Chris Hadfield's Generator 2020

Tonight I went to see Chris Hadfield's Generator. This is the 4th year for it. 2018 was the first time I went but had to miss it last year. Damn! Made sure I didn't miss it this year as I bought my ticket in October.

Probably the best thing to happen to a Canadian winter since they invented the crazy carpet.

Generator remains the only show in Toronto where you can find robotic exoskeletons, stand up comedians, cyborgs, wunderkind, astronauts, musicians, celebrities, and spoken word artists seamlessly blended onto the same stage. It's unique. Let's face it, it's weird. But we love it, the audience loves it, and we can't wait to show you what we have in store this year.

Bring your friends! Bring your enemies! Bring whatever pets Roy Thomson Hall allows! Generator is back, and better than ever.

The show took place at Roy Thompson Hall.

So many people took the stage in the 3 hour show. What is unexpected is how comical scientists can be when talking about their fields. I laughed most of the night, while I learned fascinating facts and discoveries.

First up was the costumed band TWRP.

Robin Ince, a British comedian was the emcee for the night and was hilarious.

Brendan Frey was up first.  He spoke about how he and his team developed an artificial intelligence  (AI) to search for searching for the detection and possible treatment of genetic diseases and the teams successes.

I found it wonderful how Jae Rhim Lee and Shari Forbes could discuss death in such a meaningful and humorous way. Lee started talking about her admiration of sloths and worked it into the development of an eco-friendly mushroom burial suit and how much better it is for the world. Hey, not so far fetched. Actor Luke Perry was buried in one!

Forbes is the Research Chair in Forensic Thanatology and the Director of the Secure Site for Research in Thanatology. So what is that? She runs a body farm, Canada's first. What is a body farm? People donate their bodies so when they die, they are buried on this farm. Forensic scientist then can learn about decomposition of a body in the earth and to train dogs to search for bodies through their scent. Wow!

Second City was there showcase a little of their new She the People show.

That was a lot of show, and that was just the first half. After intermission, astronaut and man of many talents, Chis Hadfield, came out and with TWRP did a great job with House of the Rising Sun, After he spoke about the history of maps. He was funny and I learned a lot.

Never before had I heard of "Math Comedy". Well. Matt Parker is a Math stand-up from Australia and performs his full act around the world. He was so funny that I'll be heading out to buy his new book, When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World. Tonight he spoke about a 1970s British court case(s) where MacDonald's was taken to court over their claim their 8 item menu had 40,312 combinations. I couldn't stop laughing!

This was amazing. Adrian Owen, from a Professor at The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University in London Ontario, spoke about he and his team discovered how to determine in a person hospitalized in a vegetative state, not only has brain function, and is aware and thinking. Around 20% of those in this state, have that possibility.

He also found a way to communicate with them through yes and no questions. He put up a quote from a patient who awoke years after, which I can't find on-line. It said how the person felt now she was being communicated with and how she was knew she was now, even in that condition, being treated as a person, rather than an object. He won the order of the British Empire for his work.

Aaron Chen, a stand-up from Australia, did a great 10 minute set.

Finally, Simone Giertz, who had a U tube video show, Shitty Robots, showed a few of her videos, talked about her creation, Truckla, a Tesla she turned into an electric pickup truck. Then, while she built paper airplanes in a contest with Chris Hadfield, she spoke about her ordeal with the discovery of a brain tumour. That she was funny while talking about it was amazing.

After a fast 3 hours, the show was over. I got more than my money's worth for sure. I may have missed last year's show, but won't miss the next one.

Live Theatre - A Streetcar Named Desire

 This afternoon Teena and I saw A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto's Distillery District.

As Blanche’s fragile world crumbles, she turns to her sister for solace – but her downward spiral brings her face to face with a brutal, unforgiving reality. Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece is a raging portrayal of what it means to be an outsider, in a society where we’re all desperate to belong.

It was interesting for us going in as neither of us had seen the movie. Except for the short piece above, we knew nothing about the plot but for that famous line, "STELLA!", who I originally thought the story would be focused on.

Instead the story is of the interactions of Blanche who comes to live with her sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley, in a run down part of New Orleans, after losing the family estate. Blanche portrays herself as a fine southern belle, who is superior to the folk living in Stella and Stanley's neighbourhood and as a result is at constant odds and fights with Stanley, son of Polish immigrants. Stella has left the refined part of her life behind but lives a fiery life with her husband and feels protective towards her sister.

It was incredible. The play runs three hours plus the intermission but sure doesn't feel it. I was immediately involved in what was happening before me and trying to figure how it might all end. It's tense, broken in parts by moments of humour and powerful.

The Tennessee Williams play, which won a Pulitzer Prize, had its original opening on Broadway back in 1947 but every minute of it stands up today. Teena and I were discussing the play afterwards and came to the conclusion there were no weak actors in the production, especially in the major parts. Leah Doz as Stella, Amy Rutherford, easily with the most lines in the production, her character, Blanche, being the long winded type, and  Mac Fyfe as Stanley, all could not have been better. The minor roles were all well performed.

The set was well-laid out and imaginative. The music and outside action were all well-done.

I highly recommend this play. Teena and I are looking forward to seeing the 1951 movie of the play which I suspect will have many parts of the stage production toned down.

Live Theatre - Into the Tango

This afternoon I saw Into the Tango at the Randolph Theater on Bathurst,  just south of Bloor. The show is part of Toronto's Fringe Festival. I love the tango and was looking forward to this.

Award-winning dance company, PointeTango returns from Buenos Aires with INTO THE TANGO, a breathtaking new show featuring world-class dancers Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson. With fantastic lifts, ballet on pointe and flawless Argentine tango, this is a MUST-SEE show! Voted BEST DANCE show, 2018 Victoria Fringe.

Using traditional and contemporary music, INTO THE TANGO is the story of two dancers, lovers, and explorers who interpret the culture and drama of tango with a fresh new voice. Watch and be amazed when the graceful precision of classical ballet meets the authenticity and passion of Argentine tango.

The show was excellent. The two dancers from Pointe Tango, Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson, both from Buenos Aires, Argentina, were smooth, exotic, sensual, romantic and flowed on the stage. Although it was all dance, it told a story. Part way through, the two stopped and briefly explained a couple of their dances and the history of Tango before continuing.

One of the dances, their second, was a tribute in support of woman's rights in Argentina and around the world. In it, both wore their bandannas as masks, as they do in the protests. The explanation received applause and support from the audience. I instantly recognized the music from last dance they performed before speaking and Tango's most famous song, La cumparsita. Alright, I couldn't remember the title and had to look it up while writing this..

The show still had two more performances at the Fringe, this Friday at 1pm and Sunday at 1:45pm before moving onto the Saskatoon Fringe, North Bay Fringe and finally the Victoria Fringe. It's certainly worth seeing.

The show's trailer.

Above photo:
Photographer: Javier Alitto
Dancers: Erin Scott-Kafadar (lead dancer) and Alexander Richardson (lead dancer and choreographer)

Live Theater - Bella Donna at the Tarragon

Tonight, Teena and I were at opening night for Bella Donna at the Tarragon Theatre.

While Pope Julius II excommunicates LUCREZIA BORGIA (alleged daughter of his predecessor, Alexander VI) and her husband DUKE ALFONSO D’ESTE of Ferrara, Alfonso dallies with his young mistress ANGELA DiGHILINI. Disguised, Lucrezia goes to seek a secret audience with the Pope. There she meets GIOVANNI, a young soldier, who doesn’t realize who Lucrezia is and may be evidence of a guilty secret even more devastating to Lucrezia. SISTER BIBIANA, Lucrezia’s confidante, arranges for Giovanni to come to Ferrara, where he is adroitly poisoned by Alfonso. As the evidence mounts, so do the dramatic stakes.

Our contemporized production of Bella Donna is directed by the Gina Wilkinson award-winning emerging female director, Anita La Selva, and stars Françoise Balthazar, Martha Chaves, Michael Giordano, Paul Hopkins, Chelsea Russell, and Dewy Steward.

The play is a reworking of Victor Hugo's 1833 play, Lucrezia Borgia, a drama featuring 27 characters. Bella Donna has been reworked into a dark comedy with 6 characters, quite an accomplishment for writer David Copelin and Anita La Selva. It won for "Best Play" at the 2004 Toronto Fringe and was revised and updated for this performance by Copelin.

It's been a long time since I've been to a production at the Tarragon Theatre and have only been to two. Both were excellently done and Bella Donna is no exception. The set was minimal but well worked for each scene. The story flowed well and was both comedic as it was dramatic. The acting of all the performers was superb.

Afterwards, there was a reception with food and a chance to meet with the actors. I never had a chance to talk with Francoise Balthazar (Lucrezia Borgia) or Paul Hopkins (Alfonso d'Este) but I did meet with two.

Here I am with Dewey Stewart (Giovanni).

Chelsea Russell (Angele Di Ghilini) and I.

The play runs till June 1 and is well worth seeing.

Live Theater - Wedding at Aulis

Although I'm one who always enjoys happy endings, in the past few years I have become quite interested in Greek tragedies. I have seen two or three in the past and this afternoon went to see Wedding at Aulis at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District.

The play is a version of a Euripides play, Iphigenia at Aulis by Iranian-Canadian Sina Gilani. Euripides lived from 485 BC to 406 BC. Obviously these are estimated dates but yes, the play is certainly ancient.

To get the one thing he wants, Agamemnon must destroy the one thing he loves. A uniquely immersive experience places the audience to the precipice of the Trojan War.

When Euripides wrote Iphigenia at Aulis around 407 BC, he was reworking older material that was already central to Greek Culture. To write Wedding at Aulis, Sina Gilani has reworked Euripides. Filtering Euripides through his readings of myth, his understanding of nation and his particular sense of story-telling, Gilanin has created Wedding, and invites us to witness this simultaneously ancient and new, necessary story.

The play is 90 minutes long and performed in a small theatre space with about 80 seats circling the stage. As always with any Soulpepper production I have seen, it was well-acted and produced. It certainly kept me involved and engrossed.

The chorus, which always seems to appear in Greek tragedies, performed two songs which sounded wonderful and added to the emotion of the story. I thought Raquel Duffy was amazing as Clytemnestra and played the role with great range of emotion from anger, hope and helplessness. She is the mother of Iphigenia (Alice Snaden), who may become married to Achilles (Sebastien Heins) or be sacrificed to the Gods so the Greeks can sail to war to attack the Trojans. Quite the position for Iphigenia to be in!

Stuart Hughes too was a standout as the Greek king Agamemnon and father of Iphigenia. He had the voice and presence of a king.

I wanted to see right after it opened but performances sold out fast. Turns out I was lucky to be able to get tickets for today. It would have been a shame to have missed this.

Play - The Woods are Dark and Deep

This evening Teena and I went to see The Woods are Dark and Deep at the Factory Theatre at the corner of Bathurst and Adelaide.

They came to Canada to find a better life, and ended up sacrificing their freedom. Our story follows a small group of Serbian and Ukrainian immigrants who ended up in a Canadian internment camp during WWI. 

This is Pulse Theatre’s fifth production and we are very excited to work with a mix of old and new collaborators. This show is dedicated to immigrants and is a celebration of the sacrifices they made for this country to be able to grow, both economically and democratically. Based on historical events.

Canada, as great a country as it is, does have some shameful events regarding refugees in its past like turning away Jewish refugees and Japanese internment camps in World War Two. This is something I had never heard of before, the internment of Serbian and Ukrainian immigrants, known as "enemy aliens" in the First World War. From 1914 to 1920, Canada interned 8,579 enemy aliens in 24 receiving stations and internment camps. They cleared forests for parks, including Banff National Park.

Little is known about this but was heavily researched by Mladen Obradovic, who wrote and plays Nebojsa in this production

The play revolves around a group of workers clearing a forest. One now hates Canada because of what had happened and another, Janko, is in love with a young woman, Claire, he met before being arrested and interned for the remainder of the war for incorrect paperwork. The three men and the family they are friends with lead a hard life in the forest.

I thought Dewy Stewart, who played Janko, was excellent as was Mila Jokic, as the hopelessly romantic and optimistic daughter of the family, Olessya.

Too bad the play is not running longer. There was a large crowd for this performance and it is a well-acted and produced play, plus a story worth telling.

"It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" at the Lower Ossington Theater

Tonight was opening night for It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at the Lower Ossington Theater. Teena and I were there. This is the third year in a row we have seen this play here, which, I guess, makes this a Christmas tradition for us! The first two we saw were excellent and tonight we were not disappointed.

Faced with a life of dreams deferred, George Bailey sets out to throw himself from a bridge — until a dotty angel-in-waiting shows him what might have been. Don't miss this beloved holiday classic, brought to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast!

Revisit Bedford Falls, fall in love again with George and Mary, and discover the magic of an angel named Clarence! It’s Christmas Eve in 1947, and inside a radio studio, a live broadcast brings to life Frank Capra’s timeless film in all of its feel-good glory!

Be a part of the live studio audience, and join the cast and crew as they take you on a journey through the most important evening in one man’s life. It’s the perfect holiday outing for the entire family and, who knows, an angel might even get his wings!

The play takes place inside a radio station broadcasting the play in the days before TVs were around. It was interesting watching how the different sound effects were created, such as one person crumpling candy wrappers while another snapped Popsicle sticks to imitate the sound of a crackling fire. I closed my eyes many times to experience it in the same way as person listening on a radio.

I found it very interesting too, how the performers didn't just read their lines into their microphones (old fashioned 40's style) but would act it too. The broken-hearted look on George Baily's face (as acted by character Jake Laurents, played by Vince Deiulis) was memorable. the actors really got into their roles. I thought Jada Rifken was a hoot with her facial expressions playing her many roles in the performance. There wasn't a weak player on the stage.

Each performer when not in the action would work the sound effects. Again I found this so interesting. The cast even did two 40's style commercials.

The story is a classic. I would say I enjoy and become as much involved in this live performance, as I do in the original movie.

A must see for this time of year.

"Attaboy Clarence!"

Idomeneus at Soulpepper

Today I saw Soulpepper's production of the Canadian premier of Germany's Roland Schimmelpfennig's play, Idomeneus. It is on from March 3 to March 24 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District.

Don't think of this as a theater that puts on plays by or for young adults. The Michael Young Family Foundation donated the first $3 million dollars to fund the $14 million required to renovate the historic space, hence the name.

The Trojan War is over, but for Idomeneus the greatest struggle awaits his return – a crucible of the soul. A chorus weaves fates and stories into a wrenching lyrical epic from one of Europe's most exciting contemporary playwrights.

Idomeneus is a one act, 60 minute play which tells multiple stories of what was thought to have happened to King Idomeneus upon his return to Crete. The king and his army had been away for ten years in Troy and was said to have been one of those waiting in the famous Trojan Horse. The one constant in all the stories is that after being victorious in the war, 79 of the 80 ships that were returning to Crete were sunk in a huge storm. Only Idomeneus's ship survived.

Although this was written in the past 10 years, the presentation is in the style of a 2,000-year-old Greek tragedy. Ten actors are on stage and all in the chorus. Michelle Monteith, who was excellent, occasionally steps out of the chorus to be Meda, wife of Idomeneus, who was played by Stuart Hughs when not in the chorus.

I have never seen a poorly staged production of anything at Soulpepper and today that streak continues. The acting was superb and the minimalist set of dirt and a wall, truly fit the production, as did the ratty dirty costumes

The background notes in the booklet we received said that Idomeneus returned home and lived a quiet, peaceful life with his wife, Meda, and son, Idamantes. That story is the one I really hope was true.

Chris Hadfield’s Generator 2018

Tonight I went to see Chris Hadfield's Generator at Roy Thompson Hall. Hadfield, from Sarnia, Ontario, has been an astronaut on three space missions, commanded the ISS space station and was the first Canadian to venture out on a space walk.

He became well known for his many videos and tweets during his time on the ISS in which he showed the daily life of space travel and how differently day-to-day personal functions had to be performed. He ended his last days in space by recording a personal version of Space Oddity all of which can be found on his website.

This is the third year for the show and my first. Going in, I had no idea about what to expect with Generator.

Generator is back! Chris Hadfield’s famed comedy, music and ideas extravaganza is returning to Roy Thomson Hall. Last year saw Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer musically eulogize Leonard Cohen, the world’s first cyborgs turn colour into sound, Mythbuster Adam Savage wax philosophic, and much, much more. It isn’t an easy show to describe – you just have to experience it to understand.

The theme of this year’s show is ‘The Second Genius’ and will host a variety of guests from the UK, Europe, Canada and the United States. As with the last two years of the more than a dozen presenters, the only guests announced in advance are the perennials; Chris Hadfield as host, BBC’s Robin Ince as emcee and Tupperware Remix Party as the house band - all kicked off by the show’s creative engine, Evan Hadfield.

When I read the description of the show, I wondered if it would feel piece together or flow. It definitely flowed. The show was energetic, eclectic, electric, entertaining and educational.

I though Chris Hadfield would be the host but that duty was done by Robin Ince, a British comedian, who flew over from England just for this show. He was so funny that I was in tears. I wish I had written down the names of all those who took the stage (surprisingly those names are never announced before the show but still played to a full house) but suffice to say it was never dull.

There was a stage band, dressed in sci-fi costume. Evan Hadfield, Chris's son, started the show and was great. I enjoyed everyone but here are just a few of my favourites

One performer came out to compose a song in front of our eyes and ears, using only the sound of the entire audience going "Shhhhhhh!" He broke down the sounds and was comical in describing what he was doing and in a few minutes, he had a song in place, just from that one sound we made.

Sarah Parcak, who is a space archaeologist who looks for ancient sites on earth using satellites, describing her job, and a website set up for the world to use to help with the research. I am definitely looking into that one more deeply and will be writing about it soon.

Moshe Safdie, an architect who designed Habitat at Expo 67 in Montreal, showed his favourite and most important international works.

There was a comedian, originally from Canada who flew up from California for the show. A woman spoke about the work her company, Open Bionics, in building robotic arms for kids. Not normal ones. They ask kids what they want and bionic arms are built which turns their handicap into a thing of envy, so much so that adults now want them.

Poets, singers, all joined the show. During intermission, Chris Hadfield came out with his guitar to play and sang Piano Man with the band. Yes, he was great. He also showed photos he took from space. It turns out that the old thought that the Great Wall of China was the only man-made thing that could be seen from space is untrue. It blends in too well with the terrain but Toronto's 407 can be clearly seen. He was amazing and fun.

All I can say is that I missed his first two Generators but will not be missing any more.

Live Theater - Flashing Lights at the Theatre Centre

This afternoon Teena and I headed to the Theatre Centre to see their latest production, Flashing Lights.

“In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.”- Andy Warhol?

Flashing Lights tells the tale of Peter, an unremarkable guy who inexplicably becomes famous. His dizzying rise and fall effects everyone around him, in particular his family; his savvy wife Shannon and their child Ter. What starts off as a portrait of contemporary family life quickly unravels into a meditation on the borders between digital and physical existence and the future of this brave new world being created.

Flashing Lights combines a fantastical absurdist narrative with a highly physical theatrical style using technology like smart phones and tablets as puppets, masks, light, and sound sources. Drawing on the ideas of Marshall McLuhan, Sherry Turkle, Jean Baudrillard and other theorists, the play speaks to the growing anxiety about the future and to the vertiginous feeling that time itself is speeding up. Will humankind’s frail, flesh and blood selves be able to keep up?

When you walk into the theatre, you find the stage is shrouded with a see-through netting that can have images projected upon. This is used very effectively throughout the production.

It took me about fifteen minutes of this ninety minute play to grasp exactly what is taking place. I don't want this to scare anybody away from seeing Flashing Lights, as I found it quite interesting to watch.

The starts starts with a very dysfunctional family at breakfast, all caught up in their own worlds of the Internet. Peter just wants to eat his cereal. Shannon, his wife, dreams of creating a new social technology, Omni which puts people inside of technology as she believes bodies have now become useless. Their daughter, Ter, wishes to evolve with the use of the 'net and do so quickly.

Peter becomes famous, though, and we watch him go through his fifteen minutes of fame, then what becomes of him afterwards.

Flashing Lights is an interesting, thought provoking play, and is full of emotion. It is definitely worth seeing.

"Waiting for Godot" at Soulpepper

Tonight I went over to the Distillery District to see Waiting for Godot at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

FRANCE/1953

On a bare road in the middle of nowhere, two world-weary friends wait. While anticipating, they speculate, quarrel, joke and ponder life’s greater questions. As dusk approaches, two figures appear on the horizon.

Soulpepper revisits one of the most significant plays of the 20th century.

My first time seeing the play was in 2013 at the Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford.

Two hobos, Estragon and Vladimir, are on stage alone with a concrete block and a a chunk of wood to sit on by a barren tree which are apparently by the side of a road. Estragon has such a poor memory and cannot think of what happened yesterday or why they are even there.

ESTRAGON: Let's go.
VLADIMIR: We can't.
ESTRAGON: Why not?
VLADIMIR: We're waiting for Godot
ESTRAGON: Ah! (Despairingly)

It is uncertain why the two men are waiting for Godot, or even who Godot is, but it is clear that Vladimir is certain that bad things will happen to them if they leave before meeting with Godot. He is fearful of them angering Godot.

It was a great performance. Not your usual piece of slice of theatre. All the roles were well-acted but I have to give special mention to Alex McCooeye who played Lucky plus his makeup artists. Lucky came on stage as a eerie, hollow eyed, tall, beaten and broken human being commanded by his owner Pozzo. He looked to be in pain throughout the performance, especially when Pozzo yanked on the rope which hung around his neck. Near the end of the first act, he breaks into an almost neverending disjointed verbal ramble that lasts for five to six minutes. That it all seems random would make it so difficult to learn and Alex pulled it off so very well.

I really enjoyed it and am glad I had the opportunity to see it once again.

Live Theater - "Divine" at SummerWorks

Every year Teena and I try to attend at least one performance at SummerWorks.

SummerWorks is Canada’s largest curated performance festival of theatre, dance, music, live art and interdisciplinary forms. This year’s 11-day Festival features 52 unique projects, as well our SLIP series of artist workshops, a collection of new performance experiments in the SummerWorks Lab, and nightly parties.

Today I was at the production of Divine which was performed at the Factory Theaterat Bathurst and Adelaide.

Ontario is out of water and a pair of bandits search for their last hope – a water diviner by the name of Penn. Stories say she can crack the world like a coconut and make water bubble to the surface with nothing but her hands. But the bandits aren’t the only ones hunting her down. And what if there’s nothing left for Penn to divine?

An all woman cast in Natalie Frijia’s post-apocalyptic wild west asks how we would survive in world without water. Would we turn to community… or to revenge?

Outside the theater is a quaint beer garden. I grabbed a water and two oatmeal and raisin cookies (they were delicious!) to take inside but the server said they don't allow food inside.  Instead I smuggled them in. Never say no to a bad boy like me!

The play was very good. I really enjoyed their use of props and effects on the stage. Water was represent by blue cloth and blood by red cloth. I thought the use of shadows figures behind a white sheet backdrop really added to the production.

Amanda Cordner as Penn, the diviner, was excellent and was Haley Garnett as Seven, the child and narrator of the story.

They play lasted 75 minutes and was a worthwhile way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Sadly this is the only production I will see at this years festival as today is the last day. I am looking forward to going to more next year though.

Strictly Ballroom The Musical

Tonight Teena and I were at the Princess of Wales Theater to see Strictly Ballroom The Musical.

Strictly Ballroom the Musical started as a short play. From there, it became a movie in 1992. I loved the movie and saw it a few times, although I have not seen it for a very long time. When I saw the play was coming to Toronto, I suggested to Teena that we go. Apparently, there has also been a book written based on the play. I don't know where it fits in on the timeline, though. This is the North American premiere and looks to be the same cast that performed in the UK.

The show follows the fortunes of Scott Hastings, a talented young dancer in 1980s Australia, who wants to make up his own moves – thereby losing his partner and putting him in conflict with the ballroom dance police.

The play is wacky, funny and lots of fun. It is so well-written and performed. The dancers were fabulous (Fernando Mira was terrific to watch doing the Paso Doble) as were the great sequinned outfits that fill the world of competitive ballroom. Yes, I used to watch the championships many years ago!

Strictly Ballroom is definitely worth seeing while it's in Toronto. Oh, and when you're there, get an oatmeal cookie with raisins. They're fabulous!