December, 2014
Dear Family and Friends,
Those
of you who receive these annually will probably agree with me when I say that
I’m not exactly one to sugarcoat what’s happening in my family’s life. Oh sure,
I’ll feed you the sweet stuff when I have it to tell, but I’m not exactly shy
about serving bitter herbs when that’s all I’ve got to offer. The problem I
have every year is to serve up a balanced meal of updates that, once consumed,
will leave those whom we have invited to this party happily sated and wanting
to come back for more. If the feedback I’ve gotten over the years is any
indication, I seem to have found a way to keep you coming back to the table,
and I hope that this year’s party is to your liking.
Twenty
Fourteen started with more than a little sense of déjà vu, feeling a lot more
like 2013 than it should have. January found me still at the survival job I had
taken, auditions and actual acting work having all but dried up. Gail kept busy
with the Girl Scouts Historical Committee as well as helping out at the church
whenever they needed an extra set of hands. She also became Tina’s way to get
to classes at Bucks County Community College, as mass transit from Doylestown
to that institution doesn’t exist. We continued to struggle to make ends meet,
to live and not just survive, and hoped for the best.
As
the year went on, it became clear that things were going to be different. Tina
thrived at BCCC, so much so that she made the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
Gail & I enjoyed her induction ceremony, as this bunch of wisenheimers took
their oath as if they were reenacting a scene from “Animal House” (“I, state your name” intoned the group in
unison). She’s also kept up with her fencing and even went to Pennsic, a two
week gathering of over ten thousand members of the Society for Creative
Anachronism, something she hadn’t done since she was little. She has also
started making the connections that will help her when she gets into the
working world and tries to be a set designer. The new school year found her
building on the success of the previous year, surprising herself at times (a
4.0 GPA as of this writing), and genuinely having a good time. Different, and
better.
Gail has
found herself with opportunities to use her talents in ways that have left
those around her duly impressed. She has been building medieval garb for years,
but when Tina’s fencing group needed some special garb built, she rose to the
occasion. So much so that when others in the group saw her work, they wanted
her to build stuff for them. At the same time, her origami boxes caught the
notice of those who appreciate the unique and beautiful, including Peter
Yarrow, who we gave one to when he was in town for a book signing. She has also
found herself organizing the volunteers at church, gently coaxing people to
fill in when no one has signed up to be a worship assistant, reader, acolyte,
etc. Different, and better still.
Princess
The Big Fuzzy Dog made it to twelve, and her hips are starting to give her
grief. Walks that would take up to thirty minutes at times now take five
minutes at the most, as she’s not inclined to move around much. Our bearded
dragon, Falkor, passed away, and about a month later we adopted another
beardie, Mushu. This one is a very lively critter by comparison, and Tina
enjoys having her in her room. Again, different.
Things
were also different for me, but not in a positive way (at least not at first).
As I said, I was still at the survival job, not earning enough to end the
bleeding of our savings into the bills. Our ancient boiler/water heater decided
to give up the ghost, and we had to put together the financing to replace it
and redo the boiler and laundry rooms, merging them into one, saving us on our
heating bills and making it easier to do the laundry without having to go into
the garage to do it.
At
the same time the number of auditions I was getting slowed down, and I stopped
putting in for background jobs that had descriptions like “non-descript” or
“with car”, feeling that if I’m gonna be in the background, I will be something
specific, like a doctor, lawyer or musician. Consequently, I barely worked all
year. Finally, I got some steady work on an HBO mini-series, “Show Me A Hero”,
as a stand-in for Alfred Molina. As of this writing I’ve put in 12 days and
have learned a lot on both the acting side and the production side. That’s
something, I suppose.
So we
find ourselves, facing the end of one year and on the cusp of another,
surveying what has gone past. We’re not where we thought we’d be in some
regards, and have moved forward in ways we hadn’t anticipated. We’ve rejoiced
with friends and family in their happiness, and mourned their losses as if they
happened to us. The future is, as always, uncertain, but we live in a hope nurtured
by faith and an inbred stubbornness to make things better. Maybe this time next
year, we’ll be able to have a letter that’s a more positive read than the last
few. Until then, we wish you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and
nothing but the best for each and every one of you in the days, weeks and
months to come.
Peace
and Love,
Gail,
Mike, Tina, Princess & Mushu
I’ve got to admit, it’s getting better. A
little better all the time (can’t get no worse)
-John Lennon & Paul McCartney
