My name's not Alvin! That's not my life. I'm not a hillbilly.

Its funny.  The things that move us.  I went to see the Music Man at the Ogunquit Playhouse the other day.  Not a great production, but with some mentionable highlights.  The woman who portrayed Marion has a phenomenal voice and I hope her talents take her deservedly far.  But this show, and particularly this production had a profoundly saddening effect on me, and for many reasons. Many of those reasons shall remain private.

 For those of you who don’t know the Music Man, it’s about a man who comes into town and changes everything for the better in just a few short summer weeks.  He does this through flimflammery and deceit.  And I doubt flimflammery is a word, but it should be. Lies create drama.  Now ain’t that a mouthful. Anyway, everything turns out in the end in appropriate musical comedy style.  The girl gets her man, the town gets a band and everybody exits to a 6/8 time signature. But the Music Man (Professor Harold Hill) gets caught in his own trap.  You see, he falls for Marion and exposits it so eloquently to us with, “Well, for the first time in my life, I got my foot caught in the door”  And isn’t that what love really is ?  A door that opens for us for the first time revealing a marvelous new setting, eventually turning into a place that’s comfortable.  Sometimes so familiar that we can navigate our way in the dark.  Sometimes left open for the world to see inside, and sometimes locked (and sometimes the locks get changed).  But the faithful reader knows my views on love, so enough!

The movie has always had its pulls on me. And by the movie, I mean the original - not that cinematic abortion with Matthew Broderick and Kristen Chenowith.  However, when little Ronnie Howard lisps his way through lines like “Thister, thister!”, the irony of my tears isn’t loss.  And there is something about a happy ending that understandably melts my Jade Queen persona.  Who doesn’t want a happy ending ?

And speaking of endings.  Many of you know of my ordeal of the past several months.  There have been several.  Not going into great detail, but “ordeal” is a good word.  There are worse things I could have experienced and have.  Carjacking being one, but this is right up there.  I am so close to ending things and putting this chapter of my life behind me I can taste it.  Wish me luck.  The thing is, I take full responsibility for the things that have happened to me. And to stick to the metaphor (or maybe a little more literally), no matter how loudly the door is locked behind me, I am the one who entered the room willingly.  Whatever door that may be.  So QED, the future is also my choice.  I guess what I really am trying to say is that my life although has been my choice, it has not been my design.  So who knows what’s coming?  It could be thumthin, really thpethal, juth for me.

Things that Rock

Honestly, my friends are of the best character and heart.  There are many of them…some very obvious, and some quietly in the background.

My new grill

And my new roommates… Jayson and Butch.