Greetings. It is crisp and sunny and we had our walk in the park with biscuits again this morning. Late yesterday I visited a client and it was great to see her. She is one of the most upbeat and kind person that I have ever met. She has dealt with so much adversity in her life that I don't know how she breathes and yet still remains a shining being. I will get her some new shades and have some existing ones restrung for her. I have been getting phone calls about my 'Gilded Songbird Pillows' and have to remember what magazine is running that feature of me. I need to thank them. I also need to thank Karen and Richard Carpenter for all of the wonderful music. Exactly on this day in 1969, Richard and Karen started their recording contract with A&M records.Their musical legacy is unique. One Fantastic Voice surrounded by amazing arrangements and orchestrations. Nobody will ever duplicate the sophistication and the quality that a Carpenter production offered to their public. Karen, as most of us know, doubted her status as a 'star' as she never felt attractive enough to be one. I wish that I had told her in the Spring of 1975 how utterly beautiful she was when she stopped everything to talk with me and sign her autograph. I wish that I could have called her to thank her for sending me a birthday card when I was 15 but who knows even what country she was in as this was the peak of her(their) careers. They released a Christmas album in 1978 but their record label scoffed at it and didn't even want to spend money to promote it. Richard was addicted to Quaaludes at this stage so Karen, in the midst of her tragic illness flew to Britain and performed brilliantly. The album sold 14 million copies. I think I have bought about 5 copies in different formats over the years, but still... They have sold over 100 million records and that does not include the many, many bootlegs out there still. Their version of 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' is my favorite song/vocal performance/arrangement/production of all time, bar none. My home is still oddly quiet and I have downloaded the aforementioned song to my IPOD. I don't think that people in the gym can hear it but if they can, so what. Christmas is just around the corner. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. That's what makes us human. Cherish your abundance and f%^k what others say about you unless it is complimentary. Have a great day.
"The image we have would be impossible for Mickey Mouse to maintain. We're just... normal people." Karen Carpenter
