The Brookline Voice 4/4/17

Brookline VOL 2, NO 7

BROOKLINE’S VOICE

April 4 - 17, 2017

Illustration | Matthew Ivan Cherry Matthew Ivan Cherry is a prominent artist well known in Brookline art circles. His work is profoundly real, searingly so, with his method of expression as powerful as the images he creates. Shown above is a self-portrait of the artist. He can be reached at Matthewivancherry@yahoo.com and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/matthewivancherry1/.

Good Vibrations is a GameStop closures remind sex shop like no other us that few stores exist for

By Alexander Culafi

gamers in Newton

The Voice

By Alexander Culafi

The Voice

Good Vibrations is a sex shop in Brookline.

deserves.

I know – the community paper is covering a sex shop. So edgy, right? This is not that kind of piece. This is not that kind of store.

If I used two keywords to describe this staff, they would be “educated” and “positive.”

When you imagine what a sex store nestled into a back corner of Coolidge Corner would be like, what do you think of? I know I think of a cramped, dark, unwelcoming store that smells of cheap rubber and cheaper tourism. A place that makes light of sex in ways that range from humorous to uncomfortable.

Good Vibrations is the antithesis to that kind of sex shop.

When you walk in, what you see is a clean, bright store, with adult goods separated neatly into sections. As you get situated, one of the multiple friendly women on staff greets you with a smile and asks if they can help you with anything. If you have a question, no matter what, they will treat it with the same dignity, respect, and care that your question deserves. That sex

“We live by the mantra every day that pleasure is your birthright. Which to us, means that as long as you’re experiencing sex in a consensual way, whether with partners or solo, it kind of gives people permission to experience and explore their bodies,” Store Manager Kristen Cotter told me.

The company was originally established in 1977 in California by sex therapist Joani Blank as the first sex-positive and womanfriendly store in the United States, during a time when sex stores were marketed exclusively to men. It prided itself on good lighting, cleanliness, and an educated staff.

This is the sixth location of Good Vibrations, which was established in 2006. Currently, they seven stores across California, one in Brookline, and one in Cambridge.

Continued on page 3

GameStop, the ever-popular video game giant, will be closing over 150 of its 7,500 stores over the course of this year.

Now, normally, that kind of story wouldn’t do much for me. Though I play a lot of video games, GameStop is not the place I go to in order to buy my video games. I’ve found their prices are too high compared to Best Buy and Amazon (RadioShack is closing its stores for a potentially similar reason, albeit on a much larger scale).

The closures did get me thinking though: Where does someone go to buy video games in Brookline?

The first place that comes to mind, obviously, is the GameStop at Coolidge Corner. And... that’s basically it for brick and mortar stores.

You can go to the Target in Fenway and Replay’d in Allston, and that’s as far as you can get while being considered “local.”

I live in Brookline, and I would say 100% of my games are purchased online via Best

Buy and Amazon. Best Buy has a Gamers Club Unlocked membership that costs $30 over two years, and grants me access to a 20% discount off of every new video game I buy. A game on PlayStation 4 typically retails for $59.99 in the store. With GCU? 48 bucks. Every time. It saves people like me a lot of money, and I don’t even have to leave my house.

GameStop is now starting to compete with this move by Best Buy, but its equivalent program offers a lesser discount on only a few select games this spring.

So I go into GameStop and talk to the managing employee on duty.

“Is this going to be one of the GameStops closing?” I asked.

“I have no idea, they don’t tell us this information,” he said. “I wouldn’t be worried about it if I were you.”

Continued on page 4

The Brookline Voice

2 International Editorial

Brookline

THE BROOKLINE VOICE THE NEWTON VOICE PUBLISHER AND PRESIDENT Joshua Resnek jresnek@voicestaff.net

From the publisher

MONEY ISN’T EVERYTHING; SHRAGE ERA LIVING PROOF Barry Shrage’s announcement that he’s leaving the Combined Jewish Philanthropies where he’s served for 30 years as its executive director is construed in Brookline Jewish circles among those who admire him as a terrible loss.

There is the worry, and it is real, that charitable contributions to the $1 billion agency will not roll in quite so plentifully with Shrage out of the picture.

Joshua Resnek

The real question, and it is compelling, is whether or not the Jewish community of Greater Boston can begin thriving again with Shrage out of the picture after dominating the social, moral and ethical politics of the disintegrating Jewish community in Greater Boston.

SENIOR REPORTER

How much more Shrage-like emasculation can the Jewish community suffer before it is entirely spineless like an invertebrate?

EDITOR

Alexander Culafi aculafi@voicestaff.net

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Lorenzo Recupero lrecupero@voicestaff.net David Stanford dstanford@voicestaff.net

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rick Ashley rashley@voicestaff.net Jared Charney jcharney@voicestaff.net

CALENDAR EDITOR

Sheila Barth sbarth@voicestaff.net

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Carolyn Lilley Resnek cresnek@voicestaff.net

DIRECTOR OF GRAPHIC DESIGN Trevor Andreozzi tandreozzi@voicestaff.net

PRINTING

Graphic Developments Inc. Hanover, MA.

DISTRIBUTION

Max’s Trucking Winthrop, MA.

BANK

Many local Jews find it easy comparing Donald Trump to Hitler.

They worry about the coming of concentration camps while deceiving themselves about the real threat – Islamic terrorism and Muslim hatred for Jews. Jewish weakness in the face of real threats is a Shragemanufactured and maintained legacy.

During Shrage’s three decade term of service, the Greater Boston Jewish community has not thrived as a community. In fact, it has been disappearing. Nearly everyone calling themselves a Jew in Brookline understands this, but refuses to articulate this, the same way they refuse to stand up and be counted for Israel other than to join groups like J-Street in urging Israel to make peace with its Arab neighbors, all of whom wish for the destruction of Israel and the extermination of Jews.

The entire time Shrage has led the CJP synagogues combined or closed.

Hebrew schools shuttered their doors. Jewish institutions of every kind – for the elderly, for women, and for kids, were disappearing.

More Jewish institutions are nearing extinction right now.

Shrage is as shrewd as they come. His lingua franca is intoxicating, beautiful, more akin to that of an aging rabbi than the leader of a robust charity worth $1 billion and growing while the community it supports is disappearing.

Boy, does he know how to lull his Jewish audience of contributors into a feeling of sameness and silence.

Every form of Jewish life is now being hobbled by a departure from conventional memberships in synagogues and affiliations with Jewish institutions, many of them partially funded or underfunded by the CJP. Support for Israel has dwindled. Even worse, it has turned the other way.

Many old time Jewish leaders lament that it does not appear to them another generation is coming up the ladder to replace the dying and aging demographic served by the CJP. Unless something dramatic and earthshaking takes place, their lament is spot on.

When Shrage arrived in Newton, where he has lived since 1987, there were dozens more synagogues and Hebrew schools, Jewish community centers and institutions than 30 years later when he is leaving.

During his tenure, the CJP ambitiously and neurotically raised more and more money, but could not find a way to stem the loss of Jews from Jewish institutions. It’s dereliction in the face of the world’s attempt to erase Israel is about political fraud and destitution. Shrage has not found a way for Jews to have civil discourse among themselves on issues of left and right, which has caused an insurmountable division to exist among the Jews of Greater Boston.

It is arguable that there is no room at the CJP for independent thought on the coercive issues of the day for Jews – and for non-Jews – who ought to be served by the CJP as well. A sign might appear at the CJP headquarters: “noisy supporters of Israel need not apply.”

The transformative moments for the CJP come when huge sums of money have been raised and Shrage celebrates with his acolytes – the ten or so top paid executives at the CJP whose salaries range from a low of $200,000 to $500,000. The CJP Board is the proverbial rubber stamp for Shrage – but then, why not, considering all the money he has raised?

There’s the rub.

East Boston Savings

The CJP shouldn’t be all about raising money only or being a rubber stamp for anyone – especially Shrage.

Beacon Street

It should be about funding failing Jewish institutions, synagogues, failing community centers, health facilities, day care centers, Hebrew schools, and everything Jewish in the disintegrating community that needs more funding, not less; organizations who shouldn’t be rebuffed for added money by Shrage, who tells them as he told me: “There isn’t enough to go around.”

Brookline ___________________ THE BROOKLINE VOICE

The CJP should spread the dough around liberally to save what it can and to build as well for the future.

THE NEWTON VOICE

With personality and charm, Shrage smiled his way into the hearts and souls of progressive liberal Jews who were happy to donate to the CJP as long as the CJP didn’t complain about the Boston Globe hating Israel, about Blacks coming to hate Jews, about the BDS movement seeking to dismember Israel economically and to poison a generation of Jewish and non-Jewish students, and by never uttering a bad word about people who pray for the destruction of Israel and the extermination of Jews in their mosques around the world on Friday afternoons.

Owned and operated by: THE CHELSEA PRESS LLC 1309 Beacon Street Suite 300 Hanover, MA Arnold Jarmak, President Joshua Resnek, Chairman of the Board

April 4 - 17, 2017

In 30 years, he raised $1 billion dollars while the Jewish community of Greater Boston disintegrated before his eyes.

When he could have been a powerful voice against the anti-Semitism and hatred that finds Israel and Jews pariahs in today's upside-down world, he kept quiet and raised money more like a banker than a Jewish leader. He promised to make no waves so the rich would contribute larger sums. He told everyone else to remain quiet and to make no waves; the ultimate trope, as Jews have come to believe if they are noisy, this will attract the ire of those who hate us.

Shrage came to make a million or two every year for himself, and to have his home paid for and a chauffeured limousine to cart him around – all

on the backs of those who gave to the charity he heads. Of course these revelations are an embarrassment to the Jewish community.

There may very likely be other unreported perks disguised as part of Shrage’s bloated compensation package. We wonder what the next year of his service is going to cost, and what amount of bonus he will again be given before he finally steps down in 2018.

Shrage should return the $2 million given to him and the Board en masse which approved the secret retirement bonus in 2015.

During Shrage’s tenure, he has built a veritable Tower of Babel – that’s the $1 billion in the bank the charity has on hand. It glitters in the sun like a tower of gold reaching for the sky.

Meanwhile the Jews of Greater Boston have gone impotent in order to perpetuate Shrage’s rule. We have lost the support and the respect of the city’s Black community, of women, of gays, of unions, of the working class and the working poor.

Blacks supported politically by Jews over the decades past are now among the groups with the largest percentage of anti-Jewish views, and they have linked up with Palestinians who portray the Jews and the Jewish state as apartheid supporters.

The CJP’s outreach efforts are perfunctory when it comes to the non-Jewish community. Its protests against those who shout for the extermination of Israel are muffled and inexpressive, largely reflexive, steeped in the language of passivity in the face of danger.

Confronted with evidence the Newton Public Schools were teaching anti-Israel materials, Shrage shrugged it off.

“Everything will be OK,” he seemed to say. Not to worry or to get angry.

Be quiet. Don’t rock the boat.

Don’t ever rock the boat. It will harm the flow of money – that's his creed.

Quiet above all is the CJP’s rule in its politics under Shrage.

From a college supporter of Mao Zedong to a full-fledged apologist for bad Muslim behavior, Shrage’s political ambivalence marks his every move.

Without the political support for Israel from Shrage and the $1 billion CJP, the Jewish community does not have a voice to defend Jews against evil. There is only equivocation, submission to the taunts of the Jew haters, and Shrage’s response, “We’re better than that. We should just keep our mouths shut and it will all go away,” he seems to believe.

Shrage professes a love for Israel. I don’t doubt that. What is disturbing about the manifestation of his love is that he has joined forces with J-Street type voices all over the nation in order to raise more money.

Frankly, he can’t stand J-Street, but that’s not what he tells J-Street or Greater Boston Jews. Appearing as though he stands with J-Streeters is good for the CJP bank account.

The $15 million donation to be made by Robert Kraft is an example of Shrage’s brilliance in raising money, as well as the shortcoming of directing how it will be used to support the failing organic Jewish community other than to be placed in a bank account or used to hire contractors without a transparent bidding process.

What is egregious is that Kraft’s $15 million donation is to be used to rehab the CJP’s downtown Boston offices in return for his late wife’s name appearing on the building.

Myra Kraft’s name should be on that building with or without the donation. Such an honor for so great a giving family should have been offered unconditionally without a contribution.

We wonder what Mrs. Kraft might have thought about such a huge donation being used for bricks and mortar and better furniture and fixtures for the well-paid manning their desks at the fortress-like CJP headquarters, when so many Jewish lives and institutions are at stake while the world looks so negatively at Jews and Israel.

Aron Ain, CEO of Kronos and Shira Goodman, CEO of Staples, will shortly begin a nationwide search for a successor to Shrage. They are likely to come up with Gil Preuss – a Shrage clone and CJP bureaucrat he wants to succeed him.

The CJP very badly needs someone who knows how to raise money.

I urge Ain and Kronos to find a successor who understands as well the politics of anti-Semitism and of being Jewish, of protecting Israel and standing up for Jewish values, which includes survival, while at the same time heading what ought to be the most vocal, powerful, influential, charitable and political Jewish organization in Greater Boston.

The challenge is not in Shrage leaving.

The challenge is changing direction for the survival of what remains of the Greater Boston Jewish community when he is gone.

Greater Boston’s Jews need to fear the future if they remain as spineless and ineffectual as Shrage has made its leading Jewish institution.

Joshua Resnek

April 4 - 17, 2017

The Brookline Voice

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Good Vibrations is a sex shop like no other Continued from page 1 “It was originally supposed to be women only,� Cotter said. “But so many people were coming by and popping their head in to see if they could ask a question that very soon after they opened their doors, they realized that pretty much everyone had questions about sex, sexuality, and sexual wellness, so we opened our doors to everybody – not just women.�

Their approach to sex is not one that warrants hushed tones and giggles (unless it’s that kind of night), but rather an approach of love and self-care. “Most of your life, you’re taught about sex from the lens of procreation, but you’re never taught about sex for pleasure,�

Cotter said on the subject. “So, people carry shame with them all around, and our goal is to meet them where they’re at and give them the information that they need now to empower them to make a purchase that’s good for their own body.�

Good Vibrations sees themselves as a boutique like any other in Coolidge Corner, where sexual health and wellness should be normalized and seen as a basic human need. “I think there’s this idea in the way we go about our business that buying a sex toy should be as easy as going to buy a book, going to buy a pair of shoes. It shouldn’t feel challenging or gross in any way. It’s a part of life,� Assistant Manager Ruby Vail told me.

In addition to having an educated, highly trained staff for in-store customer service (everyone is trained at least 30 hours in sex education from PhD sexologist Dr. Carol Queen before hitting the sales floor), Good Vibrations holds a number of classes for all ranges of sexual needs from a range of qualified sex educators.

Yes, there are fun classes on how to perform certain sex acts for your partner

and the like, but that’s not all this store has to offer. There are classes on anatomy, various relationship styles, as well as topics like sex after cancer. They’re currently in talks for a class on sex after miscarriage, as a way to help women reclaim their bodies after such a devastating experience.

Although sex definitely still feels politicized in the modern era (I’d say more than ever, but that’s probably not true), Good Vibrations seems refreshingly apolitical.

They just want to make people feel good – of all ages, it turns out. “Yesterday I helped a woman with a walker who was definitely in her late 80s for sure, and was replacing a vibrator. It’s literally across the board,� Cotter mentioned. “It’s really at our location that we can see a vast majority of people for a vast majority of reasons from ages 18-90.�

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You have to be 18 to shop in the store, but in a world where people are sometimes (putting it mildly) having responsible, consensual sex in high school, are there any resources for those who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reached legal adulthood yet?

Both employees we interviewed recommended the website Scarleteen as a helpful resource when parents of teenagers came in asking for ways to educate their children.

We all have our own ideas about what sex should and shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be about. When sex should and shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be talked about.

How sex should and shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be practiced between two consenting partners. If nothing else, Good Vibrations is clearly on a mission to open up minds and hearts.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something worth applauding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to essentially reduce the amount of shame people carry about sex, so that people can live more fulfilling and communicative lives,â&#x20AC;? Cotter said.

You can find Good Vibrations at 308A Harvard St. Thanks to Kristen and Ruby for their time!

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The Brookline Voice

April 4 - 17, 2017

GameStop closures remind us that few stores exist for gamers in Newton Continued from page 1 The official PR line from GameStop is that the list of stores is not yet available.

Although GameStop declined to tell The Voice which stores were closing, I was able to find this paragraph from a Fortune story.

“A spokesperson from GameStop told Fortune that the closure of the stores is part of an “annual strategy” to close up to non-productive stores that was announced more than three years ago. “This is something that will take place throughout 2017,” their statement added.”

On the positive side for the brand, the closures of 2-3% of their stores will be met with 65 new “Technology Brand” stores and 35 “Collectibles” stores, according to USA Today.

If this only applies to non-productive stores, I’m guessing the Brookline GameStop is probably all right. Between little competition in town and the place rarely being empty, I can say confidently that I’ve been in far deader GameStops in my time.

But let’s say they close, and you play a lot of video games. What do you do?

You buy them online! That part I made clear enough. Best Buy and Amazon both have

promotions that discount new games for a fee (Amazon’s is just included in Prime), and release-day delivery on most games means that you can pre-order a game and get it the day it comes out (sometimes earlier, thanks to luck with shipping).

When I bought my Nintendo Switch, I didn’t need to go to a store at midnight on March 3. I just sat at my apartment and looked at the bottom of my steps every couple hours until the system showed up in the early afternoon via UPS. The even-easier alternative is to just buy the game digitally, as every video game system has its own digital storefront where you can buy games and download them immediately onto your system’s hard drive – without ever needing to use a disc.

I usually abstain from this method because I like physical discs and new-release digital games rarely go on deep discount, but the digital future is here for those who want it.

GameStop’s shares dropped by 10% shortly following the recent news that hardware sales declined 29.1% this past quarter, and software sales by 19.3%.

Brookline elders travel through time for art exhibit An art exhibit is opening at the Brookline Senior Center on Winchester Street and the Goddard House on Chestnut Street devoted to The Reunion Project, a fusion of art and narrative that tasked older women to “reflect on their memories and recognize the wisdom that comes with age,” according to a news release

were also asked to bring in a photo taken during their teen years, and further, to write responses to a series of prompts to go with both photos.

The exhibit, which runs from April 3 to June 30 (at the Senior Center) and May 31 (at the Goddard House), is the culmination of Lora Brody’s efforts, a Visiting Scholar at the Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center, where she is “working on a multimedia project about aging as documented in image, text and spoken word.”

“Then, I used to ___.” “Now, I ___.”

The event is open to the public.

As for what the project entailed, 50 Brookline women, between the ages of 65 and 100, participated by having themselves photographed by Brody. They

The release offers the following examples: “Then, I was (age) __,” “Now, I am (age) __.”

“Then, I thought ___.” “Now, I think ___.”

Brody will present images as well as narrative and a history of the project at a Senior Center reception on April 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. A second event will take place on April 29 and 30 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Goddard House.

Not only does this seem to be a really cool thing for the community (it does), but I also think it gives us an opportunity to pay our elders the reverence they deserve. In our culture, it feels like many of us so rarely have (or take) that opportunity.

Sunday, April 30, 2017 New York City for the

CAMERA ANNUAL GALA honoring The Right Honourable

Stephen Harper, P.C. Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister

in conversation with

Alan Dershowitz

YOUR BUSINESS IS IN BROOKLINE. ADVERTISE IN BROOKLINE. ADVERTISING IN THE VOICE IS EASY, AND IT'S AFFORDABLE. EVERY BUSINESS DESERVES A VOICE! Affordable and flexible advertising opportunities.

Call 978-239-8860 or e-mail jresnek@voicestaff.net All ads in the Voice run in color at no additional cost.

Professor of Law, Emeritus Harvard Law School registration and information

cameragala.eventbrite.com 888.736.3672

April 4 - 17, 2017

The Brookline Voice

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The Brookline Voice

Calendar

April 4 - 17, 2017

CALENDAR

COMEDY, THEATER, MUSIC, DANCE BARBECUE

One Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge are:Linda May Han Oh Group: album releaseprerelease for “Walk Against Wind,” April 5, 7:30 p.m.

617-661-5000.

TERRA NOVA

Summer L. Williams leads a Boston starstudded cast in Lyric Stage Company of Boston’s production of “Barbecue,” a searing comedy by Robert O’Hara, appearing April 7-May 7,140 Clarendon St., Boston.lyricstage.com.

CHILL

Wellesley College presents the story of Capt.

Scott’s expedition to the South Pole during 191112 wintertime, April 5-7, 7 p.m.; matinees, April 8,9, 2 p.m..$15; seniors, students, $10.781283-2000.

RICHARD II

Merrimack Repertory Theatre presents Brookline native Eleanor Burgess’ Boston-based, bittersweet drama “Chill,” about life for people ages 18-28,through April 16,Nancy L.Donahue Theatre, 50 E. Merrimack St., Lowell. Tickets, $26-$70.

Associated events, senior, group discounts. mrt. org.

THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED Take Your Pick Productions presents Douglas Carter Beane’s comedy, through April 8, featuring popular Boston actors Victor Shopov, Audrey Lynn Sylvia, Aina Adler and Matthew Fagerberg, Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Black Box Theater, 539 Tremont St., Boston. $28. Pay-what-you-can Wednesdays.bostontheatrescene.com/season/ The-Little-Dog-Laughed/,

REGATTABAR LINEUP Appearing at the Regattabar at the Charles Hotel,

As part of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare and Leadership Series, the group presents a script-in-hand reading of the play, performed by actors and renowned business, government and community leaders, Wednesday, April 5,7 p.m., at Babson College’s CarlingSorensen Center for the Arts. The performance is free and open to the public, but space is limited.

Reservations, web.ovationtix.xom/trs/pr/967285.

APRIL RED ROOM CAFE’ EVENTS Appearing April 6 at 8 p.m. is TFDI, featuring Tony Lucca,Jay Nash and Matt Duke, advance tickets, $17; general admission, (standing room only), $20; ; Gimme 5 and the Buzz, April 7, 7 p.m., free; Battle of the Bands and Feed the Hungry, April 8,6 p.m., free; Becca Stevens and Broca’s Area, April 9, 8 p.m., $12/$15; Maggie Koerner, April 13,8 p.m., $13/$15; Ubuntu, LANDS and STIG, April 15, 8 p.m., $10/$12; Marc Scibilia, Corey Harper

and Brad Ray, April 19, 8 p.m., $15; BirnCORE live, featuring Kaki King and Cammy Enaharo, April 21, 7 and 9 p.m., $18;Black Violin, April 22, 7 and 9 p.m., $20/$25; and Overcoats and Yoke Lore, April 28, 8 p.m., $12/$14; and EMMARIE, with another act to be announced, April 29, 8 p.m., $10/$12, All show are for all ages. Café 939 at 939 Boylston St., Boston.cafe939.com.

ROBBIE MCCAULEY AND COMPANY In cooperation with Emerson College’s Performing Arts Department and Office of the Arts, Sleeping Weazel presents this two-day event, honoring McCauley, in “Robbie McCauley ‘n’ Company: a convening performance,” Thursday, April 6, 8:30 p.m., Emerson College’s Greene Theater, Tufte Performance and Production Center, sixth floor, 10 Boylston St., Boston. Free, open to the public.

Check schedule for April 6,7 daytime events. sleepingweazel.com.

PARADISE Underground Railway Theater presents the world premiere of Laura Maria Censabella’s two-act, two-hour play, “Paradise,” starring Barlow Adamson and Caitlin Nasema Cassidy, April 6-May 7, Central Square Theater, 450 Mass.Ave.,Cambridge. Tickets start at $20; senior citizens, $5 discount, students with university ID tickets, $20; under 18 years old, $15; also group discount. CentralSquareTheater. org.

URBAN IMPROV’S BANNED IN BOSTON Boston business leaders, elected officials, media and arts personalities who compose the Urban Improv Unit,, take center stage Friday, April 7, at House of Blues Boston, to support the group’s interactive theater-based programs that help students. Margery Eagan and Jim Braude of WGBH host this madcap musical revue.Tickets, $250. bannedinboston.org.

JOHN MCCUTCHEON The folk icon comes to Me and Thee Coffeehouse Friday, April 7, Unitarian Universalist Church, 28 Mugford St., Marblehead. Doors open 7:30 p.m.,concert at 8 p.m. Advance tickets, $20, at the door, $23; students, $10. meandthee.org.

RICKY SKAGGS The iconic musician performs with Boston opening act Girls Guns and Glory, April 7, 8 p.m., at The Cabot, 286 Cabot St., Beverly. Doors open 7 p.m. thecabot.org.

BOSTON CONSERVATORY CONCERTS The String Masters Series presents artistic director Andrew Mark, violist Roger Trapping, pianist Peter Frankl and soprano Janna Baty, April 9, 8 p.m.,Seully Hall * Fenway, Boston; the Piano Masters Series presents the Boston debut of English pianist Murray McLachlan, April 11, 8 p.m., Seully Hall; and the Boston Conservatory chamber orchestra performs a free concert April 13, 8 pm., 132 Ipswich St., Boston. More concert

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The Brookline Voice

April 4 - 17, 2017 information, visit bostonconservatory.berklee.edu.

Calendar

7

ALTAR BOYZ

IMPROVBOSTON NEW LINEUP The Cambridge comedy club features filthy fun, The Last Laugh,as its new late-night shows every Saturday at 11:30 p.m., including LaughterRisk, the first Saturday of the night; Late Night Longform, second Saturday; Terrible People, third Saturday, and Over the Line, fourth Saturday. ImprovBoston. com/last-laugh.

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG Huntington Theatre Company presents Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winner through April 9, BU Theatre, Avenue of the Arts, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston. Tickets start at $25. Huntingtontheatre. org.

MRS. PACKARD Bridge Repertory Theatre and Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company of New York City present Emily Mann’s “Mrs. Packard,” provocative American drama of Elizabeth Packard, inspired by true events, through April 9, Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. bridgerep.org.

LIVE MUSIC BRUNCH Passim features Live Music Brunch Saturdays and Sundays, starting this weekend, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featured music varies from blue grass, old time, blues, Celtic, classical, folk, jazz and more.

47 Palmer St., Cambridge. passim.org.

GOLDA’S BALCONY Award-winning director Judy Braha helms New Repertory Theatre’s production of William Gibson’s play starring Bobbie Steinbach, through April 16, Mainstage Theatre, Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. $30-$59. Newrep. org, 617-923-8487.

FIVE PIECES The Harvard Dance Project presents “Five Pieces,” and a new work by the group’s student dancers,through April 9: Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. Farkas Hall, 12 Holyoke St., Cambridge. Advance tickets, $10; students, seniors, $5, Boston /dance Alliance members, $8; at the door, cash only, $20/$10/$15. 617496-2222.

Marblehead Little Theatre presents the musical play, “1776,” based on the signing of the Declaration of Independence, through April 9: April 7,-8, 7 p.m.; April 9, 2 p.m., in historic Abbot Hall’s auditorium,188 Washington St., Marblehead. $25, $35.mltlive.org.

BERNSTEIN’S MASS Dancers, singers, a boy chorus, rock and blues singers, actors, two orchestras and a marching band perform in this unusual musical and theatrical performance, April 7 & 8, at 8 p.m., April 8 & 9, 2 p.m., Boston Conservatory Theatre, 31 Hemenway St., Boston. bostonconservatory. berklee.edu/events.

BARNUM

ROOMFUL OF TEETH

The renowned mandolin soloist/composer performs two shows Wednesday, April 12, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge.

Members, $23; non-members, $25. Passim.org.

Celebrity Series of Boston presents this Grammy winning vocal project, joined with A Far Cry’s 17-piece collective, Thursday, April 13, 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre Memorial Hall, Harvard University,

EVERYMAN Carol Ann Duffy’s stirring 80-minute, one-act adaptation of “Everyman” is performed April 7-May 6: Friday, Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, April 23, 30, at 3 p.m., Apollinaire Theatre, Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea. Post-performance reception after every show. Advance tickets, $20, at the door, $25; students, $15. 617-887-2336, apollinairetheatre.com.

NATASHA ULYANOFSKY The internationally renowned pianist performs with saxophonist Max Schwimmer Sunday, April 9, 4 p.m., as part of the Wilson Music Series at Unitarian Church, 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport.

Suggested donations, $20; seniors, $10; children and students, free. Frsuu.org/jean-wilson-musicseries.

LAVA The feminist dance company presents a free performance Monday, April 10, 11 a.m. at Salem State University’s Twohig Gym, O’Keefe Complex, Salem. Salemstate.edu/arts.

Steven A. Rosenberg covered the suburbs for

the Boston Globe from 2002–2016.

Take a walk with him at the dawn of the millennium as he finds middle class heroes at work, in neighborhoods, on beaches, in houses of worship and sleeping on the streets.

Middle Class Heroes V O I C E S F R O M B O S TO N ’ S S U B U R B S

available at Amazon.com

ESCHER STRING QUARTET Seating is limited for the quartet’s performance Wednesday, April 12, 8 p.m., at Pickman Hall,27 Garden St., Cambridge. Celebrityseries.org/ Escher.

Is now on And Twitter! https://www.facebook.com/The-Brookline-Voice-The-Newton-Voice-326582154376385/ https://twitter.com/voicepub

Visit us for photos, digital copies of all past editions, and more.

DANILO BRITO

STEVE N A. R O S E N B E R G

Moonbox Production actors perform their own circus stunts in Mark Bramble, Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart’s dazzling musical play, “Barnum,” April 8-30,: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; matinees, Saturday, Sunday,

2 p.m., also Sunday, April 9, at 7 p.m., Boston Center for the Arts, Calderwood Pavilion, Robert Studio Theatre, 527 Tremont St., Boston. $50, under 25 years old just $25; student rush $20.

Bostontheatrescene.com, 617-933-8600.

Middle Class Heroes

‘1776‘

The rocking-to-the-rafters musical comedy about a Christian boy band closes its soul-raising appearance at Stoneham April 9: Wednesday, April 5, Sunday, April 9, at 2 p.m.; Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m., 395 Main St., Stoneham. $5-$55; seniors, $45-$50; students with valid ID, $20.

Talkback March 26. Stonehamtheatre.org.

Steven A. Rosenberg

“It’s not only because I know scores of people in this book. It’s not only because I have walked the streets, and the beaches, and into some of the stores that are the setting for this book. Nor is it because I’ve stood and cheered at Thanksgiving Day football classics, and strolled through the Salem Willows, or even shared some of the mysteries that Steve Rosenberg explores. No, I like this book because it is a little jewel of a read about a little jewel of a place at a special time in Steve’s life, and in mine, and in so many others’. Our towns and our times — he captures them with a sharp eye, a clear ear and a warm heart.”

— DAVID M. SHRIBMAN, PULITZER PRIZE WINNER AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

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The Brookline Voice

Calendar

45 Quincy St., Cambridge. 617-482-6661.

CELEBRATION OF YEHUDI WYNER The Cantata Singers conclude their season Friday, May 12, 8 p.m. at Jordan Hall, featuring music by Arthir Honegger, Wyner and his father, Lazar Weiner, featuring Wyner’s “Torah Service”.

Cantatasingers.org.

COYOTE ON A FENCE Hub Theatre Company of Boston presents Bruce Graham’s drama, inspired by actual events about two men on Death Row, through April 15, First Church Boston, 66 Marlborough St., Boston: Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 5 p.m. Pay-what-you-can. Donations of new and gently used children’s books collected at each performance for local charities. hubtheatreboston.org,

THE WHO AND THE WHAT Huntington Theatre presents Pulitzer Prize winning author Ayad Akhtar’s drama, running to extended date May 7, because of popular demand, at Boston Center for the Arts, Calderwood Pavilion,527 Tremont St., South End, Boston. Tickets start at $25.huntingtheatre.org.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING JCC MASTERS SWIM PROGRAM The Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center at 333 Nahanton St., Newton, holds year-round Masters Swim training program on Sundays, 7:15-8:15 a.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays 6:15-7:15 a.m., geared to adults (age 19+) who want to improve their overall fitness and skills. Included are professional coaching, structured workouts, drills and speed sets. aquatics@jccgb.org.

PARKINSON’S WELLNESS PROGRAM The nine-week winter session of exercise and movement classes and support group for people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers continues at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish

Community Center, 333 Nahanton St., Newton.

(Classes, $90) Support group meets Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m., ($45). Registration required. 617-6671276.

April 4 - 17, 2017

GOLDA’S BALCONY

FITNESS CIASS North Suburban Jewish Community Center and Temple Ner Tamid sponsor Pilates, Sunday mornings, 10:30-11:30 a.m., and zumba, Monday nights, 6:15-7:15 p.m. at Temple Ner Tamid, 368 Lowell St., Peabody. RSVP to arlyneg@nsjcc.org.

BALANCE AND FALL PREVENTION CLINIC Amelia Nodell, PT, DPT, and Beth Israel Deaconess Health Care-Chestnut Hill physical therapist, will lead a free clinic on achieving better balance, demonstrating and encouraging active participation, Wednesday, April 19, 12-1:15 p.m., at the Leventhal-Sidman Center, 333 Nahanton St., Newton. The entire community is welcome to participate. RSVP wellness@jccgb.org.

FUN FOR KIDS JCC ADAPTIVE MUSIC PROGRAM Children with developmental and intellectual disabilities, ages 6-17, may participate in an educational music and performance-based program held in partnership with amplif-adaptive music programs for life Wednesdays, now through May 24, 4-5 p.m. They will write songs and stage, choreograph and perform a show for family and friends. Open to all. Nine-week course, $315, scholarships available. Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton St., Newton. inclusion@jccgb.org, 617-558-6507.

Photo | Andrew Brilliant

By Sheila Barth

IMPROVBOSTON REGISTRATION The Boston comedy improvisation theater of Cambridge is currently accepting registration for April vacation Comedy Clinics for ages 8-13, and Summer Clinics for ages 8-17. Registration, ImprovBoston,com/training, scholarships for season starting in March, ImprovBoston.com/ training/scholarships.

PJ LIBRARY JUNIOR

KEEP THE BALL ROLLING!

For The Voice She looked like a wise, loving grandmother, her hair pinned back in a low bun, her face etched with lines, but Golda Meir, Israel’s first – and only – democratically elected female prime minister, was a witty woman who took pride in serving her country with her heart, not just her head.

In an impossible task, the Kiev, Russian emigre’ who escaped anti-Semitic pogroms as a child, with her family, and settled for awhile in Milwaukee, Wis., became a fierce Zionist. She married and moved to then-mandated British Palestine, with the goal of founding, establishing and saving from annihilation a Jewish democratic state – and she did.

At New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, for 95 non-stop minutes, Boston acclaimed star Bobbie Steinbach uncannily captures Meir’s unasumming demeanor, her wit, and tenacious strength, in William Gibson’s one-woman play, “Golda’s Balcony”.

Directed by award-winning Boston’s Judy Braha, Steinbach transforms into Meir, her gait slow, her shoulders slouched, while she moves around the stage, sitting, pacing, smoking, while captivating theatergoers.

Using Meir’s own words, Gibson relates Meir’s inner conflict – her commitment to Israel and ensuring its existence, while letting her marriage take a back seat. She also lamented about sending Israeli young people to war and, potentially, their deaths. “This picture people have of me, making chicken soup for troops isn’t me. At the bottom [of the pot] is blood,” she anguished.

She triumphantly announces her astonishing ability to raise money and weapons for Israel by speaking to organizations, politicans, etc., and chuckles that she’s becoming more like her bossy mother, ordering around Israel’s great political and military leaders, negotiating with international leaders and heads of state, and secretly meeting with Arab sheiks and kings. Meir earned their respect while averting annihilation.

She also relives facts about the June 5, 1967, Six-Day War, when Israel surprised its Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian neighbors by launching an attack and winning the war.

TO P U N * EAR $

!

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&A

In her tour-de-force, not-to-be-missed performance, Steinbach captures Meir’s tenacity and determinaton, interlaced with her love for humanity and hope for peace.

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“We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.

We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us, “ she quips.

Bobbie Steinbach stars in New Repertory Theatre’s production of William Gibson’s one-woman, one-act play through April 16, Mainstage Theatre, Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown. $30$59, student, senior, group discounts. Newrep,org, 617-923-8487.

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Children 3-5 years old may participate in a Cohen Hillel faculty-led PJ Library’s Junior Scientists and Engineers “labs,” using Jewish values-based literature and hands-on experiments, Mondays, April 6, 3-4:30 p.m., at Cohen Hillel Academy, 6 Community Road, Marblehead. Lab coats, books provided. Walk-ins welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. RSVP to Phyllis Osher, 978-740-4404, or posher@lappinfoundation.org.

BABY AND ME CLASS Children ages 6 months to 3 years old join in the fun, baby-focused classes and parents meet other parents and caregivers while children play together, Fridays from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m., Jewish Community Center,Community Road, Marblehead.

Jccns.org.

BCT WINTER CLASSES Boston Children’s Theatre is offering weekend and weekday classes for children, ages 4 - 19, in

Boston and Beverly. info@bostonchildrenstheatre. org.

KIDS NEW JEWISH LEARNING PROGRAM As part of the center’s new program, Discovery Club Experiential skill-building classes connecting children to Jewish life are offered at the LeventhalSidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton St., Newton. They include Earth Adventurers, Early Astronomers, Spicing it Up, Spectacular Storytellers, and Growing Gardeners, for children ages 5-8. bostonjcc.org/discoveryclub, discoveryclub@jccgb.

GOLDEN DRAGON ACROBATS Spectacle Management presents world-renowned impresario Danny Chang and choreographer Angela Chang combining their acrobatics, traditional dance, costumes, ancient and contemporary music in this show of skill and beauty, April 8, 3 p.m. Lexington’s Cary Hall, 1605 Mass. Ave., $39-$49. caryhalllexington.com, 617-

The Brookline Voice

April 4 - 17, 2017 ‘TO MOSCA VIA MOSCOW’

Calendar

Hub’s foremost Jewish leader refuses to tell the community what he knows about the Islamic society of Boston’s leadership Jewish leaders in Boston have publicly embraced the radical leaders of the anti-Semitic Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) mosque (https://goo.gl/3Go4DB).

This could not have happened had the most senior Jewish leader in the city, Barry Schrage, educated the community about what he knows about the mosque’s leaders, funders, philosophy, curriculum, and speakers. APT President Charles Jacobs publicly criticized Shrage in The Jewish Advocate(below).

(As it turned out, The Advocate published two other harsh critiques of Barry’s leadership – see here: http://www.thejewishadvocate.com. The Advocate risks much in speaking truth to power in Jewish Boston. They will probably continue on this path and should be supported. Buy a subscription.)

Barry Shrage knows all about Boston’s radical mosque because we at APT showed him our research, including internal ISB documents captured during the discovery process in the ISB law suit against the David Project.

AD20/21 and Boston Print Fair welcome visitors to the “To Mosca Via Moscow!” exhibition April 6-9.

Italian-American modernist artist August Mosca’s original drawings and pastels are on view for the first time at the Cyclorama show At the VIP Gala preview, Thursday, 5:30-8 p.m., Friday, 1-8 p.m.; Saturday, 11a.m.-8 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 539 Tremont St., Boston. AD2021.com.

531-1257.CHARLOTTE’S WEB Wheelock Family Theatre presents Joseph Robinette’s stage adaptation of EB White’s beloved children’s story, “Charlotte’s Web, “April 14-May14, 200 Riverway, Boston. tickets@ wheelock.edu,wheelockfamilytheatre.org.

PJ LIBRARY SHABBT SHALOM CIRCLE Jewish children ages 8-younger, their parents, grandparents, and friends are invited to PJ Library Shabbat Shalom Circle. They’ll welcome in Shabbat with stories, songs, friendship and a free dinner, Friday, May 12, June 9, alternating between Temple Ner Tamid, Lowell St., Peabody, and Chelsea Jewish Foundation, Tanzer Room, 240 Lynnfield St., Peabody. Free program of Lappin Foundation, NSJCC and Temple Ner Tamid, supported by CJP. Walk-ins welcome. posher@ lappinfoundation.org.

KARISHIM SWIM TEAM The Jewish Community Center (JCC) Karishim Swim Club, a competitive swim club for boys and girls ages 6-18, is taking registration now for the spring season, at the Leventhal Sidman JCC, Newton. The team trains at the center’s indoor pool and at Regis College, Weston. Registration is open to the entire community; JCC membership required. karishim@jccgb.org.

ART EXHIBITIONS SALTBOX GALLERY SPRING SHOW The popular Topsfield gallery will hold its annual spring show and sale, kicking off with its opening night party, Friday, April 7, 7-9 p.m., Topsfield Fairgrounds Coolidge Hall, Route 1N, 270 Boston St., Topsfield. Free. Saltboxgallery.net, Saltbocgallery@gmail.com.

MEMORY UNEARTHED: THE LODZ GHETTO Jewish Arts Collaborative announces this Museum of Fine Arts exhibit, the photos of Polish Jewish photojournalist Henryk Ross, showing life inside the second largest ghetto in German-occupied Europe, that he secretly took, hid, and rescued.

Jarts is also offering a Memorial Day concert collaboration led by musician Frank London of the Klezmatics, May 29. Admission to the museum that day is free.

MAA NEW EXHIBITS Marblehead Arts Association features six new exhibits on display through April 30, King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St., Marblehead. Exhibits include works by Cheryl Dyment,Dimensions Invitational; Diane Bradgon, Joe Pulitano, National Art Honor Society students and Marblehead Schools art faculty.

Coming soon to your favorite grocer, and now available at Katz Bagel in Chelsea:

The pizza bagel.

A tradition since 1938.

As my letter to The Advocate explains, Barry had a problem: had he told the Jews of Boston what he knows about these very dangerous people, he would have risked the wrath of his liberal donors who insist Jews not “engage in Islamophobia” in part because we, they believe, can win over even hateful Islamist Jew-haters with open-armed warmth, reason, and dialogue.

Here is the letter published today in The Advocate:

Shrage was peacetime leader in time of conflict Barry Schrage’s retirement announcement is an important milestone for the Boston Jewish community [“CJP head Barry Shrage to step down,” March 24, p. 1]. His legacy regarding the future safety of the Jewish community remains controversial, as evidenced by recent reports of Jewish organizations embracing leaders of the radical Islamic Society of Boston mosque.

Barry has not acknowledged the threat of radical Islam, though he has known the mosque’s founders, owners and operators are radical Islamists, connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, which preaches Jew-hatred, teaches that gays and apostates should be killed, and instructs Muslim men on how to beat their wives. Barry has seen all the documented proof of these things.

Barry understood he could not tell the Jews of Boston what he knew about this growing base of radical Islamists while continuing to receive financial donations. His progressive donors believe speaking honestly about radical Islam is “Islamophobic” and that “silence is the best policy” when dealing with a perceived vulnerable minority, and that perhaps if we show that we love them, they will reject crazy Islamist ideology and come to like us. This strategy failed the Jews of Europe, who are now leaving the continent in droves.

Barry was a good leader for a community secure in its position in society, but American Jewry is less and less politically secure. We can only hope Barry’s successor will have the courage to face the future with eyes wide open and resist the pressure from progressive Jews, who prefer to seduce themselves with beautiful fantasies rather than deal with ugly truths.

CHARLES JACOBS President Americans for Peace and Tolerance Yusuf Al Qaradawi, Spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, an original Board Member of the ISB mosque: “The last punishment was carried out by Hitler ... (as a) divine punishment for them.

Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the (Muslim) believers.”

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The Brookline Voice

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April 4 - 17, 2017

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The Brookline Voice

April 4 - 17, 2017

It came from the Brookline Booksmith dollar section!

Here are four choice selections I found on a trip to the $1 section in the basement of Brookline Booksmith at Coolidge Corner. You can tell these books were there for a reason, to put it simplyâ&#x20AC;Ś

2. Sometimes I go into Brookline Booksmith really wanting to know where the Little Dipper is.

3. This might be the single least interesting book I have ever seen.

1. Who wants a visual tool to help them learn how to use a Mac operating system from nearly fourteen years ago?

4. Presented without comment.

April 4 - 17, 2017

The Brookline Voice

13

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The Brookline Voice

14

April 4 - 17, 2017

CHAPTER 9 O

n the first night Bret was out of his marital home where he had lived for 18 years, his thoughts wandered all over the place.

In a single bed in a cramped room in a two bedroom apartment, he looked up at the ceiling with his arms propping up his head on a pillow. He sighed.

“How could everything have come to this?” he wondered to himself.

“I thought things were so good between Emily and me.

We had it made. I guess not. Was it me or was it her?

What caused our house of cards to come tumbling down on our two decade long marriage?”

Staying with a longtime friend from Brookline who gave him a spare bedroom out of the goodness of his heart didn’t inspire much thankfulness in Bret – although he was thankful he had a bed and somewhere to stay now that he had been thrown out of his home.

“How can she throw me out of my home? I paid the mortgage for 18 years. Shouldn’t she be the one that should leave?” he wondered.

Being asked to leave his home by his wife, who is having an affair with a Jewish fellow from Newton, didn’t seem right to Bret. The affair should invalidate everything his wife was ordering him to do.

“She’s having sex with that loser everyday. I was lucky to have sex with her three times a year – and that was during a good year,” he said to himself.

The conversation with himself took twists and turns.

“I guess I never should have cheated on her – but then – she had no interest in me physically in years. What’s a man to do?”

“Go out and get it somewhere else,” he answered himself.

That strategy in the end proved to be a failure.

Probably the most difficult thing for a couple experiencing problems in their marriage to understand is this: if you aren’t getting it at home for whatever reason, getting it somewhere else before separating is a big mistake.

You should never begin other relationships before you have finished the one you are in. If you have kids, this is especially true.

On Beacon Street inside the spacious 1920’s condo Emily shared with Bret, their kids, 18 and 17, boy and girl, experienced the kind of emptiness and private heartbreak that is the exclusive domain of marriages coming apart.

The kids were more bothered by the collapse than their parents – and Emily, well, she was out at Arnie’s living it up inside his bedroom in his Newton home.

“What the hell is wrong with Mom?” the kids asked one another.

“I guess they just don’t love each other anymore. Simple as that.” Said the son, who is off to college in August.

The daughter, a junior at Brookline High, began crying.

Her brother reached out to her. They hugged. She cried.

He almost cried.

“Dad is a good guy. He’s got his ways. But he’s been solid for us throughout our lives,” said the son.

“Mom, too,”said the daughter. “She’s never let us down.

Not until now.”

At Arnie’s house in Newton after a major session in his bed, Emily dozed off for a few minutes. She felt Arnie getting close again and wanting another session.

Putting on her clothes she said: “I’m going to need some privacy for a few days.”

“Are my children okay? Where do I tell them I’ve been when I get home?”

“No,” she said to him, pushing him away.

“The reality of everything going on right now in my life has me all uptight.”

She looked into her eyes in the rear view mirror of her car.

“I don’t want anymore today. I have too much on my mind,” she said.

“You’re telling me Bret is on your mind? Are you kidding me? All you say to me is that he doesn’t love you and wants nothing to do with you physically, and yet you are pushing me away. When we make love, its like the world doesn’t exist. Have I done something wrong?”

Arnie didn’t get it, but then, many men don’t understand women. Nor do they understand themselves.

He tried to move on her again.

“Stop it. Please,” she said angrily.

“I didn’t sign up with you to be your slave.”

She jumped out of the bed.

Arnie grew impatient, but he kept it to himself.

“You need time? You have it. When you feel better, you know where the key to the house is hidden,” he said to her.

Not even the delirium brought on by great sex and the feeling of freedom that comes with letting herself go had much of a calming effect on Emily as she drove back to Brookline.

She fixed her hair. She pursed her lips.

Returning to Brookline, she parked the car in the basement garage and took the elevator to the fifth floor When Emily walked into the hallway, her son and daughter were waiting for her.

“Working late tonight, Mum?” her daughter asked with her son standing behind his sister.

“Kids, I’ve had a long day. I don’t feel well.”

Everything was a blur. Nothing seemed right to her. Her head ached. She felt empty, and for a brief moment, she thought about Bret.

She walked down the hallway into her room and shut the door behind her.

“Is he okay?” she thought to herself. “He is, after all, the father of my children.”

J.R.

The kids just shook their heads.

The Brookline Voice

April 4 - 17, 2017

I have

NO IDEA

what these five things at Connelly Hardware do (and what they actually do)

15

I went to Connelly Hardware at 706 Washington Street, and went out of my way to find five things with applications I’m not fully aware of. As an added bonus, I’m going to tell you what it is, what I think it does, and then I’m going to Google it and tell you what it actually does.

P.S. My girlfriend kept trying to explain to me what each of the things did, and I had to cover my ears to avoid “hardware spoilers.”

Enjoy this “How millennial is Alex?” quiz!

50 ft. Braided Utility Rope

White Dry Non-Sanded Grout What I think it does: Grout sounds like a disgusting disease that befalls traveling sailors. Because it’s “dry” and intended for “joints” of some kind, I’m guessing it is used to prevent rust or mold – things that would be the result of unwanted moisture.

I think this prevents moisture.

What it actually does: It’s the stuff you use to fill in the space between floor and wall tiles.

What I Think It Does: I know what a rope does, but I remember this thing has a max weight support of 100 pounds or something. What is this thing going to pull? A wagon?

What it actually does: This kind of rope is actually good for keeping small-to-medium dogs leashed on a lawn. If you’re looking to tie knots, this kind of rope would also be good for that too. Probably won’t pull your car though, unless Fisher Price made your car.

Ferrule and Stop Set What I think it does: You fit things into it and it stops things.

How I think it’s pronounced: Feh-rule-ay

Instant Immersion Heater What I think it does: I think you plug it in, and it heats the metal that’s attached on the end. Because there’s a drink in the back picture, I’d say it could be put into a drink in order to warm it.

Such a thing would be really good for sake or whiskey.

What it actually does: Literally that. I now realize that the word “immersion” kind of gives it away.

What it actually does: Connects and loops pieces of rope, cable, and wire.

Reflector Drip Bowl

How it’s actually pronounced: feh-ruhl

What I think it does: Collects water on stoves, maybe?

It says “electric range elements” so maybe that’s it.

What it actually does: So I was right. It is talking about ranges of the “stove” and not the “mountain” variety. It catches the stuff that drips from burners on your stove.

Well, I’m sure there are some people out there worse than me… Right?

See you next time!

In Bostonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Historical North End

2017 Restaurateur of the Year:

Frank DePasquale

The Tradition Continues...

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