Random Bits

It has been a while since I have done this -but not because there was nothing to blog about!  There has been absolutely too much going on in my life to blog about, actually.

I am living in the Boston area, and the events of last week's marathon bombing and manhunts hit pretty close to home - in that I am in the area of Watertown all the time, and life last week was a bit surreal.

I did manage to get to CraftBoston on Saturday, though, which was pretty nice.  EVERYONE was out and about on Saturday, probably to make up for Friday's "Shelter-in-Place" order. I work from home, so it was no real inconvenience to me (and I am outside the "Shelter-in-Place" radius, anyway).  I just worked as usual and watched the 24-hour no-commercials network news later in the afternoon.  I am sure when the lockdown went out in the very early morning they didn't expect it to last all day, but even way out here in the 'burbs the police were asking everyone to stay off the roads if they didn't need to be out and about.

I am glad they caught the suspect.  As a suspect in such a wide-reaching crime and in federal custody, I am certain the wheels of federal justice will move but they will likely move away from here. I don't think anyone in the greater Boston area could impartially take part in any kind of justice in any way - from judges to clerks to anyone.  We were all too much affected by his actions.

In other, more personal news, rehearsals continue for the show I am in which goes up in a couple of weeks.  We're going to add more props, set dressing, and costumes this week, and our crew is in as well to get prepared for next week's tech week (the show is On Golden Pond, and I play the daughter of the couple.  Or y'know, for those that have seen the movie, the Jane Fonda part).

So, life After the Boston Marathon Bombings is continuing on as usual, which is the only and best thing we can do.

I've seen it, Jeff Dunham ALWAYS makes me laugh.

Between Jose Jalepeno on a Stick, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, and Peanut, I laugh like hell every time I come across him on TV.

In other news the show ends tomorrow (omg so tired! But I see the end of the three month long ear worm), and I fly to Europe on Tuesday. I haven't even begun to pack.

So we continued the costuming portion of the show last night (and then we ran act 2 OFF BOOK OMG!), and for the housekeeper I tried on a vintage dress. It is lovely, but slightly (very very slightly) too tight in the sleeve/upper back/bustline. It is a size 10, but a size 10 from fifty years ago is very different than a size ten today. Plus my girls are slightly too big. Now, most of this can be "fixed" with the proper foundation garment (not all, certainly, and I'll be watching what I eat far more in the next three weeks).

So I shall be looking for ridiculous, minimizing underwear this weekend. It has been a really long time since I went looking for ridiculous underwear. It is always a show that brings me to looking for it, too.

Other news is not so much news. I am singing, loudly, all the musical numbers I am in and trying to remember my harmonies. Sadly, I have to sing them down - where the basses are singing them, rather than up where the altos are *supposed* to be. Teenage boy voice, I swear.

And going to see the Full Monty tonight at Turtle Lane. Ugh, I want to see the show, but I kinda don't want to leave my house. The weather sucks outside.

Our Daddy Warbucks gave everyone in the cast pink beanie baby hippos for valentines. Pink "Dancing Hippos."

He said it was because he is a big dancing hippo in the show - kind of blundering around.

He is very sweet, and kinda strange.

So. Bright, cotton candy pink hippo.

...maybe I'll let my nieces "steal" it.

...and awake stupidly early this morning.

At least I was up early enough to put out my trash and recycling. They request it be out before 7:00am. It was, by quite a margin. And the temp is in the negative numbers, too! Currently about -4 degrees (F), and it has warmed a bit since I was out putting the trash at the head of my driveway.

I have a pretty messy cold - the random cough is setting in, and I'm pretty drippy - although I'm still working my way through my second box of kleenex.

Last night's rehearsal was choreo - from 7:45 to 10pm, all dance all the time. We cleaned up and worked "NYC," and then the last thirty minutes was review for "Hooverville" and "You Won't Be an Orphan."

One of the other ladies in the adult ensemble - who normally has leading parts - she was our Lily in "Secret Garden" our Anna in "the King and I," and is now content for this production to be down in the trenches with us, mentioned that having a leading role is so much less work. Ensemble is HARD! I lolled. And we're not even in the core dance group - we're the ones who can just about manage to step at the right time, but forget it if it also requires you to move your hand or head at the same time - and add in the singing and you're dreaming big. We have about six more weeks, I think? Maybe only five now, but hopefully by the time we go up we'll have a bit more clue.

Our choreographer is terrific, and while she is working us hard, she also uses her phone to video it and posts it so we can all watch and practice between rehearsals. The ONLY thing that is saving me from wandering around not knowing what the hell I am supposed to be doing when.

In other news, I am particularly loving the Wii. And gwendolyngrace and I are working our way through the Lego Batman game. I fooled around last night when I got home and figured out how to change Batman's suit! We're doing story mode together, but I've gone back and replayed parts of levels to see if I can figure out how to do more. Last night I replayed the Poison Ivy section of Chapter One, and figured out a few things (and died a lot, but whatever). I think I might have to try to get the Lego Harry Potter 1-4 once we've trounced the Batman game. I now understand the need for more memory - I'll pick up a memory card in the next few weeks.

Plus the Wii Fit is *fun* - and I never thought I'd work up much of a sweat, but I do - so when it is negative numbers out there like today (and only *might* break into positive double digits), I can work out in the safety and warmth of my own home. Awesome. Between the Wii and shoveling the driveway twice a week (and I am as ready as I can be for the next storm system), and dance rehearsals at least once or twice a week, I am working hard.

Ugh. Come noon, I'm *so* going to want a nap - and I've got rehearsal tonight. Nyquil tonight, I think - knock me out enough to get some sleep.

My not-quite-nine year old niece is learning how to play the string bass (how cool is that?). It is bigger than she is.

My six and a half year old niece is going to start piano lessons in the next couple of weeks.

My brother is still working on the addition to their house to try to get the upstairs live-able. He just has to complete installing the bathrooms, cut a door into the new part of the house, and move the girls into their new rooms. B is a little anxious to have her own room. We pointed it out (gently, of course) that her Papa said he was hoping to have it done this fall, and Fall is only a couple of days old, so he's got until after Thanksgiving, at least. But I guess she's been hounding her mother. She is one of those people who is still after instant gratification, instantly. Her older sister is far more patient, and able to see the bigger picture. Always has been.

This past weekend was incredibly busy - I helped backstage for a brand new theatre company trying to get off the ground - their very first production was "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum..." which I'd never seen before. Sure, I know the music - "Comedy Tonight" is a classic, as is "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" and "Pretty Little Picture." Less well-known, but still pretty standard are "Lovely," "Impossible," and "Free."

But, as the cast tells us in the opening number ""No royal curse, no Trojan horse, and a happy ending, of course!" it is a pretty mad-cap musical that is never PC, and kinda dated, but still damned funny. It seemed as if the audiences ate it up and laughed for two hours. Two sold out shows, and a third that was nearly three-quarters full. Not bad for a show that is almost fifty years old!

The costumer, who I enjoyed working with very much, is one of those people who you know for two days and are already old pals. I've known her for less than two weeks, and yet, she is completely awesome, talented, and knows a heck of a lot about many different subjects. And she is one of the sweetest, most genuine people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I told her I want to be her when I grow up.

Today, back to the grind stone.

So every time I travel to the SF Bay Area to visit the mothership... I mean the home office... which happens about three or four times a year, I make a visit to a used bookshop a couple miles from the hotel that carries a hell of a lot more than books. They also carry vinyl, CDs, DVDs, games, cassette tapes - I even saw a small section of 8-tracks.

This last visit I picked up a couple of CDs - the two CD set of "Aspects of Love" a Webber musical that did not do well (and boy, I understand why!). I also picked up "Bloomer Girl" and "Starlight Express."

But while I knew nothing of "Aspects of Love" other than the main anthem ("Love Changes Everything"), I finished listening to it in the car. It has some nice anthems, but it is definitely WEBBER - with quite a bit of melodrama and overwrought-ness.

It traces the relationship among a young actress, her younger lover, her eventual husband, his long-time mistress, and the actress's daughter (with her husband - all we needed to make it more incestuous as well as molestation if the girl turned out to be her younger lover's). In short, it is more of a mess than the most convoluted soap opera. And it would be more believable if it took place in 1900-1920-ish instead of between 1947 and 1967-ish. Just for era and mores. Although I give it points for lesbianism (the long-time mistress and the young actress get along REALLY well when they meet, much to their shared man's delight. And the mistress kisses the young actress at her wedding to her husband - as the mistress stood up for the man as his "best man" she claimed her right to kiss the bride. I don't know, but it made me laugh - at this point in the story it is like 1950. So.).

I think I'll put in "Starlight Express" the next time I'm out. I am only really familiar with two or three numbers, and while I know its a pretty ridiculous premise, it still seems like it might be kinda fun. And well, it was all of seven bucks.

...woke up today with a massive bloody nose. Going to bed feeling kind of nauseous. Lots of crap happened in between. Not the least of which I had to figure out how to make a "butcher's apron" look like the butcher is currently working hard. Brown and red and yellow paint, way watered down, and applied to damp fabric with glove-covered hands. Drip dry. I sang "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" while I was applying the paint.

At least my tub no longer looks like I've been sacrificing small animals. Or, y'know, maybe dismembering a corpse.

Went to rehearsal tonight and spent it sewing, fixing, making bits and pieces of costumes. I am so glad there are six of us working costumes. Because, wow. So *many* people in this show.

Monday started off with a bang!

But first, my weekend! Let me show you the fun! Friday night I went to a party! I had a pretty wonderful time, and the party was low-key and fun. Our hostess was relegated to *sitting* in the living room. She had spent Thursday night in the hospital having tests done (gallstone was the diagnosis), and she didn't tell anyone until we got to her home Friday night. If it were me, I'd have canceled the party, but she didn't. So I took over her kitchen as the party was set up to be pot luck. I did a lot of "So what'd you bring? Do you need a serving plate? Does it need to be heated up? Microwave or oven? What temp, and how long?"

Which will make those of you who know me LOL as I don't cook. At all. But, by damn, I can heat shit up with the best of them! The only thing I would have done better is start the coffee earlier. But what the hell do I know from coffee? I don't even know how to make it! I had to ask our hostess to explain her coffeepot. But next time! Oh, next time I will make the coffee earlier!

Saturday I went and explored some of West Concord with gwendolyngrace. She had to pick up dance shoes at the dance shop, and conveniently there was a quilter's shop right next door. So we went in there and poked around at the gorgeous fabrics. Then we amused ourselves in the 5 and 10. So cool! I love 5 and 10s. There are so few of them still around. Gwen found some green boot polish, and I got a nail brush.

After that we wandered into the local artists shop - and I recognized some of the artist's work! Some of these same folks are in the CHG, my mom's co-op.

We got a late lunch together and she went off to rehearsal, and I went off to the Players "Coffeehouse Capers" which is sort of an in-group variety show. I was set up help. So I went early and put together the centerpieces, and started to help in the kitchen. I ended up being one of the two or three people making the event unfold smoothly. I guess I was house-elfing this weekend.

Sunday I went to the CHG and helped my mom and DL with display. I completely tore apart one of the artist's display of jewelry and rebuilt it, making it look so much better than it did. And almost the moment I locked the cases back up after having finished working on it, a woman came in and bought a bracelet from the case! So, it was also pleasing to the customer. The bracelet was $145. Which more than made the artist's rent for the month, so I felt good about that (and didn't mind having an empty spot to shift things around to fill).

Lunch with mom and dad as per the norm of my days going to the CHG. I left my copy of MOON with them so they could see it. They're currently working their way through the first season of "The Wire" that my brother gave them.

Last night was an early night as I was tired from two nights up really really late. I got up this morning and checked my email... I had a quick project (as in, must be done in three hours, but you know you're on a conference call in two, and both need about two hours of your time to prep for...).

I sent back my reply with the needed information for the project just in time to log in to the conference call. The conference call went quicker than they were expecting, and this time I was strictly listen and take high-level notes, no talking necessary! That ended in time for a late lunch, and I had the rest of the afternoon to try to get my normal daily work completed. Which I did at about 6:35pm... Whew! Seeing as I started this morning at about 8:27... It has been a damned full day! Glad I had that wild blueberry tea (OMG, so damned delicious - but also caffeinated, so I must be careful to only have it really early!). I now have two favorite teas... one caf and one decaf!

Whew! I think I'm gonna go veg out for a little while and figure out dinner...

...opening weekend for the play I am in went very very well. Three more performances next weekend and we'll be done. It has been really really good getting back onstage this fall. I've had a wonderful time with the cast, and the (very very limited) crew.

I haven't seen the new season of just about any television show out there - and I am stuck in the middle of last season for a couple of shows I watch regularly. So I have no idea what is going on in TV lately (except for Project Runway - I am up-to-date there).

I think bed early tonight - as I am exhausted from the weekend of shows... Columbus Day tomorrow - no trash pickup, I think. So trash pickup will be Tuesday (confirmed from town's Web site) instead.

Other than all that, nothing of particular note happening here. It is coldish - 50's during the day, thirties and low forties at night. And the leaves are turning - not much on the ground, yet, but my trees are all oaks, and they tend to keep their leaves a long time and shed them late.