So, it has been too long, and I have been getting loads of emails asking about Alex, Claire, Theo and Vincent in Paris, and wanted to let everyone know that they are OK. I think that the world is a bit shaken by the events yesterday and we are all thinking about the people who are in Paris and France. I won’t go on, but it is crazy that there are people who can hate so much. I will leave it at that.
We are good here in Livermore. Work is challenging, particularly hiring in the east bay. The competition is so fierce and when you are up against the likes of Google, etc it is hard to find people willing and able to take on some positions. In NY and DC, there were always a pool of artists who were eager to take on challenges at a relatively low pay. We don’t have that pool in Livermore.
David is doing well, and his speech is improving. He has been keeping a small diary to help with his writing, which in turn helps with his speech. David was in Palm Springs for the month of October, and liked the independence, and the warm weather. Not that it is terribly cold here, but it does get chilly in the evenings. Days are generally in the low 60’s to 70’s, which is not so far off from Palm Springs. 10 degrees different is normal.
David, as you can imagine, is beloved by all the staff and volunteers at the theater. They seem to tolerate me (sometimes). It is great to be able to walk to the theater, as we did last night. We also can’t really go out anywhere without running into someone who wants to come and say hello. I keep chalking it up to living in a small town. We went last night to see Richard Glazier, a pianist who did a presentation called From Broadway to Hollywood about the great composers, but a lot of Gershwin. The audience loved it, and even David, who you won’t be surprised has a high bar set for entertainment, loved it. He did miss quite a month in October with Rosanne Cash, The Wailin’ Jennys and Paula Poundstone. We are planning the season for next year, which is lots of fun, as well as being kind of nerve wracking!
I will keep this brief, and will try to write some more tomorrow. I have missed this.
I was missing you and wondering how the new life was going — and here you are. It sounds wonderful, challenging, homey all at the same time. Thanks, and “welcome back” to you and to David. He might be interested to know I’m writing right after lunch with my grandson Elliot Kass who was at Burke during the glorious David years!
Much love, Susan Willens