Three Beautiful Things 02/08/14: Ice Storm, Lunch at the Cornbread Cafe, Shakespeare Heaven

1.  Going out to take pictures at 1:00 was miserable.  Slush.  Tree branches falling.  Ice rain.  But, some pretty good pictures to be taken, even though I could hardly see through the raindrops on my glasses.  (An umbrella would have been smart, if I owned one.)  Here are some pictures I took:

2.  Russell and I ducked out of the rain and ice and slush and snow into the Cornbread Cafe, a vegan joint, and I had a hearty bowl of chili and a cornbread muffin.  Eric, a great tapper at 16 Tons was working there and I enjoyed gabbing a bit with him and Russell and I had a great lunch.

3.  I discovered John Barton's Playing Shakespeare is on YouTube and I watched episode 1.  Watching Ian McKellen work over Antonio's opening line of The Merchant of Venice ("In sooth, I know not why I am so sad") many times, each with a different tone, each with a different intention was thrilling enough, but then when David Suchet responded with the exaggerated images of Salarino's attempt to cheer Antonio ("Your mind is tossing on the ocean . . ."), and they worked that over several times, I was in that pleasure palace I refer to as Shakespeare heaven!