As a member of a large family and the last addition to that
large family, I grew up with a mother who ran through all of her
children’s names and the canine member’s name before she finally
yelled out in frustration, looking straight at me,
”
You know who I mean; just do it!
”
As a member of a large family and the last addition to that large family, I grew up with a mother who ran through all of her children’s names and the canine member’s name before she finally yelled out in frustration, looking straight at me, “You know who I mean; just do it!”
“It” was a chore or task a busy mother of seven children assigns to one of the sets of legs available to work. My name is Mary Anne. Why couldn’t she remember that?
Now that I’m a mother, I sometimes forget one of my three children’s names in the haste to accomplish the day’s duties. But I have learned through this column that not only the name but the spelling of the name is important, and it identifies our being and the relationship we have to our family and community.
In Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy “Romeo and Juliet,” when Juliet cries out, “What’s in a name? Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?” she uses false logic. A name is everything.
Of course, in San Jose Ballet’s performance of “Romeo and Juliet” last Friday night at the Center for Performing Arts, Juliet was bound by her toe shoes not to speak. But the sentiment was just as naïve, although the set was lavish and the company finally splurged for a live orchestra.
Familiar names and faces gathered for a pre-performance cocktail and dinner hour, sponsored by the Fry’s Corp. in the bank lobby next to Paolo’s restaurant. Accompanying me for the evening was my friend and former college professor, Cynthia Rostankowski, who was recently nominated for an outstanding professor award at San Jose State University.
Joining our table during the dinner was jewelry designer Erin Alexander Barron and her team from Erin’s Fine Jewelry in Menlo Park. An eclectic mix also was present, including her husband, Ricardo Barron; an east Stockton native and former engineer now in the jewelry business; a south of London employee married to a Dubliner wife; and a Chinese/American Stanford University art history graduate with his date, who is originally from Israel and is now finishing her Ph.D. in chemistry at Stanford. Erin kept me busy trying on her rings, each of which were exquisite. Check out the designs on her Web site, www.erinsfinejewelry.com. (The tall piece with a dome is a replica of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.)
Looking forward …
The humdrum days pass quickly whenever a party or vacation is marked on the calendar. Thomas Kruse’s now famous BYOB (bring your own bottles) event comes up on the schedule from 11am to 4pm March 25. Bottle whatever blend Tom has ready, and enjoy barbecue, cheeses, pasta, wine tasting and live music. The cost is $4 a bottle or slightly higher if you buy the bottles from the winery, which is located at 3200 Dryden Ave. in Gilroy.
Or, if you feel more prone to a history lesson and can’t make it to a full blown Civil War reenactment, try the Women in History performance on March 18 at the First Baptist Church in Gilroy. The concert is a mixture of narration and singing benefiting the South Valley Pregnancy Center.
A silent auction and concert begins at 3:30 and 4:30pm, respectively. If you can’t get enough of the talented Beverly Olivier-Blount at the performance, follow her Saturday evening to the Musical Madness Concert sponsored by the South Valley Symphony at 7:30pm at the Sobrato High School Theater. Joining Ms. Olivier-Blount will be Dave Porcella, Sandra Marlowe, John Garcia and more!
There will be a prize for attending all three events. Just tell me your name, and I will be sure to spell it correctly.
Ciao for now.
