Ben: Jaci mentioned to me that there is actual science behind the book club–psychology says that couples that share mental space like this can span long distance relationships and become closer. It was a bit of a surprise, how important this was to me; instead of feeling helpless or separated, I can go grab the book of the week and keep my sanity. It’s more than just something extra to talk about, it’s a replacement for all the little things a person has to do on a daily basis to maintain a relationship.

Jaci: In order to fully occupy the psychic space we’ve set aside for each other, I find myself reading more deeply than I have since I left behind the fortress of academia for my floating fortress. The Lazarus Project was a good choice for book one–both literary and very readable (it’s one of the few on the list we chose without much debate or any sort of trade-off, which was why I placed it where I did).

Ben: It’s also helped my personal discipline! I’m not exactly a morning person, and with my busy days, I find it hard to get up before 6:15, which is the latest I can get up to do my morning routine and get to work by 8. Reading every morning gives me a reason to get up at 5, have some coffee, and get my day off on the right foot. The Lazarus Project was a good start because it’s not putting me to sleep when I’m reading so early and half awake! (Thank goodness we didn’t start with Gogol…)

Jaci: In some ways, it’s as though we are together, in 1908 Chicago or in eastern Europe circa today, or at least in Aleksandar Hemon’s versions of these places. This means, of course, that over the next several months we’ll be traveling to some very strange lands together, including (if memory serves) a few brief trips to Mars towards the end of the journey.

Ben: I’m really feeling connected to Brik (the main character). He has me in stitches, and he constantly says out loud what I’m thinking. His perspective on his marriage with an American, white, Catholic neurosurgeon really reminds me of the things I’m thinking in my own marriage. I wonder if the married life commentary has the same resonance with Jaci. Knowing that we’re reading the same things and at least getting the same input makes me read the book in a whole new way. I’m even embarrassed about the time in brothels because it’s weird to be there with your wife!

Jaci: I also like looking at the notebook I decorated for a few minutes before and after I start reading. The first few pages are already filled with notes, questions, observations. To be frank, however, I live in a paranoic haze, worried that my Kindle will somehow be broken in my semi-rough living conditions.

Ben: Ah, Jaci is going to get a little English teacher resistance from me here. Jaci isn’t in a place where she is reading and taking notes every day… but I am. I’ve been reading for enjoyment rather than taking notes or making observations. I feel like Jaci is going to make me pay eventually when she starts bringing up specifics, but I have a hard copy, so I can always flip through the book, whereas Jaci can’t with the Kindle!

Jaci: Ah, the Kindle. I love the dictionary feature, but I miss being able to flip back and review previously read pages with ease! Especially in a book like this, a book which is constructed as an echo chamber with two stories interlacing in subtle but significant ways, it would be nice to flip back to the third page of the second chapter where I remember seeing something (instead of finding location ####, which I will not remember when I get to it’s twin in a later passage). But it’s compact, it’s simple, and it’s working. Like the bookclub.

Ben: It’s kind of sad that Jaci has better electronics kit than I do, especially in a place without too much network connections. Meanwhile I’m back in the seventeenth century with mine! Someone get me an iPad!

That being the case, my first weekend there felt like a vacation. I completely forgot that I was in China, which was easy to do considering  the weather this week has also been abnormally spectacular: blue skies, puffy clouds, sunny, balmy…not your usual China fare.

My living in luxury weekend began Friday night. It was my new friend Michelle’s 25th birthday (my good friend Pete’s roommate), and she had an extravagant night planned. (Her father owns the biggest modeling agency in China. Needless to say, she is a very well-connected person when it comes to hotels, bars, clubs, fashion boutiques, and basically any high-end fashionable place). We first had dinner in a private room at the Tang Dynasty, a very fancy Hunanese restaurant in the Mirae Asset Building. The Westerners were outnumbered by the Chinese, so we were at their mercy when it came to ordering. Aside from a dish of pig tongue, all the dishes proved to be delectable. After that, we went across the street to another Ritz Carlton and headed up to the 58th floor to Flair Bar, which is touted as Shanghai’s highest outdoor restaurant and bar. Whether or not that is still true (there are certainly much higher buildings these days), the view is still undeniably spectacular. Overlooking the Huangpu River, the vantage point from our outdoor VIP seats (thanks to Michelle’s connections) offered us a breathtaking view of the Bund and iconic Pearl Tower. The air that night was crystal clear, a rare occurence in Shanghai, and the amount of detail and distance you could see was frankly a little trippy when you are used to having your vision obscured with a veil of haze. I felt like Plato’s caveman, emerging from the darkness of a fictitious reality to see the true form of reality in the light of day. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit too dramatic, but clean air is something that I’ve come to value more than any material object, and it can have such a dramatic impact on my mood and state of mind. But, back to the night itself, we had a wonderful time on the rooftop enjoying the view and drinking Moet (like I said, it was a luxurious night).

The next day was even better. Still balmy, sunny and blue, I invited Pete and another friend over to enjoy the sunshine by my new rooftop pool. We spent exactly 6 hours chilling by the pool, drinking mojitos, and swimming. Pete and I also enjoyed a cigar each, and then afterward had a Western dinner at Element Fresh. I confessed to Pete that I felt a little guilty having such an idle, conspicuous consumption day, and he said that most people work really hard all their lives to be able to have a life like this, and then either do not have the time or are too old to actually enjoy the fruits of their labours. Bottom line, he said, is to enjoy the good things in life when you actually have the chance to enjoy them. Guilt or not, it was a really fun time.

Sunday also proved to be above average. I met up with a friend and we went to the clothing market to have some clothese made. I wanted to fix a pair of pants and have a cashmere blend winter coat made (I haven’t had a new winter coat in a while, figured it would be cheaper to get one here). So we spent a couple hours there picking out fabrics and designs, and afterward went out for a very hygenically questionable Chinese lunch (It was a hole-in-the-wall place, and we half-expected to be incapacitated in a few hours, luckily that was not the case). We then headed back over to the Bund to a restaurant/bar called M on the Bund for an afternoon classical music concert. Every last Sunday of the month, M on the Bund hosts a music lovers performance. Tickets for students are only 10 kuai, so we couldn’t afford NOT to miss it. The programme consisted of two Haydn! opuses (Op. 77, “Lobkowitz” and Op. 76, “Fifths”), and was performed by a string quarter from the Shanghai Chamber Music. It was beautiful. I forgot how much I love classical music! After that, my friend and I decided to go back to the Portman pool. It was already evening, so we thought the hot tub jacuzzi would be a better place to hang out. Oddly enough, the Jacuzzi is not outdoors near the pool, but inside the ladies locker room, in a room next to the saunas. As we were both female, it didnt matter, but if you were ever trying to have a co-ed jacuzzi party, that wouldn’t work out too well. We ended up spending close to three hours hanging in the jacuzzi (and out, and partly in, when it got too hot), just chatting. We had the place mostly to ourselves (occasionally someone would walk in to use the sauna, unfortunately ruining our view by walking around butt-naked, as Chinese women are wont to do in a public locker room), but all in all, it felt like our own private jacuzzi.

In the words of many a rap artist, we were balling!

I don’t think I really understood what a monumental task it was when it was first assigned to me, and the details of my responsibilities would probably bore readers. To sum up, I was in charge of first designing the invitations (not just the concert invitations, but the other two July 2 events as well), designing the wording, creating the maps to go on the invitations, working with a graphics design vendor to get the invitations made and printed, distributing the invitations to different sections, collecting RSVP name lists from the various sections, monitoring and tracking the ever changing RSVP lists submitted by the different sections, organizing a ticket will-call, and answering the same questions over and over again about sections wanting more tickets. An 1800-person name list is a very difficult thing to manage. But, I did it, and the concert was great! We had a full house, Harry Connick Jr. -who I have to admit I did not know who he was at first- gave an excellent performance, even though I felt that Miss USA could have been more prepared and less cheesy in her MCing duties.

Harry Connick, Jr.

The opera concert the next day, featuring the magnificently diva-liscious Angela Brown, was also a fantastic event, and much less stressful for me. I basically only had two things to do in the weeks before, create a save the date attachment to be sent out in an email blast, and design the program (which I am very proud of). I was relieved of pick up duty on the day of the concert, so I thought that I would have no duties except to be present and on-call. Well, two hours before I was supposed to arrive at the venue, I get a call from my boss saying that we had no one to introduce Angela, and he asked  if I would mind giving a 1-2 minute bi-lingual introduction. I say no problem, and get to work drafting an introduction in Chinese and English. The rest of the afternoon I spent sitting in the the theater rehearsing my lines, and doing odd jobs. Nothing stressful, I am prepared. Finally, the moment of truth arrives, and I mount the stage to give my introduction. I begin my welcome enthusiastically, and dive into my well-prepared speech for a full 20 seconds before someone yells “We can’t hear you!” The microphone was on, but malfunctioning, and was not picking up my voice. Whoops! After banging the microphone a few times, it begins to work, and I complete my introduction, a little chagrined that the first half got lost due to malfunctioning tech. It happens. I then get to sit down and enjoy the show with no further duties. It is nice not to have responsibility!

Soprano Angela Brown

The next day, I finally get the day off. I have plans to go to a BBQ at a friend’s house. I decided that my contribution to actual Fourth of July will be to make apple pie from scratch. I end up making 3 apple pies. They were delicious. We ate them with ice cream, and even I had to pat myself on the back, especially considering the fact that I had rolled out my home-made pie crust with a water bottle (gotta make do with what you have!).

All in all, Fourth of July (or National Day weekend as I should say), was busy, but fun. And to top it off, since I worked extra over the weekend, I get comp time, which I am currently enjoying with a 3.5 day weekend as I write this! Good life.

We on the other hand, are very important, very connected government officials that are so very very important (did I mention how important we are?), and therefore were lucky enough (I mean were absolutely entitled to) skip the lines and go through the VIP entrance, often with our own private guide to explain the pavilion and show us around. There is a reciprocity agreement among employees of the different pavilions that those with work passes immediately get to skip the lines. Great for us, but something that really should not be abused, given the long lines most people must endure.

In any case, as our visit was work related, and not for our own private amusement, so I felt a little better about having an unfair entry advantage, and was even more pleased to be a VIP when we got free cake and wine at the German pavilion.

Germany was our first pavilion, and we were wowed by the interactive nature of all the displays. Rather than bore you with details, I’ll include links to pavilion reviews. ( Germany: http://www.expo2010-germany.com/en/fun/german-pavilion/about-balancity/) The Chinese loved the opportunity to take photos with various backgrounds at the Germany Pavilion, something that I think Japan failed miserably with its no photo rule (which everyone ignored anyway). I was disappointed with Japan, as I think they left out so much (where was the gaming, the nintendo, the geishas, the anime?), and their robots didn’t dance. (Japan: http://www.expo-japan.jp/en/exhibition/) The two robots on display included a nanny-bot that just waved, and another that came out for two minutes to play the violin, and then left the stage. I really wanted to see some dancing bots a la Beck’s music video. Also, their live performance was really strange. They claimed it was a traditional Noh performance (with a sequencein the beginning of them rolling around on stage in their futuristic personal cars, which was cool), but actually, it was kunqu, traditional Chinese opera! It wasn’t Japanese at all, as they were even singing in Chinese! All a bit disappointing. South Korea had a very cute video/live performance that was studded with famous Korean popstars and actors, which made more than a few Chinese girls squeal in delight. It was very cutesy, but memorable (Korea: http://en.expo2010.cn/c/en_gj_tpl_33.htm)  Saudi Arabia had the most stunning design of all. Shaped like a large boat with an oasis on top, Saudi Arabia boasts the largest IMAX presentation in the world. Visitors are guided in and step onto a moving platform, where they stand in place for the next twenty minutes as the moving walkway bridge  takes them through the 360 degree IMAX presentation which makes you feel like you have an omniscient view as you soar through a desert, over a crowded market, over an oil field, etc, all while you listen to ethereal music. (Saudi Arabia: http://en.expo2010.cn/c/en_gj_tpl_35.htm) It was very cool for the first ten minutes, and then you realize that you are just standing in place, and just watching a random video with random scenes to

random music. You don’t actually get any real understanding of Saudi Arabia, and the IMAX presentation is ALL there is, nothing else. In all, a bit disappointing, especially when your expectations were set so high.

But, these are just my criticisms. As a foreigner who actually has gotten to travel, the displays don’t do much for me. But for the average Chinese, these pavilions are a stunning eye-opener at what the rest of the world has to offer.

It is easy to see why India is so confused. Much of its current developmental state is the result of British imperial rule, a legacy that many try hard to resist. The same reasons why India has become so competitive- namely, the fluency of a large segment of its population in English (though much smaller than I had expected coming to India), an infrastructure built for trade, and the urbanization of its major cities- are the result of this oppression. Thus, India struggles to reconcile its desire to develop, modernize and compete with its commitment to the Ghandian principles of swadeshi (self-reliance) and a village-based social and political system. Even the names Bombay and Mumbai demonstrate this contradiction. In politics, those who use the name Bombay tend to advocate for a more open, modern and worldly India, while those who exclusively use the term Mumbai tend to be more nationalist, right-wing and India-centric.

What results is a system of governance and culture that is so full of complexities, corruption and confusion that for many years people believed that its unimpressive record of economic growth- coined the Hindu rate of growth- was simply inextricable from the Indian culture. Indira Ghandi herself said that nothing could be done about corruption, as it was natural and occurred everywhere. Despite the fact that (in my humble opinion) Indira Ghandi was a terrible ruler who led India down a path of economic and political failure it almost didn’t recover from, the idea that corruption is natural seems to have stuck. And this, as Indian breaks free of its bureaucratic stranglehold and enters a period of impressive economic growth, may be its fatal flaw.

This idea is seen in the way businesses are handled. At the most basic level, shops in Mumbai will do anything to try to get a sale- lie, cheat, guilt trip, pressure, intimidate. Even in more professional businesses, reputation does not matter. The concept of fairness does not matter. There is no such thing as building good relationships with your clients or partners or trying to develop a good reputation to ensure future business, and it doesn’t matter. Corruption is expected, so no business is lost. People are used to it.

Fun to look at- not so much to shop at!

On the other hand, the Indians I’ve met in non-transaction settings are some of the most warm, friendly and sociable people I’ve ever met. They are welcoming, giving, and will do almost anything to help someone they’ve only just become acquainted with. Despite its flaws, they are fiercely proud of their democracy. They are the best neighbors, coworkers and friends. I’ve even developed good relationships with some of the local businesses by Vyoma’s apartment by actually leaving tips (only 50 [american] cent tips, but trust me- it’s not a stereotype, Indians are extremely cheap. Anybody who worked at a restaurant in the States will also confirm this.) I am now treated like a queen whenever I eat at these places.

As I attempt to navigate the chaos that is India, these people are my guides. Aside from its beauty, and despite its contradictions, they are what make India great.

• The Lazarus Project, Aleksandar Hemon
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
• Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogal (trans. C.J. Hogarth)
• Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife, Lisa Miller
• Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
• A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin
• Blue Angel, Francine Prose
• The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone de Beauvoir
• Daemon, Daniel Saurez
• A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
• Spies of the Balkans, Alan Furst
• Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky
• Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein

Thirteen books in all: a loose baggy monster* of nonfiction, literary fiction, suspense, science fiction/fantasy, and classics.  By my rough estimate, we have about 5000 pages to read, or, given thirty-five weeks, about 150 pages per week.

I also found the perfect notebooks for the bookclub today on my lunch break: two Mead spiral assignment notebooks, seven-and-one-half by five inches, with forty sheets each.  I’ve dated each sheet for a single week, and to make them more special, I’ll be doing some of my famous collaging.

Next: the syllabus!  And (ouch) the purchase.

*My professors used to refer to English I and II as “loose baggy monsters” because they were intended to cover…well, everything, with a reading list meant to satisfy everyone a little bit.  I have no idea if this phrase is in wider use.

Mail at sea can be greatly delayed, along with care packages of hopefully well-preserved goodies; email can be shut down or lost for a variety of reasons; and I somehow think Ben would find a “flat daddy” more discomfiting than not.

My solution?

Ben and I are creating a bookclub for two.

I filled out this idea yesterday, while reading about “common reading” programs on college campuses, though some version of it has been percolating in my egghead for months.  The idea at university is that inbound freshman have at least one book in common–something to unite them and serve as a source of conversation.  My idea is that Ben and I, by reading the same books at the same time, will be carrying on a sort of psychic conversation through the nexus of the words we’re experiencing together.  Even if email goes down and it’s a month or more between mail deliveries, even if I can’t make an outgoing phone call or tweet a single word, in some way, we’ll be joined.

Of course, our very different tastes in reading makes picking books a fraught operation.  We want anywhere from eight to fifteen books; right now, we’ve agreed on four (E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India, Aleksandar Hemon’s The Lazarus Project, Daniel Saurez’s Daemon, and Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land).  One of our “rules”–that anything we pick must be available on the Kindle due to my space limitations–has only compounded the problem.  We dropped the rule that all books must be new reads for both of us (which allowed two of our choices).  Most likely, it will take a few trips to the bookstore in the end, since we’ve pretty effectively shopped our own shelves at this point.

What else remains to make the bookclub a success?

-More books (obviously).

-A syllabus…I’ll take care of that!

-Notebooks.  We’ll each jot down a few thoughts on the books we read together, especially when our communication lines fail, so that we don’t forget the things we each want to discuss.

-A reining in of my book snobbishness, and a slowing down to savoring speed in Ben’s reading habits.  We’ll meet in the middle.

I plan to post the full list of books and syllabus as a guide for others who want to try this gambit to close the miles during long times apart.  Take that, sword.

Tiger Cruise

When I mentioned to friends that I was going on a Tiger cruise, they thought it was some exotic, exciting vacation involving tigers. Although, it was enjoyable and perhaps exotic in being alien to my normal life on land, it was not your typical luxury cruise. (Or so I believe, since I have never actually gone on one). So, what is a Tiger Cruise? When a Navy ship is coming home from deployment or leaving for deployment, they give relatives a chance to meet the ship and cruise the rest of the way home with them (provided they are not the sponsor’s spouse or significant other, are not younger than 8 or pregnant. The relatives are called “Tigers.” So I jumped at the opportunity and privilege provided by my sponsor and the Navy to board a Missile Destroyer and became Tiger Lily.

On our first meeting, Tigers were given a “Personnel Qualification Standards” or PQS which are typically training requirements used by the Navy but was designed to familiarize us with the operation, daily routine, and capabilities of the ship. It was three pages long and to be completed in the amount of time we were on board using the tours and exercises that were scheduled. There were spaces for the signatures of the sponsor, cruise coordinator and commanding officer to be signed and qualify you as a TIGER SURFARE WARFARE SPECIALIST (TSWS).

Of course, this was for a fun activity and not a requirement but being the lifelong learners and overachievers that we are, our sailor ensured that we saw and learned everything on the PQS including the bridge/navigation (we proudly watched her communicating on the bridge as the ship was docking), weapons (I donned the Search and Seizure outfit

60lbs of gear worn by VBSS teams to climb stairs,board ships, jump out of helos

and held the M16 and we brought home CWIS shells that were shot and are now a pencil holder at my office), Engineering and Damage control (we stood watch with her) and Combat Information Center where I learned that AEGIS is not an acronym. Well, of course we qualified as TSWS and so did all the other Tigers whether they touched the PQS or not. Nevertheless, Tim and I learned a lot and received the following certificate from the CO: 

“To all who shall see these presents, greetings: Know ye, that by the authority vested in me, I hereby designate (my name), an honorary crew member of (Navy Ship)……having born the appropriate pride in all Tiger activities, provided countless hours of loving support to crewmembers and having demonstrated a constitution worthy of distinction. (Signed Commanding Officer).

This certificate now sits in an honored place in my office along with the pictures of the real crewmember and other people close to my heart.

In addition to learning a lot about the ship, I was very happy that I recalled the Girl Scout motto about packing only what you can carry…but I did not realize it would be through narrow stairs where the cover is down for those below deck. This means carrying person and luggage through a hole the size of about a 3 ft circumference. I also should have realized that the water during any season is always cool and I should pack a lot of warm clothes. I was happy for my 3 layers which I wore every day plus the sweatshirt I bought on the ship. The captain joked that his mother kept his room at 125 degrees.

So future Tiger Cruisers: Take layers with several underlayers, a jacket, a ballcap (forget about hair), shower shoes, towel, washcloth, warm sleepwear, comfortable close toed shoes, Dramamine taken whether seasick or not, a camera and a small durable bag. Remember, the quarters are quite close and the movement of the ship can make for a queasy challenge (although our sail was apparently the smoothest they remember and I did not get sick). The families sleep in bunks just like the sailors and eat in the same Mess or wardroom as the sailor.

While onboard, I ate three full meals a day (unusual for me)…and was pleasantly surprised by the food. There were other activities, in addition to experiencing the numerous activities the sailors performed on a daily basis. These included the weapons systems in operation, a RIB demonstration and race, an anchoring, and a small boat attack simulation. In addition, there were Morale, Welfare, and Recreation-sponsored activities for the entire crew including a karaoke night (where the Captain’s mom, myself and two other moms set the bar pretty low), a movie in the hangar night,, a night for officers to cook (Pizza and chicken wings), a beach party on deck where the Chiefs grilled burgers and brats. In addition, there were 13 burials at Sea with the full military honors, and a crew award ceremony. It was great to see a very personable captain and an XO who seemed to enjoy having civilians on board. In response to my thanks and comment about the Tiger Cruise being a very wonderful experience, the Xo said, “To be honest, we have more fun showing off our ship to you.”

Well, the Navy does have very good PR people (including our crewmember who made us very proud)…and they did accomplish what they set out to do. It was very worthwhile. Not only did we get to see our crew member, but we saw what an awesome ship the DDG is and why our crewmember requested this as her first post. We cruised out to sea and they put on a fantastic show, we saw whales and seals, and they fed us well and we had a great time. And best of all we can picture our crewmember when she is deployed and understand a little better what life is like for her at sea. Go Navy.

Well, Bravo is kicking off it series on the next installment of the Housewives series with Real Housewives of DC. Bravo describes these ladies as “connected DC Power players who “have their pulse on the most important cultural events, political galas, gallery openings, and fundraisers in Washington society. They are supposed to be an interesting bunch, living adventurous lives.
I don’t know if these ladies are representative of DC…but they all live in the DC burbs as I do, all are about my age and I can’t imagine that their life is any more interesting and adventurous than mine has been this past month.
If my life were a television show, the setting for the various episodes would have been a Hon Fest in Baltimore, the diplomatic rooms of the State Department, the Rose Garden of the White House, the flight deck of a US Navy Destroyer and a Zoey Muth concert in Seattle…all in one month.

Just think of the ratings and script possibilities:

• Hon Fest: Technically this is not DC (Baltimore-Washington) but for an important cultural event, it can’t be beat. Honfest in Baltimore celebrates the historic working women of Baltimore with the dressing and wearing of Beehive hairdos. While the hon fest I was referring to actually took place at Martin’s West, (and I say this with all the affection for the very nice and honoring event), a Housewife episode of beehive hairdos and this festival would have delighted fans. A smashing of beehive would make for better TV than tugging at an Atlanta housewife’s blonde wig, or perhaps the nesting of a bird (Bethany’s hair notwithstanding) causes pandemonium. (Captures the working class audience).

• Diplomatic Room of the State Department: The Benjamin Franklin Room and the view of DC from the Balcony can’t be beat since you get to see all of the Monuments, Memorials, the Capitol, White House all in one view and be entertained where countless powerful people from all over the world have been entertained.
• The White House –an actual invitation to the White House, listening to President Obama and greeting him in the Rose Garden. No Party Crashing necessary. Try “leiing”the President and watch him take it off almost instantaneously. (Must be some Presidential Protocol or Security thing..even though he is from Hawaii.)
• Military personnel and their families would have been tuned in to the episode of the Tiger Cruise where a housewife sees what it’s like to be a woman on a Navy Destroyer. The only crashing would have been the waves, and the potential for it with the staged Visitor Board Search and Seizure exercise. But it would make for entertaining television to watch the head knocking on a lot of steep stairs (ladders) especially the stairs below deck. The show could have been staged with high heels and skirts. (Alas, there is already a movie that has been made of a naval carrier with civilians on board being ordered in combat mode.) In addition, the opportunity to debut a new song like the two other housewives who cannot sing (Tardy at the Party etc.) was possible at the Karaoke night on ship or as the wake up song played every morning. Imagine a duet called Captain and Tenille….Never Mind. More on Tiger Cruise to follow.
• Perhaps the next DC Housewife aspiring singing performance could have been in the Tractor Tavern in Seattle with a country-flavored & blues-infused contemporary folk song ala EILEN JEWELL and ZOE MUTH & THE LOST HIGH ROLLERS. A surprise twist would include going on stage for an impromptu duet (which occurred) or trio….
According to Bravo, the cast “leading members of D.C. society are in the know and comfortable discussing everything from the economy to high fashion.” Well, I can do that…..but I am NOT “the talk of the town in the most powerful city in the world.” Thank God!