popplers

Sad but true

Even though I work for PharmaCo, Chris still scored higher on this test than I did.

Megascops asio

I've been meaning to finish this post for a while now, but it's been pretty busy of late. At any rate… Three weeks ago, we drove up to New Hampshire to have dinner and play games with Sean (Wii!). When we finally headed for home, it was after 1 a.m.; the roads were still wet and the frogs were out in force. I don't know if this is just a New England thing, but whenever it rains, the frogs seem to love hanging out on the roads. It's nerve-wracking trying to avoid the little guys. To the casual observer, I'm sure it seems like the driver is drunk, high, or both. "No, offisher, I swear— there were frogs all over the road."

So, Chris was behind the wheel of the S2000, playing Reverse Frogger. It was pleasantly cool and not actively raining, so we had the top down. Suddenly, there was a white flash and this owl came swooping down out of the sky. Here's where my memory of the incident gets jumbled. I know I gasped. Chris said he hit the horn and swerved to the right to avoid the owl, but I didn't hear anything. Afterward, he said that he felt really silly, honking at an owl for "cutting him off".

The car hit the owl. Chris pulled over and I got out of the car to check on the little guy. It was too dark to see much, so I asked Chris to turn the car around. The headlights provided plenty of light, and I could see that the owl was flat on his back in the road. He blinked his eyes, and I was struck by how large and yellow they were. I had thought that I'd pick him up and take him to Tufts Veterinary. But as he lay there, clenching and unclenching his talons, I thought better of that.

I went back to the car to grab a jacket, in the hopes that I could wrap him up in that. Chris said something about how he thought it was too late— that the little guy was a goner. "He's still moving," I said, and headed back to the owl. As I was leaning over him, trying to figure out how to execute my cunning plan, the owl suddenly flapped his wings and righted himself. So much for being a goner, I thought.

There was a car coming from the other direction. Chris said that I should try to shoo the owl away from the yellow line, so that he didn't get spooked or hit again. I draped my jacket around him and tried to herd him toward the side of the road. He moved forward a little, then flapped and flew about 50 feet, landing on the verge. At that point, I figured that he must be reasonably well; he had stood up, and he had managed to fly. He probably had at least a mild concussion, but hopefully he'd recover. I got back in the car and Chris drove home, extremely slowly, while trying to avoid the amphibian multitudes out celebrating.

Given that this is actually the second time that Chris has hit an owl, we decided that there must be a huge untapped market for additional devices to scare away animals from automobiles and humans (like deer whistles or bear bells). We haven't patented any of these, but we're looking for engineers interested in inventing owl chimes, frog horns, or badgeridoos.

When we got home, we decided that the owl must have been an Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio), gray morph. So drive carefully out there— the owl that you save may be your own. Or something. As a side note, Slipping on Owls would totally be a great name for a band.

Whew...

Well, we all somehow survived Opening Weekend, Tech/ Dress Rehearsals, and the second Opening Weekend. And I just found out that they canceled the two Thursday shows. I can't say that I'm sad about that— given how small the Friday audiences have been, I'd rather not dilute the crowd with additional shows.

Tonight we're back to Shakespeare again. I hope I remember what the hell I'm supposed to do.

Lots of Laughs and Craziness Going on at Acme Theater

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - (Abridged)
by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield

AND

Greater Tuna
by Jason Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard

Featuring:
Gordon Ellis, David Fisher, and Tom Berry

Directed by David Sheppard

Eight more exciting performances left. Don't miss out, reserve your seats today!

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - (Abridged) will be
performed on: September 28, 29, 30, and October 13
Greater Tuna will be performed on: October 5, 6, 7, and 12
Friday and Saturday shows are at 8:00pm. Sunday shows are at 3:00pm.
Call (978) 823-0003 to make ticket reservations
Acme Theater, 61 Summer St., Maynard, MA
Visit www.acmetheater.com for more information.

Opening night

Whew. Tonight was opening night for the first show of the season, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged). It's been a busy week:

• Sunday - tech rehearsal for about 6 hours
  
• Monday - dress rehearsal
  
• Tuesday - dress rehearsal
  
• Wednesday - dress rehearsal
  
• Thursday - run around after work to two different stores, trying to find a pair of black pants that aren't completely ugly or made of some unnatural fabric
  
• Friday - give up and decide that no one will really notice if one of the backstage "ninjas" is wearing navy blue instead

It was a small audience, but it sure sounded like everyone enjoyed it. Most of the costume changes went smoothly, and only one of the actors was bleeding by the end of the first act. (Oops.)

Tomorrow night should be more like a real opening… there are 50 or so reserved so far. Yay!

Boston is hopping this week

Boston is hosting the AARP Convention this week. 25,000 people, Tony Bennett, Richard Simmons, and a giant inflatable colon: good times!

Saturday foodblogging (fresh from the Farmers' Market)

Another great haul this week at the Farmers' Market: eggplants, sweet corn, a huge box of plum tomatoes (only $12!), garlic, chocolate bread, and eggs, milk, and cream (more ice cream).

First on the recipe docket: multiple batches of roasted tomatoes (from the Boston Globe's recipe for cavatappi pasta with roasted tomatoes and fresh goat cheese). We slow-roast the Romas at 250 degrees for 4 to 6 hours. Dead simple, but delicious, and they freeze well. We currently have 4 Pyrex baking dishes in the oven, and over 20 lbs. of tomatoes left in the box. Oy.

For the Tomatoes:

olive oil
ripe plum tomatoes (about 2 lbs. per baking dish)
many cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Set the oven at 250 degrees. Brush the bottoms of the baking dishes with olive oil.
2. Remove the stems from the tomatoes, halve them lengthwise, and place them cut sides down in the oil. Scatter the garlic around them. Drizzle, brush, or spray olive oil over the tomatoes and garlic. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper.
3. Roast the tomatoes for 4-6 hours, turning several times, or until the tomatoes are very soft but not falling apart. If you're doing multiple batches, don't forget to rotate the baking dishes (top shelf to bottom shelf, left to right, etc.).
4. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and garlic. Save the juices in the roasting pan. (If the tomatoes are for another use, let them cool, and refrigerate them, with the liquid in the pan, in a covered container up to 1 week. Or store in the freezer for quick and easy winter dinners.)

For the Pasta:

Salt, to taste
1 pound cavatappi pasta (spirals or squiggles)
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or Romano)

1. In a large pan of salted water, cook the pasta for 6 minutes or until it is cooked, but still has some bite. Drain it into a colander.
2. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Add the tomatoes and the cooking juices, the goat cheese, and basil. Toss gently. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls, sprinkle with cheese, and serve hot or warm.