A Production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Calls to Mind Another Doomed Romance
Iread where Shakespeare Festival/LA will stage “Romeo and Juliet” in Pershing Square next month, but I’m not sure I’ll attend. For me, the tragedy would only stir depressing thoughts of another doomed romance--the one between the San Fernando Valley and the rest of L.A.
Like Romeo, I can only sigh and say: “But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Reseda is the sun!”
Unreal estate: Today’s showings (see accompanying) include:
* A Newport Beach mansion that seems to refer to some imperfections in its ad (found by Gerald Scidmore of Corona del Mar).
* And, speaking of imperfections, a house in West Hills that seems ready to collapse.
Food for thought: The Japanese/English publication L.A. Auto Guide offered some tips on how to navigate through a meal with chopsticks (see accompanying)--hopefully not while driving.
I might add I did receive one freeway sighting of a motorist wielding chopsticks a while back. Wonder if he had a stick shift too.
Annals of strange crimes: The police log of the Huntington Beach Wave reported: “A resident complained that there were ‘loud Foosball players’ in his neighbor’s kitchen.”
Unclear on the concept: Louise Wilson of Claremont noted that a new restaurant in her neighborhood advertises “vegetarian shrimp.”
Do they shoot from the hip? It’s not like the new group, the Surfing Lawyers Assn., would figure to be popular with the public to begin with. But, as Paul Daniels of Huntington Beach observes, wait until the group uses its initials--SLA.
Incidentally, in his e-mail, Daniels said he was from “Huntington Beach (Surf City--but keep lawyers away).”
Plenty of tails: The Beachwood Canyon Voice, which may have a shortage of stories to cover, has a feature titled “Doggie Crime Blotter,” with dates and addresses.
I’d recount some of the offenses, but they’re all pretty messy. Suffice it to say: Bad dog, Winston!
Too inspirational? I just got some thank-you notes from my son’s elementary school, where I recently spoke. Feedback is one of the rewarding parts of such visits. Of course, sometimes the kids can be unintentionally frank.
I remember when one high school journalism class wrote stories about my appearance. One student said of me: “For a man who is an ordinary-looking person, he certainly has had a surprisingly interesting life.” Another noted that I wore a baseball cap “to hide his bald head.”
And a third observed: “Though he’s 48, the pressure of the job makes him look much older.” (And that was eight years ago!)
As I read through the thank-you notes from my son’s school, one caught my eye. It came from Eneti Samantha Tagaloa, a fourth-grader. She said she had “learned a lot from me.” She added, “I want to be a writer that makes people laugh. I’m interested in your job.” Thanks for the warning, Eneti.
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miscelLAny: In the name-fits category, Richard Cook says that the local sales rep for the Anchor Brewing Co. is Bob Brewer. Added Cook: “In case you’re wondering, my own occupation does not involve the preparation of food.” Thanks for cooking up this item, though.
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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012 and by e-mail at steve. harvey@latimes.com.