On thinking about meeting Julie Andrews

I was looking at the invitation my friend sent me to the November 15, 2012 event at Lincoln Center to benefit channel 13.  My friend sent it to me, because Josh Groban is appearing at this event -- and she knows that I am a Josh Groban fan. 

My friend briefly considered going to this event and inviting me to go with her.    Now she has decided that it is too expensive, which seems like a wise decision to me, though I would have been happy to go with her, if she wanted to splurge.

But, as I was thinking about attending, my thoughts began drifting away from the idea of seeing Josh, to the idea of seeing Julie Andrews.  

I gather that she can't sing any more, due to a botched surgery.  That's very sad, but it wouldn't matter that much to me, because I can remember her singing.

My parents took me and my brother to both "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music."  

Movies didn't happen very often when I was a kid.  My mom was depressed and frustrated in her marriage. She did not like movies, because they tended to upset her.  The romantic ones reminded her of her unhappiness with my father.  The ones were people were hurt upset her, because she did not like seeing people hurt.  She especially did not like seeing children hurt, even in fiction.

Later on, my father sometimes took me to movies, because my mother would not go with me.

But these two movies stood out as exceptions.  We went as a family.  My mother loved them, because she loved music.  My father seemed to like them to.

I remember the songs from those movies being burned into my head.  We got the records.  We got the sheet music.  

So as I thought about the concept of actually getting to meeting Julie Andrews in person, I found myself crying.  I was surprised.  I realized that it had never even occurred to me to try to meet Julie Andrews.  

I've met Josh.  I've hung around outside places where he was appearing and gotten things autographed.  I've actually spoken to him.

But it's never occurred to me to try to meet Julie Andrews.  Why?  Mental blind spot, I guess.  

She was incredibly beautiful and had an incredibly beautiful voice as well.  Plus she acted well.  Those movies were enchanting.

So I went on line and tried to find her website.  I couldn't find one.  I found two fan websites, but no Julie Andrews official website.

I guess she's not really on the Internet, yet.  That's hard for me to imagine, since I live on the Internet.  I'm an internet junkie, but there are people out there who have not gotten on yet.  I guess she's one of them.

So, it occurred to me to write this blog and maybe, if she has someone getting clipping collections for her, this will come up.

I just hope she'll know that I am still a fan -- all these many years later -- even if she can't sing any more -- and those movies were really transformative events in my childhood -- rare family outings.  

So, even though I can't meet you, Hi, Julie!