Well, dear readers, it is 2011. Yes, you heard it here dear readers, it is 2011, a year that I pray will be filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. Let us all send all of our most excellent vibes and xylophones into the ether for all of us to have a most wonderful year. That is my wish,that is my prayer. There are many potential things that could happen this year that would be so fantastic, and I will keep all my energies focused and positive and clear in trying to make them all happen and happen well. It’s funny, it seems like only yesterday it was 2010. Of course, it was only yesterday it was 2010, so that explains that. But now it’s 2011 and I say let us embrace the New Year with open arms and open everything else. My last day of 2010 was very nice and relaxing. The helper came and did some work, just a couple of hours, and now we’re all prepared for the shipping of a LOT of CDs come Monday. After that, I went to the mail place and picked up three count them three packages – one contained a book about the musical Flower Drum Song – which analyzes the original version against the completely rewritten revival. One box contained lobby cards for an upcoming Kritzerland release, and the last box contained something that made me very happy indeed – it’s only taken me thirty-something years to get it back, but I now am the proud owner of a first edition To Kill A Mockingbird. I sold my previous copy when I got deevorced and that was the single stupidest thing I did with any book ever. I would have received the same amount of dough had I held it back. I paid the outrageous amount of forty-five bucks for it in 1978. It was a very nice copy of a book that’s very hard to find in nice condition, if you can find it at all (there were only 5000 copies of the first edition). A decade after I sold the book, copies were going for seven to ten thousand dollars. Now they go for much more than that – primo copies can fetch up to 25K. The dust jacket was notoriously fragile and prone to chipping and rubbing, and because the book was so popular it was read to death and nobody knew about collecting things back then. I’ve been offered copies over the years, but could never even come close to affording them. Then, three weeks ago, this one came up and I was able to spend a leisurely week going back and forth with the seller and working out a trade, and the deal was done. It’s not a great copy by any means – the jacket has a nice-sized chip out of the top spine of the jacket, although it doesn’t affect any lettering. That’s the worst of it, and the rest is complete and not bad. The book itself has wear but is firm and sturdy. So, not pristine, but I have it and I’m thrilled, as it’s my favorite book. And it was a great deal for me, given what I traded – a GREAT deal. There are currently several copies on eBay, all of which are completely trashed with all sorts of hideous problems – and they’re all selling for six to ten grand. After that, I went and had a sandwich and fries, had a telephonic conversation, and wrote seven variations of titles for the new book. I ran them by Muse Margaret and it came down to two we liked – the very first one I’d thought of some months ago, and then one of the new ones, which is the one we settled on. The older title had a made-up name of a place and the new one had a name of a place that actually existed – I think that’s more fun somehow and the title really flows well. So, that problem is now solved. I watched a little of North By Northwest’s Blu and Ray, then listened to music and, of course, attended our Annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve bash, which was, as always, tons of fun, with lots of wonderful postings and wishes. I feel that soon we will be the most popular site on all the Internet.
At eleven-thirty, I did my end of year contemplation – thinking about what I was happy with and how I can do better and what about myself I would like to improve in terms of my behavior. Those twenty minutes are really important to me – I’ve been doing this routine for many, many years. I then popped open the champagne, had my little sip to welcome in the New Year, and then yelled Happy New Year and was right here at haineshisway.com when everyone’s balls dropped. It’s the grandest way to bid a fond farewell to the old year and a warm welcome to the new.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below – the first such click of 2011!
Today, I shall sleep however late I sleep, and then I shall arise, do my morning ablutions, answer e-mails, and then at some point in the morning hours I shall begin a new book. It’s usually slow going whenever I begin a new book – just getting the tone right and the flow right, so I don’t really care how many pages I ultimately do, although I will try to do at least four or five. At some point, I’ll go eat something light and amusing, and then I have to figure out the running order of the January Gardenia show – I already pretty much know the first third, so I’m hoping it’s not too hard.
Tomorrow, I’ll do part two of my field trip, although having settled on the title I now only have to go to one address, take photographs, and then come back home, unless I get bold and stop at Astro-Burger. We shall see. The coming week is really busy. Monday we ship a LOT of CDs and that will take quite a bit of time. Then I have to figure out exactly what the first Kritzerland release is – I have to settle on a title and that’s going to depend on how fast the people from whom I license can get me tapes. I was hoping that would happen last week, but apparently everyone was gone for two weeks. How quickly they’ll move coming back from vacation is anyone’s guess, but I’ll try to push it along. And the three UK cast albums are ready to go and easy to do – all it takes is getting the copies of the tapes from the UK – I’ve asked for them to expedite the shipping and that I’d pay whatever those charges are – so I have to get that going. Two titles will go in for approvals, and for those two titles only that process will probably take a few weeks – I’m hopeful they can come out in February or early March, as they will both do very well.
Then we have two rehearsals (Tuesday and Friday), which I’m very much looking forward to. I spoke to our special guest, Millicent Martin, and she’ll be at the Friday rehearsal, and then at the stumble-through the following Tuesday. Additionally, I have a work session with The Singer, and at some point I’ll be working with Gregory Harrison on his material for the Linda Purl/Gregory Harrison act. Then there are some meetings and meals, some errands and whatnot, some packages, and various and sundried other things that tend to come up.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, start a new book, I must eat, I must figure out a running order, and I must relax. Today’s topic of discussion: If you had your druthers, what would be the best things 2011 could bring you? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we give the warmest of welcomes to 2011.