Well, dear readers, one thing I’d like to get out of the way right this very minute is the following:
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Yes, Virginia, it is Christmas 2007, which is most amusing as it seems like yesterday was Christmas 2006. I have to write these here notes in a hurry because I do believe Santa Claus might just be stopping by my home environment, because I did try to be a very good boy this year. I’m feeling quite jolly and I’m quite certain that after all I ate last night that I am quite as big as Santa himself. I want to hie myself to bed so that I can get up bright and early and open presents, and then have a visit from my very own darling daughter. I was hoping to kiss everyone who came to my Christmas Eve Do as soon as they stood under the mistletoe, but the fact is I could not find any mistletoe, and not only that, they were also out of mistlefinger and mistlenose. Speaking of mistletoe, yesterday was a day of slicing and dicing and chopping and mincing whilst singing songs of the Christmas season. I got up and made tuna pasta salad. I then did a few little errands, and then began the preparations for the spaghetti sauce. This always takes about ninety minutes to two hours, which I never really understand since all I’m really doing is mincing garlic (and a lot of it), chopping onions, cleaning and slicing mushrooms, and that sort of thing. But, by two I had the sauce simmering on the stove. I then wrapped a few presents and put them in the presents place, all the while singing happy Christmas songs. During the course of the day, I did manage to listen to ten count them ten CDs, and I’m almost all caught up with my CD listening. At around four, I did my afternoon ablutions and was all clean and sparkling for the Do. The home environment was also clean and sparkling, and all the plates and forks, knives, and spoons were out and looking quite festively festive on my dining table. Prior to my ablutions, former dear reader Hisaka, who could not attend the Do, stopped by with some homemade California Roll and some Flan. That was very sweet of her, and we put those items on the dining table. She went on her merry way, I got ready, and then it was time for people to arrive. First to arrive were Mr. Kevin Spirtas and Miss Adriana Patti, both of whom got to the Do around fifteen minutes early. Kevin tried the California Roll and professed it marvelously marvelous. By that time, the pasta was cooking and by six-ten it was cooked, strained and ready for serving. We all took plates full of food and boy did the sauce turn out well. Other guests began arriving, and ultimately we had quite a nice group of folks, including singingnymph, former dear reader Maria/Panni, Michael Druxman and his ever-lovin’ Sandy, Barbara Deutsch and son Sam Lembeck and Sam’s ever-lovin’ Natalie, Joan Ryan and husband Howard, friend and LACCTAA colleague Joanna Erdos, Adryan Russ and hubby Dale A. Cooke (my stage manager of choice), Doug Haverty and his lovely wife, and I think there was someone else but my mind is drawing a blank. Has your mind ever drawn a blank? And if so, why? What is the point of drawing a blank, since the blank is blank and your drawing doesn’t look like anything. It is to wonder. Much spaghetti was consumed, the conversation was, as always, a lot of fun, and we all laughed and laughed and just when we thought we could laugh no more, we laughed again. Much spaghetti was consumed, although there was a ton of sauce and pasta left because I went a little insane and made enough sauce to feed a small army and four pounds of pasta was a little overkill. A goodly amount of tuna pasta salad was wolfed down. All the California Roll went quickly and I managed to have one before they disappeared and it was indeed terrific. The flan was a favorite, and singingnymph brought homemade brownies that were the berries. Barbara brought her amazing mini-chocolate chip muffins, and there were candies, chocolate donuts, and other foodstuffs, too.
After everyone left, I cleaned up the pots and pans (which didn’t take long, because I clean as I go) and that, as they say, was that. All in all, a wonderful Do, and I do love doing the Do.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get my beauty sleep and should Santa wish to stop by I want to be in my bed and I don’t want a creature to be stirring, not even a mouse. Of course, if there’s a mouse in the house then I’LL be stirring, but hopefully there won’t be any stirring.
I do love spending Christmas here at haineshisway.com, the most wonderfully wonderful site on all the Internet. I hope everyone will share their Christmas Day with us and tell us of their gifts and meals and whatnot, especially their whatnot.
I’m looking forward to seeing my darling daughter, because I haven’t seen hide nor hair of her since last Christmas. We’ll spend the afternoon together, exchange gifts (I know she will LOVE one of her gifts), and heat up some spaghetti for she and her hubby Sean – she does love the spaghetti sauce.
Other than that, I intend to stay in and do a lot of nothing – I’ll probably watch some Mod Squad episodes (in the last one I watched, there was a wonderful shot on Melrose east of Paramount Studios (where the show was filmed), where you could see the old Nickodell’s sign, Nickodell’s being one of my favorite restaurants in days of yore.
Tomorrow, other than having one package to ship (shouldn’t be a line at the postal office), I have no plans, although they’ve now opened most of the movie theaters to the DGA, so I can go see anything I want for free and I may just do that.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, open presents, see my darling daughter, and have a quiet and peaceful and merry Christmas. I wish all of you, dear readers and lurkers, friends (and the occasional enemy) the most wonderful Christmas Day. Today’s topic of discussion: Simple? What did you get for Christmas, what will you be eating, and what did you do on Christmas Eve. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland and make certain that there is no stirring.