From Zerotasking to Megamultitasking - Farewell Summer

In her book Everybody's Autobiography, Gertrude Stein writes, "It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing." Were she to examine my daily routine, Miss Stein would surely say I lacked the wherewithal to become a genius - doing nothing is almost never a part of my day, more's the pity. Even so, during the month of August, with no students to teach, I can float with relative ease between projects in various stages of contemplation and preparation, and at times that can seem like freedom.
In addition to reading up on Stein and Miss Toklas, most notably via Diana Souhami's "Gertrude and Alice," I'm involved in preliminary planning and discussions for our return to the International Festival of Musical Theater in Cardiff, where the main events will be a production of Stein's "Made By Two" which I'm directing and an international conference of music theater trainers which I'm organizing. (Trainers? Educators? What's in a name?) Spent a couple pleasant days reading and brainstorming on "Anyone Can Whistle," including a quick re-reading of Arthur Laurents' memoir, "Original Story By." Sorting files in my office, trying to rescue my materials for teaching Musical Theater History and Mus Th Directing from the disorderly state I left them in last year - and hoping, in the process, to diminish the piles of paper in my office. And then there's Gemini The Musical - a million details, large and small, to consider and re-consider as the first day of rehearsal draws ever closer. Oh, did I mention getting Kerry's application in for Central High? Or the sale of our Wilmington house? I thought this was summer vacation!