Well, dear readers, it is the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse or a spouse or a louse. The only stirring is me stirring spaghetti sauce and that will begin at around one o’clock. First I will tell you that last night we had real honest-to-goodness rain – pouring rain like we haven’t seen in years and it even lasted for four hours rather than twenty seconds. Of course, every street in the City of Studio was immediately flooded – such is the way here. But I liked it.
It was a weird kind of a day, but ultimately some lovely things happened so that took care of any less than lovely things. I was up at eight-thirty and she of the Evil Eye arrived soon thereafter and soon thereafter I went and had some bacon, eggs, and toast. Then I did a few things, including a visit to the Sherman Oaks Gelson’s – the reason was because I’ve been buying the same kind of toilet paper for a decade – everyone loves it and it’s a signature thing here at the home environment. It’s called Angel Soft and has a print on it. Well, my Gelson’s didn’t have it – that’s never happened before, but this is what they do – they’ll carry a product forEVER and then suddenly that’s it – gone, kaput, done. And the story was the same at the Sherman Oaks location. Why do they do that? It’s irritating as all get out and I think we all know how irritating all get out is. But Amazon to the rescue – they had it, I bought it (they have the big boy versions where you get a lot more rolls than the four to a package at Gelson’s). But enough about toilet paper.
I had a work session with a young gal who’s going to be in the February Kritzerland show and that went well and she seemed excited to be cast. Then I went and picked up one little package and came back home. I listened to a Mahler/Bernstein SACD from Japan – sounded really great – and did the last of the cleaning. Then I brought everything I’d been holding in the garage for the Do inside and began to get everything ready. I put out the plates and the cutlery and the cups and the napkins. I got out all the pots and pans I’ll need, all the while listening to some nice music – the soundtrack to E.T., re-recordings of Herrmann’s Psycho (what a score), Citizen Kane, and The Magnificent Ambersons. Of the three, the Psycho is the best performance and sound. The mail arrived and there was a green Writer’s Guild envelope. The last one I got had a royalty check for nine dollars for The Faculty. This one also had a royalty check for The Faculty, but a much nicer amount – several hundred dollars – what a nice surprise and it made the handful of irritants disappear immediately. And then I got news that the Robby Award nominations had been announced, so I went and looked at those and was very happy to see the L.A. Now and Then is up for four awards – Best Musical Production, Best Director of a Musical (me), Best Choreography (Cheryl Baxter), and Best Projection Design (for Tesshi Nakagawa and Vern Yonemura – well deserved it was, too). As if that wasn’t nice enough, three Kritzerland shows are also up for best cabaret performance – the Sondheim show, the Flaherty and Ahrens show, and the Rodgers and Hart show, which just happen to be my three favorite shows this year. So, that was a nice early Christmas treat.
Then, whilst listening to music and the pouring rain, I made my double portion of tuna pasta salad. In days of old I made 16 oz. of pasta and used one can of tuna and however much mayo and red onions. But it’s become so popular with the populace that last year I doubled all the ingredients and we still almost ran out. So, I did that again this year. Then I began the ordeal of the slicing and dicing and mincing, oh my. I’m especially good at the mincing, if you get my meaning. First I sliced and diced the onions, then sliced the mushrooms, and then the hard one – mincing the garlic, all twelve cloves. All that took up almost the entire evening. Then I went to Gelson’s because I saw I was low on mayo and oil, so I bought those and one more thing of rolls, just to make sure we had enough. There were only about four shoppers at Gelson’s, probably due to the pouring rain, which seems to have stopped now, so I was in and out of there in about five minutes.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. Once up, if the weather permits I will do a two-and-a-half mile jog. Then around one I’ll being preparing the spaghetti sauce, after which it simmers right up until the Do. Then I’ll relax, maybe watch something, and then I’ll get ready for the early arrivals. I’m hoping we have a nice turnout, but not crazy large. I will, of course, have a full report and photographs. I will also have photographs and a full report. Oh, and I got some lovely flowers from former dear readers the Pogues. Very sweet and I know they miss the Dos.
I have not heard from the Darling Daughter and so I know not what’s happening tomorrow, Christmas Day. I suppose time will tell, and if time doesn’t tell then time is just a little twit who needs to be bitch-slapped from here to eternity and hell and back. Next week is just finishing up choosing and assigning songs and getting everyone their music, and watching and listening and relaxing.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog if the weather permits, make the spaghetti sauce, relax, and then get ready for the Annual Christmas Eve Do. Today’s topic of discussion: What are you doing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as I await the night before Christmas, when the only stirring will be me stirring the spaghetti sauce.