder that I needed to blog about…something.  Fortunately, I did manage to get back to sleep.

Still no idea whilst the coffee was brewing until I got the daily email from Seth Godin.

Today, Seth asked Some Questions.

Read the whole post, and you really should follow Seth but he wrote.

“Does this project matter?” and he went on to ask “Would they miss you if you stopped?”

Ouch.

Still, questions that should be answered.

I know I have a few loyal followers. I appreciate you greatly. I know that sometimes you even really like what I have to say.

Thanks to Google Analytics, and my now sharing this blog across about a half-dozen social media platforms, I also know that I have about a thousand and a half people stopping by during the month.

That’s not too shabby. But it’s also nothing to write home about, and it won’t buy a tank of gas…or a gallon?

Let’s not go there

It’s good to ask questions. I am constantly asking myself whether this blog is a project I should continue.

I don’t want the answer to the question of whether it would be missed.

For now, it’s my home, home on the web. Deer and antelope are optional.

Maybe I should write about misused song lyrics.

Or not.

Thanks for stopping by on a Wednesday where there were more questions than answers.

And maybe a song or two stuck in your head.


BORN ON THIS DAY

1910 – David Rose, English-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1990)
1911 – Wilbert Awdry, English author of The Railway Series, the basis for Thomas The Tank Engine (d. 1997)
1932 – Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (d. 2015)
1937 – Waylon Jennings, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
1949 – Simon Callow, English actor and director
1949 – Jim Varney, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
1951 – Steve Walsh, American rock singer-songwriter and musician
1954 – Jim Belushi, American actor
1955 – Julie Hagerty, American model and actress
1963 – Helen Hunt, American actress, director, and producer
1964 – Courteney Cox, American actress and producer

THINGS YOU SHOULD READ

The Economic Meltdown Has Roots in Lockdown
Jeffrey A. Tucker at The Brownstone Institute
I will tell you what happened: the ruling class destroyed the world we knew. It happened right before our eyes. And here we are. Read More.

Biden loses control of inflation, and the trust of American people
FOX News
These are remarkable achievements, considering that most people who want a job can get one. Almost half the respondents to the Michigan survey noted gasoline prices or inflation generally as a reason for their pessimism, but clearly there is something else going on. Read More.

Roth: DEBUNKED and EXPLAINED: No, greedy oil companies are not to blame for gas prices
Blaze Media
In 2021, the U.S. used almost 20 million barrels per day; worldwide, around 100 million barrels per day were used. You can see why President Biden’s PR stunts of releasing a small amount of inventory from the U.S. strategic reserves wasn’t going to have a meaningful, lasting impact on pricing. Read More.

BENEDICTION

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17