The Party That Was
On Saturday November 21, 2009, Gillian turned 40, and there was much celebrating. Friends from all over the country gathered to eat, drink, dance, and have a blast.
Thank you to all who came, and especially to those who made donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. We collected $1,334 at the party through checks, cash donations, and drink specials, with all of the money sent directly to BC/EFA. Our goal is to raise $2,000 in honor of Gillian turning 40. If you have not had a chance to donate yet, please go to this link at broadwaycares.org and make your tax-deductable donation. Even just $5 or $10 will help us reach the $2,000 mark. You can learn more about BC/EFA at www.broadwaycares.org, and read about our work with BC/EFA in a volunteer spotlight that they did about us.
A big thank you goes to those who helped us put this all together and made it such a magical evening. Please visit the THANKS page, where you can also get a sneak peak at some of the photos to be posted soon!
Welcome to 1989
It was the winter of '69, and what a long strange trip the year had been - We made love at Woodstock, we fought a war on distant soil, and we even walked on the moon.
It was a time of change, as we said hello (Zeppelin, Joplin, and Morrison) and goodbye (John, Paul George, and Ringo). LBJ went all the way back to TX and Tricky Dick arrived in DC. The US started drafting soldiers by lottery, Big Bird first asked for directions to Sesame Street, and a small mom and pop operation called Wal-Mart opened its doors. It would be another two years before Starbucks would open in Pike Place Market, but Boeing launched its first 747 jumbo jet, the first ATM was installed in the US, and a little gadget called the Microprocessor was invented.
And for something completely different, 1969 delivered the BBC debut of the Flying Circus of Monty Python in October, while November saw the central Pennsylvania arrival of Gillian Albinski.
Fast-forward four decades to 2009 – We still love Woodstock (as a brand, not an experience), we are at war on multiple distance soils, and we are trying to figure out how to get back to the moon where we once belonged.
It is an age of uncertainty. W is back in TX and Barack is now settled in DC, but times are tough as we endure global recession and personal depression. Sure, there have been a number of advances in our lifetime, but what do we have to show for it except for crowded flights and little free time with ATMs, coffee shops, and superstores on every corner.
Yes, we know how to micro process our communications in 140 characters or less and update our status for all of our world-wide friends to see. But still, we are anxious to make a personal connection.
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to find a happy medium between change and uncertainty? How totally cool would it be to go back and party like there was no tomorrow, in a simpler time, where girls just wanted to have fun!
Let's rewind the clock by 20 years to 1989 – We wanted our MTV (because it still played music videos), the only conflict we had was over Panama (the country, not the Van Halen song) and space shuttle astronauts were frequent fliers.
It was the time of excess and everyone loved living large in the Big 80's. Ronnie was back on the ranch with Nancy and Senior was looking for points of light. No, life was not perfect and stuff happened (The Bejiing revolution began and ended in Tiananmen Square, the Exxon Valdez spilled 240,000 barrels of oil and Hurricane Hugo left its mark on the Carolinas), but some pretty cool stuff happened too – Intel launched the 486 Microprocessor, the Russians left Afghanistan (and got back to what was left of the USSR) and the Berlin Wall, to paraphrase John Cougar Mellencamp, came tumbling down.
The world of entertainment was also an exciting place to be in 1989. Not only did The Simpsons make their post Tracey Ullman debut, but Harry met Sally, Indiana Jones had his Last Crusade and Michael Keaton was Batman. And it was twice as nice to have sequels that brought Ghostbusters Back to the Future with a Lethal Weapon 2.
And then there was the music. While The Cure was sharing a Love Song, Tears For Fears were Sowing The Seeds Of Love. While Aerosmith had Love In An Elevator, the B-52's had their own Love Shack.
Poison knew that Every Rose Has Its Thorn, but Tom Petty said I Won't Back Down, and R.E.M. encouraged us to take a Stand.
Tone Loc was a Wild Thing but Paula Abdul was both Straight Up and Cold Hearted long before her Idol days. Michael Jackson may have been a Smooth Criminal, but Milli Vanilli simply tried to Blame It On The Rain. Still their singing was not real and Girl You Know It's True.
Madonna told us to Express Yourself while Gloria Estefan shouted Get On Your Feet. Cyndi Lauper showed her True Colors, Prince taught us to Batdance and Janet Jackson led her own Rhythm Nation.
It was just Another Day In Paradise for Phil Collins, but Billy Joel assured us that We Didn't Start The Fire. Don Henley thought it was The End Of Innocence and Cher wondered what could happen If I Could Turn Back Time, but R.E.M. knew It's The End Of The World As We Know It, but it was alright because we all felt fine. And long before VH1 cared, musicians raised money for great causes by letting us simply know that We Are The World and by asking probing questions like Do They Know It's Christmas?
So in the spirit of one small step back and one giant leap forward, we had a party on Saturday, November 21 to celebrate Gillian's 40th Birthday by remembering the past and embracing the future – we teased up our big hair, pulled out our Members Only jackets and popped our collars. We went to Dammit Janetwhere we meet friends old and new and also helped raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. We danced like maniacs, like we once danced before, because for one magical night we partied like it was1989.
