Well, dear readers, first of all might I just say that you should all have yourself a merry little Christmas because today, as you might have surmised, is Christmas Day. I hope everyone is asleep so that Santa can come deliver his gifts to one and all and also all and one. But before we get to Christmas perhaps I should tell you a little something about the Christmas Eve Do. In a word, it was amazing and the best ever. Well, that’s more than a word, isn’t it. There were several firsts at this Christmas Eve Do and I’ll tell you about them, but first, before the firsts, here was the day leading up to the Do.
I was up around eight-thirty, but stayed in bed until ten. Then I got up, answered e-mails, and did the four-mile jog. Then I did the last of my gift shopping, after which I picked up a package and an important envelope. Then I came home and began cooking. First it was sautéing the garlic, onions, and mushrooms, then I concocted the rest of the sauce and began the seasoning process. Since I’d prepared everything the previous night, there really wasn’t all that much to do. I began watching a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Fright Night, which I hadn’t seen since it originally came out. After I finish, I’ll have much to say about it and the wacko phenomenon that accompanied its sale, with an emphasis on one particular Blu and Ray discussion board, where there were something like 5,000 posts about this title.
I got ready and worked on the sauce all throughout the day (the seasoning is critical and goes in stages). The first people arrived at about six-ten – Doug Haverty and The Singer. We ate some spaghetti and tuna pasta salad and the word was that the sauce and pasta salad were both yummilicious. Doug brought a homemade cake that was amazing. Then others began arriving. I know I’m going to forget some people because I am very tired as I write these here notes. But the first wave included my friend Ilona Simon- Muller (one of the original pit singers from Promises) and her hubby Steve and their son Daniel. Then Melody and her folks came, my neighbor Ellen Butterfield and her friend and her boyfriend (who, as it turns out, was in high school with me), my old pal Lee Doebler Sowers, Adryan Russ and her ever-lovin’ Dale, and a few others. That was the first wave. Many of them left around eight and I thought maybe it was going to be an early night, but then the second wave arrived – Barry Pearl and his ever-lovin’ Cindy, our very own Mark and Amy, Joanna Erdos, and the wonderful Richard Sherman and his ever-lovin’ Elizabeth. I know there were others but my mind is not telling me the names. I think we must have had about thirty people in all, which is more than usual. Most people brought some sort of dessert, which is a bit unusual, so there were a LOT of sweets. Here were the firsts: For the first time in twenty-two years there was not one jot of tuna pasta salad left. There is normally enough left for me to have another large helping after everyone leaves and a helping or two the next day. But not one jot. So, I only really had one helping of that. And I made a LOT of sauce and five pounds of spaghetti. When all was said and done, 80% of the sauce was consumed – normally I have about 40% left – this time barely 20%, if that. Normally I eat my large second helping of pasta after everyone is gone – but out of the five pounds there was only a tiny pit left. And so for once I didn’t pig out after everyone was gone. Oh, I ate some sweets, but that was about it. I’m sure I gained a pound or two, but I don’t eat like this very often these days.
Normally the Do is Done by ten, but we went to ten-thirty because we were all having so much fun – the conversation was sparkling, with lots o’ laughs. All in all, it could not have been a more splendidly splendid evening save for having the Pogues and the Druxmans with us as in olden days, happy golden days of yore. And, of course, I’m always hopeful that we’ll have some dear readers who’ve never experienced the Do show up. Before they left, Amy and Mark asked me to open their little gift. It was a framed picture. I recognized me sitting at a piano right away, but I really had to put the picture under a light to realize who the beautiful, classy lady was who I was obviously playing for. That should have actually been easy because I really haven’t played the piano for many people. Amazingly, this photo was taken in 1974 aboard the Sitmar cruise during the shooting of The Partridge Family episode The Last Of Howard. The beautiful, classy lady was, of course, Shirley Jones. They apparently got the photo from photographer Henry Diltz, who was on the boat with us shooting lots of stuff with David Cassidy.
After everyone left, I cleaned up most of the stuff (no real dishes to do), made a second batch of tuna pasta salad for the next couple of days, and that was that. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I am very tired and it is very late and I very much need my beauty sleep.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. No matter what, nothing is getting me out of bed before ten. Then I’ll open my few presents, after which I’ll definitely do the four-mile jog and maybe I’ll even go to five depending on how heavyish I feel. After that, I’ll finish Fright Night, watch some Maigret, and then if I’m feeling up to it I’ll go see a screening of War Horse and Hugo. We shall see.
Tomorrow, I’m not doing much of anything but attending to one little errand and whatnot at one. Otherwise, it’s just relaxing and watching motion pictures and doing a little writing. And that will be the rest of the week, too. Hopefully some packages to pick up, and maybe having a lunch, but nothing strenuous or too heavy. I will write liner notes for two releases but they’ll be easy to do. And then, before we all know it, it will be time for our Annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve celebration – the best place to be for a safe and fun New Year’s Eve.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, open presents, do the four-mile jog, eat, watch movies and maybe attend a screening. 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, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I shall have myself a merry little Christmas.