David
and Hilde had lots of plans for 2003. The trouble is, the
universe had some curve balls waiting, and this year was a constant
exercise in finding creative ways to achieve what they set out
to do.
The Plan:
Have a Bat Mitzvah!
The Curve Ball:
Hilde and David are reluctant to adopt a twelve year-old,
so Hilde
decides to get Bat-Mitzvahed on her own. She’s assigned a
reading/song
in Hebrew, which she spends weeks memorizing ... only to find
out 3
days before the Big Day that the part’s was accidentally assigned
to someone
else.
The Work-Around:
Hilde’s offered the chance to do the original reading/song,
but chooses instead to master the new part. She learns it
cold, and her performance is flawless. You’d think she was
an actress or something...
The Plan:
Play softball together.
The Curve Ball:
Hilde and David join a co-ed softball team in an entertainment
league,
but David’s just a substitute and Hilde’s not in her stride.
The Work-Around:
Hilde and David form their own softball team! A-Troupe is
born,
complete with uniforms, a cheer, a song, a scorekeeper, and
a mascot. The nod to
"A-Troop" is lost on the team members who’ve only
seen black-and-white
TVs in the movies. With the help of friends, David learns
how to pitch high-arc softball, and discovers he’s got a decent
curve ball. In the meantime, Hilde finds she’s a powerhouse
at second base! A-Troupe wins the last three games of the
season, and the celebrations continue.
The Plan:
Buy a house by the end of 2003.
The Curve Ball:
Uncle Sam is relentless in his request for taxes, and when
he’s done, staggering home prices, bidding wars, and sellers'
inexplicable desires to receive lots of cash in down payments
mean that a house will have to wait. Hilde suggests that they
steal a house somewhere. David explains that that’s illegal,
and, more importantly, stolen houses are kind of hard to hide.
The Work-Around:
David and Hilde get disciplined. Having paid off the IRS early
in the year, they start saving for a rainy day – in London.
By the end of the year, they’re averaging a savings of 25%
of their net monthly income. New Plan: buy a house by spring,
2004!
The Plan:
Be creative.
The Curve Ball:
Hilde has to deal with an uncertain business, and David ...
well, can anyone say “billable hours?”
The Work-Around:
Uncertainty, unschmertainty. Hilde books a national Hyundai
commercial (which the producers decide not to air! (insert
sigh here), and she appears in two films courtesy of AFI,
the American Film Institute. David’s acting career blossoms,
as he gets cast in a short film and in a play! The film is
called “Missionaries,” and you’ll get more details in the
upcoming year. As for the play, he’s in a rather obscure piece
called “Twelfth Night,” written by some dude by the name of
William ...
Snakesteer? Something like that. It tentatively opens in June,
2004.
The Plan:
Have Hilde’s brother Juan come to L.A. from Miami for A-Troupe's
first playoff game.
The Curve Ball:
Juan arrives! But A-Troupe loses by over 15 runs. Juan takes
all of the blame and offers to walk home. David buys Juan
a pair of shoes. Juan tells him it was just a joke. Hilde
takes David’s side. Juan is last seen in Topeka.
The Work-Around:
David and Hilde track Juan down (there’s a GPS system hidden
in his shoelaces) and offer to show him San Francisco – in
two days! Juan runs back to LA, and the three of them take
a spur of the moment trip up the coastline to San Francisco.
(Here's a little movie taken during the ride up.) Nobody sleeps.
Nobody cares!
The Plan:
Help Mom work on her Hanukah dreidel collection.
The Curve Ball:
There are so many dreidels out there, especially at Hanukah
havens such as Wal-Mart, that it’s impossible to collect them
all.
The Work-Around:
David and Hilde search far and wide for dreidels suitable
for Mom’s collection. Did they find anything, or is it another
present this year?
Stay tuned...
The Plan:
See movies!
The Curve Ball:
When?
The Work-Around:
Once again, the universe provides. Hilde’s chosen to be on
the SAG Nominating Committee, which means David and Hilde
get to have DVD screeners of all the latest films delivered
to their doorstep. Except the MPAA bans the screeners!
Second Work-Around:
Schedule triple-feature Sundays and screenings during the
week and on
weekends ... and then cancel the showings when a judge decides
the screener ban can’t be enforced! VHS tapes start arriving
at the door. But David and Hilde are too pooped to watch anything.
Ah, such troubles.
The Plan:
Ring in New Year’s in style!
The Curve Ball:
David thinks that New Year’s should be in the cold. Hilde
never admits she’s cold, so the plan seems to work. But the
weather out here has its own agenda...
The Work-Around:
David and Hilde mull a trip to Las Vegas for New Year’s!
So what have our heroes learned this year?
When life throws you a curve ball, make lemonade! Er... something
like that. Anyway, drop us a line and let us know what’s new
in your life. Better yet, come visit - even if you’re just
down the street. Remember, our home is your home, as long
as you help with the down payment.
Love, David & Hilde
P.S. Don’t
forget to sign Hilde’s guestbook
