Ping pong at Slate
Alison Bert on March 28th, 2009 | Filed under Party Planning, Celebrations, Restaurants and night spots
This week, my colleague Rano invited us to Slate to celebrate getting her Green Card. I’ve never been to such an elegant place that also had a room for ping pong and pool. In fact, that’s where the men ended up. Check out the photo gallery.
And congratulations, Rano!
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A Jewish girl prays to Saint Anthony
Alison Bert on December 26th, 2008 | Filed under Life Maintenance, Spirituality, Philosophy, Judaism, Holidays, Prayer, Catholicism
At Christmas dinner, the conversation turned to St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost things. My boyfriend’s mother had lost her favorite Rosary beads — a strand that was just long enough for her drive to Fratelli’s Italian deli in Yonkers. A friend had brought them back from Ireland years ago.
She told us she had searched her whole car, pushing back the seats and running her hand over the floors. She even said a prayer to Saint Anthony.
I was fascinated that there was a specific prayer for this frustrating phenomenon, so she gladly recited it:
“Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please come around,
Something’s been lost that cannot be found.”
I repeated it to make sure I had the words right. She corrected my ending, “needs to be found” to “cannot be found.” She said she was surprised a few days had gone by without the beads turning up; St. Anthony had not let her down in the past.
“Maybe he was looking out for you,” I offered. “Maybe you weren’t supposed to find those beads.”
I went on to explain my theory of misplaced time: “If you hadn’t lost them, the timing your whole life would be slightly different from then on. You could have found yourself on a different place on the road, in a car accident perhaps.”
The guests listened politely, then offered a more pragmatic explanation.
“It’s got to still be in the car,” my boyfriend said. Read the rest of this entry »
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On finally getting to meet Pete Seeger
Alison Bert on November 16th, 2008 | Filed under Music, Writing
My eyes welled as I joined the folks around me in a rousing chorus of “This Land is Your Land,” led by Pete Seeger and his grandson, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger. I remembered the words to every verse, having sung the song again and again as a child with my too-big guitar (when no one else was around because I was embarrassed of my voice). I would watch Pete Seeger’s weekly television show with my father and listen to his record of children’s songs, which found a permanent home on the turntable of our hi-fi. I was fascinated by how his fingers danced on the banjo, how he played his instruments by ear and made it look easy, how he told stories in words and songs.
At the concert, I sang quietly in case my voice were to crack or hit a note out of tune. I marveled at Pete Seeger’s gift to draw in his audience, to make you feel like you were the one he was singing to. At 89, he was still a virtuoso who could make us laugh at the ironies of our world and our words. (”Quicksand works slowly; boxing rings are square. A writer writes, but do fingers fing?”)
Woody Guthrie’s classic “This Land” was the next-to-the-last song on the concert, a benefit to restore the historic Ritz Theater in Newburgh, NY. Sponsored by La Bella Strings and the Bardavon, it’s part of the Tom Humphrey Guitar Series to honor the memory of the renowned Hudson Valley guitar maker who passed away earlier this year and who made the beautiful instrument I play.
As for the last song, I remember little about it because I was too busy thinking of what I would say to Pete (or should I call him Mr. Seeger?) when I finally got to meet him at the reception.
“How un-Pete-Seegerlike,” I thought, seeing my childhood icon as a man who lives in the moment and sings from the heart, a man who concerns himself with cleaning rivers and bettering the world and certainly not rehearsing conversations in his head with people he hopes to impress. Read the rest of this entry »
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Arte Phillips leaves legacy of joy
Alison Bert on November 13th, 2008 | Filed under Dancing, Theater
Arte Phillips died last night. He was an extraordinary dancer, choreographer and teacher — one of the best in the world social dance and theater. But more important, he was a gentleman and an inspiration whose joy for dancing was contageous.
Here is his Web site. And here are some pictures I took of him dancing with my friend Marilynn on the Gotham Swing Club 10th Anniversary Cruise last year.
I had a few opportunities to dance with Arte and take his hustle workshops. I enjoy hustle, but I’ve never been much of a hustle dancer. This could put off some dancers, who prefer partners with more advanced skills. But it didn’t matter to Arte. He made me feel like a superstar and somehow got me doing moves I didn’t know I could do. And all the while, he seemed to be having the time of his life. I know it wasn’t just me. I’ve seen him dance with other gals, like my friend Marilynn, and they had a similar experience.
That to me is the mark of a great dancer. Not their fancy moves or how fast they can spin but the joy they bring to dance and how they make their partners feel.
Arte was way too young to die, in age and in spirit. He will be missed.
Please feel free to talk about your experiences with Arte here, and also check out these wonderful tributes to him on The Hustle Lounge and Strictly Westie.
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When life gets in the way
Alison Bert on September 20th, 2008 | Filed under Life Maintenance, Spirituality, Writing, Philosophy
I’ve taken a bit of a break from this blog due to life circumstances. But the visit of a “stranger” here yesterday inspired me to continue. I remembered how important it is to keep writing about the stuff that gets in the way of life, which is really life itself. I’m going to think about how much I want to share. And remind myself that the prose doesn’t have to be perfect in order to post.
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For the birds
Alison Bert on May 26th, 2008 | Filed under Wildlife
This is a Hyacinth McCaw — and a young lady who was bold enough to befriend him. He was just $12,999 at Bird Jungle in Scarsdale. Check out these and other exotic (and more affordable) birds there on my Fotki Gallery.
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Dance pics from Saturday night
Alison Bert on March 30th, 2008 | Filed under Dancing
Last night I took photos at the Swing & Salsa Party at You Should Be Dancing in Manhattan. Check out the photo gallery.
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Skateboarders in White Plains
Alison Bert on March 15th, 2008 | Filed under Sports, Skateboarding
While photographing the Ritz Carlton in White Plains this afternoon, I found a more interesting subject — a group of awesome skateboarders. They were cool with letting me take their pics.
To see the photos, click on the image in this post.
To order high-res prints, click here.
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An amazing night out in Manhattan for $15
Alison Bert on February 24th, 2008 | Filed under Dancing, Photography
First, if you’re wondering why I haven’t been writing much lately, it’s because I’ve been spending my weekends on photography, having recently bought new camera equipment.*
Now for the best part. My gig last night was to take pics of the Swing & Salsa Party at You Should Be Dancing in NYC — a monthly dance with two killer bands and a dee-jay. Even if you don’t dance, you can stop by, sip a soda and surround yourself with some of the liveliest swing and salsa in town. Here’s my picture of Kate Bartoldus, bandleader of Lady Luck and the Suicide Kings. You can find the rest of the pics in my new gallery. And check out Explore Dance for dance photos, reviews, hot spots and more. My first review of camera equipment is there, and I actually sound like I know what I’m talking about! Read the rest of this entry »
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Will this get young people to vote for Hillary?!
Alison Bert on February 15th, 2008 | Filed under Music, Media
Warning: some might find content objectionable.