Well, dear readers, let’s just get something out of the way very quickly. There, I just got something out of the way very quickly and frankly something is not too happy about it as something doesn’t like to be gotten out of the way quickly or slowly. And there we have a typically typical opening to the notes. And why shouldn’t we have a typically typical opening to the notes when today begins year eleven of this here site. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, today begins our eleventh year of these here notes and this here site, not necessarily in that order. Although we officially went live on November 9, 2001, we really went up the night before in our beta testing, with Mr. Mark Bakalor and team and a few friends working feverishly, testing all the functions of the site. That was really our beginning. But officially, on November 9, 2001 this here site was born out of some dirty doings to yours truly, dirty doings that were done dirtily and terribly and which were the eventual downfall of a wonderful company that I’d created out of love and heart. Those doing the dirty doings could do the dirty doings because of one thing only – money. They were not right to do them, and had we all walked into a court of law, the fellow who mediated our lawsuit told me unequivocally that I would prevail. But the justice system in this country is unfortunately not on the side of right – it’s on the side of money – people who can keep things going and break the side of right, because lawyers have to be paid and at some point, if you’re just a real human being living a real, human life, the money runs out in a way that it does not run out for the wealthy. And therefore, they and their lawyers can manipulate the law in a way that should never be allowed. A frivolous lawsuit, one that has no chance of being won, is simply frivolous, but it can cause major harm, which, in my case, it did – financially. I’m fairly certain that the people who did it thought that that would break my spirit, but I’m afraid it had the opposite effect. I just sat and watched as the gentleman who was mostly responsible for the bad business beginning tried running the company – and run he did – right into the toilet. And, funnily, all the things I was accused of doing that I did not do in any way, shape, or form, he WAS doing. And they sued HIM and won – a million dollars they’ll never collect. Once having realized that, do you think these people would admit to me how wrong they were to do what they did? Of course not. Why should they? They still have money, what do they care about what they did and how wrong it was? But I believe in karma and I think karma has been working just fine. It never ceases to amaze me that something so beautiful could come from something so ugly.
But out of all that came what I feel will soon be the most popular site on all the Internet. Well, we’re pretty popular as it is, with millions of hits a year, the most wonderful community of wacky denizens that has ever graced a website board – smart, funny, opinionated, and most importantly, warm and caring people. Yes, we’ve had our occasional disagreements and upsets, how could that not happen? People have left over what I consider trivial things – rather than just send a PM and hash something out, they just leave – leave this wonderful, magical place. Oh, they carry on behind the scenes by keeping in touch with folks via e-mail, but that’s hardly the same thing. While I wish they would come back and just let it all be, apparently that is just too difficult for some folks, which is a bloody shame. But mostly, this is the most stress-free message board on all the Internet. People have forged very close friendships here, and our get-togethers in various and sundried places are legendary.
I am very proud of the fact that no one has been able to prove to me that this isn’t the longest-running daily blog in the history of the Internet. In ten years, I’ve never missed a day of notes (BK knocks wood), and while a nice gentleman wrote to me and thought he had the longest-running daily thing, he was, in fact, a year behind us, even though that’s quite an accomplishment. But I don’t think he writes quite the length that we do on a daily basis. In these years I’ve written eleven books (my first book was finished very close to the debut of this here site and these here notes – I believe I announced the completion of it right here), I’ve gone back to directing shows and acts, I created another wonderful record label, this one sans business partners (NEVER again), which has gone from doing almost no albums a year to doing about twenty-five per year. I’ve made wonderful new friends, have worked with incredible people, begun a really fun series of shows at the Gardenia, and so many other things. I am truly grateful for all of it and especially the people on this here site, who make every day, no matter what kind of day it is, a better day. I know I can always come to our message board and be cheered up instantly by simply reading a plethora of postings. No matter how crazy things get, there is still a modicum of merriment and mirth and laughter and legs here at haineshisway.com. And the latest bit of hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry, is the debut of Outside The Box, and the incredible reaction it’s getting. I could not be happier about it.
And so, on this, our anniversary, let me take this opportunity to once again thank each and every dear reader, including our many lurkers, for making this here site so amazing. I treasure all of you and you all make this occasionally sorry planet a better place.
Yesterday, started off horribly and ended nicely – I’ll take that any day. The horrible part was that Time Warner struck again during the night and when I awoke at six to announce our new titles the Internet was once again down. I went back to bed for a while, but after CDs arrived, I went out and did the eBlast from a remote location. I took my car in for servicing, and after that, the helper shipped as much as she could, and everything else will go out today. Chitty was really popular, I must say. I had some matzo brei and a bagel for lunch, then met with the fellow who occasionally helps with assembling our CDs, and then it was time to go meet dear reader Jose at LACC.
We spent a couple of hours organizing all his music, and then our rehearsal began. Basically, everyone met each other, and we sang through most of the songs. I hadn’t assigned any of the girl songs (except Alet, Melody, and Lucy Taylor) or the guy songs (except Damon Kirsche and Will Collyer). So, I had everyone singing everything and from that, after listening and watching, I assigned everything and now those people can work specifically on the songs they’re doing. I was very heartened by the rehearsal – it’s a little mad trying to get this show on its feet in fourteen days, but it’s the kind of challenge I respond to and we will do it. I was very pleased with what I heard, and I think the show is going to be a lot of fun to work on and hopefully the result will be pleasing to people.
After that, I came home after stopping at Gelson’s and getting a small thing of mac and cheese and chicken pasta – I was really hungry and that hit the spot perfectly. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really need a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I will hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I will then definitely do the four-mile jog, since I missed yesterday due to there not being an hour that I could devote to it. But today I will get it out of the way early, and I may go an extra half-mile if I can, just to make up a little for yesterday and the day before. I’ll eat, think about staging, prep our next soundtrack release and approve its master, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages (I got one yesterday), and then we have our second rehearsal, which is just more running numbers over and over again.
Tomorrow, we begin to stage the numbers. I was originally going to have Cheryl Baxter come in to do one or two things, but I’m not sure she’ll have the time. If not, I’ll just do my BK staging thing, which I enjoy doing. If she is available, then she can come in and have a few hours. I also have some meetings and meals to do, and then on Sunday I think Melody, me, Adryan and Doug (authors of Inside Out) are all going to do The Broadway Radio Show with our very own Mr. Donald Feltham.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up a package or three, eat, and rehearse. Today’s topic of discussion: Since it’s our anniversary we’ll do our usual anniversary topic, which I never tire of – how did you find this here site? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall sing the Anniversary Waltz.