2016

2016

Carpenter’s Point, MD

My age: 60-61

Volunteer work: 

•   I was the President of the Cecil County Democrats Club in MD
•     I was on the Cecil County Public Library Foundation Board in MD
•     I was a Citizen Lobbyist for CARE International.
•     Occasionally, I served as a Night Supervisor at the local homeless shelter.

Music: While I don’t know of any new music from this year, I was stunned, like so many other people, of the musicians we lost this year:

• o   David Bowie
• o   Prince
• o   Leonard Cohen
• o   Sharon Jones
• o   George Michael
• o   Merle Haggard
• o   Maurice White
• o   And so many others

Movies

• Moonlight- I thought this movie was exceedingly boring.
• LaLa Land- My friend’s son worked on the production of this movie so we waited until the very last credit was played in hopes of seeing his name but it got cut on the East Coast version of the film.  We were disappointed.
• The Lady in the Van- this movie was so strange it's hard to believe it's a true story.
• Loving- What took us so long to begin to address these stupid racial injustices in our country?
• Fantastic Beast- I loved this movie.
• The Boss- this movie was so damn silly and funny.  I love Melissa McCarthy.  I love her best in her impersonation of Sean Spicer.
• Hello My Name is Doris- This movie was light and mindless and was a fun way to spend the afternoon.
• Miles Ahead- the story of Miles Davis, a genius who isn't in my radar.
• The Big Splash- this was a strange movie.
• Florence- I usually love everything Meryl Streep does but this movie didn't do it for me.
• Eye in the Sky- I watched this movie three times and found it interesting every time. it helped me understand why it is so difficulty to combat all of these terrorist groups.
• PAN- I love movies about Peter Pan.  And while I liked this movie, my favorite Peter Pan movie is Hook.  I think I have seen this movie five or six times.
• Sully- even though I knew the outcome, the movie still had me on the edge for my seat.
• Fences- Denzel Washington played his part so well that I hated him by the end of the movie.
• Hidden Figures- this movie was empowering to watch.

Family/friends:

• I officiated at the wedding of Deb and Lisa.  After living together for 20 years, they finally got married.  I thought they should have gotten married just as soon as gay marriage became legal.  But they wanted to wait until they felt comfortable to invite all their family members to the wedding. The moment was a victory for all of us.
• I set my first ever New Year's resolution: no new clothing for 2016.  I met my goal; I didn't buy any new clothing for the entire year.

Travels-

•  Arizona- January
•   Tanzania- I went to a maternity hospital, a safari and a luxury resort. This was a fantastic trip.
•    NYC
•   Washington, DC- May
•    Florida-  May
•   Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Utah- Summer
•   Georgia- September
•   The Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany- September
•    Montana- October
•   Puerto Rico- November

News events- The presidential election was draining, unending, painful and unreal. An idiot won when we had the most competent candidate ever.  How did this happen to us?

Entertainment-

• ·      I went to a Cyndi Lauper and Boy George Concert with Tricia and Joann;
•     I went, once again, to see River Dance.  It was great but not as magical as the first time I saw it 20 years ago.
• ·      I had a backstage pass at the Red Rock Amphitheatre in Denver, CO;
• ·      I went to the Northwest Strings Festival in Oregon;
• ·      I went to hear Joan Baez perform at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, PA.