So I sang yesterday--vocally it went pretty well, but the aria unfortunately doesn't lend itself to much dramatic interpretation. (LOOOOONG story about why I had to start with that particular aria.) Anyway, I just found out I didn't get called back. But I'm not too upset about it--I can relax a little now, and just enjoy my week off. Plus it frees me up to think about my other auditions coming up. Just trying to stay positive...

Everyone tell Helen's baby to COME OUT ALREADY! :)

I'm up in New York, safe and sound despite some really crabby people on my connecting flight from Atlanta. My audition is on Tuesday, and I'm starting to get nervous. What crazy performance anxiety I've had lately! The other day a friend loaned me a book about the mental side of performing that I mean to read tomorrow among my other tasks (mark up music for pianist, watch tape of lesson, practice, go over staging, etc).

In other news, the surprise party for my grandparents is apparently still a surprise, though Jeff almost blew it this afternoon. My brothers are such dimwits sometimes! Oh, by the way, I saw the mother and sister of a certain crazy, twice- (or thrice-?) married high school friend of ours at the grocery store today. The mother looked the same, if older; the sister has certainly lost close to a hundred pounds since I last saw her. I went unrecognized; I barely recognized them, honestly. And I ran into another alum ('94, I think) at the Rite-Aid. Ah, small town life. I never realized how rural this place was until I lived in an actual city--albeit a smallish one. Please, there are at least five grocery stores within two miles of my house (including a Fresh Market AND a Whole Foods--how classy!). Here, you have to drive about eight miles to get to this really tiny store that didn't even have what I needed.

Ugh, I'm so tired...

I am such a big loser for not posting. I didn't realize how fatigued I've been until I started having to get up in the morning. And add rehearsal on top of that--and I'm just really tired. Our performances are next Tuesday and Wednesday (with more in February), so I guess I can hold out that long. On the 12th I leave for New York for an audition for San Francisco Opera's summer program (very exciting!). I'll also be up for my grandparents' super-secret fiftieth wedding anniversary surprise party, and will get a ride back to N.C. with my parents. Then I work for three days while preparing for Thanksgiving--our first time hosting. (I doubt Mark will let me make anything besides salad and mashed potatoes...) Then I head back up to New York for two weeks for more auditions. I have one so far in December--for Fort Worth Opera's resident artist program--and am waiting to hear back from a handful of companies. Hopefully I can get a lot of auditions in. And maybe, if I get a chance, I can make a day trip to Ithaca to visit the new baby! Depends on timing and weather, I suppose. I need to be back here by the 12th or 13th for work. So you see, the next six weeks of my life are entirely planned out. I suppose I will find the energy somewhere...

Must get to my lesson.