OTAS, you found it

You know the economy is not all that great when a company like mine, that sells handbags upwards of $2,000 and face creams that average $400, sees its business slow at a rate of something like 20%. When these people start to cut back and put that money in the bank, you know there are fundamental issues with the economy.

It’s appropriate, then, that I declared this weekend “Recession Weekend.” What this, more precisely, means is that I’m not going out this weekend. I’ve got a stock of food in the freezer and a cupboard full of booze -- a party can be had in my apartment at absolutely no cost. So friends were invited to partake in Recession Weekend. A cynic would ask me what role the charges for next season’s opera tickets going through had, or buying a $200 bottle of champagne for Michael, Rachel and I had. (Yea, those are on the charge bill as well.)

Recession Weekend officially started tonight with blogging, sipping a vodka and tonic, doing laundry, and listening to “ring my bell.” Even with this appealing music, alas, no friends have taken me up on this. Bobby has had some sort of large piece of meat marinating all week and I’ll bring some of the Recession booze over there where we will be joined by others (we hope).

So what cultural activities have contained me in my place during a beautiful weekend in New York? (This is actually the motivation for this blog, to talk about the opera, bear with me.)

There’s the routine like Cav/Pag, Boheme, Adriana Lecouvreur, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin; then there’s vocal showpieces like La Sonnambula, and Lucia. But then there is the extraordinary. The reigning diva, Fleming is going to be singing Rusalka, her signature role, along with Thaïs. The final showing of the current Ring Cycle (which I am seeing) and, my god, some pretty damn cool special events. Mary and I are going to opening night to see Renee Fleming sing an act of Traviata, Manon, and Capriccio. Then the Met celebrates its 125th season with a gala. I can’t wait. But what I am, believe it or not, looking most forward to is the revival of Karita Matilla singing Salome. Who can pass up full frontal nudity, necrophilia, the murder of a saint, and vocal drama at the opera? Not me. Secondly, is seeing Madama Butterfly again. Our new butterfly, Racette, is marvelous. Add to this one the best production of the opera I’ve ever seen, and you have the perfect evening at the opera.

Fuck handbags, the economy is going to shit when I stop seeing these marvelous performances.