No One Is Alone from "Into the Woods"

Another beautiful lyric which I would like to share.

The incomparable Bernadette Peters sings "No One Is Alone"

CINDERELLA
Mother cannot guide you.
Now you're on you're own.
Only me beside you.
Still, you're not alone.
No one is alone, truly.
No one is alone.

Sometimes people leave you
halfway through the wood.
Others may deceive you.
You decide what's good.
You decide alone.
But no one is alone.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
I wish...

CINDERELLA(To Little Red)
I know... 
Mother isn't here now. BAKER(to Jack) 
Wrong things, right things...
Who knows what she'd say?
Who can say what's true?
Nothing's quite so clear now- 
Do things, fight things...
Feel you've lost your way? 
You decide, but
You are not alone, You are not alone.
Believe me.
No one is alone. 
No one is alone,
Believe me.
Truly...

BOTH
You move just a finger,
Say the slightest word,
Something's bound to linger,
Be heard. 
No one acts alone.
Careful, no one is alone.
CINDERELLA
People make mistakes. People make mistakes.
Fathers,
Mothers,

BOTH
People make mistakes,
Holding their own,
Thinking they're alone.

CINDERELLA
Honor their mistakes... 
Fight for their mistakes-
Everybody makes-

BOTH
One another's 
Terrible mistakes.
Witches can be right,
Giants can be good.
You decide what's right,
You dedide what's good.

CINDERELLA
Just remember:

BAKER
Just remember:

BOTH
Someone is on your side.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD & JACK
Our side.

CINDERELLA & BAKER
Our side-
Someone else is not.
While we're seeing our side-

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD & JACK
Our side....

CINDERELLA & BAKER
Our side-

ALL
Maybe we forgot:
They are not alone.
No one is alone.

CINDERELLA
Hard to see the light now.

BAKER
Just don't let it go.

BOTH
Things will come out tight now.
We can make it so.
Someone is on you side,
No one is alone. 

I've Never Been So Low on Love

Another one of my favorites from Barry Manilow's "2:00 AM Paradise Cafe".  In my opinion it's a classic.

I've Never Been So Low On Love

We'll I've never been so low on love
And I know I never hurt so bad
I never tried so hard
Just to see it fall apart
Just to lose the sweetest love I ever had

We'll I've never been so low on love
And I know I'll never be the same
I know you meant to stay
So if I drove you away
Oh I know that I'm the only one to blame

They say that every day
should make me stranger
and one day I won't think of you at all
but every day you're gone the days get longer
and all I do is wait for you to call

We'll I've never been so low on love
And I know that as the years go by
I'll still be lovin' you
When I'm holdin' someone new
And when I think about the tears
you made me cry
I know you never really cared enough
And I've never been so low on love


Songwriters:  Barry Manilow and Marty Panzer

Once Upon a Time

I have always loved this melody and lyric.  The innocence and ignorance  of youth is something you become more aware of as you age.  Missed opportunities. Too concerned about the opinions of others.  If only I could do it all over again.

A girl with moonlight in her eyes

Put her hand in mine

And said she loved me so

But that was once upon a time

Very long ago

Once upon a hill

We sat beneath a willow tree
Counting all the stars and waiting for the dawn
But that was once upon a time
Now the tree is gone

How the breeze ruffled through her hair
How we always laughed as though tomorrow wasn't there
We were young and didn't have a care
Where did it go

Once upon a time
The world was sweeter than we knew
Everything was ours
How happy we were then
But somehow once upon a time
Never comes again

Once upon a time
Never comes again

"Once Upon a Time" is a song with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams from the 1962 musical All American.

What I Have Done Since Retirement

I retired from teaching in June of 2008.  Since then life has been quite good!  Here's a list of what I have done in a little over two years.

Major Trips or at least an overnight:

California Trip (July '08)

New Orleans Trip (October '08)

Atlantic City Trip (November '08)

London  (March '09)

Madison, WI  (May '09)

Stockbridge, MA (July '09)

Ogunquit (July '09)

Providence, RI (August '09)

Las Vegas (October '09)

Vienna, Budapest, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia (October '10)

Day Trips

Block Island

Nantucket

Thimble Islands

Martha's Vineyard

Boston:  4^th of July

Lighthouse Cruise 

Wagner College ("Tommy" and Brigadoon")

 Abbey of Regina Laudis, Lourdes Shrine & Topsmead 

Tanglewood

Guildford Fair

Seville Dam, Old New Gate Prison

Big E (2)

Southford Falls and Kettletown

Mount Tom State Park

Chatfield Hollow

Yale Tour

New Haven Church Tour, State Street Building and East Rock

Steep Rock Reservation

North Guilford Country Fair

Palace Theater Tour

Ivoryton Playhouse ("The Full Monty")

Long Wharf Theater

Goodspeed Opera House

Sharon Playhouse ("Oklahoma")

NYC:  "La Cage", "Next Fall" 

NYC:  Cathedral of Saint John the Devine, Morning Side area and  "A Little Night Music"

Kent Falls, Bull's Bridge and Cornwall Covered Bridge

Patty LuPone @ Caramoor 

Carnegie Hall Series (5 recitals 2010-11

NYCO:  Music of Bernstein, Music of Schwartz & "A Quiet Place

NYCO Backstage Tour