On This, The Sixth Day Of Christmas

Over on Andy's Blog, he linked to this post on Adam Mustoe's blog. To clarify, I have no idea who this Adam person is, other than the information available about him in his profile. But, he had some thoughts on the holiday, and since reading them... I guess on the 24th or so, I have been mulling them over.

Somewhere in the past... I don't know... thirty years or so--I'm 39 now, and I think Wade spilled the beans about you-know-who when I was younger than 9, so we'll go with about thirty years or so...

Where was I? Oh yeah. Anyway, somewhere in that time, Christmas has become--hokey as it sounds--more about the giving for me.

I don't know that Mom or anyone else did anything to create that in me. I've been trying to trace this back into my history somewhere, but nothing is standing out. It seems important to figure it out, because I think if you love your kids, you'll teach them to find the joy in giving so that Christmas still has a sort of... well, magic isn't the word I mean... but it's close. We'll go with "joy".

Of course, if your kids grow up to be dirt poor and can't afford to give anyone anything a particular Christmas, that Christmas is gonna kind a stink, but there's always next year, right?

There's just a sort of joy associated with thinking of your friends and loved ones, trying to figure out what they would like, and then setting it up just right. I know some people hate doing all that--especially the picking the perfect gift part--but, when I have the means, I love doing that.

The best gift I ever gave--at least that I can think of right now--is Doris Day's holiday CD. I gave it to my Secret Santee out at MCM&VCo. during the run of "A Christmas Bette" back in... whenever the heck that was.

Jon Copeland was a huge Doris Day fan, and had mentioned that, although she had recorded lots of holiday songs over the years, alas, she did not have a holiday album.

Amazon.com was young back then, and I don't remember how it came to pass--either I did a search for "Doris Day" and "Christmas" on a whim that maybe Jon was unaware of the CD's existence, or if I was just searching for ideas of what to get him next, but there it was: Doris Day: Personal Christmas Collection.

I didn't have a debit card. I had to mail a check to amazon.com and then hope against hope that it got here before Christmas.

It arrived, but I wanted so badly to see his face when he got it. This is very hard to pull off in the course of a MCM&VCo. show, because you don't want anyone to see you place the gift, and you have to plan it so that they're next going to be in that spot at the same time you are. Also, if you're staring, it's kinda obvious.

I enlisted the help of Marcie Ramirez. I asked her to announce in the dressing room, while Jon was off somewhere else, that everyone watch Jon as he arrives behind the curtain for the water glass number, because his Secret Santa was going to put a gift on his water glass table, and wanted to watch his reaction.

So, as we carried the tables onstage, I surreptitiously placed the unwrapped CD on his table. We all watched as Jon arrived, and I would not trade watching his expression for most anything in the world.

That--to me, anyway--is how to keep some Joy in Christmas.

Even this year, when things were... um... lean... I still have the memory of that performance and Jon's sheer joy at seeing that, not only did Doris Day have a holiday collection, but he was now the proud owner of it!

So, yes, hokey, but for me the joy comes from the giving. Of course, I love to get stuff, and it's always fun to see what people find for me... so don't stop giving, those of you who do.

It has just hit me that maybe one of the reasons I like to give is connected to why I like to perform. I like entertaining people. Giving a great gift is a form of entertaining them. And if you're there, it's not unlike performing onstage--you get immediate feedback as to how you are doing.

Some day--maybe next life--I'm going to have holiday money all saved up in plenty of time to shop (my life for years has been: December Paycheck the last day before break, then rushed holiday shopping, keeping in mind that January bills must also be paid). When this happens, it's going to be the best flippin' Christmas ever!

"Next year all our troubles will be out of sight," indeed!

P.S.: If this post has convinced you that the joy is in the giving, here is my amazon.com wish list and a page on my website about gifts I'd enjoy.

I kid. I just felt I had to end it that way, strictly for reasons of comedic closure.

"In Case Someone Needs To Find My House At Night For Some Sort Of Emergency, Like Pizza Delivery" Tip #3

I touched on this last time, but I'll go a bit more in-depth here. Reflective material is not helpful at night. I realize this might seem counterintuitive, but it's true. Unless I'm turning the car and pointing the lights at your house or mailbox or wherever you've put these reflective numbers, all I get are flashes of the numbers as my lights brush up against them and say, "I do beg your pardon" before moving on.

Heck, sometimes I can point my flashlight directly at them and still can't make them out... the angle is off, or something just isn't right. The force is not with them. Much more helpful than reflective material is a good contrast between the numbers and whatever is behind the numbers. That helps them stand out in low light.

And a freebie with this tip: One easy test to see if you have easy-to-read numbers--and thus an easy-to-find home--is to ask several people who don't know where you live to find your home by consulting a map before leaving to get there--no checking the map once they've left for your place, and make sure it's a night-time trip. And pick friends who aren't too nice to point out ain't no way nobody can find your house because they can't read your house numbers (or your neighbors').

Holiday Catch-up

Jodan, her eyes all aglow with the holiday spirit... and flash-induced red-eye.

Adam, Allison, and Wade open gifts and point out the handsomest person in the room, which is apparntly the cameraperson.

Here's Dane with our great-nephew, Zach. Dane's in mid-shush, as I recall.

On the evening of the 22nd, Ruth drove me and all of our gifts across the state to Center. We found the kitchen still in mid-remodel (and I'll leave it at that, as Wade has received enough ribbing on the topic), but by the next day it was looking much better. However, that night I had to start the brine for the turkey, and I did it amid the remodeling.

Leslie and Jordan arrived in Center not long after Ruth and I, and I introduced Jordan to the meaningful and long-standing Riggs family holiday tradition of putting the little bird lights on the ceramic tree, which I had grown tired of standing there and doing.

As is always a holiday tradition, several trips to Hannibal were made. I needed a bucket in which to brine the turkey, and made a trip late on the 22nd (or early on the 23rd), and I think at least one trip was made for sanity-keeping purposes in the "normal" morning hours of the 23rd.

Ruth and Leslie prepared everything that wasn't the turkey (and Ruth answered a few questions I had about preparing a turkey), and it was a great meal--even though the biscuits weren't Deana Mae's recipe... there were still great rolls there.

Todd, Anne, and the kids came to Center the afternoon of the 23rd, and enjoyed the meal with us. Then we had the gift-opening, which was lots of fun. The best moment was when Allison opened her gift of a very large green stuffed animal frog, and shouted, "It's a pig!"

Ruth and I returned to Kansas City that evening. I made Sunday services on the 24th, and not long after 12:30, Ruth and I headed for Omaha.

Wade, Dane, and Jordan were headed from Omaha about the same time as us (Leslie had a previous engagement in St. Joe, so she drove seperately).

Ruth and I arrived at Say's a bit before 4:00, and by the time we figured out how to park on the crazy streets around Say's house, it was 4:45.

I kid. It was 4:00.

Say, Peggy, Carrie, Zach, and Carrie's boyfriend (I think) Steve were all there. Say was making Christmas treats, and Zach was either sleeping, eating, or thinking about doing one of the two. I love my new great-nephew and all, but I told them he needs to be doing a few tricks or something the next time I come see him, because right now he's boring. Although it was nice to hold him and sing to him. I forget that part about babies.

Wade, Dan, and Jordan arrived a while after we got there. Once Leslie arrived, the Omaha gift-opening took place, and it was decided to hold off on the stockings until Christmas morning. We did, however, go ahead and draw names for next Christmas. Steve is to e-mail Todd, Anne, Ed, and Sara about who they drew. Since we missed doing the name-drawing this year (due to a lack of Thanksgiving), we figured it would be best to go ahead and draw them now.

Ruth, Leslie, and I went to Leslie's house to spend the night. There's not a lot to say about that except that Leslie was right--the upstairs bedroom is very cold.

We went back to Say's on Christmas morning, and Ruth and I headed back to Kansas City at about 10:00. Ruth finally had enough driving, and I took the wheel at the Stuckey's where I did my Christmas shopping for Adam and Allison last Christmas Day.

The rest of my Christmas was spent here, enjoying my time off... as I was fairly sure I'd be delivering pizzas on the 26th. And I was.

So, holiday cheer all around. Hooray!

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

It's finally the holiday season over at my website. Also, my Christmas card is here. I'll hopefully be sending out personal links to some of you later, but no promises. I'm in Center right now, cooking a turkey.

More Thoughts On The Big Debate

Okay, I've had the Ally McBeal Christmas CD going in my car lately--

And now I feel I should explain myself. I enjoyed the show whenever I happened to see it, but didn't watch regularly. However, several years ago Jeanne B. out at MCM&VCo. wanted to find out all she could about a song she'd heard in a Target commercial, and my crack detective skills (yes, I always tell the kids at school I'm not Nancy Drew, and thus they need to not talk at all during tests, to avoid my assuming they're cheating, but really I am very much Nancy Drew) led me to learn the song was called "The Man With The Bag" and there were three recordings of it available locally. One was on an Ultra Lounge holiday CD (and it was the original recording of the song, actually), one was on the (at that time) new Diana Krall CD--but only on the ones purchased at Target--and the other was on the Ally McBeal Christmas CD.

So I got each one. All three CDs are great, by the way. I love the Ultra Lounge holiday CDs. They are just about my favorites for car holiday cheer.

Anyway, the current car holiday CD is the Ally McBeal Christmas CD, and on it, Vonda Shepard sings the less-appealing version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"... well, the less-appealing of the first two on that link from the last post... I won't delve into the others on there.

Anyway (again... feel for anyone whose job it is to listen to me talk at length...), hearing this several times while delivering pizzas last night, I had another thought to add (and some confusing backstory as well, it would seem) to my whole debate below... and also, I felt I should clarify. I will probably feel I should clarify even after this post is over.

My big problem with the "brighter" version isn't that they say "This year Christmas is great..." it's that they're asserting that this year and forevermore everything will be great. "From now on our troubles will be out of sight."

Well now, please. Give me an ever-lovin' break already. "Next year all our troubles will be out of sight" might seem to suggest something similar, but I look at that as, "Next year at this time, our current woes will be forgotten", or, in the more... I dunno... abstract, I guess, "In that future time when we have the best Christmas ever, things will be so wonderful, we'll never have time to think about the troubles we had in the past." But heck, even taken literally, all the original version promises is a year of trouble-less-ness.

I mean, come on, from now on? Yeah, maybe if you mean, "From now on, our troubles will be invisible to us, able to attack us at any time."

I'm just sayin' is all. The original version is far superior. Doth anyone dare to contradict my assertion? Post your comment, you varlaty thou, you.

Varlet. What's a varlet? Apparently, the spell-checker was wondering the same thing.

Also, for those of you who normally get me holiday/birthday gifts, I've just updated my amazon.com wish list. Sorry to be so late about it.

The Heated "Have Yourself A Merry Little" Debate

Okay, so there isn't really a debate... but since I'm of a very strong opinion on this holiday "issue", I think there should be. I'll start.

First, a reading assignment.

Now, for the purposes of this debate, I'm pitting the first version listed on that link against the "brighter" version (listed second... and minus the introduction, although it doesn't really matter, I don't think).

Here's my stand: I think the first version is a much more satisfactory song, because it's not all b.s. about how perfect everything is. In fact, it's superior--granted, in my opinion--because it admits the present isn't perfect while allowing for a possible future where things are much better.

I think the brighter version is a big liar-head, that wants to act like every Christmas is just the best one ever, and people never look back at other Christmases and wish that they could take elements from various years and combine them all in some future perfect Christmas... where all those who can no longer be with us, or no longer speak to us, are there (and speaking to us) again once more. And where all the gifts are the best gifts we ever gave or received, and the food and the company was just right... you get the idea.

I like that the first version indicates that it's thinking in that direction instead of saying "this year is perfect". And the need for this debate? The dumb version gets more air play... and by "air play", I mean it's the one you hear the most, whether on the radio or at holiday sing-alongs.

There. Rant over. Other side?

Advent Week 3: Joy

I have nothing to say on this topic right now.

I just figured since I said something about the other two, I needed to put a post here about this week. We don't really want me to get started on the topic of "Joy", now do we?

"In Case Someone Needs To Find My House At Night For Some Sort Of Emergency, Like Pizza Delivery" Tip #2

First, a side note. The last tip (and most of these tips) do not apply if have your house number painted very clearly on the curb in front of your house, have a mailbox by the curb with your house number in clearly visible (which means non-reflective) numbers on both sides (and the "door" of the mailbox, while you're at it), or both. These homes are very easy to find, and are a joy to delivery drivers throughout the world.

Now, the tip: Who cares if they don't look pretty; the bigger the numbers, the better--especially if you're not close to the street. Ain't tryin' to read inch-high numbers on a house half a football field away from me!

"In Case Someone Needs To Find My House At Night For Some Sort Of Emergency, Like Pizza Delivery" Tip #1

Don't use those script letter things, where the numbers are written out in script form.

Yes, yes, pretty, pretty.

Ain't nobody able to read the things from the street. You could have the thing spotlit with the 20th Centurly Fox searchlight, and people'd still be all, "What's that say? Scribbledy Scribble?"

Where Are The Anti-Anti-Coagulants?

Frabjous Day! Calloo! Callay!

I went to see Dr. Bowlin today after school. Guess what!?! I'm anti-coagulant-free!

Okay, actually, it will take a few days for the last few doses to leave my system, but I'm on the road to anti-anti-coagulation!

Also, apparently I have no major health issues, which is surprising, but I'll take.

Now, if I get a blood clot in my lung and drop dead, you read about it here first.

In other news, I zonked out on the couch in the sunroom and just woke up cold, sore, and... well, cold.

I'm off to bed, where I will NOT take a pill (or a pill-and-a-half) before lying down!

Hooray!

On Peace (On Dancer! On Prancer and Vixen!)

Wow. So, apparently my post last Sunday frightened at least one person. I didn't think it was like 100% negative. I'd done it mostly as an exercise in emotionless observation of my life (not that I need to exercise that particular muscle, but I flexed it anyway).

Got to see Jen and her son Emmet tonight (and I hope I spelled Emmet right). Jen's funny as usual, and I probably should go see her in the MCM&VCo. show. It's on the list.

This week in advent the theme is Peace... or the... something... is Peace. I don't know if it's a theme, or what.

And I realize that a) lots of people have it much worse off than I do, and have children to look out for on top of it, and b) who cares about my life and woe, when I could be sharing a funny story or something, but...

Wait, that reminds me: I still need a laffline for December. My traditional December homepage isn't up, because I don't have a December laffline!

E-mail me if you have one for me.

Anyway, Friday was bad. I mean, I thought the Friday before last was bad, but apparently my life is an experiment in one-upmanship between misery and woe.

I kid. But Friday was very bad. By the time I got home Friday night--no, even before I got home, but definitely more so after I picked up the mail, etc.--anyway, by that time, I was just wanting to crawl away and never come out to see the light of day. It's a good thing I don't know where any liveable caves are around here.

But, thankfully, what sitting under the tree won't cure (not that I tried that, because I was worried I'd fall asleep there and have all sorts of back issues in the morning... and also, I'd be so depressed if it didn't work), sleep will help.

Does everyone else have that reset button that gets hit with a good night of sleep?

Whatever, I woke up with some perspective, and with what passes for a positive outlook in my brain.

Also, Jin called early in the afternoon and asked if I could close, which equals more money, which equals... you know the drill.

And the fact the other person who was supposed to close sorta flaked and I had to deliver all by my lonesome for the last few hours didn't really bug me, because, again, money...

Boy, do I sound like a slave to the almighty buck or what?

Which is fair...

So, anyway, church was good, and the theme or whatever was Peace, and the talk was about the message of the season... or messages of the Advent season, and I thought back to Friday and realized that I don't understand Peace very well, but I sure would like it. The Peace that comes from getting a blanket and moving into a dark, dank cave, and never leaving it again. The kind of Peace that passesth understanding--which explains why I don't understand it very well.

It would just be nice to--have things just be nice, I guess.

And I had to wonder if I really do any good in the world, which was also part of the problem on Friday. I don't mean that in a... wah kind of way. I just mean I wonder if I do any good with the things I do. I feel my teaching suffers when I'm working so much, and I'm probably not off the mark there. And then there's beyond the "doing good" of teaching. I wonder, do I at least manage to do more good than harm just in my day-to-day life?

There needs to be a website where you could look that up. Nothing complicated. Just a pie graph, maybe. You can select what color to make the "good done" part of the chart, and the color to make the "bad done" part of the chart.

Then, adjust your life as fits.

Peace. I don't know. I think it's a great concept. I'm all for it. I've got some on backorder, methinks.

Anyway, this holiday season is kinda gonna stink for me, as I will not be giving much (okay, probably not anything) in the way of gifts.

This is probably where all this blah blah blah negative Ned stuff is coming from.

Well, bah humbug on that. I've got my lights, and that's something.

P.S. to the Board of Public Utilities: Please do not cut off my electricity until after the holidays. Thanks.

Ah, Yes... This Is MUCH More Familiar

Well, Jin called the cell yesterday afternoon and left a message saying he'd meant to schedule me for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening.

What, I'm just gonna say, "No, I want to have some down time" or even just "Sorry, I've already made other plans" or something?

But last night, when I finally got home, (but early for a Wednesday... it was 6:--something or so), I sat down by the tree and tried to get some sort of good picture. The holiday music was doing its thing, and I got distracted by the pretty lights and music. And it was good.

I mean, there's lots of good, don't get me wrong... or don't read some of these posts and think I don't know that. I do. And indivdually-blinking lights on a tree (especially when there's holiday music playing)--that's one of the good things. Between Thanksgiving and January 6th, anyway.

So, anyway, I got to work tonight. Hooray! I'll work tomorrow and Saturday, too. And the up side is, I have income I hadn't been planning on! Hooray!

Upon hearing I was working after all, a VERY GOOD FRIEND said (and I think it was meant in the same tone as Anna Nicole might have said to that rich elderly man she was married to, "I wish you would just hurry up and die"), "I wish you would just win Powerball."

Yes, you and me both.

I May Be In Bed By 10:00!

As I listen to the washer do that "final spin" thing, I'm thinking I may be in bed and asleep by 10:00!

Woo-hoo!

Hope everyone is having good times. I went to the post-concert dinner tonight an had a good time. I'll have my Tuesday nights free (read "I'll be delivering pizzas on Tuesdays now, hopefully") now!

G'night!

Yes, It Could Be My Imagintion (And Probably Is)... BUT... I May Be On The Verge Of Something

So, what a great night. I get to work (late) at P.J. and learn that I'm scheduled for ONE--count 'em--ONE night this week. And I don't even close.

Granted, it will be nice to rest some more, and not be so tired and just... at the end of every rope I've ever had.

However, the man is trying to bring me down, and I need some money to keep him slightly at bay.

So, there I am, taking my first delivery and generally feeling miserable about things, but also thinking about some other issues I've got going on based on a post-service conversation I had yesterday.

I get to my destination, walk up to the place, and as I get to the elderly woman standing in the already-open door, this smell wafts over me that has to be experienced to be believed. It was coming from the house, not her, I'm fairly sure. I described it to the folks back at the store as the smell of someone having eaten cat dook and then vomited it up. But I didn't say "dook."

And, what bit of the... and I'm kinda going out on a vocabulary limb by calling this place a house, but, here goes... what bit of the house I could see looked very much like, "let's hammer up some things to serve as shelves here on the drywall." Also, I think at least one person in this dwelling was dealing with some sort of severe mental challenge.

So while I'm in the doorway, and the elderly woman is signing the credit card receipt, I'm mostly thinking, "Please let me get away from the door before I hurl." This was due to the smell, not the decor.

When I turn and am returning to my car, however--and after I glanced down and noticed I didn't get a tip... and was subsequently surprised to learn I didn't particulary mind about that--I was struck by this feeling of... something.

It sorta branched out from the thought, "Getting out of that doorway was all the tip I needed," and went into this whole... I don't know what to call it.

My next thought was along the lines of, "There's a message here, and you're stupid not to see that." Of course, was the message, "Hey, you think life is awful, but you could be doing much worse," or was it, "This is what's next for you." I mean I wonder that now. At the time I felt it was a lesson in the former, not a warning of the latter.

And this put me in the mind of some things from the talk yesterday... I mean Talk, not the lower-case kind. Something about being ready and open... or maybe "open" is my word. Anyway, I just about had a flippin' mental breakdown in the car.

Yes, I know: I'm crazy.

But here's the thing. I just have this feeling that I'm on the verge of something.

Okay, here's a related story from my college years. When I was in Directing class, there were something like 7 or 11 or 13 directors in the class. I can't remember for sure, but I'm fairly sure it was a prime number. Anyway, after auditions with all the Basic Acting students, we all sat around Kim's desk in his office and sorta haggled over the actors.

We had come to what--at first glance--seemed to be a deadlock of sorts. Everyone had someone they just had to have, but had a sort of, "Well, if I could have..." exchange they would be willing to make. But, as I said, on the surface it didn't seem to match up.

But then my brain did this thing... and I don't know how to explain it, exactly. I just sat forward in my chair suddenly and--seriously--commanded everyone to be quiet. I don't know how else to say how I said it. I think sorta... let my brain connect the dots for a bit, and then I just pointed to each person and said, "You get so-and-so, which means you can have so-and-so..." and so on until I'd given everyone one of their choices. Then I stopped and asked, "Does that work?"

Because, you see, I wasn't even sure I was right about it, even though it sure FELT like I was right. But, also, we Riggs kids seem to have an overabundance of self-doubt.

And it did work. It was crazy.

So anyway, tonight I felt that. Or recognized I've felt that for a while. Not quite the "sit up, lean forward, and speak in a commanding voice" variety, but maybe about four or five levels below that.

I don't know what--if anything--it means, but here's hoping it means I've worked out some winning Powerball numbers, eh?

Hope and Hopelessness

Today's talk at church was about hope. Okay, about hope and other stuff, but apparently this week of Advent is about hope, so I'm going to say the talk was about hope.

It was almost too much for me to take in at once, but then again, I have a short attention span.

What was I saying? Oh yes. Hope.

Anyway, it reminded me of the summer before last when I heard Rita Pierson speak. I fail to remember exactly what she was saying, but it was something about things humans need, or something people in poverty need, or... I don't remember. On this list was the word "faith", and she said something along the lines of "I don't like to use that word, because I know it puts some people off," and she's right, it does. I know this for a fact.

Face it, some people have just ruined the word for others of us. It comes with overtones of smugness, judgmental behaviors, and about 57 other negative things I'm not going to dwell on here. My personal thoughts on the word have changed now, but, depending on who is using it, it can still hold those overtones.

Back to the point, after she said this, she went on to say something along the lines of, "I choose to use the word 'hope'". She explained that one thing that is needed for... whatever it was she was talking about... is the hope that things will get better. A belief that they will, in fact. (Which means "faith" is a better word, but still, overtones.)

So, at the time, I was very much like, "Oh, okay, I have that." That's because, at the time, I only thought life was as bad as it could get. Little did I know.

Now I have to wonder if I have hope any more. I mean, I know I do, because I seem to have this insane amount of it. Crazy insane amounts of it. (As opposed to the other definition of insane, Mark?) I have this hope in me that something will change. I'll sit down and do something that turns my life around. I'll meet the right person, say the right thing, do the right good deed, and--presto!--instant turned-around life.

And then there's the rest of me that looks around and sees that this hope is getting me exactly nothing except disappointment and... well, more disappointment. And this part of me is totally devoid of hope.

Yes, yes, I'm one person. I get that. But I'm one person both filled with hope and hopelessness. The two must not be like matter and anti-matter, or I would have exploded by now, right?

I do live in hope that I'll get my life together. I live in hope that I won't be working two or more jobs the rest of my life. I live in hope that my life will be longer than a few more years. I also live in hope that my life isn't too long, because getting very old can be messy and expensive, and here I can't even afford being 39.

And I live with a part of my head saying, "Dude," (I don't know why this part of my brain says "Dude," but I just heard that in my head when I thought it) "look around you! You're gonna be working an extra job until you're dead, and at the rate you're going, that's not so far down the road. Give it up!"

I mean, to be honest, the other part of my head responds with a, "Oh, shut up." Usually, anyway.

Here's a for-instance (also known as an example): Friday was not the best day on record for me. Just when I thought I'd robbed Peter enough, Paul came up with a thing or two I'd forgotten about. I don't have the finances right now to get the blower fixed on my car, so I've resolved myself to wiping--or scraping and wiping--the interior side of my windows while driving down the road. It took a crazy amount of time to find a parking place downtown, and I ended up having to fork over $5 for that. This was after forking over $18 and some change for my tux cleaning. These seem like small amounts, but see the earlier bit about Peter & Paul for clarification.

I'm in the dressing room lamenting these and other facts aloud when I notice my tux shirt, which had been missing one of the buttons on the left cuff, was now not missing that button.

You would have thought it was the miracle of Christmas. I was joyously announcing to everyone that either the cleaners thought they lost the button and thus replaced it, or they were just nice folks, as there was not an additional charge for the button. I then realized how stupid I sounded, having just gone on about how life is just too much, only to be thrilled to death that I got a free button sewn on my tux shirt.

So I had to throw in a sarcastic, "This is it, things are definitely turning around for me!"

Oh, I'm sorry... you were expecting some sort of point?

No, none there, really. Just reporting that I'm just as confused as usual, and it's thanks to the 800 people in my brain.

Also, to report that Andy scored with a timely talk today.

That is all.

Life, Laffs, and Late Entrances

First, if anyone can remember a good laffline for my site, I'd appreciate it. The only one I can remember right now isn't very good for December, so I'm wanting to save it for January.

We had two snow days in a row. I'd like to report I got much more done around the house than I actually did, but instead I am reporting I only got some stuff done.

Final Dress was to be Wednesday night, but it was postponed to Thursday on acount of an ice storm of sorts. Thursday's Final Dress was cancelled due to the snow storm. So, final dress was actually the Friday performance.

Which is important, because I had yet to leave stage during Act II, change from my Act II costume into the Solo outfit, get my mic on, and get back on stage.

So, as I'm backstage, rounding the corner where I could stop and get some water which I desperately needed before picking up the mic that I forgot to bring to the dressing room, I realize it's now a choice, if I don't want my entrance to be late. I told Santa to be prepared to vamp.

Thanks go to Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Company, by the way, for teaching me to deal with a time crunch.

I figured saliva was gonna have to do the work, because--even though I don't necessarily need it--I needed to wear my mic. Mostly becausee, even though I could probably make myself heard, it would sound odd when every other soloist had a mic.

Apparently nobody noticed my throat was dry, because I got compliments on my number afterwards. I have some sort of built-in mechanism to always think I don't do so well, and having a dry throat made it doubly hard to overcome.

However, I've learned that "Thank you" is a powerful tool when dealing with many things. Compliments you feel you may not deserve, expressions of sorrow at the death of a loved one, and so on.

Then, getting back into the Act II costume, I encountered several problems, and wasn't able to make it on for the finale. Tonight I'm just going to stay in the solo outfit and come on for the encore. Also, tonight I'll be exiting the stage at least one song earlier.

On show days, at least when I have a solo, I tend to not eat after noon. This means that at about 10:40 or so when I get home, I pretty much need a meal. This, in turn, means I must stay up a few hours before hitting the sack.

And this, in turn, meant I was in no mood to wake up when my alarm went off this morning, and thus didn't make it to the hanging of the green at church this morning... or at Ben & Tricia's.

At any rate, my holiday stuff is almost all up (got the tree finished yesterday), and I'm getting all kinds of rest--one might even suggest I'm getting too much rest.

Hope everyone is having a good life these days. E-mail me if you have a good laffline. You might want to check out my laffline page for the guidelines... if there actually are any.