Typical Sunday before Christmas, breakfast at McDonald's, church and shopping at Target (that's Tar-ZHAY).

We go to two churches in Los Angeles, St. Charles Borromeo in Toluca Lake and St. Jane Francis de Chantal in North Hollywood. St. Charles is the church I grew up in, the church I was baptized in, and St. Jane Francis is the hippie church that I fell in love with as a teenager.

They had the greatest folk mass, but a couple of years ago, the group that had been playing there for twenty years decided to call it quits, and their replacements are so bad that, musically, I cannot stand to go there anymore.

So we were at St. Charles. They had a new cantor, speaking of music, as so much of church is, to me, the music. He was really good, but it did feel strange not to have the short, white haired tenor with the black moustache leading the congregation.

I wonder what ever happened to that tall blonde baritone? I had a big crush on him about fifteen years ago. Great voice. The priest was new, too.

At Target, the white trash capitol of the Southland (since we are WalMart-free), I got my Christmas underwear.

Every year, I festively get socks and bras and underwear for Christmas, so we got two Cherokee bras, two tank tops and four pairs of socks, and I will act all astounded to see them under the tree on Christmas morning.

Then we went to the Academy to see You've Got Mail.

Now, this is the first movie playing at SAG when I get back, but I couldn't imagine not wanting to see it twice, so I went.

I have a very complex relationship with this story. Of course, most people know that it's a re-make of The Shop Around the Corner, and the musical version, In the Good Old Summertime, but there was also a musical play made from the same story, called She Loves Me.

Now, this is one of my favourite shows of all time, partly because when I was fifteen years old, I apprenticed at a professional theatre in Los Angeles called The Megaw, and we did that show.

I must have seen it twenty times, and I was madly in love with the guy playing Arpad, Mark somebody, whom I think was gay, and then, part way through the run they asked me to assistant stage manage, since the stage manager was going to have to leave the show, and then, when she did, I took over.

It was a tough show, too, with three revolves and a million cues, and I was fifteen years old, and I have never done anything so hard since. Except for the lights for Dracula last year.

Anyway, my point is that this is a show and a story extremely close to my heart, so I would either love or loathe the film, and I loved it. Alot. I particularly loved the scene outside the restaurant, where Dave Chappelle is looking through the window, as that is straight out of the play, and that character was played by a dear friend, Fred Goodman, who died of cancer not too many years after doing the show.

Great music, too. The soundtrack, not She Loves Me, though of course I love that music too, but the soundtrack had four songs by Harry Nilssen and "Lonely at the Top" by Randy Newman. I walked out saying that I wanted the album, and so did Mom. Can't wait to see it again with Nik in January.

I was going to see Patch Adams at the Academy that evening, but I wanted to go less and less as the day wore on, so instead I went to Universal and saw The Prince of Egypt.

It was $7 for parking, $8 for the movie and $6 for popcorn and soda, and minus a $2 rebate, that adds up to $19. A small price to pay not to have to watch Robin Williams be all heart-warming.

This was the first time I have ever been to Citywalk, too. I live about an inch from Universal, and have never ever been. It's like Disneyland, only without rides, just shops and restaurants and bright lights. Or like the Disney-fied version of Times Square, only without cars.

It was slightly awful, but there was a Sam Goody's, so I bought my mom a copy of the You've Got Mail soundtrack. I wanted to get one for me as well, but I thought maybe she'd get me a copy, and if not, then I'd get it somewhere where they don't charge fucking twenty bucks for one lousy cd.

Anyway, The Prince of Egypt was absolutely wonderful.

The vocal performances were extremely good, especially my man Ralph Fiennes, and I liked the music, and the story was fine (of course, it's fairly tried and true). but my God, the animation! I have never seen anything like it.

I have heard that some churches are urging boycotts, since they say that the movie credits the miracles to Moses rather than God, but honestly, anyone who says that either isn't paying attention or is just dumb as a rock, since it says like ninety times that God is working through Moses.

You just can't please some people...

I wonder if Al regrets wishing that I would talk more about my past?

You see, during my crit, that was a general complaint, that it was as though I burst forth fully grown on the day I started this journal, like Athena from the forehead of Zeus, and I never talk about my childhood or anything.

Well, part of the reason I do this is that I have an appalling memory, and I want to talk about now before I forget it, and so much happens now, that I have neither the time nor the energy to discuss the seventies at great length, but it's different being at home.

Here, things are always reminding me of stories, and in order to reference my current reactions to things, I much explain my history. So anyway, as I said, Al was the one who most wanted me to talk about who I used to be, and I hope he's not wishing he kept his mouth shut!

Today's horoscope:
A family member really needs appreciation. Tell those you love how much you care. Noticing the good helps generate more.

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