February 1, 2013

Thin salting of snow. Fairly late rising (though it’s still dark) because I wanted to indulge a dream. I was vacationing in summery London, and for some reason meeting all the beautiful people at parties and receptions. It was like living in an Evelyn Waugh novel. I was invited to a party, to which I walked through marvelous streets. The party was very cinematic. One of the lights of society seduced me. She was beautiful and wore a pink dress, and would have been played by Kate Winslett The seduction was quite public because one of her former boyfriends was in the room. He was a big blond guy, a famous architect. When we were done she gave me a number of gifts, objects from the room, candy, books. These I carried back to my hotel in my red vinyl duffel. The next day I went to a lecture and was surprised to see that the architect was giving the lecture. I asked if he remembered me from the night before, and he said, tersely, through clenched teeth “Yes sir.” That was the first time I realized all had not been so free and easy in Bohemia. The lecture featured videos of one of his most famous structures being blown up.

First chorus rehearsal for The Mikado at St. John’s. I had anxiety, thinking that I would be inept and out of my depth in the opera company, but no such thing was the case. The chorus girls tittered and chattered so Paul could scarcely get his work done. The time is short and I’m grateful the music is intuitive.

Our state government begins its planned program of vandalism, wasting not a second..