The DN

1   I got zempted.

2   Early Friday morning I got my release from jury duty.

3   I preferred the release over Christmas, New Years, and even my birthday, which also happens to be World Theater Day (International), Buster Posey's birthday AND Cleavage Day.

4  No lie. 

5  All week I felt the Grim Reaper standing like a dark shade over everything. Sound familiar?

6  I don't know why I got SO nervous about things except that the year has been stressful from the git go. 

7  Anyway, that stuff all lifted at around 10:30 Friday morning.

8  I felt so great after school that I plugged my twelve-string (actually, eleven string) into my amp, hit it with a hint of reverb and played for nearly an hour. I got home, napped, and then waited for my daughter Nicole to come over so we could go up to the school and watch their grand production of Rent. 

9   Fun night. 

10  Amazing show. I had been so wrapped up in worrying about stuff all week that I completely forgot about the show.

11  Our director, David Chavez once again brought experimental and gutsy theatre to our school. 

12  Congrats to the cast and crew for a wonderful production. 

13  I almost went back for closing night but needed a break from the school. Saturday morning there was an MGM special on TCM. One film it highlighted was...La Boheme, the story on which Rent is based. There was a character named Mimi in it. Signs in my area where I live have been posted for a politician named Mimi Somethingorother. Just another coincidence. Coincidences rained Saturday, everywhere I looked. This continued into Sunday. Too many to list. 

14  Seasons of Love. It still rings through my mind.

15   It seems such a young-person's show, but trust me.

16   The theme of losing friends and family runs deep, and it runs through all of us. 

17 The show also teaches a LOT of people about the treachery of HIV. There was symbolism of the word "rent" which didn't escape me. I wish I had words...

18  I am proud of the entire company. My daughter Nicole, who is a huge Rent fan, couldn't stop talking about how amazing that production was. 

19  I cried. Twice. I don't cop to that much, because it is rare that a theater piece can do that to me nowadays. 

20  I hope someone recorded it because it was strong. I wish the audience had been a bit more spirited. They seemed a step behind the amazing things I watched and felt. 

21   I wanted to pick up my guitar and write a few more songs. I'm going to spend time playing after school. I got pretty inspired by all of it. 

22  So a huge shout out again to the entire company. 

23  Moving On, Part One: fdaffasdfa.

24  Anybody lookin'?

25  Gosh ohdear.

26   Will ya still be listenin' lads and lassies?

27   I did a late night dash last night to what used to be Lucky's for a purchase of strong coffee beans and ice cream.

28   For the record, we were running low on the beans.

29   The ice cream worked.

30    Then again, when doesn't ice cream work?

31    Ohhhhhhhhh! <sudden diet sensitivity>

32    Sorry ladies.

33   Having been the son who was the brother of two sisters (you following?) and the father of two daughters and no sons, I can tell you this about ice cream: it does not work because of this:

34   It will go straight to mah hips.

35   Say it.

36   ffjkdljaljsdf.

37   Here's a secret.

38   After a fashion, I broke into the ice cream.

39   And lo!

40   It went straight to mah hips.

41   Anybody lookin'?

42   I know proper dieting looks pretty easy to the non-hips crowd.

43   Oh, bother.

44   Deadlines. Aren't they just the thing?

45   It is now well into the eleven thirties and I must needs wind this nonsense down.

46   So I will.

47   You've been wonderful.

48    You get it.

49    I  gottago.

50    See you again.

51    Late.

52    Peace

~H~