Blog Week 8 - Seren or Sychron. . .?

Synchronicity. That's been the theme since plans for BUFFALO'ED began: from Al's invitation to present "something new" at the Presidio after his shadow play with period letters of a rebel Filipino family. Synchronicity is still happening through this week, with my brother-in-law offering me a rare first edition book OUR ISLANDS THEIR PEOPLES (guess who's POV THAT title is by). I was very surprised not only by his generous gesture, but that for all my googling, I'd never thought to search by those words and would have never known there was such a book. Within hours, my tax prep go-to person presented me with another book by another client on the blues scene, my next big project. How do these things happen. . .attraction. Some folks know of which I speak:)

Our house is gradually getting a makeover, still jam-packed by some standards, and to me, necessarily thinly chaotic organization. Still, it opened the window view 90 degrees enough for Mr. Desmond Cat to gaze out the window in comfort vs balancing on a tottering pile of papers. I'm leading up to allowing the opening of opportunities: views to ocean waves, clarity through a near future, stuff like that. So two books drop in my lap -- that I NEED, NOW -- how cool is that?

Writing students are now on hold till April; my To-Do list grows alarmingly. I managed to attend a new book reading by a friend whose mutual interest is in the sighting of lagoon otters, as well as in writing. Said otters appeared the next day after a long absence, as if on cue -- again, synchronicity?

I got a bit of news health-wise; more on that later - it ranks up there like notice of more $ due on a bill than budgeted, actually, it's pretty much the same thing other than you pay the $ and the figure moves to another column. . .'nuff said. GREAT news: above-mentioned tax person did us a GREAT prep. From Tony: "meat's back on the table."

During our Friday meeting, a person called two of us back-to-back: could it have possibly been an audition opp? I was running between meetings and still need to return that call. Hmm.  One meeting covered the glossary; workshop schedule; set; dialect coach, etc. OMG, we're nearly there! A week    from YESTERDAY. . .momentary epiphany. It happens.

Yet more serendipity/synchronicity: I had a lovely dinner with my 6' 10"? godson,  star H.S. basketball player in his day, now coaching in the South Bay. I could usually read his immediate mood, the lower lip nearing a pout, the tears welling just back of his eyeballs. His friend had died suddenly; his outlook on life has, too, it seems. He mentioned his controlling personality, his stressed life -- attributed to his father -- since age 6, then as a hesitant, goaded player. He's 33 now, a man, his "Jesus" years, after 10-12 years exploring, no more waiting, I told him. I hope he can one day, fly. The next night I witnessed the one-person play by the director who is working on the blues project with me, a search for HIS father, the uncanny attraction to a DJ life, a more exuberant rhymin'/timin' approach than what is revealed as his dapper dad's style, a desire to please, be like, yet ultimately surpassing that image, and never really knowing that.

Earlier this month I drummed up 3 names for auditions, with hopes there'd be additions to them -- only 3 arrived. The true relief was the production meeting with all designers presenting sketches, ideas, excitement. AP and I picked up TH at the airport, NG meeting us at the theater. NG is a calming effect for me, a trait to apply to his own life, ahem -- nearly unflappable and an admirer of TH's growing leadership as we head into rehearsals. Sitting with the lighting person during the matinee, we all gauged space and throw lights/projections. The Pulitzer play strongly acted, I felt we all intermittently sat there in a row seeing the production before us yet imagining our own. After the show, AP sat between Rick and  the costumer, NG between lighting and set; sound arrived later; RK and NG were nearer perimeters. (Hmm, I could name these folks, right?) I posed only two questions; anyone who knows me, like NG, realize that it shows the relinquishing of the reins, the passing of the torch in a way -- hey, I can be a playwright in the room! When auditions wrapped up, I was first to leave. I was also first to call TH & NG in the morning. Synchronicity again: the first actor, whose role we now were auditioning, left on my machine a surprising and lovely message about the play, "incredible" his ranking of it among 'greats'. In short, his message was what I need to hear, like now, when the 'baby'/offspring is about to be presented to the world. Attraction is not really a law -- more like The Opps, the openings, always there, now permitted to step up; they, the Opps were just waiting.