MARCH MADNESS, 15 CRAIGSIDE, BROADWAY and LUCY

My news item of the day has to do with my two ESPN women's March Madness bracket teams.  Presently both at the 99.4% level.

	espn59512106's Picks 1	22K RANK	99.4% PCT	300PTS	1900MAX

Round of 64 POINTS 300/320

	espn59512106's Picks 2	22K RANK	99.4% PCT	300PTS	1900MAX

There are 3.4 million competitors and  only 551 are currently perfect.

This was a good week.  Only went out once to have my taxes done, and did well.  On the way home did some shopping to complement my 15 Craigside take-out meals, plus a bento.  Only a little more than three weeks till our next trip to the Osaka Expo, returning via an Oceania cruise from Yokohama to Vancouver, then fly back to Honolulu. 

Weather has recently been picturesque.  Kilauea Volcano is not now erupting, so the air is clear.

Gave a Powerpoint presentation in the 15C theater on my life's  journey.

15C celebrated my day....St. Patrick's Day.

Came with food and drinks.

Had a fabulous St. Patrick's Day dinner with corned beef and cabbage, plus an assortment of Irish whiskies.

My meal with Red Breast.

Plus other Irish whiskies.

Two tunas, Japan chutoro and Hawaiian ahi.

Had the chutoro sashimi with beef curry supplied by 15C and a bottle of Kirin Beer.

Red wine with prime rib steak.

A Japanese bento with ahi sashimi and hot sake.

Mochiko chicken lunch with vegetables and beer.

Pork tonkatsu with Hawaiian ahi sashimi, plus beer and sake.

From the Sunday New York Times:

There’s a starry production of “Othello” opening on Broadway tonight. And if you’re among the many people who really, really want to see Denzel Washington as a jealous general, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal as a scheming Iago, it’s going to cost you: Most of the center orchestra seats, as well as a few rows in the mezzanine, are being sold for $921 apiece.

But that was the opening night.  Normally:

“Othello,” with an average ticket price last week of $338.83, is the most expensive show on Broadway right now, but it’s not the only costly ticket. A stage adaptation of “Good Night, and Good Luck” starring George Clooney had an average ticket price of $303.75 last week, and a revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross” featuring Bill Burr, Kieran Culkin and Bob Odenkirk had an average price of $207.40.

And:

It’s important to be aware that most shows cost far less. The overall average ticket price on Broadway last week was $134.96. There were nine shows selling seats for under $50, including Tony-winning productions of “Chicago” and “Hadestown” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

I go to TKTS:

Bargain hunters can often get even better deals by purchasing discounted tickets at a TKTS booth, entering an online lottery, lining up for rush tickets, finding a promo code or just sitting in seats that aren’t quite as close to the stage.

When in New York City, I stay at the Marriott Marquis off Times Square.

I woke up this morning to Joe Cocker's With a Little Help from My Friends, released in 1968.  

• Maybe you're more familiar with him older and appropriately spasmodic.
• Perhaps a better Cocker on this song is John Belushi.

• 
  Of course, some forget that this song was written by Paul McCartney, with contribution by John Lennon, and sung by Ringo Starr on their 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

• 
  There were 31 songs, running for 1 hour, 40 minutes.
• My most memorable tune from this album is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.  

• 
  Written mostly by John Lennon with help from Paul.  Inspired by Lennon's then 4-year old son Julian of his drawing called Lucy--in the sky with diamonds.  
• Rumors circulated about the Beatles taking LSD.
• 
  When in 1974 Donald Johanson (right) and crew found a 3.2 million old skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis in Hadar, Ethiopia, this song was playing on their camp tape recorder, when one of the camp members said, Why don't you call her Lucy?
• Lucy was the oldest, most complete hominin known at that time.  Further, she first indicated that ancient humans were able to walk upright.

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