And a fine Christmas morning to you all! I’m on my way to see my two most wonderful gifts open their presents. Jake, 2 years, and Justin, 7 mos.:

It was fantastic hanging with the family last night (minus Lars, Helen, Jon and Simone, who are in Texas for the holidays — we’re catching up with them in January). The boys had great fun opening and playing with their new toys — and so did the adults. We laughed a lot, as is our custom. It was a great night. It’s all about family, no?

Hope Santa was good to you as well, my fiends. After gift-opening, we’re on our way to Detroit. Viva la casino. Yep.

FO

Yay! We love giving feasts at the Fink house. Today is BFF Kay’s. Mavis and I spent some time yesterday and last night getting ready for it.

For those of you who don’t know, my best friend for around 18 years now is this lady. Int she the cutest? Kay has had a wonderful career as an opera singer, Ohio Arts Council Artist-in-Residence, and studio teacher (a bigger knock-out voice you’re unlikely to find — g/f can shake the rafters). She’s done everything from Puccini to oratorio to cabaret. I even got her to monkey around with some jazz once. I’m still working on the rock and roll…

Anyway, not only is she an amazing singer, she’s a wonderful watercolor artist, writer, and all-around world traveler. She and her husband, Bob (remember my serenade by the accordion player?) live half the year in Slovenija and half here in Buckeye nutville.

Best of all, she’s just good peeple. Fortunately for me, she chose to spend the last two decades wasting time on the Fink. She’s like family, yes Mavis?

Anyway, it’s her birthday feast today — and she won’t even mind that we’re fixing a meat dish for all the carnivores who don’t share her vegetarian lifestyle, but heart her all the same.

HB BFF K!

FO…gotta think about starting the macaroni and cheese

I appreciate this week a lot.

1. It’s short, schoolwise
2. I get to see family (Johanna flies in from Austin this morning, yay!)
3. Mavis, the daughters and I get to tear it up in the kitchen
4. I get out my Sinatra and James Taylor Christmas CDs
5. I can watch the Lions lose instead of the Browns
6. I get to start wrapping all the gifts that will arrive over the next couple of days
7. My v-jazz group has a gig on Sunday; should be some fun
8. The thesis gets its finishing touches, then off it goes for the final time, never to be thought about again in my lifetime
9. I get more time with Jake and Justin
10. No 5 a.m. alarm going off (except the one in my head, which I can choose to ignore)

Now that’s a dandy week, say thankya. What’s your vacation look like? (RD and Greg, I know your answers: every week is vacation…)

Here’s to the start of a fantastic — hopefully short for all of us — work week.

FO

So yeah — got some work done on the thesis. It’s ready to submit for the final feedback, then I make some (hopefully) small changes and give it the heave-ho on Tuesday the 1st, and wait for my grade (oh, and the diploma). I can see the finish line.

Had my sis’s birthday feast last night (we celebrated the birthday of  Jake and Justin’s other grammie, Jane, too). It was a grand time.

Six-month-old Justin was making us laugh. It’s fun when you begin to see a baby’s personality developing. We told Hannah last night that she was fortunate indeed to have two babies in a row with happy dispositions. Yay!

Yes, I have an Obligatory Grammie Showoff Photo:

clicky

I predict lots of opportunities to hone my Flip Video editing skills. Just gotta get through these next couple of weeks…

Happy Monday.

Now that’s more like it. A temporary reprieve; a calm before the tornado hits. Relief.

Orchestra rehearsal yesterday — even with the missing 2nd trumpet player, the bass player having to leave to help with preparations for his grandfather’s funeral, and the drummer turning around en route in order to take his daughter to the emergency room — was fantastic. I told Lars on the way home that I don’t know why I always worry about this particular day, since the players are wonderful (who else do you know who can sight-read an entire Broadway book, while at the same time dealing effortlessly with my maniacal cuts in the score?) and everyone is just Nice People. Best of all: I received a text message from my drummer saying that his daughter is going to be OK.

Seamus’s feast was downright dandy. It is surreal to me that he is entering his 30th year, when it seems like yesterday that I was rocking him to sleep, reading to him, playing cars with him…tempus fugit. I want to give a huge public thank-you to my most awesomely awesome sister, Mavis — she took on the lion’s share of the prep work yesterday while I was out playing around on the piano. She made sure it was another boffo event at the Finkhouse. Great fun!

And now, alas, it is Monday. I cannot phreeking believe it.

Phink out.