Merry Christmas, all! I'm dragging myself around the apartment and organizing my thoughts. My day shall be spent with my dear friends Ron and Dona Raines and my wonderful goddaughter Charlotte. I have to pull some DVDs Charlotte wants to borrow and I have to wrap a few gifts. Right now I'm listening to Appalachian balladeer Jean Ritchie sing folk carols with recorder and guitar. She just sang a carol I've never heard before, "There was a pig went out to dig."
I've already received my Father's Christmas present, which was a lot of money around a month ago. My two brothers usually send checks, so I've got their cards to open today, and there's a package here from my dear friend Loyce Martin, a wonderful soprano, who worked with me a lot (as did DRGinny) when I was doing community theatre in Ohio, long time ago.
Dear Friend BK, the CD is now Perry como, and he just sang on his Christmas album "Love In a Home" from one of your favorite musicals. Great timing!
Along with my Father's early Christmas gifts, I've had several other wonderful Christmas gifts this year. I feel like an Oscar Winner here, and I hope I don't forget to mention someone or something:
1. I survived six monrhs of poor health, and I have a network of great and loving friends in New York, not to mention the HHW support, and all over.
2. Dear Friend BK came to New York, and we spent some time together for the first time in a long time.
3. This site introduced me to some wonderful folk all over the world, many of whom have become friends whose thoughts and opinions I find interesting. Jane, PennyO, Panni, Danise, Michael Barnum, Jay, Ben and Baxter, Jose, td, Noel, Elan, S Woody White and Der Brucer are all folk I've now met personally through New York visits or the telephone, and I look forward to forming closer friendships with other DRs at HHW.
4. I work on a recording/musical theatre project with great friends: the Library of Congress group (Loras Schissel, Mark Horowitz, and Ray White), the New York group (Curtis Moore, Matthew Brookshire), our musical prep/editorial group (Peter Foley, Skip Kennon, Tom Murray), the advisory group (Russell Warner, Bill Hicks, Robert Kimball, Miles Kreuger, Betty Auman, David Packard). A day with any of these folk is a holiday.
5. I had only two arranging jobs I disliked this year, and a lot of fun ones: the Mickey/Judy show for Jeff Harnar and Shauna Hicks was great fun and I thank God for bringing impressario Matthew Inge into my circle of friends; I thank Michael O'Flaherty, Michael Price and the Goodspeed staff, and tony Walton for giving me WHERE'S CHARLEY?, Joseph Weis and Erik Haagensen for asking me to do DARLING OF THE DAY, Tommy Krasker and Aaron Gandy for FINE AND DANDY.
I'm very lucky, and I need to remind myself of that occasionally. Thanks for the occasion!
I have to call my Father and wrap some gifts. Ta!
