Starts with a Classic, and ends with....well....Me.

I remember fondly the works of Vonnegut.

I especially liked the catch phrases he would write into his books; usually so absolutely antithetical that they were like a frying pan to the face, the kind that makes a very satisfying "KaFLANG" sound upon impact.

Some of my favorites are:

"Heigh ho."

"See the Cat? See the cradle?"

and, or course,

"Why don't you take a flying f**k at a rolling doughnut? Why don't you take a flying f**k at the mooooooon?"

Finely crafted madness. I like that.

SEGUE:

Rehearsals proceed apace, which means that they continue to improve (much to my satisfaction; last week, I was afraid that it was going to spiral down into a kind of "every man for himself/who can steal the most focus/and let's all f**k Shakespeare" kind of thing. But it's leveled off, and it's going to be good....if everybody remembers what they're supposed to do, and they don't take an audience reaction as a license to kill.

I've learned a lot from the experience; first and foremost, I can still shake a stick at it.....I still have some skills under all that iodized metal, and it has been a kind of rare gift to be able to exercise those muscles again. I hope it's not the last time, but if it is, I'm glad for the experience.

I am well aware of my shortcomings. I am not overly good with people with which I have limited knowledge or experience, and I am also very bad at interacting with people that have jumped up and down on my last nerve, or have exhausted my (albeit limited) patience. For many years, all I had to keep me company was the collection of knowledge, of the history of the craft, the history of the stage, the workings of the human brain, and the motivations that we have as individuals, as a society...etc. Algebra didn't stick in the this brain; but all that other stuff did.

As a younger man, it was considered uncool to have any knowledge whatsoever, beyond that which was universal within the peer group. I was always apologizing for knowing more. I won't do that anymore. In any given situation, I am one of the three smartest people in the room, and you can damn betcha that I ALWAYS WANT to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am, so I can learn.

I've done that. I'm just not sure that anybody around me has ever known it. But you are all smarter than me, and I thank you for allowing me into the conversation.

I don't know how much sleep I'm going to get in the next week or so, but I will be glad when this rehearsal process is done....because I've pretty much rung out as much as I can get from it....but am still looking.

Okay. Done.