Know what I had a 20-minute phone conversation about yesterday? Retirement. The first time I’ve ever really spoken openly, seriously, and at length about it — and with an STRS rep, no less.

My retirement date: May, 2020. Eight and a half years from now. I could have done it September of 2019, but that would mean I’d have to report for the first week of classes, then exit stage left. Not doing that to the kids. But unless I get a wild hair and decide to stick it out to age 65, that’s when I’m calling it quits, and I feel good about it.

It’s not that I want to quit teaching so I can sit at home. I will still need to work, since it’ll be an “early” retirement (I didn’t start teaching until I was 34). But I can just about guarantee that “work” won’t involve 70-hour weeks of choreography, rehearsals, and two mainstage shows a year. Maybe I’ll sell cakes, write down those arrangements banging around in my head, and work part time in an office. The goal is to supplement my meager retirement income, but not buy the farm in the process. There’s Grammie-in’ to be done in those years, too. And traveling, and hanging out with friends and fam. The important stuff. I know I’ll never really stop working, but I don’t want to run myself into an early grave doing it.

So there it is. May 2020. We’re in the single digits, fiends. I plan to go out with a bang, so stay tuned.

FO

Fiends. I just might be getting too old for this, but I’d go out happy.

Dinner Theatre went quite well, and I’m so grateful to and proud of everyone — cast, crew, wait staff, parent volunteers, musicians, technical staff…it was a blast. And now it’s back to real life for awhile. And by “real life,” I mean Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Grease auditions.

But that’s all good stuff, too. Especially the family part. I just hope my grandchildren remember what I look like.

So, this morning (after swallowing a fistful of Aleve for every single one of my aching joints, oi) I’m having coffee at Bux with BFF Kay, then coming home to …well…relax until school starts up again tomorrow.

What is this relax of which I speak?

And here we are again. Opening. Ticket sales are pushing the 600 mark; that’s a good thing. I hope we can score a good profit to put towards the choir’s New York tour in 2014.

I think it’s important to point out at this juncture that there was not a single no-holds-barred, nuclear-disaster meltdown during this rehearsal run. Hmm. I wonder if that means something disastrous is on tap for tonight or tomorrow. I say no. I hope no. Heh.

Seriously, there were no ego issues, no petty crap between cast and crew, no immaturity problems (other than artistic), and no crummy attitudes (except for mine one night). It really was a pleasure to go to rehearsal and see how these young artists developed and improved. They even have a decent group time step. Seamus made a comment last night to the cast that he’s worked with a lot of high school productions, and he was impressed that my kids didn’t constantly rush on the tap number. Sometimes it helps to have others (like my pal Stoney) give feedback. They’re so used to me crushing their inner child, it is a good thing to hear something positive from somewhere else.

Not that I’m constantly smashing their hopes and dreams, mind. Let’s just say I do it on a somewhat regular basis.

Happy opening to my cast and crew — off we go!

FO – much to do this day