notes & things | christmas edition

Christmas is still always a little surreal. Yesterday found me down in the lobby of the Fine Arts, a building that I have not stepped a foot in since moving the studio out in late 2019. Manuel Cinema's Christmas Carol was a delight. By which I mean is was poignant and sad and far more a meditation on joy and grief during the holidays than about the harsh realities of capitalism as Dickens intended, and for that, it was perfection.  Told on stage with paper puppetry, including some eerie shadow puppets (they are some of the people behind the animated sequences in the newer Candyman movie).  The theater itself was far more beautiful than I imagined and beautifully restored. I realized I had not really seen it since the couple of times during the restoration days before I left The Fine Arts. It was before the newer seats had gone in, when I had idly peeked my head in the open doors. Walking in and out familiar doors and traversing the lobby, which I did almost everyday for 12 years, was a little bittersweet.  So too the holiday itself amid these new traditions and staying in the city. It is not the first year, but it still feels very strange un-navigatable at times.

But, after the solstice earlier this week, we are moving incrementally toward warmer longer days, though it is too slight to notice. The production of Gaslight the previous night was a treat. A spare, but cleverly designed set and great costumes. While the audience was only about half full, as one might expect the night before Christmas Eve, its an intimate space anyway, so it worked. Otherwise the holiday has been Chinese food and movie-watching with J's mom, midnight shrimp cocktail, a big breakfast cooked by him this morning, then tea and chocolates this afternoon. We'll have yesterday's leftovers for dinner later may be going to a movie after (likely The Housemaid, which I have yet to read the book of, but which looks good.) 

I will be doing my yearly summary post early next week before we close out the year, but today I've been making a list of what to include--both writing, art, and other creative endeavors. Also, some plans I am hatching after the new year in terms of shop offerings. Some other writing things, including returning to the play script I started working on in November. Plus, CLOVEN is due soon. So stay tuned for news on those....

 

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