Tag Archives: clothing

A Night at the Opera – Part 2.

entertainment, music, opera, , , , , ,

It’s opera season 2023, and this time we saw Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado.

We ate a light supper before getting ready.  It wouldn’t work out to eat at a restaurant, since there are not that many along the way to the theater, which was in another town.

I wore a black and white dress with a sparkling black and gold shawl.  Best Friend wore his black Beatle boots with dress pants and shirt.

The drive to the theater was easy, rain clouds hung in the distance, and we made it to the theater in about 40 minutes.  The parking lot was crowded, but we easily found a spot to park our car.  We later learned that the lot was crowded because there was also a private birthday party for “Chris” in a small conference room attached to the theater.

When the doors opened, we took our seats – orchestra left center.  We had a good vantage point of the stage, and we were excited for the opera to begin.  Especially since a gaggle of chitty chatty women were standing next to us in the aisle talking about their sons, their daughters, the beauty salon, the manicures they just got . . .

Patrons were dressed casually, and I observed it all – shorts, t-shirts, jeans, sparkling blouses, and khakis.  Something that I wish people would cut back on is dousing themselves in cologne.  It’s enough to gag an elephant.

The Mikado was enjoyable, although sometimes it was difficult to understand the spoken dialogue.  The costumes were not what I expected.  Since The Mikado takes place in a fictional location in Japan, I expected kimonos, yukatas, and traditional hairstyles.  Instead, the costumes had hints of traditional dress – shoulder pads, vague oriental designs, and the like.  Mainly, the costumes were of late nineteenth century Western style dress for both men and women.

Despite my disappointment with the costuming, the story was funny, and the songs were sung with strong, rich voices.  My favorite piece from The Mikado is “On a Tree by a River (“Willow, tit-willow”), and I have liked that song since I was little.  And . . .

PIRATES ADD

We picked up a coloring book for my grandnephew that tells an abridged version of The Pirates of Penzance.

This was nearly a three-hour opera, and by the time we returned home, it was after eleven o’clock.

It was all worth a night out.

As ever,

✿●▬●✿ ©2023 The Oasis at Four Queen Palms ✿●▬●✿

Out on the Town.

dining, etiquette, grooming, manners, tips for gracious living, , , , , , , , ,

The morning air was brisk this morning as I headed down to the kitchen for a cup of hot coffee.  After pouring my cup and taking a sip, I turned to look out the window at the burgeoning dawn.  The sky, while a pale robin’s egg blue, it was the ribbon of yellows and oranges that caught my eye.  But it did not last.  Within the minute, it disappeared while the sun rose above the horizon.

This past weekend held a flurry of activity here at The Oasis at Four Queen Palms.

Best Friend and I were, in a way, held captive at home Friday while we waited and waited for the cable man to come and replace the DVR black box that burned out.  It turns out that the fan inside it died out, and the entire box needed to be swapped out with a new one.  The funny thing is that the box was only three years and two weeks old.

So much for technology.

We spent the next morning putting away our Christmas decorations.  We are traditionalists, and our decorations come down on Three Kings Day (Epiphany – January 6), or at the most, the next day.  This year, the dismantling was fairly easy, since we only decorated the main house.  I am questioning the point of decorating to the full extent anymore, but time will tell when the calendar turns to November later this year.  Stay tuned.

That same evening, Best Friend wanted to treat us to a very nice dinner out, and I thought it was a grand idea.  It’s something we don’t do very often.  He mentioned that he wanted to go somewhere where the booths are very comfortable, so I recommended the nice restaurant across the road.  We don’t usually go there except for once in a great while.  So, once we got our usual Saturday housework and business done, we got ready to go out.

We both dressed up since the restaurant is somewhat fancy (for this area).  Best Friend wore a French cuff shirt with cuff links; I wore an all-black dress and carried a silver clutch purse.

We sat at our usual quiet corner table in the bar section of the restaurant.  I had a clear view of the outside, and Best Friend had a good view of the bar.  This made for a pleasant atmosphere.  One of the things I like about this restaurant is the roomy couch-like chairs that are so comfortable. I have mentioned in the passing conversation that they would make a great addition to our dining room, if we were so inclined to replace the table suite at home.

We placed our orders – rib eye, a Peroni, and a pinot noir – and the two of us carried on light conversation.  That is, until a couple of patrons entered with a bit of bluster.

They spoke loudly, which made it difficult to concentrate on our private table conversation for the time being.  The two women who entered recognized two other women at the bar, and we all in the room knew it for the rest of the evening!  Moreover, it was aggravating to be forced to hear gossip (for they spoke loudly during their meal) about a neighbor.  Always remember, I thought, when someone gossips about one person, you can be sure they will gossip about you!

It also appeared that some of the men patrons at the bar live in our neighborhood, so that told me that the bar in our neighborhood isn’t always the go-to place.

One other point that both Best Friend and I observed that night is that although this restaurant is one that conveys some class (it is not a fast-food joint by any means), the patrons’ mode of dress did not reflect that.  We saw people dressed in loungewear, shorts, T-shirts, and one wore black leggings and a faux leopard fur quasi-bolero jacket that emphasized her ample rear end and squat legs.  In fact, Best Friend stated that it seemed that the evening crowd dressed very sloppily as compared to the daytime lunch crowd.  He is right.

This is something I – we – notice when we are out in the world.  For some reason, people don’t dress nicely nor neatly anymore, nor do they comb their hair.  Parts in the hair are all over the place, like a winding road in the mountains of Monaco.  Overall, it’s a look of sloppy fashion that seems to deteriorate as every season passes.  It is as if people don’t have respect for themselves, let alone for anyone around them.

As ever,

✿●▬▬▬●✿ ©2023 The Oasis at Four Queen Palms ✿●▬▬▬●✿

Dining out should be an elegant experience.

Gracious Holiday Living – Part I.

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I was in Vermont last weekend, among the pines, snow, and elegance.

Well, to be more clear, Best Friend and I watched the 1954 movie, White Christmas, and the movie transported me to a more beautiful era.  That is where I was for a couple hours – in post-War Vermont.  The characters in the movie were always well-presented, their hair always combed, their clothes pressed, and they exhibited civil decorum, even during a spat.  It struck me that today, our society has sadly fallen to something in the hideous department.

While I was growing up, we had three sets of clothes – a uniform for parochial school, Sunday clothes, and play clothes.  We kids always wore our Sunday clothes all day on Sunday, to church and at home.  Play clothes were just that – for play.  And I don’t need to explain the uniform for school; it’s self-explanatory.  Yes, there was a time that one did not wear pajamas to school and church.

I was horrified at the institution of casual Friday at work, and the public styles of students when I was attending college in the 90s:  uncombed hair, pajama bottoms, pajama sets, ripped clothes, bedroom slippers, and smelly body odors.

To quote Kelsey Grammar’s Frasier Crane, “What fresh hell is this?” was my thought.

These days, people generally make fun “the olden days” of the years prior to this – ahem – casual-sloppy style.  They shudder at the thought of the days when you presented yourself well in and out of the home.  When you never left home with your hair still in curlers or your face unshaven.  When ripped clothes were not the fashion.  When language was respectful and not bombarded with the f- and s-words.  Oh, that’s so old-fashioned.  You get the idea, I’m sure.

This season, many of us will find ourselves in the mix of parties (office, family, friends).  Even if the gathering is among your immediate circle of friends or family, do you dress up?  I mean Ladies, do you comb your hair, put on a little powder and lip gloss, and wear your best clothes (not those yoga pants or jeans)?  Gentlemen, do you eschew those ripped up jeans and faded sweatshirts and don your dressy trousers (pressed, of course) and a nice polo shirt (at least)?  Do you have clean and manicured nails?

Recently, I thought about the manner of dress these days, and there is something that our predecessors were on to – being well-presented was respect for oneself and respect for others.  I don’t see that generally these days.  Dress up – really dress up – for the parties and events you will be attending this season.  It is a fact that when you are well-presented (no sloppy clothes at church, for example), you feel better about yourself, and you produce better.  It is a fact.

Now, you might find yourself the butt of jokes if you show up at a holiday party this season dressed up, clean, and classy.  Honestly, I was in that situation many times.  I invariably attended functions dressed appropriately for the event, and that meant a dress and jewelry for the opera, tailored clothes for the office, and neat clothes whilst shopping.  There were people (strangers, mostly) who made fun of me for wearing a nice outfit to a function.  There were co-workers who laughed at me when I didn’t wear (what I consider) loungewear on casual Fridays (remember that debacle that started the sloppiness at work?)

Even at home when I spend the day there, I rarely don’t wear a bit of make-up, but at least I comb my hair and wear nice clothes, and my nails are clean and manicured.  The times I won’t wear something nice at home is when we are pulling weeds or cleaning house, for example.  Those situations call for work clothes.

Yet, physical appearance is not all that is profoundly lacking these days.  In the language department, do you let vulgar language flow freely from your lips, not caring who is around you?  It isn’t becoming nor befitting.  Moreover, today’s vernacular is vulgar and tasteless and does violence to the ears and the hearer.  This is so very unfortunate since the English language is rich with wonderful phrases and singular words that make it a pleasing language without the f- and s-words used abundantly as verbs, adjectives, nouns, determiners, prepositions, and interjections.  I don’t use vulgar language because I don’t believe it’s lady-like or intelligent.  I’ve been made fun of for this, and there have been people who, when they learn this about me, will ramp up the vulgarities in my presence or within earshot.  In fact, when I worked at an air traffic control facility, the vulgar language was de rigueur.  Nearly everyone out of the 75 people that worked there used vulgarities – men and women!  And when I asked these “offenders” to please not speak that way to me or near me, I was met with shock (at first), then laughter in the break room that was near my office.  Yes, I could hear them make fun of me.  There was a time, dear readers, that when women were in the same workspace, the men watched their language.  It’s passé in this era.  Women are known to let that filth fly with the best of the men.  That, dear readers, says more for those people than anything.  People that purposely do what you disdain for whatever reason (religion, upbringing, et cetera) in your presence have no manners nor compassion nor class.  Be bigger than that.  You will reap wonderful rewards as a result – others will think highly of you, you will be more of a delight to be around, and you will feel better about yourself, too.

Best Friend and I decorated The Oasis at Four Queen Palms for Christmas.  Up went the tree with a few presents underneath, and it looks inviting this year.  A dangly beaded ornament was inviting to Mademoiselle Kitten one evening when the tree was lit, but she quickly learned it’s a no-no toy for her.  Rat Terrier and Doxie are oblivious to the tree.  Just as well. CHRISTMAS TREE II

Baking is on the near horizon in my kitchen; the cookie dough is made and frozen until such time.  The fruitcake is busy fermenting, and my menus are being finalized.  We have a few concerts to attend.  And, of course, we have a slew of Christmas-themed movies we are watching, and we play Christmas carols every day.

One of these evenings, in front of the crackling fireplace and with carols playing in the background, Best Friend and I will start writing out our Christmas cards.

Make your holiday season classy.

As ever,

©2022 The Oasis at Four Queen Palms

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