Tue 17 Nov
Apparently the moon is right for auditions again, and Jane goes tomorrow for her 3rd straight day. This time it's the University of Oklahoma's medical research program, and she'll be asked to "smoke" a clove cigarette so they can promote... uh... well, we're not sure. But they'll pay her well if she wins the part. Hey, what could possibly go wrong?

Today David got a surprise phone call from Reverend Norman Roe, his college roommate. Of course he wasn't a reverend back then. They both sang in the college choir and toured around Texas with that group. Norman retired in 2000, like we did, then served as an associate minister at Laurel Heights United Methodist Church in San Antonio until recently. Now he and his wife live in Cedar Park just north of Austin.

We hadn't seen Norman since the spring of 1961 when the SU choir sang in Kingsville his senior year year. He grew up a preacher's kid, and his older brother became a preacher, too. Norman wasn't entirely certain what his career would be, but he knew he would NOT be a preacher. In those days Norman was about as politically UN-correct as anyone we knew; he sorta took pride in that fact. Years passed, and we learned he was a very successful pastor. We often imagined how refreshing his ministry must be, and how we hoped he retained that talent for directness and plain talk.

We have few answers now, but we're back in touch and hope to renew another old friendship through the magic of telephone, email and even personal visits. It's great to hear from you, Norman.

Thu 12 Nov
All is back to normal after our eventful weekend. While David enjoyed a Friday-Saturday choir retreat at the lovely La Casa de Maria near Santa Barbara, Jane and Pat attended the big Control Tower premiere on Saturday night in Hollywood. Jane describes it as soft porn. We hoped the movie would look better than the script suggested, but Jane says no. At least a surprise final scene (not in the script) was added suggesting punishment for the evil-doers.

Sunday's band concert marathon began at noon with a half-hour guest conductor rehearsal, then a two-hour concert, an hour off, and a second two-hour concert ending at 6:00pm. Added to his previous day-and-a-half of choir rehearsals, that was the longest stretch of "sit up straight with great posture and push hard with the breath" that David has endured since... well, maybe since ever. Jane came for the 1:00 concert and agrees with David that the band is truly an amazing group. The local joke is that everyone here has an unsold screenplay. But more accurate, and way more surprising, is the number of highly skilled musicians here working at day jobs and eager to share their musical skills. Having a band like this available on a community college campus is a unique opportunity for students and community members alike. On another day we'll discuss their unusually strong financial situation – one that every other community group should drool over.

Monday we ran into Hollywood so Jane could audition to be a pilgrim at the first Thanksgiving. Then yesterday we were back there for her callback. While her part is right out of a school pageant, somehow it evolves into modern times with a big-name rapper doing his thing. There is no way to know what evil lurks in the hearts of men – and women – who dream up this stuff.

But the highlight of Jane's day came a little later at a second audition. As she was leaving, several waiting actors shouted, "Oh my gosh! We saw you in Control Tower last Saturday night! You were great!" and embarrassing stuff like that. It appears that the time has come for some bigger dark glasses, some head scarves, a bodyguard, and tinted windows on the Janemobile – at least until Ebert and Roeper announce their thumb directions.

Wed 4 Nov
Big deal this morning... Jane had an audition, with another scheduled for tomorrow. If you're keeping score, you know these are her first since we bragged on October 17th about doing five in a week. This permanent state of standby... standby... rush-rush-rush is wearing us down.

We are celebrating one year and one month in our little home in the San Fernando Valley, where we are happy as can be. We survived the summer's heat with minimal discomfort and are now giving some thought to lighting the pilot on our wall furnace. But hey, no need to hurry. We're now in the 70's and 80's again – typical Vashon Island mid-summer temps.

Tonight we are being treated to dinner by our landlady's mom and dad, who live just a block up the street. They say it's to atone for their missing our August anniversary celebration. They are really nice, and we've enjoyed getting to know them at various backyard gatherings of their family and ours.

This weekend, David has a Friday-Saturday choir retreat in Santa Barbara. He is almost recovered from the laryngitis that kept him home from church last Sunday. Then he plays his first two L.A. Winds concerts this Sunday afternoon. Since the concert hall only seats 350, they always play it twice. We'll see how his ancient lip and backside hold out.

And while David sings in Santa Barbara, Jane will attend another premiere – her "church lady" role in the independent film, Control Tower, which may be available online soon from Amazon.com. Pat will go with her as a stand-in for David.

We sadly note the passing of Christine Weill, Jane's old 1st Grade teaching pal from the early days on Vashon. She battled multiple sclerosis for over 15 years, managing to remain in her home far longer than most of us could have. Her many Island friends and former students will celebrate her life soon, and we're trying to see if we can manage to be there amid all our auditions, rehearsals and performances.