I just read in the SUNY-B alumni newsletter that tarte cosmetics was created by a fellow alum. Cool company philosophy, paired with fun products! And it's all available at Sephora. Maybe I'll visit tomorrow. I have purposely avoided entering the Sephora in my local mall, intuiting that I would not have the willpower to leave without spending vast amounts of cash. But I had to buy some gel eyeliner for the apprentice program, so last November I dared to enter. I later explained the experience this way to Mark: "You know that scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when they enter the candy garden? Well, it's a lot like that, except it's makeup and perfume and candles and stuff..." And guess what? I left the store with some excellent Stila gel liner and nothing else. So maybe I can handle it. :)

The weekend of shows went well--we got terrible, vindictive reviews (well, I didn't--I suppose my part was too small for them to think of anything nasty to say, though both reviewers said I was a mezzo so they must not have even LOOKED at my bio) which we were all extremely pissed about, but considering how tumultuous the production was I'd say we did really well. My next step: work on that role I'm supposedly being considered for, get my "five" (arias, for auditons) worked out for next fall, and eek! get a job, somehow. My first step is to call up all the community music schools in the county and see if they have any openings for teachers. If that doesn't work, well, I may have to get a part-time day job--which I suppose wouldn't be that bad, but my resume overqualifies me for everything, plus I haven't had a steady office job in like, twenty months. I'm not sure how it will all work out. Maybe I should just get a job at Sephora. Dangerous...

So turns out the girl I was supposed to be covering didn't really want the role in the first place (she's mad, by the way. At six-two and buxom she's not going to be singing Carmen--at least not in this country, where appearance matters much and she'll be at least six inches taller than all the tenors. Sidebar), so I myself am singing the Mrs. Kravitz-inspiring character mezzo role. And having a good time with it, I might add. Our first performance (open dress rehearsal) was last night. This production has been rife with complications--numerous principals backing out at the last minute, injuries, delays getting on the set and acquiring props, a director (who I know from a previous gig which shall remain nameless) who's good at his job but can be prickly... But all in all it's been a good experience. Hell, I just like being on stage. And supposedly I'm being heavily considered for a huge role in the company's fall show. (Still have to audition, of course--still have to get through the SCARY second aria, which looks so easy on paper but is full of peril...) More details when it gets closer--I don't think they're even having auditions until early August. So things are good.

Married life is fine, by the way. We've both been a little grumpy lately--I've been sleeping poorly, and having rehearsal every night means we don't get to see each other in the evening, so things can get a little tense sometimes. Nothing a little fresh homemade strawberry frozen yogurt can't fix!

Oh, and before I forget--we saw Revenge of the Sith last Saturday night. There were some truly awesome moments. I think if you go in with the proper expectations--e.g. the dialogue is going to suck--it can be a thrilling experience. Mark read somewhere that the screenplay was heavily edited by Tom Stoppard. Comments?

p.s. I've put up some pictures from Florida on my singer site--but I haven't linked to the page or labeled them yet, plus I want to double-check with the people in them that it's okay. But Giulietta and Butterfly are definitely staying up!

God, I am such a slackass! I go to the library a few times a week (so I can actually type and view pictures and other things which are impossible on my ancient computer with dialup and a temperamental spacebar) and I always open up Blogger to create a new post, then find I have nothing interesting to write about. Which isn't entirely true--I just feel unmotivated, I guess.

For those of you who weren't there, the wedding was a success--everybody seemed to have a good time and we were relaxed enough to enjoy the day. Unfortunately I had a nasty cold which left me completely hoarse for the wedding, the honeymoon and the following week. So I was finally better for about a week when Mark got sick (presumably from work). And this morning I woke up with the telltale sore palate/postnasal thing. Wonderful. Especially with this show going on. Oh, yeah, I'm singing in the chorus for this local show--our rehearsals start tonight--but about ten days ago the artistic director of the company asked me to cover this small part--another dramatic mezzo thing which I'll probably never sing again--so I've been working on learning that as well. And my first lesson in FIVE MONTHS is Thursday. I have been needing one so desperately. We're going out to lunch first to get all the talking part out of the way. And all this hinges upon whether I am actually sick, or if this is just allergies. I'm not taking any chances--I've just washed all the bedding, and one of us may take the couch tonight (DAMN! forgot to buy Lysol). I am NOT getting sick again--this would be the third time in six weeks, which leads me to believe that it's some really bad bacterial thing. Luckily I have insurance now (!!!!!!!)--though I haven't gotten my card yet--so if I wake up tomorrow completely stuffed up I am immediately making an appointment. Mark is headed to the doctor tomorrow anyway...

Enough about being sick! I get a little obsessive... Anyway, so we went to Cancun for the honeymoon. None of the pictures do it justice--the water is really Kool-Aid turquoise. We spent most days at the resort, sitting by the pool/beach and drinking daiquiris, though we did spend a morning in downtown Cancun. And we took a looong bus ride to Chichen-Itza--but it was worth it. We climbed that famous pyramid. Which was scary, actually--the steps are really steep, so most people crawl down on their butts (including us). But it was really cool. And our hotel room was nice, too--fantastic view AND a whirlpool tub. And the food was pretty good--though we were starting to get sick of it. Breakfast was definitely the best meal.