Good morning, all! My, it's been such an interesting 24 hours and not much of what I had planned it to be. I got to Toyland to learn the project was to be terminated on Dec 31. Then, last night, around 6:30 pm EST, I had a long conversation with the head of the institute funding the project and I think the project will continue through publication of several scores. This led to my spending several hours processing all this information and communicating with various people on the project. I finally dragged myself into bed, sorted 10 days' worth of mail and passed out.
Today, I shall attend a memorial service for the late great actor Barnard Hughes, of the films MIDNIGHT COWBOY, DA, and THE LOST BOYS, the tv series BLOSSOM, and many other things. I met Barney when I tried to convince him to play the Toymaker for the Houston Grand Opera in 1991. I had known his wife Helen since she appeared in THE FIFTH OF JULY, and they were both wonderful people. After his heart surgery, I'd occasionally see Barney on his daily walk up and down Broadway - I'm at 82nd and he and Helen were at 95th, I believe. The last time I saw him was backstage at WAITING IN THE WINGS, in which he and Helen both appeared. I was very fond of him and I miss him a lot.
I look forward to seeing Helen, with whom I last spoke a little over a year ago. I hope she is well. She and Barney did a wonderful HOMICIDE episode together and I have to buy the season in which they appeared.
TOD: I hate the fact that my imbecilities and pronouncements are committed forever to the aether. Sometimes one should mince words. But I forget.