Well, dear readers, Christmas 2010 is now done and what a lovelier than lovely Christmas it was. I spent Christmas day doing a whole lot o’ nothin’. It wasn’t a big year for receiving presents but I don’t really care about that stuff. I care about people, my friends, and, of course, all the denizens of haineshisway.com – that is what makes Christmas special. It was disappointing not to see the Darling Daughter, but it was simply too tough for she and her husband to travel, given the weather. I was intending to sleep in quite late but I was up at eight-thirty. I played on the computer, answered e-mails, listened to music, and did all dishes and cleaned up everything I hadn’t done the night before. Then I got a call from pal and neighbor Ellen Butterfield, inviting me over for breakfast. I didn’t really want to eat, but I moseyed on over there just for the excellent company. Her beautiful daughter Casey was there along with Casey’s ever-lovin’ Colin. We had fun chatting and the food that I didn’t eat looked quite yummilicious. After that, I came back home, listened to more music, watched the beginning of a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Amelie, and then I made the decision to mosey on over to Cissy Wechter’s Christmas partay. There was quite a bit of traffic until I hit Woodland Hills, then it cleared up for the rest of the way. It was the usual festive Cissy Wechter gathering – a humungous amount of yummilicious foodstuffs, and a large gathering of her family and friends. Cissy has a new beau and he’s a very nice chap, with the same name as her son – David. David’s lovelier than lovely and very smart daughter Rebecca was there, and we chatted quite a bit at the beginning of the partay and then a lot at the end – she’s a delightfully delightful gal. There were adults, there were kids, and I knew quite a few folks so it was nice to catch up. It’s always grand seeing my pal David and his beautifully beautiful wife Barbara, and their two great kids Zach and Daniel. Daniel has just been cast in his high school musical, Bye Bye Birdie, playing the role of Harvey Johnson. I immediately sang his section of The Telephone Hour. Zach is going to college, a film student. He’d asked me to appear in his latest short film, but the timing wasn’t good and I just hate to learn lines – but he said the fellow who did that role was very good. I had two helpings but for once didn’t overeat – I had some turkey and some honey-baked ham, some vegetables, a tiny bit of salad, CRANBERRIES, and a little helping of stuffing. The only seconds I had were turkey and ham, and I stayed away from the sweet potatoes entirely. For dessert I had some of Barbara’s yummilicious trifle, which was hardly a trifle but a substantially wonderful thing, and a piece of marble pound cake that was out of this world great. David and I exchanged gifts – I gave the Wechters a Blu and Ray of Hitchcock’s Psycho and a new book on Hitch that’s really quite a production. They gave me the new Blu and Ray of Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol and a book about the making of that animated classic. In the words of Sally Durant Plummer, “I’m so glad I came.” And thanks to all those who told me I should go – that was the real convincer, I must say.
By the time I left, the rain had returned – not too heavy, but rain nonetheless. As I write these here notes, it seems to have stopped. I got home, answered some e-mails, and that was about it. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get my beauty sleep. And to paraphrase the words of Sally Durant Plummer:
Look at that button
It’s so inviting
And when you push it
You’ll be reciting
“I’m so glad I came.”
Today will be a day of relaxation – sleeping in, being lazy, eating something light but amusing, watching motion pictures, listening to CDs and maybe, just maybe, typing up an edit road map for an upcoming CD. In other words, it’s a ME day. I shall toddle about in my smoking jacket, my leopard-spotted dickie, and my bunny slippers. I shall look urbane and sophisticated as I recite poetry and the lyrics to the score of Whoop Up. And it shall be a lovely day. I may even do One Grecian Urn.
Tomorrow, I don’t know what the HELL is happening. I think the helper will come and get hundreds of invoices so she can do labels and postage, and I have a couple of things to ship and a present to send to the Darling Daughter – but this is mostly a light week – just some meals, figuring out the show order for the January Gardenia show, setting rehearsal times and stuff like that there.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep in, be lazy, eat something light but amusing, watch motion pictures and listen to music, and maybe, just maybe, type up an edit road map – and if I’m feeling up to it, I’ll do One Grecian Urn. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them – so, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, and to paraphrase the words of Sally Durant Plummer:
On to the topic
These notes are done now
So start the posting
Yes, it’s been fun now
I’m so glad I came.