Andrew J. Lederer

how inspiring it is to hear an orchestra live. (a good one, anyway.)

physically feeling the sound, hearing the individual instruments, noticing the slight imperfections in timing, watching the gesticulations of the conductor . . .

i know they pick "populist" classical music for this kind of thing (the piece was, in many ways, like a score from an old hollywood movie) but so what? there was a mass of people spread across a great lawn to hear a fine orchestra.

that's a good thing.

the fireworks were cool too. in fact, i was practically at the spot from which they launched them, which was occasionally scary but often thrilling and beautiful.

and perhaps the most beautiful pyrotechnic effect was a series of beautifully delineated, colored stars rising like water in a fountain into the night sky. ironically, the smoke they left behind eliminated our ability to see the actual stars in the sky.

i walked back to the tea lounge through the brownstone-laden streets of park slope (quite londony, actually) feeling good about life. and now i have time to work on my show for the fringe.

but that would be work and i feel too good to wanna do that.

plus, the management here has decided, despite the fact that the place is filled with people at their laptops and it seems like everyone has purchased something, to play loud, pounding "chasing away customers" music.

4 people left just now.

i bet the owners aren't here. this seems to me the kind of thing employees do.

nothing wrong with the music or the volume -- at another place or time. it's not "working on my fringe show" music though.

maybe it'll be good press release-writing music.