Super Bowl XLVI

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Great friends, great food, and an exciting finish to a great game, what more could you ask?

Another great Super Bowl Party hosted by the ever gracious Tony Suarez. ;-)

Henry VIII: All Is True

Another enjoyable evening of Shakespeare, courtesy of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (and its Production Sponsor, Charles Parsons); this time Opening Night of the seldom-staged Henry VII: All Is True by William Shakespeare (with some alleged involvement of John Fletcher; collaboration and/or revision). This is the play that literally brought down the house, as the Globe Theater was destroyed by fire during an early performance. According to Wikipedia:

On 29 June 1613 the Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry the Eighth. A theatrical cannon, set off during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching. According to one of the few surviving documents of the event, no one was hurt except a man whose burning breeches were put out with a bottle of ale. It was rebuilt in the following year.

Fortunately, no such misfortune befell the CSC's production of the play. :) And what a production it was! Strong acting, choreography, set design. And the costumes! If this production doesn't sweep the awards for which it is eligible, well then, they ought to not bother having them.

I was especially impressed with the scene where the Surveyor is relating to the King something the Duke of Buckingham had said, and the actor playing Buckingham appears in the front row aisle with a spotlight, performing the same lines in synch with the Surveyor. A very cinematic technique, done without audio editing equipment that a movie maker would use, and it came off quite well, in live theater. You really need to see this show!! It runs through February 5, and tickets, I understand, are still available.

Photography is not allowed during performances, of course, but I was able to take some pictures during the pre-show reception, hosted by the ever gracious Charles Parsons, as well as after the performance. You can see these pics by clicking here, or on the images.

Pixel is missing :( UPDATED: Now Home! :-D

Pixel, my 6yo Maine Coon Cat (mix) pictured here, has been missing since Saturday. I let her out on Saturday evening during the first half of the Bengals/Texans game, and I haven't seen her since. If you are in the Glendale, OH area and you see her, please email me at hugh57b@gmail.com.

Missing:
Maine Coon Cat (mix), Female.
Name: Pixel. Approx 6 years old, 7.5 lbs
Last seen Sat. 1/7/12, in Glendale, OH

UPDATE 1/13: PIXEL IS HOME!!! :-D Apparently, she had been picked by a stray by someone on the street behind my backyard, and taken in by the Dog Depot, a dog grooming place about a half mile from my house. The owner had seen Pixel before, but several years ago, when she worked for Pixel's vet, so she didn't make the connection until yesterday [Thurs.], when I dropped a flier off at her dog grooming place. She had "fostered" Pix out to this lady in Wyoming, who had some thoughts that they might keep her, but their dogs thought otherwise. When I went over there, Pixel was in their garage, hiding under a pile of sporting equipment. A few calls and whistles from me, and she started mewing, so I was able to locate her by sound, and coax her out. She came out pretty eagerly, once she realized who I was. :-)

A Holiday show and a New Years Dinner (with fireworks)

Went to see the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's production of "Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)" with several of the Bozinis. A very hilarious mashup of pop culture references and traditional Christmas stories. Alas, last night's performance was the last this season, but if you get a chance to see this show next Christmas season, I highly recommend it. Since the CSC doesn't allow photography during performances, I left my camera in the car, so I didn't get any photos. Pity. ;-)

After the show, it was down to 5th & Main to McCormick and Schmicks restaurant, where we were joined by several more of the Bozini clan, for a delicious dinner, as well as fireworks from Macy's roof across the street. I had the Lobster Bisque, followed by a Kobe Burger.

Fortunately, I did have my camera along for the dinner and fireworks, so just click here or on the image for more pics.

Kwanzaa 2011

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The 5th night of Kwanzaa was celebrated on Friday night at Gwen McFarlin's house in Springfield Township. A very fun and convivial evening, featuring some great food, including Gwen's chicken dish, a tasty string-bean dish and a delicious Brie pie. Many thanks to Gwen for her gracious hospitality, and to all who attended for the great food and company.

Christmas with the Bozinis — 2011.2 CSC/Opera Edition

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The second of two annual Bozini Christmas parties was held Saturday night, hosted by Nancy, Bob and Charles, with their usual uncommon flair. As usual, Her majesty Queen Victoria was especially pleased to welcome the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (who arrived shortly after performing Love’s Labour’s Lost on their Main Stage downtown), along with several members of the area Opera community.

A most enjoyable evening was had by all. And I'm especially looking forward to attending the CSC's Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) on New Year's Eve! :-)

Santa Claus visits Waycross

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Waycross Community Media had its annual visit from Santa Claus this past Monday, where children from the Waycross area were able to call in and talk to the Jolly Old Guy himself. More pictures, as usual by clicking here or on the image. Merry Christmas to all!! :-)

Christmas with the Bozinis — 2011.1

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The annual two-part Bozini Christmas Party got underway this year, with Part 1 being held last night at Casa Bozini. As is traditional, an appearance was made by HRH Queen Victoria, who was looking quite her usual regal self this year, followed by a rousing round of caroling. Also, much food was eaten, and a festive time was had by all. :-)

A big Thank You from, and Congratulations to Gwen McFarlin

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Gwen McFarlin, recently re-elected to the position of Springfield Township Board of Trustees, held a Thank You party for her supporters at her Springfield Township home on Saturday. Excellent food was eaten, petitions were signed, and plans made for the big Kwanza party to be held at the end of December. Congratulations, Gwen!

Dressing Up Politics

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The Springfield Township Democratic Club held their Dressing Up Politics fundraiser this past weekend, which featured a Fashion Show with many Democratic elected officials from Cincinnati and Hamilton County suburbs  serving as models. I was there to shoot video, but I did manage to get some still shots as well. Enjoy!

UPDATE 11/30/11: I've added a couple of dozen shots to the collection. Enjoy!

Another Batch of Bozini Birthdays

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Another round of Bozini birthdays was celebrated this weekend, for Bozini's with Autumn Birthdays. So Happy Birthday to Charles, Virgina and Dick! :)

To honor the occasion, a delightful dinner was held at the Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Kenwood. A most enjoyable evening catching up with all of the Bozini family. :)

And the regular season comes to a close

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It was the final week of the season for High School football, and Waycross closed out the regular season by covering Winton Woods in their game against Glen Este. It was Senior Night for Winton Woods, with recognition given to seniors on football team and the Marching Band. This included recognition for WWHS Senior, Marching Band Field Commander and long-time Waycross Volunteer Jason Dudley. Congratulations, Jason!

Unfortunately, Winton Woods and Glen Este had disappointing seasons, both being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs going into this week's action. Winton Woods managed to win for the home crowd, 35-21.

Next week, the football playoffs will start, and Waycross will be looking to cover St. Xavier and/or Colerain, both of whom figure to host games in the first round. Permissions have to be obtained for broadcast rights, so we'll have to see what happens.

Finneytown vs. Wyoming

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It's late October, and once again time for the annual Finneytown vs. Wyoming game. As I said in my previous post, this game has historically been a blowout in favor of Wyoming, but this year proved to be a bit different. Finneytown jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half. only to give up that lead. But it did all come down to a 21-16 lead for Wyoming with 1:00 left in the game and Finneytown had the ball 4th and goal on the 2-yard line. A two yard run would win it, but Finneytown unfortunately fumbled, and Wyoming picked the ball up and ran for a game sealing touchdown. So final score: Wyoming 28-16 over Finneytown, which is very close the the 28-17 win for Wyoming win that I predicted before the game.

I did manage to get some pictures of the Finneytown band, who were dressed up for Halloween. :)

The second game of a double weekend

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Just a little over 12 hours after leaving Colerain High School, Waycross and volunteers were at St. Xavier High School for their game against the defending State Champions, the St. Edward Eagles. Before the game, I overheard a St. Edward's player asked if they were going to win, and he said yes, it was "in the bag." Well, I've been helping cover St. Xavier Bombers football for about 20 years now, and I learned one thing about 19 years ago: Never bet real money against St. X. The Bombers won, 17-10.

Coming up next week is Finneytown vs. Wyoming. This has historically been a blowout, with Wyoming usually stomping Finneytown. But Finneytown beat Indian Hill last week (a major upset) and both they and Wyoming are now 5-3 on the season. So there is some hope that the game will actually be an exciting game for a change.

First for a double weekend

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Waycross is covering two football games this weekend, Colerain vs. Lakota East, and St. Xavier vs. St. Edwards.

First up: tonight was the Colerain game. A very pleasant night, though there was a thunderstorm skirting to the north of the stadium. Didn't look like it was going to affect our game (indeed, there was a beautiful sunset in the west), and fortunately, if there was any lightning, the refs didn't see it.

Finally got a chance to leave the production truck during the game so that I could get a few pics of the game itself. And it did include a Colerain touchdown! Oh, and Colerain won, 28-7. :)

Next up: Tomorrow afternoon at St. Xavier

King of the Road

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Friday night and time for some more high school football. This week is was St. Xavier hosting LaSalle in the annual King of the Road game, in which the two schools, located on opposite ends of North Bend Road, battle it out for the right to say "We Own The Road." St. Xavier won that battle this year, 45-21. As usual, I was working in the Waycross TV truck (I ran replay this week), so I didn't get any pics of the game itself, but I did get quite a few of St. X and LaSalle's Marching Bands.

Band Night and a Barn Burner of a game

This week Waycross covered Walnut Hills vs. Winton Woods in high school football. Unlike the other football games we've covered this year, which were blowouts, this game actually was exciting right up to the final minute with the lead changing a few times in the 4th quarter. In the end, Walnut Hills held on to win, 31-28, which unfortunately leaves Winton Woods' postseason prospects highly doubtful.

In addition it was Band Night at Winton Woods High School, in which the High School Marching Band was joined by the 7th and 8th grade bands, in a halftime show that featured a tribute to the Beatles. Click here or on the images for a bunch of pics of the band, with longtime Waycross volunteer and WWHS Marching Band Field Commander Jason Dudley dressed in Sgt. Pepper garb.

A Midsummer Night's Dream for an autumn evening

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A lovely September night for a Shakespeare in the Park performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Burnet Woods in Clifton, near the UC campus. The rain fortunately held off until well after the show ended, so the show went off without a hitch. Afterwards, it was off to the Clifton Skyline Chili at Ludlow and Clifton with friends Nancy, Charles and Dick, as well as Luigina and Rob.

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And a great show it was. Burnet Woods, in my opinion, provides the perfect setting for a play set largely in a forest, the cast was energetic (not to mention hilarious; you really get an idea of where Monty Python was getting a fair chunk of their material), and the costuming added the crowning touch. If the CSC ever puts on a production of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, Cary Davenport, pictured here playing the part of Francis Flute (who is in turn playing the part of Thisbe), has to play the part of the Red Queen. A tip of the hat to Heidi Jo Scheimer, the CSC's Resident Costume Designer, for inspired work on all the costumes (though in Cary's case, it's the beard that really completes the look, not to mention his facial expressions).

Alas, this was the final performance of MSND for the 2011 SitP season. There is a final performance of Julius Caesar next weekend, but I  don't think I'll be able to make that.

I just wish this company had been around in the early 70s when Mrs. McCann, my ninth-grade English teacher, was trying to make me read Julius Caesar. Apparently she, along with my dad, a college English professor at UC, were of the opinion that Shakespeare was writing for them (i.e., English teachers) and that these plays were meant to be read, rather than seen. I strongly disagree. Reading these plays just doesn't do it for me. To truly appreciate Shakespeare, you should see the plays performed, by a company as talented and enthusiastic as the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

Week 4

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Week 4 of the High School football season, this week was Finneytown vs. Taylor. As usual, I wasn't able to take pictures during the game (I'm generally pretty busy wrestling with an approx. Year 2000 Windows computer, using Excel 97 (97!), to keep the score, down & distance, etc. up-to-date.). But it was a beautiful night (partly cloudy, temps in the 50s), and I did manage to get some pictures of the Marching Band as they marched past the production truck.

Caesar on the River

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Went to another production of Julius Caesar, put on by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, this time at Bellevue Beach Park. The park is right on the Ohio River, approximately across the river from Eden Park. A rousing performance as far as it went. Unfortunately, a drenching shower started shortly after intermission, forcing the players to cancel the remainder of the performance. All the players were scheduled to perform in A Man for All Seasons at CSC in downtown Cincinnati later in the evening, and hence couldn't wait out the shower. Naturally, the sun came back out shortly after that decision was made, but then again, the rain returned while we we walking back to our cars. So it was a good call, after all.

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Afterwards, we went to York St. Cafe in Newport for light dinner and dessert. A wonderful outdoor dining experience, with wonderful company, and desserts to die for!