12/12/02
Well, the flurry of holiday activity has come and gone. Mark Christensen (my significant other) and I appeared as Mr. and Mrs. Claus for the Channel Island Harbor's Festival of Lights last Saturday. We wandering around the harbor, crisscrossing it with the help of Captain Bob of the water taxis, dispensing good cheer and candy canes. It's "New Age Vaudeville" at its peak. The little electronic keyboard with its prerecorded Xmas carols sure came in handy! We jingled our jingle bells and I even chimed in on my kazoo. We sang in the water taxi, and I dropped in on a karaoke session at Harbor Landing and sang along with Phil Birdsall at Fisherman's Village. We met a lot of nice people and got our pictures taken with a lot of kids and their families.

Then with hardly a breather, we were ferried in the last minute across to the harbor to board the City of Oxnard's Centennial boat, where we joined the display and waved regally and enthsiastically to the crowds gathered at the water's edge and nibbled on the goodies provided by the city. It was chilly, and we were tired - but all the enthusiasm and the beauty of the lighted parade kept us up til the very end.

Then, Sunday, I gathered my forces and repeated the program of holiday music on the autoharp I had done for the Harbor Landing a
few weeks ago for St. John's Lutheran Churchat their holiday dinner. This had been facilitated by Tomas of Hollywood By the Sea - who also works for the Ventura Rescue Mission - and trains the residents in food service. He catered the dinner with the help of his mission students, and his food was wonderful and the service terrific.

Needless to say, by Monday I was beat. But luckily that's when I got to have my "weekend." Although I did sit down and send all my thank you emails and notes, and my invoices. I still struggle with being a businesswoman - but I make an effort to be business like.

more later.

Getting ready to appear as Mrs. Claus tomorrow. It reminds me how much other sort of work all this entails - costuming, for one. I put together my own Mrs. Claus outfit - and it is nice, too.

Also, had my photo shoot with Peter Brown in his Studio at the Ed Rusha Art Complex (Julie Christie ate Thanksgiving dinner there in 1969, Peter tells me.) I inaugurated the new studio complex - and what a pleasant photo shoot! It's nice to have photos taken by friends! (Note: the rapport with your photographer is crucial. If he/she doesn't like you - FORGET IT!) Looking forward to Peter's Open Studio on 12/15. more later - prm

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pamphyilabr>

Hello to all you other middle-aged artistes and the middle-aged curious. Found the entree into this world of blogs the low-tech way - thru a newspaper tech column. Feel ever so moderne. Still trying to get the URL on the other, more stiffly professional blog to WORK, tho. (that's SUPPOSED to be pamphyila.blogspot.com!!)

Currently in Ventura, where the weather and the air quality are healthy, and where I SENSE a not-so-nascent artistic scene (see other blog for participation) - but still isolated by the sea. Can cyber space help me here? I don't miss L.A.'s grime and strum and drang and noise, but I do miss the artistic input. Anyone else in that position?

FYI - E Duse is my alterego - It stands for Eleanora Duse - She was a famed early 20th C. actress who introduced the art of modern acting and was one of the first to do Ibsen outside of Scandinavia - Now, do you know who Ibsen is? The DOLL'S HOUSE? It's a doozie is supposedly based on her name...

There is so little in the theatrical canon for middle-aged women - mothers, etc. Subsidiary characters. Young actresses, beware! And all the good roles on media are snapped up by aging STARS. Ugh. But we crazy ones sort of persevere - altho it gets tiring and burn out is too easy. I skate back and forth along the crispy critter edge, myself. But I also have a performance "jones" and have to perform for my sanity's sake. Wish I were more of a closeted writer type and could ge the same "kick" with just a keyboard.

Gotta go into town and get pix taken. God, do I hate THAT. Have to do all the wardrobe, makeup, hair, etc. myself - with some friendly help. Why? Otherwise it's too costly...and I can do as well as run of the mill help, anyway....same with PR. But it makes one a one woman band, and that can be a drag, too. If I knew then what I know now would I DO it? I don't know. Work is lovely when it's there - which is not often enough...

Reality, reality. But the really well hooked will disregard all this sage wisdom and do it anyway. I know. But perhaps it's an antidote to the drivel we see around - even in actor-oriented press such as BACKSTAGE. I think Tombudsman is hopelessly optimistic. But then he's a male, and they do have more of the parts and much less competition. (The playing field is only level in the under 4 years-old category, where sex is indistinguishable, or so I understand.

As I say to my personal correspondents - more later - prm