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highlights of 2017

     this is just a quick review of the year.  to see the full details, keep reading after the Highlights, including many many pictures! 

january

     sang and read at Temple, which is always a blessing.  met a Globetrotter who came to work on a publicity tour.  our Queen from Alice passed away from her illnesses, and many of us met again at her memorial service.  moved a lot more of my possessions from my large storage unit into the apartment, and have now only got one small storage unit with items that just won't fit right now.  saw on the big screen a marvelous space race movie called Hidden Figures. 

february 

     football wasn't super this year.  saw many of our friends in another gender-neutral production of 1776.  the Broadway production of Newsies has been released as a film, which couldn't make me happier!  got to see both casts in our theatre's junior production of Shrek.  

march

     saw friends in the production Cemetery Club.  Saw a new iteration of Shakespeare's The Tempest on the big screen.  Joyce said I had to see the new live action Beauty & the Beast at the movie theatre too, so I did.  made another Paint Nite painting, this time of a beach scene.  made a well received presentation to the admins of our executives.  sang at Temple twice.  Janet and I again started rehearsals playing our horns in our community band.  

april

     saw many friends in the musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone.  Janet and I saw The Musical of Musicals the Musical and laughed uproariously throughout.  sang twice and also read at Temple.  had three admin professionals activities during "our week."  enjoyed the Easter meal with Mama at her facility.  

may

     also spent Mothers Day with Mama at her facility; this day is truly a parking nightmare!  but she's worth it :-)  our band concert went very well and Janet's solos were beautiful.  before our concert, I arrived early and got to watch Janet's symphony orchestra perform, she played her bass.  saw a live event called The Blues Sisters at our "2nd home" theatre.  also got to see Will Durst there on another evening, as Janet gave me her ticket when she had to go out of town.  

june

     painted a lovely impressionist scene at another Paint Nite session.  Mama had another fall, another severe stroke, and after three days she passed away.  Joyce was able to travel up and be with her during that time.  

july

     as is our tradition, I saw the fifth Pirates installment on the big screen.  it was my turn to read Torah one Shabbat, and I got to sing at another service.  these opportunities helped to bring me out of my sadness.  I wasn't going to participate, given all that has transpired, but my Alice director suggested I just come to the first rehearsal and see how I do.  the kids greeted me so warmly, and were so convincing, that I did say I would join them in A Year with Frog & Toad. 

august

     our performances of Frog & Toad were heartwarming and therapeutic.  one of the directors of our theatre's latest production of Fiddler asked me to make a very special prop, an hand-made doll, for this show.  Christian, Janet, Joyce and I gathered to celebrate Mama's life with many of her friends from work, play and Temple.  it was a tremendously uplifting gathering.  got to view the eclipse at work, through proper eyewear passed around among several people standing in the building's glass stairwell. 

september

     joined the cast of the local ballet troupe's Nutcracker.  my first time in a ballet since I was age five.  painted another Paint Nite painting, of wine in a vineyard.  my sabbatical had to be postponed as the two admins who would have covered for me left our division and now I have no coverage.  went to another high school reunion, combined with Christian's class since our numbers are dwindling.  at the theatre Janet and I saw many theatre friends in Peter & the Starcatcher.  I also saw the production with my doll, Fiddler on the Roof.  Janet and I started rehearsals in our community band.  

october

     Janet and I went to a concert by the USAF Airmen of Note.  my birthday was going to be spent attending a wedding, going on a safari and spending a little time in wine country.  then the Tubbs fire struck the night before.  I still was able to drive up to the wedding, in a very fancy rental car, and instead of the safari, I went for a hike up to the newly restored and opened "blue cube" which had been a secret cold war building most of my younger years.  participated in the Simchat Torah service.  Joy! 

november

     continued rehearsals for Nutcracker and also helped out the costumers with some sewing.  had an odd reason to go sing karaoke one night; a car accident happened in front of my apartment, and the wrecked car blocked my parking spot!  also sang at Temple.  Janet invited me to her church's Friendsgiving dinner, and I brought a big pot of Chicken Mole.  

december

     we opened our Nutcracker in the very large performing arts center, which seats over 2,000 audience members.  we had nine performances over two weekends.  I was in one of the photos in a Chinese language newspaper!  Janet and I performed in our band concert.  a co-worker gave me his tickets to our football team's home game, which they actually won (they'd been losing).  saw the latest Star Wars at the IMAX theatre downtown!  

     read about the whole year in greater detail below and in the Older Posts.

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wow! the holidays crept up on me!! first weekend of Nutcracker was exhilarating and exhausting - we had five shows over three days!!!  the second weekend was only four shows over three days, with a closing - full house - matinee on Sunday!  our production was mentioned in a few local publications, including one completely written in Chinese! (that's me in the photo, on the left.)

Janet and I performed in our band concert, both playing our French Horns, and she was thrilling playing the solos in the star wars heros arrangement!

Janet again invited me to a singles group gathering of her church people, at her favorite restaurant - - a fun gathering with some lovely young folks.

our holiday gathering at work again had an ugly sweater contest, and again I came in second - - still no grand prize for me.  but I netted a sort of prize ... one of my coworkers at the party offered to give me his 49er ticket to the Titans game, since he has a new baby at home and he doesn't want to go (face it, we've not had a good season).  lucky for me this game we did win!

the day after Christmas I went downtown to see the new movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi on the domed IMAX screen at The Tech.  that is the perfect way to immerse yourself into a flight into outer space!

because I am interim-supporting an exec at work, I eventually had to start working overtime to catch/keep up. while it put a little holiday jingle in my wallet, it sucked the last little bit of energy I had so the season wasn't as merry as it could have been.  ah, what I sacrifice for the team! :-)

Blessings to all my family & friends around the world. I hope this holiday season finds you well,
in the company of those you love, and with enough to sustain you.  Too many examples of
gluttony and excess fill the news, and I'm grateful to have "enough."
Here's to 2018!!