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What a pretty song and video! That still shot of your sleeping daughter in the princess dress was just too beautiful. She should get a big enlargement of it to hang on the wall of your home.

Did you ever dream when you wrote that for your daughter's kindergarten class that it would turn into a major production?!? Life takes wonderful twists sometimes.

Speaking of daughters, Robin, I finally decided that my daughter was old enough to read "Rhythm" (she turns 15 in a couple of weeks). She devoured it in a couple of days and said it was "very sad and disturbing" but also one of the best books she had read in ages. (And my daughter reads A LOT, so that is very high praise!) She now wants to take up drums in addition to flute and I blame you entirely.

I think your daughter was just right, Monika. Robin's book is going to be with us. English Lit profs will discover it; it will hit the Required Reading lists and then it will be discovered by people who will very publicly burn it in bonfires and make a fuss at school board meetings when they discover it's been in the library. The press will carry news stories about the fuss, Oprah will put it on her Book of the Week segment; Robin will be one of those talking heads in little sound bites. MSNBC and CNN will interview her openly and brazenly; Fox will make snide remarks but if anyone reads it over there (and they all will) it will be in secret.

I would read Rhythm again ten times before I would read Toni Morrison's Beloved again once, or anything by William Faulkner. Amy Tan already got her two reads.

In other news: today is the anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth I; happy birthday to the Suez Canal and the State of Oklahoma--- and, the invention (you could call it a birthday) of LSD.

Ostriches have two toes; elephants walk on their tiptoes. Little-known, but true.

Meanwhile, north of the Arctic Circle, the sun has set and will not rise again until well after the New Year. Observers at lower latitudes, however, report giant solar storms which have thrown up vast filaments of magnetism, with some modest Coronal Mass Ejections hurled more-or-less in our direction. So no sun for Scandanavia, but some very nice aurora borealis to more than make up for it. http://spaceweather.com/ has some gorgeous pictures of the Northern Lights on its front page (and the solar storm, too).

City folk may never see any mud to speak of, but wintertime backcountry hikers in California will know why that fairy is wearing boots. Glass slippers and ballroom pumps are magical in their proper place, but the freshness of the backcountry after the rain holds its own magic... if you have on nice boots.

wondering if Jeff spelled Monika with a K on purpose.

that was a wonderfully random response Jeff.

(my director still loves me in case you were wondering)

You know, I think I've been under the misimpression that this was how she spelled her name. Now that I look closer, it's the last initial. Sorry about that, Monica.

Apple, glad you survived the latest choir director passive-aggressive fit. That's a great idea for a character by the way: The Passive Aggressive Choir Director.

Clef and Monica/Monika (Monika is Monica's evil German twin sister) you two MADE MY DAY with your comments. Thank you so much. Nothing could make me happier Monica, than knowing you've given Rhythm to your daughter to read. That's the ultimate compliment. THANK YOU.

Clef, you've got my fairy costumes pictured exactly right! We're all glitz and glamour until you get to our knees and then, well, we're sensible.

I missed out on the Chelsea Clinton nuptials, but wonder if I can snag the William/Kate royal wedding gig. Now that's going to be a huladula. Wonder who the event planner is for the royal family. You can bet Kate doesn't have any tattoos, but then again you never know.

No need to apologize, Jeff. Lots of people on the forum spell it that way, maybe because it's the more accepted spelling in some countries. I like the evil twin explanation even better.

--Monica/Monika, who *still* has vivid memories of the very first lesson in her German I textbook: "Wo ist Monika? Im boot."

I don't think it's any kind of wedding unless you have elephants and ostriches.

I'm just saying.

Elephants and ostriches are always a welcome touch.

Every so often I play a private party for a man who has the most amazing home----one of those places where you can have 200 people in the living room and it's not crowded. He has a separate music room with a Steinway in it. The ceilings are quite high and the walls are hand painted with giant French tulips. Aside from one small seating area there's nothing in the room except for the very fine grand and, get this, a STUFFED OSTRICH. Mr. Moneybags is a collector of modern art and somehow this ostrich is a prized part of his collection. It's right next to the piano and is kind of creepy.

Monica, at my first German lesson I learned to say "Wo ist Otto? Otto Schmidt?" I'm still looking for him.

Art.

Art?

What can I say? It's Europe.

And, speaking of Europe:

"Today in Wedding History", Nov. 20,1947 – The Princess Elizabeth marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey.

Lest there be confusion, it was the coronation, not the wedding, that was televised.

There were no ostriches or elephants.

My young friend considered modelling her upcoming nuptials on a Royal Wedding. But decided to go for something more permanent.

I wonder how many marriages have been solemnized to the tune of a jukebox. Let us not kid ourselves--- of course there have been. For today is its birthday: November 23, 1899. It played wax cylinders, the technology of the time, to which one listened through a tube like an ear-trumpet. Amplifiers had yet to come along.

The first jukebox appeared in a saloon in San Francisco, with the high-toned name of The Palais Royale.

The word, "juke" is speculated to be of Gullah origin, a similar word meaning 'rowdy, disorderly, or wicked.' So, of course, San Francisco was the perfect place for it to appear.

Its heyday may have come and gone, but it retains glamour of a certain kind (if tawdry--- but so what), in the minds of some of us.

Lois Lane is ninety years old today--- Happy Birthday Lois!

Though a mere mortal newspaper employee, Lois Lane through some miracle managed to beat out Superman's 'close friend' Wonder Woman, and was joined to him in marriage in 1996 and on many other occasions over the years.

Since his first appearance in June 1938 (the month whose mention makes brides salivate), "...with the success of his adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish its primacy within the American comic book. The character's appearance is distinctive and iconic:" (the same might be said of better brides) "a blue, red and yellow costume, complete with cape, with a stylized "S" shield on his chest...

"As Clark Kent, Superman lives among humans as a "mild-mannered reporter" for the Metropolis newspaper Daily Planet... There he works alongside reporter Lois Lane, with whom he is romantically linked. This relationship has been consummated by marriage on numerous occasions across various media, and this union is now firmly established within mainstream comics' continuity." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman

But you knew that.

Now, as for Lois. "When Adventures of Superman came to television in 1951, veteran movie actors George Reeves and Phyllis Coates took the leading roles for the first season. By the time the series found a sponsor and a network time slot, Coates had committed herself to another production, so the producers called on Noel Neill, who had played Lois Lane in the movies. She continued in the role for five seasons until the series went off the air in 1958.

"While Phyllis Coates generally distanced herself from the role," (which--- we hate to say it--- reminds us of Ginger) "Noel Neill embraced her association with Lois Lane, giving frequent talks on college campuses during the 1970s, when interest in the series was revived, endearing herself to audiences with her warmth and humor.

"Noel Neill has continued to appear in Superman related productions. She played Lois Lane's mother in a cameo for the 1978 film Superman" (and even appeared as Lex Luther's wife in a screen production) "...On June 15, 2010, the southern Illinois city of Metropolis, Illinois unveiled a statue of Lois Lane modelled on Noel Neill. Neill stated that she was honored to be memorialized with the statue.

"In her teens, Noel was a popular photographic model. While Betty Grable's pin-up was #1 among GIs during World War II, Noel Neill ranked next.[1] Noel also worked as a professional singer and dancer, signed up by Bing Crosby.." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Neill

A native of Minneapolis, where her father was a journalist, and her mother a dancer on the stage, she now resides in Tucson, Arizona. She was recently injured by a fall in her home, resulting in a broken hip. The Tucson area being well-known as a center for meteorite collectors, green kryptonite cannot be ruled out as a suspect.

I could use some green kyrptonite this weekend. If you run into Lois send some this way.

Today is my 53rd birthday and I shall spend it in a fairy costume—giving fuel to Greg's idea that I'm living in fantasy-land over here. We have two performances today and two tomorrow. Show is sold out! The fairies are in good shape. We had a dress rehearsal yesterday and the magic wands are in good order. Here is the cast breakdown:

Faxanna (the head fairy, she's in a wheelchair and the only fairy with any sense)
Fatigue (the sleeping fairy, beautiful, but she snores like a drunken sailor)
Farteeno (the goofy fairy who can't stop giggling)
Flip (the diva fairy who thinks she's Ginger --this is my part)
Flop (the child fairy who causes trouble-played by an eight year old)

Alabaster Epiphany Qixotico Baum (The 800 year old talking oak tree and musical director)
Mr. Hobo ( a giant rabbit who sings)

Hopefully we'll have some happy kids this weekend—it's a fun show! Here's the plot: Hobo the giant rabbit is alone again this winter. Just once he would like to have a friend for holidays. He hears the snoring forest fairy and thinks his wish has come true. The tree tells him to hide because the other forest fairies are out looking for their sleeping sister. The rabbit promises the Fatigue he'll come back for her. Enter the nutsy fairies. They spot their snoring sister and spend the next 30 minutes doing a variety of slapstick things—including a bit with a giant rubber fish— trying to wake her. Finally they decide to leave her there until after the holidays. They sing a song for her before they fly away.

The rabbit jumps out, scares the heck out of the fairies, and begs them not to leave the sleeping fairy alone. "I understand what it's like to be alone!" he says. "Don't do it!" He suggests waking her up with a kiss on her nose. Hobo kisses Fatigue and she, of course, wakes up. The fairies invite the rabbit to fly back to fairyland with them. They give him a pair of wings, and off they fly. Happy ending.

It's Snow White meets Peter Pan meets Bambi meets Wake up Santa. I don't know where the rubber fish fits in, but it's very funny. That part of the show is scored with a bass/percussion piece called the "Stink-Fish Tango."

If I get it together, I'm going to some day write the rabbit-fairy wedding musical. What fun that would be!

Saturday night, after the fourth performance of the fairy play, I'll drive two hours to Schloss Hugenpoet (the von Furstenburg castle) to play a serious Thanksgiving concert arranged by a lovely American woman who lives over here. That should be nice—I just hope I can get out of fairy mode.

So—lots to do on my birthday weekend. It's also Thanksgiving weekend, and I wish all of you a happy and peaceful time with friends and family.

I can think of worse things to wear on your birthday - and your show sounds like a lot of fun.

Happy birthday and have a splendid day!

be careful driving. 2 hours is a long trip.

Happy birthday, Robin. Just 53--- you're so young. I'll tell you, if I could go back to 53...

Good luck on the rabbit wedding project. From what I can tell, it's all honeymoon and no wedding with those guys.

I haven't actually seen any green kryptonite with my own eyes since the days blacklights were popular. But maybe Lois keeps a stash in some lead-lined vault; Superman has been known to go loopy, and...

Well, turning 53 (We're the same age - beat you to it by a couple of months) supports the idea that you are in fact living in the real world, albeit a more commodious corner of it than most musicians get to see. In fantasy land you'd be, hmmm, what age would you stay forever if you could?

No that I've thought about it for a whole couple of minutes, I'm not sure I know.

I'm pretty sure I can rule out 53 though.

"In fantasy land you'd be, hmmm, what age would you stay forever if you could?"

Gosh, Greg, I don't think I could stand up to 'forever'. I was in pretty good physical shape up until 45 (maybe I was kidding myself; let's knock off ten years--- make it fifteen--- to be sure). However, I'm in a nicer mental and emotional balance now that it's 'now.'

Maybe it's just that I don't expect as much. It must mean my brain is at just the right stage of shriveling.

But let's get real. Pick the age of the kind of person you'd most like to have sex with. I suppose we can get bored with anything, but your chimes would keep ringing for awhile.

We couldn't pick more than one, could we? Scweitzer says that in Bach's time, there was not one kind of trombone, but four, voiced just about according to the types of human voices.

Maybe Tim R. will chime in--- uh... horn in--- that is, I mean to say...