Here is my birthday update….

On my actual birthday, I expected to go to work, have lunch with some girlfriends, and then go home and to choir practice at church. I got up and went to work, where I had cards and flowers from the girls and then went to lunch with the girls and actually had a very nice time. At around 4:30, my husband showed up with the kids to surprise me and we ended up hanging out in town. They had the tree lighting and the lighting of City Hall which is very unique. They have a projection up on the front and back of the building that makes it look different colors. I try to find a good picture to post.

Santa was there with Mrs. Claus along with many elves. They all had cookies and were giving them out to all the children. My husband was hitting on Mrs. Claus. That was kind of funny. Anyway, there was free Starbucks (NO CARIBOU IN PA, dammit!) and free hot chocolate and also people giving out coupons. A man came over and gave us coupons for Olive Garden, and the one in Center City is WAY nicer than the one up in the Northeast, where we live, so we decided to go to dinner and had a lovely time.

Friday night we went to a Christmas party. It was lame. It was a bunch of old heads that Billy went to school with. I just sat around and ate the food and watched all the old people. JJ

Sunday night is what I am anxious to write about. My mother-in-law and father-in-law have been wanting to take me to this restaurant in South Philly called the Victor Café. They told me that the food is great, and they have singers that sing “opera songs” – as they called them – and I simply had to go, kids included. So I’m thinking a family version of Macaroni Grill where they will sing Happy Birthday in very bad Italian and selections from the catalogue of 24 Italian Songs and Arias…. Then they wanted me to bring the kids, since they are completely baby CRAZY, and I’m dreading that because nice restaurants + my children and family= fussy whiny kids!! As a precaution, we had a “family nap” on Sunday afternoon so that we could all be rested and hopefully well behaved!

We picked up my in-laws due to the snow, and drove down to South Philly. We came to the restaurant and went inside to find a small place with pictures of opera singers and composers all over the walls. They also had busts above the bar! I found once I went in that the place was named for Victor, the RCA dog. There was an aria playing softly that I didn’t immediately recognize, but I was initially impressed at the atmosphere. We were shown to our seats by our server, who was ridiculously handsome and kind of reminded me of an old voice teacher I had in college. We ordered our food, and all the while, my mother in law kept insisting upon them ringing some bell. Evidently, they rang and bell just before an aria was sung. After a while, a server went up to the other side of the restaurant and rang a bell and sang one of the most beautiful renditions of Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi (Mimi’s aria from La Boheme) that I have ever heard. I was completely and absolutely beside myself! She was amazing and it was beautiful. After that, Ana asked me if I thought one of the singers there could do her favorite aria, so I had her ask our server. He asked which aria, and I told him, and he said that he knew a girl who could do it. The girl came over to the table and asked if we had a request, and Ana told her the aria, and she said that it was a tough one – and it is – but that she would think about it. They brought me my Crème Brule with a sparkler in it and sang Happy Birthday to me—In English, but like a true opera chorus. Immediately after that, the girl we had talked to about the request got up and stood on the steps just behind me and said “this is by request” and proceeded to sing Un Bel Di with such hope and abandon that I cried. As soon as she started to sing, I phoned mother and placed the cell phone on the table for her to hear it. The singer had so much feeling and emotion in her voice. When she was finished I couldn’t talk. I was in shock at how beautiful it was. My mom felt the same way. She was Suzuki in a production of Madama Butterfly when I was young, and loves that Aria. I couldn’t tell the girl enough how beautifully she sang. By the end of the night, we had heard the Toreador from Carmen, and Nessun Dorma, another of my favorites from Turandot. I could have sat there all night with my wine listening to the singers and wishing I was one of them.