I’m very jazzy this afternoon.  I heard the Stevie Wonder/India Arie duet of “Merry Christmas to You” on the radio, so I’m singing it.  Somebody actually came by and wondered when I had brought a radio in.  But I really think they were trying to hit me up for fudge.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS.  Gosh, it’s wonderful.  And my favorite part of the season is undeniably the music.  I love singing it, humming it, having it play in shopping malls.. it’s great.  My favorite thing ever is hearing songs that, because you only hear them once a year, stir up memories.

Ours is “Another Auld Lang Syne” by Dan Folgerberg.  Our adoration of Dan Folgerberg was what kind of superficially got us talking.  Not many people would be able to pull his name out of thin air, nor name some of his lesser known works, but we both could.  It was a-dork-able.  Truly.

I still remember this like it was yesterday.. walking into the Playhouse, seeing him at the stage manager’s table stage left, and wandering over.  “We missed you at Open Mic Night last night,” I told him.

He smiled, “Yeah, I heard you sang.  I heard you were wonderful.  I’m really sorry I couldn’t be there.”

“Do you sing?” I asked him.

“I could really jam to some Dan Folgerberg,” he said, smiling.  It was as if a choir of angels began behind us.

“You KNOW Dan Folgerberg?!” I asked, incredulously.

“I LOVE ME SOME DAN FOLGERBERG,” he answered.

Our first date was about a week later, at Open Mic Night.  It was such a fantastic night; I was the belle of the ball.  I sang with Delle for a bit, all of my close friends were there, and there was this guy.  I felt such a deep, immediate connection with this guy.  He kept repositioning the lights to be more flattering on me while I was singing, but in reality, he was just finagling for a better seat.  A closer seat. 

That night, he drove me home.  We sat, our teeth chattering, in his Pathfinder.  And “Another Auld Lang Syne” came on the radio.  We giggled.  No matter how aggressive he’s been since then, I win the crown of initiating the first kiss.  He said he felt like he was clearly out of his league, and was scared to make a move.  I, however, crawled across the median and softly laid my lips on his.  Maybe it was the heat, the synthetic fibers, the fact I was wearing fake hair.. but the spark was undeniable.  It was not static electricity.

Our year is coming up ever so fast.  About a week from now.  And I’m still feeling the spark every time he’s close to me.. and Dan Folgerberg still gives me butterflies.

So last night, John Tesh gave some hints about staying healthy this holiday season.  Y’all know how crazy I am about John Tesh, so I took his advice to heart.  Some of them, and how I’m following them:

• Eat plenty of orange fruits and vegetables for the beta carotene.  I actually had a tangerine this morning for breakfast, as well as one last night.  So I think I’m good.
• Adopt a pet.  Apparently, the germs and gook that pets bring in and around the house builds your immunity as well as lowers your blood pressure.  I think this, alone, will make our house the healthiest one on the planet.  But just to ward off any oncoming colds.. Bryan and tB are moving the cats in tonight.  Might I remind you, Mabel has never seen a cat before.  So I’m not sure this will lower anyone’s blood pressure for awhile.
• Laugh and sing.  I hit the stage tomorrow night again, which will have me singing.  And, let’s face it, I’m a laugher anyway.
• Remember the holiday.  This was my favorite tip.  There is so much to be thankful for, so much to be grateful for, and so much to celebrate around this time of year.  Family, friends, love and being loved.. it even makes being sick bearable.

So what other home remedy tips do you have for staying well?

I be so sleepy this morning.

Bryan and I didn’t fall asleep till, like, three this morning.  We just got to talking and giggling and laughing and commiserating and before we knew it, I had to be up in three hours.  But like I told him this morning, it was TOTALLY worth it.

Due to extenuating circumstance, I ended up at Lee last night for the one-act rehearsal.  I got to chat with Viv for a bit and help out with costumes, so that was fun.  I haven’t seen the kids since district, so it was fun to catch up with them too.  And of course, I love that show. 

Ron was also there last night.  That man has my heart.  We crossed paths only rarely when I was in school there, but I took a few oral interp classes from him at UAH, and we really came to understand eachother.  He quickly picked up on the fact that I don’t like to be coddled or made a fuss over, so we have this great habit.  We will talk to eachother all evening, work together side by side, whatever.. and then, as we’re leaving, he’ll look at me and say, “Oh.  Hi, Sarah.” as if we’ve just then acknowledged eachother.  I say, “Oh.  Hi, Ron.”  And we both smile.

Ron is one of those people in theatre who is a complete person.  Everything he does is part of his character; even his props are perfect.  For example, no one else in the world would take notes for a show.. in a Bible.  He just wrote in the last few pages of a leather-bound, gilded-leaf bible.  Who else in the world would do that?  And, a man after my own heart, he gave the boys-in-tights this note.. “Boys, check yourself before you walk on stage in tights.  I thought I saw your monkey.”

After we all laughed and cut-up and we sent the children home, we went back to my house.  Bryan had some errands to run, and he crawled back into bed around 11:15.  Then we acted like little kids at a sleep-over till WAAAAY too late.  Or too early..?  Either way, I be so sleepy.