Up 6 but went back to bed, really got up at 10. Breakfast, coffee. Gave dad his present — an 1918 edition of some Theodore Dreiser stories, and a recent book about Ben Hecht’s screenwriting career. Gave Loretta a card w/ B&N gift-card, as she’s constantly reading romances. Also have one for Margaret.
Talked to Bree again for Christmas, changed my ticket to France for a few days earlier while we were “together.”
Played a little Xmas set at the piano - “The Christmas Song,” “I’ll Be Home…,” “The Christmas Waltz” (which was my mom’s favorite), “Winter Wonderland,” “Silent Night,” “Christmastime is Here.” That was enough. Trying to incorporate some Barry Harris ideas into the harmonization, but I should sit down and figure out the right substitutions for the changes, rather than doing what I can on the fly.
Read 15 p. Middlemarch. 2-3 chapters/day seems about right. Matt Hauser called - he’d actually meant to text me a picture and phoned by mistake, but I called back and we caught up.
Ate dinner w/ my dad - we were going to order in, but couldn’t get what we wanted. We had a couple of steaks in the fridge as plan B, and I made some zucchini - had to borrow an onion from Maude, the caregiver on duty, who sometimes fixes her own food here.
Jeopardy! per usual.
25 more p. Brooks, on Zora Neale Hurston. Page in poetry notebook.
Pretty quiescent after 9 - didn’t feel like getting involved in a movie.
Lights out 11:30. Not what you would call a magical Christmas.