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.

A quick post, to let you know that I have not disappeared...

It is a lovely overcast day in the low 60s--immensely preferable to the high 80s-plus we had been experiencing until about a week ago. I'm actually wearing a long-sleeve shirt today. Mmm, reminds me of Binghamton in May. :)

Figaro was a success, though unfortunately my cast didn't get reviewed. I just have to be content with my good job, I suppose. Now I'm working on a new project--I've been asked to sing in the opera company's outreach opera, which we will perform in different schools in November and February. It should be a lot of fun--we sing a quartet about an omelette. Really. Translated from the French. Besides that, I'm working on audition rep, and have been sending out applications weekly. I may have to be in New York for nearly a month--I won't know for a few weeks, but I'm trying to work things out logistically.

Complicating this is the good news that I finally have a steady part-time temp job. (Lots of contradictions in that last sentence!) I'm working as an editorial assistant for a scientific journal. It's mainly data entry and general office stuff, and it pays well. I can't understand a single thing in the papers I handle. Anyway, nobody at the office or the temp agency knows about my audition schedule, and I plan to keep it that way for as long as possible. Once I have some definite auditions scheduled, I can let everybody in on the secret. This is supposedly a temp-to-perm job, and I'd really like to go permanent. Arggh. We shall see.

The clandestine WiFi at my house vanished about a week ago--hence no updates. I apologize.

My dress rehearsal last night went pretty well. My cast--with a few minor exceptions--is very talented, and at least one of my costumes is totally cute. The problem--ah, yes, of course there's a problem--is that goddamn f$#%ing aria again. The conductor will not take my tempo. I tried to sing it faster last night, to no avail--he just would not follow me. I really must speak to him before the performance tomorrow--unless he wants me to have to breathe in the middle of a word again. This is very upsetting to me. I had a lesson/pep talk on Tuesday, where we realized that yes, of course I can sing the aria--it's a matter of nerves and shit, the tempo. He's just doing it too damn slow for me. That's all there is to it.

ANYWAY, it's been a busy few weeks--this Wednesday was my first day off singing in over two weeks. Sundays were supposed to be our days off, but last Sunday I sang for a brunch at this swanky restaurant (and got free lunch--mmm, yummy chewy tiny tentacles in my ceviche), and the Sunday before that I got to sing in this fabulous masterclass. So it's all been for a good cause. I've also made a recording to send out for auditions (and got to put sound files on my website--FINALLY!), am working furiously on a short-sleeved ribbed green V-neck hoodie (which I hope comes out okay--I'm kind of improvising) and have become slightly addicted to The Sims. Plus there's my boo, who is none the worse for having several thousand dollars of periodontal work done on Wednesday. He is my rock, as usual.

Jeez, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself after the show is over...although the kitchen floor hasn't been mopped in AGES...

Figaro rehearsals started Monday with a sing-through. I did well except for the previously-mentioned Hell Aria. The conductor likes a much slower tempo than I can sing. We're going to try to split the difference. I'm almost there, but it is frustrating. We stage the aria tomorrow afternoon--staging usually helps me sing harder music, so maybe it will solve some problems.

Last week I visited a music school in the next town over--finally somewhere that anticipates needing another voice teacher! I signed on with them, and this afternoon they called me with a student scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon. AND, despite my worst fears, she's twelve, not seven. Hooray! I think that'll make me like, ten dollars. It's a start.

So Hurricane Ophelia has been beating on my parents for the last few days. When I talked to my mother this afternoon, she said a big pinecone had broken her windshield, and the wind and ten inches of rain aggravated a small pre-existing leak in the roof, but other than that things are fine. I'll give a post-mortem soon.

Quickly: If you are planning on making a donation for Hurricane Katrina, check out this website. The Manilow Fund for Health and Hope (?) will match your donation, and so will Barry himself, so $10 becomes $30. Hooray for Barry Manilow!

p.s. Towels not included. :)

Did you know that there is a Saint Gaspar? I didn't. And he was a pretty cool guy--he ministered to the poor and the sick, plus he was a political prisoner while Rome was under Napoleonic rule. I was impressed. And all this because I Googled my brother. He doesn't come up, by the way.

I have spent ALL DAY on the computer, printing young artist applications and double-checking information. Feeling kinda organized, if I say so myself.

I know I probably shouldn't--I really want to be off-book for Figaro--but I think I'm going to re-read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, while I still have it out from the library. I know I haven't mentioned it here--I wouldn't want to spoil it for anybody--but it was really good, and I feel like I can't remember the other books well enough to pick up on the little contextual clues that the real hard-core Muggles do. But I did correctly guess who died. Though I do have this total nerdbomber hope that the dead person will come back--like Gandalf the Grey/White. If not, then this person should advise Harry from beyond the grave, like Obi-Wan. See? Nerdbomber. I wasn't kidding. Oh, and as for the killer, I think he was operating under orders from--but I can't say any more!

So there are going to be people living in the AstroDome? Like, for a while? Crazy. Well, it can't get much worse than New Orleans. I've never been there, but I guess I never will. :/

Hey, so is your gas $3.75 a gallon? Did it go up a dollar a gallon overnight? It did here. It's not so dire as it originally appeared--the pipeline pumps on the Gulf are back online, though at 40% capacity--but that hasn't stopped the total gouging going on. I think we're all going to have to get used to this... Mark thinks this all will head us into a recession. To which I said, "I didn't know we were OUT of the recession from 2000!" Ah, to have a Democrat in office again...

I have like a dozen phone calls to make, and still some music to learn, but all I can do is sit transfixed in front of the Weather Channel, knitting furiously (as furiously as I can, in any case). The CBS Evening News made me tear up before. I cannot fathom what those people are going through. It's incomprehensible. What can I say about it? Nothing. And doesn't Jennifer K. from high school live there? I hope she's okay.

Two other newsworthy events:
1. We saw John Edwards coming out of the grocery store on Saturday. He supposedly moved to Chapel Hill, but maybe not yet. He was wearing a green T-shirt and shorts, and was with an older woman I didn't get a good look at.

2. North Carolina passed a state lottery today. I'm ambivalent about the lottery in general, but I'm just glad the last three years of talking about it are finally over...

And a Happy Belated Birthday to Helen! Sorry, I was in Weather Channel world.

Reunion was way anticlimactic. I'm glad I went, but I don't think it was worth the money. This week I've been working on Figaro, mostly. Just feeling blah--I'm not sleeping well. Anyway, there isn't much going on--just felt the need to update!

Yahoo! I am officially blogging from my very own, brand-new laptop (purchased during the previous tax-free weekend) and on stolen wireless signal, no less! I have arrived in the twenty-first century! (Though I must keep this short, since Mark would hate the signal-theft if he knew...) We still need to get me a bag--the ones they had on the Gateway website were expensive and not that nice--but we should do that within the next week or two.

So a lot has been going on in the past few weeks. We've had quite a few social engagements--Mark's friend Pat was down, as were my cousins from Pennsylvania, and Mark's sister stayed for almost a week, which was nice, and we've had a few parties--and we're both excited about the reunion. I've been working on memorizing Figaro, which is going okay. Our rehearsals start in four weeks! I would really love to be virtually off-book by then. Luckily I already know both arias, all but one section of the Act II finale and the duet with Susanna, but I still have to get some chunks of recitative solid, plus there's the Act IV finale, which is fun and luckily doesn't involve my character so much as the one in Act II. The Countess leaves the stage for about two minutes for all of Act II--luckily I have almost all of it down.

The main reason I've been so out of contact is because I've been feeling so crappy. This medication I'm on has given me some intestinal issues, certainly, but they seem to finally be wearing off, which is normal. The main issue is this serious lack of energy--and total crashing after meals, the bigger the worse the crash. I just read up on this today, and apparently that's a normal side effect, too (it was specifically referred to as "malaise", which was the word I've been using already). I think I'm going to have to eat lots of small meals instead of two small ones and one big one. I've just been feeling like shit, really. But this also seems to be improving. As for the core ovarian issue, I'm on the inactive pill week, and I'm already crabby but have yet to see results. I know this all will take some time, but it's getting a little frustrating...

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...

Once again, I am at the public library, and the man on the computer next to me is on a website for Russian mail-order brides. I am so grossed out. It's not that I'm being nosy--I just look up randomly and am assailed with such unreal images... Plus there's always somebody here who REEKS of stale cigarette smoke. I swear I'm not being elitist. I just have a weak stomach. Ick... And on that note: I should probably go home and get started on that pasta (I've been meaning to make wheat pasta for a week now, but I never seem to get around to it).

Okay, so there are these auditions this weekend, but I don't think I'm going to do them. First of all, I just looked at the company's website, and I think I have scheduling conflicts with all their shows. Second, looking at their schedule, I don't think they have any roles for me. Thirdly, the monthly curse, so to speak, is nearly upon me, which is bad for singing for several reasons which I'm sure you will find fascinating:

1. Did you know that your vocal cords retain water? Yep, they're just like any other muscle--except that the very fine muscular control singing requires, and the relatively tiny size of the muscle in question, mean that being bloated actually does affect your voice. I can tell right away when it's started, because for days I'll sound like poo and suddenly I'm completely fine...

2. Apparently pain-relieving medications, because they thin your blood, can occasionally cause vocal cord hemorrhages if you sing too much while you're on them. Now this totally sounds like an old wives' tale--or perhaps an old divas' tale--so I mean to do some research into that. And why wouldn't my voice teacher or my pedagogy teacher (both of whom are very knowledgeable about vocal disorders, mechanics etc.) ever mention this? Anyway, I mean to find out.

Now it reeks of way-too-strong perfume in here--the kind that immediately calls to mind Elizabeth Taylor. My poor olfactory... Oh, hell, that's another hormonal thing--women and their superior senses of smell, etc. Great, I'm like walking progesterone here. Or whatever hormone it is. Hey, maybe that would explain the completely lesbian dream I had last night. Oddly enough, I tend to dream about men when I'm ovulating, and women when I'm menstruating--been like that for years. Damn, they should do a study on me.

Okay, I apologize to my male readership for all the TMI back there. I promise, next post will have nothing to do with Aunt Flo, monthly visitors or being on the rag... :)

Since we're sharing recipes, here's another: as you all know, I hate peas with a passion. However, I actually like these split pea burgers, courtesy of my beloved Alton Brown. Who knew?

So now it appears I might have another audition, for another small opera company in town that actually pays people occasionally. Just found out about it, and it's next weekend. Hey, remember a week or so back when I was whining about not having any goals? Well, welcome to my goals. :) Anyway, this company does contemporary American opera, so I need to work up my Britten aria again. (I know, Britten was British, but my American aria has a wicked haahd accompaniment, so unless I'm bringing my own pianist it's not worth the drama.) Had a great lesson this morning, by the way--with some tweaking I should be in good shape for that audition on the 30th.

Oh, and have I mentioned that I've been reading Fast Food Nation? Yeah, like three years after everybody else read it. (Although truthfully I read passages of the book before it was printed, in Rolling Stone. Yeah, that's how long ago it was.) I'm almost done. Mark and I needed to eat dinner at nine-thirty last night, so we drove around town looking for a place that didn't make me twitch involuntarily and cry, "Evil Empire! Evil Empire!" when I saw its glowing sign. :) We ended up at Waffle House--not the healthiest place (though they do sell salads now!), but they're really good about offering benefits to their employees. Plus I got to say, "scattered, smothered and covered" and drank three cups of decaf at ten-thirty at night. I don't know, the whole fast-food thing has me tied in knots. There's a lot to think about. My one criticism of the book is that, Michael Moore-like, he kind of runs with correlational stuff and wacked-out comparisons that lead to visceral, emotional reactions (like comparing Soviet collective agricultural management, which eventually led to the starvation of millions, to the current American agribusiness pseudo-monopoly). It seems like they're trying to beat the conservatives at their own game (distorting the truth a bit for their own benefit), instead of trying to take the high road. Mark gets aggravated by this. And it's my fault for getting him started--that is, I'll read some line from the book and he'll immediately turn devil's advocate. Poor thing. He can't back away from a political argument. My sweet little pundit baby. :)

Per Cathy's request, the avatar generator can be found here.

This weekend we ran errands--finally bought an electric kettle (after like a month of deliberations) and a wedding present for Jeff and Elena. I just found out that that audition I thought would be at the end of July has been moved up to June 30. This is weighing heavily on my mind right now. Otherwise--I have been struck with an urge to rid the house of clutter and excess crap we never use. I am going through all my papers, reorganizing and labeling the contents of my file cabinet--and Saturday night I finally sorted several years of photos and filed them neatly in albums. And there are a bunch of big bags full of Mark's clothes that are going to Goodwill. Spring cleaning in June! Nothing makes me happier than streamlining. Oh. Well, that's not entirely true.

Speaking of housewifery (was I?), I have created a fabulous new recipe for the ice cream maker--banana pudding flavor, made with two packets instant pudding, two cups skim milk, one cup lowfat plain yogurt and lots of love. Very, very rich--and less than fifty calories per half-cup. Even better with chocolate syrup on top... :)

As you can see, I finally found a file I had hiding on the internet that was small enough to add to my profile. Hooray, the cartoon version of me.

Not much going on. I called a bunch of music schools the other day, sending my resume out to a few of them. One person that seemed very interested on the phone runs a "Christian" performing arts school--which at first I thought I was okay with, but apparently they want all the kids to learn "praise and worship music" (i.e that sh!t my mother listens to) and specifically singled out Disney as something they didn't want the kids working on. Hello, what else do you give a nine-year-old?! It's bad enough that they're taking voice lessons in the first place--I have a big philosophical problem with teaching voice to anybody under, say, fourteen, and would basically do more of a music "readiness" thing with younger kids--but then you want them to sing mediocre CRAP?! But honestly, my main discomfort here is that I don't know the repertoire. (And don't want to, obviously.)

Well, it's kicking me off here in the library, but everybody have a good weekend. I owe Helen a phone call! :)

I'm sure none of you will be shocked:

Your Taste in Music:

80's Alternative: Highest Influence

80's Pop: Highest Influence

90's Alternative: Highest Influence

Classic Rock: Highest Influence

Hair Bands: Highest Influence

Progressive Rock: Highest Influence

80's Rock: High Influence

80's R&B: Medium Influence

90's Pop: Medium Influence

90's R&B: Medium Influence

90's Rock: Medium Influence

Old School Hip Hop: Medium Influence

R&B: Medium Influence

Ska: Medium Influence

90's Hip Hop: Low Influence

Adult Alternative: Low Influence

Alternative Rock: Low Influence

Heavy Metal: Low Influence

Punk: Low Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

And this one seemed fun:
Friends/Numbers meme
Write down 20 names of 20 friends. Then answer the questions below.

1. Mark
2. Helen
3. Cathy
4. Greg
5. Elena
6. Jeff
7. Sandra
8. Rebecca
9. Fritz
10. Summer
11. Sara
12. Amanda
13. Victoria
14. Joanna
15. Christine
16. Erik
17. Jordana
18. Caitlin
19. Brad
20. Stacey


Is #9 a boy or a girl? Boy

Would #1 and #2 make a cute couple? Well, she's taller than he is... ;)

How about #18 and #4? You know, they might...

What grade is #17 in? Umm...25th?

When was the last time you talked to #12? At the wedding.

What is #6's favorite band? Possibly Blondie, maybe U2?

Does #1 have any siblings? Older sister, twin brother, younger brother.

Would you ever date #3? That would be INSANE.

Would you ever date #7? Well, she is into girls, but totally not my type...

What's #15's last name? It has six letters.

What's #10's middle name? Rae.

What's #5's favorite thing to do? Either singing, dancing, shopping or cooking.

Is #13 hot? Very cute.

Would #14 and #19 make a good couple? I don't think we have to worry about that...

What school does #20 go to? She went to college in Cleveland, I believe.

Tell me a random fact about #11: Her husband owns a cake bakery.

And #1: He likes ketchup on his grilled cheese. Nasty!

And #3: She is a recent convert to TiVo.

Have you ever had a crush on #15? No, but she's very fun to be around.

Where does #9 live? On a beautiful lake.

What's #4's favorite color? Green, maybe?

Would you makeout with #14? I don't think she'd appreciate it much.

Are #5 & #6 best friends? They're about to get married, so I would hope so.

Does #7 like #20? They've never met.

Does #8 like #19? I think they'd get along quite well.

How did you meet #2? She was in my sixth-grade class.

How did you meet #18? She was my roommate.

Does #10 have any pets? I don't think so...

Is #12 older than you? She's about 18 months younger.

Is # 17 the sexiest person alive, or what? Tee hee.

(borrowed from Jordana)

Now that I've wasted enough time doing high schooler-produced memes, I can get down to business...Yes Helen, I have posted like three times in a week. Holy crap! This is what happens when I have nothing to do. That's been bugging me, actually. Ever since last August, I have had very specific goals and deadlines in my life, and suddenly I have none. First there was the Fla. audition, then a show, then learning the music for Fla. and preparing for NYC auditions, then three months in Fla., then intensive wedding preparations, then another show. Now I have nothing until the end of July (audition). So this week I've been spending a lot of time looking at new music and stuff, but I feel really aimless. I do need to start looking for a teaching job--I'm going to make a bunch of phone calls Monday. Actually, a friend of mine left me a voicemail the other day about an adjunct teaching position at a state college a few hours away. It would be a good thing if I didn't want to go back to Fla. It seems really permanent to teach at a college--very "I am a teacher, not a singer," and I don't want that. Plus I don't feel ready to teach at that level yet. High schoolers are good for me.

Did I mention that I got the high school reunion paperwork in the mail the other day? It made me go through my yearbook. (And look: one of the people they can't find is Helen's loser ex. Oh, darn, I was really looking forward to seeing him. {sarcasm}) We're still not sure if we're going yet--it'll depend on money--but it would be fun. Ha ha, we don't live in trailer parks in Bloomingburg with our parents and our four children of varying paternity...

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!