I hate the news

I can barely even read it anymore. Too painful. It's as if it doesn't matter.

Certain

First day of rehearsals today at Juilliard. Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies. I saw this production way back in 1992 or 1993 at Berkeley Rep.

It's an interesting piece - out of sequence, full of flashbacks. Heartfelt and earnest. Is the play about becoming an artist, loss of first love, fear of assimilation, all of the above?

We will find out together.

Amazingly, it's my tenth time directing at Juilliard.

Uncertain

Attempting to see if this works. Please stand by.

Veselka. I'll have to find the old pictures and post 'em. But here we were: Alan, Mike, Paul and Dan. Back again on New Year's Day (observed). Hard to resist the pierogis and I didn't. Benji didn't really take to them, but maybe that's because he had a milkshake.

Alan thinks we've been going on or about New Year's Day since 1990. That's about right. I couldn't resist the Vegetarian Combo Deluxe: 4 pierogies boiled, stuffed cabbage, choice of soup or salad, and fried onions and sour cream. Yum. And some milkshake.

Had a long and fruitful conversation with my Board Chair at the Pearl about education, the conservatory and training in general. Stand by for some changes in the next few weeks!

Resolved

I am going to hit this, once again. It's been, what, 3 years? Had a lovely first day of the year, mostly with Rachel and Benjamin. Book Court's first day not in existence...very very chilling. We started the day at Rachel's cousins in Cobble Hill. Benjamin was beside himself, playing with his cousins. Then it was off to PS 261 playground for some monkey bars. Back home for some hot chocolate and Peter Pan, the DVD. And then dinner and bedtime. I spent the night answering emails and getting grades finalized for Yale, my college seminar, Composing and Performing the One Person Play. It's never a good feeling giving a grade when you know and wish your student could have done better. But fair is fair. And as I have been saying all semester, truly, if I had to do it all over again, I would not have cared at all about grades. Ah well. Tomorrow: meeting the boys at Veselka. As it should be. Way to start things, 2017!