The doctor called me back with some test results on Friday, and it appears that I do have insulin resistance, though there's nothing wrong with my thyroid. I have to take medication, but it's supposedly not a big deal. Most of what I've read online about it is incredibly doom-and-gloom ("You're going to get diabetes!") but DUH, I do not have diabetes, and the insulin resistance is completely related to the PCOS (there's conflicting information out there about what causes what). Apparently insulin resistance makes you grumpy, messes with your sleep, and makes it nearly impossible for you to lose weight. (See? Again, not my fault!!) The medication I'm on, coupled with the birth control I started yesterday, should really help with my bizarre abdominal weight, along with all the other problems. No changes in the last three days, of course, but Mark is convinced it will only be a matter of weeks before I start noticing changes. Hooray for my cheerleader. :)

In other news: we visited my parents at the beach this weekend, and came back with a long-promised bread maker that my mother picked up at a garage sale. It's probably been used once. The first loaf should be done in about an hour. Mark is quite excited, but thinks he probably likes the old-fashioned way better. But check it out, with that super-fast yeast, you can make a loaf of bread from scratch in AN HOUR. That's just crazy. We'll stick with the three-hour method for the time being.

Another reunion thought: We should make a drinking game out of it. Do a shot if:

-When asked about their career, someone says, "Well, RIGHT NOW I'm doing..." (thanks to Cathy for her observation)

-Someone shows you pictures of their kids, and it's obvious they each have different parents (is this too crass? It is a drinking game, after all...)

-Someone has been married more than twice (will it be one of our old friends?)

-Someone has been laid off from an IT job

-Someone gives you a business card

-Someone you never got along with gives you a great big hug and acts like you're long-lost sisters

-You see a former bitchy popular girl who's obviously past her prime

-You have a conversation in the bathroom about crow's feet

-You see an old crush/boyfriend (you'll probably need it)

-Someone references pep rallies, school dances, the prom, or anything else that we were too cool to willingly participate in during high school

-If an old friend references some really dumb private joke from 1993 that you've forgotten long ago, and you're expected to remember and relive the fun

-Anyone brings up PLEASURE DOME

Must run to grocery store. I neglected to mention that it's going to be over 100 degrees here until Thursday. I plan on staying inside as much as possible...

So in case you haven't heard via mass e-mail, I got the part anyway! Now I shall reveal that it is Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. As in my dream role. As in the role my blog is named after. Remember years ago it was "contessa"? When I came back to Blogger the name was taken--by some chick who liked to write shitty poetry about butterflies, if I remember correctly--so I had to go with "crudele", what the Countess calls the Count while she's guilt-tripping him in the Act II finale. As you can see, this is a big deal for me. Yes, I F-ed up in the audition, but it must not have been as bad as I thought. Granted, the role is double-cast, and I'm in the B cast, but a friend of mine is the A-cast Countess, and she totally deserves it (I saw her audition, and she did really well, plus she's just REALLY talented), so I have no sour grapes at all. Basically I do one performance instead of two, and I probably won't get a review, but honestly I don't really care. I'm doing it, I'm putting it on my resume, and I am going to kick ass. Bring your Kleenex, because I WILL make you cry during "Dove sono". Providing I don't screw it up again. :) No, I won't.

And speaking of long-awaited things finally coming to pass, there's the reunion coming up in exactly a month. No, I won't have lost fifty pounds by then--for what, to make High School Boyfriend jealous and rue the day he let me get away?--but I think I'm doing pretty well in my life. ...I will post more thoughts on the reunion tomorrow...

I know I promised there'd be no more talk about the curse, but I finally got to the doctor and was diagnosed with this. I'd been doing a little research so I kind of suspected it. I have to go on the pill and stuff, no big deal. I was tested for insulin resistance this morning, so maybe I'll have to do some sort of low-carb shit. This I am not happy about. There's nothing really wrong with my diet--portion size, perhaps, and I could cut down on sugar a bit--but we eat pretty well-balanced meals, with plenty of vegetables and everything. They also tested my thyroid. I should find out more on Monday. In any case, it's a total relief to know that gaining twenty-off pounds of abdominal fat is because of hormones, not because I've been wallowing in lard...

In happier news, Mark and I went to Pittsburgh last week for our friends' wedding. It was beautiful, and we had a great time in Pittsburgh. We even got to go to IKEA--the first time for both of us. We bought placemats and pasta bowls and glasses (to replace the cobalt blue ones I bought for him that he finds "unappetizing") and other things we really didn't need--but all at very good prices. We did manage to escape without a china cabinet, which we're starting to shop around for.

By the way, congratulations on your new laptop, Cathy--sounds like you have your hands full. We're going to try to get one in a few weeks (the state has a tax-free weekend once a year before school starts, which includes computers), though we'll probably get a Dell. ("Dude!")

And duh, Helen's moving into her NEW HOUSE! That is the most exciting news. How do you always manage to move in the dead of summer, and always while you're pregnant? ;D No, that was just the last time. I hope you have lots of help from strapping young men and women, who are content to lug all your boxes and keep the girls occupied while you recline six inches from your new air conditioner and are served Rocky Road and fresh-squeezed lemonade by Orlando Bloom. Every pregnant woman's summer fantasy? You tell me. :)

In less-pleasant news, my audition two weeks ago (the 30th) did not go as well as planned. I finally had the scary aria in check--I finally figured out the trick to make it work. I chatted with the auditioners, half of whom knew me already. The recitative went REALLY well--nuanced, dramatically genuine, floaty high A--then the aria started. The accompanist--who I've worked with before in shows--started a little slow, so I tried to speed her up, oversinging in the process. There went the aria. I lost my confidence to get through the freakishly long phrases, and that was it. It didn't go horribly, but I haven't sung that poorly in an audition in eighteen months. All my new technical tricks went out the window in exchange for tense CRAP. So I wasn't pleased. At least this experience was in front of people who know and like me, and want me to do well. And because they trust me implicitly (so say my singer friends) they may take a chance on me with the role anyway. The other thing is, after further research into the roles available for apprentices to cover at Sarasota this season, I don't think I'm going to sing for them in October. There's nothing for me to do! Plus my teacher and I have discussed that I really need to start doing competitions--there are quite a few, most notably the Metropolitan Opera competition which I have never sung for (shock!). And I really need to get myself out there. At this point I need to be heard by the most people possible. In any case, not doing Sarasota would free up my winter to do lots of competitions and auditions--and, notably, sing in the local company's winter show, for which the female role is PERFECT for me. (Plus I'm not scared of the aria at all...) So the other day (at marketing-savvy fellow soprano's suggestion), I e-mailed opera company X's president (who loves me, plus we have similar taste in wine) to let him know that I was now very available for winter productions, being particularly interested in the one show. They haven't made any decisions yet, so we'll see what happens. Wish me luck either way...