PACIFIC OPERA PROJECT: “DON GIOVANNI”
WHAT WITH the past two days here at SimanaitisSays devoted to Mob Talk, it’s logical to follow up with a review of Pacific Opera Project’s Don Giovanni. Logical? Yes, because … Continue reading
MOB TALK, SELF-SELECTED PART 2
THIS CELEBRATION of mob vernacular has turned out to be more compelling than I expected. Yesterday, I didn’t even get through the C’s. Today in Part 2, I will be … Continue reading
MOB TALK, SELF-SELECTED PART 1
MY MOB experience is modest indeed. I enjoyed The Godfather, 1972, but have viewed it only once. I saw neither Godfather Part II, 1974, nor Godfather Part III, 1990. I … Continue reading
“THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH” PART 2
THORNTON WILDER adopted a cosmic view when he composed The Skin of Our Teeth, a history of mankind that intermingled prehistoric creatures, ancient Greeks, classic literary characters and a family … Continue reading
“THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH” PART 1
AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHT Thornton Wilder called The Skin of Our Teeth “the most ambitious project I have ever approached.” And no wonder. The play mixes the early 1940s with prehistoric times, … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: AT SIXES AND SEVENS
THE WORLD, it has been said, is “at sixes and sevens.” On the other hand, researching this phrase gave me some comforting insight into the practice of etymology and, indeed, … Continue reading
WHENCE U.S. OIL THESE DAYS?
WHAT WITH the world at sixes and sevens (now there’s a phrase to investigate!), it’s worth identifying the sources of petroleum and its products imported into the U.S. Recent data … Continue reading
MY BENTLEY GARAGE FIND
THIS GARAGE find of mine isn’t a car—It’s a book. And what a find! Here are a few tidbits gleaned from this book. W.O. Bentley and the Red Baron had … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: HOIST ON ONE’S OWN PETARD
THERE APPEARS to be no shortage of Etymology for our Times words and phrases: To name a few, there are buffoon, charlatan, mendacity—and today’s “hoist on one’s own petard.” What … Continue reading
THE BRASHER DOUBLOON CAPER
EPHRAIM BRASHER, prominent colonial silversmith, lived in the fashionable Cherry Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. George Washington lived next door. It was 1787. That year, Brasher and John Bailey, a fellow … Continue reading
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